The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-10-12

smooth. and ornamented by fin,
stores, bank buildings, beautiful res
licences and towering churches
Here are large Rolling Mills, which
are operated by the Kansas Pacific
Railway, the handsome stone Capi
tol, Washburn College, and the To
peka Female Seminary.
But we must move on, and agair
we are skimming along over the
finest country we have ever looked
upon. While we sit in the luxurious
coaches of the Kansas Pacific, We
enjoy the fresh, balmy air and love
ly scenery, as we pass along through
the Kaw valley, with its broad and
beautiful bottom land, its numerous
timbered creeks, with the gently un-
dulating prairie in the background.
Soon we are out on the broad ex-
panse of prairie, without fence in
sight-one boundless carpet of green,
dotted here and there with neat
farm-houses, with their accompany
ing luxuriant corn and wheat fields.
We now pass the extensive fenceless
wheat fields of T. c. Henry, con
tanning 1,200 acres, the yield of which
is said to be enormous, but what
quantity per acre we cannot say.
A little further on, and we are at
Abilene, where we will remain over
night. We stop at the Henry House,
a dining station on the Kansas Pa
cifc, which we accord the reputation
of ''frst-class. Abilene was once
the great shipping point for the
Texas cattle trade. From small
r. R. pamphlet copy the following
in regard to this trade at Abilene:
''In 1867, thirty-fve thousand head
arrived there from Texas in 1868,
seventy five thousand in 1869,
"fully one hundred and fifty thou
"sand; but the surrounding coun-
"try became gradually settled and
farmed, and too valuable for graz
ling, and the cattle are now shipped
'from Ellsworth, sixty miles further
"west, and which is now the great
receiving point for the Texans"
We again take our seat in Pull
man car, an elegant one; indeed, we
find the farther west we go, the more
complete and comfortable are the
accommodations. We also
find tie employees and officials of the
Kansas Pacific very polite and anx
ious to please, answering all ques
tions pleasantly and satisfactorily.
We are now bound for Denver,
without any more "stop overs" and
night soon cuts off from our vision
beautiful Kansas, and all the numer-
GUS grass -hoppers we have met with
from Topeka thus far westward.
After a good nights rest, we wake
up to look out on the barren plains
of Colorado. Here we see innum
erable Prairie Dogs, numerous herds
of Antelope, some Buffalo, and such
vast herds of cattle as can only be
seen here. Nothing to interrupt the
view over the broad plain,
but countless herds of cattle and
antelope. We soon come to Kit
named in honor of the fam
Gus frontiersman, an important trad
ing point and transfer station on
the plains, for Government supplies,
&c. The hotel and warehouses at
this place are built of adobe, and |
present singnlarly picturesque ap
pearance. From near this place we
could plainly see Pixies Peak, $50
miles distant A few miles from
Kit Carson is situated the military
post of Fort Lyon.
We will not attempt to describe
tue grand view of the mountains we
have as we approach Denver. Our
language is utterly inadequate. The
grand sight must be seen to be ap
preciated. Denver is II miles from
the mountains, and we can now look
out of our window, and as plainly
discern the many chasms and gorges
on the rugged sides of these historic
as if but short distance
Denver, the "Queen City of the
Plains, aptly SO called. receives the
palm from Invalid and Tourist, as
being the Beautiful of Cities.
This fine city is romantically stu
ated in full view of the beautiful
foothills, and the cold Snowy Range
Pixies Peak, rs miles distant to the
South, whose altitude is 14,216 feet
above the level of the sea Longs
Peak, 70 miles away, and Gray's
Peak, are all plainly visible present
ing a panorama of mountain scenery
not elsewhere to be seen.
The city lies principally on the
south side of the Platte River, on a
level plain, at slight elevation
above the valley of the river. 1t is
supplied with very pure water by the
Holly Water Works, near the river );
is lighted with gas, has street cars,
transfer companies, and all modern
conveniences and facilities of a well