The Leavenworth weekly times., 1870-09-08

DENVER, Col. TER, August 18th, 1870
In my last letter, dated at this point, ]
dwek soncwhatA Ac4ionaj irb6 TIE hatiral
resources Of portion Of the country between
the middIe portion Il Kansas and the Rocky
Mouutainr, "a they seem to present them
selves to the eye of the American traveller
who has never passed beyond the howSla-
ries of the finest agricultural regions of the
contineat, comprised in the Seates of Kansas,
Nebraska and the other States of the Union
cast of the Missouri river. 1t was not the
intention, however, to make any Of these
statements fnality on the sul5et, in the
mind Of the writer, for the discovery Of the
great mines Of Colorado, and the cOnsirc-
ton Of those mighty thoraighiares, the Pa
cifc railroads, exhibited too plainly the fact
that the people, thoroughly schooIcd in all
the grand achievements Of the nincteentl,
century, thus brought upon thcse plains as
permanent residents, possessed the intclli-
scnce and energy 10 cause this apparently arid
desert to blossom as the rvse." Every pa
triosic American citizen delights 10 oon-
template, and boast Of the prVM achieve
ment Of his countrymcn in sulsIuing, in
20 short time, this vast conti-
ncnt, in general, with its great difficulties,
just that portion Of our people inhatitins
these regions are entitled To the special credit
for surmountinS, successfully, the greatest
natural difficulties placed by the New World
in the path Of mans onward march. To
make this perfectly apparent, and rrh sum-
marily at rest all imaginative revellings ci
the mind in fine theories and rl,ilosoPhis-
inSs conccrnin: these matters, he who as
s,lmcs the pen for the task Of enliglhening
others has only to proceed at once with the
enumeration of the real, substantial E,cts
In pursuance of this idea, ] have spent near
" two weeks in this portion of Colorado,
canvassing such facts As would be If general
interest to the readers Of The TINES, and
now proceed to detail such as may, without
imprOpriety, be incorporated into a news
paper article: ,..- ~
THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD.
From small work on Colorado, published
recently by Il o. Old, an old citizen of the
discovery Of gold as follows: r-sn n .
" Although the existence Of the precious
metal in this country was suspected by ex-
plOrers and trappers, nothing sufficient was
found to create a special interest until 1857,
when a party Of civilized Cherokee Indians
discovered and carried home few dollars Of
the gittering dust, exhibiting it freely while
passing through Kansas and Nebraska.
The following year brought TO the
country a party Of nine Georgians,
headed by w. q. Russell. Cherry Creek,
the South Platte, Boulder, and other of the
larger streams, were prOspecteJ, with little
success until at last, gold was found towards
the close Of the summer, in a small "dry
creek, /" putting into the Platte few miles
below Denver. Commencing work, the
party dug holes in the sand, put in their
"rockers," " and, dipping in wafer with cups,
washed out in a few days, the worth Of seve-
raj hundred dollars. These facts soOn
becoming known, caused a rush TO the mines
Discoveries were extended into the noun
tains, and Colorado is what she is to-day.
Since that time she has a,lie', at leost SjO,-
0OO, 600 Of gold cnd siter 10 the currency cf
the world.' .s
The first emiSrants TO the new gold fields
gave to the country the general name Of
pixies Peak, " from the mountain of that
name in the vicinity, the loftie-s to he seen,
and whose towering height, cnveloped in the
SHOWS of eternal winter, seems u preside
over its area Of thousands of square miles,
with majesty that is alnlcs; infinite and
awful to contemplate.
The early location OF towns in Colorado
was made by parties originally called Town
Companies, composed usually of mcn-Often
mere advcnturcrs and sleculators-whose
acumen was thought to bc equal 10 deter
mining, in advance Of the survey, the adj
vantages Of any particular ''site." Among
the towns thus commenced and that must
rapidly attaintO TO Importance and permanence
was
This city, the great commercial mart and
capital Of the Territory, Is situated on the
Platte River, at the mouth of Cherry Creek,
and fifteen miles from the mountains. The
selection Of this site for the coming town"
Of Colorado, displays the most cons,lmnlate
wisdom. No other point could have been
selected Of 20 easy ACCESS to the mines in the
and vet In 50 entirely removed
beyond difficulties To hinder the approach Of
railroads and highways from all directions
The progress of the ''adoEe'' town, Of 1858
and 1859, in the direction Of becoming a
city Of the finest description, is marvel
among marvels, and the disappointed and
dissusted would-bc miner Of tho-e days, who
left it with the feelings and imprccations
common to such occasions, would, il he
could see the place now, rather conclude
hat the disappointment Of that day Is, ty
CONTRAST" the disappointment Of to-day,
and that, had he thrown by the false i'm
preston that fortunes could Ie obtained by
up gold as VIC would sand, and
upon the ground, imbue,l with
lhe full comprehension of the declaration,
In the sweat Of the face shalt thou eat
bread, how many dollars he might now bc
worth!
The site of Denver is somewhat lower
han the surrounding country, which pre-
prepares the way for an agreeable surprise to
he traveller when he enters the heart Of the
ity. He has taken the glowing accounts
given in the newspapers, and by other trav-
Hers 10 I've in the one case, mere '.Sas, and,
N the other, the points of, at least, iemIso-
.arily diseased imagination, and expects 10
ind, instead Of 4 city that would do honor
o many Of the States, 4 mass Of miscrably
sHistriIcted houses, composed Of all kinds Of
material, and inhabited by people not quite
,alf civilized. The business portion of Den.
'er reminds me of no other city, in appear
lnce, 50 much as Lcavenwcrtll. Long lines
f streets, walled in with substantial brick
Houses intersect each other at proper intervals,
md the amount of business transacted keeps
hem constantly crowded with people
There are half dozen of these streets
hal present an appearance nearly as fine as
hat Of Massachusetts, street, in Lawrence.
The city is constantly irrigated with water
lrawn from the Platte, which is one Of the
inest modern improvements. Day and
hight, during the summer season, the cool, |
are water is kept running near the edges Of
he sidewalks, and the air, both in the house
md cut ofdocrs, is always as cool and re-
reshing as the breezcs along the margin Of |
stream. All Of the most Questionable filth |
hat is constantly finding its way into the |
treet is, in this way, finally carried off and
caves the street in a clean and healthy con- |
|itiOn. Here necessity had much 10 do in |
ringing this about, but let all city authori- !
les everywhere be assured that that city !
rhich is 50 situated as to possess the facili-
ies for distributing water throughout its !
limits in this manner, can adopt nothing of
reater importance. \ mon,ents reflection |
Iill show the cost TO he but mere tri6e. /
70 improve the irrigating facilities of the +
ountry, an artesian we'll Is being sunk near
he Union Depot, and is now 400 feet deep.
From the county clerk, Mr.. Scott J. An
hony, an old LeavenwOrth official, whose
vs4em Of records Is vet the sfanfar.l one In