Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-07-18
LETTER FROM COLORADO.

Mr. E9jt0r:-I promised you, on eaY-
ing Island Pond, to write you a letter
of Alamosa and its surroundings. To
begin at the beginning :-Alamoso is
going to be the metropolis of Southern
Colorado and Northern New Mexico.
1t is located on the beautiful Rio Grande
river, and about the centre of the st.
LOnis peak, and is the present termi-
nus of the D. & r. G. r. r. 1t contains
about 1000 inhabitants. Most of the
business housed are framed, but the
residences are nearly all built of adobe
or sun-baked mud, and some are COW
cred with one thickness of boards.
Houses built this way are claimed to be
much warmer in winter and cooler in
summer than frame or brick buildings.
The st. Louis peak is nearly surround
ed by mountains and is one of the most
beautiful wales, or 50 called peak in the
whole western country. Skirting the
peak on the South is an abrupt spur
Of the mountain called the San Alonia
chain, and to the East rising high
above the clouds is the famous Sierra
Blonka, one of the grandest and high
est of the Rocky Mountain chain. The
altitude of the summit of this peak is
nearly fifteen thousand feet above the
sea level, and there is snow on the sum-
init the year around. Alamosa whole
sales a great many goods to the neigh
boring mining camps and towns in
Northern New Mexico. This town is
also point of supply for San Juan
county. All goods, supplies and min
ing machinery are freighted with mule
OF OK teams as far as they can go
with wagons, and then the goods are
packed on mules to the mining camps.
There are great many freighters MAX
ing their headquarters here, and dur
ing the summer months it makes bust
ness good for blacksmiths and wagon
makers, keeping them busy day and
night, but in the fall nearly all the
freighters leave for other parts of the
' country in order to get business enough
to pay for their grub" as it is called
through the West. Nearly all kinds of
business is done throughout Colorado
and New Mexico. The staff of life is
whiskey, or at least Vermont people
would think so to see it sold at the
bars. A person can get it at most any
business house in town either at whole
sale or retail. There is one thing in
coming to this place that is worth your
time and money, and that is riding
over the Veta Pass, near Fort Garland.
The marrow guage engine climbs the
mountain almost like a balloon, and
before reaching the summit you pass
what is called Mule Shoe Curve and it
certainly is the grandest sight on the
line of the railroad. Take q long
freight train and the brakemen on the
hind cars can almost shake hands with
the engineer or fireman. The steepest
grade before reaching the summit is
PIT feet to the mile, and the highest al
titude is somewhere near ten thousand
feet above the level of the sea. There
is something we enjoy ont here that
you do not at Island Pond. That is
the coel nights. A person wants about
all the clothes they can get under
nights to keep warm. There is fine
trout fishing here, and | have seen
much larger fish caught here than /
ever did in the East. We have fish
and game law but it is seldom if ever
enforced. More anon. w, w. l..