New-York tribune., 1871-11-08
rHF CHICAGO COLONY.

,<,,oss THE DESERT FROM GREELEY TO LONG,
ACHU9T HU~9oyr-sUcCEss OF THE CHICAGO CoLONi-
SSw RAILRoADS-RAPID SETTLEMENT OF
COLORADO.
n~rELEY, COLORADO, Oct. 7.-The distance
-, Our town to LOngmOnt the settlement OF the ChF
s,ro colony, Is 50 miles Greeley Is miee noui Oa.o
% SSorntans and LOngmont is eight miles; the gen
W. w. ,,srs,on is southeast I have recently made
to the Chicago colony, and one not without greas
C-, waiting until the train arrived ct 10 olOON'
- vntii letters were read, started In one-hOiU
- a nearly 10 O'Clock and coming to the south nlie
~ eS tnvn where irrgating canal flows fuh on Co"
80. and where gate Is to be opened In senoe "hiOH
=, AZ miles long, inclOsng the town ana our
adIately entered upon o high undniatng' ueol"SN'
In S~ aud utterly uninhAbited region, long known
roat American Desert Near the line OF tne Iel0e
!, tAA canal grass is scarcely to % seen' loF 'no
-. hsrds or droves Of horses turned out Oh .s ouV
s. .rce have tramped the sod into somethlne ING
-, nt GRADUALLY thin grass appears az mle okeSn5
~ "a necomes fair and at from two TO three lleS
ood though II is and dry, and farmers rom inc
80 onId cal It utterly worthless, although the TACT
o'~V' toaa IA To he found IN America or In the
NJ o., mon it cattle keep fat the year round Look
h rnorrhe valley, sSone naturally will when ABOUT
vide expanse, the town OF 800 houses Is seen
,vro a line Of at least mile ana nan, green WIN
S,Aons and trees, while along the river Deyond are
-, ~ cottonwoOds and meadows OF living green
- orntrv spread out before is plain covered with
, d c,ss with general level surface but swells or
,otons Of half mile or mile stretch away gently
Irnost mperceptble valleys intervene; and here,
. .he rrass has faint tnge of green; and further
~d ors other syells rising above another, until
.h ho-5oon closes in upon landscape 'undehned and
,stv md which s best expressed by the words IllH
shle Oray" Often when there is wind, thin clouds
...ms TO descend when the earth and the sky mngie
nd there i no horizon and in addition there are tnnu
nfrhk hanfr frfV AnNET
,.rvDarent slken wells flashing and trembling family,
"a making the whole scene spiritual and strange. All
~ "a N he said Of the country north south, and east
hut westward rise the Rocky Mountains, plainly visible
,or NO miles while Longs Peak, In two distinct sleVa-
lions stands high above all The distance from our val
lev TO the valley Of the Big Thompson Is l2 miles The
road is excellent and is as straight as the surveyor
eonld run It. which is the work OF the colony and with
few exceptions we have run the first long lines OF
straight roads in this country In laying out this ROAD
pow is fastened TO q wagon, the driver follows the
sonrso indicated ahead, and slight furrow is made
unon returning furrow made for the second track
and after teams have been over the road few tmes
II settles down and forever after is SO hard and smooth
that with good horse eight miles an hour ls common
vait During last Summer the trip between Longmont
and Greeley was ofton made after or O'Clock in the
afternoon and several times parties have come down be-
fore breakfast 1 reached LODgmont at o'clock with
slow horse and the next day. having gone to Boulder
Civ 1s miles the drive back to LOnRmOnt with good
twohorsc team made in one hour and twenty min
uAs OF course horses well fed they may be in
country where the soil produces all kinds OF grain
Ibundanty and where if there neither grain nor feed
Of any kind in tho stables the outside Of nutritious
Eras is always at hand. After while the Big ThOmp-
son Valley marked 10y ne of cottonwOods, was family
visible and presently farm houses and stacks OF grain were
while beyond we're other gray swelling bufs min
long and three mikes wde but an irrgatnR canal pro-
ccted for taking water out on the Dinds which VIII
though perhaps this work will not be completed Ior
couple OF years The ThOmhs0G valley Is seIeo SG al @ tIS
years have become forehanded The crossing OF, the
gram. This ranch inc udes several hundred acres and
the cYdcuce everywhere was presented OF industry anu
tEnft He has large herds OF STOCK nolng e1d %RoIy ~
good corn and Of the wheat Mr.. Hin stated
the this year Sas d9eST STr g 80 bn TO
know Mr Hill well and his word is to he depended
at2cd everything and his crops are the result both Of
skill and Industry 1t is only after land has been well
is cs pable Of producing much In our colony the
largest yield wheat being on sod was Is bushels to the
Rising from the valley another divide was reached and
riding miles the Valley OF Little thompson was was
there but few farms s there are rd many ~ sr GESvGs %
the distance herds Of cattle and antelope which seemed
grazing together. The mountains were now much nearer
drove INN the town OF LOngmOnt.
Upper Plate and ST. vran Fort established over 30
years ago by the Fur Company at the north OF TINS
stream was Of no small importance. From its mouth to
the cshon 80 niles is magnificent valley, four miles
wde and beyond the canon are SOME 01 the lovehest
M tyc 81 yrTthe Boulder and Lett Hand each IS
miles long and thickly settled Left Hand comes IN N
nearest the mountains After the St. Vrain receives It'll
nOrthward and the two valleys are united rom
the junction TO the mountains, making valey-hea OF
triangular shape 30 miles across along the mountains
and l6 miles along the other two sides Lett Iiand
rOmes out of the mountains IN me vicinity OF inc inc
Boulder All this reon thickly settled and mere the
frat farms in Colorado made. vast network OF
lTigatng canals and aterals cover the country anu
hose Of Left Hand extend far out on the high lands as
almost 10 meet those of the Boulder On the south SIDE
Of the st. Vran and Just below where Lett HAND untes
with IT, is the small town Burlington. North, and across
low piece Of ground and on something Of an elevation
stands LOngnOnt, while all the valleys mehuoheu arc
The Chicago Colony was organized In Chicago last
December but having editors Of The Chicago Ir6
Nisrre tract of land was purchased from the Denver
Pacific Railroad, and the people Of the vicinity gave
several hundred Of choice land, all under bitches
The town now contains about 100 houses with variety
Of stores and mechanic shops library han and Meth
odIst Church Is to tie built this Fall The population Is
and IT is Increasing Several PARKS have been
aid out, lake has been exeavated and ned WIN water
good school with modern Improvements Is 10 op9Iauoh
and gTistmil is TO he built The LOngmOf1 LTcSS Is
published weekly although Town Gi ony MY d,an rev
dated there drunkard for liquor Is not sold
Ia all Northern Colorado which Includes I or clght
towns no liquor Is sold except In Boulder and Evans
which Is remarkable here In the Far West liquor sa-
loon operation at LOnRmOnt early in the Summer,
but somehow 1t burned dOwn-whch fate had befallen
in Greeley time before. lIgaung canals sew
rra miles in extent have been built through LonRlnont
aud vicinity costing and as many as acres
in crop were cultivated this season. They have met
with difficulties from nsnanagement 0nd dishonesty.
One Of officers away with some money, and part
of their business has been poorly managed But new
officers have been appointed and their affairs in
hopeful condition. The President Judge Terry, IL
capabe man; he has the confidence Of all the people,
aud the Board OF energetic and good busi
men, The land furnished 20 the members 10 OF first
quality and whatever may possibly aTe adverse TO the
organization individuals are perfectly secure in their
Possessions. and may 10 and become forehanded.
Tue thing to said about this Colony is that farm
all around are becoming members and preparing TO
bald residences town. that they have the advan-
tges VI meetings and schools The price OF membership
IA s and for this one gets % acres OF land and v8ter
and also the privilege Of buying lot In town. the prices
ranging from so 10 So improvements are exacfed Of
ell members. 50 far am able to judge LongmOnt Is