Semi-weekly herald., 1913-12-15


success by abusing his competitor.
and spending time foolishly thai
should be given to business. In tn,
words of the Herald, let us all sa,
Glorious San Juan"
4 report is going the rounds thai
San Juan county commissioners will
not appropriate money for continuing
work ON the state highway from Sill.
verton to the La Plata county lire, al.
leging that La Plata made no move
IN the direction of the San Juan county
line the past season. In this our Sill.
verton-San Juan county friends are
not well advised. In the first place
only $4,000 was awarded La Plata
county for work on the road between
Durango and the dividing line, the
remainder Of state funds being desig.
mated and used for work on the road
from the Archuleta county line to Bay.
field and the west to Montezuma
county. County Surveyor Roy Good
man spent some time surveying and
locating the proposed line of the new
road connecting with the Silverton
end and La Plata county will start
work early in the spring on this road
and will more than equal the San
Juan county road building this year
by the time our neighbor can renew
her work on the state highway. 1t
has been quite job to locate the
road north in order to avoid the pres
ent grades starting at Bakers Bridge
which are especially heavy just be-
fore reaching lockwood. Two or three
routes are Hnder consideration. One
leaves the present road crossing Ray
mondale ranch and following close to
the railroad, passing west of Pine
hurst ranch and west of the Pinker-
ton Ranger station, crossing the
Pinkerton Springs grounds over the
hill and continuing on easy grades to
the west of lockwood Another sur
vey leaves the present road cutting
across the east end of Pinehurst ranch
and traversing about the middle Of the
Smallwood ranches, now owned by the
| Durango Trust Co., and the Frank
Eldredge Investment Co., then through
the Pinkerton Springs grounds to a
point on the hill west of Bakers
Bridge. There is much opposition to
this route owing to the way it cuts
up the ranches named. Another route
leaves the present road short dis
tance above Bakers Bridge. In order
to avoid delay in condemnation pro-
ceedings we suggest that at the Jan
uary meeting the commissioners call
together the owners of all lands
through which the new road will pass
and see if a satisfactory arrangement
cannot be made We understand that
Mr.. Ayres of the Durango Trust Co.
and Mr.. Emerson of the Pinkerton
Springs ranch, are willing to give the
county free right Of way if the road
passes to the west of the irrigating
bitches, but object to having their
holdings cut up by the second prop
osition. This is a matter that should
receive early consideration. What is
desired is practical line that can be
constructed at not too great expense
and at the same time preserve the
rights of the ranchers. In this item
we have somewhat digressed from the
original intention-that of calling the
attention of our Silverton friends that
La Plata county is going to push
work on the Durango -Silverton con-
nection in the early spring months,
trusting that with an additional state
appropriation the work can be finished
early in the summer. Durango is very
anxious to have this connection
more so probably than Silverton. We
want to advertise the fact that auto
lists leaving Denver, Colorado Springs.
or Pueblo on tour of the state can
make the San Juan Circle. We are
assured by La Plata county officials
and Mr. Chas. E. Herr, one of the
state highway advisory commission
ers, that La Plata county will be at
the county line with her road by the
time, if not before, San Juan county
is able to make the connection, there
fore, it should be the aim Of the San
Juan county commissioners to exert
every effort to have the road in shape
for travel as early as possible the
coming summer.
AS the Herald has said before,
Durango autoists, now numbering
around 100 in addition to the livery
autos are very desirous for new roads
to be opened up. La Plata county
has been Travelled and retraveled from
one end to the other With the road
in shape for autos between Durango
and Silverton the latter town would
have at least 100 automobile parties
from Durango during the summer
months. The trip would be made by
every auto owner once, and by some