Delta chief., 1885-05-20
THE GARDEN spot OF COLORADO.
The Advantages Of Delta County Seen
by New Conner.

attention oil business men IN our cities, and
the more one investigates these ranches the
less he is puzzled TO know why so many in.
:elligent and educated men have left their
homes in the east, and settled down amid
such apparently uneongenial surroundings.
Ny object of writing this description of
ranch life is to give to those contemplating
trial Of in plain, unvarnished description
of what they may expect to encounter if
they enter into it.
Some two months since / left the Salt
Lake Valley to investigate the country open.
ed by the d. 4 r. &. Il. r., the Gunnison
country being the place where | contem-
plated stopping. As l left Salt Lake said
goodbye to Injuries for the time being, and
| felt strange delight in the thought that
could for time throw of the restraints of
society, and roam Mt will over these grand
mountains, and see this great western world
at my leisure. ! had the prospect Of seeing
how the thing went from the very start, for,
at the invitation of friends, | going to
take up u section OF land in company with
others. The house already built, the
dimensions being tina, Of three cabins com
bined in one, in the center of the $50 acres.
be irrigated FIVE or Elk hundred acre. OF as
} fine land as can be found in Colorado, within
three miles of the thriving town OF Delta,
the county seat Of Delta county, OF ~hich
mention has been previously made.
1t was supposed at first that water could
4 be obtained from a ncighboring ditch, but on
the land being surveyed 1t found that
tk. al "a. Il syb1 .i.,
this plan imprncticable. Then the question
arose: would it be profitable investment
In land to lay out one or two thousand dol
lars in procuring water, or put the money in
,omc good stock ranch already watered
The conclusion was that il would pay 10 pro-
cced to open ditch from the rncompahgre
river to point some ten twelve miles from
this ranch. This would give an opportunity
Of selling several water rights, which cost
man 500 aud upward. according TO the num-
Der Of inches which hc wishes to have
brought. When water is obtained, and the
the ground seeded. this will he as fine stock
range as can be found in the country. On
ranch which visited few days since, near,
here. have been raised all kinds Of vegeta.
blcs potatoes have been raised here weigh
ing six and half pounds; wheat has yield.
ed between ffty and sixty bushels to the
acre, oats from ffty to seventy bushels, and
potatoes from 200 to 900 bushels.
The fruit trees which have seen growing
show remarkably rapid growth, aud many
orchards are being planted. Young apple
trees set out last spring grew from fifteen 10
thirty.siJ inches during the season. A cher.
~ tree Of two years growth had dozen or
80 cherries which rpencd, and peach trees
have also been brought to n bearing condition.
All kinds of domestic grasses grow success
fully with irrigation here the alfalfa, or lu-
ccrnc, rs the Utonians call it, Hungarian,
blue joint or grnma grass. is found in high
ly aourishng state.
There are great mcsas drained by the trb.
u,aries of the rivers slopiug down from the
foot Of the mountains, containing hundreds
of acres of rich, alluvial soil, which in sum.
mcr resembles waving sea of grass, which
Is called grama grass. 1t is said that profit
OF from so to 100 per cent can be made on
stock, and IL is astonishing to sec how the
ranchmen hold on TO II. Many of them 90
regularly to Utah to buy, MS they can pur-
chase much cheaper there. Milch cows are
wv :" 800 s'ocN t'Ns 500. NbTk oAtH
si01 to si25 per yoke, sheep $3.50 to 81,
horses s75 to 500, mules ditto, ponies from
$50 to S75.
The heart Of the hunter is made to rejoice
over the abundance of game in the noun
tains, and companies of hunters are contin.
ually going out,
"And yondcr afar on the white tops
The campfire CLEAN through the night,
And the cloud OF mist In the gmy of the day
break
Show the trail OF the deer and the elk"
II is estimated that fully 5000 deer have
been killed, within few miles of Delta, in
one season, and here also abound all the
smaller game incident to those mountains
Bear and mountain sheep are also found in
the higher ranges. The streams abound in
trout and salmon.
If you want long life, come to Colorado
visited = ranch few days since near the
grounds laid out for the cemetery of Delta.
My hostess gave me detailed description of
the burials of this lonely habitation of the
dead. II Is nearly three years since this
place was located, and there are perhaps
dozen graves within this burial spot. Scarce
ly any Of these persons buried here died
natural DEATH One was drowned, one killed
himself In an attack of dclrium trsmens,
one was waysidc passenger who died while
journeying In search Of health, aud 90 on