Weekly Trinity journal. [volume] (Weaverville, Calif.) 1857-1972, 1865-08-05
From the Missouri to the Pacific.

4. D. Richardson, of the New York Tribune,
letters to that paper, dated Central City, Colora-
do, June lst, we make the following extract:
Here, in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, is
the heart Of the Colorado mines, 40 miles from
Denver We left that city of the Plains on Mon
day morning crossing the broad, shallow Platte
by rope ferry. Twelve miles over the undula-
ting desert brought us to Clear creek, which
tearing down from the mountains, will afford
excellent water power when the manufacturer 3
bit shall be placed in its foamng mouth.
With irrigation, its valley produces abundantly
melons, root vegetables and the small grains.
Despite the ravages of the grasshopper, it is COW
cred with hourshing ranches. This word, from
the Spanish rancho. is the universal term for
farms. Rtnch, or domestic productions, from
their superior freshness, are greatly preferred to
those brought from the States. A Coloradoan
at one of the New York hotels finding bad egg
at breakfast, instructed the waiter - Take away
these COMPOUNDED States eggs and bring me some
ranch eggs =
At Golden Gate we entered the mountains by
deep winding canyon. Its frowning walls, six
years ago green and dark with tall pines, are now
bare and deSolate. the wood has been cut from
thousands of acres to furnish fuel for the miners,
and the people of Denver; but coal, which ex
lists in great abundance, is coming into general
use through the valleys.
Up weary hills, down dizzy zig-zags, and along
narrow valleys, we rode for miles From the
summit of high ridge we gazed back upon
Denver, nesting down in the valley. city of
pigmies and play-houses, and upon the vast, I'M
dulating, sea-green plains, spreading ont like a
lmitless ocean. From another hight we looked
forward to the snowy range, its rich purple
streaked with dazzling white, and one of its
inc Of soft ha1
With profound truth and suggeStireness
Holmes asks if all the tongues of the world can
tell how thrushes sing and lilacs smell The one
lesson of this mountain scenery is the utter pow
erty of language. No word-panting, not even
the wonderful delineations of BierStadt and
Church. convey more than faint hint OF its
beauty and grandeur. Of course they are pow
erless to depict the all .pervading, possessing,
satisfying calm of - Natures own. exceeding
peace with which it inspires the beholder.
Exquisite combinations and contrasts of color
blend and intermingle. The rich hues and
shades of green seem endless in variety from the
creamy-stemmed aspen, with soft, yellowish,
ever quivering leaves, to the sombre pines and
frs which, stud the mountain tops in slender
plumes.
Over vast, fire swept expanses, blackened,
armless trunks of trees stand weird and CHASTITY :;
while beyond rise ridges of smooth greensward,
or peaks and walls of rugged rock. Through
the valleys little streams, dashed into snowy
whiteness, foam down stony beds, their grassy
banks fragrant with the breath of honeysuckle
and violet, sweet with the meek eye of the blue
bell. dark with the purple wealth of the larkspur,
or bright with the flaming glory of the sunhower.
Winding up North Clear creek we began to
pass great quartz mills. Near the old Gregory
lode we reached the mining settlements of Black
Hawk and Central, which thread the narrow val
ley for three miles in quaint, crooked contracted
streets. like those of Swiss hamlet, shut in on
both sides by steep, bare, abrupt mountains
Wood and granite quartz mills old log cabins OF
50. shops, stables. school-houses, drinking sa-
looms, handsome brick blocks, newspaper and
express offices, side by side, crowd each other in
the tortuous thoroughfares, while the creek
muddy and turbid from washing out the quartz
tumbles among them down the rocks. Pictur
esque cream coored and stone colored cottage:
perch in little inches of the rugged hills and a
neat Gothic church ovcrlooks the whole.
FUNNY JrRoRs.-At Mariposa, one James Law
renee was on trial for stealing an old gray horse