, 1902-01-02

The Saratoga Valley presents the
most interesting and inviting field for
the farmer, the fruit raiser and the
stock-raiser of any place in the west.
Here all the conditions that 90 to
make success in all of those fields are
to be found combined within the COM
pass OF the valley bounded on one
side by the Medicine Bow range of
Mountains and on the other by the
Great Continental Divide. Within
a few years the plains on either side
OF the North Platte river will be GOV
cred with cultivated farms, and small
towns will spring up along the foot
hills and in the mountains, and here
and there over the plains. 1t does
does not take a very great stretch of
the imagination to realize that this
valley is soon to become a perfect
beehive of industry and progress and
that the North Platte river will be
drawn upon largely to supply the
motive power for the many manufac-
turing establishments that will follow
in the wake of the settlement of the
valley.
Electricity is acknowledged by all
to be the coming power. The utiliz-
ing OF mountain streams for the pur-
pose of generating this power has be-
come a very easy problem for the
brains of mechanical engineers and.
all owe the land, from ocean to
ocean, electric power houses have
been erected and are furnishing the
electric current for every purpose i'm
aginable, from the lighting of a city
to the running of a sewing machine
or a machine shop.
The long, narrow canon through
which the North Platte river makes
its way and which ends where the
waters of Brush creek empty into
that river, a spot over which Benefits
Peak mounts guard. furnishes an
ideal site for the erection of a power
house that would be able to generate
a sufficient quantity of electricity to
supply every possible want in that
line, not only in the valley, but in the
mountain ranges on either side. AS
it may be supposed this 'coign of
vantage" has not been overlooked by
the men who have foreseen the posi-
bilities of this valley. The Wyoming
Development and transportation Com
pany at N time planned the laying
out of a town on the land around the
mouth of Brush creek and the cree
ton there of an electric power plant
and the location of their machine
shops and yards in that vicinity. The
change of plans ON the part of that
company and the transfer of their ac-
tive operation to Laramie was
brought about entirely by the fact
that they were unable to effect a traf-
fc arrangement with the Union Paci-
tc road at Fort Steele, from which
point they intended to build a rail
road up this valley.
But the company referred to may
yet utilize that ground when they
build over the Medicine Bow range
and on into this valley. Still they
are not the only people to note the
advantage of that spot for the loca-
ton of electric hight works. Another
company has already had representa-
tiyes on the filed and the report of an
expert is now being considered by
them preparatory to the beginning of
the erection of a gigantic electric
plant at that spot. The matter has
been kept extremely quiet, but is of
such vast importance to every interest
in this valley that it has at last leak
ed out and, while we ccannot say that
our information is authoritative,
we can say that before many months
ground will be broken at that spot
for the erection of a plant that will
cost at least 100000 and probably
twice that amount,