The Lamar register., 1906-11-07
THE ARKANSAS VALLEY.
Description of Railways, Factories .
and Industries MS Seen bv East
ord Railway Journal.


ley aud the Holly & Swink Rail
roads by the Atchinson, Topeka &
SantalFe is a matter of more than
usual interest, because the compile
ton of these roads, on which con-
struction already is we'll advanced,
will give the Santa Fe line about
93 miles in length between Holly
and Rocky Ford, Colo, along the
north side of the Arkansas river par
allel to its present main line, which
follows the south bank of the river.
The Holly & Swink was chartered
last January in the interests of the
Holly Beet Sugar company, which
owns sugar factories at Holly and
Swink, to build line between those
points, distance of 93 miles, and
about the same time the Arkansas
Valley was incorporated by the
American Beet Sugar company,
which owns factories at Rocky Ford
and Lamar. The charter of the
latter called for line from Pueblo
east to the Kansas state line but the
road which the company proposed to
build was from Rocky Ford to La
mar, both points on the Santa Fe,
a distance of about 80 miles The
location of these two lines was prac-
ticalIy indentical from point north
of Swink to point north of Lamar,
and as the roads were projected by
rival interests, there were spirited
contests for the right of way.
The Holly & Swink began con-
struction work from both ends ct
the line and the Arkansas Valley
started grading from Rocky Ford
and Lamar Considerable grading
had been done and some track had
been laid ON both roads when the
Santa Fe, whose territory was being
invaded, called halt to the contest
by acquiring both properties, and it
ANNOUNCED that it will complete
III from Holly to Rocky Ford,
ont 90 miles, using the location of
The Holly & Swink from Holly west
70 point north of Lamar, and that
Of the Arkansas Valley from the lat
ter point to Rocky Ford. The line
into Lamar, as well as the line into
Swink, will become branches to con-
meet the new road with the present
line of the Santa Fe, and there also
will be another come ,tion from LIS
Animas north. There will be a
branch from the junction north of
Lamar north to May Malley, about 4
miles, and another branch from Du-
val northwest to Big Bend, ~
miles.
While the primay object of the
Santa Fe in acquiring these proper
ties undoubtedly was to prevent the
invasion of its territory by compet-
ing lines the rapid development of
the rich Arkansas Valley, where the
beet sugar industry may be said to
be in its infancy, presages future
business which will justify the con
strction of north bank-line.
The Arkansas valley is regarded
as one of the richest irrigated dis
tricts in the United States. Aside
from the fruit crops, including
peaches, apples, ETC., and the famous
Rock Ford cantaloupe, the principal
products are beets, slfsla and wheat,
all raised under irrigation. There
are various canals in the valley, the
longest of which is lib miles in
length, through which the water is
run from the Arkansas river to the
large reservoirs IL miles north OF the
river. From these reservoirs the
water is turned into two sholt ca
mails and thence into the Amity ca
nails from which it is distributed
throughout the eastern portion of
the valley.
At the present time there are ap-
proximstely 100000 acres of land
lying under the various bitches of
the valley, of which about 35O,OOo
acres are under cultivation. The
cost of irrigation works up to the
resent time is estimated at S1O,OOO,-
100, and there about 5000 miles of
main canals and bitches which take
the water from the river. AT the
.. present time the natural flow of the
kriver is used q times, the tendency
of the water diverted from the river
for irrigation purposes being to re-