The Portland daily press., 1878-12-13
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Colorado letter.
Pueblo and its Environs-The n Haiirosd
Syst. m of Colo aso.
PUEBLO. CoLo., Dec. 4. 1873

PUEBLO. CoLo, Dec 4 1873
To the Portland Press:
ALI of the cities and larger towns of
Colorado are 10 the csnons of the Rocky
Mountains, or lie ON the narrow strip Of
plsIn at the base Of the foothills kept green by
mountain streams. On either of the two great
railroads that enter Colorado from the east two
hundred miles Of plain must be irsversed. after
leaving Kansas, before the inhabited part o
the State is reached. At long intervals along
the railroad lines are stations where ralchmen
ship cattle aud wool and get their supplies;
abJut these stations are usually found some
whisaey shops, country store, AID dwelling
house or two-possibly a blacksmith shop; in
all the wide plair-region sbjut ranches
many miles apart;-but this is hardly mp to the
Eastern idea CT the word Inhabited" When
the base Of the mountains is reached there are
found four interesting cties, which lie in re.
spect to one another nearly in north and south
line. The most northerls is Denver, the finest
city in the far west; then Colorado Springs,
which would be finer than Denver if it were or
ly as big; Pueblo, important by reason Of its
railro ad connections; and Trinidad, an old Mex
ican town Of great note in the days Of wagon
freighting, and now overdowing with rush Of
American life attending the building of rail-
road, which, in its further advance, will drain
the old town of the life it brought
Tho Atchiason, Topeka and Santa Fe Road
comes into Colorado along the Arkansas VAL
ley, ard the terminus of its northern b.anch is
Pueblo, built at the junction of the Arkansas
and Fountain Que Bouille rivers. The city is
built in the valleys and is pleasantly traversed
by the two streams. Away from the heart Of
the town, the bottom lands are grown up with
giant cottonwood trees, the size and graceful
appearance OF which suggests q thought Of the
Portland elms. As one ascends ont Of the val
ley to the surrounding plain mountain pano-
rama comes in view, half encircling the west
ern horizon. Pixies Peak, white and massive.
the highest point in the land cape, is due north;
then the lower mountains OF ,hA Pixies Peak
range; and between this and the Grssnhorn
range an open plain, stretching westward in
finitely like sn ocean, and surrounding a noun
tain. the most distant of all, which rises, deep
blue and veiled in white, hbe some Mysterious
Island. The Greenhorns are due west, and be-
hind them are the Sangre de Christie mountains
only two of which come into view on the left,
shutting down into the wide opening Of the We
ia Pass Tnen low chain Of mountains in The
sou Invest rise on the extreme left into the two
magnificent promobtories, the Spanish Peaks.
Nearer at hand the ARK snsas aud Fountain
Que Bouille rivers run blue aud sparkling
through cottonwood groves, and meet and 20
east together across the plaiEs.
The streets aud W elling houses of Pueblo are
not neatly so attractive as in Colorado spriogs.
hnt tha kui r.,
adobe region, and that material has been eener-
ally usrd IN the construction of houses II Is
also an alksli country, and after the drying
away of rainfall one may see Q street
looking as if it had been showed on. Nat.
urally when the wind blows an sbominah lie dust
flies aud leaves no spot uLvsited; nevertheless,
after one experience no one sghs for rain TO
Wet the dust, lest If his wish come to pass, the
business be greatly overdone Raiuy days are
seldom known in Pueblo, demonstrations In
| that direction being mainly cohined to short,
though violent thunder showers 10 the summer
months. But opcs or twice year, to the ever
| renewed sstonishment Of the Oldest Inhabi-
tant, drizzling storm of some days duration
sets in and thoroughly sosks the adobs soil.
Then a deep depression Ct spirit sett es on the
1
ness until after the blight and drying days
have come again. There are no sidewalks to
| speak Of, and the use Of gravel on the highways
| is unknown. Whoever sets foot out of doors
at such times imprnts il in glutinous clay
with an adhesive property surprising that Of
any Known substance. Its affinity with leath-
Or and cloth Is remarkable, ard it forsakes all
else TO cleave to them, unless, indeed, it brings
all surrounding objects with 1t. Ia places the
sell Is reddish, decomposed rock, mpered
with alkali, making the softest kind Of mud,
into which one sinks dangerously. Adobe is
always struck however at some depth and is to
be recognized without looking. Ii holas i'm
partially to the boot aud the soil above II, and
all have to be lifted together. l have seen a
congregation so mad after wsdirg to church in
muddy time that they could hardly render the
outward iorms Of attention to a most exceIlens
sermon, and the collection taken on that occa.
sion would scarcely have paid day wages to
the man that carried around the hat.
Mud and blowing dust are not, however, the
leading characteristics of Pueblo Fine wealth
or and agreeable out-ot-ioor life are the rule,
and invalids may live there and at Canon City
VINO could not endure the winter la any other
part Of the State. It's altitude is much lower
than that of the other Colorado Cities, and by
its situation it is partially sheltered from bleak
winds Across the river is S)ush Pueblo, a
town founded By the Denver & RIO Grands
Railroad Company. There are one or two
short streets about their station we'll built IN
with stores and hotels, and on the uplands are
several 6ne houses. Most Of the town consists
Of vacant lots, separated by wide avenaes aud
planted about with thrifty shade trees, kent
growing by irrigating bitches fed from the
FountsiL Qae Bouille. L doubt il the specuIa-
tion paid well 10 the orlginstors of il as they
anticipated, and today the tendency to balld
seems all 10 the direction of Pueblo proper.
But If ever the city Increases largely in popu-
lation the beautiful buildng sites of South
Pueblo will be utilized.
Pueblo Is the point of junction of lhs Denver
& Rio Grande marrow CANCEL with the AtchI
son & Santa Fe Railroad. The former road