Gunnison news-champion., 1914-09-18
FARM LANDS ARE
OPENED BY ROAD
New Highway TO UndeveIoped
Sections Of County Viii Benefit
Gunnisoa. Crested Butte, Mar
bIe and Somerset.---New Coun-
Try the Nes Best.

'1f GUnnison citizens realized the i'm
nenss agricultural T. rritory which hes
'lmost untouched within two and half
YOURS auto run vi our county seat. yoa
Seald all be Intensely interested in the
-oad building which is going on n the
Anthracite Muddy valleys, declared
Geo. " Reed, city marshal Of scmer-
set, who was here last week
MIR. Reed accompanied tventy-six
Austrian miners, who desired to become
children of Uncle Sam rather than obey
the command of Emperor Francis
Joseph to return and fight the Russians.
He yes talking to the News-Champion
reporter especially about these new
fiedged citizens when the question of
roads came up. I'VE were forced to
come hundred miles out of our way
via Delta, and it costs great deal in
railroad fare and time lost to visit the
county seat There were fully as many
more miners who wanted to become
naturalized, but the mine could hardly
spare so many for so long time. The
others will come in smaller squads. If,
now we had a road through from kebier
pass to Somerset, we could make the
trip by auto in few hours. This would
not only be very great saving to resi-
dents of Somerset but Of considerable
value to Gunnison and Crested Butte,
since the thriving coal camp and the ag-
ricultural valleys beyond would send a
good deal of trade your way"
1--WE have, ;" said Mr.. Reed, IA miles
of the prettiest auto roads in Colorado
from Somerset up the Muddy, and
everybody praises Commissioner Whal-
en- for constructing il. Something over
six miles was completed this year But
the country is so big that it is only an
internal Improvement and doesn't help
with foreign commerce. To Paonia,
only twelve miles away, there is nothing
but a horse trail much of the way, and
to Crested Butte, or Marble, very poor
trails -
News-Champion learns that there are
dozens of new ranches on the Upper
Muddy and Anthracite, and some of
them are starting things on a large
scale in spite of the drawback of no
roads. A firm has leased the Boesford
ranch on the Upper Muddy and finding
it necessary to import thresher for
their unusual crop of grain has gone to
work with the assistance of neighboring
ranchers and they are building their own
road from the Adams ranch up. Com
missioner Whalen is allowing them as
much as possible from the meager
county funds for this year and the new
road is about completed so that the
machinery which came on the railroad
to Somerset viii be taken up at once.
/ On the Boesford ranch 400 acres are
being cleared and will be seeded to
grain this fall or next spring. -Four
hundred hogs are being brought in and
| il Is the intention Of another large
farmer there to make a speciality of
mules. He has about seventy there
now. One surprising thing is the low
altitude of this country. Somerset is
q, 400 and the farming section runs from
I 1000 to 5000 feet, or lower than most
Of the rich valley around Gunnison.
Alfalfa makes two crops, grain and
potatoes cannot be excelled, and alto
gether Mr.. Reed thinks il coming s.y-
rlcultural section. Ii is not only well
watsred. but summer rains are so fire.
quent- especially on the Anthracite that
dry farming is great success.
This new road being built bv the
ranehers on the Muddy goes by the
mouth Of Lee creek, from which IL is
only few miles over easy grade ana
through the low Mcclure pass to Mar
bic. From the junction of the Antbra-
cite there IS quite a stretch of country
to reach kebler pass and Crested Ru,ts
or Gunnison- but IT will be remerbered
that some years ago the state built t;xe
miles Of road down from Irwin. This
famous Lost Road, is really on a
good grade and well laid out Rv
placing the bridges II is a good ROAD
over the worst part of the route
1t is needless to say that not only .,e
'inzens of Gunnison interested in this
ross building and the opepi,c ~ o.
pper North Fork. but Cre.ted Ru.ts
and Marble have Just - lively hu:.
interests The citizens of this -
aoH are TO man with Commi..,o-
naben N his plans already f.-