The Delta independent., 1923-08-24

berry now lives. samuel Wade 10
Gated the ranch now belonging to
Merle A. Miller; a part of the town
of Paonia now stands on the north
portion Of this ranch. George Root 10
| Gated the ranch where Weldon Ham
mond now lives. Joseph Wade located
the A. L. Roberts ranch.
Reaching the upper end Of the val
ley, the writer was quite sure he had
never seen place quite SO nice. We
had surely come into the land Of
Canaan. There were NO grapes, but
instead there were lots OF buffalo ber.
ries-the outskirts Of the timber were
red with them. II you have ever eat
en- any OF these berries you know that
they are good. There was no honey
here at first, but the country was soon
full OF buzzing bees and it has proved
to be a perfect home for them We
remained in camp here for about one
week. VIII Clark. having moved up
from Hotchkiss's camp, was a neigh
Dor camper with us. The morning
we were expecting to start back to
Lake City (the sixteenth day of Sep
tember) the writer remembers be-
cause 1t was the day President Gar
field died) we arose early and went
out to get the mules, expecting to give
them grain. To my surprise, both
their lariat ropes had been cut with
sharp knife and the mules were
gone. went to the camp and re-
ported; next I went to Will Clark's
camp and told him what had happened.
He said. Take my saddle horse if you
want to follow them" went back
to where the mules had been tied,
took up their trail, and followed them
up Minnesota Creek. there being at
that time bunch OF Indian ponies up
this creek. After going quite dis
tance l met both mules coming down
on the run; they were used to having
grain, 80 were coming back to camp.
The Indian ponies were missing after
this. We did not think 1t Indians
that cut the mules loose; we believed
1t to be white horse thieves. We sup
posed they let the mules loose, think
ing the mules would stay with the
ponies. We were surely happy bunch
as we had begun to fear we were
elected to leave our wagons and walk
back to Lake City.
After returning to Lake City. Sam
uel Wade hired freight teams, John
Roatcap, Sr., John Roatcap. Jr.. DR..
Long, and Barney Orth hauling goods
for the first store of general mer-
chandise to be located in this country.
This store was located on the Samuel
Wade ranch in a dugout 24x36 feet,
just back of where William Starks
now lives. These freight teams came
over Blue Mesa, entering the Uncom-
pahgre Valley above the present site
of the city of Montrose, there being a
good road to Ouray. Down the Un.
compahgre valley from above Mont
rose there was no wagon road except
ing such as we picked out as we
travelled.
After the little pioneer store was
fully established Samuel Wade went
back to Missouri. where his family
then resided, leaving the writer in
charge of the stock OF merchandise.
Gunnison City was then our nearest
railroad station. The winter OF 1882
was a winter never to be forgotten.
with but very little snow and the cold.
est weather being three degrees above
zero. early in the spring Of 1882.
| Samuel Wade returned by the way
OF Gunnison City, bringing with him
fruit trees-apples. pears, peaches, ap-
ricots, plums. and cherries. and
grapevines and a large variety of
small fruits. These fruit trees were
hauled across Black Mesa on sleds.
The trail across Black Mesa was kept
open the entire winter of 1881, George
Wade and l. e. Meyers going from
this side to meet the parties coming
in from Gunnison City with the fruit
trees. They placed the fruit trees
on their sleds and hitched one mule
ahead OF the other. With the mules
in the trail and the sleds up on the
snow, sometimes the sleds would be
made travelling very difficult
These trees were brought here and
set out on the Samuel Wade ranch,
where many OF them still stand and
are bearing fruit.
The first cattle brought to the val
ley were brought in by John Roatcap,
Sr. in October 1881. The first bun Sh
of range cattle we're brought in by
e. T. Hotchkiss, George and William
Duke being in charge Of them. The
next bunch was brought in by Henry
Hammond and sons.
The East and West Muddy country
Is situated twenty-five miles north Of
Paonia. This is a beautiful place with
an abundance of running water and
the best Of grass-a perfect paradise
for the stock grower Here the stock