The Ordway new era., 1914-01-09
A Letter That Had
Satisfactory Effect
An Illustration of the Possible
Influence of Letters Sent
To Eastern Friends

yer, one of our popular and scientific
farmers living two miles west of Ord
way, for many years, and is said by
him to be the means of bringing him
and his estimable family to this coun-
ty. If such is the case their many
friends are indeed glad that the letter
was written.
The writer is brother-in-law of
w. L. Hartman of Pueblo and is
known to many of the older residents
of the county. He built the house
now occupied by David Bontrager in
the Numa neighborhood.
The value of such letters written
to friends in the east cannot be esti-
mated and we hope the publishing of
this old letter. written at time when
opportunities here were not as good
as they are at the present time, will
inspire our readers to write similar
ones to friends in the eastern states
telling them of the many advantages
of living in Crowley county.
Ordway, Colo, Feb. 6, 1899.
Editor Freeman: As l agreed to
write few lines for The Freeman
will do so now. We arrived at Ord
way few days ago. Have been hav-
ing pretty cold weather here for
few days for this country. but does
not seem bad to me. Old settlers
that have been in this country for
twenty years say they never saw any
thing like it Ordway has popula-
ton of about $50; is located forty
miles east of Pueblo on the Missouri
Pacific railroad and is a thriving little
town. The mountains. some seventy
i've miles away, can be plainly seen
on a clear day The Twin Lakes
Land 4 WaterSCo.4has for sale aliese
about 10000 acres of land which thev
have irrigated at an immense cost.
The ditch or canal that waters this
land is fifty miles long and takes its
water from the Arkansas river, and
cost the sum of 100000. Then the
company discovered the fact that in a
dry time the river would not furnish
water enough to water all their land:
so they purchased the Twin Lakes up
on the mountains, and are now con-
verting them into an immense storage
reservoir to furnish water for their
ditch when the river fails. This res
crvoir alone cost $2s0,O00; so that the
company now has one of the best
water rights in the west w. L. Hart
man, an old Hamilton county boy,
now of Pueblo. is vice-president and
manager of this company. The farm
ers here all tell me that no land on
earth will produce better than Colo
rado land when properly watered;
and without water it is worth nothing
except for grazing. I find all kinds
of fruits grown Therapeutics, pears.
in fact anything that will grow any
where in the same latitude. Tens of
thousands of cattle and sheep are be-
ing wintered around Ordway, and
still one can count alfalfa hay stacks
by the hundreds I went out today
to see 1000 head of sheep that are
being fattened on alfalfa hay and a
little grain. They cut alfalfa three or
four times year and get from a
ton and half to two tons to the
acre each cutting. Rocky Ford, the
famous melon country, is only twelve
miles southeast of Ordway. Hun
dreds of carloads of melons are ship
ped from Ordway and Rocky Ford
each year Land at Rocky Ford
sells from $lO0 to $3.50 per acre,
while at Ordway it sells from $50 to
500 per acre, all the difference being
Rocky Ford is an older country. An
Iowa man who never saw this coun-
try would think one could not afford
to pay such prices for land; but a
farm here is worth a fortune. Colo
rado has market equal to the Chi
cago market; your readers will ask
why is this? Nine-tenths of the pop
uiation of the state are engaged in
mining and in towns The per cent
OF land that can be farmed in the
state is small; besides all the water
that can be had in the state for irri-
CATION has been taken; so one can see
prices will always be good. Oats are
now worth thirty-three cents per bush
el; corn fifty cents; potatoes, seventy
FIVE cents; alfalfa hay. three dollars
per ton in the stack. l was out four
miles northeast of Ordway today.
Saw cattle there on the range that