The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-20

Rio Grande, have retraced my way to
the mountains in the northern part OF the
state, and to within view Of the snowy
points Of the Sierra Madre Range, where
mining is reduced to legitimate business
the same as pillow making.
On the way / stopped at Pueblo but
one day was enough for me 10 that loW'
hot and sandy place. So hurried on
to Colorado Springs, seventy-hVe miles
south of Denver. This place is situated
near the foot hills Of Pixies Peak on an
elevated plateaux. The streets are wide,
level aud hard; the buildings are all good,
with handsome front yards, aud along the
cutters runs clear water from the irriga-
ton bitches on the farms back Of the town,
the same as at Denver and at Silvertown
ia the San Juan couutry-this feature
adds greatly to the attractions of these
places. Most all of the summer tourists,
had packed their grip-sacks with speci
mems of ore, rocks, petrihcations ETC., and
gone. and the inhabitants are now waiting
for the annual invoice Of lung sufferers and
invalids who come to spend the winter in
this dry climate; although there has been
more rain this season in this state, as well
as in Kansas, than during any previous
years, which helps TO demonstrate the fact
that as the country is settled the climate
changes At this place found r. 4. Nc
Neil, of Rock Island, aud Representative
Browning of Moline who are "camped out"
in the front yard of their boarding house,
and are killing time by going to the Post
Office and thinking about going fishing.
l believe they read little aud speculate
on the chances Of keeping warm during
the night. They also contemplate q trip
across tine Sangre de Christie Range, in
the southern part of the state, where they
can drink hard water and catch the noun
tain fever which comes as near the dumb
sgue as is possible 10 this climate, with
the exception that it is accompanied by a
terrible pain in the lower part of the sto-
mach and thereabouts, How it effects
iuvalids cannot tell, but it will make a
we'll man feel mean enough to accept re-
publican nomination for congress
From Colorado Springs to old Colorado
City, formerly the capital Of 4the state
which is situated right at the foot hills at
the mouth Of the Canyon, it is about
three miles, and here water runs up hill
The delusion is perfect, it looks just as
though it was down hill all the way to the
old city, but the water by the side of the
road PERSISTS in running quite rapidly the
other way.-Twisting around the hills
some three miles further on you come 10
ManitOu-the swell place" of this coun-
try, now desertedsby the hot weather tou-
rists. Near here is the Garden of the
GOds'-a large name to attract the deyo-
tees of fashion, from whom the three large
hotels OF the place, which is about all
there is of it except soda
spring, exact a large price for &C
Accommodations. It is the quaint and
curious formation of the rocks that
gives name and interest to this place, As
everyone who ever came here has written
about them and as they have been photo
graphed and talked about so much | fol
one will desist
A mile on up the canyon is the Ute
pass "a wagon road that follows thu
windings of the stream on towards Pike
Peak, some ten miles distant. This is
romantic road with plenty of wild anC
rocky scenery. The water in many place.
comes tumbliug over the huge boulderl
forming beautiful cascades, and in othe
places 1t has cut deep passageway in tn
rocks below the road. On either side tn
rocks and high mountains extend up al
most as tar as you can see In this pas
Is an excellent iron spring and one sprin
OF the coolest and finest water / ever saw
its temperature is within ten degrees o
freezing. This road runs on past Pike
Peak to Leadville, new mining town O
five or six thousand people. This place l
all the excitement now, as several lead
have been discovered containing fabuou
wealth. The mineral at this place wa
passed over at an early day as low grad
and not worth working. Now they believ
1t to be the richest in the state. Their
are various parks of greater or less ex
tent along this road where those who wis
to camp out" can find all the sport the
want. Nov aud then you come acros
ranch where some eDterprising ranchma
has succeeded in raising just about wha
can be raised in the world below, even {
corn, and this is at an elevation of abOu
10000 feet. It is my opinion thi
is about as high as corn can be raised, ex
cept in its liquid form. Up in the Ut
pass L picked a specimen of hops, il was a
well formed MS any raised in Wisconsin o
New York, and seemed to be growing wild
The fact is the people of this state are YER
positive, they can grow anything that ca
be produced anywhere outside OF tropic
al climate, Of one thing certain they ca
raise a very superior quality of wheat
This year the yield has been very large an
the quality is better, if anything, tha
ever before. do not think the farmer
know half the capabilities of the soil an,
this climate; even the barren alkali-pain
that now only produce cactus aud sag
bush, when irrigated and mixed with bar
yard manure, produces q wonderful growt
and tor sumo crops is better than the pla
teaux lands,
But | started out to give you some ide
of the country, the people, and the indust
ries OF the mountains 10 and about Centra
Black Hawk and Georgetown. The Colora
do Central road has given a wonderful
stimulus TO the mining interests OF thi
section, which is right in the gold belt 0
the continent. 1t has done for the miner
what it has done for all that magnificeD
farming country west of the snowy rang
between Cheyenne and DeDver-that is
made their development possible, b.
bringing them TO the great markets Of tn
country; and as | said in the beginning O
this letter-it has placed the business O
mining on sound legitimate basis an,
made it one of the leading industries q
the state, giving employment to hundred
vt men. The enclosed extract from N
Georgetown Miner will perhaps Civ
you as good an idea Of these town
as could write although 1t fails to full
convey the difficulties of constructing th
road from Golden TO these places or tn
engineering skill and hazardness of th