Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-07-22
FERTILE SAN JUAN
Remarkable Progress In the
Fruitful Valley In Fourteen
Years.
AN EDEN IN LINCOLN COUNTY

J. N. Coe, who owns big fruit and
alfalfa farm In the beautiful Ruiiosa
valley in Lincoln county, left this
morning for home on the Santa Rosa
stage. The gentleman spent several
days in the city He was much
pleased with the appearance of the
city which he has not visited before
for dozen years. In the good old
days, Mr.. Coe used to haul his fruit
and alfalfa here and purchase all his
supplies at this point. He at that
time formed the opinion, which his
recent visit here strengthened, that
Las Vegas is the best town in New
Mexico.
Mr.. Coe has Just returned from q
long journey which took him to v8-
rious parts Of California, Oregon, Col
orado and New Mexico| He was more
favorably impressed with Oregon
than with California. The agricultur
al and timber resources of the form.
er state. he says, are marvellous. His
brother, Louis Coe, for many years
a successful farmer In the San Juan
valley, is now living In Oregon and
is most enthusiastic over the coun-
try.
The gentleman went over into tho
San Jran country to spend . week.
He had not been there for fourteen
years. 1.-THE San Juan valley" he
remarked, "is the only part Of New
Mexico where there is more water
than available land. The country has
developed wonderfully. When I vas
there last Pennington was little
mud built hamlet. Not tree was
big enough to give any shade and
there was very little life. Now Farm
ington is q big town. with blocks
The whole valley is settled with q
good class Of people. Brick farm
houses are common and the farms
look thrifty. The one great draw
back is lack Of railroad facilities. 1t
is necessary for the farmers to haul
their fruit sixty miles to Durango.
II they can thrive when handicapped
by such odds, you can imagine their
condition with line Of railroad
opening up the southern markets.
"The line from Durango to Gallup
or some other Santa Fe connection
should be built. i would be paying
road, opening up a magnificent
country. The whole country between
Pennington and Gallup and farther
south, Is one vast bed Of nne coal.
There are good timber and agriculture.
al lands along the way and such .
road would give the San Juan peo-
pie a market for their fruit and
make their valley one Of the finest
agricultural sections of the west. The
fruit crop this year, q failure In
, pearly every part Of the territory ID
prodigious In the San Juan valley"
Mr. .Coe thinks highly OF the pro
posed road from Durango to Roswell
| extending the Albuquerque Eastern
He believes II this is built that It will
before long form part Of q greal
; trunk line having Its outlet on the
gulf, and touching the Pacific coast al
Seattle or Portland.
The gentleman says the fruit CROP
In his own valley was entirely ruined
BY late frosts. Apples are the staple
crop, and It isn't once In twenty year.
that the frost touches them. In fac
this is the first time on record wher
the apple crop has been an entire
failure. The alfalfa crop. however, 4
excellent in quality and four full cut
tings will be secured.
! The fertile valley Of the Ruidosa
where lies Glencoe, the home of
number Of prosperous Goes is SOM
twenty miles away from the foot o
BIanco Peak, the lofty summit o
the mighty White mountain range
Il Is a fair green vale, bordered b.
heavy cedars. Grassy slopes stretcl
away to the foot hills Of the noun
taips. Midway lies Fort Stanton. th