THE IKKIGATION AGE. 



367 



The Property of the Denver Suburban Homes 



and Water Company 



riore about the property south of Denver. Some of the results obtained by "Potato" Clark. 

 Improvements and enlargement of the water supply system being planned. 



(Continued from 



At the time of the great Chicago fire, in 1873, Mr. 

 Rufus Clark of Denver was engaged in the cultivation 

 of potatoes in Colorado. His property lay south of the 

 city- of Denver, near what is now Overland Park, one 

 of the large athletic grounds of the capital city, and now 

 part of the city itself. Mr. Clark had had a good sea- 

 son, which, combined with a thorough and scientific 

 knowledge of agriculture, had produced an immense 

 crop of potatoes. When the government came to the aid 

 of the fire-stricken city it became necessary for the au- 



September issue.) 



agriculture. One fall he had an excellent yield of water- 

 melons. At the time watermelons were decided luxuries 

 in that part of the country, and Mr. Clark, with an in- 

 nate keen business sense, saw an opportunity of making 

 large profits from his harvest. So, rather than take it 

 to the few stores then existing, he sold his melons in a 

 unique way. He would drive his wagon down Fifteenth 

 street to the corner of one of the best patronized cross 

 streets and at auction would sell his melons. Not only 

 >,vere the miners anxious to obtain the fruit for the sake 



View of Castlewood Lake, Showing Company House. 



thorities in charge to look to the West for many of the 

 supplies. Mr. Clark's immense crop of potatoes was 

 brought to their notice, and they asked him to set a price 

 on the entire production. Mr. Clark made an offer and 

 it was accepted by the government. The price was $35,- 

 000 truly an enormous sum for one season's yield. 

 And that is how Mr. Clark obtained the sobriquet of 

 "Potato" Clark a name by which he is known through- 

 out the State of Colorado. 



Another incident of Mr. Clark's experience in till- 

 ing the soil is well worthy of mention. When Denver 

 was a gold camp he was not one of the many who were 

 attracted by the lure of precious metal. He stuck to 



of the fruit itself, but it really became a fad this buying 

 of watermelons. A man who could not purchase one was 

 as much an alien in the social circles of the embryo 

 city as would have been a drummer for toilet soap. In 

 the parlance of today people "went wild" over "Potato" 

 Clark's watermelons and the prices the fruit brought 

 were correspondingly high. The medium of exchange in 

 Ihose days was gold dust, and some of the melons went 

 to the highest bidder for ten dollars' worth of the pre- 

 cious metal. 



Mr. Clark was at one time the owner of practically 

 all the land now owned by the Denver Suburban Homes 

 & Water Company, having obtained title to it through 



