Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-10-04
COLORADO.
About San Luis VALLEY.


TOPEKA, KANSAS.
Perhaps no man outside of Colorado has
written and caused to be published more
matter about that state than have.
remember that the late Sam Wood in
about 1870 wrote a full description of the
country from Taos, New Mexico, through
Colorado; which published in the State
Record. Then the Hon. Sidney Clarke, some
years later, wrote n series of articles fully de-
scrbing nearly all parts of Colorado; which
1 also published in the Commonwealth.
In 1879 went from Denver to Colorado
Springs on the first train that went over that
road. | visited all the prominent places in
the state at that time, and wrote dCscrip-
ton of the scenery, ETC., for the purpose of
attracting eastern people to visit Colorado
for their summer outing instead of going TO
Europe. The letter was published in the
Commonwealth, and in about fifty other
papers in the United States.
If | am not mistaken this was about the
first letter written for the purpose | have in
dictated above. Up to that time there had
been very little effort made to attract tour
lists and pleasure seekers to the mountains
1
member that in that letter | predicted the
future of Denver, and the Rocky Mountain
News of that city criticised me somewhat as
being too sanguine in my prediction. Time
has shown that | was right and the News
wrong.
Again, in 1889 as agent for the agricul-
tural department Mt Washington, | Travelled
over the state extensively, examining the
timber in the mountains, examining the
streams coming down from the mountains,
and wrote a report which was published in
pamphlet form and in the agricultural de-
pGrtment reports.
But in all my travels in Colorado ] never
visited the San Luis valley until during the
past season. Why it is called San Luis val
ley, | don't know. That is the Spanish for
ST. Louis; but it seems To- me that it would
have been more proper to have called it the
Rio Grande valley than the san Luis. There
is no San Luis river running through the
valley, while the Rio Grande, the La lara,
the Alamosa and numerous other streams
cross the valley in various places. This val
ley is seven thousand five hundred $500
feet above the sea level. 1t ranges thirty
(30) to fifty (50) miles wide and one hundred
(l0O) miles long, extending, | believe, down
to New Mexico. just think of ii. A body
of land as large as the state of Connecticut,
lying one mile and a half above sea level,
almost enterely surrounded by mountains,
on some points of which snow can be seen
the year around, and notwithstanding this
height this valley, 10y irrigation, produces
oats, barley, wheat, alfalfa, potatoes and
various other articles.
With less rain than western Kansas or
eastern Colorado, with irrigation ii grows
crops which fully equal, and in fact exceed
in value those grown in eastern Kansas end
Missouri, and those of US who have lived Il
long time in those favored localities always
assert that no portion of the United States
can compare with them In everything that
goes to make up good country.
| spent month in this valley on what they
call a rancho, but what we, in eastern Kansas,
call a farm. | went there for my summer
outing instead of going to the Atlantic coast,
as has been my habit tor a number of years.
| was eight (S) miles from Alamosa, which,
by the way, is the commercial center of the
valley, and will say what is true that the
month thatI spent there did me more good
physically and otherwise than ever received
from my visits to the Atlantic coast. Nearly
every night during the month of August
slept under blankets, while the thermometer
at Topeka was running from 50 to los. /
saw the rancho man riding on his binder
cutting wheat that would run thirty bushels
to the acre, oats forty and other agricultural
products in proportion; but what did me the
most good, and was source of continual
delight, was the cool mountain water (soft
water) furnished by artesian wells at a small
expense.
Here would be good place to talk of the
benefits of irrigation, but | will not enter
upon that subject more than to say that the
time will come, in my opinion. when western
Kansas and Colorado and those portions of
our country which are called deserts will
more than feed the present population Of the
United States. am sorry that our own
Kansas is behind portions of Colorado in re-
gard TO securing the benefits of irrigation.
In that respect, and especially the San Luis
valley has the advantage of US at the present
time.
When first visited Colorado the Union
Pacific road had reached Denver from
Omaha and the old Kansas Pacific road from
Kansas City, bnd think, besides the road
running from Denver to Colorado Springs,
there was one running from Denver to
Golden. Now Colorado is reached not only
by these two roads, but by the Santa Fe, the
Missouri Pacific and the Burlington. The
state is also supplied with railroads almost
equal to that of our own state. The Denver
d Rio Grande has made It point to stick its
nose into every mining camp in the state in
order TO carry out the minerals, and by the
way the gold mines are opening in that state
beyond all calculations, and especially in the
San Luis valley, which makes 4 market for
the products of the valley. The Colorado
Midland and the South Park railways also
have good facilities for reaching many parts
of TIA 1HAt4