The Delta independent., 1902-08-22
SUpEAcFcuEEK Mesa
A Section Of Country TINT Will Pay to
Investigate.

Investigate. ss5
That eection Of Delta county knowA
ne Surface Creek mesa psopor, eAnSsts
o. tho torritory lyiAg Actween 6rrant
Crook Oh tho ssst aud Tongue 0fssk on
the vest, tho 0unDison on the south
and the Grand meaa on the north.
about fourteen miIss north and south.
and averaging seven and one-half miIes
vide. Tho land is practically all taken
up except q strip about three miiss
vide by1nins n,Iss looa ayins abut,ing
the Grand mesa. This strip is adapted
to raising wheat, oa.s and potatoes. II
being considered too high for fruis cul
turs. But It may be found on thorough
triIl TO be we'll suited for some OF the
hardy apples and pssrs. Fruit can be
raised .sp 10 40 altitude between 1000
and 5000 feet. bat abs tender peaches
will do 0uoh better ct lower altitude.
1t is estimated that thsrs ara G4OOO
acres Of laud ip this ssction that can hs
profitably cultivated il eater enough
can be stored, and fhat there are at
present not less than 5000 acres under
; ace. but Of course not near al under
crops. The cedar tslt has been prse,
,ioaliy all taken up and fenced aud tbs
land il. being cleared OF; the growth OF
eiars and pinon. In q short time the
supply OF wood from these trsee will be
Exhausted and the people will be put to
straits for their supply Of are wood.
Coal is knovs to abound throughout
this section and several sew mines arc
now being opened up. The best known
coat miDss OF tho county are located
along the Grand mesa In or near this
strip. notably the Winton, Williams,
Pord and Rollins mines. There 10 no
Fear OF any scarcity OF fuel as long es
the world lasts. for these mines are in.
exha ustibie. Tho vein no1 being
worked by Mr.. Winton and Rollins 10
sbout u feet thick. all coal. snd it eI-
tends back into the Grand mesa 10 an
unknown distance. Many persons be-
lievs that il extends clear through Il .
Grand mesa and crops out on the Grand
river slice. Bcsides this larger vein there
are . number OF other veins oserlying
and underlying the big one. Some three
OF four years ago NJ. Viuton, 10 sink
iug an air shaft 20 ventiiats his minc =,
developed about dftD t1o ssst OF coal
lyiug in the diffsrsat stratss 10 the b L..
TIL n-ludss the tuslvs feet OF o Il In
Il . vein on which be 10 minirg. 1t 10
known u Z. there are oth,r veins under
ling the big one. but they have 70:
been prospscted and 1t 10 not known
how extensive they are.
The Surface Creek ucss is wstered by
tho finest seriss OF reservoirs in the
vest. there being ,sssrvo'r.d in all
about sixty lakes and poods. capable at
the present time OF storing 1900 acres
test Of wafer. On, ugh for the land now
uader cultivation, AEo,g the princi-
pal OF these storage reservoirs arc the
Surface Creek Ditch / Reservoir, by
FAR the largest enterprise on the mces
the Park reservoir. the Battlsmsnt
Aess Ditch & Reservoir Company. the
Young Creek Ditch Il Reservoir Com
psuy, the Ced.r Mesa Ditch d Rsssr-
yoir Company, the Leon Lake Ditch 4
Reservoir Company. the CRANKY Ditch
4 Rsasrvoi, Conpsry. the feschout
Reservoirs. Nos. ], 2, 3 and 4. besides .
pile Of lesser ones made In the smaller
parks on the top OF the Grand mesa.
Bssidss those storage lskss the Fruit
Growers Reservoir. situated about the
c,ntsr OF the Surface Creek mesa, at the
mouth OF Alfalfa basin. has storage
capsc,sy at the prsssnt time q 1900
scrss feet OF water. The most OF these
reservoirs sao be, by lsbor. made to hold
double the amount they are nov capable
Of. and some OF them treble. In fact
the valSs supply can and will be In a
few ysars dosb bled yhat IL now ,.. At
the present tfns This msss hss tho hsst
systsm Of storing water OF any In tho
vsst. II may be in the future other
ssctions Will eutstrip II. but then this
sector will have all ssedsd for the land
available, and What ID the sesd Of more!
Tho Surface Creek mesa 10 the great
hay producing ssction OF Delta county,
producing over half OF the entire csop
of'hs county. Bssidss hay. u large acre
sgs 10 planted to oats, aad wheat 10 not
neglected. Ths attention Of = large
numoer OF ths farmers 10 being turned
toward fruit raising. about ! thousand
'seres nov bsieg 10 orchard. The .huest
sppies shipped froa ths Delta station
lsst fall came from this -sAesion. Tn.
great majority of the trsss are just com.
ias tsto bsa,ing. asd IN year or two
the fruit ship0snts Will b. Of consider
able Importance. The d. 4 r. g. have
pst 10 eide track a the nearest poiet
on the road TO this nsea for shs >cceS,o