Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-04-11

Will not II the engineers can save n
few miles by cutting across the bend
OF the river. II II probable that this
can bc done. The next branch viii bc
from Craig TO Dixon and BagE-, thrifty
towns on the Snake. The Snake valley
IL not 50 well settled Ms II the Sampa
or the White. Hut II already has
large live stock traffic. The length OF
this branch will bc about fifty miles. II
viii bc very chcnply constructed. II
Will follow the wagon road UP Foriih-
cation creek and 20 over gentle di-
vide. The ties can almost bc lnid
along the wagon road FOR the whole
distance. The invitation OF the situn-
tion to build branch here Will bc ir-
rcsIstiblc. The next branch would he
To Mcckcr and need only he thirty
miles long. II could leave the main
line ut the mouth OF MIX river and get
n water grade up to the Thornburg
battle-ground and thence another water
grade down to Mcckcr. From Mcckcr
IL can he extended both up and down
White river. The Snake river branch
can also he extended up and down
that stream from Dixon. On both the
Snake and the White these extensions
would now pay and would he valuable
feeders to the main line. The extern
sions projected on the map are only
such as will probably be built along
with the main stem. as n part of the
policy OF nnnexing northwest Colorado
and southern Wyoming to the COM
merce of Denver.
Great Agricultural Region.
The three big rivers OF Northwest
Colorado furnish 800 miles of irrigable
valleys that vary from narrow canons
In few spots to bottoms ten miles
wide in others. Here Is an immense
field for irrigation that has us yet
hardly been touched. Thousands of
acres are under irrigation and raise
alfalfa for winter feed. But they are
are almost wholly along the small
tributaries of the rivers. where small
bitches are easily taken out. For in
stance. the hourishins town of Craig
is sustained by agriculture along the
adjacent small streams. which have
been taken out to the limit: but In the
Yampa valley there is II big ditch pro-
jected that will irrigate 10000 acres.
At Maybell ditch is In process Of
construction that will irrigate 25.GU
acres. This is as much land as the
famous English ditch irrigates around
Denver. At Meckcr 10000 acres are
already irrigated, and the work of
taking out water from the White river
onto accessible land has hardly begun.
There has heretofore been no market
for agricultural products except to
turn them into beef and walk them to
n distant railroad. The finest wheat
and oats in the world are produced
from the fruitful soil. There are good
flour mills at Meeker. Craig and Steam
boat Springs. At one time wheat was
so abundant that 1t was actually haul
ed in wagons to n market at Aspen.
Above, the valleys are mesas and irri-
CATION bitches on large scale can be
carried upon them. Therefore, it is
easy to believe that as much land can
be put under irrigation ns is irrigated
on the eastern slope north of Denver.
What is most reassuring Is the abun-
dance of water. Storage reservoirs
will not be needed.
The Finest Cattle Country.
1t is easy to use supelative terms.
Every enthusiast does it. But some
times they are justified. To call north
west Colorado the finest of cattle coun-
tries is saying II great deal. Yet the
assertion. after deliberate considera-
tion. is made with due sense of re-
sponsibility. 1t is true beyond the
shadow of dispute. All the plateaus.
and mesas. and mountain sides are
covered with rank and nutritious
grasses. The SHOWS are deeper and the
rains more frequent than on the east
ern slope of the Rockies. There are no
desolate deserts. and but few rocky
wastes. Even upon seemingly rocky