COLORADO. 



143 



new districts have been organized, and nearly 

 as many school-houses have been erected. Many 

 of these buildings are large, expensive struct- 

 ures. There are 370 school-houses in the 

 State, valued at $1,235,491, having seating ca- 

 pacity for 26,470 pupils. According to the 

 school census of 1882, there were in the State 

 49,208 children between the ages of 6 and 21 

 years, of which number 31,738 were enrolled 

 in the public schools. The permanent school 

 fund of the State now amounts to $75,200.37, 

 being an increase during the past two years of 

 about $40,000. This fund is invested in inter- 

 est-bearing State securities, and the interest 

 received therefrom, together with money re- 

 ceived from the rental of school lands, is dis- 

 tributed to the several counties of the State 

 according to the school population. During 

 the past two years $30,604.68 of such money 

 has been thus distributed. The State Library 

 contains 7,107 volumes. 



The university at Boulder was the first edu- 

 cational institution established by the Legisla- 

 ture. The number of students now exceeds 

 100, and six were graduated from the classical 

 course of the college department in 1882. 



The report of the State School of Mines 

 shows that the number of students is more 

 than double that of two years ago. 



The agricultural interests of the State, which 

 until recently have been overshadowed by min- 



ing and other interests, are now beginning to 

 command attention. Now the climate is .un- 

 derstood, irrigation is practiced intelligently, 

 and the appliances for destroying the pest of 

 farming communities are well understood. But 

 owing to the scarcity of water for irrigation, 

 only a limited amount of lands can be culti- 

 vated, and Colorado can never become an agri- 

 cultural State. The first State Legislature es- 

 tablished an Agricultural College at Fort Col- 

 lins. Under the economical supervision of the 

 managers, very commendable results have been 

 attained with the appropriations made by the 

 State. The present value of the college prop- 

 erty, at what is considered a low estimate, is 

 as follows : 



Buildings and farm .. $28,960 00 



Fixtures and personal property 21,611 12 



Total $50,571 12 



The cost to the State has been 48,000 00 



The number of students in attendance in 

 1881 was 62; in 1882 there were 95. The 

 college farm, which contains 240 acres, has 

 been fenced, irrigating-ditches have been con- 

 structed, and a portion of the land has been 

 brought under cultivation. Some blooded 

 stock has been procured, and many trees plant- 

 ed. In September, 1882, a department of me- 

 chanics and drawing was established. 



Mining. The following table gives the prod- 

 uct of precious metals at the periods named: 



The following is a condensed tabulated state- 

 ment of the bullion output of Lake county and 

 Leadville from 1860 to J.-m. 1, 1883, and is as 

 nearly correct as it is possible to make it : 



FIRST PERIOD. 



I880-TO. gold from placers $6,400,000 00 



1874, gold and silver... 145,00000 



1875, gold and silver 113,000 00 



1876, gold, silver, and lead 85,000 00 



1877, gold, silver, and lead 555,330 00 



1878, gold, silver, and lead 8,152,925 00 



Total $10,451,255 00 



SECOND PERIOD. 



1879, sold, silver, and lead $10,833,740 69 



1880, gold, silver, and lead 14,187,697 00 



1881, gold, silver, and lead 13,170,576 00 



1882, gold, silver, and lead, first quarter 4,048.618 00 



1882, gold, silver, and lead, second quarter. . . . 8,769,300 00 



1882, gold, silver, and lead, third quarter 4,575,340 00 



J882, gold, silver, and lead, fourth quarter (es- 

 timated) 4,000,000 00 



. Total $54,085,271 69 



Grand total... 



Coal- mining is fast becoming one of the chief 

 industries of this State. The counties of Las 

 Animas, Fremont, Boulder, Jefferson, Gunni- 

 son, Huerfano, El Paso, Park, and La Plata are 

 large producers of coal. The following table 

 will be of interest as showing the growth of 

 the coal output of the leading mines of south- 

 ern Colorado, from the time they were opened 

 to the end of the year 1882 : 



Tons. 



1873 12.187 



1874. 18,092 



1875 15,278 



1876 20,316 



1877 44,410 



Tons. 



1878 82.140 



1879 120,102 



1880 221,373 



1881 350,944 



1882 511,289 



No exact figures concerning the output of 

 the coal-mines of northern Colorado have been 

 obtainable. It is safe to say, however, that 

 the product of the "Welch banks, at Louisville, 

 and the Boulder valley, at Erie, have been in- 

 creased 50 per cent, over 1881. The Star and 



