Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-08-27
Southern Colorado.
A R%ose.Tinted view OF tho Land 81
PROMISE.

ff0hni9Cs
Marion Cooper, a former citizen Of
N6daway county, Mo-, writes to the
Maryyiile Democrat an Interesting
account Of southern Colorado. llis
letter is dated nj lIardscrnblc Mining
Disir CT, Fremont county:
The area Of Colorado comprises.
l05, 70S square miles, Omc-third plnins,
the remainder parks aud mountains.
II Is 276 miles from north to south.
aud $50 miles east IT, west. a few
miles north OF Pixies Peak Is near the
middle of the Territory, from north
to south. The divide between the
waters of the Platte and the Arkan.
sas extends eastward; this is u spun
Of mountains thrown out into the
| plains for u distance of n hundred
miles, all covered with good pine
timber. All the parks about the
foot OF this spur arc rs productive NJ
cal! be found anywhere, wheat being
the speciality. South Of this divid'
is the region of country drained b!
the Arkansas aud its tributaries, ant.
divided into the counties of Fl Paso,
Fremont, Pueblo, llucrfauo and Lar
AniInns; the extent Of country en-.
braced by these counties is half IL
large rs the state OF Illinois, and part
of II equally MS fertile. Coal is fOunG
in Lake county. neal the head OF tha
Arkansas; in Fremont county, neal
Canon City in Bent county, near La
Amimas city; and in Las Animas
county, at the town of Trinidad. I'll,
coal oil Fremont county is all that hitt
yet been mined withsys:em. This coa'
is as compact as any bituminous o
east of the Mississippi. In tlii.
county, above Canon City, is !
mountain of magnetic orc equally n
large as the Iron Mountai. oi Mis>uu.
ri this ore is pure and rich, and l.
exhaustless in quantity.
The southern counties in the ri,
Grandc Valley are the principal WOO
growing counties of the Territory
The opinion OF grazcrs is that South
cru Colorado annot be eXccllcd by Ca
iiornia or Australia for wool growing
and from what | have seen | woul'
say it will v be ~cXcellcd by M!
county for cattle. 1t is estimated
that the average yield Of wheat is 81
bushels per acre; oats, so corn, ~
barley, 81; potatoes, onions, bean
and all kinds of vegetables, do wei
in and about the foothills and VI Ill,
mountain streams.
Timber is in abundance all alon:
this range of mountains, and no
scrubby, but lofty pine ami spruce
| remember of srcins an account II
>omc rural paper of balsam tree
never affirming IL height of over 40 o,
so feet: here l sec balsnm from 12O t.
away up yomdcr-l never measured
thcm-l don't know low high, ant
about 3 feet through the body.
This | think Is II healthy country
especially the mountains. as at H.
great distance apart are TO be fouii,
springs of pure cool mountain water
we are hourly in sight of snow, am
oftimcs feel the fresh brcc%cs from i
when the wind is IRON The southwest
Frost is very common here OH thi
summit, though we have some mod
crutciy warm days. Game is i,
abundance, such as bear, mountain
lion. elk, deer, panther, wild ca,
wolf, badger, and c~hipinunk. 1t j
nothing 10 find the skull of All elk
,iccr, bear, and Indian all lying j
the same patch of c.apparel brush.
see some reports ot the prices G
provision in letters written trol
acre. | would lot attempt to COZ
tradict q word of these, but | hav
bought over $500 worth ofprovisioI
for myself and other parties since
nave been in the mines, and will Civ
YOU the prices rs They occur on til
bills which | sill have. Evcrythin
in the grain and provision line is sol
here by the po~und-busllel is know
'niy in the ~pa>t-corIi, 81 10 pr
hundred; -four (bcttcr than woul
take the first premium at our fail
81 80: bacon, II L. TO Is cents !; bean
: scents: sugar and coffee about as tt
Muryvlllc nruccrs sell.