Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-04-11
SAN JUAN TO
THE FRONT
Judge Granville Pend|eton Tells
Of the Rapid Advancement
of His County.
THREE RAILWAY LINES
Pushing for Supremacy..-Denver & Rio
Grande Has One Thousand Men
and Teams at Work,

Judge Granville Pendleton, Of Aztec,
who was in Santa Fe yesterdary to at
tend the meeting of the Bureau of I'm
migration, is enthusiastic over the out.
look for his town and county. He is
a firm believer in always talking up
New Mexico and has no time for those
who are looking for something to say
against it. His motto seems to be
Push, and the world will push with
you," and he is carrying out his part
of the pushing with energy and stick
to-it-iveness. To a representative of
the New Mexican Judge Pendleton
talked of the development of San Juan
County. He said:
"San Juan County, New Mexico, at
this time is the most favored new To-
cality in New Mexico or the west. It
is the only county in this Territory
that has not been reached by railroad
facilities to some extent, and the only
county whose rich natural resources
ave remained almost wholly unde-
veloped. For twenty-five or thirty
years these resources of San Juan
County have been known to few peo-
pie. but it's isolation from railroads
and the rest of the civilized world has
kept it back and hindered its develop
ment and advancement.
Immense Coal Deposits.
"In the past six months material
changes have come about. The i'm
mense coal fields have become fully
known and are being sought by the
railroads and the copper mines and
smelters of Arizona and old Mexico.
In fact, all the big commercial inter
ests and industries Of the south and
west have their eyes on the immense
fields of colSing- coal in San Juan
County. These immense coal fields
extend over an area of from seven to
ten miles wide and from one hundred
to one hundred and twenty-five miles
long, running from Durango, Colorado.
more or less to Gallup, New Mexico
with from seventy-five to eighty miles
of the rich belt in San Juan County.
1t is doubtful If any other strip of Ter
ritory In the United States has as
much valuable commercial coal as this
section.
Three Railroads Are Building.
"Three main lines of railroad are
now rushing work So as to tap these
coal fields: the Denver e. Rio Grande
the FL Paso-Durango and the Colorado
and Arizona, backed by the Southern
y1,c1 al <n
rights of way are being Sc
cured and bought and all preparations
are being made for the hurried com.
pletion of these three roads. The Den
YER & Rio Grande has at least thou
sand men and teams at work now.
grading its line from Durango, Colo
ado, down the Animas River to Aztec.
and F'ruitland, and on
,outh or southwestward. The other
wo roads are completing surveys, pro-
curing rights of way, locating and pro-
,uring coal lands, and pushing on to
he coal fields. These railroads are
Ill to be standard gauge, with grades
or heavy coal traffic.
Unsurpassed Farming Country.
These immense coal fields are
nearest to Arizona, old Mexico and
southern California. In addition to
he beds of coking coal, nature has
supplied the county with more rich,
natural resources than any other To-
,ality In the west It's great valleys
and fertile mesa uplands and divides.
along the Animas, La Plata and San
Juan Rivers, with an everlasting sup
oly Of water for irrigation, and with
'oil that Is the most productive Of any
n the west, makes this favored sec
ion the finest spot for fruit and ag-
iculture to be found; and for grains,
grasses. vegetables, alfalfa, live stock
md dairy products, bees and honey,
San Juan County is unsurpassed.
'The climate is of the finest and
and most healthful in the United
States. There are from 100 900 to $780,
200 acres of fine, vacant government
and that can be very easily and
cheaply irrigated and reclaimed, and
here Is an abundant water supply to
rrigate with. The U. s. Reclamation
Service Is now making surveys and
.aking steps to build storage reser.
voirs, with system OF canals, to irri-
gate 100000 acres In the mediate vi.
Unity of the coal fields there.
The Clouds Are Rolling Away.
"The Denver & Rio Grande trains
will be running into Aztec by July
Ind into Pennington by September
All these new developments are bring
ng the county to the front. Although
he lack Of railroad facilities and the
lifilculty Of getting capital interested
las kept this section undeveloped. af.
er clouds comes the sunshine, and n
-..- fHAAAlAaaAA An Dana LlNn. ~ A-..1 -Ias.aA A