Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-07-03
LETTER FROM COLORADO.

n 81
EDIToRs sGHRoSrcLE:-I left st
Louis. Mo. on the 10Th Of May for
Montgomery City. Mo-. for the purpose
of travelling with my daughter for her
health. There joined her and her
husband, and the 24th Of May we left
Montgomery City for Denver, Colorado.
We were three weeks en- route for this
place. stepping FIRST at Kansas City,
which presented lifeless, unbusiness
like appearance very many fine bust
ness houses vacant, and but little show
of business in any department oftrade.
This state of things is partly attribut-
able to the destruction by grasshoppers
last season, and also again this season.
They were very numerous in portions
| Of the city while We were there We
found the country, for several miles
out on the Kansas Pacific railroad,
bare of vegetation. The ground look
ed as ii it had been burned over in
many places not sprig of any thing
green left. They had been SO numer-
Gus on the track as to stop the train.
If one could skip Kansas City, and not
stop, it would be better for hisipurse.
They can charge higher and give you
less than any town from st. Louis to
Denver. 1.ss rs FH3
A few miles out from Kansas City,
on the Kansas and Pacific road, We en-
countered heavy r.iin storm, called
in this country water spout. 1t did
not rain in thausual way, but it poured
for about thirty minutes, aud the rail-
road track was soon from one to two
feet under water, which presented
quite novel scene TO see the commo
ton produced by the train blowing
through the water. s5 l1o ri
We reached Topeka at o'clock,
where We stopped twenty-five minutes
for dinner. We did not have the OPP
portunity of seeing much Of the town,
but it being the capital of the State and
surrounded by a rich country of land,
well adapted to farming, we can see
nothing to prevent it from becoming
quite city. The Kaw valley, from
Kansas City to Topeka, is very rich
and we'll adapted to farming purposes.
Our next stop was at Salina, where
weremained ten days with NJ. w. Keith,
who keeps the railroad house. We
here found, what is not often found at
railroad hotels, one Of the cleanest,
neatest and best kept hotels, it has
been our good fortune to stop at. Mr..
Keith is one of the most pleasant aud
attentive landlords, and his table uni
formly good, the very best milk and
butter in the greatest abundance.
Everything moves like clock work from
the office to the garrett. ci ga trfe.lI
Invalids make very great mistake
In rushing through to Denver with
lightning speed. The change is too
great to be made so rapidly. The first
stop should be made at Salina, Kansas,
and the next at Ellis, and the next at
Wallace. 20 -.s ~ 5s.lF ta-
Saliua is 185 miles from Kansas City,
and 1l27 feet above the level of the
sea. Ellis, Ellis county, Kansas, is
302 miles from Kansas City, and 20l9
feet above the sea. We stopped here
one week with the Hon. John Ii. Ed
wards, ex-senator of Kansas. We
found him eongenial and pleasant, but
owing to his having professional call
to Topeka, the capital of the State, We
did not have the opportunity of cult
waiting his acquaintance to the extent
we wished. However, the vacancy
was supplied by his wife and daughter,
whom we found exceedingly pleasant
and accomplished, which riveted upon
our memory a pleasant recollection of
Ellis. .- 7-aI.
Indians, buffalo and antelope are
the principal inhabitants of the plains
in this locality. The bone pickers,
perhaps, should be considered masters
of the plains, Immediately on the line
of the K. & P. road, though they are
frequently driven ig by Indians. Bone
pickers are men who 60 on the plains
and gather the bones of animals, prin-
cipally buffalo but il matters not
whether human, buffalo or other
animals, SO they are bones. They get
six dollars and half per ton, delivered
atthe depot. These bones are shipped
to st. Louis, there ground up and used
for clarifying sugar, and also for fer
tilizing. Large quantities of this bone |
dust are shipped to Europe.
After leaving Ellis, we breakfastel
at Wallace, and aspleudid breakfast it |
was. Wallace is 420 miles from Kansas
City and 3 ,203 feet above the sea. We |
dined at Hugo, which is 534 miles from
Kansas City and 1852 feet above the |
sea. We took supper at Denver, our
place of destination, which is $40 miles
from Kansas City and 8, l0j feet above
the sea. Some Of the citizens claim
for Denver q, 600 inhabitants, but it is |
thought by many close count would
give Denver about 5000. -Four years
ago they claimed 5000. The growth
of Denver has been very rapid indeed,
when we consider there is no farming
interest in its immediate vicinity The
shade trees and shrubbery are kept
alive by irrigation. The streets are
sand and gravel, just as nature formed
them. They afford fine driving. The
houses are principally brick, and all
present q new appcarance-somev very |