Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-03-22

of the county is more than three and
a half times that of Rhode Island,
twice that of Delaware. and half that
of New Jersey. For some years, and
up to 1888, the growth and develop
ment of the county we're retarded by
the unsettled condition of land titles,
but these have been adjusted, and the
wise and generous policy of h land
grant management, coupled with the
energy and thrift of the people of the
county in general, have more than
overcome all those drawbacks, and
many tracts of land are sold by the
grant company annually to individual
ranchman, farmers, c~olonists, and min
ers on terms more advantageous than
could be had from the government. The
land within the grant is. mostly noun
famous, containing large tracts of val
liable timber, coal, gold, silver, lead,
iron and copper. The remaining land
in the county is mostly undulating
prairie, resembling very much the one
time prairie land of the Mississippi
valley, with gradual slope from north
west to southeast. A large portion of
the land still remains the property of
the government, but is rapidly being
taken up. During the fiscal e end
ing June 80, 1901, there were home
stead entries in Colfax county upon
15,633.76 acres; desert land entries
upon 1900 acres; land sold outright,
20S.34 acres, and land entered by the
United States land commission for the
Territory of New Mexico amounted to
AZ, 696.38 acres, or a total of 59,73S.48
acres. The soil is rich and a great
portion of it can be irrigated from the
waters of the Red, vermejo, Cimarron,
Crow Creek, Ocate, Ute, Cato, Chicoria,
and Rayado rivers, and many smaller
streams. Water in abundance has been
found by digging from IL to so feet.
Several good-sized lakes also exist in
the county. The altitude varies from
$500 feet in the southeastern portion
to 5000 feet at the foothills, rising to
1900 feet on the western boundary,
which is the highest ridge of the
Sangre de Cristo range.
The northern portion is bounded by
the Ration range OF mountains, being a
spur or offshOOt from one OF h main
ranges of the Rockies. The mountains
or the north and west offer a natural
protection from snow storms and biz
yards, as we'll as from high winds. The
average mean temperature Is 81 de-
grees F., heal the foothills, the aver
age minimum being 80 degrees and the
average maximum ~ degrees. The at
mosphere is dry and no great extremes
of heat or cold are experienced. The
average rainfall is IA to 10 inches on
the plateau, but in the mountains it
runs as high as 80 inches. During the
winter the canyons in the mountains
are filled with snow, which gradually
melts during the spring and summer.
furnishing a sufficient supply OF water
for the needs of irrigation.
The population of Colfax county was
10, $50, according to the census of 1900.
In 1890 is was 1874. Since 1890 the
precinct of Clayton, with $50 inhabi-
tants, has been taken to form part of
Union county. Colfax county there
fore shows an increase in its popula-
ton of almost 3S per cent in ten years.
The density of the population is 2.68 to
the square mile. Colfax county is
fifteenth in size, eleventh in popula-
ton. sixth in density of population,
and fourth in assessed valuation of the
twenty-one counties of New Mexico.
The county is divided into twenty-four
precincts, and has n incorporated
city. Ration, the county seat. Though
coming from various states of the un'
ion, different parts of Europe and Mex
leo, together with the native popula-
ton who remained there at the time
New Mexico became part of the United
States, and engaged in various pur-
suits of life, it's inhabitants are yet as
homogeneous a class of people as can
be found anywhere between the At
lantic and Pacific oceans, they being
Industrious, thrifty, and progressive.
The business interests of Colfax coun-
ty are most diversified. though mining
and stock raising are foremost; in
deed, in many instances they go hand
in hand, for the mines are so near the
ranches and so alluring to the average
man, that no matter whether his occu-
nation be that of stock grower, farmer,
merchant. or railroader, he soon finds
himself grub stalking a prospector and
personally putting in his summer vaca-
ton in m varying his work with
pick and shovel with the gun and rod.
The mountainous mining region
abounds in game and beautiful streams
filled with trout.
Southern colfax County.
1t is wonderful to see the changes
T made in the last few years in the
Ocate. Sweetwater, Red Lakes, and
Black Lakes country. This is'the only
strip of government land on h south
side of Colfax county between the Mora
and Maxwell grants, running IRON
Union county west to the Taos county
line. The rapid settlement OF this por-
ton of the county and its development