Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-02-09
The Greeley Co1ony, Colorado.
GRRELEY, COL, Jan. l9th, 1871.
ED1rORS HAwK-EYE:--I have not


EDrr0Rs HAwK-EYE:--I have not
forgotten my promise to send you a
letter from this place; but a. this II
my FIRST visit here since ! saw you
hast. have not before had the Oppor.
tunity Of fuliilling my promise.
Many Of your readers have doubt.
less heard much Of the Greeley.
Mceker Colony. Greeley Is the name
OF the town; Mceker, OF the man who
came out as the head Of the colony.
As the colonists are mostly agricui-
turists, on larger or smaller scale,
the town was named in honor Of the
distinguished author Of "What ]
Know OF Farming"-a work perhaps
more remarkable for what the author
did not know, than for what he did.
Mr.. Meeker, whose great reverence
for the traditional authority Of the
New England Primer (which long
ago asserted that Moses was the
meekest man) will not allow him to
stretch his claim beyond the compar-
alive degree, Is also editor-in-chief OF
q neat little newspaper recently
started here, called the Greeley
Tribune, out of difference also to the
distinguished individual aforesaid.
= II. q. made q visit to the new
colony last Fall, and some Of the
newspapers In the States report him
to have advised the colonists when
they gathered their pumpkins not to
shake them from the trees, as II
bruised them and detracted from
their market value. They should be
carefully picked by hand and packed
in oats or saw-dust, with the little
end down. heard nothing of the
kind, however, in the colony, and
incline to the opinion that upon such
absttuse questions the distinguished
philosopher expressed no decided
optnion. ] attended o meeting Of
the s'Farmers' Club" while here, and
feel confident that, in the wide range
of discussion, some allusi0n would
have been made to so profound an
opinion had II ever been expressed
here by tire widely known author OF
the above named standard agricultu-
ral work. But to return to the
colony.
The Colony Of Greeley las ] shall
i,enceforth call IT. Is nearly midway
between Cheyenne and Denver, and
on the ID. p. II. R.--that IL, about 80
miles from either place. 1t is pleas.
antly situated on a tongue Of land
formed by the junction Of the South
Platte and Cache'le Poudre Cash le
FoOder, 1.-THE latter name signifying
the burying or concealing of powder,
some such incident having given
name to the river. In the back
ground, and about twenty-five miles
distant, though seeming much near
or, the shaggy mountains are piled
up In massive grandeur that would
dwarf "Pelion on Ossa," and both
piled upon Olympus, into molehills.
Chief among these grim Titans IL
Longs Peak, the centre Of attraction,
md looking down with n grim COM
plaisance upon his invincible battal-
ions that would defy even Sherman's
drinkers" This, ragged, towering
rampant Of mountains Is u splendid
addition to the landscape view Of
this, Colony.
a short distance above the Colony
lands, the Big Thompson, another
considerable stream, with. fine farm
ing botto,n.landx; enters the Platte.
These three streams-the Platte, Big
Thompson and lie Poudre-water
probably the largest extent Of fine
agricultural lands In Colorado. The
grazing facilities are almost bound
less, and will probably not he even,
tested in one generation, although
thousands Of cattle are now herded
upon the widespread plains, and the
herds are Increasing every year.
The rivers which have just named
afford abundance Of water for the
thorough irrigation Of thousands OF
acres Of excellent soil, and for any
amount OF mill sites. One or more
mills will probably be erected near
Greeley next summer. - All aoH
/ was rather surprised ID see In the
Farmers Club last night the nlanifes-
tatlon of strong prejudice against
stock.growing and stock.growerS. il
Is one Of the crude notions Of IL. q.
which l suppose he took some pains
TO disseminate among the colOnists
while here last Fall, Land upon which
he wrote an article, l believe, after
4 . Q A.. 4