Bent County register., 1886-09-04
LAMAR.
A New Town in Bent County, Col
orado-A Progressive Place
6,220,sO0 Acres of Govern
ment Land Opened up for
Entry under the Home
stead. Presumption or
Timber Culture Laws.

Correspondence OF the Kansas City Journal.
LAMAR, BENT Co., Col, Aug 81.
About thirty-five miles west of the
west line of Kansas, ON the line of
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
railroad, l came to Lamar, one of the
youngest yet most vigorous and pro-
gressive towns of the many whose
praises have been heretofore sung
and whose merits and points of su-
periority have been 50 often pro-
claimed. Here find town bear
ing as it were the very impress of n
higher destiny, whose every charac-
teristic is indicative of progression
and prosperity, and whose everY.fa1s-
ture carries the trade mark - deter-
mined enterprise and confidence
and persistency that results in sue
cess. Surrounded on every side by
a country of urpassing loveliness
and exceeding ferullty; traversed by
the snow-fed Arkansas, whose broad
expanse of waters sub-irrigate vast
area of territory and whose banks
are skirted with mile of forest on
either side; country that will, as
soon as known, become the paradise
of the home-seeker and the Mecca of
the homeless pilgrim. Here is eli
mate of rare salubrity and healthful-
ness, an atmosphere pure and invig-
Grating, free from all malaria or mi
asmatic influences, cool, bracing and
restorative at one and the same time
hygienic prophyla and tonic. The
country is well watered by numer-
Gus ever running creeks bountifully
fringed with cottonwood and cedar;
wells are already abundant, and the
best of water can be obtained ten
miles distant from the river at Il
depth of thirty or forty feet. The
grass here grows luxurIantly, and the
general aspect of the country cannot
but be pleasant and suggestive of
big corn and phenomenal crops of
wheat and oats. As yet there has
been but little attempted i'll the way
of agriculture, consequently the pro
ductlve capacity of the soil has nev-
er yet been taxed. In the vicinity of
the older settlements, and at the old
ranches, farming has never been car
ried on as business. Enough has
been done, however, to fully demon
strate that the country ranks second
to none, and the prodigious stalks OF
corn, fifteen feet high and four inch
es in circumference, tell plainly what
may be expected under favorable
circumstances and with thorough cul-
ture. Already millet sown in this
locality has produced fully three
tons to the acre, and, in fact, the re-
markable productiveness of the soil
is demonstrated in many ways. Peo-
Pile arrive here daily by the dozens
and the most enterprising soon be
come possessed of Few lots in town
and then proceed to secure some of
the excellent government lands that
are so accessible in this vicinity
Plenty of government lands are yet
untaken, and homestead, pre-emptlon
or timber culture claims are quite
easily and cheaply procured. Thous-
ands; yes millions, of acres of gov
ernment lands lie idle and untouch-
ed by the hand or foot of man-mil-
lions of acres of virgin soil awaiting
the subduing influences of the agri-
culturist. What this county needs
is settlers, real progressive, bona fide
settlers, who come with teams, wag-
ons, women and babies, and 'yell-
er" dog under the wagon; the pio-
neer with the prairie schooner, car
rying all his worldly possessions, and
in addition a few bark bottomed
chairs strapped on behind. This is
the class of people who build up
state, and this is the class that is
wanted here. No better country for
such people can be found, and there
is no reason why every quarter sec
ton in this entire land district
should not be settled upon within
the coming year. A strong point in
favor of the rapid settlement of this
country and one that should not be
overlooked, is the fact that although
the country is traversed by first
class trunk line railroad, thus giving
the settlers all the commercial bene-
fits of the old settled countries, still