Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-03-20
$1.5o Per Annum in Advance.

report OF the United states GeOlOslcal
Survey now in press, they occupy
about 60 per cent of the length of a
belt along the eastern base of the
main range, extending southwark
from the Canadian boundary fully
900 miles through Montana, Wyo-
ming, Colorado and New Mexico.
Another less extensive belt occurs
Mountain range in Wyoming, Utah,
Colorado and New Mexico. Between
these two belts in the Park region,
numerous isolated basins. In addi-
ton to these generally bituminous
fields, large areas OF the plains in
Montana. Wyoming and the Dakotss
are also underlaid by coal, usual lig-
mite, but valuable for local use. Ac-
curding to the latest estimates the
areas of the coal-bearing formations
in the six states and one territory of
the Rocky mountains, are, for anthra-
cite. bituminous and lignitic bitumi-
coal. 1850 square miles, and for lig-
mite, 56.500 square miles. The his
tory of the development of the various
coal fields of the Rocky mountains is
essentially the history of the general
development of the region, which has
no parallel elsewhere in the United
States and in which. as in the case
OF the Western Interior Coal Field,
the great transportation lines have
beSh the determining factor.
The Colorado coal fields are the
only ones for which a fairly accurate
estimate of workable coal beds and
available coal can be given. A con
servative estimate places the worka-
BILE beds at about 80 per cent of the
total 1900 square miles of coal-bear-
ing area, and the available coal at
nearly 34,000,00O tons. The Colora-
do fields have been divided into three
groups. the eastern, the park, and the
western. The fields of the eastern
group are the Ration. the Canyon City,
and the South Platte. The Ration
field extends extends north from Col
orado-New Mexico line As miles along
the base of the Front Mountain range
and about 80 miles eastward into the
plains, and embraces westwern Los
Animas (the Trinidad districD and
Z sssoath erns HnerfaaQ. fthe Walsenburg
district) counties. Five of the forty
coal beds are usually of workable
thickness. varying from eight feet
down. The coal is both steam and
coke. The Canon City field is near
Canon City. in Fremont county, east
OF the Wet Mountain range, south of
the Arkansas river and north of New
land creek Some of the beds are
from four to five feet thick. The
product is excellent domestic coal.
The South Platte field begins a few
runs thence along the Front range for
about 14O miles nearly to the State
line. Its width being about forty miles
One mining district of the field is i'm.
mediately north of Colorado Springs
Il Ell Paso county; there are five 9TH
eSs northwest of Denver. at Boulder
Marshall, Lafayette, Louisville. and
Erie in Boulder and Weld counties
The coal is essentially Ignite.
The Como district of the Park
group is in northwestern Park county
and is 81 miles long. and from three
to five miles wide. These beds show
from two to eight feet of coal. The
coal Is a good locomotive fuel. The
North Park district comprises nearly
the entire area of North Park in the
northern half of Grand county. There
are apparently three workable coal
beds varying from four to thirty-two
feet in thickness, and the coal Is lig-
nitic. This Is the least developed
of any district In the state and
there is no immediate prospect Of
fNther development OF the western
group, the Yampa district, on the
drainage OF the Yampa river In Routt
and Garfield counties is. has num-
Der of bede varying from four to sew
enteen feet thick. The coal varies
from bituminous to anthracite. This
area is at present practically inacces-
sible. The Grand River district is
prospectively the most valuable OF
the state, because of its extent and
of the varied character of the Goals.
1t forms the eastern extension OF the
Green River basin, which runs west
ward into the Wasatch district OF
Utah. 1t extends eastward to the
base of Mt. Wheatstone near Crested
Butte, over one hundred and fifty
maAes, and from the drainage Of the
Yampa river on the north to the Gun
nison river on the south, over 100
miles. The districts of the produc'
tive area, Crested Butte, Baldwin
RuNy, Coal Basin, Jerome Park, are
the only portions now reached by
railroads. and those are but slightly
developed. Garfield. Mesa, Gunnison
Pitkin and and Eagle counties are
partly In this area. From two tc
segen beds containing twenty-five tc
LOG feet of clear coal. are known
The coal varies from semi-bituminous
to anthracite. The coke from the
Coal Basin district is remarkably sim
liar to the Connelsville coke. The
part of the South Platte field lying II
Colorado extends, about fifteen milei
wide, from the western state lint
about eighty-fve miles along thu
southern state line in La Plata coun