S THE IERIGA 1 1ON A GE 



a large area of land surrounding the station and with his accustomed 

 liberality and broad-mindedness he placed at our disposal whatever 

 land we found necessary for the town site. 



The platting of the townsite was commenced immediately and as 

 soon as it was completed and an opportunity offered the public to se- 

 cure lots therein a rapid and substantial growth commenced. A large 

 number of new business houses and a greater number of neat and sub- 

 stantial dwellings were constructed and Senator S wink's long cher- 

 ished dream of a thriving town and a prosperous cummunity was well 

 strated towards realization. Capitalists came and made careful exam- 

 ination of the Rocky Ford district and upon that based their calcula- 

 tions of what could be done in the same line all along the fertile 

 ATlrajusaR River valley with adequate irrigating canals. The Oxford 

 Ditch, the Lamar and La Junta Canal, the Holbrook Canal, the High 

 Lane and various other irrigation enterprises quickly took shape and 

 and in the next few years were pushed to completion, until at this time 

 the finest systems of irrigation in Colorado are in operation between 

 Xepesta, the point where the Santa Fe crosses the Arkrnsas River 

 above Rocky Ford, and the Kansas line. 



The most important industry in the valley now well established, 

 and which could have no foothold there but for these splendid irriga- 

 tion systems, is the production of sugar beets and the manufacture of 

 beet sugar. 



In 1891 at the request of Mr. A. A. Robinson, then Vice President 

 and General Manager of the Santa Fe Ry., (now president of the Mex- 

 ican Central Ry - J the writer, then land commissioner of the Santa Fe 

 Ry., carefully investigated the beet sugar industry in the United 

 States and made quite a full and exhaustive written report. 



I had for some time previously given considerable attention to the 

 matter and have ever since felt the deepest interest in it- 

 Several conferences were had with Messers. Swink and Godding 

 on this subject and at my request these gentlemen attended a beet- 

 sugar convention held some eight or nine years ago at Grand Island, 

 Nebraska, for the purpose of getting information with a view to se- 

 curing a beet sugar manufactory at Rocky Ford. 



The superior melons, both water melons and cantaloupes, pro- 

 duced at Rocky Ford seemed to me indubitable evidence of the excel- 

 lence of that soil and climate for products of a saccharine content and 

 I hoped to secure the location of a beet sugar plant there. From the 

 information secured at that convention Mr. Swink, who was as desir- 

 ous as I of getting this industry located, told me that much to his re- 

 gret he was forced to the conclusion that our region was not yet ready 

 for it. There was not sdfflcient land under cultivation and the farm- 

 ers were not ready for it, but with the indomitable resolution so char- 



