THE UNOCCUPIED LANDS OF COLORADO. 



121 



what were but a short time ago barren wastes; the 

 boundless belts of timber are yielding a share of their 

 wealth to the demands of commerce; from the coal 

 beds the black diamonds are being taken in scores of 

 mines, and yet so little has been touched in any of 

 these industries that scarcely a beginning has been 

 made. There are still unexplored mountain sides to 

 be prospected for gold and silver, unmeasured forests 

 to be felled, coal areas unlimited to be mined, and 

 millions of acres of land to be watered and culti- 

 vated. 



OURAY COUNTY. 



Ouray stands in the front rank of the mineral pro- 

 ducing counties of Colorado. The well-known mining 



SAN MIGUEL, DOLORES AND SAN JUAN. 



Mining and lumbering are the leading industries of 

 these three counties, the rich mines of Telluride, 

 Ophir and Rico and the big lumbering camps of Do- 

 lores being within their borders. Although there is 

 but little farming in these counties it could in the west- 

 ern portions of San Miguel and Dolores counties be 

 made profitable. There are upward of 300,000 acres 

 susceptible of reclamation and cultivation in Dolores 

 and San Miguel counties, most of which is subject to 

 homestead and desert entry. The mineral output 

 from the three counties in 1893 was $5,863,485. 



HINSDALE AND RIO GRANDE 



Are also mining counties, the output of gold and 



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SHADED PORTIONS SHOW IRRIGATED LANDS. 



districts of Red Mountain, Ironton, Mount Sneffles 

 and Ouray are within its borders. The mountains are 

 covered with a heavy growth of timber. The county 

 contains but one farming district, that at Ridgway, 

 where several thousand acres are watered by the 

 Uncompahgre and farmed with great profit. Owing to 

 the great altitude alfalfa, grain and potatoes form the 

 principal crops. The nearness to the markets of 

 Ouray and other mining camps ensures top prices for 

 everything produced and the Ridgway farmers are 

 prosperous. The water supply is ample and the 

 farmed area can be increased. The mineral output 

 in 1893 of Ouray county was $1,579,823. 



silver constantly increasing from both. So eager is 

 the search for the precious metals that agriculture is 

 given but little attention, although a few valley 

 ranches produce hay and vegetables at a good profit 

 and agricultural development could be profitably ex- 

 tended. 



MONTEZUMA COUNTY. 



Montezuma county, in the extreme southwestern 

 portion of the State, is one of the latest developed 

 agricultural regions of Colorado, the past five years 

 witnessing the first attempts to irrigate its lands in a 

 systematic manner. Two large rivers, the Dolores 

 and Marcos, supply the county with water. 



