The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-07-06

hfoukn stpfh Abn caim tns years
have led
Our Nation on from stage to stage.
A eentury's space, until we tread
The threshold Of another rae
BRYANT.
A most beautiful morn lshered in
the hundredlh birthday of the Unit
ed States. Everybody in Cheyenne
seemed to have the Centennial fever
and therefore arose early to prepare
for the days festivities, the process
sion, and the sports arranged in hon
or Of the day.
At 8 o'clock the several artillery
companies, the fire companies and
other civic associations began to as
semble, and at 10 the line of march
vas taken up in the order announced
in The LEADER of the 4th inst.
The procession was one of the
finest ever seen in Cheyenne ; the
boys in blue, the fire boys and the
Knights looked their best and all con-
tributed to make the parade one of
the most attractive features of the
Centennial celebration in Cheyenne.
The exercises at the Lake, after
the procession, were of the most in
teresting nature. Music and ora
tons occupied the time until l
o'clock, when the historian of the
day, Judge Whitehead, was intro
duced to the multitude, who received
him with cheers.
Judge Whiteheadspoke as follows ].
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men:
In responding to the kind invita-
ton of your committee of arrange
ments, to be present here to-day for
the purpose of presenting for your
consideration such Of the prominent
characteristics and events in the his
tory of our young Territory and
"Magic City" as may be appropri-
ately referred to upon an occasion of
this character, l frankly confess
that, while feeling grateful to the
committee and my fellow-citizens for
the honor thus conferred, / cannot
but approach this subject with a feel
ing of serious apprehension as to my
inability to do justice to the subject
and to the occasion.
Thus promising what l may have
to say, l beg leave to ask your indul-
gence and patience for a short time
while l endeavor to fulfill the require
ments your committee Lave thought
proper to make of me, and, at the
same time, your charity and forgive
ness for whatever of omission you
may observe in my brief conclusions.
Geographically speaking,the situa-
ton of our Territory is central to the
American continent and in many re-
spects most extraordinary, lying as
it does between the 41st and 10Th
degrees of north latitude and the
l04th and 111th degrees of longi-
tude west from Greenwich. Its shape
is that of a parallelogram, being in
length All miles from east to west by
27S miles from north to south and
containing in round numbers about
$4,000 square miles. 1t covers like
a canopy the browning apex or true
water shed of the American CONT
nent. From the SUBMITS of its lofty
mountains the waters of the Missouri,
Columbia and Colorado rivers rise,
wend their way to the Pacific ocean
and the CULTS Of Mexico and Califor-
MIA.
Our Territory is extremely diver
sifed, containing all the notifications
of prairie, plain, valley and noun
tain. From this combination of cir
cumstances arises the fact that a va
riety of scenery and climate is here
presented, unequaled perhaps in the
same area of country in the world.
Its average altitude is about six
thousand feet above tide water and
the approach to this great plateau of
the American continent is so gradual
that this altitude is almost impercep-
tibly attained. No malarious exhal-
atoms are to be found here poisoning
the atmosphere with their d~eleterious
influences; but, on the contrary, SO
vivifying and life giving are the
properties of our climate that it is
fast becoming a realized fact that our
elevated Territory in the not distant
future will become the great Santa
rum of u citizens inhabiting less
favored portions of our country.
Thousands of people have already
attested the healing qualities of our
mountain breezes and particularly
those balmy ones in this vicinity
known to you all by the euphcnious
name of Cheyenne zephyrs," and
there can be no doubt that before
many years shall have passed into
history, our fair Territory will not
only be the resort of the tourist and
pleasure-seeker, but that invalids in
untold numbers will seek the health
giving atmosphere that continuously
plays around our grand old noun