The Elk Mountain pilot. [volume] (Irwin, (Ruby Camp), Gunnison County, Colo.) 1880-19??, 1919-07-31
THIS COUNTY WAS A WHALE IN go
J. e. Phillips Tells of the Orssnixa-
tion of Western Colorado

Reservation was declared open for
ty all of the territory north of San
Miguel, Ouray, Hinsdale and Saguache
counties and west of Chaffee and
Eagle counties, clear to the Utah line.
Most of this territory was unorgan-
lied, unexplored and without white
settlers with the exception of the
Tomichi river valley, which with East
river and Ohio creek forms the Gun
nison river just west of the town of
Gunnison.
Note In the old days the Gunni-
son river was held to start at the
junction with the Tomichi below the
present Dos Rios ranch. Later it
was officially established at the con-
fluence of East and Taylor rivers at
Almont.
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad
had started to build west over Mar
shall Pass<iu the fall Of 1880 from a
point on the>Arkansas river, that
they named South Arkansas, after
wards the name was changed to Sail
da. The road was built past Poncha
Springs to place on Silver creek,
afterwards called Mears station,
where camp quarters were established
for thu winter of '8O!81. The summer
of 81 saw the road coming on the
Tomichi side of Marshall Pass, on by
Gunnison and into the Black Canon
of the Gunnison river for the winter
of 1892.
When it came time to canvass the
county by the candidates on the state
and county tickets IN the fall of 's2,
these railroad camps and settlers
were strung all along, clear to where
Grand Junction is now located and
the politicians, candidates and speak
ers had to make all that long trip in
horse vehicles, and many were the
amusing incidents of those trips. OF
course most Of the railroad workers
were not legal voters but doubtless
they voted oil the same. The building
Of the road brought much money into
the country, and the usual number Of
whiskey tents, gambling and women
resorts, so that when any trouble
did break out as it often did, it made
- .x,.,.;,,. for cnrn;sor co,,ntv n
.srv. nansrs and On after nr;.on.rs
Silver Greek in the winter of '80-'61
. ,o,o-;r,,. ,,,...
r..d IN ~. a;.n.tch.s . few d.v.
400 th.+ I.r.. w Ruck1;r had d;ed
~ Cav Io,e C.,sorn;.. At III. .ge of
"a and that he WA. one Of the found
ar. ~ Cr.nd Junction Mr. Bucklin
w.. . hwvor in Cunni.on. coming
th.r. ., 1871 .ra !, N. f.II NJ 1sa9
h. ,y.. .,.ct.d tn the legislature. In
N. s.,.;on of ,saa he introduced the
him th.t .r..t.d Montro.e Malt. and
M.s. co,,nt;.s. cutting off all Of that
t.rr,+ow th.t row snhr.ce. ira.
.ornt;.. from cunn,.on county. After
~. ,.o;.,.t,r. .d;ourr.d M Ruckl;n
,,,.,t 70 Cr.nd Trr.t;or tn live hut
~ 40 TIN. NM, h. IN. ~ the found-
-, -. ~. t,,yr anu mon. than .nv
I.os ,,,.,..r ,;t;..r and .ttorrev
so;n. ~. 49, 70 h,;La nm the town.
- th;,[ \. ,.rv.d one mor. t.rm
II ~. ,.~;s.tur. and x.s t.lled of
- C.,~.-.- ~, ~. .o.;.,;.t ticket
u 60. C.wford .x-Cov-
.rnor - K.ns.. and the founder Of
~. 49,. - Eor+ SOFT K.n... was
~ ~ o-.. .r;-.~ .nS ,o..tor ~ III. town
a.. ~ Grand JUNCTION. associated
sl.. " ID, A,,;.o, .nd ,ome
go. go " ,-ou p.rn.vlv,n;. Roe Al
,;.en s,.d ~ RIm,tb Falls. Oregon.
Isl -. 80
49, C.... - c-.v,ford cam. ont from
y ~ crn,;son IN 1891 He
hansas " HuinAeo'