The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-08-18


the streams no longer skulk behind bluff
or hide in casual hollows; you may buil'
an honest campfire without fear of rob
bing embryo county of its last stick O
wood, and water your mules generousl
without drying up some long, pretentiou!
river, and condemning those who come at
you to weary, thirsty marches through
night and day. The Cottonwoods, as you
near the wind quelliug range of protec.
ting nights, which rise, rank above rank,
to the westward, the more distant still
wbite-roSed with snow, grow large and
stately-some of them sixty to seventy
feet high, and at least three feet in diam
eter; the unwooded soil ceases tobe des-
ert and become prairie on wave, but
still in the main sandy, thinly grassed
region, which cannot compare with the
praries of Illinois, of Iowa, or Eastern
Kansas. There seems to be as rich and
deep soil in some of the creed bottoms, es-
pecially those of the South Platte, as al.
most anywhere; and yet fear the hus-
bandman is doomed to find even this belt
of grassed and moderately rolling land,
which stretches along the foot Of the
Mountains to width of perhaps twenty
miles, less tractable and productive than
fertile. 1t lies at such an elevation
from 5000 to 5000 feet above the ocean
level-that, thouh it's Winters are said to
be moderate, its Springs cannot be early.
There was fall of a foot of snow in this
region on the goth of May. when ice for
med to a quarter-inch thickness on the
Plains; and when Summer suddenly sets
in. about the lst of June, there are hot
suns by day and cool strong winds by
night, with a surfeit of petty thunder
squalls, but little or no rain. The gentle
rain of last Thursday in the mountains
fell for a short time, in sheets just at their
feet-say for a breadth of FIVE miles
and there ceased. Hardly drop fell
within FIVE miles west, or for any distance
east of of this place, thoug b the earth was
soaked n-miles west of this. Hence the
enterprising few who have commenced
farms and gardens near this point tell me
that their crops have made no progress
for a week or two, and can make none
till they have rain. [ trust Wheat and
Rye will do we'll here whenever they sha Ill
be allowed fair chance; Barley and
Oats, if sowed very early on deeply plow-
ed land, may do tolerably; but Corn.
though it comes up well and looks rank.
at present, will hardly ripen before frost,
even should it escape paralysis by droutb;
while Potatoes, Peas and most Vegeta
bles, will probably require irrigation or
yield but sparingly. Yet, should the
Cold Mines justify their present promise,
farming, in the right localities at the base
of these Mountains, even by the help of
irrigation, will yield, to those who bring /
to it the requisite sagacity, knowledge
and capital, richer rewards than elsewhere
on earth. Every ything that can be grown
here will command treble or quadruple
prices for years; and he who produces
antbing calculated to diversity and i'm
prove the gross, mountainous diet of Salt
Pork. Hot Bread, Beans aud Coffee, now
necessarily all but universal in this region
will be justly entitled to rank with public
benefactors.
And the Rocky Mountains, with their
grand, aromatic forests, their grassy
glades, their frequent springs and dan
ring streams oftbe brightest, sweetest wa
ter, their pure, elastic atmosphere, and
heir unequalled game and fish, are des-
lined to be a favorite resort and home of
civilized man. | never visited region
where physical life could be more surely
prolonged or fully enjoyed. Thousands
Who rush hither for gold will rush away
,gain disappointed and disgusted, as thou
'auds have already done; and yet the
gold is in these Mountains, and the right
ner will gradually unearth it. shall
,e mistaken if two or three Millions are
Tot taken out this year. and some ten
Millions in 1860, though all the time there
sill be, as now, stream of rash adven
urers heading away from the diggings,
leclariug that there is no gold there or
,ext to none. So it was in California
md in Australia; SO it must be here,
yhere the obstacles to be overcome are
greater and the facilities for getting home
decidedly better. All men are not fitted
y nature for gold diggers; yet thousands
will not realize this until they have been
ouviuced of it by sore experience. Any
,ood phrenologist should have been able
o tell balf the people who rushed hither !
o madly during the last two months that .
{ these Mountains bad been half ade of
,old, they never would get any of it ex-
ept by minding their own proper busi-
less; which was quite other than mining.
And still the long procession is crossing q
he Platte and Clear Creek, and pressing !
p the "Hill Difficulty in mad pursuit {
f Gold, of which not one. fifth will carry
ack to the States so much as they brought
way. New leads will doubtless be dis i
oyered, pew veins be opened, new dig
ings" or districts become the rage-for 7
! we're absurd to suppose that little ra-
Inc known as Gregory 5. running to Clear
,reek, the sole depository of gold worth
1orking in all this reglon-and in time
be Rocky Mountains will swarm with