The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-09-02

-COlOradO has been called the wonder
land of America, and it well deserves
that title. But the Colorado River,
though it traverses much larger terri
tory than that of Colorado, is not only
grand enough to deserve the name of a
wonderful river, but very admirably
maintains the reputation of the territory
for being a place of natural wonders.
This river has lately been explored by
Major j. w. Powell, who has written
series of papers describing what he saw.
These descriptions were published in
Scribner's Monthly and the pictures are al
most amazing for their grandeur and
beauty. Nothing like it has ever before
been seen in this country. To explore
such wild and tumultuOus stream is a
severe task. Many are the thrilling
incidents related by Major Powell and
his comrades, and many were their mis-
haps A deep river, confined in mar
row gorge or channel of steep rock, is
full of danger ; it has no shores on which
wrecked navigatOrs can be cast, and 1t is
frequently broken by abrupt cascades,
falls and foaming rapids. To pass be-
tween the great rocks that grimly lift
their heads Just above water requires a
steady eye at the bow and steady arm
at the tiller.
The Colorado River reaches far up into
the heart of the continent for its sources.
Away up in Nebraska, there is a vast
cluster of peaks covered with snow, and
forming an off-shOot or spur of the
Rocky Mountains. These are the Wind
River Mountains, and among them are
thousands of bright little rivulets and
brooks, fed by the melting SHOWS. Many
of these little streams run together after
awhile, and SO form Green River, a river
which is cold, swift and deep. 1t crosses
the roads that lead across the continent
to California; and; in old times, when
the emigrants used to 60 to the gold
country with horses or ox-teams, they
very much dreaded the dangerous fords
of Green River. 1t flows on for more
than one thousand miles, often winding
about, but always moving southwark,
through monstrous masses of rock and
amidst arid plains, until it empties itself
into the Gulf of California, and so
reaches the Pacific Ocean.
Further south than the head-waters of
the Green River is the Grand River,
which rises near Longs Peak, in the
Rocky Mountains. 1t is born in the
solitary lakes which lie among the rocky
crags high up amidst the cold mountain
peaks. Few white men have ever looked
upon these lakes; but we know that out
of their mysterious depths, hidden amid
the pines and fir-trees, come the waters
of the Grand River. This stream unites
with the Green, and so forms the great
Colorado, which, as we have said, flows
into the Gulf of California. Besides
these two main branches of the Colora-
do, there are hundreds of others; some
of them have no names; but many are
named on the maps, where you may find
them duly set down.
After these streams leave the imme-
date neighborhood of the Rocky Noun
tains,-say about twO-thirds of the way
down to the mouth of the Colorado
they pass through very dry and rocky
country. Ages on ages ago, it is sup
posed the surface of this region was COM
paratively level, though broken here and
there by rocky peaks. Through it the
streams rushed with great speed, year
after year and century after century. If
there had been frequent and heavy falls
of rain, the surface of the country would
have been washed into the rivers, and the
debris, or loose stuff, swept in, would be
carried off by the rivers. But the rain
seldom falls there, and SO the rivers, left
to themselves, have kept on wearing
down the rocky bed through which they
foam, until they have plOwed deep
channels far down into the rocky heart
of the land. Nobody can tell how long
the rivers have been at work carving
out these channels; but there they are,
with tremendous cliffs towering far
above them and so smooth are the walls
of these gorges or canons pronounced
canyons) that the traveller must pass
down the river by water; there is no
shore along which he may walk; but, in
general, the rock rises straight up from
the river on either side.
These canOns which we have mentioned
often run into each other Just as the
branches of the stream run into the main
channel. There is maze of them all
over the country, so that one cannot
traverse the face of the land, these deep
gorges so cut it up with channels and
abysses. The walls of the canons rise
to a great height,-some of them more
than two thousand feet. The scenery
cannot be called beautiful; it is terrible
and sublime. But one must suppose that
a few weeks spent in such an awful place
would make one long for the sunny lawn
and smooth streams Of less wonderful
country. Nevertheless, the great river
will always be faverite resort for those
who love to look upon the mightiest
works ofGod in nature.-&. Nicholas.
A BUNCH OF DAIsIEs.--His shoes
were out at the toes, his trowsers were
out at the knees his jacket was out at
the elbows. In his hand was bunch oil
daisies, roots and all. How tightly he
grasps them, lest he might drop even
one, smelling now and then of the large
white blossoms. He had wandered fal
ovt into the fields this Sunday afternoon,
and plucked them by the wayside. So
far indeed had he gone that he mus,
need pay his last five cents, earned selling
newspapers, for ride home on the street
cars
A lady came out at one of the avenues
"Such alittle ragamufiinp she mentally
| exclaimed. carefully adjusting her silker