Semi-weekly herald., 1916-04-27
PROSPEROUS SECTION.

comers from distant states looking
over the various sections of the great
San Juan basin with view of
either buying or taking up land. To
these, as well as to many who are
residents here, the Herald wishes to
say that in no section of the Unit
ed States Of which we have knowledge
can land be secured so cheaply that
will return large reward for tillage
as right here.
In each and every section of the ba-
sin are many opportunities to secure
land holdings. Each and every one
of these sections will receive atten-
ton in these columns as fast as cir
cumstances allow.
Today we wish to draw attention of
the public to one of the choicest ag-
ricultural portions of the entire re-
gion, located southwest of Durango
on the Fort Lewis and Red mesas,
and further west in the Hay Gulch
neighborhood, and then south and
west to the Ute Indian reservation
boundary. This portion of the ba-
sin embraces perhaps more than 50,-
900 acres of fine red load soil. Part
of this land is covered with cedar
and sage brush growth and coal
crops out on every side of it. On the
close-in parts of the Fort Lewis and
Red mesas, the land is settled up into
farming communities, and these set
tiers are just beginning to come Into
winter wheat and livestock.
Within the past two or three years
the cultivated area on Red mesa has
more than doubled, and yet there are
many quarter sections of land for sale
yet in sage brush, and many eighty
acre tracts that have never felt the
blow. Large barns, commodious
dwellings,, cattle, hogs, sheep, horses.
orchards, Alfalfa fields. winter wheat
six inches high, churches schools
and irrigating bitches greet the trav-
eler's eye as far as he can see. The
'ich red loan turns from the plow-
share like cornmeal. and shows that
it's handling is pleasure for the
former. Potatoes, sugar beets, field
,eas, garden truck OF all kinds take
to this soil like ducks to water, ana
hrive under intelligent care.
The new town of Marvel has taken
the place of the former Kline post
office and is located perhaps two
miles south and mile west of the
former site. The Miller Miller Mere.
Co., has had fine new store biuld-
Hall. The building has furnace heat
and a basement, and is equipped for
handling the farmers produce on
large scale. Miller Brothers, owners
of the store, enjoy large patron
,ge and have the good will of one
and all. A large school house, a
blacksmith shop and several dwellings,
all new, comprise the present town of
Marvel and there is a call right now
for drug store, a doctor, lumber
yard, garage and many others.
Land values, which are Of chief
Importance to the settler, in this sec
ton range from as low as S15 to as
high as 1876 per acre for good land,
level and ready for cultivation after
the sagebrush has been removed. But
ihould the landseeker not desire to
purchase, he can file on good govern
r,cnt land west of the La Plata riv-
er. This government land has no
bitches or irrigating water, but dry
farming has been successful there,
lust the same as in the western part
If Montezuma county, and with prop
or treatment, oats, wheat, sudan
srass, potatoes, cts, have been
grown. Settlers who are waiting for
the Ignacio land opening will do well
to take a trip over to this land we
mention, investigate the Fort Lewis
and Red mesas, where bargains are
said to be thick, see what the farm
ers already on the land are doing,
aud then look ahead ten years and
see the big and sure development
coming. No better chance for secur-
ing home and independence can be
found in the basin today than right
in this big, fertile part of La Plata
county.