The Glenwood post., 1907-01-26
LEGISLATIVE NEWS and GOSSIP
Grand River Of "coIorado."

nIvCI- VI SOIOFdQO.
Persons interested in the effort of
Senator Edward T. Taylor to change
the name of the Grand river in this
state to the Colorado, by which name
it is known in Utah, will be interested
in the letter which he has written the
officers of the chamber of commerce at
Grand Junction.
There has been considerable objec-
tion to the change on the part of
Grand Junction people, that city be-
ing located on the Grand river. The
following is part of the explanatory let
ter of Senator Taylor:
"As every one knows, the Colorado
river is formed by the junction of the
| Grand and Green rivers. about 1OO
| miles beyond our western border, and
| runs thence to the Gulf of California;
and is in many respects the most PIC
turesque and sublime river on this con-
tinent l do not know how or when
the Grand or Green rivers got their
names But they are of comparatively
very recent origin; and why neither OF
them were given the name of the main
stream / never could learn. But it was
doubtless through a lack of geographl-
cal knowledge. have read that in the
old maps the Grand was called the Col
orado, but 1 have never verified that
statement.
1.-THE Colorado river was discovered
by some Spanish explorers in l54o.
| The word Colorado, as our school
books say, was a Spanish word mean
| ing 'ruddy' or blood red The river
soon thereafter took the name of the
Rio Colorado, signifying the red water
river from the reddish appearance OF
its waters, below the red sandstone
hills and iron stained bluffs through
which it runs the greater part OF over
| 1900 miles. The river was known as
the real Colorado of the West Tor
nearly three centuries.
"The act of Congress passed Febru-
ary 2, 1861, creating the territory OF
Colorado. took the name from the
river. Like the Missouri and the Mis-
sissippi rivers, the Green river fork
is twice as long as the Grand, yet the
grand flows more water, is in reality
the main stream of the Colorado river
1t is the largest and noblest river in
| the state. and it has right to and
| should bear the name of Colorado from
its source on the Continental divide
to the Pacific ocean, over l,6OO miles
81 feel that as matter of state
pride we should make this change
| The river should come from the state
that bears it's name.
Besides, we have a Grande river
the Rio Grande-in the southern part
of the state; and Grand county anc
a Grand lake and a Grand canon, and
| grand mountains and grand scenery
and even Grand valley; and everything
in Colorado is grand, until the WORN
grand has no special significance Oh
meaning whatever. While the word
Colorado stands for everything to its
citizens and means world of posi-
biities to all the inhabitants of the
earth, and will have far greater lus
| ter in the years to come.
81 am fully mindful of the fact that
your prosperous and rapidly growing
city, of which all Colorado is proud
has spent many years and thousands
of dollars in Advertising Grand juno
ton and the Grand river valley, and
you are known all over this country.
But all legal rights are protected in
this bill, and / cannot see where one
dollar of that investment can be lost
On the contrary, the name OF Colorado
| is a household word throughout the
civilized world, and l confidently be
lieve that we people in the Grand river
valley can with ten per cent of the
advertising make the Colorado valley
a hundred times better known and
more desirable for homes and invest
ments than We ever can the Grand
valley by all the advertising we can
do during the next fifty years Be
cause every intelligent person knows
how easy it is to advertise by a well
known and popular word.
THE Colorado valley, traversed by
this magnificent state stream from
Glenwood to the state line, would in
a few years with it's power, manufac,
| turing, fruit and many other POSSIBLE
| tiles, become famous all over the globe
as the richest, most beautiful and
densely populated valley in the Rocky
Mountain region believe the entire
Grand river watershed would be won
derfully benefited financially by the
change; while l am confident the en-
tire state will heartily approve the
measure as a matter of state pride
and sentiment if the subject is prop
erly placed before the people by the
press of this state.
81 have, without consultation with
anyone, introduced this bill on my own
| responsibility TO call tne attentlon OF
the public to, and to obtain an express
sion of opinion on this subject. II
Mesa, Garfield and Eagle counties
disapprove of the measure, l shall
promptly drop the matter. If they ap
prove of the change, l shall vigorously
endeavor to pass the bill; and will
then memorialize the Legislature OF
Utah to likewise change the name OF
| that mart of the river in that state.
and am confident Utah will promptly
and gladly do so as an act of courtesy
to Colorado.
1.-THE stream not being navigable,
assume that an act Of Congress is not
necessary to effectuate the change
But II 1t IS, will also take up the mat.
ter with our congressman"
Senator De La Vergne offered an i'm
portant memorial TO the Congress OF