The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1872-07-31
The Switzerland of America.

A correspondent of the Press gives the
following interesting information about the
mountains of Colorado in comparison with
those of Switzerland;
Colorado has been carelessly called the
Switzerland of America, and the thoughtless
phrase has been passed from mouth to mouth
until there is danger of its becoming cur
rently accepted. Certainly those who use
it can have. seen only Switzerland or Colo
RADIO and have no idea of their comparative
relations. You might as well call the Pa
cifc Ocean the Lake Lucerne of America.
Let me quote few figures to show how
damaging this ignorant comparison is to our
own country, and to prove the facts in the
issue of Colorado against Switzerland, a
case that soon must be tried before the tour
lists of the world.
First. As to detached attitudes Colorado
presents the following:
Mount Lincoln, II, 300 feet. This is the
measurement arrived at by Professor Dubois,
of the Stevens MetalIurgical Institute, and
adopted by the "Rocky Mountain Gazetteer
for 1871" careful and laborious volume
which is monument to the enterprise and
intelligence of the territory. Pixies Peak,
1896 feet; Gray's Peak, 1925 feet;
Longs Peak, 1906 feet These are the
higher peaks whose ascent has as yet been
attempted and measurement made. The
nameless peaks of 10000 to $4,000 feet in
height are almost without number.
To offset this, Switzerland can show
Mount Blanc, Is, 780 feet; Monta Rosa, 49,
100 feet; Matterhorn, II, S36 feet; Finster
Aarhorn, IA, $50 feet; Jungfrau, Is, 72O feet
In single attitudes she unquestionably
leads, Mount Lincoln excepted.
Secondly. In the Average height of noun
tain range Switzerland does not begin to
compare with Colorado, or for that matter
with any Western territory. The mean
height of the Alps is from 5000 to 5000
feet above the sea. The mean height of
the Rocky Mountains is from 10000 to 12,-
900 feet. This is the mean height of the
immense continental sweep of the C0rdSllera
de la Sierra Madre. 1t is probable that the
average height in Colorado, which is the ia
bic land of the continent, will approach very
nearly to 10000 feet.
Thirdly. 1t is in the point of general
mountainous area, however, that this care
less comparison is most unjust to Colorado,
and ridiculously inaccurate. The mountain
ranges alone of Colorado cover an area of
from 10000 to 10000 square miles, This
excludes bodily the entire territory east of
this point All Switzerland covers but 49,
900 square miles, or, to be accurate, 1890.
The fact is Switzerland, compared to Colo
RADIO, is as one of the little wooden toy COWS
to living buffalo. You can take up the
whole little state, and set it down in either
the North, Middle, or South Parks, without
touching the rim of the mountains which
wall 10 these grand and singular enclosures
These parks are each of them "a, 900 to 28,-
900 square miles in extent, and the San Luis
is nearly as large as all three.
So far as to magnitude, which is certainly
an element of mountain scenery as to pure
scenic beauty, of course the evidence cannot
be reduced to figures, but it is reasonable to
suppose that this vast expanse of gigantic
ranges, endless canons, bottomless gulches,
with its lake swung $4,000 feet in the air,
and its cascades and icy waterfalls still high
er-with its eternal SHOWS and pre-Adamite
stone forests of tropical efloreSence--offers
all of picturesque and. wild effects that any
other land or region can claim. Call Swift
zerland the miniature Colorado of Europe"
if you please, but let us have done forever
with the other phrase, which has no meaning
in itself, and is detraction of our own land.