The Delta independent., 1923-08-24
A HISTORY OF THE NORTH FORK
~ VALLEY
BY e. G. Wade

BY q. G. Wade
About the middle Of August, 1881,
Samuel Wade. Enos T. Hotchkiss. and
John McIntire with saddle horses and
pack animals. left Lake City. Colo
RADIO. en- route for the Ute Indian Res
ervation in western Colorado. of which
our beloved Delta county is now q
small part. These three men crossed
the Black Mesa. thence to the North
Fork Valley.
The Ute Indians at this time were
being moved and were encamped be-
low what is now the city of Delta.
These men saw only three Indians in
the North Fork Valley and those three
Indians had a pass from the officer
in charge at the Indian camp giving
them the right to be in this valley for
the purpose Of hunting horses the In
dians had left behind.
After looking over the North Fork.
Uncompahgre, and Grand Valleys
they returned to Lake City, very much
enthused over the country they had
found. Samuel Wade claimed 1t to
be fruit country. where, he felt sure,
apples, peaches. pears and other de-
ciduous fruits would do we'll On
September 1st. 1881, Samuel Wade,
tire decided to return to the North
Fork. They brought back with them
Doug. McIntire, w. A. Clark Samuel
Angevine. Geo L. Root, JOS. and Era
G. Wade this time bringing two wag-
ons. Travelling was very good until we
reached Curecanti creek. on the south.
east side Of Black Mesa. Here our
wagon road ended. We had good
teams-none better. We had on our
wagons. I would Judge. about four
hundred pounds. With the men lift
ing on each rear wheel OF the wagons
and pushing with all their strength, it
took us all day to get on top of the
BLACK Mesa.
The ground was so soft and steep,
sometimes it was impossible to move
our wagons more than a foot at a
time, but move we did. The follow.
ing night found us in a camp much
higher than the one we had occupied
the night before. BY walking back
about hundred yards we could look
down at our old camp We could
have walked back to it in half an
hour.
With all the hardships experienced
on trip of this kind there is always
more than enough pleasure to make
up for the bad. At this camp on
the top Of Black Mesa we had plenty
OF wood. good water from a spring,
and the best of grass for our teams.
The grass on the Mesa was the finest,
I think have ever seem E. B. Quack.
enbush and Joseph Brown were here,
putting up hay for the Denver & Rio
Grande railroad company. ] remem-
ber how. as we crossed the mesa, some
OF the men wished they had cattle to
eat the grass that would soon be COW
cred with snow.
When we reached the west side Of
the mesa, near Crystal creek, the prob
lem was to get down. We put chain
rough-locks on each rear wheel and
tying the front wheels of our wagons
fast with ropes, slid down the wagons
even then hard pressing the teams
forward. Enos Hotchkiss chained
both rear wheels OF his wagon and
tied a big. bushy tree behind That
night we camped on Crystal Creek.
The next morning we were up early
and off. The following night we
camped on Smith Fork. The next
morning we could look down on a
mesa now known as Rogers Mesa.
The weather was fine--more like July
than September. AS we looked down
on the lower country one could not
help thinking of the story OF the
Promised Land. However, we had no
Moses along; as you will remember,
he only saw the promised land and
did not enter into it, but we all did.
On this side of the Smith Fork we
found many camps where the Indians
had been few days previous. their
tepee poles still standing. little piles
OF rocks in circular form as II chill
dren had been playing there, and !
fancy they had. The following night
we camped below where the town of
Hotchliss now stands Enos Hotch-
kiss located there, the town OF Hotch-
Samuel Wade informed his party we
were going to the upper end OF the
valley, saying he believed it would be
the best for fruit growing, 50 It waa
decided that Samuel and Joseph Wade
George Root, William Clark and Sam.
uel Angevine were to start that morn,
ing for the upper end of the valley
Samuel Angevine and William Clark
rode horses. Samuel and Joseph Wade
and George Root walked. E. G. Wade
hrin ring the wagon M wagon n