The La Jara chronicle., 1910-12-23
SITE VERIFIED BY
GENERAL THOMAS.


NJ. Pike built on the banks of the
Conejos river in the year 1907
was accurately and officially locat-
ed by Brig. Gen Earl d. Thomas,
Commander in General of the De-
partment of Colorado, U. S. Reg
ulars, and it is now up to the San
Juan Pioneers, the Sons of Colo
RADIO and the people of Conejos
county to see that the old fort is
rebuilt and a fitting monument
erected as a memorial to this cour-
ageous pioneer among western ex-
plorers. -... t....... s-
The widespread interest now
manifested in this matter is ex
tremely gratifying to the editor
of this paper as we, upon the sug-
gestion of Judge Chas ID. Hayt,
started the ball rolling, last Feb
ruary, by publishing a series of
articles in The La Jara Chronicle,
descriptive of lieutenant Pike s
expedition through the valley and
advocating the rebuilding of the
fort and the erection of memorial
monument. But to Hon. Luther
A. Norland is due the present
success of the project, as he has
given it much time and attention
and has succeeded in interesting
the San Juan Pioneers, the Sons
of Colorado, and lastly, General
Thomas, whose official location of
the site of the fort assures its
re-establishment and the erection
of the monument as originally
planned.
General Thomas has seen much
service in the army He served
in the army of the Potomac dur
ing the civil war, after which he
passed through West Point and
was appointed to the Fifth caval-
ry until his promotion to lieuten
ant colonel of the Thirteenth cav
airy, and he then went to the
Eleventh cavalry as colonel. BE
served in early days and made
the earliest maps of the Depart
ment of Arizona, fighting Indians
between times.
n, General Thomas served in Cuba
in 1899 as major inspector gene
raj of the First, Second and Fourth
army corps and associate justice
of the provisional court in Porto
Rico.
From there he went to the Phil
ippines in command of the Thir-
teenth cavalry, and afterward as
colonel OF the Eleventh cavalry.
lie returned to the United States
in 1904, and was sent to Cuba
during the second intervention in
1907, being promoted to brigadier
general while there.
Accompanying General Thomas
from Denver were his aide, Lieu
tenant j. C. Waterman, Judge
Chas. d. llayt, Lord Ogilvy, Joha
f. Field and Max Van Hall, they
being joined at Alamosa and l.;
lara by Mayor Swanson, Roy S.
Shahan, Chas. d. Hayt, Jr., Luther
y Norland, b. l.. Van Vcchten,
ID. Il. Newcomb and C.. III. Wilder.
The party chartered automobile
and drove down to the site of
the old fort, returning to Sunny.
side" the beautiful La Jara ho.
of, Mr.. Noriand,- for dinner. -
Lord OgilVy, special writer for
The Denver Post, in speaking OF
this feature of the trip, says
''Luther A. Norland, county
commissioner, and a man who has
been conversant as n surveyor with
the valley for years, entertained
the company at his beautiful home,
where he has a wonderful artes
ian well and trout pond, and
also the most perfect collection OF
Indian arrow and ak heads, one
of which though found in Colorado
is made of stone that must
have come from Alaska, known
rs actinolite, which is extremely
hard and of beautiful appearance. .
The exact location of the stock
ade is on the middle of the west
line of the n. w. "a of the n. e. Il
Of section 7, township 35 north.
range IL west.
The legislature will be asked