The chronicle=news., 1912-11-09
"REMINISCENCES OF FRONTIER DAYS

WHO brought the first traction en-
gine to Colorado: Simple question
but who can answer II! We can
guess and are safely sure in giving
the credit to the late George II.
Adams OF Crestone. Sagauche county.
Tn. tractor aa early as 1873 was an
unknown factor In our agricultural
and transportivc economics and the
idea OF investing several thousand
dollars In such Il bug was enough 10
brand the buyer M an IDIOT George
Adams however was good sport and
was always itching TO take risk.
The neighbors In the San Luis vail
cy knew he las off on the prOpoxi-
tion hut s'iii he took chances and
on March 3th the Krea, bulk OF
tractor was unloaded at Aiamosa
which was at that time the extreme
terminal OF the Denver and Rio
lGrunde narrow gauge.
George Adams and Frank Bertschy
went down TO receive the inoEul
much ~ King Solomon welcomed the
Queen OF Sheba and 4, was great
Iday in Alamosa when the ponderous
trankenstein was finally unlo0ded
and hiiched up aud started on its In.
glorious trip across the burning Cos
tiila sands to the home ranch up at
ICres,one 10 the foothills Of the San.
gro de Cristo range. ws all yelled
when George mounted the captsini
box and pulled the lever. II moved
off With steady stride Ike drum
mujor on parade and pulled along
behind u heavy dray loaded with all
Kinds Of ranch supplies. For four
hours the rig worked - charmingly
that II had covered twenty.lour
miles or half the distance to tho
ranch. The manufacturing company
nm engineer named Peterson TO see
that the big thing behaved itself and
his troubles began when the water
ran low In the tank.
Stiil they had power enough To de-
tnch the load and sadie up TO the San
Luis lakes for drink. They put out
the siphon and filled the tank but
In the meantime the heavy machine
had settled 30 deeply into the soft
earth that It could no, move und
there they were marooncd In the des-
crt. Finally they had to send up to
the ranch OF Vigil TruJillo at the
foot OF the Mosca pass for twelve
yoke OF oxen TO pull them out Of the
hole. The alkali water bubbled In the
vega at Clark's place on San Luis
creek five miles further on. they
mircd down worse than an old COW
in n bog. The coal ran out time and
again but after much trouble and u
good deal OF cussink they finally got
out and reached Cre2tone after hav-
ling been on the road six weeks In
4 covering fifiy miles.
The fifteen thousand dollar prize
machine. for which the state OF Wis
consin paid the bonus for its accom-
plishmcnt. proved nm utter disap-
pointmcnt In ranch work and the fol-
lowing spring Adams sold II to Tur-
ner. the sawmiil man. who used 4;
In frciRhting hay to L-cadvillc over
Poncha and Weston passes. The big
| land crab performed this job all right
Hay In Ieadvilie at that particular
time brought $40 u ton and the top
sawyer made all kinds OF money In
tho whiskcry traffic Finally after
the railroad had reached the carbon
al. camp and there was no more hay
treishting from the San Luis. Tur-
her loaded up his sawmill on Crcs-
tone creek and pulled out for Mis-
souri. Th. outfit went through u
thousand miles over mountain and
plain and delivered the goods. That
was the last Of tho first tractor In
Colorado 70 FAR a. this deponeut
knoweth not to the contrsry.-Ffcld
and Farm.