La Junta tribune., 1911-09-23
Old and New Santa Fe
Trails Divide at La Junta
BY Waiter Williams
By Waiter William,

we're uupalatable and uneaten There
we're no canned goods In those days.
Our kitchen and table ware consisted
Of a frying pan. oven, coffee pot.
and tin plates and cups We we're
armed. each one OF US our load ~as
about seven pounds of bacon to each
wagon. The cattle had only the grass
on the way to live upon. 30 II was
very important that each camp should
be- at a place where there was plenty
of grass and water Such places we're
known to or asceriained by the wagon
mast r or his assistant La Juuta Vas
the last camping place before turning
southNestward Al every camp th'
train was formed into a corrai-'hnt
Is the wagons were driven up close
together so as to form a circle,inolud'
Ing about one acre. Sith tw"nly-
foot opening In front aud behind. In
this euclosur. 49, cooked. ate, slept
and yokrd the cattle Our drives, 10
avoid the heat Of the day, we're early
In the morning and late in the Al
ternoon and we're about eight miles
each or sixteen miles daily During
the middle Of the day aud at night
the stock grazed under the watch OF
two men We had six messcs oi about
eight men each, who selected from
their men one a. cook exempted
from watch duty / Was one Of IN"
mess OF the wagon master and his
assistant There was plenty of game
aud a. often a. We cared 10 Ne iiued
on Jack rabbit, antelope, elk and but
falo. that herded on our way in thou
sands On account Of the purity OF
tho air fresh meat did not spoil and
We kept il as long as desired Graves
wor. frequent on the route aud their
suggest ions wur. not pleasant 20
boy away from home under such wild
conditions Tradition usually con,
nr,tcd the occupants Of the graves
with tra sodi,s Coyote, we're rvputed
to drspon The graves and their Erue-
some cries nightly mad, me believe
that 10 vas true brush. cactus.
buffalo grass. ohamelrors prairie liz
ards. horned frogs and prairie duE
Villages belonged 90 CO, country and
they wrrr all new and interesting 10
M" There was monthly mail route
on the trail Ia 1868. but I do not
RENE mbeT 10 have seen more than
one or Two stages or stage stations
The new Santa Fy trail includes
Rocky Ford the town made famous
by its cantaioupcs Fowler. iu the
same melon district Pueblo. one OF
the great cities OF the aost. and
Canon City. with its marvellous sky
line drive. built hiEh up u,.r the
Royal Gorge by convict labor GcJrg,
J. Lark,y showed The tgail party the
Rocky Ford district where On, sflr-
les OF tremendously lars. melon out
put are Justified by tho existence
Of th. melons themselves Each year
al the Arkansas Valley Fair az Rocky
Ford there is Watermelon Day when
from 5,uun TO 10000 eat,rm,l,us arc
given away free 10 an oomrrs West
OF Rocky Ford u Fowler the city OF
pure water on the nyv ira. tho
drinking water obtained from springs
two miles distant a f,s summers
ago J l.. Woodbridge. bank pr.si,
dent from Marshall Mo. vent 10
Fowler for a three weeks vacation.
where he Vas told by physicians that
he Was In the CLUTCHES OF mbcrCu,
lusis and al grave stagc Ne
was Warned agalnst returning 10
home and business until The tone OF
his health improved The collapse
came and Tor a time d" was unable
20 walk the streets Recognizing the
inevitable he made his home at
Fowler permanently Nov he is de-.
monstrating the value OF the poultry
industry Ia the Arkansas Nalloy,
The cruz OF N. poultry Industry
In the west, he said on bis farm
near Fowler. lis nov aud always will
be- a production of the largest number
OF chalk white eggs at the minimum
expense. After living for years on
the old trail In Missouri. travelling
over 1t through Kansas and into Col.
orado. am nov making my hom. In
Eastern Colorado. For nls months I
fought for lifr Health slowly return.
81 and | went to work at real farm.
Ing. Crops wefo short the firs, year
and only one ,hinR on IN. farm pros.
pcrcd. a flock Of chickens Ny life
must be spent out.of.doors. so | wen,
TO chicken growing. ! studied from