The Portland daily press., 1877-12-14

ou's oy Tue citlzens OF Colorado Springs and
oy them donated to the state; and the stone is
already cut aud the foundations are laid for
Colorado College, an unsectarian but not ire
iisious university, which has already been in
operation two years, and now, with liberal en-
dowments is ready to emerge into suitable col
lege halls.
Oa altghting from the train made my way
to the Crawford house, the name of which had
pleasant suggestion of the White Mountains
Ohly this Crawford house, built on a plain and
overshadowed by mighty noun tains lacks but
little OF being as high in the world as the top of
Mt. Washington. 1t is low, rambling struc-
ture with dormitories distributed over various
parts of the city, and is the principal hotel.
Close at hand is a block of cottages eacheon-
taiang three or four rooms. These are rented
by the month, and their occupants either
keep house" or take their meals at the hotel
Seated about the Office found a collection Of
invalids OF certain and uncertain nationalities,
whoeyed me solemnly as if studying my possible
ailments and estimating my chances of life.
seeing no external symptoms of infrmity they
resumed with some slight disappointment,
tnelr occupation Of listening TO one of their
number who was rehearsing, with local adap-
tations, the Lamentations of Jeremiah. He
hailed from Boston and he had a complication
OF disorders which he was never weary of emu
merating, but principally he found consolation
IN abusing Colorado generally aud the Craw-
ford house in particular He was an edifyins
grumbler who could say mean things with
uncton,and it enlarged ones ideas of the power
of the hnman mind to hear him. Even the
mountains came in for share of his disgust;
ne twas tired of looking at them, and wished
some fellow would get up and turn them
round.' His ingenuity 10 fuding cause of Of
fence was perpetual surprise and always Sc
cured him listeners; only 1 thought the land
lord and the citizens that chanced to hear him.
enjoyed the fun less than the rest of u.s. A.
dinner time healthier element filed the
house; travellers, business men of the city and
oronzed men in slouched hats and high bouts
who had ridden into town that morning from
their ranches.
AS one walks the streets of Colorado Citv
there is encountered an odd mixture of ciyiliza.
ton and avagery, and in passing the business
blocks teeming With life and trade, or the pic
tnresque residences fronted with glass aud
flowers, 1t is difficult to believe that scarcely
four years ago all this land was open country
given upt stock grazing. The sidewalks show
toilettes fresh fr0m New Ycrk ami Paris, and
Que jostes by turns against the belle from
Boston or Philadelphia and the buckskin-clad
rancher from the plains. whose spurs Jingle
as he swaggers along with a cavalry revolver
Dulging the bottom of his coat. Upon the
wide and well nigh perfect streets the new
conner sees with astoDishment equipages az
elegant as on Broadway or Beacon street; he
also sees such unique ''tarn-outs" and speci-
mems of mustang riding as would suffice to
empty the houses of any sedate Eastern town
to gaze upon the spectacle.
Few cities of even far greater pretensiops
than Colorado Spriogs can boast such famous
suburbs. Manitou, ''the Saratoga of the
West, famed for its medicinal springs and IN.
rivalled mountain scenery, lies 10 a magnificent
natural ampitheatre five miles westward, sur
rounded on three sides by lofty snow-capped
peaks. Still nearer, and in full sight from the
CITY, the famous Garden OF the Guds lifss into
the crystal air its ponderous gateway, rose
colored and fantastically carved, sheer four
hundred feet skyward. Monument Park,
Cheyenne Canon, and the Ute Pass, also pre-
sent each features of natural beauty and gran
deur that one might search this continent in
vain TO match. AT Manitou are four or fye
large hotels-which are reputed excellent,
judged even by the Eastern standard-and dur
ing the summer season they are filled to over
flowing with thee lite of the East, and tourists
from all parts Of the world
Colorado Springs seems indeed to be yery
near the ideal residence town, affording all the
essential comforts and luxuries of a large city.
without any of Its dust, smoke aud din; good
society without contiguous poverty and 50 ualor;
and unmatched charms of natural scenery
without the isolation and oiscomforts of conn
try life.
Since coming to this city have visited one
of the large ranch owners, Mr. William Il.
Holt to whom had letter OF introduction,
and it may be interesting to my eastern friends
to learn the manner of life of the Colorado
stock rAisers, at least as far it is exemplified
in this instance; for the subject is one on
which Eastern people 10 general have little ir-
formation. His residence, dosirably situated
10 the city, is spacious house, with the usual
wide verandas, and it lies in tastefally laid out
grounds. In the rear are the kitchen, store
rooms, carriage house and stable The front
windows look out on the grand peaks of the
Rocky Mountains, which fill the whole western
sky, and the house faces Pixies peak, the high
est of all, the foothills being only four miles
away. Twenty-three miles to the north rises
the mountains OF the Divide the wooded sum-
mits OF which shut away SO much cold wind
from Ooiursdo Springs AZ IN the intarinr of
the house, L can give no better idea than to
compare it TO luxurious and well appointed
New England home transplanted to the dry
and sunny climate of Colorado. As called at
the house on sunny December day children in
care of maid were playing on the lawn as in
summer. was ushered into we'll furnished
library, the centre table of which was covered
with the latest books aud the current numbers
of several magazines. the leading New York
papers and copies of the Spectator aud London
Times Everything denoted the abundance
and leisure SO essential to the enjoyment of
cultured and intellectual taste, and home like
this in climate so genial aud amid land
scape so picturesque would not seem a grievous
place of Punishment even from our loved New
England, who Is so good, and so severe, aud so
often, alas, harsh mother to her chlldgso.
wish to give the readers Of the PRESS some
account Of ranch life. thinking that for them,
aud more especially the young men, The sub
ject will BE- as full of interest as it has ever
bee0 for me. For this purpose cabnot do
b. tier than to write of the riDch of Mr. Holt.
the gentleman whose residence have men
toned above, as undoubtedlg 1t is, for tbe pur-
poses fJr which is is used, the foest estate 10
this country of magnificent ranches. More
over the case of this gentleman illustrates one
of the various circumstances that are bringing
to Colorado the best men that ever settled up
new country.
My next letter will accordingly tell of visit
to the sheep ranch, and the succeeding one Of
visit to the cattle ranch, both Of these
branches of stock raising being con lucted on
large scale on the estate of Mr. aolt, as we'll as,
on lesser scale, every other agricultural in
dustry OF Colorado. C.P.
News and Other Items.
nephew of Mr.. Gladstone is about to take
erders in the Roman Catholic church.
One of the newly registered voters 10 Boston