The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-10-03
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
GRANADA, Colorado


On Sunday evening, the 23rd of August
| stepped out of the cars into the dust Of
this border town, at the end of the Atchison
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, the last mile
having been travelled by rail in this direc
ton, and the passengers stop here in the
heart of the wilderness.
Granada is thirteen miles west of the
Kansas border, has population at present
which is styled permanent, of some two
hundred perhaps, and as many transient.
On my return this way l was compelled to
spend Sunday in this frontier place, and
will embody notes and observations taken
here on both occasions, in one letter.
Sunday is known here by the date of the
hotel register it was said, but, nevertheless
there was kind of semi-regard for the
day observed by business houses, and peo-
pie all, except the saloons. They make nc
distinction in days. The principal business
houses here are Chick, Brown & Co. s; and
Ortero Sellar & Co. IS, which are immense
mercantile and forwarding establishments.
The buildings which are used by these
companies are three hundred feet long.
They do heavy forwarding business to
mountains; and large trains of Mexican
OK and mule teams were camped round
about the town, which arrive and depart
daily, loaded with goods of all kinds by
= Az
of these Mexican teamsters' little camps |
saw boy busy kneading bread in a box on
the ground, which looked like it might be
an old soap or candle box. The principal
food of these Mexican teamsters is what
they call chilly, which is composed of meat,
principally mutton, believe, cut into
small pieces and cooked in a gravy made of
cayenne pepper and water, which would
seem to be hot dose, but on the contrary
is not unpleasantly warm and quite a
toothsome dish. This dish with bread
the kind the boy was kneading, perhaps
forms the Mexican Transfers principal
food; which is infinitely superior to the
American dish of fat bacon, under similar
circumstances.
Granada stands on a treeless, almost
CRASHES plain. The town has one wide
dusty street where the saloons, stores and
hotels are located, and in addition to these
numberless wooden shanties are scattered
about in promiscuous manner. Rafting
platforms of loosely laid boards, here and
there, in front of public places, form a
broken line of sidewalks and porches COM
bined, free to pigs, dogs and dirty children,
all rolling in the dust together. The dance
house is an institution peculiar to these
frontier towns which every reader Of West
ern life and adventure is somewhat familiar
with. When the cars pulled up at this
terminus on Sunday evening, the saloons
and dance houses were in full blast, with
lamps cleaning and music sounding. One
of the passengers, who came through on
the train, was musician and had some
with dance house life and he
to look in on the performance, if
| wished, and with proverbial Bohemian
curiosity, l accepted the offer, and after
supper we sailed out to view and interview
some of these places. A dance house is a
long one story hall not, unlike ten pin
alley, without the alley. A platform in
one end is occupied by the musicians, who
were excellent performers in the establish
ments We visited. The all-important bar,
with its decanters, bottles and other neces-
sary tools, occupied prominent place, and
in another part of the room the faro bank
was located, with the keeper of the tiger
quietly seated behind pine table waiting
for the guileless prey to approach. The
fiddles squeaked and pipes squeeled invit-
ing to the dance, and the lewd girls tripped
about, displaying their coarse charms, but
business appeared to be distressingly dull.
A company of rough looking men occupied
some benches in the hall and were enter
tanning themselves conversing about cattle,
paying little heed to the music and dancing
girls. l found on inquiring that general
dearth of money was the cause of the good
order, and the evident distress of the young
ladies.
The Sunday 1 stayed over here on my
return from Pueblo, was representative
day of this country. The wind howled
and whistled round the frail houses, like
our Winter storms, but was mild, and not
uncomfortable, till it has been enjoyed
several hours, then its effects begin to be
experienced. The eyes burn from the
inpalpable dust which fills the atmosphere
and the warm wind, dust ladened produces
a most uncomfortable sensation.
A gentleman from Philadelphia is located
here gathering bones for one of the large
bone dust and phosphate manufactures of
that city. He pays So a ton for the bones
and SIS per ton freight to Philadelphia,
and receives SEA per ton, leaving margin
of IS for profit and contingencies, not a
very large one.
This place, although so unpretendiug in
appearance, or l might say forbiddng, is
more orderly and pleasant, socially, than it
would be natural to infer, and the hotel
cript towns are pleasant surprise to the
traveller. The fare is really good, and the
proprietor generally manages to make the
sleeping arrangements very comfortable.
On my return here l had the best room in
the Window House assigned me, for which
good fortune I suspect l was considerably
indebted to Mrs. DR.. Flournay, a lady from
Lexington, Mo-, whose acquaintance |
made in the cars, and who was making the
overland trip to Colorado Springs, where
she proposed to establish permanent
home. Her husband, two sons-small boys
and two hired men, with herself COM
posed the part of the family enrOute for
the land of health. The party had come
as far as Topeka from home in their
wagons, which consumed two weeks, camp
ing out at night and cooking and sleeping
in the open air and their wagons. They
shipped at Topeka on the cars, and from
Granada proceeded with their wagons to
Colorado Springs, across the country
The little emigrant company tarried at
a. 4