Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-07-26
you could catch them with your hands,

| S1PNSASAly AL yOuA yOu oAOuAV
hold little chopped liver. Some Of
these trout would weigh, | should judge
three pounds. dressed. You are not al.
lowed to catch them. The parties have
of late, put into the lake some Califor.
MIA salmon. The trout have devoured
many OF them, yet we saw few swim.
ming around, but they did not seem to
covet the company Of the larger trout
This lake is about one-half mile long
and one-fourth broad, and seventy-five
feet deep. We took boat and rowed
along the west edge of the lake, and
down, in about fifteen feet of water. we
could see the trunks of trees, said to
be petri6ed. In going from the foot to
the head Of the lake, Tom Paine is on
our right, Griffith on the left, and Inde
pendence in front. We are now 10000
feet above sea level. Yet there stands
Independence peak 5000 feet above us
his bald head barred to the sun and the
winds. On the north side lies Asbank
of snow, 1000 feet long and 100 feet
deep. At the head Of the lake we
moored our boat to the platform, and
going some ten rods, came to the battle
ground of the gods There must have
been some terrible strife between them,
when one party standing on Tom Paine,
and the other on Independence, could
have picked up such boulders and hurled
them at each other. Here lay boulders
sharp, angled, not water-worn at the
corners, piled up promiscuously, many
Of them twenty to forty feet cubes,
piled as though thrown from those op-
posing peaks into this valley by the
million. 1t is weird, interesting, sub
lime and awful sight. We clambered
over, around and among them, to where
we could get down to the water, and
putting my hand down to get piece of
quartz with some mica in it, as a keep
sake, found the water nearly as cold as
ice. [ then climbed up and stood on
the top OF the highest rock on to which
there was apparently any hope of get
ting, and surveyed the scene. Here Law
these boulders, millions of them, free
from dust or other DETACHMENT, neither
ground by the action of water or gla-
clers, but with corners as square, and
faces as true as though just cut from
the mountain for the purpose of being
erected into some gigantic temple. With
my field glass | examined Tom Paine,
and found that from the side fronting
this field there had, at some time, been
torn away a mass of rock, leaving per-
pendicular face more than 500 feet high,
and as much as a thousand in lateral
extent. Perhaps some mighty throe of
the mountain had caused this mass to
fall, and the rocks at my feet might be
the result of this displacement.
After examining this place to our
satisfaction, we returned to the boat,
and were soon back to the foot of the
lake. After talking with Mr.. McCort-
ing about the fish, the lake and the
until we were satisfied, we
paid the charges, which were so cents
each, and mounting our horses, were
soon on our way back. Georgetown is
surrounded by mountains. To the east
is Griffith, to the west is Republican, to
south is Leavenworth. In going to
Green Lake you go up between Griffith
and Leavenworth. In coming back you
come down facing LeavenwOrth. You
see at once that the whole side is honey
combed by shafts, tunnels and drifts,
to get out silver ore. 1t is in Leaven-
worth that large number Of mines are
located. They find silver in all these
mountains, but [ believe in Leavenworth
more than any other one.
On our return we rode around the
face of Leavenworth, some five hundred
feet above the city, and could look
down upon it as on a map. Like Den
yer, it is not laid out with the points of
the compass, but favorable to the base
of Griffith mountain. The mines here
are paying we'll, so the town is prosper
Gus: Mining and reducing the ore, and
selling goods are the only Industrious
occupations here.
By the time we had returned from
the lake, it was tea time, and then came
on dark, so we could not prosecute our
sight seeing. We found the evening
cool, and when we retired we found we
wanted as much clothing as a Novem-
ber night in Iowa would require.
On the morning of the 7th, we Glanced
to get to talking with an elderly gentle
man, who was stopping at the Barton,
whom we afterwards learned was Steph-
en- Decatur, known here as the Commo-
dore, who has been in these mountains
for many years, and who gave us the
history of many of the mining opera
tions of the mountains. We had long
talk, and learned that the Commodore
was once a resident of Jackson Co.,
Iowa, and was acquainted with many of
the old time settlers of DUBUQUE, with
whom | was acquainted. He invited
me to go TO church with him, informing
me that he attended the Episcopal
church, which is across the way from
the hotel. | had heard that they had
no Sundays in the mountains. While
it is true that the places of business are
open, and the cars run on Sunday more
than with us, yet l noticed that large
part Of the people attended church |
went with the Commodore. | have at
tended the Episcopal service in many
places; in New York, New Orleans and
in very many other cities and small
places, but l never have heard the mus
ical service rendered as well in any of
them as in this church, in the city in
the mountains. There were four per-
sons in the choir, besides the organist.
They had pipe organ of very fine tone.
1t was well played, and each and every
part of the singing was executed SO
we'll, that | had to inquire if that was
their regular choir, and was informed
that each member of the choir was, and
had been for some time, a resident OF
Georgetown. After church, the Com
modore informed me that Gen. James
J. Gilbert, of Burlington, Iowa, was
living in town, engaged in mining, and
had been successful. We called on him
and found that he had a large collec-
ton Of specimens, taken from the var
ious mines that he was working. The
general informed me that himself and
Joseph Reynolds, of Chicago, were in
partnership; that they had several
mines, ana were employing about 12C
men in working them, but he said it
was very uncertain business. Some
months they would not take out ore
enough to pay the expenses, and if that
continued for several months in success
sion, it was big loss. Other months
they would make it pay first rate
Some times lead that had been paying
first rate, would suddenly pinch on
them, or be lost entirely, and they
would expend thousands Of dollars te
recover it or get through the pinch
Taken as whole, he did not think it &
very certain way to get rich. We went
through the reduction works here, anC