The Portland daily press., 1877-12-12
Colorado Letter.
over the Plains-Denver and its People
Colorado Temperance Meeiing-Daily
Papers in Denvcr-society and Busi-
ness.
DENVER, COLORADO. DEC. 3. 1877,

sas and Colorado, it is with q feeling of pecu-
liar pleasure that one comes to halt in Den-
yer and finds it to be a city Of twenty-five
thousand Inhabitants, we'll invested with the
most advanced and luxurious appliances Of
modern civilization. and possessing mspy of
the attributes of a New Eogand city of SINH
lar size but with local difference Of appear
ance and mode of living and with q greater
difference in point of business activity. The
business streets are II of hurrying men, and
vast schemes of mining, of railroading and of
various other branches of enterprise are in per-
petual process of Development, and the man is
rare that does not feel the hope and promise of
some magnificent fortune that shall fall to him
through good luck, or sbrewdness or persistent
labor
One Of the first things stranger observes on
coming to Denver, Is a difficulty in breathing
the rareied air, and if he undertakes to walk
quickly or to run up flight of stairs he Is
likely to find himself out of breath. The ap-
proach to the high altitude in which Denver
stands is SO gradual that it is difficult to re-
alize that it is more than mile above the sea
level and comes well up to the height Of Mt.
Washington. Owing to the dryness and trans-
parency of the air one is at first greatly de-
ceved as to the magnitude and distances of
remote objects, and is astonished to learn that
what seems to be a range of low bluffs on the
outskirts of the city are the Rocky Mountains
sixty miles away, and that one peak rising
slightly above the others is 9149 feet Cor mile
and aquarter) higher than the ground on
which he stands. Iu this country it is we'll not
to undertake within the limits of a morning
stroll to walk to any particular point in the
landscape, except with previous knowledge
of the distance; otherwise one may discover
after some hours walking that while the object
seems as far off as ever, he has an unhappy GER
tainty of long distance to be re-traversed, and
as he turns homeward reflections arise that
| however profitable, are the reverse of pleas
ant.
Denver is well furnished with the metropoli-
tan conveniences of water, gas horse cars and
theatres, and is equally provided with churches
/ and schools. Not satisfied with the fame that
| the artistic adornments and ample resources of
| Its sample rooms have given it, this enterpris-
/ log city is unwilling that its eastern sisters
| should ''hold over" it in the matter of a tenn
| perance movement and so, rather late IN the
/ day. blue ribbon club has been organized.
The Denverites, like the men of old Athens,
i are ever fond of some new things and TEN.
perance meetings being very much of a novelty
in this locality they have turned out largely to
them. legion of small boys and quite
| number of adults wear the blue ribbon, and the
patriotic citizen in discoursing to the stranger
Of Denver land the average citizen is prone to
discourse of Denver) add with pride this item
| to his description of its advantages.
/ t.
| to the nature Of the soil and climate, are al
| ways in good condition barring their tendency
| to get dusty. On windy days the dust rises In
clouds and fills the eyes and nostrils and soils
| the clothes of wayfarers. The most serious
| evil, however, is the entire absence Of sewers,
and at present the whole drainage of the city
| is through the street cutters. Under any ordi-
| nary circumstances this condition of things
| would have bred sickness before now, and even
| Denver with its salubrous climate cannot ex-
pect perpetual immunity. A plan for system
| of sewers has been made by the city engineer
but its adoption would oblige the city to incur
| a debt, thing which has hitherto been avoided
The situation Of Denver is on sloring table
| land. and the fact that it was laid out with
| reference to its drainage will make the work q
| comparatively easy one when ouce commenced.
| OF course city having so many transient
| visitors is well furnished With hotels. OF thess
| the largest are the American and the Grand
Central They are both fairly kept houses,
| with a cuisine of moderate excellence, and
Al.o with moderate scale of prices as prices 20
hers. They barge three dollars a day. The
Alvord is smaller house, and its table reputsd
| excellent. A lady is the proprietor, aud she at
n nAa H.
| worth IS a small hotel with half dozen ada
| cent cottages for dormitories; it is well spoken
| of, and Is mainly frequented by perm auent
boarders. Charpiot's is hotel aud restaurant,
che best and most expensive in the city. There
are other hotels, good or bad in their way, and
| the boarding-houses ara innumerable. On
every street one sees frequent notices of 'R IONS
| to let" and "Day Boarding." and Boarding
| Houses" Ia many of these houses one can
| ini very pleasant home and should recon-
| mend them instead of the hotss to anybody
| that purposes to make stay of weeks in Den.
| yer. 1t often happens that families of refine
| ment and fine social position ia the E ist come
l here on account of the benefit TO SINE invalid
| member, and have to help their income by
| renting rooms or taking boarders. Oue who is
| fortunate enough to fiud sach place secures q
| delightful home, and in the case Of an invalid
| this is a most important element in recovery.
| stranger coming here to stay with no letters
| of introduction, would do well to call on some
clergyman, and the chances are that he would
know family among ais psrishoners that
| would bs pleased to take boarder, provided Of
course, that he bs of acceptable appearance
| and character.
The fact that many persons whose abilities
woald command success in ths East come here
| to benefit their health, and are obliged to de-
| wise ways of subsistence secures to Colorado
an excellent corps of school-teachers, and, in
| this connection, 1 may remark that the whole
school system is admirable. Every village of
| any pretenson to size, has a commodIous high
school building of the most approved model,
aud the teachers (who ara usually femsls) are
| selected after a classified ex animation, and are
! equal to those of any State Of the Union.
In the Denver schools a system of civil ser
1 vice of the most reformed tendencies prevails,
| and the teachers who can duly pass the exam
nations are promoted in the order Of seniority.
Denver is we'll supplied with daily papers,
having four. OF these the Rocky Mountain
| Ne,0S should bs first mentioned, both for its
| historical interest and as being one of the two
largest papers in the state. Its tseditor and lead
l ing proprietor Mr.. William N. Byers crossed
| the plains early in 1850 with the first printing
| press ever brought into the Rocky Mountain
county, and on April2 % of that year was issued
| the first publication of his paper, The first
| printing Office was log hovel part of which
| was occupied as o liquor saloon. The paper
| was we'll patronized by the miners, and becom-
| ing prosperous it emerged into frame house
IN the bed of Cherry Creek, bat was presently
| washed away Ly ireshet. The indef4tigable
| proprietor was not to be put out by little ac-
tident like this, and the regular edition of the
| paper came out only day or two late In
l 1868 the News still in the same hands became
daily paper and within the present year the
| Rocky Mountain News Company has been or
| sanlzed with Mr.. Byers as President Besides
the care of his paper which has grown up with
the fortunes of the stats, Mr. Byers has taken
an active personal part in the development Of
Colorado and has been prominent in its public