Page:1902 Encyclopædia Britannica - Volume 27 - CHI-ELD.pdf/172

 144

COLO 1ST — C O L O R A D O

of Columbus, presented by the Empress Eugenie in 1870. The population is about 10,000. Colon, an important railway town of Matanzas province, Cuba, and the centre of a rich sugar-planting country. Population (1899), 7175. Colonne, Edouard (properly Judas) (1838), French conductor, was born at Bordeaux on 23rd July 1838. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1856, and obtained there the first prizes in harmony and violinplaying in 1858 and 1863. He became a member of the orchestra at the Grand Opera in 1858, and at the foundation of Pasdeloup’s Concerts Populaires was one of the first violins. The success of these concerts induced Colonne to start some on his own account. With the aid of Messrs Duquesnel and Hartmann, he founded Le Concert National. The first concert took place at the Odeon Theatre on 2nd March 1873. The following year the Concert National changed its title to that of Association Artistique, and migrated to the Theatre du Chatelet. M. Colonne has done a great deal to popularize the works of Hector Berlioz, besides bringing forward compositions of the younger French school of music. He was “ chef d’orchestre ” at the Paris Grand Opera from 1891 to 1893, and conducted the first performance there of Wagner’s Die Walkure. M. Colonne has travelled with his orchestra, and he visited London in the autumn of 1896, when he gave four concerts at the Queen’s Hall. Colorado, a western State of the American Union, situated between 41° and 37° N. lat. and 102° and 109° W. long., bounded on the N. by Wyoming and Nebraska, on the E. by Nebraska and Kansas, on the S. by Oklahoma and New Mexico, and on the W. by Utah. Its largest and most important development has occurred since 1875. During this period the growth of its mining, railway, manufacturing, and agricultural interests has been much greater than during all its previous history, while its educational institutions have nearly all of them been established since it was admitted to the Union, and its population has increased several-fold. Many of its towns have sprung into existence during this time, and its larger towns have changed from straggling and poorly constructed villages into important residential and manufacturing cities. Its area is 103,925 square miles, or over 66,000,000 acres. The western half of the State was part of the Mexican Cession of 1848. The south-east corner was part of the Texas Cession of 1850, and the north-western part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. It was organized as a Territory in 1861, and admitted as a State on 1st August 1876. At the first State election 30,000 votes were polled, the entire Republican ticket being elected, with John L. Routt (Republican) as Governor. The second Governor was F. W. Pitkin, who held office for four years, and was elected on the Republican ticket. He was followed by James B. Grant, a Democrat, who was succeeded by B. H. Eaton, a Republican. Alva Adams, a Democrat, was elected in 1887, and J. R. Cooper, a Republican, in 1890, being followed by John L. Routt. David H. Waite, a Populist, was chosen in 1893, Albert W. MTntire, a Republican, in 1895; Alva Adams was again chosen in 1897, on a fusion ticket of Democrats and Populists, and on the same ticket Chas. S. Thomas was elected in 1899, and James B. Orman in 1901. The question of the free coinage of silver played an important part in the last three elections. Woman’s suffrage prevails, having been adopted in the election of 1893 by a maiority of about 5000 votes. Population.—In 1876 the population was estimated at 135,000 ; the census of 1880 showed an increase to 194,327, that of 1890 to 412,198, and that of 1900 to 539,700. The average number of

persons to the square mile was 5'2 in 1900, as compared with 3'9 in 1890. The population in 1900 was made up as follows :— 295,332 (54‘7 per cent.) males and 244,368 (45,3 percent.) females, 448,545 native-born and 91,155 foreign-born, 529,046 white and 10,654 coloured (including 8570 negroes, 599 Chinese, 48 Japanese, and 1437 Indians). Out of 185,708 males 21 years of age and over, 7689 were illiterate (unable to write), including 3804 foreign-born, 448 negroes, 138 Chinese, 10 Japanese, and 246 Indians. The death-rate of the entire state in 1900, on the basis of the deaths reported to the U.S. census enumerators, was about 13‘7. In 1900 there were 165 incorporated cities, towns, and villages in Colorado, of which 27 had a population of more than 2000, and of these 7 had a population of over 5000, namely, Denver, with 133,859 ; Pueblo, with 28,157 ; Colorado Springs, with 21,085 ; Leadville, with 12,455 ; Cripple Creek, with 10,147 ; Boulder, with 6150 ; and Trinidad, with 5345 inhabitants. The growth of Denver has been as follows : (1870), 4759 ; (1880), 35,629 : (1890), 106,713 ; (1900), 133,859. Mineral Resources.—The pioneers in the settlement of the State were attracted by its mineral resources. Gold and silver are found in 57 counties ; iron, copper, lead, and zinc in 37 ; and aluminium in 5. The first discovery of gold was made on January 7, 1859 ; since then the coin value of the gold and silver produced, including the output of 1899, has been $665,039,636. The coin value of the gold product for 1899 was $26,265,487, and that of silver $29,679,706, making a total of $55,945,193. The total product for 1898 was $53,484,649. The chief gold-producing counties are Gilpin, Boulder, San Miguel, El Paso, Teller, Clear Creek, and Lake. The Cripple Creek district produced in 1900 about $1,250,OOOof gold permonth, and sincel891 had yielded $43,450,000. The largest silver production was in 1892, when the coin value of the product was $31,478,972. Iron ores are found in great abundance, and all materials necessary for making steel of excellent quality. The total value of the steel and iron products for 1899 was $7,681,719, in which year 134,936,223 pounds of steel rails and 215,640,332 pounds of pig iron were manufactured. Colorado stood ninth in 1898 in the list of* coal-producing States. The aggregate area of coal beds is estimated at 18,100 square miles, and the accessible coal at 33,897,800,000 tons. In 1899 the total tonnage mined was 4,806,879, and 455,783 tons of coke were produced, the number of men employed being 7321. There are 35 oil wells in Fremont county, which are sunk to a depth of about 1500 feet. The oil ordinarily rises to within 400 feet of the surface, although there have been a number of flowing wells. The product increased from 76,295 barrels in 1887 to 842,000 in 1892 ; in 1900 it was about 500,000. It is refined, for the most part, at Florence, where there are two modern refineries. The value of lead produced in 1898 was $4,394,917 ; of copper, $1,831,500. The number of men employed in mining of all kinds was 30,231. Building stone of many varieties and of excellent quality is,produced, valued at $2,000,000 annually. Mineral springs are found in all parts of the State. They vary in temperature from 40° to 150° F., and many possess medicinal value. The chief springs are at Manitou, Glenwood, Idaho Springs, Poncho Springs, Buena Vista, and Canon City. Agriculture and Stock-Raising.—Early experiments in farming indicated that regular crops could be secured only by means of irrigation, and in 1872 irrigation ditches were exempted from taxation. Extensive systems of canals were developed. In 1877 English capitalists constructed a canal over 150 miles in length. This was followed by a canal that cost $2,500,000. Since then extensive canals have been built in the Arkansas and Grand Valleys, the San Luis Park, and other parts of the State. In 1889 there were over 6000 miles of main irrigating ditches. In 1900 the mileage had increased to more than 15,000, and the valuation of all irrigation enterprises was $6,000,000. The amount of land under irrigation in 1883 was 416,594 acres, and in 1899, 1,975,400 acres. The average annual cost of water per acre is 79 cents. The soil is fertile in the north central section and in the river bottoms and large valleys, producing cereals, fruits, and vegetables of a superior quality. As early as 1866 the SurveyorGeneral estimated that of the population of 35,000 one-half were engaged in agriculture. In 1870 the agricultural production was estimated at $3,500,000, or within half a million of the bullion product. The total value of all farm, range, ranch, and orchard products in 1882 was $8,947,500, and in 1899, $45,774,251. The assessed valuation of all agricultural lands in 1900 was $19,566,124, and of grazing lands $9,901,701. The natural fruits are rare and almost worthless. In 1873 fruit trees began to be planted in various parts, and in 1882 the amount of land in orchards was 2500 acres, and the estimated value of the fruit crop $250,000 ; in 1898 the number of acres of fruit land was 118,752, and the value of the fruit crop $5,225,000 ; and there was still much open for settlement and improvement. Apples, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, cherries, and melons of exceptionally fine flavour are raised in increasingly large quantities. The most productive sections are along the Arkansas Valley, and in the western and south-western portions of