St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-31
THE SAN LUIS VALLEY.
Results of a Trip in the Interest OF
the Grand Army.
A Country Where the Sun Always
Shines and Land is Plenty.

10 companions IN the LaJe war:
Having been invited by the committee of
the G. A. r. Colonization company of this
city to accompany them to locate town
site in the San Luis valley, I give you the
results of the trip. In this valley there are
plenty of good government, state and COM
pany lands that can be bought for from
four to seven dollars an acre, on seven and
ten years time. SAID committee consisted
of Col. E. G. Allen, president, G. D. Brad
ley, first vice president. and Mai. j. a.
Temple, second vice president and attorney
of the company. Mr.. Bradley is from
Dakota and is the old pioneer emigration
agent of the Northwest. We left this city
ON the morning of the 9Th inst, ON the Min
neapolis & ST. Louis railroad for Kansas
City, where we arrived the morning of the
10th inst, and found Col. G. N. Pratt of
Chicago, who joined us after securing
transportation over the Kansas Pacific rail-
railroad and accompanied us to Denver,
where we arrived on the morning of the
18th. We had pleasant time looking
over this beautiful city, made the acquaint-
ance of several Of the officials of the Den
yer & Rio Grande road and went to pay our
respects to the governor OF the state, but
did not find him at home. We were enter
totluCUs uoWCfCl, w plAfdIO oCSlCtoiys
Col Boyd, comrade and genial gentle
man. On the morning of the 18th we took
the train over the Denver & Rio Grande for
Pueblo, where we had to wait, which gave
US a chance to look through the Pueblo
smelling works Zone of the largest in the
United States), where we saw the process
of extracting the gold and silver from the
native ORE We found it of great inter-
est We took the mountain train
and continued our journey to the San Luis
valley, passing through the picturesque
mountain scenery of the La Veta pass of
the San de Christie range of mountains,
where we attained the altitude of 10000
feet. AS our train descended the mount
aims into the San Luis valley below On our
right lowered Mt. Blanche Ia, $50 feet high.
On the morning of the 18th we reached
Almossa, pretty little town in the San
Luis valley. After breakfast we continued
on over the Del ::Morte branch of the Den
yer & Rio Grande railroad to the
LIVELY YOUNG TOWN
of Henry, scarcely two years old, where we
were met at the train by our genial COM
rade and friend Gen. Ira ]. Bloomfield, who
escorted us to the Mountain View house,
where we secured very fine accommoda-
tions. We fell in love with the bill of fare
everything finely cooked-and must say
if 1 had staid longer should have failed in
love with the landlady herself, Mrs. Hyatt.
Capt. Aldrich, editor of the Henry
Capt. Bonner and his very pleasant
family showed us every hospitality. Capt.
Bonner is comrade and is superintendent
of the Del Morte Canal company. Mr..
Maish and wife, formerly of New Hamp-
shire, and several others, whose names
am not permitted to mention, treated us
very cordially. The 18th we continued our
journey with Gen. Bloomfield to look over
the north end of the valley. We drove
about thirty miles, when we found fine
section of government lands awaiting occu-
patton by old comrades, soldiers and others
vino desire to secure good homes, standing
at the upper end of the valley. We had
spread out before us a fine panoramOric
view of this fine and beautiful country, be-
ing 65 miles wide and IT'S miles long. and
where the sun shines $50 days in the year,
and the coolest that has ever recorded is
50 below zero. 1t is encircled on three
sides by the San de Cristo mountains.
Looking away in the clarified air, we
could see Mount Nebo, $50 miles
away in New Mexico. The noun
tains and foothills are covered with
pluC, LII dllu piDOH Lie ldGIcI 10
used as fuel by the inhabitants of the val
ley, and is better than coal. Gold and sill
yer mines are located within few miles
at the upper end of the valley. Comrade
Adams of Wisconsin has a ranch twelve
miles square, which is enclosed with wire
fence, and contains 1000 acres. They raise
large amounts of wheat and oats. Wheat
runs from twenty-five to thirty-siX bushels
per acre, and oats weigh from forty-eght
to fifty pounds per bushel. After looking
over the valley to our satisfaction, we
turned our faces homeward. We arrived
at Denver on the Goth, where we had the
pleasure of meeting Gov. Eaton. genial
gentleman of the old-fashioned type, who
was a soldier of the late war. Securing
transportation over the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe railroad, we passed through the
beautiful Arkansas valley, and arrived
home on the Gath. For further information,
call or address me at the Big Boston cloth
ing house, this city.
ALBEIT W. RUSSELL.
George Morgan Post No. 4.
Minneapolis, Dec. 80.