Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-03-11

irst gold mine located in the country,
N 1879. BY Ferdinand Brandt and p.
!. Pstsrson. It's riches attracted wide
attention and hurried the exploration
which had begun At Bakers park Or
siivsston and other sections The nrst
at Del Norte. were r. @.
groceries; H. schifrer & Co..
E,nsral merchandise: Adams 4 Posey.
Newman & Chestnut,
drass; Knuts Benson. hotel. The frst
bank was established in 1875 by Dan
iels, Brown 4 Co. Of Denver and was
known - the Bank of San Juan, with
John L. McNsil as cashier. Barlow 4
ea.asrsou's stages running from Pu-
sbio To all available points In the south
west made Del Norte headquarters.
whsss from as to 100 horses (matched
tsams) were stabbed and used out over
lines to The north. south. east and
west.
Dol Norte Loses Prestige.
When In 1881 the Denver 4 Rio
Grande railway was built Into Duran
20. Del Norts lost Its place as gate
wsy and Its population rapidly dwin-
died. Ex-Gevernor A. c. Hunt who
promoted Ne building OF the railway
Into the San Juan, failed to secure
sueh concessions from Del Norte as
he desired. and this decided him to
leave his chosen route and build sew
enty-fivs miles further south, leaving
the Rio Grande and Wiminuche pass
for future railway construction. De
Norts had performed an important Of
nee is facilitating the settlement anc
Development OF the country for near
ly decade. and many of Its earl,
settlers won the highest offices in tht
gifts Of the state. the late Thomas
N. Bowen having risen from bein,
penniless there In 1875 to the Unitet
States senate In 1884.
Creation Of La Plata.
La Plata county was created In th'
territorial legislature Of 1874. unde
an act which at the same time create,
the counties Of Rio Grande and Hins
dale. all being taken from the westerl
part Of Conejos county. La Plata tool
Its name from the great group of lac
colithic mountains of that name. Th
Arst county seat WAS Parrot City
then all Of silverton's records ha'
to come to that place. Later Sal
Juan county was cut of from La Plata
and later. Dolores and Montezum
counties. The area OF La Plata count
10 1850 square miles. 1t IL bounds
on the south by the north line O
New Mexico. on the east by Hinsdal
and Archuleta; on the north by Sal
Juan and on the west by Montezuma
The firat officers of La Plata were
Clerk, John l.. Ufford; county judge
Samuel "a Jones; treasurer. B. F. Lo,
ett: aheriff, Joseph w. Wallace, late
state ssnstor In 1895; commissioner
Dempsey Reese. Richard Carley an
Alex F4emming. A judicial distris
including eleven counties, was create
in 1876 and Thomas M. Bowen wa
appointed Judge; John l. Ufford wa
district clerk for La Plata county. M
Bowen continued to hold court for tn
district till 1880 when he was succeed
ID BY the election of Judge Burris.
First Mountain Pioneers.
The hrst history Of effort to begi
industry in La Plata is found in tn
advent Of the Baker party which lei
California gulch. at Leadville. in 1861
arriving At the head of the Anima
valley that fall, where they spent tn
winter. building number OF 10
housss on the east side Of the river
near 70 the narrow granite walle
channsl of the stream. which will a
ways b. known Is the point at whicl
Bakers bridge was built. ANON
those Of Bakers party whose name
are recalled are ]. G. Turner. Chal
Idle. D. H. Haywood. Oscar Phelps
Ars. Nye and daughter and Thoma
Pollock and wife, the latter being
daughter of Colonel John Chivington
associated with Kit Carson in cor
ansring hostile Indians. They cam
Wis Pueblo and over La veta pass o
the 6angre de Cristo range. to For
Garland and on west. bearing soutl
across the Conejos range Of noun
tains. In the spring Of 1861 the part,
moved on to Cascade Springs. twenty
eight miles north of Durango. wher,
the women and children were lef
with the wagons and stock while tn,
men. the creator number. went on t,
what 10 known as Baker's park (Sil
vertpn). They were in search o
plscsr gold. realizing that In thos,
days they could do nothing to reclaim
tho valnaa Of nraa onneariuU in mn