Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-10
The Garden OF the G0ds.

If ever there was place on earth
where the gods of the Greeks and Ro-
mans may be supposed to have lived and
had good time, that place must have
been in Colorado. Near the foot of the
famous mountain known as Pixies Peak
lies the Garden of the Gods" 1t is q
small valley, just on the edge of the
Rocky Mountains, and is completely sur
rounded by a high, perpendicular wall of
white sandstone. There are two en-
frances through this wonderful wall;
one of them-the larger-is called "The
Beautiful Gate" 1t is narrow gap in
mass of rock more than 100 feet high
fenced in on all sides with white sand
stone; and, nearly opposite, at the top of
hill is another smaller gateway, half
concealed by huge rock about the size
of an ordinary cottage. This mass of
rock is so balanced on the edge of tho
slope that it looks as if it might jump off
and 60 laundering down the hill while
you look at it.
The Garden of the Gods abounds with
beautiful trees and foliage, and tower
ing amidst this loneliness are some of
the most extraordinary, queer and fan
tastic shapes ever made out of rock.
Ages ago, when this part of the world
was in state of terrible commotion,
vast layers of rock were forced up out of
the earth in all sorts of positions. Some
were vertical some slanting and some
were criss-cross and mixed up generally.
Learned men say that was the way these
layers of sandstone, which once were fiat,
got up edgewise and in all other ways.
We must take their word for ii. There
was nobody there to see.
Trees and shrubs, after a time, grew
up around, and the disturbed earth had
peace. Then came the mountain winds
and the long autumn rains. The wind
blew the sand against the rocks, which
are so soft that you could dig holes in
them with strong jackknife. The
wearing of the sand and wind and water
against these stony surfaces carved them
into all sorts of wild and funny shapes.
Ages and ages passed away, probably be-
fore these grotesque sculptures looked
as they do now.
Here and there among the trees rise
up fantastic shapes like spires, towers
and steeples Some of the fanciful
names given these are: Montezuma's
Cathedral" Cleopatra's Needle"
Washington Monument" "The Cathe-
dral Spires" and Needle Rock"
But, of course, the half-human-looking
objects that gave name to this curious
garden are most likely to attract attention.
The names by which they are known are as
fantastic rs the shapes themselves.
One, IA figure Of a woman, drapsd and stand
ing mournfully alone, has many names.
II is called 1.-The Mourning Bride, v" The
Widow" 1.-THE Old Maid" and by other
titles, any one of which may happen to
stick to the pathetic figure, that might be
called Lots Wife," only that it is
pillar of stone instead of pillar of
salt. Then there is a huge water-worn
bowlder, that looks for all the world like
a gigantic frog in the act of getting ready
to jump. You get tired looking at this
stony frog. He seemsjust about to leap,
but he never does. He has been in that
position for don't know how many hun
dred years, and he has not jumped yet.
On one part of the wall, where the
white sandstone Is mixed with red, is q
gigantic head of buffalo. There it
rests-horns, ears, nostrils and all-glow-
ering down at you, just as If 1t were a pet
rified mammoth buffalo's head stuck up
there as trophy, as the head and antlers
of deer are sometimes hung up-trophies
of the chase Another singular group is
" The Nun and the Seal" AS the seal is
peering over the rock at the nun, who
seems to have been at prayer, this group
Is sometimes called interrupted Medi-
tatioo." II may be allowed, | should
say it might be called "The Height of
Impudence." II Is about fifty feet high.
Mrs. Eliza Greatorer, in 81. Nicholas
Jor December.