The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1900-12-14
SAN JUAN COUNTY
TO THE FRONT
attracting Much attention from
the Outside gapitali0t
and HOmesSeeker.
p Greet Pruit eountry-vast Deposi
Its Of Railroad eOmmus
nieosiou Badly Needed.


elect Of the 34th legislative assembly
from the counties Of San Juan, Rio Ar.
riba and Taos, and whose home lie at Az
tee, the fourishing county seat Of San
Juan county. has been in the capital sew
eral days on business connected with
his profession-that Of the law.
"The fact that our county seat has
doubled in population and wealth within
less than two years" said Judge Pendle
ton, Fought 10 be tangible evidence that
we, in San Juan county, are enjoying
our full share Of prosperity. The i'm
provementB consist of substantial brick
and frame dwellings and storerooms
and the new people who have come to
occupy them constitute a most desirable
class. Pennington. Jewett, Bloomfield
and other towns in the county are also
growing at a most gratifying rate.
Our now Normal school at Aztec, under
the management Of DR.. Spencer, New
York educator Of noto, is getting on
nicely. Some fifty pupils are enrolled.
The general public school system
throughout the county is also doing
we'll. We have found that it pays to
foster and encourage our school inter
ests for one thing, among others, it has
served to attract a desirable class OF set
tiers; a good many people have live
stock and mining interests in the mount
ainous region Of southwestern Colorado
are coming into the warmer districts
about Aztec and Pennington and are
making their winter homes, buying fruit
farms and sending their children to
school in these towns. Stockmen Of
Colorado also are beginning to appreci-
ate the value Of our irrigation systems
and our forage crops. We produce four
to six tons Of alfalfa to the acre annu-
ally, and stockmen are now paying s. per
ton for it in the stack. Besides our
home stock, probably 10000 head Of cat
tie from southwestern Colorado are now
being fed on alfalfa in the irrigated val
leys Of San Juan county.
"And as to fruit, we rather think we
have the edge on most any other section
Of the Rocky mountain country, es-
pecially as to winter apples. In the
growing and chipping Of these latter, we
have already a we'll established industry
which 10 being enlarged each succeeding
year. The agents Of the Chicago firms
shipped out Of the valley last month over
elxfy cilfl1ao1 uL appleB, and one Du-
range firm shipped % carloads, not to
speak Of the smaller shipments. The
Chicago, Denver and Durango commits
sion merchants send their men into our
orchards, supply their own cases, pick.
pack and ship out the fruit. The cases
hold fifty pounds, and the Orchardist is
paid 80 cents per DoX for the Ben Davis
variety, up 20 55 cents for the Jonathan,
Baldwin, Grimes Golden, Missouri Pip
- 81 - 30 kN.a
fruit has to be handled 80 to 65 miles IN
wagons at buyers risk before reaching
the railway shipping point. OF course,
we always have an abundant crop of
other fruits, such as peaches, pears,
plums, grapes, etc. Indeed. for all pro-
ducts Of the orchard and farm, think
that San Juan county stands as the ban
ner section Of Colorado and New Mexico.
a'Mr. Sellegsslateof California, ismak1
ing a big success of his creamery and
fruit evaporator near Harrington. There
is a fine opening 10 the valley for a dis
tillery to produce brandy from peaches
and apples. Poultry and dairy farms
also pay big profits, and cheese factory
would do we'll.
"One chief advantage we enjoy over
most farming communities is our excel
lent market that no competition can
possibly deprive US Of in the future
our products bring exceptionally high
prices in Durango, Silyerton, Telluride
Rico. Ouray, Ridgeway and other Col
OradO mountain towns and mining
camps. AS these grow 80 must in
crease the demand Tor the products Of
San Juan county's farms and orchards,
and the only competition is with goods
shipped in from points hundreds Of
miles distant
"Chances for new irrigation and colo
nization enterprisesi Why, San Juan
county Is full Of the most inviting op-
pOFtunities of this sort. How the peo-
pie of Kansas, Iowa. Missouri and Ok
lahOma can keep their hands of them
Burpaeses my comprehension. AS 1t is,
there is land under the existing irciga.
tiOn systems to accommodate yet a few
thousand farmes and we'll give them
the glad hand when they come. Raw
lands with perpetual water right are
worth 8I5 to $50 per acre; improved
lands with young orchards sells at S25
to $40, depending upon location. Sew
eral colonization enterprises are under
way. A Mr.. Pepper from Horton, Kas,
and several parties from Grand juno
tion, Colo. are now looking over the
country with a view of putting in an
irrigation system, the lands thus brought
under water to the chiefly devoted
70 the raising Of sugar beets. The
sugar beet, by the way, practically at
tains perfection 10 our sunny cline.
ave need a railroad, Of course, but
that will como ere long we think, and
one of our reasons for so thinking. ie
that, OUTSIDE OF the haul 0f fruits, farm
products and general stores which in
crop season now require about fifty
teams a daY moving between our coun.
~ seat and Durango. we have the larg.
est and finest bodies of coal, an excel.
lent cohing coal, yet und8veloped In the
west. Twelve miles west Of Aztec
whole townships are underlaid with
veins to Is feet thick; indeed, the On.
tire WesterH half Of the county may be
considered Jas coal land, covering an
area % miles wide and go miles IN
length. Along the San Juan river from
farmingtOn west YOn may see Ia the
side OF the blum great veins 10 tO ~ feet
thick. Indications Of petroleum and
natural gas are abundant about Far.
mingt0n. One we'll near there flows gas
that burns readily. But whether We
get a railroad or not we Ia San juan
county have every reason 10 believe
that our natural resources have now
k80ome 90 we'll known that We shall