Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1900-10-05


earlirs, residents. passsi away nj his
iop" her" un Monday afternoon last.
.eed hut u Few days less than O. years.
For the pssi seven years Mr.. Potter has
been inTF- or lees an invalid, sud several
times regarded I'm fatally i'll. Bn, hc
rHili.l with wonderful t.naciiy OF vital
ity an,i VI was obly when serious hrain
lesion hron.i,t on paralysis that hs final.
iy snr,gml''-i. For .lir,e weeks pasi lie
hal ,,g"n virtually dead man. but tho
vital spnrs s,ill fingered nni tho pulse
continnc,i 10 bcat for days after uncon.
Ecion.nrsH Ind snprrycn-sl.
Mr.. Potter settled an what is now
fnmiliaTiy known ns III. Potter ranch
just northeast % onr town in tho spring
~ is1n aud brought his family from
their old h"mc IN Gentry county. Mo-. ia
October of tho same yenr, just thirty
years ncn.
Pr.,iou. to this Mr.. Po,tcr's business
Ind l-cn 'l,a; 81 frcislicf. one engaged
IN carrying n-rrhanais. 10y OK nnd mule
team from Missouri river points to tho
isocl y Mountains. In this business Mr..
Potter WAS Intimately associated though
not ia partnership with the beatty broth.
a.. Of Mnnxanoln. and together they
drove their OK caravans nnd their meat
cattle In many jonrncyines between the
Missouri river aud Ogden city ON tho
north and old Santa Fc on tho south;
helped each other over I'll. rough spots
aud stood cuari in mutual defense Of
their property against tho savage raids Of
the Indians. Much of their !rcighting was
dome ia connection with the hauling of
supplies for railroad bnilding when such
great trunk lines ms tho Union Pacific
mud the Santa Fc wcrc stretching out
al hss ~.
cnt. II wAs while mcandcring along tho
old Santa Fc trail. with three nnd i've
yokcs of oxen attached to large prniric
schooncfs. that they selected tho rcspcc'
,iy. sites at Rocky Ford and Mnnzanola
and announced their intention OF some
,lny making them their permanent homes.
When the railroads they had helped To
build br.un to kill ont the prairie
schoonrr's trade they abandoned freight
! ing and settled down to the cattle busi-
nfts. -.
Mr.. Potter wns married in '53 to Eliza
Enyurt and hnda family Of three sons and
Que daughter. the boys well grown when
they settled in the valley OF the Arkansas.
The oldest son had in fact been freight.
or with his father and knew tho trail
nhou, ns well Ms he. The sons nrc Logan.
Richard and Hezckiah aud the daughter,
l
and residents Of tho valley.
Looking back TO tho experiences OF
these freish,ing days, when the rates
paid were . cents n pound for every
hundred miles OF haul james Beatty
says those were ":he good old days.
when man knew every night just how
well of he was aud how well of he would
bc in the morning providing the Indians
didn't mike night rad on him. When
they got settled in the Valley they had
no neighbors anywhere in tue twelve
miles intervening between the two Tam
lilies. Int n year or two later man
named Patterson came up from Texas
with herd Of cattle and settled in be-
tween them, giving the ie.present we'll
known name to Patterson Hollow.
Mr.. Potter Ind no church affiliations
but he was II man of acknowledged III
terri,y OF character aud commanded the
respect of the people who came year
after year to make their homes beside
him. He. loved his adopted home in the
Arkansas valley and felt that along Its
smiling river bottoms he wns quite near
to Jordon. had indeed
.Rcachcd the land of corn and wine
| Ard NIL Its pIorics freely thine
Tile funeral services were conducted
by the venerable Warren Mayo Mt the
! residence Wednesday afternoon, followed
by the beautiful and impressive Masonic
services ut ihe grave. A large number
of Masons were present from all portions
Of the county, La Junta sending large
delegation. %
Tie funeral cortege WINS the largest
that has passed through our streets III
several wears, all the older residents OF
tho county turning ont to pay their re-
spects to the deceased. The ceremonies
were under the direction Of Undertaken
Adair and moved very smoothly. The
pnl,.bearers were Humphrey Best, Andy
Nichols. ]. G. Vroman, J. y. Gauger,
Major Dame o, and q. NJ. Hall. Tie
venerable DR.. Phillips, the first physl-
CHM or the family in the valley, was III
/ - - r..,... Innin