Show LETS LETiS GUARD WHAT IS LEFT ii l t r By W W. Earl Soil Rhinehart Conservation District Service Conservationist J r CHAPTER V- V J Bluff luft Monticello Verdine i Carlisle r Tho The founding of ot Bluff City t. t settlement settlement settle settle- was waa tho the first r recorded ment went of ot the San Juan Valley Topographers of ot the Hayden Survey Surrey Surrey Sur Sur- rey vey In 1874 found no white whito men living In the southeastern part of ot tho the state Early day scouts reported that this country at- at lorded excellent opportunities for tor irrigation atlon farming and stock railing raising Tho The site was more moro or less sio- sio ted la-ted from the rest of ot Utah To the north of ot Bluff City the tho only white whito people were a few tew settlors settlors set set- v tIers at Moab miles away cast In Colorado 7 miles mUes south 60 miles and west E Escalante calante Iwar ju WM miles mUes awa away The nearest nearest near near- est cst market and source of supplies supplies sup sup- plies was Albuquerque miles to the southeast Salt SaIl Lace City wa was miles mUes to the north north- west greet In order that the people of Bluff Blutt could bo be ko kept t In close contact contact con con- tact with their religious and poJ political po po- 1 J beliefs In Utah a road wu contemplated from the high plateaus of central Utah across Glen Canyon the Red Rock and Grand Gulch plateaus and the Comb and Butler washes Destined Des Des- tined for Fort Montezuma IS miles up the San Juan the San SanJuan SanJuan SanJuan Juan Mission constructing the roads as they went stopped construction construction construction con con- at the mouth of ot Cottonwood Cottonwood Cottonwood Cot Cot- Creek April 5 6 1880 They could go no further The men women and children who survived untold hardships s for days were exhausted Horses and cattle were barely table to move It Thus Bluff City was founded tho the next day An Annet net fact of ot the Legislature In Fel Feoni- Feoni ru ary ar 1880 had organized San SanJuan SanJuan SanJuan Juan County and leaders of ot thelan tho the San lan Juan mission wore It KB officers officers of ot- Official reports and 1 personal records In tho the early days at Bluff Bluer were very verT discouraging continuous trouble with Irrigation Irrigation irrigation ir Ir- Ir- Ir ditches floods from Cottonwood covered fields nelds with mud s mud as protection from tho the Indians women and children lived In a fort stock fort stock had to tobe tobe tobe be herded to prevent stealing in the tho fall tall of 1880 about half halt the moved awa away Crops during 81 1880 were very poor The Great Flood of ot June 1884 covered the farmlands above Bluff Bluer wiped out tho the settlement of Fort Montezuma Montezuma Montezuma Monte- Monte zuma and changed tho the meadows meadow on Cottonwood Creek Into Band sand Illats more farmlands were flooded away In 1885 Farming Farmin In the San Juan conn country try had proved pro unprofitable and in 1885 replaced agriculture as tho the primary Industry The town of Hammond now called Monticello was organized ed edIn In 1887 by settlors settlers from Bluff and Mancos They were attracted attract attract- ed d by o opportunities to supplement supplement supple supple- ment summer forage on Elk Ridge and Abajo Mountain by raising grain on dry farms and andfIeld andfield fIeld Irrigated by headwater tributaries tributaries trib trib- of ot the Montezuma 1 As Ae a result Carlisle was also atao founded in 1889 and In 1884 Ranches started in Strawberry Strawberry Strawberry Straw Straw- berry Creek Cottonwood Canyon Can Oan- Canyon yon and Indian Creek Tho The town of ot LaSal was taS at first tho the headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters of ot the Pittsburg Cattle Company In 1885 1886 CHAPTER LaSal Bluff handing Mexican Hat Monticello During the tho settlement of ot the theJuan ln an Juan County there were I three events which come up 1 the Gold Excitement on tho the San Juan between 92 1890 2 the mining boom in AbaJo AbaJo Abajo Aba- Aba Jo Mountains between 92 1890 and 3 the tho oil boom at Mexican Mexican Mexican can Hat between n 1907 and 1910 A report indicating that rich placer gravel W was strewn all along San Juan Canyon brought in in about 2000 people through Bluff Blurt in 1892 The return of at the disillusioned miners to stream bottoms bottom and ledges ledge of ot Abajo Mountain still sUll caused Bluff to prosper According to diaries there were 40 to 50 60 miners minere 1 passing passing pass pass- ass 1 in ing through Bluff every day Today Monticello is a thrivIng thriving thriving ing cattle and shee sheep town with witha a population of ot about In Inand Inand Inand and Monticello are aro 1200 acre of ot Irrigated land watered from the tho streams of Abajo Moun Moun- tain In tho the hope lope of successful dry farming the Inhabitants have broken up lands east and north of ot town East of ot Monticello on the tho sago sage plains near Cerar Point and settlors settlers ar are trying dry farming Blanding one ono of the last frontier frontier towns In San Juan County was settled by farmers armors who were flooded out at Bluff Blanding was called Grayson At the time the tho first irrigation ditch was dug In 1903 Blanding was a n waterless expanse ex ox- panso of ot sagebrush pinon and bare rock A few families settled settled set set- tied the community in 1904 Today it Is the largest town In San Juan County boasting a population of oC more moro than 1400 Most ost support comes from farming farming farm tarm- ing ng the acres acre of irrigated sand land semi irrigated lands 1000 acres of ot dry land and nd grazing districts Most Mm t unusual for tor Utah settlements settlements settlements settle settle- ments Mexican Hat tho the newest town In San Juan County lies In a a. rough arid region with unfertile unfertile unfertile un un- fertile soil and undrinkable water va ter Its chief attraction was placer gold and oil Gold miners of the early nineties continued their search for gold in In and around Mexican H Hat t until 1901 The drilling of ot a successful oil well near here In 1907 again was a chief attraction Mexican Hat and were both laid out on tho the assumption that new oil fields would be tive But Dut gold prospects and oil wells both proved unprofitable Mexican Hat was abandoned in 1930 today is inhabited InhabIted Inhabited by hy three families who operate operate op op- erate erato a store to care caro for Cor needs of ot tourists I |