144 



COLORADO. 



Marshall banks, as well as the South Park 

 mines, at Como, likewise show an increase. 



The Gunnison anthracite coal-fields near 

 Crested Butte have been recently brought un- 

 der development. The coal is a red-ash, free- 

 burning anthracite, resembling most nearly the 

 Lykens valley coal of Pennsylvania. 



AsricDltore aod Stock-raising. The acreage of 

 southern Colorado was 149,509 ; value of prod- 

 ucts, $2,862,595. The acreage of northern 

 Colorado was 342,998; value, $6,905,374. 



RECAPITULATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS FOR THE 

 YEAR 1882. 



*Tons. 



The extent of territory devoted to cattle- 

 raising has become very large, and there is 

 range enough in this State to support 1,500,000 

 cattle. The assessors return the number of 

 cattle now in the State as less than 500,000, 

 but it is not believed that these reports are 

 correct. The following table gives the assess- 

 ors' returns for a number of years : 



Cattle in 1 871 ... . . 1 45,916 Cattle in 1880 541 ,568 



Cattle in 1 875. 299,515 Cattle in 1 881 411,970 



Cattle in 1878.... ..498.279 Cattle in 1882 428,948 



Cattle in 1879... 



But that there were in 1878-'80 more cattle 

 than at present is doubtful. It is claimed that 

 the vast region between the Gunnison and 

 Grand rivers on the north, and the Uncompah- 

 gre, the Dolores, and the San Miguel on the 

 east and south, extending 50 miles in one direc- 

 tion and 150 in another, and comprising nearly 

 5,000,000 acres, furnishes an excellent and al- 

 most unoccupied region for stock-growing. It 

 is reached by the Denver and Rio Grande rail- 

 road, and is within driving distance from the 

 Union Pacific. 



According to estimate, 100,000 head were, 

 in 1882, shipped out of the State, while the 

 home consumption amounted to 60,000. The 

 value of these is placed at above $6,000,OQO. 



According to the assessors' returns, there 

 were, in 1882, 11 per cent, more sheep in 

 Colorado than a year before. The assessors 

 returned in 1879, 779,229 ; in 1880, 782,629 ; 

 in 1881, 624,502 ; and in 1882, 706,048. It is 

 thought that the number of sheep now in the 

 State is over 1,000,000. Their value is esti- 

 mated at $2,500,000. It is estimated that dur- 

 ing 1882 the wool-clip amounted to 5,000,000 

 pounds, worth $1,000,000 ; and that 100,000 

 wethers, worth $350,000, were consumed or 

 shipped to Eastern markets a total income 

 from sheep of $1,350,000. 



There is considerable difference between the 

 sheep of the southern part of the State and 

 those of the northern part, the latter being 

 much the better. In a division of this kind, 

 Colorado Springs is about on the dividing 

 line. 



Railroads. The rapid growth of the railroad 

 system of the State is shown in the annexed 

 table : 



1870 , 



1871 



1872 



1873 



1874.' 



1875 



1876 



Miles. | 



Miles. 

 1,045 

 1,165 

 1,208 

 1,531 

 2,208 

 3,088 



The subjoined table shows the miles in op- 

 eration at the beginning of 1883 : 



Miles. 



Union Pacific and branches 1,170 



Denver and Eio Grande 1,281 



Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 281 



Burlington 182 



Denver and New Orleans 134 



Denver, Utah and Pacific 40 



Total. 



Temperance. A State Temperance Conven- 

 tion was held in Denver in October, which 

 adopted a platform containing the following: 



We recognize it to be the duty of every real friend 

 of humanity and all true reform, to refrain totally 

 from the use of alcoholic drink of every description, 

 and that no countenance be given to its manufacture 

 or sale by license, either high or low ; and that the 

 only proper and just way to treat such a monster evil 

 is to prohibit it by the plainest and strongest statutes, 

 enforced by the severest penalties, just as all other 

 crimes are dealt with in the body politic. 



Resolved, That steps should at once be taken to 

 prepare a bill providing for an amendment to the Con- 

 stitution of this State, having prohibition for its foun- 

 dation, and that a committee of five be appointed by 

 this convention to further this end. 



State Capital. At the general election in No- 

 vember, 1881, the city of Denver was selected 

 as the permanent capital of the State. The 

 litigation which has been pending for several 

 years past concerning the title of the State to 

 the block on Capitol hill, known as "Capitol 

 square," has been finally determined in favor 

 'of the State by the Supreme Court of the United 

 States. 



Resources and General Condition. Colorado, 

 now in its twenty -fifth year, counts a settled 

 population of 300,000, and a taxable valuation 

 of $110,000,000, representing an actual prop- 

 erty value of $200,000,000. It is traversed by 

 nearly 3,000 miles of railroad. Its growth in 

 importance as a grazing State becomes yearly 

 more manifest by its largely increased ship- 

 ments of live-stock, while its available farming 

 area is being constantly added to by the rapid 

 extension of its system of irrigating canals. 

 Not so generally understood, however, is the 

 vast extent of its coal and iron deposits, now 

 in the first stage of development. 



The area of the State is, in round figures, 

 104,000 square miles, distributed (approximate- 

 ly) as follows : 



