The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-08-25
The Country In COlOradO-The Town
OF Greeley: Its History, Location
and Prospects,
ESTES PARK, ROCKY MogSTAINs


ell across the continent. already made
familiar to everybody, By oft-repeated
description. [ will endeavor to fulfill
the promise made to our genial and
ubiquitous friend. Silverthorn, as I
was receiving his parting benediction.
that I would from time to time
give your readers an account
Of my western Wanderings. To any
who read carelessly, or have for
gotten, the description of the country
along the line OF the Union Pacific
Road, which appeared In the columns
of the JOURNAL from the editorial
pen, a few months since, would say
that fifty cent guide book. publish
ed in Chicago, will meet their wants,
by giving them pretty full account
of the general features OF the count
try, and Of every stopping place from
Omaha to San Francisco. Those
wishing to visit Colorado, leave the
Union Pacific Road at Cheyenne.
nearly six hundred miles from Oma-
ha, and take the Denver & Pacific
Road. The distance to Denver is one
hundred and eight miles, and the fare
only ten dollars. The first stopping
place of any Importance on this road,
is Greeley, the location of the famous
Greeley Colony, known as widely as
the ~. Y. Tribune has readers. AL
though my destination was Denver. |
could not pass a place of such note,
without learning something of Its
origin, present condition and future
prospects. And when you are
informed that here, where last May
there was not a single shanty, there is
now a town of two hundred houses,
with a population of four or five hum
dred, representing every Northern
and several Southern States, and eve-
~ avoeatiOn in life; that there is a
school In successful operation, hotel,
book store and drug store, besides
several other stores where the neces-
sary articles Of human comfort are re-
tailed; that there is already growing
upon the treeless site of the town, a
park of over one thousand trees of va
riOus kinds imported from the States;
and that. more wonderful than all, in
this western town there is not a sa-
loon or any place where Intoxicating
beverages of any kind can be bought;
/ say when your readers are told this
much of Greeley, they may share my
curiosity in wishing to know more,
and so I will endeavor to satisfy them.
Sometime last Winter, this colony
was organized at Cooper Institute,
under a call from N. G. Meeker. one
of the prominent attaches of the New
York Tribune, for hundred or more
men of temperance principles to join
him in settling a colony somewhere in
the West. This meeting adopted
their constitution and bylaws, and
made Mr.. Meeker President, GEN
eral Cameron Vice President, and
Horace Greeley Treasurer. 1t was
provided that, by the payment of one
hundred and fifty-fve dollars, any
one could become a member, and be
entitled to five, ten, twenty, forty or
eighty acre lot lying outside of the
town limits, and by paying In addition
to this fifty dollars, a member could
obtain corner, and twenty-five doll
lars would entitle him to an inside
village lot. A locating committee was
at once sent out, and after much care
full prospecting, chose the delta form
ed by the junction OF the Cache La
Poudre and Platte Rivers. about mid
way between Cheyenne and Denver,
as the site of their future city.
Surveyors were soon upon the
ground, who laid off one mile square
into business aud residence lots. The
committee secured by actual purchase
about twelve thousand acres, and
have under their control sixty or sew
enty thousand more acres of govern
ment and railroad lands, which are
divided into farms Of the various sizes
named. 2
Those who are acquainted with the
climatic condition of this region, are
aware that, for we'll known causes,
rain falls only in small quantities up
on the plains of Colorado, and, there
fore, the lands can be successfully
cultivated only by irrigation. To ac-
complish this, the committee have
the water already flowing above the
town in a ditch nine miles long, from
the Cache La Poudre to the Platte
River, from which at least twelve
thousand acres can be irrigated. and
have this month let the contract for
digging another ditch thirty miles
long, below the town, which they
claim will irrigate perfectly the re-
mainder of their lands. These i'm
proyements are made by the Colonial
funds, and every member is entitled
to the privilege of them without addi-
tional tax.
TO one coming as I had just come,
from the beautiful. rich bluffs of
Western IoWa-well timbered, COW
cred with rank green grass and luxu-
RANT harvests-these treeless, shrub
less plains, growing nothing but cac-
tus and peculiar kind of short, dead
looking grass, seemed perfect DESC
ton. Nor could / be made to believe
without the sensible and true avouch
of mine own eyes" that they could be
made probably productive. But /
have had this proof. Herds of the
sleekest, latest cattle / ever saw. feed
ing upon the barren ridges of the
bluffs, convince me of what every one
here athrms, that the natural grass has
q wonderful degree of nutriment.
The thick standing shocks of grain on |
the irrigated. farms over which I
have passed are an evidence
that Colorado can produce with
ease from forty to sixty bushels of |
wheat to TIA acre, and other small
grain In proportion. We must wait
another year before we can know
what is to be the success of the Gree |
ly farmers, but they are big with con-
fidence. s
The affairs of the colony are man
aged by an Executive Committee of |
whom Mr.. Meeker and Gen. Cam
erOn are the ruling spirits. Mr..
Meeker is certainly a meek looking
man, who is not, I should judge, an
adept at talking, but Yields the pen /
with facility and is, / understand. a /
capital exec~ tive officer. He is Pres
ident. GeA Cameron, the Vice Pres
ident, is the Nestor of the colony