Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1875-05-07
RAILROADS AND THEIR
ADVANTAGES.

RAILROADS AND THEE
ADVANTAGES.
Whilst the beneficial effects Of railroad
systems have been elucidated time ant
again, it is important in new communitie
TO present their advantages to secure thei
adoption. The people Of Monta.a, NOR
than al others, should have railroad ia
cilitics. A moments consideration of tn
question ought to be sufficient to convince
every one at all interested in the progress
and growth of the Territory. With rail
road connection we will he benefited
more than almost any other country, be
cause we have abundant mineral and agri
cultural resources, which are susceptible
of wonderful and profitable increase, ONLY
needing ia ',ies for getting them to mar
ket. Had e railroad transportation
thousands of l. g of rich ore and millions
of pounds of grain would be produced
and sent forward. thus affording profita
bic employment for both capital and labor
We would have any amount of both il
tuV uVSICu xoIIIOou luCtJltlCo WClC Aul II
lshed. Then We should he prosperous
and contentcd people. Without this vi
shall continue 10 drag our slow length
along, discontinued, poor and in the vii
derness. We cannot but express our sur
prise at the apathy and Indifference many
show on this highly important matter
There - not . person IN the whole com
munity who would not be benefited to {
great cxtent-nay, many would be en-
riched. Real estate would quadruple ir
value-thc price of grain would advance
cattle would be in demand and command
increased prices. During the construction
of the road through our borders full
market for all descriptions of products
would be at our very doors. The increased
tax we would be required to pay for sub
sidizing road, in case of necessity, could
be provided for-ty parting with useless
cayuse or one or two head of cattle. One
half the increase of stool; would pay all
the additional tax, and parties would moi
miss it. We feel confident that when oul
people give this question of having rail.
road connection proper thought they will
not hesitate 10 extend aid, and that libcr-
ally, to have railroad. Uncounted nd.
vantages and blessings pill flow from it.
Colorado tried it, and within three years
her population increased from 0,OOO to
100000, and her wealth from five mil.
lions to forty millions. Read the facts
below what railroads have done for COL
orado:
''Althouch tho fret railroad c.osscu the
desert and reached Colorado but little
over three years ago, it is possible to point
already to demonstrated results, which 20
far to confirm all our theories about the
inevitable and rapid growth of this section.
The expected emigration at once set IN.
At the beginning Of 1871 the population
of Colorado did not exceed 10000. Be
fore the close of 1873 it had reached 100, :
OOo The population Of its capital, Den
yer, has increased in the same time from
5000 to $1,000. That town has become
the point Of arrival and departure for the
trains of six railways.
Along the 156 completed miles of one of
these lines, the Denver and Rio Grandej
Railway, extending from Denver toward
New Mexico, the five counties trayersed
by it have trebled or quadrupled their
wealth and population, and the taxable
appraisement of the whole Territory,
which Gas it does not include the mines
and cattle) is perhaps less than half Of the
real wealth, has increased from SIC, 015, 521
in 1870, to S35, C60, $50 in 1873.
The town Of Colorado Springs, of
which the site was only selected just be-
fore the Denver and Rio Grande Railway
was completed to it, in the autumn of
1871. has become in two years thriving
place of z, 900 souls, and promises to double
In another year.
At the commencement of the Denver
and Rio Grande Railway. in 1871, Pueblo
contained oyer sou people, It now counts
over 1900.
The farming POPULATION, miners and
other classes, have incrt ased proportion
ately in Colorado.
The effect Of the completion of 11S
miles. of main line of this road has been
IN an average Of less than two years TO
add *, 1000 people to the population along /
and supplied by it.
The effect has extended for 100 miles
south of the present terminus of this rail
way, 80 that we find the town of Trinidad,
ON the border of New Mexico, which be-
fore had but few people, now number
ing over 1900, while 40 miles southwest
of Pueblo, on the Rio Grande (where the
writer fordcd the.river in autumn of 1871,
without seeirg soul or q house,, there is
now q town population ON the opposite
banks Of that stream (Del N0rte and Lema)
of nearly 1000.
It must be remembered that all of these
places, which are simply indices to the
rapid colonization which is going on
throughout Colorado, are continuing to
increase very rapidly.