B.-Statement of surveys under act of May 30, 1862, and March 3, 1871, and the amount of the several accounts of deputies and depositors. C.-Statement showing number of townships surveyed during the year, and the area of public land contained in the same. D.-Statement of mining claims surveyed, together with amount deposited for office work for same. E.-Statement showing amount of salaries paid surveyor general and clerks in his office for the year. F.-Statement of amount expended for rent, messenger, stationery, &c. G.-Statement of the private land claims surveyed during the year, with statement of account of deputy and other expenses. Under the appropriation of $35,000 for this surveying district, nineteen contracts were let for survey of agricultural and timbered lands in different parts of the State, and all the work has been completed in the field with the exception of one contract. All the returns and accounts have been forwarded to your office. Surveys were only made of such lands as were called for by actual settlers, for colonies, and for the State board of land commissioners. A detailed statement of the accounts of the several deputies will be found under statement H. Under statement B, it will be seen that $3,571.93 was deposited by actual settlers for surveys under the acts of May 30, 1862, and March 3, 1871. I have furnished estimates to a number of other settlers, but on account of the stringency of the money market they have been unable to make the deposit. It is a matter of regret that more liberal appropriations are not made to accommodate actual settlers upon the public lands. Settlements in this State are far in advance of surveys, and almost every day I receive inquiries from settlers as to when surveys will be made in their locality. They do not like to make permanent improvements before survey, for they are likely to be compelled to move their fences and houses when the lines are run. I know of an instance where two claimants employed a county surveyor to survey their claims in an unsurveyed township, upon which they erected expensive dwellings and other improvements, and when the township was surveyed by this office all the improvements of both claimants, who had become enemies to each other, were found to be on the same 40 acres tract. The embarrassment can be easily understood. If Congress cannot be induced to make more liberal appropriations, it would assist depositors in raising money if the certificates of deposit were made transferable. An act covering the ground passed the Senate last winter, but was not reached in the House. I hope such a law will be passed at the next session. Emigration to the State has been large, and includes all classes of merchants, mechanics, and farmers. It is a fact that a large number of farmers have opened new farms during the year and more than double the amount of land has been cultivated this year over last year. It is estimated by good judges that the wheat crop of this year will be over one million of bushels, and that fully one-half of this will be exported, being more than double the export of any previous year. Arrangements have been made to ship wheat to Chicago and New York, and it is believed this can be done at a good profit to the producer, as a large number of cars on our railroads go east empty; grain can be shipped at small expense, and as our yield per acre is fully double that of the States east of the Missouri River, wheat can be shipped in successful competition with those States. More than 200 miles of railroad have been built in the State since my last annual report, and large forces of men are now engaged in grading for the several lines of road which are pushing westward, The Denver and Rio Grande road has ironed and equipped 30 miles of their road from Garland to Alamosa, on the Rio Grande River, and have since graded about 35 miles to the south boundary of the State, and are pushing the grade south toward Santa Fé, N. Mex., to which point they expect to have the cars running within a year. The Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fé Railroad has graded, ironed, and equipped 70 miles of road from La Junta, on the Arkansas River, in the direction of Trinidad, and have their graders at work on the line to Trinidad and Santa Fé. They are also grading in the valley of the Arkansas River above the Grand Cañon, through which they propose to pass on their way to Leadville and the West. The Colorado Central road, which, at date of my last report, were grading their line from Longmont, Color., to Cheyenne, Wyo. (70 miles), have since that date ironed and equipped the line and have been running regularly since its completion. This line has opened up some of the best and most productive lands in the State in the valleys of Big and Little Thompson Creeks and the Cache à la Poudre Valley and Saint Vrain. The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad has ironed and equipped 42 miles of their road through the Platte Cañon during the year, and their graders are pushing he work forward toward Leadville, to which point they expect to have the cars running within six months or a year. This road, in the first 20 miles from Denver, passes through some of the best agricultural lands of the State. At the Platte Cañon it strikes large quantities of coal, lime, gypsum, and building stone, all of which find a ready market in Denver. In the cañon it passes through large forests of fine timber, where lumber, railroad ties, and wood can be had in almost inexhaustible quantities. A few miles farther on, the road will strike the mining districts of Hall's Gulch, Fairplay, Buckskin Joe, Mount Lincoln, and Leadville, its present objective point. The following estimates are submitted for this surveying district for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1880: The estimates for surveys are for the purpose of extending the surveys into the North Park, in the Middle Park, on Bear River, at various points in the San Juan country, on the head of the Gunnison River, the Pagosa Springs, and the numerous valleys at different points in the mountains, for the accommodation of bona fide settlers on the agricultural and timbered lands and of the miners in locating lodes and placer claims. These surveys will cover only lands claimed by actual settlers, and lands of which the State board of land commissioners wish to make selections for the State. I repeat what I said in the letter accompanying my estimates for last year, that there are more than one hundred townships in the State which should be subdivided to accommodate actual settlers who have resided on their claims for from one to five years and who are anxious to secure title to their lands so that they may know where to place their improvements. They feel loath to build houses and make other necessary improvements until their lands are surveyed. The amount estimated for clerk hire is quite important, as the $3,000 appropriation last year was not sufficient and we are gradually and surely falling more and more in arrears. The amount for incidentals should not be less than the amount submitted in my estimate. In regard to arrears of office work I have to say that the descriptive lists are four years in arrears. The connected map of mining claims it will require several months to complete, and the field notes of the survey of the past year are yet to be arranged for binding, and when bound, to be indexed. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. J. A. WILLIAMSON, Commissioner General Land Office. 19 I WM. L. CAMPBELL, Surveyor General of Colorado. A.-Statement of surveys made under the regular appropriation and accounts of the several deputies for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878. B.-Statement of surveys made under the acts of Congress of May 30, 1862, and March 3, 1872, and the accounts of the several deputies and depositors for excess for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878. C.-Statement showing number of townships surveyed during the year ending June 30, 1878, and area of public land contained in the same. C.-Statement showing number of townships surveyed, &c.—Continued. 88 west. Acres. 23,020.38 D.—Statement of mineral claims surveyed during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878, together with the amount deposited for office work for the same. D.-Statement of mineral claims surveyed, &c.—Continued. Name of lode. Moultrie Peerless. Royal Consort. Belmont Empire State. San Juan County 25 25.00 Oct. 30, 1877 Ouray County. Nov. 19, 1877 | San Juan County Nov. 4, 1877 May 21, 1878 Ouray County ....do. 25.00 25.00 May 15, 1878 June 6, 1878 .do.. 25 00 184 7 Mound 189 7 Cimarron. Nov. 28, 1877 .do 25 00 Jan. 18, 1878, ..do.. San Juan County. Ouray County. 25.00 25.00 25.00 25 00 25.00 199 7 Aspen Nov. 21, 1877 200 No. 1 Dec. 24, 1877 San Juan County 25.00 25.00 201 7 No. 2. Dec. 24, 1877 E.-Statement showing amount of salaries paid surveyor general and clerks in his office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878. |