Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-12-18

leo. II enjoys the distinction of be
Ing the best built city of its size In
the West, beins largely constructed
OF brick and stone These materials
are produced at home. Durango is
modern in the extreme. having an up
to-date electric street car system. elec
tric lights, beautiful streets and bouI
eyards and public parks Durango
among Its other business enterprises
has the San Juan branch of the Amer,
lean Smelling q Refining company s
smelter. which Is second of its kind
In the state. II employs several hun.
dred men. A rubber factory manufac.
turing rubber from the rubber weed
which grows in almost unlimited quan-
titles on the hills surrounding the
city: two machine shops two Touring
mills; two brick yarda; hide houses:
| cigar factories; steam carpet cleaning
company; mattress factory, cold stor-
age plant; metropolitan business
houses; magnificent homes and unex-
celled schools and churches. Its three
banks, one national and two state car
ry deposits to the amount of s1.75o.-
600. The commercial business of Du-
range for 1905 will exceed $1,000, 900.
Only few miles from Durango is
located the Rockwod power plant. the
second largest electric power plant in
the world. This concern will furnish
power for the cities and mining dis
tricts for a radius OF 100 miles. To
demonstrate the home market of Du-
range 1t Is only necessary to point to
the many thousand men employed in
the mining districts, the smelter and
the manufactures. who are depend
ent upon the agricultural districts for
5nstonance.
Durango does not depend upon any
one industry but blends smelling.
manufacturing and mining. conl iron
and precious metals. with agriculture,
horticulture and stock raising
Durango, surrounded as 1t is by
mountains and high mesas. escapes
the aggravating winds SO common in
other communities: also all extreme
neat or cold. The invalid ands here
pure, invigorating air. the purest OF
water and scenery which attracts his
mind from his bodily ailments; be-
sides he has the benefit of both hot
and cold medicinal springs.
The lands around Durango have pro
dnced crops which have won gold and
silver medals at the worlds fairs at
st. Louis and Portland for wheat rye,
oats. barley. alfalfa and sugar beets.
The sugar beetB from this district ana
lyze better than II per cent sugar; a
beet sugar factory Is certainty for
1906.
There are thousands of acres of
government lands here for the home
seeker. which with water will pro-
duce record breaking crops. Some OF
the records for 1905 are worthy of
publication: One man secured $4,000
from two acres OF fruit land; another
farm produced 81 bushels of wheat
straight through the 100 acres; still
another raised 100 bushels OF oats to
the acre while neighbor harvested
l12 bushels.
The coal interests OF this district
are among the largest In the United
States. The coal belt extends for 100
miles in length, and 60 miles wide.
There was shipped from this district
l75, 900 tons of coal in 1905.
The stock interests are enormous.
According to the assessors 1t amounts
to nearly 100000, while over 100000
pounds OF wool. pelts and hides are
shipped each year. Professor Car
Isle. OF the Colorado Agricultural col
lege, declares that the district around
Durango is the best adapted for the
raising Of hogs of any In the West.
Exceeding 100000 feet of lumber
is shipped each year. and sawmilis can
be found within few miles in any
direction.
In the great San Juan district the
fruit grower the farmer. the miner,
/ the stock raiser. the manufacturer
will find all and more than can be
found In any other one district in
America. viz, cheap lands and the
most fertile; the purest water and
plenty OF 1t; the hills filled with coal,
iron and precious metals; the most
intelligent OF populations and the most
glorious climate on earth.