The Elk Mountain pilot., 1880-08-12
RUBY CITY.
Her Present and Futur, Prospects as They
Appear TO ! DisiHteresttd Party,

For the benefit of our distant read
ers and as an act OF justice to the citi-
zens of the town of Ruby, who are
destitute of newspaper, it is deemed
emlnently proper to describe its sur
roundlngs and present condition.
The country known as Ruby Camp
embraces 4 district of country in the
Elk Mountains, eight or ten miles in
extent. In approaching this extra
ordinarily rich mining camp from the
town of Gunnison, having in the ex-
tent and richness of true fssure veins
of silver, no superior, if indeed it has
an equal in the great Wes::, the first
object beheld of interest after passing
the: rim of the basin, is beautiful
park watered by two mountain streams
lying at the foot of the town of Ruby.
This park furnishes an outlet on the
east to Crested Butte and Gothic; on
the west the South Anthracite creek
meandcrs into the reservation, through
which an extension of the Denver &
Rio Grande Railway, coming up from
Gunnlson, has recently been sur
veyed. Should this road be built, the
depot must necessarily be located at
the foot of the town Of Ruby in this
basin. And since the greatest and
nearest deposits of anthracite coal in
Colorado is here found, it will con-
stitute sufficient inducement for the
construction of this road at an early
day. There may be seen, in passing
these openings on either side, manu-
featuring works and residences, but
the chief object of interest in ascend
ing the valley is the extensive reduc-
ton works or stamp mills that are
being rapidly built by the Good
Enough Milling and Mining Com
pany. Heavy excavations have been
made and rock obtained from quarry
lying above, from which they have
constructed massive walls, and
with superstruct,res of heavy
timber, placed their buildings in
4 condition to run from
one to two hundred stamps if desired.
The company have enclosed their
grounds designed for private uses, and
quite a number of dwellings, are in
process of construction for the accom-
odation of the managers and em-
ployees Of the mill. In passing into
the town from these works, Silver
hill looms up on the right covered
with heavy mountain timber, while on
the left it has its counterpart of nearly
equal height, and the valley narrows
to distance OF fifteen hundred feet
from the base of the hills, where the
town is principally built. There is
room for four parallel streets running
with the incline of the valley at the
usual distance for squares in its mar
rowest place, and quadruple the num-
Der in the valley below. The rise of
the ground is just sufficient for proper
drainage, and but little work is re-
qulred to improve the natural grade of
the streets to render locomotion as
easy as practicable.
! Ice cold spring-water abounds.
The slope of the wesrhill is just suffl-
cient for magnificent residence sites,
and, taken as a whole, more beauti-
fully embowered retreat, Iand-locked
as it is from storms, can not be found IN
the country as site for town. In
passing into Irwin, which Is largely
the most populous and thrifty place,
crescent of the mountains bearing
west is formed, while the opening Is
quite precipitous and rugged as site
for town uses. But since it is in close
proximity to the mines there has been
an extraordinary boom in its favor,
and hundreds OF houses are being
rapidly built.
From the stamp mills in the south
of Ruby to the western limits Of
Irwin, is really but one continuous
town of a single mile in extent, and
business is chiefly confined to single
highway of both places. Ruby, small
as it is, has been incorporated, and
boasts Of Mayor, Board of Alder
men and the e.ceteras Of city gov