Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-08-11
NEW COLORADO ROADS
WAGON ROADS BUILT BY STATE
Fund Available From Sale Of Public
Lands-important Roads Build
Ing In Different Parts Of
the State.

Denver. Aug. 5.-WhIle the good
roads agitation is sopronounceda and tho
public has been shown what good work
Denver is doing along these lines, and
has seen what an enormous quantity
OF apparatus and an army of men It
has to do the work with. many arc
wondering Just what IL being done
throughout the state. This question IL
answered by tho Denver Republican as
follows:
i;iu enabling act. passed by Congress
In the winter Of lS75.7G. provided that
fve per cent. OF the moneys received
from tho sale of all public lands. ex-
cept lands sold under the homestead
act. be set apart as the property OF tho
state In I'm internal Improvement fund,
for use In the making and repairing
OF new roads and similar work. So,
year after year Colorado receives for
Its Improvement fund five per cent,
not only from all state lands sold. but
the same amount from the federal gov
ernmcnt for the lands sold by It's own
land department
The state Ia now building road
which VIII make conditions OF lifo
easier for them. This work is being
done In Eagle county. from Ruedi 10
Basalt. a distnnceof twenty miles. The
survey for n road was made two years
ago. but the appropriation was not
then large enough 10 finish the Inn
provcmcnt and the last Legislature Ne,
apart $500. which makes $500 avail.
able The lowest bid for the work In
Si2.so0. no that over twenty families
VIII still continue To ride horseback
along the railroad track until tho
county commissioners set aside enough
money to meet the difference. which
II In Understood will be soon. Some
work. however. has already been done.
The highest regularly laid out road
In the stat. In Just rcachin. completion
and VIII soon be open In travel. High
above timber line. considerably moro
than two miles above III. level OF tho
sea ana Gu, through kolii rock form.
alton. this ia the iirSt step Ia connect
Telluride and Silvcr'on. Prom appTo-
printions Of the last two Legislatures
practically $1,000 has been uHrd for
this San Miguel county read. which
was originally run from the vicinity
Of tho Smussicftinion mine TO Bridal
Veil fails. Now through the rock. =
road has been run from Bridal Veil
falls io the very top Of the range
where. ai i'S present .ni. just being
finished OF nicely. II secures the rec.
ord Of bcinE III. highest read ever
built In th. state of Colorado. Tho
new part os the Rad at tn" top. built
this summer. IN four and on-,hait
miles long oa account of the necessity
of maintaining as low a sfai. sa POS
slbic.
\ t~.niy.miic fnad In La Plata
county IN nearing completion ami rms
from Durango iu Junctiua creek. opEn'
inE up a bik mInins country. Another
road alfaus, finished IL the Iplofcs
county road from Rico. the county
scat. TO tun,on. shrrc II arcomm.
dates the celebrated hot springs.
There already asa a road ,h-rs, bu, u
sas OH q grade ~ turniy eight feet TO
the hundred feet and uas at ii,iia
use. The present Guai has bgtu con.
siracted on grade II asiy oizht feet
TO the hundred feet. SO that a team can
haul over n tea
The AlIca, ,UlmuH; road in Clear
Greek county has hTuash; forth very
cumnrndabl- .shibi;ina at public
spirit. The appropriation Sas SO small
that II looked a. II tho wust colld not
b. done. hut George II. SisuaFt os that
county stepped forward and made tho
entiTr survey for upthiHs. aud b.. and
other citizens. jointly with the Colo.
RADIO & Southern railroad. tonstr,i tho
money difference betWt-n the sppEo.
pria,ion and the lowest bid for tho
road. This u a 'ru.miln Improvement,
and will be finished before winter.
Sand conditions are villa, II IL npcos.
sary to overcome In the road buildins
from Las AhImas noTih~aFs IN Brnt
county. There. also. there has teen
come local help. The county commits.
sIonrrs have borne the expense o, tho
grading. and the state Is nos ssFIacins
the road one foo, deep with stone. On
branch No. ot the ncnv.T and Grand
junction ffuah. ot which mention has
been made. the survey has been IN.
ishcd and work commenced. This runs
from Rife 10 CRAIG by way Of Nr-k.r.
Starting a, the top nt the divide bc-
tween Grand county aud North Park,
in LarimSr county. thirty 4mi5u road
Ia nov being run. The purpose is 10
give North Park people chipping
point on the Mofra' Tuad. a nov Rocky
Ford road is being constructed. here
again the county commissioners doing
the grading. and the state doing tn.
suffacine. as In Bent county. and for
the same reasons. A road with lover
grade. bringing the grade down 80 nibe
per cent, is Just being finished in
Mesa county from Debegue to pIatesp
creek. Preliminary work has been un.
dsrtaken on tho Yuma county Iuai
from Vernon TO Aisiis. sHI yonstTu,.
iicn will be commenced this fail on
Pi,kin county road as soon ss the
. oyer bids arc secured.
I'm the present road from Teller
county into Fremont county. there IL
a section owned by private parties and
operated as toll road where the very
considerable charge n ssvrn;y.nve
cents is made for a team and convey.
ance passing By. The LEGISLATURE
made a substantial appropriation for a
public highway here. 10 put en- end to
This practice. anh the survey for