Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-06-06
ANNIVERSARY OF
THE ENTERPRISE
The Sixteenth Year Bgun-Some Historical Reflections
and "reminiscences

With this number the Enterprise enters
the six,sen,h year Of is exis,snes ard
Il seems proper that some recognition Of
the fac, is in order: some sor, Of eslebfa-
lion of the anniversary Of is birth. The
En,erpgsSs s.ss born ~i.h the ,o~n. so 10
speak. !; begun rs journalistic career
the fifs; year Of tho towns existence.
1897. In is columns are recorded the
sales Of town lots ina, marked tho open
irg Of the town si,s TO settlement. ard in
is columns arc mentioned the isfs, build
ings erected by the purchasers Of these
lots. From tho files Of tho frs, issues 40
gather the interesting data that indicates
how and by whom the town was planted.
ard ~ha, tho hopes and Aspirations were
Of those who :is, s;aked their fortunes
In Il;
Tho paper was started BY II. v. Alex
andef. tho frs, number being dated June
2. 1887. We reproduce below in con-
densed form tho headlines OF tho leading
articles In the first issue:
ROCKY FORD. COLO.
Tho Magic Mascot. tho Fondiing Of For
tune. tho Mecca Of Men.
A New Town In an Old Settlement,
Wherein Agriculture Proves
Profitable Pursuit
Where Large Fields Of Growing Grain
and Largo Frui, Orchards Stand as
Evidence Of tho Country's Worth.
A Vas, Field Of Alfalfa Traversed by
Numerous ifrigaiing bitches.
Tho Watermelon Center Of tho World.
Tho body Of tho article which followed
these boom headlines was in harmony
with tho great expectations OF tho scare
head. We mako tho following extract:
Tho Town Co.'S sale Of lots April 2.
was tho most satisfactory on record
amounting TO tho enormous sum OF
$4,000.
and has increased daily since. No new
town over had moro natural advantages
| or moro favorable location. and tho
boom We aro now having Is q surprise 70
no ono who comes and takes look at
our eountry-our broad fields Of alfalfa.
oats. corn. wheat and millot, and takes a
look at our irrigatng system and sees
our orchards loaded with fruit We have
something TO boom on-living evidences
Of what has been dono for Is years"
Among the home news In this first
issue Of tho Enterprise It was stated that
IS buildings werc in progress. OF
which wcre two-story. and costing from
$1,000 to $4,000. A scarcity Of houses
for rent was noted in that day. the same
as for the past two years.
The proposed building Of a $4,000
hotel was announced. @. w. Swink and
]. p. Stevenson being the principal NOV
crs. The plans Of these gentlemen eul-
minated in the construction Of tho building
now occupied by the st. James Hotel.
which was used for time by DR.. Fenton
as sanitarium.
But few Of the business men noted in
the first issue Of the Enterprise are now
in Rocky Ford. B. U. Dye carried an ad
as a General Blacksmith and with Horse
shoeing a speciality. Hendricks Bros
were in Dry Goods and Groceries. B. U.
g. j. X. Dye conducted livery business
T. F. Godding, jr., and E. T. Steele ad-
vertised a real estate business and were
vestment Co. or this company j. E.
Frost was president: G. W.. Swink. vice.
president; Col. A. S. Johnson. treasurer;
E. j. Cartilage, secretary.
Notwithstanding the momentum with
which Rocky Ford started into life its
growth did not come up to the hopes Of
its founders and those who purchased Of
the $4,000 worth Of lots. This was one
among the last Of the boom towns OF the
west. but had far greater resources back
of it than most Of them. Nevertheless
the growth Of the town was very slow
for number of years.
From those early days till the present
the Enterprise has been faithful week
ly chronicler of the current history OF the
town and of Otero county. 1t has chang
ed ownership no less than five times, and
has passed through goodly share OF the
vicissitudes incidental to journalism in our
western country. 1t is not claiming
too much to say that since it came into
the hands Of the present management,
almost nine years ago, it has never at any
time failed to make full and faithful rec
ord of current local events nor failed in
the work of keeping to the front every
interest that made for the progress and
publicity of Rocky Ford as the paradise
Of the Arkansas valley. To this one
mission the Enterprise has devoted itself
with zeal and assiduity that has known
no abatement.
Looking back over these fifteen years
there is opportunity for interesting com
parsons. Though the present town site
was opened to settlement in 1887 that
was not the beginning of settlement at
this point in the Arkansas valley: The
town takes its name mot altogether a
pretty or a fitting one for the present sit
uation) from point on the Arkansas
river more than two miles away, where
there was fonnd natural fording place
having rocky bottom, which supplied a
natural crossing place in the treacherous
and variable stream in days when there
were no bridges, and not people or tax
able property enough in the country to
provide the means of building any. At
this rocky ford of the Arkansas river the
cattlemen of the early day and the trains
of moving emigrant wagons or prairie
sohooners made their crossing with
measurable safety at all seasons of the
year; and so here was opened one of the
few supply points, a frontier store, and
around it gathered something of a hamlet
| e at z