, 1865-06-10
AM OVERLAND JDVRNEY,
8lKs COLFAX'S PARTY ~
COl.ORADO,

) ME. COLFAx'e PARTY T.
COlORADO.
! From Ft IT Kearnry to Denver-G+u
C3nneraGereial Reception At DEM We
: through the nountains.Ceatral III,
DC, &c.
lhntot1A Cotrespondence.1
ii CENTRAL CITr, coIoRApp TERR1ToRr,
I wednesday, May $lstr 1585
: After leaving Fort Kea1ncy, We had an Of
i poftunity to witness for hundreds OF miles b
dieary monotony Of the valley of the Plattt
Ihe river is now high and looks IS If 1t Nigh
be aFsgable for steamers; but It Is one Of th
| mosl deceptive and trcachesous< of streams
shauow and full Of quicksanaa and not saf
| for the navigation even Of canoe. I'll
6and-hllls which bound our vision arc iron
ten 70 titecn miles apart, In the middle run
the Plattc and few feet above Its surface
an almost perfectly level plain over which th
long Trains Of OK and mule teams are wend
iDg hetrWay westward towards the mountain
with lfe exception ofa few struggling cotton
woods along the banks Of the river no,
t'eeor shrub eau be seou for hundreds o
miles. But let no one suppose that these
Sast plains extending In all directions 70,
hundreds and In some for thousands Of miles,
destitute Of timber rs they arc, cannot be
made to subserye the highest interests oi
our Christian civilization. II SO large an au-
lual as the buffalo can exist in such untold
numbers upon them, they were doubtless In
tended by Providence to be the great meat
producing regions Of the contnrnt, To1aise
cattle IN countless thousands upon the rich
buffalo grass Of the plains can be done ut d
merely nominal cost and with tho Pacific
railway or perhaps what would be cheaper.
| their own feet TO carry them to market. 1t
needs hut the population to make cattla
iaising here leading aud most Important
! business. Herdsmcn would have the choice Of
the Eastern and the mining market, and there
cannot be doubt that millions Of mouev
can be realized in this business when once
in 1t.
At Jnlesburg VIC bseakfastcd with Gen.
Conner, at his headquarters, and were sorry
to pa1t company with him. Several days ac-
quatntance With hun Convinced our party that
LIE Is exactly the man to fight the Iu1iuns
and regulate the Mosmons. We hope an adx
equate fierce Of cavalry will be placed at his
command to thrash eflectun}ly the 1uurde dern,,s
redskins who have brought SO much Voc mnon
our intant settlements. The burnt statinns
fol hundreds Of miles, the scores Of ncw-made
IN Colorado for months past, ought 10 ]isne]
any naMklsh .sympaahy and place In fho
hands Of Gen. Conner ample means to 1narcf
directly into their homes and chasttso then,
into peace and decency. The advance OF the
Indians en- the Bluc, near Fort Laramie, and
n a1,1,r bad
chief and murder tho present season, md now
that the rebellisn q is q usled, the Government
shLu1d tubiun these Indian murderprs AT n
blow. Give Gen. Conner the force he asks
end, our "oFd for 1t, tho thing viii BE- wtii
About hundred miles cast OF Denver The
stage read leaves the valley Of the South
Platte aud passes southwest over thc hsrh
ridges directly to the chief city Of the Taft
tory. At noon, On Saturday, we were vel
Evans, His Honor, Mayor Clark. ana q Com.
lnittee Of citizens, having made tho trip rom
Atcbison In less than i've daTs. Npne ~
us experienced TINT ennul, swelled limbs. ami
pains, aud achee, Of which we had heari m
much In fact, VIC had r mostdclightinl ride.
0nr ever attentive ftlend. Geo. J. E. Otis,
ESQ.,, agent Of the line, looked after our CON.
fo1t IN the most eff ctual manner. And here
y - but Just to eay that our fareat Holliday,s
Staten was much better in n1l respects. fhnn
tt Was between Chicago and Atchison-star-
Eatlon is the last thing travellers need Gar:
at Least that was oRe experience
We spent the afternoon at Denver In 1na};iu,
sundry cal1s; and IN the evening largo
crowd assembled IN i1ont OF the n1anaiou Of
Gov: Evans, when Mr. Col M made mo.t
excellent End eloquent speech, delivering in
the cou. Sc Of It President Lincoln's last mes-
9aee to the m'ners, "hlch Is appended below.
II was received with great applause, and the
reference to the close Of tie war aud mat.
the energies Of the nation would now be d.
rccted TO the building OF the Pacific Railroad
and the development Of the vast mineral r.
sources Of the country afforded the lIveliest
sat!sacuon to the people. Ar. Richardson
and the writer were aLao called upon TO az
dfess theicrowd tnt Lii. Bowles stubboruIy
refnsed to make lIs appearance. After tny
addresses closed, general Introduction to |
the citizens and eocal intercourse for an
honF, closed 2 most cordial reception.
After Sabbath days rest" our partr
started for visit to the mines on Monday
morning. Our first view OF ths mouutatns
1aa gained when about forty miIos East OF
y Denver, on Saturday morning. Its a sight
nat must be seen to he enjoyed No language
an describe, and with all due Difference 10
cit It. 70 the Southwest there IS Pixies
TAX, ninety miles away, clad in mantle OF
tt!nai snow, SPARKLING In the morning suu,
nd ytt 20 pure Is tho atmosphere that 1t ap. 9
*ars TO be scarcely sir miles distant. In the +
northwest towers up Longs Peak, higher !
till, and equally g'o11ous, while for huu. i
red and fifty miles between them, bounding i
he Western horizon In irregular Iaesol
esks, is the tnowy range, forming with the a
eeP blue mouptains in front by tar the must
ublhne spectacle y Vas eyer urgood fortune 4
0 zee. 1t Is worth trip ac+oas the plaius, =
nd when the Pacific Rasfroad IL completed +
ere will be the summer resort OF the health | 4
Id pleasure SEEKERS Of the States. And | Il
0W We are to have a trip among these mag II
ifcent mountains. For the frst few mtles b
igh rolling pfalrlee, Tn which VIC arc glad to d
ee evidences that the people &C turning If
ae1r attention largely to agriculture. Here
% have our first practical lessons On The II
lodcs Of irrigation, essential In this country +,
. tnccessfnl agriculture. Long bitches arc ii
PC from the base of the mountains, winding n
6out over the ridges, taking the water from &
lear and other creeks and distributing II 10 n,
Insrs for miles below. The soil Is good, n
I'd in this way It Is rendered very prodne- a]
I've: Of course the mines furnish very lu. :,
latsve market for al the produce the farmer n
IN rais..
At Golden City We enter the mountains. !
nd, for some tHenty-a miles. our road
lids up ons natTow canon and down au- Il
tier, bnt ,lsiug constantly, It'll At Centrnl t!
Egher thsn We were at Denver. THIS gives <
E about mile and three-quarters above 81
10 1erel Of the sea. The scenery Is truly 8
aEntfceut, amply worth all the toll It costs q
} sec 1t. Arriving he1n on Monday evening. /
e were most he cspltab1y received. Mr.. Col | q
Z and Mr.. Richardson addressed large ii
ewd Of citizens to their great qualification, Il
hlle tho writer Tas glad to quietly euioy | fl
le hospitality Of General Teller, formerly Of a
[orrlson, Whitessdes county, Iii. He had ] n
lptudent1T rode too much In the hot sun | f
q the top Of the coach, and w.s too unwcll Il
engage In the festivities OF the occasion \ u
the mines Will speak At length in my b
cxt. q. q
1E MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN TO THE n
2HSERs OF TIE ~EsT. u
Mr. Colfax: ! want you to take mes y
!Ee rom me to the miners whom ynu visit. Y
have" said he, livery large ideas Of tho min. b
al wealth of our nation. believe il prac- n
cally inexhaustible. It abounds ali orer al
he western county from the Rocky Noun. b.
inns to the Pacific, and Its development has II
'atcely commenced. During the Har, when q
e were adding couple Of millions Of dollars 81
'e'y day to our national debt, did not "
ne about encouraging the Increase In tho re
,lume Of our precious metals. We had the d!
'untry to save first. But now that the re- 10
;ili.n Is cver'hEoWn and VIC knew pretty
.ntly the amount Of our national debt, the
ore gold ard silver we mine makes the pay. j..
mt Of that debt 50 Mucl the easter. Now" :. e.
Id be, speaking with much emphasis, II nm y
':ng e encourage that in every possible r
ay. We shall have hundreds Of thousands &C &C
nisbanded soldiers, and many have feared ~
at thcfr return homo Ia such great numbers | "
'eht paralyze Industry by furnishing snd- 11o te
71trx f1ni, /