Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-21
THE WONDROUs WEST.
The Last Flight Before Leadville Scenes
by the Way H." and her Hus-
band-Th Great Mining Camp, A
Revelation in Cities, 80, 80

that Is the Denver a South Park
Railway a few miles out from Denver
aud We plunge into the Platte canyon, into
the very jaws OF the mountains, but, like
the bird charmed into the mouth of the
we are only delighted 10 be de |
vUurcd by so grand a monster, and go to !
seeming destruction with an exNltatiOn of
spirit, bordering upon ecstacy. We follow
he Platte, hugging close the roaring, tum-
bling, plunging stream, not to be diverted,
by all its roar and racket from tracing ii
TO its mountain Businesses. Onward and
upward we press, winding in and ont,
around this rocky promontory, and along
that mountain cove, between the craggy
SHIFTING us in, on either hand,
and towering ever higher and higher, until
n thousand feet of almost perpendicular
walls close in upon the creek and train,
rushing in opposite directions, the one seem
ingly fleeing from, and the other conrting
the lerrors beyond. Thon \ little vista
opens up, and reveals still further heights
upon heights, piled like Ossa upon Ptlion,
il would seem, to heavens own gates. Then
we halt in little park between the walls,
its green mehdows spangled with the rain
bow hues Of a myriad mountain flowers.
Similar meadows now line the stream ON
either hand, the mountain walls, in gentler
mood, recedng little, for time, but only
again to gather their forces, determined, it
would seem, to put an end, once aud Tor
all, to stream and railroad together, crowd
ing their irowniug butresScs close on either
hand, where they have hurled gigantic mis-.
sile4 into the abyss, in their rage, some still
half suspended. as though in lit OF rel mt
ing indecision.
Then glimpse of sun.lighled marble
towers, and minarels, tinted 10y the light,
like mother oi-pe lrl, catches the cnraptured
gaze, like the walls of the celestial city,
Crowning the distant heights to the right.
Then they vanish like dream, but the
cheated vision is on the alert, and shortly
the envious, intervening walls are passed,
and again and again the beautiful "Cathe-
dral Rocks loom into view, and long after
we have passed them,w can see their grand
outlines in the slowly vanishing vista. The
name given them is APT enough, so far as
theirg general contour Isconcerned but hardly
adequate to convey the correct impression
the grandeur and immensity OF the mass.
1t Is cathedral temple, more stupendouS
than ever yet was reared by man. 1t Is
more like magnificent walled city, ON n
mountain top, with its towers, and domes,
and cathedral spires. Dome Rock " Is
another immense mass OF naked rock, whose
name suggests its similiude, which VIC
passed earlier in our course.
The road doubles on itself, again and
| again. Now, we are healing back toward
| Denver, hundreds Of feet above that little
| double line Of steel below, on the other side
| OF the creek which we were traversing {
| few minutes since Short as our train il
we often see our own engine lace about, ~
though bent upon running into the back
car, or at least parallel to it. And, oh ! The
visions, as we find ourselves among the
glorious mountain-tops, traversing the shal
low wales between, or climbing, ever climb
ing, the grassy, ilOwer-decked sides, Tor th'
flowers still keep pace with us; and thei
we reach the summit, the top OF old mo II
er-earth, the highest railroad station III tn
world, with the exception uf one on tn
Meiggs Railroad, in South America, ant
one on the line between Vera Cruz and TIA
City OF Mexico, and over ten thousand lee
above the sea. Then we begin to descend
but the descent is gradual, and the heautl
ful mountain-tops and the little dImple'
parks between are still around us, and al
ter II little, every one gives cry oi deligl
and makes rush to the left OF the car AN
]
reaches OF "SOuth Park" green meadow
lands, stretching, miles upon miles, away
tains We cannot see the entire extentot u
park, on accOun vi these mountain spur
but il is, believe, one hundred miles
length, by forty o fifty IN width,and wouI
furnish most elegant farms lor large POI
ilitiOn, if-alas! the ii Ill the altltuc
were not so great; but il is never free fro
frosls there long enough to raise anYth'n
but grass. 1t Affords excellent pasturng
however, for several months in the year.
> \ few miles along the outskirts Uf ii
park, and we are Mt Como" the temporal
terminus and there, we betake ourselves
Mcclellan and Spottawoods' stage line
the hest equipped and managed uf the Lcat
, willie lines for Fnirplay, ten miles distan
in the Park region, and thence our cour
is over the next range, to Leadville, twen
or thirty miles still further on, accordil
to the route selected.
Among my travelling companions fro
Denver 10 Como, and H. far as Fairplay
! ! the stage. .-was the sweet pueteSs and charr
ing portrayer OF Bits OF Travel" lar N
near, Helen Hunt whose simple initial
II. fl. are household word all ov
! the land-now Mrs. VIM. ;. Jackson, ~
a resident of Colorado Springs. BrigI
chcery, charming rs her writings is q
sweet-vUiced songStress, with her rosy, su
! ny face and blue ewes, framed in u halo
> prematurclv silvered hair. She is OF m
dum height and size, and, OF course, Il
> ladies want TO know, was draped in 80
gray flannel, and wore Il dropping, bfOa
hrimmed hat, trimmed with spray
, wild flowers. Her hu band, who acrUi
u panied her, is as delightful as herself ,min
r ling the refined sensibilities OF womt
with the strength and force OF man.
am sorry to say, however, that he wicked
perverts the beautiful and appropriu
name of his poetical spouse into Peggy
and even Peg" just for the perfect alsur
u ity of il, | suppose. Was there ever su
y perversity?
S All the stages OF this line, except OF
e go by Weston Pass, that one by Mosqui
J Pass, new route recently opened, ron
" and dangerous, but ten miles shorter lh
Il the other way Being woman, with I
&c native perversity OF my sex, | chose I
e new and dangerous route, and it was glu
u Ous, first among the timber, then nlO
u the green hill-sides, above timber-line, u
= among the fields Of flowers, and fields
snow, 20 near each other that actually, q
ei might, in places, gather flowers with q
- hand and snow with the other; then hig
er still, among the barren rocks, piled hi
like the work OF Tilans, above ms, with d
road cut in the side, with its bed Of bruk
rocks, shelf only wide enough for 81
n sle team, and in places an abyss at {
T right two thousand feet in depth a
PC then the summit, and we could look do
of thousands OF feet Upon the peaks and Y
rt leys behind, and thousands OF feet mp
ar the ~leaks and valleys before, with /
m back lone OF the continent looming up
still grander proportions beyond for
49, though we have penetrated the mounla
10. for hundred miles and more, We have
yet crossed the great snowy range, the G,
'p linental divide, beyond which The wat
to. flow 10 the Pacific And there 10 the sou
west under its clouds Of smoke, still seve
10 ! r,ilas diaiant lios a,JviIla that ouc, ~