The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-09-10
Clarion Correspondence from the West.

voted principally 10 Kansas. / viii confne
this to Colorado. Much Of Colorado lies with
In what was once known the Great Ameri-
can Desert 1t was organized a Territory
in 1861, from portions Of Kansas, Nebraska,
Utah and New Mexico, and embraces an area
Of l04, 800 square miles In 1876 it was adj
mitted as State with population Of 1864,
and is known a. the Centennial State"
When the next census Is taken the population
will no doubt be more than doubled.
Colorado is noted for two things-for Its
great mineral wealth, and as a health and pleas
ure resort. Stock raising, however is car
ried on 10 a considerable extent, and farm
ing Is done on a considerable scale along the
Platte and other streams where water for irri-
cation is afforded, but as it rains here but sell
dom, and this mode of farming is limited and
expensive, Colorado never be leading
agricultural State. Wheat produces from fiji
teen to twenty bushels per acre but all the
corn haye seen is remarkably trihing. Fruit
doesn't seem to thrive at all, but most garden
vegetables do well when irrigated, and appear
quite plentiful. An Agricultural College has
Just been established at Fort Collins, with
competent faculty, and every effort will be
made to develop the State to its full capacity
agriculturally, Notwithstanding its natural
disadvantages. Like Kansas, it is subject to
periodic devastation by grasshoppers, which
are the farmers terror. There are few h e
this year, but it is too late, and their numbers
too limited for much dam age.
Stock-raising is said to be the surest business
in Colorado, as well as very remunerative, but
it takes time to make it pay. Numerous
atock-ranches may be seen along the line of
the Kansas Pacific, and the shipment OF cat
tie alone this year will not be far from 200,
600
Denver, the Capital, is the great metropolis
and entrepot of the State, and seems to be
regarded as a kind of Mecca toward which
every one sooner or later bends his steps
whether he be tourist, invalid, business
man or shiftless fortune seeker. Situated
on the right bank Of the South Fork of
Platte river, a bold, clear mountain stream
that rushes out of the Rockies a few
miles above, with It's streets all lined with
shapely cottonwoods, and looked down upon
by numberless lofty mountain peaks, Denver
is indeed beautiful retreat. The Kansas
Pacific. Colorado Central Denver and South
Park, Denver Pacific, and Denver and Rio
Grande Railroads all centre her, and weekly
pour through it's streets about three thousa nd
people. Tourists, invalids and capitalist, who
are prospecting for business operations, also
the light fingered gentry, nearly all make
their headquarters here, take the different
Railroads for the divers mountain tours and
pleasure resorts, and return at will to strike
out in another direction, or enjoy the life of
the city.
Az a city, Denver will rank favorably with
many of her more 'pretentions Eastern sisters.
She has all the appurtenences and convent
ences that go to make up a real city, in
GLIDING street cars, waterworks, gas, Fire De
partment transfer lines, hotels aud only lacks
sewerage 10 make it the Iieatest and healthiest
city in the world Owing to the healthy con-
dition OF the place, this has heretofore been
neglected, but the place grows larger the
subject is being warmly agitated by the local
press, and in a short while this objection will
no doubt be reuledied. Telephones are seen
throughout the business portions OF the city,
and this invention of Edison is put into daily
practical account The mercantile line is rep
resented from the princely dry goods store TO
the stall of the fruit and peanut vendor-ban-
kers and brokers are numerous, the professions
are all fully represented, well as all the
trades and manufactures, cloth, l believe ex-
cepted The sign of All Sin Lung Chow,
washing, ironing, and futing," is seen on
nearly every street, and Sambo, Jr, with
with backing and brush, stands around the
hotels and street corners, monarch of all the
dirty boots he surveys. The city boasts OF
good schools. good churches, and a plenty of
them; as well as the usual benevolent institu-
tions and orders. The opera and theatre are
not forgotten, and form, well as business,
benevolence and religion, a conspicuous part
OF Denver life.
When got here, Buffalo Bill" made so
famous in the New. York Weekly, with
company of Utes in war paint, was presenting
at the Forester Opera House a rehearsal OF
some of his exploits on the frontier. The
idea of an Indian scout, with company of
tanned Indians, re-enacting his bloody expert
ences, was novel one to me, and, Judging
from the crowded houses he nightly drew, re-
munerative as well as novel.
Since the rich mineral discoveries of the
last year, Denver to use a conventional term
has taken fresh start and gone booming. II
it estimated that its population has increased
not less than 5000 or 10000 within the last
few months, and the total population at this
time is computed at from So, 600 to 10000.
Building is going on all over the city and the
now up and Just completed houses number
somewhere near 5000. There many
beautiful and substantial structures here, both
private and public, but no State buildings yet
of prominence.
= g. ~ ia n
lively limited, all this enterprise, outlay and
speculation, is based upon her mineral re-
sources, the extent and perpetuity OF which
are somewhat indefinite, though the knowing
ones say these are well-nigh inexhaustlble-
Denver, however, will always be place OF
more or less Importance, as all the interests OF
the State centre here and transient custom
will always be great. question If there Is q
place in christendom, of its size, where more
money daily changes hands. Everything
except board, postage stamps and lev minor
things, is from twenty to twenty-five per cent
higher here than in the East The postmaster
says, that owing to the immense transient Gus
tom he enjoys, he can afford to sell postal
cards, stamps, ETC., at Eastern rates, and
boarding-houses are on par with the East for
the same reason, though, if you prefer, you
can find places where the rates are higher.
Hotel and livery-stable men do thriving
business here, but the bill of one OF the latter
for buggy ride over the nice level roads
hereaboats, 10 alarming to the unsusPectlng
tourist who scares for expenses
Denver il cosmopolitan % the last degree
every kindred and tribe being EepEessnsqai