210 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



present dimensions, Mesa, Delta, and Montrose being created wholly, and 

 Uncompahgre in part, at its expense/ The meridian of one hundred 

 and seven degrees, thirty minutes, became the western line of the reduced 

 county, while the Delta- Mesa line followed the edge of the Grand Mesa in 

 part. A new county of Uncompahgre was created by this assembly, com- 

 prising all of the valley of the Uncompahgre River and its tributaries south 

 of thirty-eight degrees and twenty minutes, and north of the San Juan 

 county line. Before the session ended the name of San Miguel had been 

 appUed to the old county of Ouray, while th^ name Ouray had been trans- 

 ferred to the new county of Uncompahgre.^ 



The history of the western slope since 1883 is quickly told. Archuleta 

 came with the fifth assembly in 1885, to reduce Conejos to its present 

 limits west of the continental divide.^ In 1889 the seventh assembly 

 divided La Plata along the mountain range of the same name, and 

 gave the name Montezuma to its western end, in honor, perhaps, of its 

 prehistoric ruins.'* It ran also an irregular line along the lines of the 

 United States survey in creating Rio Blanco in the northern part of 

 Garfield. s The ninth assembly, four years later, separated Rio Grande 

 and Hinsdale counties by the new county of Mineral, four ranges 

 wide and running from the ninth correction line to the continental 

 divide.^ 



During the eighties Colorado developed as an agricultural state more 

 rapidly than before. Irrigation had ceased to be an experiment; while 

 the assertion by the state of its rights to control its waters, together with 

 the supervision of the state engineer over hydraulic conditions, founded 



» Mesa, February 14; Delta, February 11; Montrose, February 11; Uncompaghre, February 27 (Sess. 

 Laws, 1883, pp. 133. 124. 136, 139)- 



' Uncompaghre was created by act of February 27, 1883, and had its name changed to Ouray, March 2, 

 1883 (Sess. Laws, 1883, p. 139). The dividing line between the new Ouray and San Juan had been defined 

 by act of January i8, 1877 {General Laws, 1877, p. 207). It depends upon the location of a certain Mineral 

 Creek which empties into the Uncompaghre River, and is of great importance because it traverses a rich min- 

 eral district. The Une is now (1906) in the hands of the state engineer, whose chief difficulty is to identify 

 Mineral Creek. The northern line of 38° 20', calling for an astronomical location, is also in the hands of the 

 state engineer. 



3 Act of April 14, i88s {Sess. Laws, 1885, p. 40). 



* Act of April 16, 1889 {Sess. Laws, 1889, p. 262). 



5 Act of March 15, 1889 {Sess. Laws, 1889, p. 325). The act is carelessly worded in its definition of 

 the survey lines, but its intent can be easily seen. 



' Act of March 27, 1893 {Sess. Laws, 1893, p. 94). This act was carelessly phrased. A later act of April 

 24, 1895, was necessary to bring its wording into harmony with its intent {Sess. Laws, 1895, p. 205). 



