The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-24
TELLS STORY OF
FAMED RANCH
Mrs. Helen T. Stewart Relates
Some History of Las
Vegas Ranch.
SCENE OF MUCH ROMANCE
THIS OASIS IN DESERT CoNsPIc-
UoUs IN MINING OF WEST.

+. r. Stewart and his wife, Mrs.
Helen T. Stewart Of Las Vevas. New,
are at the Kenyon. Mrs. Stewart
owned she 1,s4O-acre ranch purchased
by Senator ". A Clark Of Montana
three years ago. Last evening she told
much Of the romantic history Of this
spot. This ranch IS one-half mile east
of the town Of Las Vegas proper and
played an important part in the selec-
ton Of the town site Senator Clark
paid S55,OO0 for the property.
Stewards ranch as it was known in
Nevada and throughout the west for
many years, is the center around which
much Of the states history revOlves.
Bloody feuds were fought near its i'm
neense springs, duels TO death brought
these Eeuds to a close under its huge
cottonwood trees. The Aztecs hundreds
OF years ago lived in this beautiful
spot in the vast stretch of sage-brush
and sand The Cliff-dweIlers carved
homes in the rocks here. The first Cath
Ole priest explorers jOurneyed through
this little valley. The early Spanish
Tovers found copper and silver and lead
Crude mills were buill by the
swarthy-skinned traH-bIazers and Ne
Vada's mining commenced. Later and
IN the late sos a band OF Mormon
pioneers reached Las Vegas, built a
rough fort, few rough huts and then
returned to Salt Lake in obedience to
a call from Brigham Young.
Las Vegas was deserted for a short
time but this oasis attracted the rest
Hr#H
bubbling out Of the ground in unmeas-
urable quantity. Here were trees and
grass and grain, green and making the
spot a heaven in the center of hell. over
there and back yOnder were hills with
ore cropping out in lodges visible 10 the
naked eye at a distance. Here was the
one and only spot where the traveller.
working dangerous and tedious way
10 the western coast might rest. and
II he cared TO go no further, acquire
wealth.
Mrs. Stewart There Many Years.
Mrs, Stewards connection with Las
Vegas dates away back to the early
sos Her first husband, deceased.
purchased an immense tract of land in
this fertile spot in 1879. About three
years later he took possession of the
property From the start Mrs. Stewart
proved herself an apt student in west
ern ways and western wide-awalzive-
ness She tramped the hills and learned
Where1 ores could be found. She learned
how TO guide the waters OF the big
spring located on the ranch, TO derive
the greatest benefit with the least loss.
From mineralogy. mining and irrigation
she advanced through courses in farm
ing, live stock breeding and the one
hundred things the settler in new
country learns at the cost of hours of
hard work and careful thought When
A1T- and Mrs Stewart arrived Las We
gas vas not marked on any man. There
was nothiHg an that time TO mark.
There were no houses. no buildings:
Las Vegas vas nothing but the resting
point for travellers pushing their over
land march along the Sante Fe trail.
The" MOrmOns had made prepara-
tons to make Las Vegas their home"
Mrs. Stewart said, in relating some of
the history of the place. They plant
ed trees, mapped out farms and sowed
crops When we reached the place
these trees had grown to immense size.
At the bottom Of a series of mesas.
Las Vegas bloOmed like a garden
There was no railroad through this
PARTON OF Nevada at that time so lit
lie mining was done. The prOspectors
could not cover the country with no
base of supplies in the territory. The
cost and time necessary in hauling ore
were far too great TO justify work be-
ing done on the richest claims. As Las
Vegas grew, mining was conducted in
Its neighbOrhOOd. Many of the miners
came into the town to rest or secure
new outfits. Farms were taken I'D
gradually and cultivated. The soil of
Las Vegas il the most fertile in the
United States and ] do not say that
without knowing anything about other
states. Vegetation Of every sort grows
rapidly. AS an illustration Of this I
might explain that vines planted one
spring were thick arbors in the second
summer Kentucky blue grass grows
there wild.
Fine Fruits Grown.
The big spring on the old ranch is
As large as the tops OF two large tables
The water sushes from the ground with
a rumble which can be heard for some
distance The ranch was irrigated
by troughs leading TO different parts
of the property Fruits? The finest
fruits in the world grow on the farms
on the Las Vegas mesas. Olives can
De raised there with little attention
Apples, apricots, peaches and figs are
easily raised also. Several years ago
made q. wager with a California fruit
raiser who visited Las Vegas that we
could raise better apples than ne could
He accepted the wager. We agreed 10
send each other a box Of our finest
apples. I sent him fifty pounds of Mix
apples. He sent me a box Of gre.
large red apples in return. ! cooked
the California fruit in every dish known
and then wrote 10 my friend that I was
more certain than ever that Nevada
apples were the best on earth. He
wrote me a letter i'm which he adrofffad