Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1890 — GRAND JUNCTION, COL. [ARTICLE]

GRAND JUNCTION, COL.

Soon to Be a Converging Center o t Several Railroad* Rapidly Approaching Completion Smelter* to Be Erected Here—Splendid Markets Thus Opened Near at Hand for the Products or the Extraordinarily Fertile Soil of This Locality. Gkakd Junction, Col, March 30,1890. Editor Orange Judd Faimer: In my previous letters I have written only of the trait and vegetable resources of tho Grand Valley. I wish now to call attention to some other resources of this fa'vored locality. Immediately surrounding the valley are the famous Book Cliff Mountains; through these cliffs, for miles, large coal measures crop out at the surface. The coal is varied in kind and qaality, including lanje veins of a fine bituminous variety suitable for domestic and steam purposes, and a Une quality of cooking coal, and in quonties that are practically inexhaustible. Buck of the mountains containing c al. the precious mineral-bearing mountains begin, :n which the famous mining comps of Leadvtlle. Aspen, Ouray, and a dozen other mining camps are situated. Ali of these arc tributary by simple gravitating power to th6town of Grand Junction, which will on tire completion of the railroads now building make this one of the great smelting centers of the West. Kow with regard to raUroad facilities. Grand Junction is to-day the termiaus of •.he Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge from Denver westward, and the terminus of the Bio Grande Western from Balt Lake City eastward, and also of the Little Book Cliff Railroad. The Denver & Bio Grande And the Colorado Midland are now building a broad gauge road down the valley of the Grand to meet at Grand Junotlon the broad gauge road now building from Balt Lake eastward. All of these broad gauge roads are to be compteted by next June.thegradin ; being now practically completed and track laying commenced. These thus give an outlet in every direction for this season's crops, and in a short time several other trunk lines will be bailt here, fully a dozen others having already made surveys or now making them with a view of either terminating at this point or passing through. Representatives of two large smelting syndicates have been here within the past few days, with a view of securing suitable sites for the erection of smelters. Mors anon. W. W. F.