The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-28
COLORADO.
INTERESTING ACCOUNTS OF MIN
ING AND MINING IN
TERESTS,
Other Business Prospects---Political
outlook.-Rock Islanders There,
Etc, Etc.
GEORGETOWN, COL.


When you reach this place, the FIRST i'm
preston is that you have arrived at the
end Of your travels. The town is situated
at the end of a canyon. About 5000
people live here; the houses are Of wood
mostly, two stories high, and the streets
are laid out at right angles, the mountains
seemingly having been set apart, some
thing less than half mile, forming level
place especially for town. There is no
such thing as tanning the houses into.the
side Of the mountain or hanging one above
the other, as at Central, as the mountains
are very steep and very much higher than
on the branch that runs to Central. This
is favorite resort for tourists and invalids.
The elevation is about s, 500 feet. Fourteen
miles down the canyon is Idaho Springs,
where there is hot soda spring, which az
fords a very cleansing bath, with very
weakening effects if one remains 10 the
water too long, A little way from the hot
spring is "a cold soda spring, hut the &C
commodatious at both these springs are not
of the best. At this place met Mr.. Spen-
Ger White, of Rock Island, who has consid-
cradle money planted there. and is waiting
to see it come up,
The placer miners have tunnelled all
along the canyon, the boulders being too
large for them to "sluiee, as on the Gen.
trail branch. There is what they call a
good pay streak all the way up this creek
Sometimes it is found on one side OF the
creek and then on the other; sometimes
close up to the base of the mountain, and
again under the bed of the stream. In
some places they 20 az deep as 60 feet be-
fore striking bedrock. These placers have
been constantly mined since 1858, aud to.
day they are stlh hunting the pay streak.
The principal mining, however, is for ore
The prospector's marks can be seen all the
way up the canyon, and all the way up the
mountain sides.
At Georgetown, the same as at Central
you can follow the creek up to other and
smaller mining towns The road leads on
over the mountains towards Gray's Peak,
sometimes called the Dome of the Cont
nen., ia $50 teet above the level of the
sea, and only Ia miles from Georgetown.
There is good carriage road to the foot of
the mountain, and from there bride path
leads to the summit. / will not undertake
to describe Argentine Pass, only pine miles
FROM here; Union Pass, or Berthoud Pass,
all OF them presenting grand and romantic
scenery, which only needs the mantle OF
time 10 chrystalize the legends of their alb
original possessors into song and beauty
that shah surpass similar scenery in tie
sunny Rhineland, but will drop all this at
tempt at description and give you the prac-
tical results Of the information have thus
far been able to pick up 10 my wanderings,
All these places OF resort, these peaks, the
mountain lakes, some of them perfect gems
of beauty, the grand caHy ons, and the
passes with their magnificent views of the
sDow-capped peaks and their dizzy heights
have been written about till every body has
heard of them. and in addition to this, they
have been photographed from every point
where an artist could find place toput
his camera, 80 will step out OF the
beaten track aud leave you TO imagine any
kind of mountain scenery that suits you,
with this assurance. that you can fnd IL
here, Now, lovers of romantic scenery,
you who delight in the grand and magnif-
cent, and you who would toll upa treach-
erOus path $4,000 feet to see the head
waters Of the Platte winding through the
dense forests towards the Atlantic and
those OF the Blue tracing their way down
the Great Canyon towards the Pacific, while
TO the East and West stretch the South
and Middle Parks, like rival gardens OF
two worlds, you are the ones who are
earnestly requested not 10 read more of
this letter. PerchaGce sOme of the facts
handy thiugs for some OF your party to
have about you should you ever visit this
sectinn; and some of the figuFes-things
that help make Zip the reports Of State
othcers, and are useful only TO those who
contemplate coming here to live-some of
them, perchance, might be retained nv
your memory and serve to show you thar.
after all, those who came here, even the
tourists, the seekers after health, as we'll
as the actual settlers, all enter at once in
70 the fierce race for wealth.
To begin with, they all catch the mining
fever. Its almost irresistible. There ID
not resident of the State, probably, who
does not now, or has not at some time had
an interest 10 some mine aud been troub'
led with visions Of great wealth--visioBs
only, as not one in q hundred realizes
Heretofore II has been a species of gam
bling, or at least possessed something o.
the fascination OF gambling, but, with thu
building of railroads iuto the mining re
giOns, the business has become systematizeC
and is destiBed to become the creates
source of the States wealth The bullion
product OF the State two years ago WA
about $6,000.O00, while this year, from
all that can learn, the product will b,
ovar Al 2 0OO 0Oa - 49, -. q MI.