Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-07-12
THE FAR -SRErCn OF DEN.
YER.

bkNNER. COLORADO. June II. ISIS.
had arranged 10 leave Denver yesterday
but will not get away until Monday, when
in buggy with friend / set out for Corona
on the South Platte river, * miles away. a
journey OF two days, where I intend TO re
main two weeks. That region is extolled as
the garden of Colorado. and intend 10 ex-
plore IL thoroughly. Ny friends at W
desire 10 Cmi-rate there, and have asked me
10 report upon the Platte valley. On nv r.
iurn will make raids into the mountains 10
al interesting points OF easy access.
This city of Denver Is ON the west nrn CON
hneS OF what USED 70 be called in our school
maps
THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT"
IL is within Is miles at the nearest OF the
foothills of the Rocky IN fountains, which
can be seen from the city extending north
and south distance of l3O miles. Pixies
Peak being the SouthernmOSt point - mile B
of, and Longs Peak the northe I'm limit. -
miles away. They form a grand sight, snow
capped. ragged-eSi ged. Sierra ted. dentatGl and
pinnacled. They look as If they are but two
or three miles or beysnd a swell OF the prai-
ries, but 1t miles as the crow flies, must be
Travelled 10 their nearest point To reach
Denver. the train traverSed fuIl 300 miles of
the Great American Desert" which is
nothing but prairie Of that enormous width
and rather Scant of water. IL was once the
terror of the old emgrantS and explorers but
the needs of the ''iron horse for water are
so imperative that deep wells have pierced
the bowels of the prairie and brought the pre-
ciouS element TO the surface. Along the
whole distance the only signs OF human life
were at the water-statiOns and eating stands
where were few persons TO serve the engine
and passengers. At inter walls an emigrant
train would toe passed, and now and then the
ranch Of cattle herders. No sign OF timber:
nothing but short grass. You could not cut
toothpick, nor pick up n pebble as large a
a marble. To me the grass looked stunted
and parcbed. but am told IL is very nutri-
fiouS. An occasional herd OF Buffalo, a soil
tary Indian wigwam, antelopes and prairie
"a y ~ - Nf d
birds other than the doves around the sta
tons and a few prairie hawks.
saw some fine country I'm Kansas, in
THE KAw VALLEY.
The lard is rich and burlened with an
abundant harvest. There is no varied land
scape i'm this far west. No forests, no wOOlci
hills. no comfortable EOmeStcals, old with
age, buried in fruit trees and shrubbpry
with green lawns and kitchen gardens ad-
Joining. Everything looks so new. the
dwellings so prim and formal, standing alone
on the naked prairie, with nothing abogt
them to relieve the eye. The newneSs Of the
country never Impressed me 50 fOrclblV as IL
did on Sunday last in Kansas City. when at
the morning and n ght service in the EpiSco-
pal Church found myself
TIE ONLY GRFY-HATRED MAN PRESENT.
Not man among the other worShi pperS
seemed To he over forty, and there were out
two or three women. / can't say much for
the comelinesS of the latter sex here. I have
seen hOmelieT women here than in all my
previous life. Those over thirty are either
featured, and have large hands and feet. The
young women AMI children also show the
signs of life of toll and exposure In their
faces, and in dress show extravaganza and
want of taste.
Denver is an mbitious little city OF some
1000 people, and has gas and water works
and street railroads. Its public buildings are
creditable. especially those of the public
schools. The business houses are subs an
tial and commodious. There is "A large trade
with the mining regions, withNew Mexico and
other outlying places In provisions, clothing.
supplies of all kinds. II is amazing TO see
the amountOf canned fruits. vegetables and
meats brought here from the east, whence
aud from California this whole region is fed
except in the two articles OF beef and NUT
ton. The streets are clean and OF good width
and from the nature OF the soil, hard an
smooth as a bowling alley, never muddy,
but when high wind sweeps down from the
mountains, very dusty. The dwellings are
chiefly OF brick. standing alone. never more
Than two-stOries high, and mostly OF one
story.
AS NOTHING GROWS WITHOUT IRRIG ALTON.
except prairie grass, the town and adjacent
country for a diameter of four miles are irri-
gated by two canals leading from the mOun-
tains. one on the west and one on the east
side of Platte river. bitches and drains are
led from these canals through the fields and
streets and lots Of this city, a poor Substi-
tute, though, for the early and the latter
rain, and but partial at the best. ConSe-
quently you see no wealth of verdure i'm the
house lots or adjacent farms, in the way OF
shade trees, flowers or grass; nothing but a
few cottOn-woOdS that have 10 be drowned
with water every morning, thin grass, or a
sickly shrub or two. The air. however, is
cool, pure, and bracing; hence this is great
resort for inValids from the east, and il Is
always full of them. Undoubtedly a resi-
dence here is efiicacious for lung and bron-
chial affections.