The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-12-06
e.The Gardens of the Gods,

We copy from recent letter OF Col. t
Ou Pre- of the Memphis appeal: /
From east to west, almost at the
base of the mountain range on the 8
eastern side and for many miles,
continuous stone palisades have
been proiectedupward These walls {
are red and white and gray. Their {
thickness varies from one to
five hundred feet, and hight from ]
five hundred to two thousand feet.
Think of solid stone wall projected
upward of thickness equal to the
width Of Main street, and rising one
thousand feet above the tops of the
tallest structures IN the city, and ex-
tending twelve or fifteen miles, from
Chelsea to the line of the State of
Mississippi; beyond this majestic
wall within a mile the mountain
range constitutes another impossible
barrier. Between this lofty palIsade
and the abrupt cliffs are the famed
" Gardens of the Gods. Through I
this mighty palisade, its summit Jag /
ged, rent by lightning and tempest, !
and worn by rain and hail, there are
three gateways,. each two or three |
miles from the other. The entrance |
is so narrow that our mustangs could
not gain admittance. The area of
this first garden between the pals
AIDES and the cliffs is narrow, but the
very wildness of the place, and its
deep chasms and lofty sides, and
great stones of every hue aud shape
amaze the beholder The deep, mar
row dell is completely walled in, and
the little gateway through which we
entered was made by nature, that
mountain torrents might have access
to the exterior world. A bright,
sparkling stream rushes perpetually
from the second and the larger gar
den, which is full of wonders. There
are towering crags and lofty stones
set up on end, some inclined like
the leaning tower Of Pisa, and others
erect as was Cleopatra's needle or
Bunker Hill monument, all rising to
dizzy nights, and each having its
own peculiar color. Within this
garden is the beautiful residence of
General Palmer, the President Of the
! Denver and Rio Grande Railway
Company. Eagles nests are visible
along the summit and within the
palisades, and there is a plateau COW
cred with bright underground, and
five hundred yards from this might
Ter than Chinese wall is the resi-
dence, at the lower base Of the
mountains. Through a deep, mar
row gorge, flows the brawling brook,
and along its bed we rode beneath
overhanging cliffs until weary of
wonders, and of the contemplation
of amazing precipices and mighty
overhanging stones, shutting out the
sky. These, now and then, almost
kissed one another, and SO far above
our heads that we could hardly have
heard it if the rugged OSCILLATION had
been accompanied By a thunder
clap.
To the broader garden one finds
access through a double gateway,
each wide enough for a dozen horse
men abreast. The stone fence, on
either hand, is a solid wall of red
sandstone. very thin in comparison
with its frightful altitude. It was
painted red, perhaps, that it might
endure and crafty the taste of saw
age red men. It is sadly weather.
worn. There are great assures near
the summit, and some "pickets" five
hundred feet long have fallen to the
plain, and there are rough projec-
tons along the top of this mighty
wall, designed, no doubt, to exclude
saurians and troublesome rep
tiles that were wont to invade this
delightful vegetable garden, when
cultivated by the Hesperides, and
those jolly old people we were wont,
in boyhood, to read about in mythol-
ogical stories The width of this
Enclosure is not more than one mile,
while the stone wall extends west
wardly far into the mountains. It
is estimated that five thousand peo-
pie, during the past summer, have
visited these marvellous places, and,
strangely enough, greater number
of Europeans have been attracted, in
view of distance traversed, than Of
our own countrymen.
A roadway across this garden
leads to Nanitou Springs. Sulphur,
iron, soda, arsenic, and all ingredi-
ents that nature compounds and
adds to healthful beverages, distin-
guish these fountains, boiling and
bubbling up as if expelled from the
earth's bosom by the tremendous
pressure exerted by Pixies Peak.
The shadow of this monarch of
mountains falls upon them each day
after four o'clock. and cool breezes.
in this summer time Of prairie seas,
as pure and refreshing as these peer
less fountains, give vigOr to life, and
freshness to youth and rudy hues
to beauty's cheek. Saratoga and
Virginia watering places have no
such attractiveness as is protfered
by the sublimest mountain fastness-
es, by boundiess plains, by an atmos-
phere as clear and winds as soft as
those that sweep over lands most
favored Of heaven. Weary, after a
long ride over many a rugged hight,
and heated by breathing the dry at
mosphere of mountain and plain, at
three o'clock on hot afternoon, I
first drank from the deep, clear bub-
bling spring to which Indians gave
the name SO Manitou" Tt was
Sweet as the desert fountain's wave
To lips just cooled Il, time to save.
Properly enough, the most valu-
f able offerings that Red Men made to
Deity were here deposited. Even
, yet arrow -heads and beads and In
dian trinkets are forced upward by
the boiling waters, and found In the
? pool below. It was proper place, al