The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1905-05-26
DENOUNCE RESERVOIR
NEED CANON FOR MoFFAr ROAD
Citizens OF Grand and Routt Counties
Want the Railroad and Do Not
Want Gore Canon Reservoir


Want Gore Canon Reservoir.
Denver. May ga dispatch from
Hot Sulphur Springs SAYS: A mas.
meeting was called Saturday night hv
Mayor Adams to get an expression
from the people of Hot su,nbuy
Springs on the subject of Gore canon
and the town hall was filled. An AMI
mated but entirely harmonious meet
ing was held.
Mayor Adams was elected chairman
and F. /. Huntington, secretary. After
several speeches the sentiments of The
meeting were ordered put into the
form of resolutions and a COMMITTEES
consisting of Frank n. Briggs. w p
Farris, David p. Howard, Fountain Me.
Auley and ]. E. Brown was appointed
to draw up the resolutions. which are
as follows:
whereas, it is of the utmost I'M
portance to the entire state of Colorado
that the Denver, Northwestern & Pa
cific railroad. known as the Moffat
road, shall be built in the quickest pos
sible time, from Denver to Salt Lake
City, opening up. en- route, Grand and
Routt counties, with their vast wealth
of coal, precious metals timber. agri-
cultural lands and live stock interests.
and,
Whereas. certain selfish, designing
and INSCRIPTIONS persons are irving
to prevent said railroad from being
finished by depriving it of the Gore
canon route, the only feasible route it
can take, as has been determined bv
competent and experienced surveyors.
after having examined all other routes:
and,
Whereas, 1t is the purpose of those
opposed to the Moffat road to construct
an immense dam across Gore canon.
making a reservoir for the storage of
water in the western portion of Grand
county, such waters to be used for ir.
rigation purposes in Arizona and Cali
fornia and not in Colorado: be it
Resolved, by this mass meeting Of
and vicinity that we are unalterably
opposed to the construction of said
dam and reservoir, because:
First. 1t would submerge more than
l 200 acres of the most productive
meadows and stock farms in Grand
county, every acre of which is patented
and owned by private individuals the
town of Kremmling, a number Of
county bridges and miles of county
roads, absolutely destroying the posi-
bility of passing through Grand county
10 lue WESTWARD lot ali llllt 10
"Second-It is impracticable and I'M
necessary, there being other and better
storage reservoir sites. unclaimed and
uncultivated, along the 1,400 miles OF
ditch proposed to be made, and nearer
the lands to be redeemed.
"Third-Under the valuations placed
on the lands to be taken, by options to
the New Century Light and Power
Company. over sl,00O,O00 wXth of act
ual property would be destroyed by
this reservoir.
"Fourth-Of the 1886 acres OF
land within the proposed lines of this
reservoir, less than $500 acres are
government land, and practically
worthless, while over 10000 acres are
patented and under cultivation.
Fifth-Ten thousand head of cattle
are now sustained by and upon this
land and these would be eliminated
after the land shall be submerged.
"Sixth-The construction of the pro-
posed dam and reservoir would mean
bankruptcy to Grand county, and the
dissolution of the commonwealth. as
1t would destroy half the taxable prop
erty of the county and put a watery
waste in place OF 1t.
"Seventh-We believe the real in
stigation of the Gore canon reservoir
to be certain railroad and coal land in
terests opposing the Moffat road.
These interests are aware that only
the Gore canon stands between the
Moffat road and the immense coal de-
posits of Routt county. Once this new
railroad shall tap these coal fields.
millions of tons of anthracite, bitumi-
nous and Ignite Goals will be avail
able to Denver and the markets of the
world. If it shall be possible to crush
out this competition by closing Gore
canon to the Moffat road 1t will profit
the owners of other coal lands and rail-
roads many millions of dollars and de-
prive the people of the state of the
great benefits that would accrue to
them by the opening up of this vast
wealth of coal.
For these reasons and others too
numerous to mention here we extend
to Mr.. d. H. Moffat and his associates
our earnest sympathy in this fight and
hope to see him win, and assure him
that not more than dozen people in
Grand county see the matter in dit
ferent light, and those twelve are
blinded by having been hoodwinked
into the folly of believing that the gov
eminent will pay the exorbitant prices
placed on their land in the fake options
to the New Century Light d Power
Company"
The resolutions were unanimously
adopted.
LII.