History of the State of Colorado, Volume IV, Part 28

Author: Hall, Frank, 1836-1917. cn; Rocky Mountain Historical Company
Publication date: 1889-95
Publisher: Chicago, Blakely print. Co.
Number of Pages: 791

USA > Colorado > History of the State of Colorado, Volume IV > Part 28

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Berthoud, named for the chief engineer of the Union Pacific system in Colo- rado, is situated about six miles south of Loveland, also near the railway, on a high, rolling prairie between the Thompson creeks, in a prosperous farming region. The town was platted in the autumn of 1883 but was not incorporated until 1888. The population in 1889 numbered about three hundred. It has one hotel, a bank- ing house, and a number of substantial business houses, a grain elevator, and a flour- ing mill, with the latest improved processes for the manufacture of flour.

Laporte, the successor of the original Colona, and the first in northern Colo- rado, occupies a superior site in the valley of the Cache-la-Poudre, near the moun- tains. Time was when corner lots in Laporte or Colona were held at higher prices than those in Denver. At one time it was an Indian trading post of considerable prominence. A store owned by one Joe Knight was the central depot and rendez- vous for trappers and Indians. Arapahoes, Utes and Cheyennes there obtained their supplies of sugar, flour, coffee and tobacco; trading furs and skins therefor. Knight closed out his store in the fall of 1863, or spring of 1864, and went to St. Louis. Laporte was one of the first telegraph stations on the line between Denver and Laramie. The farming country adjacent is one of the best in the state, producing remarkable harvests.

The county officers for 1890-91 were: Clerk, J. T. Budrow; treasurer, F. P. Stover, county judge, H. I. Garbutt; assessor, A. La Fever; sheriff, T. H. Davy; coroner, Walter Gough; superintendent of schools, S. T. Hamilton; surveyor, Abner E. Sprague: clerk of the district court, John C. Hanna; commissioners, F. G. Bartholf, F. R. Baker and George F. Scott.

The total assessed valuation of taxable property for 1890 was $4.424.420. In the list were 114,975 acres of agricultural land, and 419,822 acres of grazing land. Of live stock there were 15,907 horses, 49,320 cattle, 20,163 sheep, 1,355 hogs and 376 mules.

Local statistics show that there were marketed from the crop of 1800, mainly at Fort Collins, the general shipping point, 400,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 of oats, 100,000 of potatoes, 50,000 of corn, 4.000 tons of hay, 6,000 head of beef cattle, 1,000 horses, 10,000 sheep, 50,000 pounds of wool, 1,000 bushels of apples. 100 carloads of garden vegetables, 25,000 quarts of small fruits, 25,000 pounds of cheese, 200,000 of butter and 300,000 of pork. These figures are approximates

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simply, and are given to show something of the extent of the various industries, since exact data are not procurable.

The school census of 1890 shows that the county had a total school popula- tion that year of 2,757, with an enrollment of 2,272, and an average daily attend- ance of 1,334. There were 56 school houses, the valuation of which was $88,385. At Fort Collins there are two very fine public school buildings, the Franklin, com- pleted in 1887, at a cost of $20,000, and the Remington in 1878, at a cost of $10,000. These, with the State Agricultural college, afford extensive and very superior edu- cational advantages.

There are 55 counties in the state, of which Larimer stands eighth in the assessed valuation of its taxable property.

LAS ANIMAS COUNTY.

FIRST SETTLERS-ENTERPRISES ESTABLISHED-PECULIAR SPANISH NOMENCLATURE- ORIGIN OF SETTLEMENT - AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE - GREAT COAL MINES-AREA OF DEPOSITS-IRON-STOCK GROWING-TRINIDAD, CITY OF THE HOLY TRINITY-ITS RISE AND DEVELOPMENT-CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, BANKS, NEWS: PAPERS AND RAILWAYS.

Las Animas was created from the southeastern part of Huerfano county by an act of the territorial legislature approved February 9th, 1866. It has since been shorn of much of its original territory by the creation of other counties. It is bounded on the north by Huerfano, Pueblo, Otero and a part of Bent, south by the Territory of New Mexico, east by Baca and west by Huerfano and Costilla. Its area is 4,700 square miles. By the census of 1890 its population was 17,208, an increase of 8,305 in the preceding decade. The account of its early history which follows is furnished by Hon. Albert W. Archibald of Trinidad, the county seat, now the oldest living resident.

"I settled in what is now Las Animas county on the 3rd of March, 1861, and my home has been continuously at this place since that time. I came to Colorado in 1858 with the first Lawrence company. From September, 1858, until November, 1860, my home was in New Mexico, most of the time near Fort Union, at Wm. Kroenig's place. About the 12th of November, 1860, I left Kroenig's, now near the present railway station of Watrous, with two ox teams belonging to myself, with produce for Denver, in company with F. C. Taylor (now residing in Denver), my eldest brother, Ebenezer, and others. November 17th we camped on the margin of the Purgatoire river on the present site of Trinidad. At that time there did not exist any human habitation within the existing limits of the county, although a man named John Hatcher* did establish a temporary resi- dence about 1852, while employed by Bent & St. Vrain, as a herder of their work oxen. Hatcher's residence on the Purgatoire, however, was not an attempt to settle, but only a temporary residence for the purpose of taking care of the property given into his charge by Bent & St. Vrain.

"The road from Fort Union to Denver, as far as what was afterward known as Grey's ranch on the Purgatoire, is the same over which the army of Colonel Sterling Price marched in August, 1846, en route to New Mexico, and is more

* A further account of Hatcher's settlement will appear in the course of our narrative.

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particularly described in Lieut. Emery's Reconnaissance of New Mexico and California, published by the War Department in 1849. From Grey's ranch northward, it followed the stage road, afterward used by the stage line of A. Jacobs and Barlow, Sanderson & Co. When our party arrived at the Purga- toire, November 17th, 1860, and camped at the present site of Trinidad, it was snowing, and we found encamped in the brush on the margin of the stream Augustus Clermont and one Chalafa, whose christian name I have forgotten and of the orthography of whose surname I am uncertain. In December, 1860, 1 returned in company with Gilbert Huntington, who had come over the road with our party in November. We journeyed on horseback and our mission was to learn the fate of a young man named Samuel Anderson, of Iowa, who left our com- pany on the 16th of November and returned toward Fort Union in search of two mules belonging to himself and Huntington, and who had failed to overtake us. His failure to join us with the mules raised the suspicion that he had been murdered by a Mexican whom he had employed as a guide to assist him in finding the animals. We went direct to Barclay's Fort (Wm. Kroenig's place), one mile from Watrous, and on the evening of our arrival there learned facts that confirmed our worst fears in regard to Anderson's fate, and pointed conclusively to a Mexican named Marcial Moya as his murderer. We were informed that Moya was at Mr. Watrous' ranch and did not doubt our ability to surprise him in the morning, but he was made aware of our pursuit and fled. After spending two weeks in fruitless efforts to find him, Mr. Huntington and myself returned to Field & Kroenig's place on the Huerfano river in Pueblo county, stopping over night on the Pur- gatoire. I neglected to mention that as we went south to New Mexico we stopped over night with a man named Joaquin Young, who, with his family, had come from Taos in December, 1860, and was then living in an unfinished log cabin one-half mile above the place known as Grey's ranch. On our return we found his house deserted, and no one was then living in the valley of the Purgatoire. This was in January, 1861, and Young's abandoned cabin was the only house that had been used as a human habitation then existing in what is now Las Animas county. The only other settlement south of Pueblo, on the east slope of the mountains and north of the 37th parallel of latitude, were Francisco & Daigrie's ranch on the head of the Cucharas (now La Veta), Bobois' ranch on the Huerfano, Hicklin's ranch on the Greenhorn, George Babcock's ranch and Isaac Bass' ranch on the St. Charles. On the Huerfano were living John Rice, N. W. Welton, Benj. B. Field, Charles Autobees and several others. In February, 1861, my eldest brother Ebenezer and myself built a cabin in the valley of the St. Charles, then more com- monly known as El Rio de Don Carlos, from the fact that Don Carlos Beaubien, then living in Taos, N. M., had formerly resided there. After building our cabin and preparing some ground for planting, my brother and I concluded that the water supply of the Don Carlos was insufficient for irrigation purposes, therefore we determined to settle on the Purgatoire, We accordingly started for that place where we arrived on the evening of March 3rd, 1861. We found settled at the place. since known as the ()'Neal ranch, Don Gabriel Gutierrez, a native of Bernalillo county, N. M., and his nephew, Don Juan N. Gutierrez, Jr. The latter is still living in this county. In their employ were two or three servants who were assisting them to build houses.

"A little below where Trinidad now stands was encamped Xavier Fresne (I am only certain of the spelling of his first name), a wagon-master of Col. Ceran St. Vrain. Ile had in his charge about 200 head of work oxen belonging to St. Vrain, which he was recruiting preparatory to a trip to Independence or Kansas City.

"Within the present limits of Trinidad, on the north side of the Purgatoire, and within 400 feet of the present site of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé depot, Riley V. Dunton, a native of Maine, and William Frazier, a Scotchman, were endeavoring

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under many disadvantages to build a log cabin. With two small saddle ponies they were hauling logs from the woods on the margin of the river wherewith to build the walls of their cabin. I had two yoke of good oxen and a wagon, and my brother and myself assisted Dunton and Frazier to finish the cabin, after which we formed a partnership in the planting of a crop, which was accomplished after we had constructed the irrigating ditch now known as "The Gurule ditch." Herman Penida and Francisco Penida were at that time building a house for Don Filipe Baca, at the place where Major Chacon's dwelling house now stands. The parties mentioned above, my brother Ebenezer and myself constituted the entire population of what is now Las Animas county on the 4th day of March, 1861.

"About the Ist of April, 1861, Horace Long, a native of Kentucky, who had been a resident of Taos, N. M., since the year 1839, came into the valley of the Purgatoire and settled six miles above Trinidad at the mouth of 'Long's Canada.' There came with him the Lave brothers, Manuel and Miguel, and Uriel Higbee, now living at 'Higbee' in Bent county. About the 15th of April five or six families from Mora, N. M., settled in the valley of the Purgatoire within four or five miles of Trinidad, among whom were Lorenzo Sandoval and Juan de Dios Ramirez, who are still living in this county. About the 15th of May, 1861, James S. Grey and Juan Cristobal Tafoya arrived with ten or twelve families, all from Taos, N. M. Tafoya was wantonly murdered in February, 1872, while holding the office and discharging the duties of sheriff of Las Animas county. Grey died a few years ago at Trinidad. Both he and Tafoya were good men and helped to make the history of the county.

"Meantime Gabriel Gutierrez and Juan N. Gutierrez, Jr., had been joined by the father and brother of the latter. Don Juan N. Gutierrez, Sr., the father of Juan N., Jr., and Antonio C. Gutierrez, was the most polished, cultured and talented Mexican who has ever resided in the state of Colorado. In the territory of New Mexico he had been elected many times to the territorial legislature. He died at his home in this county a few years ago. His sons, Antonio C., Juan N. and Abjandro, are still living here.

"In July, 1861, Barney O'Neal, an Irish-American, came here from St. Louis. At this date the population of the county not of Mexican lineage and nativity con- sisted of Horace Long, Uriel Higbee, William Frazier, Riley Vincent Dunton, James S. Grey, Barney O'Neal, Ebenezer Archibald and Albert W. Archibald, and none others. No woman of pure Caucasian lineage could be found at that time within 60 miles of Trinidad." Thus ends Mr. Archibald's account, which we find quite complete, authentic and interesting.

Dr. M. Beshoar, in his history of the county published in 1882, says the Rio de Las Animas, which traverses the valley from southwest to northeast, is so called because of a peculiar moaning sound frequently heardl, and apparently rising from the earth. This sound conveyed to the minds of the early Mexican explorers the idea of the groans of suffering spirits, and for that reason they named it the "River of Spirits" or Rio Las Animas. Hence, also, the name of the county. Nearly all prominent points bear Spanish titles, mostly in honor of the patron saints of the different communities. Trinidad, the principal town, up to recent years mainly settled by Mexicans, signifies "the Trinity," or the "City of the Holy Trinity." The Raton Peak, near by, derives its name from a peculiar species of rodents that in- habit it. The Indians called it Chuquirique (Rat), in the Spanish "Raton." Fre- mont changed it to "Fisher's Peak," and it was so designated upon many of the earlier maps. The Spanish Peaks the Indians identified as "Los Juajatoyas." The Apishapa, also of Indian origin, signifies stagnant or stinking water. The early Spaniards named it "Rio San Antonio." "Rito San Lorenzo," or Rito de Grey, was named for James S. Grey, the pioneer of the valley. The Mexicans substituted San Lorenzo in honor of Saint Lawrence. La Frijoles signifies "beans" or the

I: M. AMMONS

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"bean fields." When the settlement was formed, Saint Isadore was chosen as their patron saint, hence they called it "San Isadoro." Manco Buro means "Lame Jackass" or donkey, La Trinchera, "The Trench." Chiquaque, "Box Elder," "Cereza," Cherry creek, Piedros Coloradas, "Red Rocks," La Junta, "The Junction," and so on. All Spanish names rendered in the soft accents of the Spanish language are very musical, and far preferable to the harsher Anglo-Saxon nomenclature.

Las Animas county embraces in its western division a part of the eastern slope of the main Rocky Mountain range, with its outlying foothills. The summit of the Raton range forms the dividing line between Colorado and New Mexico. There are many picturesque and highly fertile valleys and parks, some of which are oceu- pied and under tillage. The western part is mountainous. The eastern and much the larger portion comprises a series of table-lands. The better available lands lic in the valley of the Purgatoire or Las Animas, the Apishapa, San Francisco and Trinchera. The valley of the Las Animas is about one mile in width and perhaps 100 in length. There are some good modern farmers, but a majority are Mexicans who have taken out ditches and cultivate after the fashion of their fathers, by shallow plowing with crooked sticks, and producing just enough beyond the wants of their families to trade for such clothing and household goods as they may require, in the larger towns where stores are kept.

Desirous of learning the true history and present condition of agriculture and horticulture in this county, I applied to Mr. S. W. De Busk, one of the recognized authorities on these subjects, who furnished the following epitome.

"The first irrigating ditch made in Las Animas county was dug by John Hatcher, the first white settler, in the year 1846. It was a small diteh covering only the low river bottom on the south side of the Purgatoire and not more than two miles in length. Hatcher was a wagon-master for St. Vrain & Vijil, claimants of the Las Animas Grant, which included this county. These land holders furnished him teams of mules, horses and oxen; the necessary implements and laborers to open a farm in the rich Purgatoire valley." Mr. De Busk's farm, occupied by him since December, 1874, is the original Hatcher traet. A part of his adobe dwelling was long called "the Old Fort," having been used as a defense against the Indians. It was built by J. W. Lewelling, Hatcher's successor. Here was born his daughter, May, about the year 1866. In proving up his water right in the district court, Mr. De Busk discovered Ilatcher's water right, and from the oldest settlers gathered up its history.

"In the fall of 1846 Hatcher brought his teams, tools and peons (Mexican slaves) from Taos, N. M., built his cabin on the north side of the Purgatoire, 18 .miles cast of Trinidad, and began taking out a ditch on the south side. It was surveyed only by the eyes of unskilled men. In May, 1847, Hatcher planted such land as he had cleared and plowed-some 40 acres-to corn. In July his crop was a novel, interesting sight in the valley of tall cottonwoods, smaller box elders, dense willows, phim, locust and hop vines. About roasting ear time the Indians waited upon Mr. Hatcher, told him the land was theirs and farming would not be permitted. On his refusing to give up the crop, the Indians killed his oxen, took his mules and destroyed his crop, telling him they would kill him also unless he moved away at once. Hatcher improvised a cart from the remains of his wagon, which the red skins had demolished, and attaching one steer and one mule thereto, reached Bent's Fort on the Arkansas river. Thus ended the first attempt at farming in this county. "Some thirteen years later, further efforts to establish agriculture began to be made by the Mexican settlers then arriving about Trinidad. June 17th, 1861, the Gurule ditch was begun, and November Ist, 1860, the Antonio Lopez diteh. In 1862 four ditches were commeneed-the Baca, the Leitensderfer, the Chilili and the El Moro. In 1863 five more were started, the okl Riley Dunton, the Hilario Madril, the Reyez Montoya and the Jesus Fernandez, and Chacon and Espinosa."

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It is proper to state in this connection that the foregoing data respecting the construction of the canals are taken from a pamphlet containing a "Decree of the District Court adjudicating priorities of irrigating ditches," a valuable historical document.

"In 1864 four other ditches were begun, and in 1865 three additional. One of these was the Lewelling; that was simply a reopening of the old Hatcher ditch. Lewelling and his friends measured off their farms with a rope, and each took, or aimed to take, a mile of the valley. On the tract settled by Lewelling is found the first trace of fruit tree planting. Two walnut trees still live and bear their fruit; several elumps of the cultivated cherries survive, sprouts coming up from the roots of the original trees, which perished. Benjamin Titsworth, who settled near Lewell- ing about 1866, planted apple trees, but all perished. Wm. Bransford, a pioneer on San Francisco creek, also planted apple trees but without result, therefore these people voted apple culture a failure and concluded that the excellent wild fruits were all that nature intended them to enjoy. These early farms grew heavy crops of corn, oats and wheat from the virgin soil. Having no fences, farming began each year when spring had fully arrived, and the domestic animals, goats, cattle and horses could be herded away from the crops by day and corralled at night. The early rule was to irrigate the field early until an ox would bog in the soft ground, then, as soon as dry enough, plow and put in the seed. The moisture thus stored by this carly and thorough irrigation was sufficient to grow the crop on into June, before irrigation of the growing crop began. These settlers grew large quantities of oats and corn, much of which the government purchased for military posts at high prices. But everything they required was expensive; for example, a spade cost $2.50, a paper of needles a dollar, bacon one dollar a pound and butter the same.

"In 1866 six more ditches were begun, among them the Hoehne, at the station of that name now on the A. T. & S. F. R. R. Hoehne ("Dutch Bill") was an enterpris- ing German. He built the first mill, introduced the first threshing machine, planted strawberries, trees of apple, cherry, etc. He went so far as to put a fence around his trees, which was a surprising innovation. It doubtless made him more success- ful than the others. However, he lost all the apple trees of his first planting, but in course of time he renewed the experiment, and put out an orchard about 1874, entirely of crab apples, and alternated rows of crab apple and rows of cottonwood to afford wind breaks and give the protection of timber. Hoehne intended to graft good fruit on these hardy crab apples but it was never done. As they bloomed early each spring, the blossoms were killed much oftener than in case of standard apple trees, and for a decade after Hoehne had left it, these trees, because of their early blooming, demonstrated to the early settlers the utter impossibility of grow- ing apples, etc. This man was an extensive farmer. He had nearly a thousand acres of fine land, which he operated for some ten years, growing extensive crops.

"Six other ditches were begun in 1867, one in 1868, and in 1870 five. one of the . latter being a mill ditch at Trinidad. In 1872 I observed people coming from considerable distances to the two flouring mills at Trinidad with wagonloads of grain to be ground.

"At the present day there are 89 main ditches for irrigation in this county. The longest of these is sixteen miles, but the majority are small. The total mileage of main canals is about 300 miles. The running water is all ex- hausted for irrigation, but a vast amount might be stored in reservoirs. The topography of the county is very favorable for reservoir systems.

"All grains, grasses, vegetables and fruits adapted to a semi-tropical climate appear to do well. The tomato, a semi-tropical fruit, is grown by the wagonload on the higher lands, with sand in the soil. In the mountains and foot-hills-the western one-third of the county-irrigation is not practiced. Here are grown

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enormous crops of potatoes, oats, rye, vegetables and the small fruits. At Stone- wall-altitude 7,500 feet-apples and pears are grown. After leaving the foot- hills no farming is attempted without irrigation. The rainfall is approximately 15 inches per annum, including moisture from snowfall. The chief advantage agri- culture enjoys is in the fact that production in all lines is less than the home demand. Whatever the farmer produces he takes to market himself and sells under his own eye, thus saving freight tariffs and the elastic charges of commission merchants.

"The reason that so few orchards exist is that very few men of sufficient means or energy, or both, have chosen to adopt this line of industry. The pro- prietorship of a herd, or a coal mine, a store, or some speculation, has captivated the majority. At this date the foot-hill and mountain farmers sell the one staple- potatoes. The valley farmers have the one staple-alfalfa; a very few are becoming feeders of live stock as well as producers of raw materials. I estimate that Trinidad consumes 2,000 pounds per day of butter, yet there are not twenty professional dairymen in the county. The home product supplies much less than half of this demand, in winter not a tenth. Strawberry culture is totally neglected, yet would pay large margins. Our altitudes, ranging from 10,000 down to 4.500 ieet, should give a strawberry season of three months. I know of one patch of less than one- eighth of an acre which netted $120 in one season. E. J. Hubbard cultivated an acre of grapes for seven years at El Moro. The Hartford, Champion, Delaware and Concord were entirely successful. The Ives Seedling was not. The Mission grape of New Mexico was too tender. Henry J. Niles, on Grey creek, grew Muscatels successfully. All the small fruits, except the blackberry, thrive and yield abundantly. This exception requires winter covering of the tall stiff canes, and the extra labor is conceded to cost more than the profits of a crop. Many of us have discarded fruits or vegetables as being too tender to be grown, and later on have found that the same could be produced successfully in a different location.

"Temperature .- Our principal streams being tributary to the Arkansas river, the temperature of the plains portion of the county is very similar to that of the Arkansas valley, allowance being made for the increased altitude. Not until this year (1891) have there been sub-stations of the U. S. weather service in this county. The following is a comparison of the mean temperature of one station, five miles from the foot-hills, compared with Fruita, in Grand valley (Mesa county), and Rocky Ford, in the Arkansas valley (Otero county), for June, July and August, 1891, as reported by the U. S. Weather Bureau.

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History of the State of Colorado, Volume IV, Part 28

Author: Hall, Frank, 1836-1917. cn; Rocky Mountain Historical Company Publication date: 1889-95 Publisher: Chicago, Blakely print. Co. Number of Pages: 791

Author: Hall, Frank, 1836-1917. cn; Rocky Mountain Historical Company
Publication date: 1889-95
Publisher: Chicago, Blakely print. Co.
Number of Pages: 791