La Angostura

THE BIG NEW DAM ON THE BAVISPE RIVER IN THE STATE OF SONORA, MEXICO, WILL STORE WATER FOR IRRIGATION IN THE YAQUI VALLEY In dry weather the trip to “La Angostura” can be made quite comfortably. The road, of gravel, passes through rugged desert country, a spectacular ranching and mining area and through a part of colorful Sonora, whose small towns and villages are unhurried and untouched by our streamlined civili zation.

One hundred and ten miles south of Douglas, Arizona, on the Ba vispe River in the state of Sonora, Mexico, the finishing touches are being put on the Angostura Dam. “La Angostura” will hold a large lake of water to be used for irri gation purposes in the Yaqui Valley of Sonora, and will provide fishing and recreational and scenic oppor tunities for residents and visitors of southern Arizona. The journey from Douglas to “La Angostura” offers much of historical interest and scenic delight.

“La Angostura” is 270 feet high and will impound a body of water twenty-two miles long and about ten miles wide. Approximate cost of the dam is $4,000,000 and is part of a projected $40,000,000 plan to irrigate the vast Yaqui Valley, lying to the southwest.

Photographs for Arizona Highways by O. L. PARRIS

Fronteras and Esqueda are two typical Mexican villages the American traveler will enjoy visiting. The silence of a Sunday afternoon at Fronteras is broken by the sound of church bells, ancient relics from old Spain, whose age and sonority seem to echo the march of the Conquistadores. Here children playing in the street will stare curiously at the visitor and here the little stores close for the drowsy siesta each afternoon. Burro drawn carts come in from the hills.

As it always is in the small towns in Sonora a knowledge of Spanish is not necessary for the traveler to secure ordinary accommodations. There is always a cafe to be discovered, there is always a shop to purchase Mexican curios, always someone who speaks a few words of English. In the villages store fronts and homes abruptly face the street. Within are patios filled with foliage and flowers. Along the road from Douglas to "La Angostura" are dense stands of Organ Pipe Cactus. The coun-try is rich in interesting desert growth and a leisurely drive will reveal much of botanical inter-est. Because of the aridity of the country, however, it is advisable for the visitor to carry a supply of water.

Between Douglas and "La Angostura" the traveler crosses several small mountain ranges and weaves through much hill country. There are no steep climbs; so that the trip can be made without undue strain on car or passenger. The road is well traveled and with the opening of Angostura Lake to fishermen traffic over the road should be heavy. Complete travel information on the trip from Douglas to "La Angostura" can be received by calling at the Douglas Chamber of Commerce.

"La Angostura" dam on the Bavispe River is a sign of the progressive times and tempo in Old Mexico. Only one of a number of reclamation and irrigation projects underway or planned in the Southern Republic, "La Angostura" will be a valuable asset to state and government officials in reclaiming much land in Sonora now unused and in assuring a steady supply of water for the farmers in the Yaqui Valley. The Yaqui. tradi tionally fierce and warlike, when left unmolested are industrious, frugal and alert to advanced farming practices.

Built at an elevation of 2,781 feet above sea level, "La Angostura" will control the flow of the Bavispe River, which during rainy seasons becomes a raging torrent. "La Angostura" means "The Narrows," which aptly describes the passageway through rock cliffs cut by the river. The trip to "La Angostura" offers a va riety of attractions and is one of the many interesting trips offered in Sonora to Southern Arizona's thousands of winter visitors.