Gunnison County Past - Fish Hatchery competitions and local politics

145 years ago

From the April 23, 1881, edition of the Gunnison News 

• “There are indications of a railroad war in the Grand Canon of the Gunnison.” This is part of the “Royal Gorge War”, a violent struggle for control of key Colorado passes between the Denver & Rio Grande Railway and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The war ended in essential control from the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. Today the tracks are used by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. 
• “A U.S. Surveyor will be here next week to locate the boundary lines of Gunnison. This will be the main point to which all the surveys on the reservation will be made. The land granted to the Ute Indians is to be surveyed as soon as possible. Mr. Russell T. Mershon passed through Gunnison last Monday with his assistant to proceed at once with the survey.” The “land granted to the Utes” was really a forced displacement of them from the valley, sending them to a reservation in northeastern Utah, which opened up the land for more mining, ranching and settlement. 
• “J.L. Frankeburger was elected mayor at the town elections.” 
• “George Comey, David Ashby and Wm. Hughes have discovered carbonates eight miles south of Gunnison, of high grade. An assayer of the U.S. Mint, at Denver, found the ore to contain 150 ounces silver and nine ounces in gold.” Ironhill is still bursting with carbonates, but remains unmined due to local concerns in Powderhorn including a water crisis, a thorium problem and infrastructure issues, but federal pressure is growing.
• “The Town Board has contracted to supply the town with water through the ditches for six months. The Ditch Company agree to furnish water to the north limit of the town in sufficient quantities, and the town to keep the ditches in good order.” It seems that 145 years ago, Gunnison was facing a drought similar to the one it is facing today. To this day, the 25 miles of ditches, that are as old as Gunnison, deliver irrigation water to homes and businesses.

125 years ago

From the April 20, 1900, edition of the Gunnison Tribune

• “Mr. Holland announced yesterday that this year there will be a prolonged contest between the Gunnison and the Durango hatcheries as to which one will produce the most fish.” Gunnison produced the most fish in 1899, and were projected to produce 1,000,000 trout in 1900. This was part of an ongoing effort by Colorado fish hatcheries to supply more fish for the growing demand. 
• “Miss Mary E. Williams, county superintendent of schools, reached Marble from Gunnison on Tuesday to pay a visit to the schools in the district.”
• “One of the most charming comedy dramas that has ever been put on the Gunnison stage is to be given by local talent, under the management of C.T. Rawalt, next Tuesday evening, at the Academy. The cast is all composed of Gunnison artists and they have been practicing faithfully. “Among the Breakers” is a strong play and appeals to the theater-going public, in that it is clean, bright and sparkling with excellent passages.” “Among The Breakers" is a play written by George Melville Baker and first published in 1872. The play is set in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine and revolves around the story of a shipwreck and the rescue efforts of the local fishermen. It features characters such as the captain of the ship, his wife, the fishermen, and a young woman who becomes romantically involved with one of the fishermen. The play explores themes of bravery, sacrifice, and love in the face of danger. 

100 years ago

From an April edition of the 1926 Top O' The World - WCU, The Pitkin Miner 

• “The Sarrasin Ranch, near Gunnison, was sold this week by Louis Sarrasin, owner, to Alphonse Taramarcaz, the ranch comprised of 601 acres.”
• “No mountain region can boast of finer roads than are found in the 94 miles of the Pike’s Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway which cuts through the entire east-west length of Gunnison county, and the 30 miles of tributary roads which enable the motorist to reach the very frontier of wild life, natural resources, and scenic beauty of the rugged American Rockies. This spring the government announced that the 94 miles of the nation's most famous highway, the Pike’s Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, had been designated as east west route of Primary Federal Highway of America, which is conclusive that the Salida to Grand Junction section of the P.P.O.O. via Gunnison, Montrose, and Delta, is now recognized as the finest transcontinental path through Colorado.” The P.P.O.O. launched in 1914, going through 13 states, stretching from New York to California. It was often recognised for promoting local road improvement. 
• “Carl Milliken, present Secretary of State, and avowed candidate for Governor on the Republican ticket, came in on Thursday morning and will remain over and speak to the cattlemen on Friday. We sincerely hope for the reputation of Gunnison that no one dopes Carl’s cider or other beverage here. It is well and very appropriate that a certain amount of entertainment be extended to visitors, but here where we are at our best we take our drinks straight and luckily cider is not often on the bill of fare.”