Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-03-11
DURANGO. THE
SHELTER CIT,

DURANGO has been q municipality
twenty-six yaars and Is the Queen OF
Southwestern Colorado. 1t is so sit
usAsd that no town OF any size can be
built which will interfere with Its COM
merce. Surrounded by magnificent
monntains. 1t presents the rarest OF
scenery.
DURANGO the county seat Of La
Plata county. the commercial. manu-
facturing and educational center of n
vast terf.tosy n situated In the beau
ufui valley Of the Rio de Las Animas.
surrounded by lofty and picturesque
mountains with rugged outline and
snow-capped peaks forming a per
spective Of unsurpassed loveliness.
No section of this great West has
20 many natural resources. Numerous
mountain streams AFFORD an abundance
Of water for irrigation. Fishing and
hunting ID better here than In almost
any other part of the State.
Ths climatic conditions are scien-
tiHcaiiy proper; altitude. $500 feet;
air. dry and bracing. rich in ozone
and life giving properties. Here ma
laria, bronchial and pulmonary trou-
BILE are unknown. The fertile valleys
and mesas produce crops OF fruit,
grains aad grasses In great variety.
The diatrtot received twenty-three
gold and silver medals from st. Louis
and Portland Worlds Fairs for the
production Of wheat. rye. oats. barley.
sugar beets, alfalfa, flaxseed and coal.
Our fruits are shipped to New York,
New Orleans and Los Angeles and
bringy q higher price than any other.
There were shipped through the Du-
range freight Office in 1906. $50 car
loads oe apples coming from the Ami
mas Valley. Florida Mesa and the
Tar1inston district.
The mountains yield vast quantities
OF gold, silver, lead and other precious
metals and the country Ii underlaid
with inexhaustible deposits of coal.
equal to the celebrated products OF
Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The foothills are covered with
spruce and pine while the lower alti-
tuds sbounds in pinion and cedar. In
1905 We shipped 100000 feet Of lum-
Der; 1,s0e. 900 pounds of wool. hides
and pelts and 10000 tons of coal.
Farming lands are cheap and water is
abundant ui
The Denver q Rio Grande main line.
the Rio 0rande Southern. the Denver
Z Rio Grande to silverton and the
broad gauge to Pennington gives this
district railroads running direct North,
South, East and West The A. & G.
R. r., (6outhern Pacihc) is about
building; this will give US a trans
continental line with direct communi-
cations with the Gulf on the South
and Los Angeles In the West.
Stock raising 10 among the most
important Of our industries. Horses,
cattae. sheep and swine thrive on the
luxuriant mountain grasses and reach
carry maturity. Dairy products find
. ready sale at lucrative prices. Poul-
try raising IL very profitable. Hor-
ticulture returns handsome profits
while agriculture is certain and re-
Liable. The country is free from de-
structive storms and has no annoying
insect pests
Durango Is an educational center
for radius OF $50 miles. The schools
here are equal to any in the West.
Durango 10 city Of 5000 population,
growing ~ only Western town can
grow. Its commercial business for
1905 exceeded s7,300.OOO. We have
here the second largest smelter In the
West; the second largest individual
electric power plant In the world; n
rubber factory making rubber from a
weed which grows wild on the hills;
noar mills. foundries. machine shops,
ma1nincent street railway system,
coal mines. metropolitan stores. beau
tiful homes, magnificent parks and
boulcvards.
With two trans-continental lines of
railroad. building to and from Du-
rangs. . beet factory for 1907. new
md vast coal lands being developed,
he development Of our precious met
Ii. he future of this city and sec
lon b not problematic.
TAo resources of this section are
rem worth investigating. while the
Ta11sss Of its scenery causes the
Duf11 - stand with uncovered head,
IeVi1e with awe. the magnificent
orln - THE Great Am" in the es-
,bliG1msnt Of this, the most beautiful
ID pso1sctive part of the most beau
fui ~ productive state In the
niea
"A PLATA COUNTY.