| Show I 1 AT JACKSON NEW MEXICO JACKSON san tuan juan county N M march ath x 1897 we trust that you will give us a little space in the columns ot your valuable paper to express our ideas in regard to an article which appeared in your semiweekly issue of february under tile the caption of another view and signed citizen not only do we feel that a great in justice austice has been done bruer brother lewis burnham by indirectly accusing him of falsifying in his letter published in the of february sad but we feel that a greater injustice has been done our little place and the effects who know how far reaching they may be this article is not written with the view of entering into any controversy with anyone or to take sides in any contention but to speak the truth in the matter under consideration while we feel that the article of brother burnhams burnhans Burn hams was highly seasoned it contained no erroneous statements and he be presented the matter exactly as he views it while brother lewis is h very enthusiastic he fie values his bis good name and honor as he does his life and for all the wealth in san juan county he would not wilfully misrepresent the facts in regard to timber are these the nearest sawmill is thirty five miles distant where all kinds of c common lumber can be purchased for leoo 1000 a thousand and an ordinary team can haul baul 1000 feet at a load as it is nearly all down hill cedar posts can be obtained at a distance of from three to five miles and cedar and pinion pine wood of the finest quality at a distance of three to four miles the excellent quality of the land and the magnificent climate no one questions but the water or the lack of it has been our only drawback we depend for our water supply upon the la a stream that has its rise in the la plata mountain forty five miles to the north in colorado up to within a few years past fair crops have been raised here by largely relying upon the river for our water supply but owing to the drouth that has prevailed in this part of the country for a few years past our crops have been bea almost and in some instances a complete failure some will say what about your reservoir why did you not build that while you were raising good crops we never felt the necessity of it until the drouth struck and we lost our crops and in consequence we were obliged to go elsewhere to earn our bread our prospects were never so bright as they are at present the snow is piled up in the mountains in such a quantity to insure us good crops this season without resorting to our reservoir which by the way is is progressing nicely the dam is fifty feet wide on the base and twelve feet in bight the water ten feet deep at the dam will cover ten acres when raised to the hight bight of forty feet feat the water will cover fifty acres at an average depth of about twenty feet in conclusion we wish to say that we have unbounded faith not only in the almost unlimited resources of this country but in the prophecies and promises made by a number of the lords worthy apostles who have visited this place and have seen its many advantages especially our beloved and worthy apostle elder briehan young ohof has spoken repeatedly of this place and counseled the people to hold it and in time a thrifty ward wara would be established here our esteemed and honored brethren of the stake presidency enc elders eders F A hammond william haa halls and platte D lyman also have baye given us like counsel and we propose it god wills to stay here and build ourselves homes and if others do not wish to come and join us we will get along without them our counsel to all is if you can say lay nothing good say nothing bad because whatever you say will return to us bringing us either happiness or sorrow gizo F BURNHAM E F TAYLOR J G BIGGS 1 J P fi M TAYLOR |
