The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-08-23
LETTER FROM COLORADO.
DENVER, Col, Aug. II, 1872.

] ldDOT. NOW one can L1thS Ilo 4 y.
m. train on the 81. X. d T. at En-
. poria on Monday, get q good
/ nights sleep at junction City,
} step into the cars there at half
past six Tuesday morning and be
in Denver at the same hour the
next morning. And they will sec
just about as much of the great
plains in that short space of time
now as we saw in six weeks thir-
teen years ago. Thirteen years
ago 1 thought the entire region be-
tween the Little Arkansas and the
Rocky Mountains would never by
any possibility be inhabited, and
SO did everybody else. Now 1 saw
} settlements away out on the plains
two hundred miles, and am fully
persuaded that at no very distant
day the bulk of that country viii
not 'ui. ." thickly settled, but
that those settlers will make liv-
ing there.
| There is much very handsome
country between Junction City
and point some twenty-five miles
west of Salina. The towns look
ed thrifty, especially Salina, where
l stopped one day. And by the
way, it is well enough for one to
know that if he stops off at all on
the K. p. road he must stop q
whole day, for the freight trains
viii not carry passengers, and the
passenger trains only run once a
day each way. AS We came out
from Salina the grass gradually
grow shorter, and the country
more rough, until we got past Els
worth. Thon we were on the reg
ular plains, which spread out into
undulating prairies that extended
as far as the eye could reach, and
SO they continued all the balance
of the way. The soil contains q
great deal of sand, and is deep and
nearly the same most all the way.
l saw many pieces of corn hun
dreds of miles out, that looked
quito well. 1t looked strange to
see women and children peering
out of the windows of houses that
stood a days journey apart, and
long journeys west of the valley
settlements. We were told that
We would sec buffalo, but we did
not. One little wolf and q num-
Der of antelope were all the game
l saw.
Denver is very fine town, and
appears to be doing great
amount of business, though my
landlord says it is overdone. The
business blocks arc much finer and
more costly than l had expected
to see, and many of the store
rooms cannot be eXcclled in any
Kansas town. They have plenty
of railroads, the most interesting
of which is the little narrow gauge
road that runs over to the Arkan-
sas. Besides bcing ga thing of
beauty it is brim full of business.
The engines look good deal like
| playthings, but they take out long
trains and make fast enough time.
Everybody laughs at the oddity of
the little coaches, but they surpass
the large ones in elegance, and
carry nearly as many passengers.
| Denver has many of the nine
teenth century touches of improve
ment-gas, water-works, theatres,
fine fair grounds, etc. There are
crowds of people in the city, from
all parts of the country, and board
ing houses flourish, and hack driv-
ers grow rich. "When do you
start for the mountainsY' and
"when did you get back from the
mountains?"ar the main interrog-
atories.
Many of the faces you meet are
those of invalids, and generally
they are improved by this climate.
1t costs something to pilgrimize
in these parts. The ''cheap" ho-
tells will let you off on So per day,
while the private boarding houses,
most in demand, charge from $40
to $15 per week. So you see that
the presence of several thousand
pleasure seekers all the time circu-
lates . nice little amount of cur
rency.
1 met Coke Watson just after
my arrival. He has been ''all
over" and is delighted with the
country, as in fact most people
are. And like most others, he is
growing fat as bear.
The mountains loom up in mag
nificent grandeur to the north.
west and southwest of Denver
T with all the highest points con
stantly covered with snow. II
does not look to be more than
half mile to the foot of tho
, mountains, when in reality it is
: fifteen miles. Several times Z
!, day. since my arrival here, big
: thunder cloud has swept over the
I nearest mountains, and the rain
! hid them from view. 1t rains il
n the city, too. You don't know
e when to look for splash, and TIVE
or three times 1 have got a wet
a ting. The weather here is COO
!. and sharp by spells, especially
during the night and morning, bu
!. in the middle of the day the SUI
a comes straight down occasionally
4 and fairly Wits things. / am go
into the mountains in q day o.
two, and if stay here long enough
will drop line of what l Sc
q there. <.
! HONE MADE CANDY.-Use a new
. tin basin; put into it four table
= spoons of water, one pound c
a ''coffee AZ sugar, one teaspoenfu
4 of good cream tartar, boil, stirrin
le constantly to avoid burning. Al