The Glenwood post., 1918-04-06
MEMORIAL OF HOLY CROSS
NATIONAL FOREST, COLORADO
Placed Within the Cornerstone of the
Federal Building, Glenwood Springs,
Colorado, April 6, A. D. 1918

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creased by second proclamation of
March l, 1907, making a total acreage
of 1,26l,7O0 acres. A division of the
Holy Cross Forest was effected by presi
Dental proclamation on April 26, 1909,
reducing its gross area to sos, 200 acres
This division resulted in the creation
of the Sopris Forest, with headquarters
now at Aspen, Colorado.
| In accordance with the policy of the
, Forest Service, subsequent eliminations
have been made of lands chiefly valua-
BILE for agriculture, until the present
net area is slightly under 100000 acres.
Mr.. Smith Riley, now District For
ester of District No. 2, with headquar
ters in Denver, Colorado, assumed
charge of the Holy Cross Forest whea
it was placed under the administration
of the Forest Service, which was in
September, 1905. He was later sue
ceeded by F. A. Silcox, until recently
District Forester in District No. l.,
who resigned short time ago to offer
his services to his country in this
great war now raging. In December,
1905, Mr.. Silcox was succeeded by $
N. Hustled, who had charge of the
forest until October, 1906, when Harry
H. French, the present incumbent, as
sumed charge.
The office of the Supervisor has been
maintained in Glenwood Springs contin-
uously since the creation of the forest.
1t was first established in room on
the third floor of the First National
Bank building, corner of Eighth street
and Grand avenue. AS the business of
the Forest increased, and more space
was needed for office quarters, it was
removed to the Dougan block on Grand
avenue, the only place available which
was considered suitable at that tima,
which was early in 1906. More spacious
quarters were again necessary, however,
and it was returned to the First Nation
al Bank building on the second floor,
where it is at this writing, but from
present indications relative to the
manner in which the construction is
proceeding, il will be moved to the new
Federal building, in which this memo
rial is being placed, before the close of
1918.
Under the Act Of February l, 1905,
the "Forest Reserves" were trans
ferred from the Department of the In
terror to the Department of Agricul-
ture, and under the Agricultural Ap-
preparation Act of March 1, 1907, the
title "Forest Reserves was changed
to "National Forests
The name "Holy Cross National
Forest is appropriate on account of
the "Mount of the Holy Cross" one
of the principal mountains located
within the area, which has the far
famed reputation of being one of the
most noted scenic attractions of natur-
al grandeur in the west.
OF the irrigated land within the two
counties eagle and Garfield) of which
the forest is part, conservative es'
innate gives 1878 acres directly de-
pendent on the watersheds of the forest
for irrigation. In addition to this, the
entire forest is drained by the Grand
river and several of it's tributaries
which have their confluence with the
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and furnish water supply for a large
project of several thousand acres far
ther down the valley than the area
first mentioned. The forest value
therefore, as watershed protection
can scarcely be overestimated.
The entire flow of the streams re
ferred to at low periods is diverted and
used for power purposes at Shoshone
station on the Denver & Rio Grande
railroad, about twelve miles up the
canon from Glenwood Springs, where q
large hydro-electric plant has been es
tablished which furnishes light and
power to Glenwood Springs and ada
other important cities on the Eastern
Slope, being distributed by means Of
expensive transmission lines.
The improved land adjacent to the
forest dependent on irrigation from tho
streams originating on the forest has
an assessed valuation of 81, ,409, ,402
The raising of livestock in connection
with improved ranch property is tbs
leading industry throughout the region
and there are 3O,5OO head of livestock
valued at over q, 100000, handled il
; connection with this irrigated land
Over so per cent Of this livestock j,