The Greeley tribune., 1903-09-24
GREELEY MEN WILL BUILD
SAW MILLS AT ONCE.
Now Have Control of Nearly All
the Timber in Routt County,
the New Empire of
the West.

pleted ard is composed entlrely OF
Greeley men, with the exception OF
one man, Nj. Il. Benson, president OF
the Benson, Dunkel Lumber company
of Black Rock, Ark, who is on the
directorate. he company, which
is headed by W. f. Gillespie, former
manager of the Gilcrest Lumber COM
pany in Greeley, has acquired large
tract of valuable timber on the Elk
river in Routt county. and are all but
ready to uegin operations. Ihe COM
pany is capitalized at 100000 in
100, 900 shares at par value Of 81 a
share. The articles of incorporation
which have been filed with the Sec
retary of state show that the COM
pany is organized for the purpose of
purchasing and acquiring timber
lands. the erection and operation of
saw mills, the dealing in lumber and
merchandise, etc.
Situated in the northwestern part
of Colorado is Routt county, the
largest in the state, having an area
of 6, 200 square miles. This immense
section has up to the present time
heen the unknown empire OF the
west. The construction of the Den
yer, Northwestern & Pacific railroad
(the Motfat road), which is now in
progress through this section. has
turned the eyes of the west in that
direction to locate the resources OF
fabulous value that exist there. The
mineral and coal deposits there are
perhaps the richest in the world and
it is besides one of the best agIicul-
tural sections in the west, all there
is needed being the construction Of
iIrigating canals. 1t is already a
great cattle count try, its immense
mesas and rich valleys furnishing
some of the best grazing ranges in
the west. The Yampa river and
its tributaries will forever furnish
water sufficient for all purposes.
Only the lack of railroads has kept
Routt county from sending forth its
riches to the rest OF the world. In
another year this section will not
alone have the Moifat line, but also
the Laramie, Hahn's Peak 4 Pacific
road running down from Laramie,
Wyo., to Steamboat Springs: little
town that has sprung up in Routt
county in spite OF the isolated loca-
tion. This town will doubtless, in
the course of two or three years, be-
come the most important city be-
tween Denver and Salt Lake City,
1t is in such country that the
party of Greeley men have secured
fOothold by choosing one Of the SAT-
est industries known to commerce,
the lumber business. Unlike min
ing, everything is IN sight and above
ground, hence there is no element of
chance. 1t is also unlike farming OF
stock raising, in that weather, disease
or accident cut no tiguIe. The main
body OF the companys timber con-
sists OF 22i0 acres of fine large pine
and spruce ahd is located on the head
waters between the north and middle
forks OF the Elk river, twenty i've
N lies north of Steamboat Springs.
A conservative estimate places the
amount of timber at 20 600 feet to
the acre. The land upon which the
timber is located slopes gradually to-
ward the river, thus making logging
easy. From there the river will for
nearly the entire year float the logs
down TO the first saw mill, which
will he located few miles below
Steamboat Springs, where the Elk
river joins the Bear river. This is
the point also where the Motfat road
will reach the Bear river to follow It's
grades to the Yampa valley, thus In.
suring an easy outlet to the products
OF the mills, should this not be con-
sumed in the local market about
Steamboat Springs and other towns
that will spring up in this section.
The first saw mill the company will
build is to have capacity If 25, 900
feet day. A conservative estimate
by experienced lumber men vito have
STUDIED conditions in the country
about the headwateIs of the Elk
river, places the net profits from this
output at sS5, 600 q year, without
counting in lath, shingles and other
biproducts of the saw mill, so that it
looks as though the Greeley men had
secured one of the best industries in
the new country.
The position of the tract of timber
land owned by this company gives it
the control of something like 1000
acres of good timber already, and
more is being acquired right along,
thus giving this company practically
the control Of all the available tim
Der in Routt county.
The men composing the company