The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-09-11
Our Colorado Letter.
[From our Washington Correspondent
Denver. September 9. 1879.

y
But the journey is hard one The
roads are very bad, and this slow,
tedious climbing, varied only by
equally difficult decending, becomes
exceedingly monotonous, to say the
least. Middle Park. through which
we came, is anything but a real park.
1t is simply u sandy plain of several
hundred acres extent, lying between
the ranges, and covered with a dead.
looking grass, called "bufialo grass"
But it is fine for grazing purposes, and
out here they call it n park. The
word park, however, conveys the idea
of something more fertile and inviting
than 1 have seen anywhere i'm this
barren region. Not the least interest
ing sight incident to a journey such as
we have just taken, is witnessed in
travelling in the sunshine along the
base of II mountain, with violent
snow-squall RACES at the top, seem.
ingly but short distance away. But
even such scenes rs that grow monoto-
HOlS dittT tlillc.
Colorado Is indeed wonderful
country. The grandness of its noun
tain scenery and canyons can only be
appreciated by those who have been
here. This is my third trip-the first
having been made in 1873, and the
second last year-and / shall not take
back any of the extravagant things l
have said of the scenery-the lofty
mountains and snow-capped peaks;
the wonderful formations and marvel
Gus evidences of terrible angry up
heaval of nature some time in the dis
tant past, thousands and thousands of
years ago, the contemplation of which
fills one with awe and amazement. 1t
is, though disappointing to some, to
my mind we'll worth coming to see.
The disappointed tourists are those
who expect to find "a land flowing with
milk and honey-trees covered with
gold and silver foliage, and alive with
birds of gorgeous plumage. But the
grandeur we find is quite the reverse
of that. 1t is of the cold. stately and
barren sort, yet none the less grand.
Yet it is not in any sense an attractive
country, for these lofty mountains,
grand, gloomy and peculiar" are all
| there is to see. 1t is not, and never
can be, an agricultural region. A sotl
of sand and alkali, without water, can
never become a profitable producing
combination, though it is possibl e, by
irrigation and the application of
abundant artificial means, to obtain
here and there a respectable garden
spot. And the journey across the
plains is trying one to the traveller of
asthetic tastes. The last 800 or 400
miles of the road lies through what is
known as "The Great American Des-
ert," a dreary, barren, sandy plain,
upon which sage bush and prairie dogs
are the only living things that can eX-
ist. I never knew real fatigue from
travel until l took this journey, and
it tires not only the body, but the
mind, while the terrible alkali dust, in
hot summer day, is almost intoler-
able. This is particularly the case
coming in by the Banana Line" as
Pueblo, which surrounded the most
God forsaken country the sun ever
shone upon. The Kansas Pacific
route is not so bad, though there is
plenty of desert either way. In 1875
there were plenty of buffalo and an
telope along this route, but now only
few antelope are to be seen. Th'
buffalo are not only becoming compar
atively scarce on the plains, but tn
railways have driven them furthe
n rlh. Like their enemies, the In
dians, that retreat before the advance
of civilization.
Six years ago Denver was a smar
town of perhaps 1000 or $4,000 inhab
; itants, all very busy. To-day it is
handsome well-built, bustling city @
three times that size, and doing an in
mense trade - over thirty millio
dollars per year. Besides the residen
| oiS PiCSSho iiSiO iop
= or five thousand tourists, coming an
y going, during the summer season {
least. They spend good deal {
money here in one way and anothe
9 and make hotel business good. Davi
- A. Gage, formerly city treasurer
a Chicago, is managing the Gran
Central, and makes a successful Ian,
. lord. He was at one time considere
among the wealthiest, and certainl
: one of the most popular, men in IL
, great western metropolis; but I'll
- panic trouble of 1878 broke him dow
badly, and he cam here to begin ov
o again. Mining is, and will contin'
- to be, the overshadowing interest
=. this State, and this city, which is Il
a great supply centre, will continue
=, grow and prosper. Towns like Lea
~ vile may spring up in night, as
~ were, and grow amazingly for tim
- but they must soon reach the limit
- perhaps ultimately die-while he
os there is the substantial basis of col
90 mercial growth. Yet it is not the pla
- for professional men or for the unel
-, ployed to come. Every avenue
cf business is full, and many of the pl