Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-11-03
LETTEIs rMoM COLORADo.
Special Correspondence.


Special Correspondence.
GUNNisoN Cry, COL, Oct. ~, 1857.
No mart OF Colorado is attracting more
,,,.,,;op ar experjenciny more rapid
aro,, n, and Jevelonment Al tbja time tban
thnt region known ma the Gunnison coun-
,ry wbicL l;es mostly in. and coptjeuoua
IN. ierritory formerIy occupied by il,e Ute
Indians. The comfy and town of Gunn,.
son we're organized In 1876. but not until
two or three wears later, when prospectors
fresl, from i.eadyille and San Juan found
rich gold and silver ores. did the region nj.
trac, special attention. Since tha, time
over 2 600 mines hive been recorded. md
new discoveries are still being made. The
| permnnent populp,ion of 500 eighteen
uronnblv more Than Is 600. An assessed
| bere on The borders Of Indian land within
one wear after the rusb began. Hipbwnys
nnon which daily stages run. traverse ali
narts Of the country, Seven or eight news.
noners appear weekly In n field totally nm
occunied three month, AGO. How onnre-
cia,;ve residenis nrc of good home l;,ern.
tnre NAV he iudped from The fac, Inn, Tho
6rst comics ri three or four leading ;ourn,ls
sold nt from $50 10 SlOO each ON ibe dny
thew we're issued. and heard $50 freely n.
fercd for a compiete file Of eipht 10 twelve
numbers Substantial churches school
bouses. md county bu,l,linps are being
erected A dozen streams are strunp tor
miles with houses of prosperous rnncbmen
thousands of cattle. sheen and horses ,lo,
the hills. trains of rich ores are 10 he seen
going to the railroad. and other trains are
Unloading vas, quantities of mining mn
chinery md winters supply of groceries,
The Gunnison country Ia larger than
some States of the Union. having an nren
of not less than 10 600 SQUARE miles be;no
no miles long by so miles wide. The n,osi
important part of this territory il the Elk
mountain range. will, its many spurs and
foot l,ills. This range is one of the rocki.
eat of all the Rockies. Great granite
shafts. shot from some mighty how in Tho
ear,j's centre, have broken and re.broken
the original surface, until now there are
seven peaks in the range rising 10 n height
OF Ii. 600 feet, and many times that nun-
ber reaching nm altitude of 10 600 feet
Fissure veins nre here the chnrnclerisiic
deposit, and these are reinforced hv vas,
beds of conl aud iron. The princ,nnI
streams are the Gunni.on. Uncompnbgre
Cochetopa, Tumichi, Rock. Roaring Fork
and Slate, with their smaller tributaries
all emptvinr into the Rio Colorado. Tie
Gunnison is not nm agricultural country.
but with irrigation much can be done In
this direction. For stock raising nurnoses
there nre large areas of perennial nns,nr.
nrc. where bunch grass and other varieties
furnish the richest of grazing. Gunnison
Ci,y in the largest and most imnorton,
town. though Piikin. Red BlufI Tin Cnn
and n half dozen other places are ou;,e re'
spectnble settlements. which never conil
have existed had the U,es remained in
possession of this territory.
The Gunnison country NAV he we'll form.
ed "Our pewcs, West.n This. too. in f,c.
of The fact that it's entire eastern bound,rv
lies within twenty miles of districts which
have been important producers Of iha nrec.
ions metal. for from iNeIve 10 ,wan,,
venrs Next door to civil,z,t;on o,.v n
access fairly anfe nnd oren to develnn.
ment as IL now il. IL deserves auch fr,n
ments of history ,s we can nj mi. nar;od
gather. In the early d.y, Of Rockv r,omn.
f,in explorntion this whole region va.
vaguely defined az "the Grand River com.
tryn i,s fine stream. noN co,lei Gnrn;von
being then known ns the Sonth Fork of
The Grand. Our earlis, tanp,ble knowI-
edge of it's geography and proba ble utility
comes from Governor VIM. Gilpin. who, in
lS45. a mere stripping, returned from Ore.
pon to ST. Louis, crossing its entire length
| from west to east. Crossing southern UIsl
by one of the old Sp,nish trails. his cours,
then lay through the va lleys of the Soutl
Fork of The Grand and Uncompahpre Riy
ers, thence over Coche,opa Pass. at III,
southeastern RIM of the Gunnison conntry