Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-27
COLORADO SPRINGS.
Colorado and Its Climate.
COLORADO, July II, 1876.

| The traveller bound Tor the ROCKY
Mountains Uia. the Kansas Pacific
Railway, leaves the Missouri River at
the Gate City of the Vest (Kansas
City,, and in few mintes passing over
the Kaw or Kansas river, is in the
State of Kansas. For upwards of &c
miles he passes through thickly
wooded country following the course
of the Kaw river, and emerg5s into
prairie country, and makes his first
stop at the city of Lawrence, which
was settled in 1854, and has popula-
ton of about $4,000; thence passing
through the extensive grazing plains
and vast and fenceless wheat fields OF
this noted agricultural State, he con-
cludes,i if he is anything of an observer,
that Horace Greeley was something
of prophet when he predicted that
Kansas was destined to be the great
est wheat State in the Union. AT
Abilene, 163 miles west of Kansas Ci-
ty, we were shown one of these wheat
patches entirely fenceless, said to con-
tain fourteen hundred acres.
Our next stopping place of impor-
tance is Topeka, the capital of the
State. Here you can get first-rate
dinner for one dollar, or if you don't
feel like going a dollars worth, you
can have lunch for twenty-five cents.
The other places of any size or impor-
tance, after leaving Topeka, are Man.
haitian, Ogden, Junction City, arri-
wing at Abilene for supper. This
place was once an important point for
the shipment of the long-horned Texas
cattle. "In 1867, $4,000 head arrived
here from Texas; in 1868, $4,000; in 869
fully 100000; but the surrounding
country became gradually settled and
farmed, and too valuable for grazing,
and the cattle are now shipped from
Ellsworth, 60 miles further West" Ia
king sleeper at Abilene, we wake up
on the second morning of our trip and
find ourselves on the boundless dreary
plains. The grass growing on these
plains is ''short, very succulent, grows
in punches, cures itself in the ground,
and drops its seed to spring up new
and green each succeeding season.
'"This grass, which for SO many years
gave support to the almost countless
buffalo and antelope is now available
for domestic cattle; and no food or shell
ter except that provided by Dame Ma
ture, is ever given them." For up
wards of 300 miles we glide over this
waste. To our mind noth- |
ing is better calculated to give one an
idea of deSOlation than ride over
these plains. Not tree nor scrub, nor
scarcely living creature is to be seen,
if we except an occasional small town
of prairie dogs, d lonely dug out or
railway station. The few people we
did see coming out of their holes in
the ground looked like semi barbara
ans. As we approach near Denver ev-
is on the look out for first
view OF the mountains, and when we
reached First View Station a gentlman
pointed out to me what he said was
the summit of Pixies Peak. What
saw looked just like good-sized silver
lined cloud. This appearance was eX-
planned from the fact that Pixies Peak
at this season of the year May, is
covered with snow.
Denver is a beautiful little city of
about 10000, built on the plains, with
in II miles OF the base of the noun
tains. ITO the north may be seen
Longs Peak, over 20 miles away, RI
sing IA $50 feet above sea level; Gray's
Peak, south of this, IA, 134 feet; imme-
lately opposite the city on the west,
he beautiful pine-clad foot hills, back
ed up in the dim distance by the great
snowy range; and to the southwark
Pixies Peak, rs miles away, towering
a PIG feet above tide water, and 5000
eet above the level-the whole form
ng a continuous view of over 200 miles
If mountains"
When we boarded the diminutive
:ars of the Denver & Rio Grande Rail-
oad (narrow-gauge) for this place, we ,
.ould not repress smile, for the whole .
'utfit looked so much like toy con- |,
ern. Nevertheless, We mentality
Wished our genial friend p. P. P. P.'
the first p stands for Presidency, sue
ess in the undertaking of building :
imilar road in the neighborhood offs
;lairsville. This city (they call every.
hing city here if the place consists =
f half dozen houses), is 70 miles =
outh of Denver, and is "a fair sample OF :,
mushroom town, if rapid growth is
onsidered. 1t is only about years !,
Id, and is of very respectable size
laims population of $500. The first =
,hite settlement. in this territory :,
'as made at Denver in 1858, and now :.
he calls herself the Centennial State" y
AS to the general nature of the eli q
late of Colorado, I will copy an excel =