Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-05-16
THE OUTLOOK FOR DURANGO
VERY BRIGHT.


The season is now so far advanced
that it is possible to make fairly &C
curate estimate of what kind OF ii
summer we are going to have.
All Indications point to most
prosperous season along various lines.
While the snowfall was very light dur
ing the winter, which for time caus-
ed eeislderable apprehension, the fire.
queni SHOWS and rains during the
spring have banished all fears and
ranchmen are now figuring on heavy
crops and cattle and sheep men are
assliNfl of good ranges.
Since the cheap potato rates have
been made by the Denver 4 Rio
Grande Railway company great
many farmers have gone into potatoes
on a larger scale than they have ever
done heretofore There is good pro
fit in potatoes at the prices which are
bound to prevail, and a great volume
of money will come pouring into Du-
range and the surrounding territory
in exchange for the potatoes sent out.
The acreage planted to potatoes will
not lessen the amount OF other farm
products grown, for there will be
more acres under cultivation this year
than ever before for the reason that
some thousand acres have been
brought under cultivation this year
that were covered with sage brush
last
Then there is the fruit crop. Re
ports come from Cedar Hill, Aztec,
Bloomfield, Flora Vista. Farmington,
from the lower La Plata river. and in
fact from all over San Juan county as
and NcElmo canon, that there Is GO
ing to be a big fruit crop While in
some of the least favored localities
there will be some losses of the ear
lier and more tender fruit, on the
; whole the crop will be immense
Many a sections prosperity depends
upon its fruit alone, but in this fav.
ored land fruit is only one of the many
resources with which our people are
blessed.
One thing which is particularly en-.
couraging to our people at this time
is the number OF shipping mines that
can be counted in the La Platas There
is the Neglected, Durango Girl. MAY
Day. Chief. Bulldozer, Comstock and
Little Jane, not to mention a number
81 others that have made small ship
ments i'll the past and will doubtless
make others in the future. 1t has been
demonstrated to the satisfaction oi
the most skeptical that ore-rlch ore
and lots OF it-can be had in these
hills by going after it. That is al.
ii takes to get a mining district to go
ing right. and The Id Platas have a,
last struck the right gait. Investors
are now beginning to seek property
that not long since sought the invest
Or. The tables are turning. The rich
gold strikes already made have en
couraged other men 10 do work, ami
some OF them ere long win open up
other mines.
The great lockwood power proiect
will employ a large number of men
the rest of the season, and when thai
enterprise is at last finished a still
greater benefit win accrue from the
manner in which it Will revolutionize
mining by furnishing cheap power.
There is great deal of building GO
ing on in the city at present and more
to follow, making business good for
the dealers selling building material
and furnishing employment to con
tractors and workmen.
Many other reasons for the brigh;
outlook for the season might be Civ
en- by going into further Details but
those enumerated are sufficient.