The Fremont County record., 1881-07-16


away, whea the CITIES we are building
among thesa mountains shall have
crumbled into ruine, when the great
city that once l9ooa at the mouth of
the Grand Canon shall Interest only
the antiquary and the relfc-seeker,
when explorers of q new race and .
far off land shall delve beneath these
ruins as they now deive into the
ruins of Nineveh and Babylon, of
Carthage and Troy, md when the
little box with the records we this
day place beneath this stone maybe
uUeArthed. What . link il will. he to
connect that far off future With this
day. How vivid will be the impress
sion produced by these then sncient
records. SO much will they Illustrate
fhe civilization Of the pe1p3e Who hA4
lived at the base Of this gr0as nr61n.
tain chain. So
But the present concerns as most.
The present and the near future.
This is to be q solid and useful struc-
ture. There is no unnecessary orna-
ment to be placed upon it. There will
be nothing of tinsei, nothing of mere
show. In this matter l think the
people of this county are to be con-
graduated. One of the great evils of
our time, is the tendency to squander
the peoples money in great, unneces-
sary, and imposing piles of stone and
mortar. In the construction of
mountains of public buildings that
the people do not want and have no
use for. The Macoupin county, Illi-
nois, court house is an illustration,
where q rich county was bankrupted
by the erection of gaudy and un-
necessary court house. The state
capitol at Albany, New York, is an
other illustration of this tendency.
James Parton in q recent article says
that $50, 900, 600 were shot into the
CELLAR of It," and its final cost can not
be estimated. 1t still remains unffn-
ished, a monument of reckless ex-
travagance. This court house is e
building the people need. 1t will be
commodious and neat without costly
oruamentation. Our county COM
missioners have shown excellent
Judgment in the manner in which
they are applying the peoples money.
And when the structure that is to
arise on this foundation is completed,
when the laws are administered here,
let us hope that in the years to come,
no Judge who sits upon the bench
within these walls win ever have his
official robes soiled by corruption.
that he may administer the laws
without prejudice or favor, that the
people may here obtain justice speed
lily and surely, and that the blind
goddess who presides over courts OF
justice may here always have her
sword bright and sharp, and her
scales properly adjusted.
At tine close of the speeches the
procession formed for the third time
and marching east on b, south on
Third, east on A south on Fifth and
west on Main was dismissed in front
of Odd Fellows hall with the thanks
of the marshal of the day for the lib
eral part taken by all citizens. Every
thing passed off smoothly, without a
halt or break, in spite of the intense
heat which prevailed most of the
time.
RETROSPECTIVE.
A brief review of some of the inter
esting points in the history of FIRE.
mont county will not come amiss at
this time. This county, as the maps
will tell you. lies nearly in the center
of the Centennial state, in the great
Arkansas valley, that river taking its
course eastward nearly through the
center of the county. Most of It is
rich agricultural region, in probably
the most equitable climate in the
Rocky mountains. Here We grow
fruits OF all varieties luxuriantly and
successfully. Canon City lies just at
the mouth of the Grand canon, in q
large, beautiful park, sheltered from
withering winds by high foothills
and mountains. The point where
this growing town now stands was
once the favorite winter camp of the
Ute Indians and when the Pixies
peak gold excitement wss at its
heighth, was on the favorite road to
California gulch. The city has seen
many phases of western, uneasy life,
now up and prospering, now down
and on the verge of passing into the
unknown past. The older inhabi-
tants here have passed through many
vicissitudes, rolling in luNuries one
year, half starving in the next. They
ran the risk of Indian massacre and
brayed the danger of murder at the
hands of desperadoes. Like true
frontiersmen, however, they stuck to
their homes, and have seen grow up
around them one of the most substan-
tial and beautiful little cities In the
west. They have lived TO see Grand
Lodge of Masons lay the corner stones
of two edifices which will be forever
s monument to their patience and en-
ergy. The first records of this coun-
ty are very incomplete and obscure
owing to the fact, perhaps, of the
vaselating character of the settlers
who were here in that early day.
The first clerk of the county had an
Office in n log building somewhere
near where the fire compsny's house
now stands snd his residence was on
Four Mile creek. One night during
his term the records of the county
were stolen and some of them were
never recovered. among them being
the record of the organization of tho
county. The list of county officers
from 1861, however, are quite COM
plete, and we give their names here
In the order of their incumbency for
the benefit of the memories which
naturally surround them. This is the
list of names which were deposited
under the corner stone Of the court
house.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
yessc Frazer, b. +. Allen, Anson
Rudd, Lewis Conlsy, s. D. Webster,
Dan1. virden, Jas. A. Toof, David
Roop, John Locke, John v. Cailen,