Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-11-19
FROM CovANTRY, COLORADO.
An Interesting Letter From an Old Gus.
terite, Now Resident of the
Sentenlal State

| Auc IOHoWlHR iToH y. "A. VOOu, WIZ
1t will be remembered left Custer abou
a year ago with his family, will be o
interest to their old friends and &C
quaintances in this place, who will b,
glad to learn that they are we'll anc
prospering in their new found home:
COVENTRY, Colo, Nov. 9TH, 1898.
G. w ROBBINS. Esq, Custer, S. d.
Bear Friend II thought you might
be interested in few or more lines
from me now that you are located up on
the "bar" for the winter as l see by the
"CHRoNIcLE" sent me by Mr.. Wood.
came home in July to look after my
family ard was sick for about six weeks
with sort of low fever, but have been
feeling first rate for the last two months
l have located permanently here in q
Canon valley, called Naturita creek in
the southern part of Montrose county,
Colorado. | have preemption claim
of l6O acres of which 80 acres or more
will he under ditch Of my own, with a
good water right of my own location.
l have half my ditch completed and am
building small house of lumber IA by
20 feet and have plenty of provisions on
hand for winter and lowe no man" in
this country. We have / think the best
country l can think of to make home
and living in, and the country is filing
up with settlers, and the mining camps
old and new-are prosperous. We
have climate that is just about as near
perfect as can be found. No hot wealth
er, not enough SHOW for sleighing, and
not such cold nights as in the Hills
Our altitude in this valley is about.
54O0 feet. We can beat the Hills in the
production of everything agricultural.
except oats. All of the fruits worth
mentioning yield enormous crops and
Of the best quality Alfalfa-3 crops
yields abont nve tons for the season per
acre, and sells at $3.50 per ton Wheat
is cheap Soc per 100 lbs. Good -four
sells for $500 per 100 lbs. Potatoes are
selling for ST 90 just now. There is a
home demand for all that the water
facilities will raise. We have the mail
daily since Nov. lst, and it is half mile
to the little trading point of Shenan-
doah. 1t costs 5000 year for delivery
of our mail within half mile of door.
School we will have next year half mile
distant.
We are all well as usual Now let me
tell you of the copper camp, at Paradox,
40 miles west of which | spoke in my
last letter to you. 1t was as good a pro-
position as | thought it at that time.
The company from Michigan) have
worked about 80 men all summer on
road and development work, and this
month have got most all of the machin-
cry for smelter on the ground They
have brought from Canada eight four
horse teams for freightning, and will
ship next week as many more One
piece Of the machinery weighs 10000
lbs. guess it is pretty fair sized
plant There is lots Of copper in their
properties, and from what I've heard, l
think that the prospects on Big Iniun"
creek, IL miles from there, are much
better. | think you and Jimmie could
make stake here in less than two
years, if you would come out here, as
most Of the prospectors know even less
than do of prospecting l saw sam
pie Of copper, silver and gold ore, from
the Navajo mountains in southeastern
Utah, 100 miles southwest of here, that
makes me itch to get there some day.
This country seems different about de-
veloping property. If man has
something good and knows it, he can
get money interested before he gets to
be too old do anything.
l would like to see you here right
now. am opening up a coal vein 100
rods from the house, that | think will
coke. can't tell till get in 10 or Is
feet, but | have a pratical coke burner
engaged, who says he thinks it will
make good coke. / will try To get a
contract with the smelter people to fur
nish the first 1000 tons if can get the
thing under way soon. / will put in
six weeks after December lst in teach
ing music again, leaving the work to
man and the boys.
Well, to morrow is election day, and l
shall 60 up and vote again, same as you,
but shall not stop to talk loud and
argue the case as used to. for as l grow
older feel more like standing by and
see what fools we mortals be-" and it
makes me weary to see the prejudice
and "bull-headedness" of men in regard
to two things at least, religion and poll
tics. Now, haye no idea that you will
ever come out here, nor that you would
come and make yourself a. home with
us for month or two. but / shall say
that you would be very much welcome.
The trout bite well till one can catch 30
or 100 a day with no great fatigue.
The fruit tastes mighty good" and l
would like to hand you dish of King"
apples that my wife is at this moment
pairing. Actually apples here this fall
grew as large as the crown of your hat,
and Alberta peaches 4 inches in dia.
meter. Pears last year that weighed %
ounces each. There are good many
deer around now. but 7 can't uet time to
kill any yet this fall. We are living in
the tent yet, the weather being SO fair,
but will be moved into the house this
week.
Now, write me letter oil information
about Yourself Jimmie or anyone else