The daily sentinel., 1900-09-13


prepared for the occasion, which was
made almost a county holiday.
1S91-1S95.
There are always periods Of tnan-
cial depression for towns and commun-
tiles, and Mesa county could hardly
expect to be exempt from them. Yet
at no time were its people discouraged,
for they had within themselves and
their splendid surroundings all the nee
essary requirements for the continu-
ance of business and the welfare of
the people at large.
Each year Peach Day was celebrated
but in 1894 the festivities eclipsed all
that had marked preceding years and
surpassed any that have been offered
since. 1t was the banner fruit year
of Mesa county, when the various
crops were SO abundant that their
owners for once acknowledged a sur
felt Of harvest prosperity. Six thou
sand visitors Were feasted on free
peaches, and twenty thousand pounds
of the delicious fruit We're required to
satisfy the appetites of those who had
crossed the ranges and came down
from the surrounding mountains to
participate in the feast.
At this time the population of Grand
Junction was estimated at 1880. The
Little Book Cliff railroad had been
added to the transportation facilities,
though only used for the purpose of
bringing coal down from the cliffs to
the north, where the mines of the COM
pany We're located. The city could
boast of eight churches, two large
school buildings, u court house, a city
hall, an armory, large opera house,
three hotels, two new fine bank build
Of two nSyfa hIr.i
houses; while through the residence
portion there We're many large and
elegant modern mansions to mark the
progress made from the log-cabin days.
Then, too, there We're in operation
systems of water works, electric lights,
u street railway; while six newspapers
supplied the people with the news of
the day.
These, for the county seat. Back of
1t all, in the county, We're 5000 acres
of orchard lands and 100000 acres of
farming lands, more or less improved.
In the educational line, as evidence
of the high grade of studies pursued,
a diploma from the high school at
Grand Junction admitted the holder to
entrance without further examination
into the freshman class of the Uni
versity Of Colorado. There We're under
liberal maintenance twenty-five schools
in the county, and out of total tax
of sos, 1000 levied for the year, $4,000
was for public school support. Ii this
does not prove that the people recOg-
nized the advantages to be derived
from school privileges, what argument
can be used to make the proposition
clear?
1S95-1S99.
During the years elapsing between
these periods more or less depression
in values and stagnation in business
tested the faith of those in CONNER
cial and Industrial pursuits; but few
were discouraged, and while the pessi-
mistic class moaned and deplored the
situation, those who were optimistic
In their views bravely faced the situa-
ton and sought methods to change it.
These We're the beet-sugar discussion
periods, when the evidences of sue
cess and prosperity in towns in Cali
fornia and Utah where beet sugar fac
tories had been established We're read
about, talked about and finally crys-
talized into organizations for the pur-
pose of experimenting with the soil OF
the valley lands to test their adapta-
bility to sugar-beet culture. The en-
thusiasm evinced pervaded all classes,
and it was not long before practical
tests We're made by the chemist OF the
State Agricultural College, which DEM
onstrated the fact that high sugar
content and grade of purity were hid
den in the beets raised in various Sec
tiOns of the county.
Two or three years were allowed to
pass before the idea of a sugar fac
tory began to assume a crystalizing
shape. Then, by the liberality of the
business men and the owners of farm
ing lands, together with pledges Of
fixed acreage of beets to be grown for
three years, it began to dawn upon the
people of Mesa county that the year
1899 would be signalized by the inau-
guration of a new industry, which
would result in bringing capital into
the community, and be yearly source
of revenue to the farmers and fruit
growers who would add a few acres
of beets to their other crops. Before
the close Of the year 1898 half mill
ion dollar company was organized, its
stockholders and directors all resi-
dents Of the state; contracts had been
let for the erection of u beet-sugar fac
tory Of $50 tons capacity, to cost about
100000, and agreements exchanged
between the farmers and the manage
ment for the growing of between three
and four thousand acres of beets to
supply the factory during the three
months running season that was
planned for the fall of 1899.
The various operations connected