, 1886-03-18
The Resources of Fremont County.
3pacial Corresnondence of TuF IEAnHa

/. Special Correspondence Of THE LEADER.
LANDER, Wyo., March 10Th
shrek Of the locomotive is already cchoin
} in the ears of the Lander folks as tn
Northwestern passes up the valley of tn
Sweetwater. This same locomotiv
shrek will throw open the great countr
to the emigrant. The yield of the farm
the oil well, the coal bed and the gol,
are within easy reach of the Northwestern
survey line. Straight up the Sweetwate
valley from Independence rock goes tn,
line. The valley is 100 miles in length
and five in breadth. Its average eleva
ton is 5000 feet. 1t contains lO0,0O(
acres of choice farming lands, 1900 acre.
are still vacant, l0,000of which are natur-
raj hay lands. Westward from the indie
pendence rock to the Devils Gate is
an immense body of land in compact
form all covered by the future ditch is
suing from the Devils Gate The
upper part of the valley is underlaid by
immense coal deposits, and within a
short distance of where the survey crosses
the Great Continental divide, lie the mines
of the famous Atlantic South Pass and
Miners Delight districts. Eastern capi-
tai is still investing here. New locations
are being daily made, and during the
coming summer these time honored gold
fields will awaken once again to the golden
life of yore.
The French company of capitalists who
hold such large and valuable placer inter
ests, are vigorously pushing their ex-
%tensive ditching system to completion.
At the head OF the Sweetwater river there
is an extensive tract of country known as
the S%weetwater basin, containing $50
square miles. The basin is crowded with
a magnificent growth of red and white
pine. Easy of access to the valley, the
railroad and the settlers have here an ex-
haustless supply of lumber for tie and
building purposes. West of the Sweet
water valley SEINE seven miles, begin the
rich bottoms of Beaver creek; adjoining it
are the lands of Twin creek, while still I'M
der the western sun lies the valley
of the Little Papoagie. These valleys
are kindred in their valuable Characters
tics. Common to all are the strong and
rapid streams, the fertile bottoms and
natural meadows. while at the head of
each dense pine forests conceal the sources
of the respective streams. On these
streams there is still an aggregation of
twenty thousand acres of fine %agricul-
tural lands yet not taken. The Little
Papoagie valley boasts the possession of
the already famous Dallas Oil district, dis
covered by DIR. Graf. The immense oil
belt to which this district belongs extends
$50 miles east and west. and its reser-
voirs are still almost intact. Here, too,
the Wind mountains shoot forth the
mighty coal vein that reaches eighty
miles to the eastward, with strong off
shoots on every side.
Twelve miles west of the Dallas Oil
district stands Lander, the capital of Ere
mont county. Situated fifty miles west
and twenty miles north of the center of
the territory, girded about with a perfect
network of natural resources Of unsur-
passed richness, Lander is already stretch
ing forth her hand for the civic wreath
that shall crown the metropolis of Wyo-
ming. QBig Papoagie, on which Lander
is situated, divides and three fine streams
of .water pass through the town. The
Big Papoagie is twenty-five miles in
length. OF this, fifteen miles are within
the Shoshone Indian reservation. West
of Lander four miles is the North Fork
valley. This stream is one Of the reser-
walton boundary lines, the west half of
the valley being Indian soil. The eastern
half, however, offers 5000 acres of i1e
land for settlement.
The Shoshone reservation contains
400, 900 acres of splendid farming lands,
of which $4,000 acres are natural hay
lands. The Big and Little Wind rivers,
the lower part of the Big Papoagie, Sage
and Horse creeks, all noble streams, with
many tributaries. water this magnificent
holding. Thirty miles of the upper course
Of the Big Wind river is without the res
e~ryation limits. and offers many a fine
farm. The best portion of the great val
ley, however, is Indian ground. The val
ley of the Little Wind river is a marvel of