The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1907-11-22
JULEsBURG's HISTORY OF TO-DAY
Interesting Details that Will Make
Our County Rich and Famous.


has more checkered or exciting
history of the frontier days than the
town of Julesburg. 1t derives its
name from the fact that Frenchman
named Jules Reni was tied to il post
and shot to pieces by the desperado
Slade.
1t was during the days of Red Cloud
Sitting Bull, Roman Nose, Man.
Afraid -of-His Horse, Standing Elk
and Spotted Tail that Major n. J.
O'Brieu. now of the United States
Land Service, laid out old Fort Scdg-
wick and the government Reservation.
and many were the engagements that
he and his soldiers had with these
noted chiefs and their dusky warriors.
Old Julesburg, the first was
located about one mile east of the fort.
on the south bank of the river at the
old Ford crossing. This Julesburg was
sacked and burned by the Indians
February =, 1865. In July folloTing
the great Sioux War broke out, and
from that time on till peace was de-
clared there was more Indian fighting
in the vicinity of Julesburg than any
other station along the Platte Valley.
During these times, Major O'Brien
says, the buffalo were more plentiful
on the plains around Julesburg than
the vast herds of native cattle were in
later years.
Here, at Julesburg, the Mormons
crossed the Platte on their journey to
Utah. 1t was little south of Jules
burg that the great feast with the
Sioux and Cheyenne Indians occurred
A second Julesburg was built four
miles east OF the fort. This was
moved to the north side OF the river,
where the little town of Weir now
stands, and at one time was the
terminus of the Union Pacific railroad, :,
and contained 1000 people. Here the
desperate element held sway until the
better class of citizens organized them
selves into vigilance committee and,
by their just but necessarily severe
verdicts and punishments, rid the
town of these lawless irontiersmen
and established peaceful govern
ment.
Those were rough, wild, exciting
days when the early history of Jules
burg was made, and no one would
recognize in the quiet, law abiding,
spirited JuleSburg of to-day, which,
by the way, is the fourth Julesburg
the desperate little frontier post of
years ago.
Julesburg of to day, the county seat
OF Sedgwick -ouniy, is pleasantly
situated on the north bank of the
South Platte River, at the junction of
the main line and the Coloradodivi
Of the Union Pacific railroad. Nature
has provided the town with many ad
vantages-a superb climate, pure
water mot alkal), an abundance of
sunshine. plenty of irrigation water,
and surrounded it with as fertile and
productive a valley as can anywhere
be found.
Julesburg is peopled with an ener-
getic, thrifty, hOspitable class of
citizens. who believe in good churches
and good schools. The Methodist and
Congregational societies each supports
handsome church buildings and
organizations. The schools Of Jules
burg are Of the best. There is
maintained in the town County
High School, whose graduates are ad-
mtted into the State colleges without
examination.
The town supports four hotels, two
restaurants, six grocery stores, six
dry goods aud general merchandise,
two hareware, two implement firms,
one grain elevator, three lumber and
coal yards, two drug stores, two
harness shops, two jewelry stores, two
meat markets. two furniture stores,
two livery barns, one weekly paper
and no saloons. The town now owns
fine new water supply system and an
electric lighting plant equipped with
county has new court house, is cut
of debt, and, with the development of
the farms in the district, Ju!esburg
has q future that may we'll be the envy
of many a Western town.
The Julesburg irrigation district
contains 27,S00 acres of as fine land us
can be found in any irrigated country.
1t was organized in July, 1904, and on
September IL, 1904, a S45O,OO0.0 90
twenty-year 6 per cent. bond was
voted to be used in constructing the
Julesburg reservoir, its inleG and out
let bitches and in purchasing the Pc
tersou and Settlers bitches.
The reservoir is located at the eX-
treme west end of the district. 1t
holds one and one-quarter billion
cubic feet of water, or %, 400 acre feet.
1t is forty seven feet at lists greatest
depth and its circumference is about
SIX aud one-half miles. Its embank-
ments. or fills, are built on a slope of
four to one on the inside and Two to
one on the outside, with crown of
twenty feet, eight feet above high
water mark. The inside faces of these
fills are riprapped with curtain pre-
scribed stone in the most substantial
manner, under the advice of the State
Engineer. 1t has a bed or fundation
of clay, impervious to scepage.
i he State Fish Commissioner is
willing to stock the reservoir with
spawn Of the very best varieties of
fish. The reservoir is easily access
ible by good wagon road. and will be-
come Il popular resort for fishing and
hunting.
The inlet ditch for feeding the
reservoir is some nineteen miles IN
length, twenty five feet wide at the
bottom, thirty seven feet at tie top
and six feet in depth. 1t has a
capacity sufficient to till the reservoir
in thirty days. The dam in the river
and the head-gate to this ditch are