1812 REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS. 



LAKE CITY, 



at present the metropolis of the San Juan and the leading town of the southwest, is finely 

 situated upon the Lake Fork of the Gunnison, at the mouth of Hensen Creek, with an alti- 

 titude of 8, 625 feet. In March, 1876, there was a population of 300 and about 50 buildings 

 in the town ; in March, 1877, it had increased to 1,500 and about 350 buildings, its popula- 

 tion atthe time of our visit being from 1,800 to 2,000. During the sjmng there were 300 or 

 400 idle men in the town in search of work, but being unsuccessful they did not remain. 

 It contained 3 banks, 1 national and 2 private ; a number of dry-goods houses, of which 

 10 were large firms, with an average stock of $15,000 to $25,000 ; some 10 assay ers, 9 

 surveyors, and the usual proportion of lawyers and doctors ; 3 bakeries, 3 barber- 

 shops, brick-yards, corrals, and feed-stables ; a furniture-house, a planing and a saw- 

 mill, 2 drug-stores, 4 hardware-stores, 2 jewelry establishments, 4 meat-markets, about 

 20 saloons, and 4 laundries operated by immigrants from the Celestial Empire ; 2 

 churches, 1 Episcopal, the other Presbyterian, indicate its permanent population ; 

 there being also two other church organizations with ediiices — 1 Catholic, the other 

 Methodist. Its great industries are its 3 large reduction works, to be hereafter de- 

 scribed, while 4 hotels, 6 restaurants (2 of them rivals and very fine establishments), 

 and 3 breweries do a thriving business. The San Juan being one of the United States 

 land districts, the office is situated here. A hook and ladder company, with Babcock 

 extinguishers, exists, and also a public library and reading-room ; while last, but not 

 least, there are 2 bright and spicy weekly newspapers, the Silver World and the San 

 Juan Crescent, with job-printing offices attached. At the post-office there was 

 observed an extensive news-stand with all the popular dailies of New York City and 

 papers of the Pacific coast, with the weeklies and monthly magazines. 



To Garland and the railroad there are daily mails and a coach each way, of Barlow 

 & Sanderson's line, the most extensive in the United States it is said. To Silverton 

 the mails were tri-weekly, carried upon horseback, and to the north, down the Lake 

 Fork, the service was also tri-weekly by a buck-board, the medium of fast communi- 

 cation in the mountainous region of the West. 



The town line is in the center of the creek, the Lake Fork, and upon the opposite 

 or eastern bank the buildings constitute Wade's Addition. This, with Crookeville to 

 the south and above the town, about the concentration works, will aggregate fully 

 the number given, if not slightly exceed it. 



Of all the places mentioned as within the great mineral region, none may be con- 

 sidered as advanced beyond the stage or condition of mining-camps save Lake City, 

 Silverton, and Ouray. 



To the southeast, where the Rio Grande emerges from its canon region, to the great 

 plain of San Luis Valley, lies 



DEL NORTE, 



on the south bank of the Rio Grande, at an altitude of 7,750 feet. 



West Del Norte, where settlements first arose, lost its former business by the erection 

 of a fine business block loAver down in the town, near which all the stores and houses 

 gathered; many buildings, therefore, are found deserted or unoccupied in entering 

 the place from the west. There were between 300 and 400 voters registered at the 

 election which had then just been held, the population of the place being 1,500. There 

 are five large wholesale houses — two of dry goods, with a stock of $80,000 and $50,000 ; 

 a large hardware establishment, stock $40,000 to $50,000, having a branch store at Lake, 

 and two others carrying amounts of $25,000 each. In addition thereto are some 30 

 stores of dry goods, groceries, and of a general nature, doing a small business ; 4 meat- 

 markets, 2 drug-stores, 4 large livery establishments, 6 shoe-stores, 2 harness-shops, 2 

 jewelry establishments, 3 wagon-shops, and 2 tailoring stores were observed. There 

 were 3 hotels, one being a fine brick structure, while 4 restaurants, 10 saloons, 2 

 billiard-rooms, 2 breweries, a photograph gallery, and 4 blacksmith-shops also 

 exist. The Bank of San Juan, a private and very fine institution, furnishes ample 

 exchange ; fire protection existing in a hook and ladder company, with Babcock extin- 

 guishers ; a fine library and reading-room was found, while the professional men were 

 an assayer, a civil engineer, and the quota of lawyers and doctors. It possesses a very 

 handsome school-house, erected at a cost of $10,000; a fine church edifice, of stone, 60 

 by 45 feet, denomination Methodist ; an Episcopal one, of frame, 30 by 22 feet ; and 

 three other church organizations — Catholic, Presbyterian, and Baptist — neither of 

 which possesses a buildiug ; a court-house and jail, 50 by 25 feet, very strong and 

 secure, on which account prisoners are there confined from Lake, Saguache, &c; brick- 

 yards, with machinery in use, and four sawmills within 20 miles, finding a market 

 here ; offices of the United States Land Department and Internal Revenue, and also of 

 the United States timber agent, are at this point. It has a fine weekly newspaper, of 

 extensive circulation, and the oldest in the San Juan, called the San Juan Prosj)ector. 



The town-site is very fine and the place well arranged, the streets being wide and 



