New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-30
COLORADO'S NEW WEALTH.
VII.

THROW STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBUNEl
LEADvTLE, Col, June THE old country road
leading from the Arkansas River to Orc and the
placer mines on California Gulch, after climbing
the hill that forms the first bench of the river bot
tom on the east led up gentle slope covered with
growth of mountain pines This road became
the Chestnut-st of Leadville, when the city was
built, and has been until now the centre OF its
trade Approaching the town by the stage road
one of the first indications which the stranger has
that he is in the vicinity of city is the rude
cemetery which he passes at the lower end oil
Chestnut-st. 1t is a gloomy, cheerless place, es-
pecially when seen in the late twilight and IS sug
gestive Of many tragedy In real life. VI the sew
eral hundreds who have been buried here, scores
died among strangers, leaving nothing by which
their friends in the East might be fouhd
or informed of their fate. The little
mounds arranged in rows beneath the few
trees that have been left standing are
bare of grass, and some Of them are covered
with the dry brown needles that fell from the pines
in early Spring Plain board slabs stand for head
stones and tell the brief story that will be forgot
ten when they crumbe and disappear The grave
ward of a new town is generally chilling, desc
late spot that of Leadville is superlatively 80.
A little further up the street begin the struggling
log and frame houses the latter generally nothing
more than One-story shantles ten or twelve feet
SQUARE large proportion OF these are saloons and
lodging houses for the accommodation of team
sters whose white-cOveTed wagons are drawn mp
in small cOrrals either side of tile road. Nothing
which finds IN Leadvile Is more characteristic
Of the place than the camps of the wagOners that
may be seen at all times in the southern and west
ern suburbs of the city. The time required to
transport a wagou-load OF freight from the end of
the railroad in the South Park or at Colorado
Springs or Canon City TO this place is from three to
ten DAYS and 1t requires small number OF teams
TO move the freight required by town of 10000
OF II 900 people. In few months, when the
Arkansas Valley Railroad is completed to Lead
ville these camps and that peculiar phase oil HE Oh
which they are a part will disappear forever unless
Leadyie becomes the ftting-Out point for other
regions still more remote.
From the last of the freight camps it is only
square or two into the busiest part of Chesnut-st
the Bowery of Leadvile. 1t Is evening and the
plank sidewalks so thronged with men that
some are crowded of into the street. The stores OF
all kinds seem full and trade is brisk. The doors
of the gambhnghells stand wide open, strains OF
music are heard TO issue from them, and streams Of
rough-ookiug men constantly pass in and out.
variety theatre occupies prominent place on the
street. and long line of men extends from the
ticket-oflice far down the sidewalk. An illuminated
muslin sign and highly -cOOred posters covering the
front of the building tell Of the attractions Within
All this IS taken IN at glance, and forms tumble
more or less complex in the mind, for the stage
driver, no matter how slowly his team may have
toiled along during the day, now cracks his whip
touches up the leaders and dashes through the town
at brisk trot or even at galiop. There is just
time enough to that Chestnut-st. IS lined with
frame buildings two three, or even four stories In
height, its architecture being not unlike that of
w hat 2 ft,ll of
life and activity
Turning to the left at the head Of the street aud
passing on one side the neat brick building owned
and occupied by the Bank of Leadyille. aud on the
other drinking saloon sacrilegiOusly called by It's
owner The Little Church the Corner" the
stage passes up broad we-built street-llarrison-
avc.-and stops before the door of a large and at
tractiye hotel The strangers first sensaton on ar
irving in Leadyille 10 OF surprise at the eXis-
tence of such a city in such place. With the men,
DRY of the long, difficult road over the range by
which he has come still fresh in his mind it seems
almost impossible that every evidence Of cIyiiza-
ton which he sees about him and the thousands OF
people who throng the streets can have been brought
here by that or a longer II not difficult route
in q single year.
Leadville is at once a city and a mining camp.
Four strcets-State and Main, besides those already
acknowledgements the former, while the thou
sands of log cabins and board shanties scattered
over an area about mile square constitute the lat
ter The four business streets have been built up
so rapidly that i'll some parts they have a
crude and unfinished appearance. The sidewalks
are not all on the same level, each man having
built that in front Of ms store at height that was
convenient for himself 50 that as you pass along
you are repeatedly obliged to up OF down one or
two steps, None Of the streets are paved but
several Of them have had foot or eighteen inches
of broken Stag from the smelling works carted
upon them and covered with earth. forming n kind
of crude macadam much smoother and frmer than
the natural ground. Log houses have pretty much
disappeared from the principal business Streets al
though one Largo one still stands valuable lot
on Harrison.aye., and is occupied by branch
Office of the Colorado State Lottery, institution
well patronizcd here. With the exception of an
occasional solitary tall pine that has been left stand
ing there are trees ia the city proper and probably
never Will be, as nothing but pine trees will grow
here, and they very slowly.
When Leadyille first received its impetus Chest
nut-swas the more popular thoroughfare, and bust
ness of every kind crowded III there. Banks, stables
gambling-houses, grocery, dry-goods and book
stores, apothecary shops, lOdHng-houses, variety
theatres, dance-hOuses and drinking saloons jOstled
each other and bid against each other for building
sites As the city grew and It became apparent that
everything could not be on one street, some of the
larger mercantile houses moved up upon Harrison
ave, winch is rapidly becoming the Broadway Of
the city. The gambliug-hOuses held their ground
but the dance-houses, one of the variety theatres
and some of the other most disTeputable places of
resort went To State-st. Thus by "A sort of natural
selection each street is gradually forming Ctsiinc
tive character of ITS own, which Will probably be-
come more marked rs the town grows older. liarri-
sOn-ave. with the pOst-oitce the principal hotel, he
largest dry-goods houses and the most popular res
taurauts will be the fashionable thOrougbfaTe, while
Chestnut-st. will retain the grocery and second
class trade.
The camp proper is the most interesting and pic
turcsque portion of Lcadyiiie. As thousands OF
fnrtune-hunt.rs rushed in here last Winter and
IL 4 L. InaIHr III L.