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<br />we II s on a few i nd i vi dua I farms. The ~r I nc i pa I crops in the order of
<br />acreage harvested are alfalfa, sorghum~, wheat, onions, sugar beets, ,
<br />other grai ns, andvegetab les.
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<br />53. About 76 percent,or/734,OOO'acres, of Bent COlJnty is In
<br />grass I and wh i ch prov i des good graz i ngfor livestock, an I mportant com-
<br />ponent of, the economy. The major source of i nc,qme in the livestock
<br />Industry is from beef cattle. Other livestock raised, in the order of
<br />importance, are sheep and lambs, turkeys, ch ickens, hogs and pigs, and
<br />mil k cows. Bent County, I n recent years, has ranked 22nd among the
<br />63 counties in Colorado in the number of cattle and calve~ on its farms
<br />and 20th in the value .of al i I ivestockiand I ivestock products sold.
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<br />54. The largest non-agricultural employer is the Fort Lyon
<br />Veterans Hospital located about 6 miles east of Las Animas. Fort Lyon,
<br />an old frontier post, was first occupied by the U.S. Army. It was
<br />abandoned as a fort in 1889 and in 190p, because of its location in a
<br />beneficlai cl imate, It was reopened by: the U.S. Navy as a hospital for
<br />the treatment of tuberculosis. In 1922, the faci lity was transferred
<br />to the Veterans Adml n i strat ion. Therieservat I on compr i ses about 1,200
<br />acres. The hospital is devoted primani Iy to the treatment of veterans
<br />with mental illness and has a 681-bedicapaclty. About 500 people are
<br />employed and the annual payrol I is abqut $2 mi I lion. Over 80 percent
<br />of the employees live in Las Animas.
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<br />55. The mineral resources of Bent County include clays, gypsum,
<br />limestone, sand, grave I, stone, petro leum, and natura I. gas. M I n i ng
<br />activities are of minor Importance as! indicated by the value of mineral
<br />production in 1960, estimated at $114\000. Sand and gravel accounted
<br />for, $55,700 of this total, crushed stone accounted for $35,300, and
<br />the remaining $23,000 was from crude petroleum and natural gas.
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<br />56. Manufactur i ng and I I ght i ndustr i a I activit iesi n Bent County
<br />were estab I I shed pr i nc i pa II y to meet .1 oca I demands and support agr i-
<br />cultural production. In 1960 there ware 14 manufacturing estabiishments
<br />in the county, 10 of which are listed: In the classification "food and
<br />k I ndreQ products." .
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<br />57. Comparisons of yearly retaiil sales, bank deposits, postal
<br />receipts, school enrollment, and other factors over the past decade
<br />indicate I ittle change in business activity. Based on 1947-49 prices,
<br />retai I sales in Bent County increaseQ at the rate of 1.0 percent per
<br />year from $5,536,000 in 1948 to $6,230,000 in 1960. Bank deposits
<br />increased from $2,558,000 in 1951 to:$2,590,000 in 1960, or at the
<br />rate of 0.14 percent compounded annual iy. School enrollment increased
<br />from 1,651 in 1956 to 1,742 in 1960., Th is represents an increase of
<br />,about I .31 percent per year compounded annually.
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<br />58.
<br />System.
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<br />Las An i mas is located on the ma I.n line of the AHSF Ra I Iway
<br />It is also the terminus of the Las Animas-Amari 110 Branch of
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