THE UNOCCUPIED LANDS OF COLORADO. 



QUANTITY OF WATER. 



In almost every irrigated district in the west the 

 cry is heard: "If we only had more water!" It is 

 never heard in Grand Valley. There is water in 

 abundance to irrigate every foot of land in the valley 

 and have enough left to irrigate twice as much more. 

 This immense quantity of water is supplied by the 

 Grand and Gunnison rivers, the former of which 

 carries 12,000 cubic feet of water per second where it 

 enters the valley, and the latter 6,000 cubic feet per 

 second. Besides these are Plateau and Rapid creeks, 

 tributary to the valley, their waters aggregating 500 

 cubic feet per second. These rivers and creeks are 

 fed by the perpetual snows of the mountains and will 

 pour down their vast volumes of water for all time. 



CLIMATE. 



As a health resort Grand Valley has an enviable 

 record. The altitude is sufficiently great, 4,000 to 

 4,500 feet, to ensure a light and dry atmosphere, while 

 the mountains that protect the valley on all sides so 

 modify the winters that they are such only in name. 



but a few hours distant. Three railroads, the Col- 

 orado Midland, the Denver and Rio Grande broad 

 gauge and the Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge, 

 connect the valley with its markets. There is no 

 farm in the valley over six miles from a railroad 

 station, from which shipments may be made by freight 

 or express and' every facility the roads can offer is 

 afforded the fruit grower and farmer. 



COAL, COKE AND NATURAL GAS. 



The mountains on both the north and south sides of 

 the valley contain two veins, one eight feet and one 

 four feet thick, of excellent coal. These veins are 

 mined at the Mt. Lincoln and Little Book Cliff mines, 

 the latter connected with Grand Junction by a narrow 

 gauge railroad twelve miles long. Coal is sold at the 

 mines at $1.25 a ton. 



A good grade of coke is made from the coal and 

 coke ovens are operated during the winter season. 



Natural gas has recently been discovered within 

 the city limits of Grand Junction. Borings to demon- 

 strate its extent are being made. 



THE VALLEY OF THE GRAND. 



The mean temperature of the six coldest months of the 

 year is about thirty-nine degrees above zero ; the mean 

 temperature for the six summer months will average 

 sixty-eight degrees. Particularly is the climate 

 adapted to those who are suffering from lung diseases, 

 or for catarrhs affecting any of the mucous mem- 

 branes or glands. Many of the cases of bronchitis, 

 catarrh, asthma and consumption, pronounced help- 

 less in the east, and which are indeed so there, are 

 capable of recovery here. 



NEARNESS TO MARKET. 



The Grand Valley fruit growers possess an immense 

 advantage over all competitors in their nearness to 

 market. Peaches picked late in the afternoon are on 

 sale on the Denver fruit stands early the next morn- 

 ing, while Leadville, Aspen, Pueblo, Gunnison, Col- 

 orado Springs in fact, all of the mining camps, 

 manufacturing cities and resorts of Colorado are 



SCENERY AND SURROUNDINGS. 



The Grand Canyon, through which Grand Valley is 

 reached from the east, is awe-inspiring in grandeur, 

 being one of the most picturesque and beautiful can- 

 yons in Colorado. Its precipitous walls rise thousands 

 of feet above its floor, where the Grand river tosses 

 and fumes in a roaring torrent over rapids and falls 

 as if constantly fretting at the encroachment of the 

 railroad which crowds it into smaller proportions than 

 even the narrow bed given it by nature. 



The high walls of the canyon widen out to form 

 Grand Valley and form picturesque barriers to the 

 north and south not only guarding it from the severity 

 of storms but affording inspiring views of timbered 

 mountain ridges and rocky summits piercing the 

 clouds and apparently combining with the heavens 

 to shut the valley in from the troubles of the outside 

 world. 



