Big freight & demand for reserve

Reprint of this story from the November 28, 1902 issue of The Grand Encampment Herald brought to you courtesy of Grandma’s Cabin, Encampment, Wyoming. Preserving History - Serving the Community.

BIG FREIGHT BUSINESS

A. J. Olson, of the Carbon Tie Co., gives out the Following statements: “We are having a large amount of supplies delivered at our two tie camps. There will be a million pounds of freight put into the Encampment tie camp, and between 400,000 and 500,000 pounds into the Brush and French creek tie camps this fall. C. M. Scribner has the contracts for both camps and is running large freight teams for that purpose. Between the railroad and Encampment he has four ten horse teams and between that point and the tie camp on the head of the Encampment river, he employs four six-horse teams, as the road through the timber is so much rougher and softer than in the valley ten horses cannot be handled to an advantage.

“We are doing a great deal of work on the road in the canyon of the Encampment river and at the headquarters of the Encampment tie camp. We have spent about $2,000 in the work of Improving the road through the timber from Encampment to headquarters, as well as about that amount on the buildings at headquarters. Then, again, we have been at work blasting the boulders out of the river through Encampment canon, to enable us to get through there with our ties. Altogether it will have cost the company .something like $6,000 before we are ready to do business at the Encampment tie camp.

“The Carbon Timber company have purchased the timber lands belonging to Frank K. Coe, in the Brush and French creek countries and it is from those lands that we expect to cut ties. There is some of Mr. Coe’s land, on Brush creek, that has been contested on the ground that it is mineral land. That land we have not made any bargain for, nor will we until the contest is settled, either for or against Mr. Coe.

“L. V. Bruce will have charge of the Brush and French creek tie camps. Mr. Bruce was for a long time in the employ of J. C. Teller and is thoroughly conversant with that country and the streams that will be driven.”

DEMAND FOR FOREST RESERVE

The Saratoga Sun properly presents the forest reserve situation in the following editorial:

The people of the towns of Riverside, Encampment, Battle, Rambler, Rudefeha, Downington, and Pearl, as well as the miners in the adjacent mountains have determined having a forest reserve established in the Sierra Madre or Continental Divide and steps looking to that end are now being taken in the way of the circulation of a petition to the Department, which is meeting with success. The terrible forest fires that devastated that, as well as the Medicine Bow range, in the past few years, have become such a menace to the lives and property of the miners, lumbermen and ranchmen, that something must be done to prevent their further encroachment.

The people of that region, with one voice, lay the larger share of those forest fires to the Mexican sheepherder and believe that they will have no relief until Uncle Sam steps in and polices the mountains, regulating the grazing of flocks therein, and bringing to book every man who dares to either carelessly or willfully set out fire. The Sun is in hearty sympathy with the movement and will do all in its power to aid the people of that region in the accomplishment of the end desired.

Minor Notes:

“Butch” Cassidy, the notorious outlaw and robber, has come and gone again, and no one seems to know whence he came, what he had his eye on, or where he went. The citizens of Grand Encampment believe, however, that he had a purpose in coming here, but the old boy will find no sleeping weasels if he returns for business.

Col. Beautiful Snow was driven in Monday from the Cloudy Zone by Mr. Wintery Wind, and remained awhile to remind friends and enemies of Thanksgiving and the approach of colder days.