, 1925-06-04
ROMANCE OLD
WEST RECALLED
BY s. & E. CASE

Iloo MdShiliC q oupPiy ulpd
for authority to abandon the Saratoga
& Encampment railroad, it revived
the romantic story of the rise and
decline OF what many regard as the
greatest mining district in Wyoming.
The railroad was constructed from
Walcott, OIL the Union Pacific rail
road, to Encampment, a distance of
approximately As miles, in order to
facilitate the transportation of cop
per from the mines near and the
smelter at Encampment, to market.
Prior to the building of the rail-
road, the copper ore was transported
to Walcott by freight wagons, and
the trip required several days and
was very expensive SO expensive,
in fact, that the low grade ore that
was mined at "Encampment could
not be profitably transported to the
railroad, because of the low market
value and the expense of transport
tation.
Passengers were transported to
and from the Union Pacific railroad
in Concord coaches, drawn by six
horses, and all of the old-timers well
remember the picturesque sight they
offered; six milk-white or dappled
gray horses, smartly drawing the
heavy coaches over the long stretch
OF roads in a district that was at
that time mostly ~undeveloped
try. 1t was a varied trip, the old
timers assert, and was intensely inter-
esting.
But there came the time when
better transportation facilities were
needed, and the North American
Copper company, sponsored is
now known as the Saratoga & En-
campment railroad. The ranchers,
the miners and the business men OF
the valley hat has been served by
the railroad, worked shoulder to
shoulder to attain the n utility
a railroad for the valley in which
they lived.
The town of Rawlins subscribed
for 800, 600 of the stock Of the rail-
road; Saratoga subscribed $4,000,
and donated a depot site. right-of-
way, and other valuable real estate
contributions. The town of Encamp-
ment subscribed for $4,000 of the
company stock, and all the commun-
tiles worked tremendously toward
the one end.
That was all during the big cop
per BOOM" the rise of the newly
found empire in wyoming, when peo-
pie were flocking to this region from
every state in the Union, much the
same as in the old days of the Cali
fornia gold rush. Considerable money
was expended by eastern capitalists
to develop this properties around
Encampment. With the huge eX-
pense incurred in the long freight
hauls of ore to the Union Paciiic
railroad. most of the operating COM
panies were able to pay dividends,
mostly because of the fact that the
ore mined was of a very high COM
mercial value.
Rut the decline came. The mines
were slowly abandoned. The opera
tors assert that their mines were
exhausted. and ultimately the form
err scenes OF bonanza days became an
almost forgotten spot. h early
settlers of the valley reverted to
their farms for a livelihood. and are
still located in the valley-many of
them-but the prospectors. the min
ers. the smelter workers. and the
big men who financed the mines,
and other projects at Encampment,
soon passed out of the territory and
became busily engaged in finding
new locations.
So IL has been with the Saratoga
g. Encampment railroad. Construct
ed to serve the people OF The valley
incidently; paramountly TO serve
the interests that were It's sponsors;
II has gradually deprecated In val
ne. 4, has lost money for Its opera
tors. and they are o DESTROYS OF
scrapping the road, rather than op-
.ra,. q, NJ n financial loss.
But the people OF the valley must
be considered-and they intend to
nut up n finish fight to retain the
road. They have obtained the ser
vices OF l.. Il. Armstrong. Rawiins
attorney. to represent them at the
hearing, which will be held at sara
toga. They have donated money
until II hurts. In an effort TO prove
TO the Interstate Commerce Com
mission that the railroad is needed
and must be retained. The huge
aerial tramway. the huge smelter
and the mines plants have practi-
oaily all been junked, and no oppo-
si,ion was offered. but Morse Bros.
have encountered some stin opposi-
ton In the attempts they have
made to Junk the valley railroad. IL
wouid be n severe blow to h peo-
pie OF the valley and the communi-
ties IL serves to have the road taken
from thcm-and they fully realize
the fact. They have been giving
beneft s%ocials. dances. and utilized
almost every conceivable method to
raise funds 10 night the attempts OF
Morse Bros. to abandon the railroad.
Considerable data has been OBJ
talncd for presentation ut h hear
Ing on the timber possibilities In
the district served by the road. II
IA understood. II is the general
belief that there II yet millions OF
dollars worth Of copper ore unmined
In the Encampmcnt district. state
Geoiogist A. u. Bartlett will make
n lrin In Encnm nmnni about lunG