Delta chief., 1883-12-05
FOOD FURNIsHERS.
The Ranches and Ranchmen OF the I'm.
cOmpahEre and GunnisOn Valleys.

From the Ouray Times.
A year or more before the Utes abandoned
their reservation the prediction was made
that as soon as that country was thrown open
to settlement it would prove itself to be the
most valuable agricultural and pastoral por-
tion of Colorado. This was believed by few
then, but nobody in Southwestern Colorado
doubts it now. Four years have wrought
wondrous changes in the country where Ou-
ray, Sapavanero and Colorado lived, fought
and buried their dead, and where the Indian
teepee poles were then the sole signs of hu-
man habitation visible to the traveller, fields
of waving grain, gardens of vegetables and
the cabins of ranchmcn are now evidences of
pioneer energy and success.
A reporter Of the Times, who recently spent
some days in Montrose and Delta counties,
had good opportunity to observe these
things. Montrose would itself stupify man
who but two years ago knew its site as IA
vorite Indian camping ground. A bustling,
crowded town, railroad depot, supported in
some degree by the traffic proceeding from its
position as a terminal point of the Denver 4
Rio Grande, but principally and more solidly
by the farming and cattle interests of the
county, it has brilliant future before it,
Where ranches dot the land in every direction
around Montrose, and their products supply
Montrose and Ouray, and are shipped east
and west. All of them are improved to some
extent, and many of them have had several
thousand dollars spent on them in house
building, digging irrigating bitches, stocking
and so forth. This work of improvement
will continue steady all winter.
Most of these ranches at present draw their
water for irrigating directly from the Uncom-
pahgrc, but large force of men is now at
work on a huge mother ditch, which, tapping
the Uncompahgre little below the C.-nton-
ment, runs across the county and will, in n
few weeks give the Montrose ranchmen all
needed water. Among those who own ranch
es near Montrose are several Ouray men:
Joseph Winchester has fine farm and j F.
MOnnel of the Grand Central hotel, one
equally as valuable, both within a short walk
of the town. Samuel Miller, of Red Noun
tain, has ranch about five miles from the
town, which is appraised at n high figure.
The value of these ranch properties is rapidly
farmers in Montrose county.
Delta county, though hardly so thickly set
tied as Montrosc, is every whit as good for
farmers and grazers. The Gunnison river
waters it, and an infinite number of irrigat-
ing bitches are being dug or are contemplated.
Its soil has the same characteristics as those
possessed by hc'Montrose land, and every
sort of vegetable, grain and grass iiourishcs
as in its sister county to what would appear
to an eastern farmer an inordinate extent.
Delta, the only town in the county, is not so
large as Montrose, but does n good business,
aud is growing. There are many chances for
the intending settler to pre-empta good ranch
in Montrose county, but there are more in
Delta county, and the latter county is prob
ably the better for very poor men or very
r.ch one.
The Gunnison river bottom land in Delta
county has been all absorbed by settlers, but
on Surface creek, an innucnt Of the river,
and its tributaries, there still good open
ings. On the north fork of Surface creek
there is quite a settlement. On Surface creek
itself, about fifteen miles from the Gunnison,
there is another and ranches a mile or SO
apart, are strung all along all the little creeks
flowing into Surface creek. On one OF them,
about fifteen miles direct from Delta, X. ID.
Williams. an Ourayitc has a most valuable
ranch, over hundred acres of it, good agri
cultural soil, clear of timber and stones, and
the rest of it bearing thick growth of alder.
The little stream known as Forkcd Tongue
waters this and adjacent farms. Williams
has house, a ditch and other improvements
upon this, and by next spring will have it all
fenced. This is one of the best ranches in
that part of the county.
Although among them the Surface creek
ranchnen have cattle man, Pierre Settle,
with about 1900 cattle, ranging, they are not
Obliged to depend upon him for meat. The
country around them is alive with game,
deer, bear and fowl, while in the vicinity
there are lakes swarming with fish. The
ranchmen here find few necessities which
they cannot themselves supply.
Montrosc and Delta will in the future be
the two great food producing counties of the
State. In year or two more that will be
shown conclusivcly. They need more
county road building, more systematic and
combined work by the settlers themselves
and more money, but these all will come.
The people there can attend to their crops
and cattle with the assurance that the mines
of Colorado will give them market.