Delta chief., 1884-02-20
UPPER GUNNIsON VALLEY.
A Glimpse Mt tile Ranches Under the
Bona Eide Ditch.


BAKERS FORD. February 1S.-It was dur
ing the summer of 1881 that SO many of the
populace of transient nature had their GU
riosity excited beyond degree by the glowing
accounts given by the press in regard to the
now famous valleys of the Gunnison and
Uncompahgre. 1t was about this time that
hundreds of people became imbued with the
idea that green grown the grass afar off,"
and of course no time was lost in making the
Journey into the dominion of the red man.
1t was during the late cold snap that had
the extreme felicity of toasting my shins be-
fore the fireplace of ranchman living on the
Gunnson, east of Delta, and hearing him
picture in glowing terms the excitement at
tendant on the trip to the object of his goal,
which he found in that portion of the Gunni-
son valley between the mouth of the Black
canon and the city of promise.
As "the third time is the charm" l will
bring my negotiations for job to a close by
giving an account of the atfaiIs as they actu-
ally exist among the ranchmen of this valley,
who for downright thrift and industry are
unexcelled in the Reservation, as their well
improved ranches will attest. There is
diversity of soil in this valley, such an one as
will afford accommodations to the most fns-
tidious. The soil of the first bottom along
the river is of a loose, sandy nature, highly
productive, and very susceptible of irrigation.
Bordering on this lies a strip of land extend
ing almost the entire length of the valley that
might be well termed greese-wood dolby"
as this is the principal growth found on it,
The soil of this strip is of fine texture, and
very productive when once subdued, but this
is where the work comes in, rs it would bog
saddle-blanket when wet, and when dry
you couldn't drive railroad spike in it with
l IL I Il
the men of brain and muscle this little strip
of country will afford wide scope of action
for years to come. The remainder of the val
ley is composed of what is known among the
settlers the mesa land, but in reality is
nothing more than a second bottom, with a
slight elevation above the first. The soil is
mostly adobe, while the lay of the land indi-
Gates its formation resulting from exces-
sive washouts from the mesa proper.
1t is claimed for this valley by many that
its altitude as well as soil is well adapted to
the cultivation of fruit, and not few of the
settlers are taking steps looking thereto.
While the ranchmen in this valley are with
one accord laboring in common cause for a
common end, the development of the coun-
trys resources, some have made more rapid
strides in this direction than others, from the
fact that the first to come the first served"
as regards water privileges, and these are the
parties of whom l wish to speak of upon this
occasion, the majority of whom are among the
first settlers in this part of the Reservation
They are the orignators of the first irrigating
scheme concocted in the Gunnison valley,
that led to the construction of the Bona Eide
ditch, which in point of durability and cheap
ness has most assuredly attained a very high
degree OF excellence. The first ranch watered
by the above named ditch is owned by A. w.
| Carr, who raised last season some of the fin
est wheat reported in the county, and that,
| too, on as pure adobe soil as is to be found
| tha Ii,nits This al
with the success obtained by various other
experiments, has had the beneficent effect of
instillng into Mr.. Carr faith in the county's
future which will doubtless remain unshak-
en-. He has a fine prospect for strawberries,
raspberries and different kinds of fruit, while
his Plymouth Rock fowls are specimens of
rare beauty.
The next man haunted with my presence
was the proprietor of the "eating house, at
Bakers Ford, who has attained such an ev-
viable reputation as propagator of the melon
race. He has u most desirable ranch, upon
which valuable improvements, such US wire
fences, bitches, etc, besides plenty of timber
| to answer every purpose. At the time this
/ location was made by Mr.. Baker the war
! whoop of the Ute was still to be heard rever-
berating up and down the heighboring can
ons, which had the effect on more than one
occasion of causing him to take refuge in a
hole in the willows and of pulling the hole in
after him. However, the nearest he ever
cameAto losing his capillary locks was when
ye vaient Ute fired 'the little, old log cabin
| in the lane" at which time others in the vi
| cinity suffered a like loss. Mr.. b. is one of
our successful ranchmen, as his melon crop
alone last season netted him in the neighbor-
hood of four hundred dollars, while his gar
| den cane and cereal crop was above the av-
| erage.
My next square meal was at the expense of
Mr.. Jack Pugh, who, with Fred. l.. Wright,
| his former partner, purchased the Griggsby
ranch, upon which Mr.. Pugh has done much
valuable improvement. His efforts at ranch
| ing in the past have been reasonably crowned
| with success, which has tended to stimulate
him to renewed efforts in that direction.
next called upon Mr.. Il. Meredith, who
has a splendid ranch with half mile front
| ing on the river, all of which lays well for
irrigation. In looking over his ranch found
goodly part of it well set to grass, a result
| obtained by liberal use of the waste water
| from his side bitches, which is fast assuming
the shape of unlimited pasturage. Mr.. Mer-
edith has rented his ranch to Mr.. Lewis who
has cleared this winter twenty acres Of land
|. which he will cultivate the coming season.
| In company with Mr.. Meredith we took in
| the ranch which is all laid out us regards
pasture, farming and meadow lands. His
| meadow is very thckly set with a rank ma
| tive grass, producing, he says, a wonderful
| yield. He has in the neghborhood of ninety
acres cleared all told, the principal part Of
| which will be in cultivation next season. On
this ranch saw as fine prospect of timothy
as l ever witnessed, as the set is very thick,
with an undercoating of nice, green pastur-
AGE In cxpe meuting with clover he finds