The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-07-05
COLORADO LETTER.
Pueblo, COL, June 10Th, IT.

COLORADO LETTER.
Pueblo, COL, June 10Th, III.
Editor Democrat: h
After a residence Of almost four
months in this town, or city as they
call it, l cannot leave it without pay
ing it a parting tribute. 1t is'ex-
pected that everyone who stops here
will write east and give them a puff,
so here goes-begging the pardon of
those few unfortunates who, know
ing the duties of hospitality and So
ciability, and blushing for their fell
low-citizens, are compelled by the
force of circumstances, to make this
their abiding place and receive part
of the odium of living in such a com
munity. To be brief, I believe this
to be the most unsociable and selfish
place on the face Of the green earth.
| don't think these qualities. inhe-
rent in the citizens, who were doubt
less at one time the reverse, but
weighed down with q bonded debt of
half a million dollars; property worth
absolutely nothing, and prospects
once bright and flattering now blight
ed, who can blame them? Pueblo,
that once thought to be the Capitol
of the State, is defunct. Its glory
has departed. Even the A. T. & S.
F. R. R., which gulled $35O,000 from
the citizens under the impression
that it would benefit them wonder
fully, runs its trains and uses its in
huence against it. The Illinois and
Kansas editorial excursions were
both rushed through the town and
not even given a sight of it. This
was exceedingly annoying to the Pue-
blowers and called down their impre-
cations on the railroad officials. The
thought that these quill drivers
should reture to their respective
homes and write up Colorado, with
out a word about Pueblo, aoas aggra-
waiting. The truth is, the r. r. Co.
wanted a good report and were a.
fraid to let them have rope here, lest
their disgust would mar the report
of the rest Of the State.
AGRICULTURE AND GRAZING. a,
With the exception of narrow
belt along the Arkansas and Foun-
tain rivers, this is no agricultural
country. Grazing is all it is fit for.
The grass is especially good this
summer, owing to the unusual rain
fall. / am told that the country is
overstocked now. While this is q
good stock region, ranchmen have
their troubles as have our eastern
farmers-severe storms in winter are
very destructive to stock, and tnt
spring weather very uncertain. Or
the Sth inst. after many days of ex
ceedingly warm weather and in tn,
midst Of sheep shearing, q terrific
storm visited all this section Of thu
State. Here it was rain, but within
forty miles Of us snow. fell to th,
depth of eighteen inches, and it be
came quite cold. The sheep smel
suffered great loss; one near here los
1,2OO head-this knocks the profit
off the business rapidly. The wealth
er as suddenly turned warm, and yes
terday the thermometers indicated
from 1O2 to ITO degrees in the shade
To a stranger it would seem tina
these sudden changes must he detri
mental to health, but the dryness o
the atmosphere prevents the i'll et
fects which would result from tn
same causes east.
have 4 few words to say to thos
who contemplate "going west"--don'
, do it. l am satisfied, with what
have seer so far, that the man VIII
owns or has the working of fort
acres of land in the Miami Valley,
vastly better off than he would be i
: Kansas or Colorado. l have talke
| with men here who left small farm
in the east to get large mes here an
. have yet to find one who is satisie
: -most IF them would gladly 60 BAG
to-day if they could. There is Il
: doubt but that there is money in tn
f stock business, but it takes capt.:
and good management to make i
t and a man can't make. living on
e few acres of ground with a team an
t and pillow, as in Ohio. Men withol
/ money have no business here, the l.
Dor market is overstocked-the mil
8 ing excitement has brought too mai
t such already. The soil of easter
Kansas is good and when a crop ca
be raised there it is good, but tn
n can only be had occasionally-Pro
idence seems to frown on that Stat
n My earliest recollections call U
~"bleeding Kansas" and it has bee
> bleeding" Eve since. Ifthere is
plague Of any kind, Kansas has
n more than any place else; for yea
II it was grasshoppers, now they a
q gore and the farmers we're iattcrir
. themselves on a good crop, when
;, second deluge occurs and washes t.
u State almost all away.
Il GROUND UPS"
!. / varied the monotony of life he
by attending a ''round up" last wee
4 about ten miles above here. Duril
n the winter months the cattle on t
n plains wander off the "home rancho
straying sometimes two and thr
: hundred miles-as soon as the weat
er becomes settled in the spring t
cattle men form themselves into col
;. panies and start after their cattl
each day they drive all the cat
l. within a given radius to n poll