The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-04-24
Letter form Colorado.

GREENLAND, Col, April III, 1879.
! As Colorado seems to be the center
OF attraction at present, SO far as the
moving element of society is concerned,
perhaps few words descriptive of the
state would not be uninteresting to
your readers. To fully describe a
country of so great variety of fscenery,
soil, climate and Industrial resources
would require large volume. In an
article like this of course only faint
glimpse can be given. The mountains,
which extend the whole length of the
state from north to south, attract the
most attention as they seem literally
filled with minerals, gold and silver in
large quantities have been discovered
throughout the whole length of the
state and the interest and excite
ment caused by the discoveries, in
stead of abating seems on the in
crease. The rich discoveries at Lead
vile, Ten Mile Greek, Alamosa.
Silver Cliff and other places, the past
season have caused an excitement sell
dom equaled and never exceeded since
the Pixies Peak cry of 1859 and 1860
Leadvillc is taking the lead in attract
ing the fortune seekers. Within a
year city has sprung into existence
and probably numbers at the present
lime fifteen thousand people and still
increasing at the rate OF one hundred n
day. New mines continue to be dis
covered and the end cannot be forseen
ana hardly guessed at. Miners pros
pecis seem as bright in Colorado to-
day as they ever did at any modern
date In any country. The only draw
back is the elevation of many of the
mines causing extremely cold weather
ana very deep snow good portion of
the year. Much of the range is still
covered with deep snow, while at the
city OF Leadville the streets are almost
lmpassable on the account of the mud
caused by the melting snow. Provi-
slons In the mountains are very high.
1t requires more than thousand teams
to furnish supplies for the single locali-
ty of which Leadvilc is the centre and
base of supplies. Many of them arc
four or six mule teams at that. One
can hardly comprehend it. Imagine
city little more than twice as high
above the level Of the sea, as the highest
peak in the Green Mountains, contain
ing fifteen thousand people and the
mountains around il swarming with
men seeking for new mines ar devel-
oping those already found, then i'm
agine over thousand more men with
teams hauling them supplies, and YOU
have faint idea of the business and
bustile of single mining town, then
remember that mountains Throughout
the whole length of the state are filed
with such towns only smaller, and You
will have glimpse of the mining in
n ('.Ia l., A.
the state east of the mountains seem to
have been monopolized by the stock
men there are few farmers but they
struggle against odds for the country is
full of cattle and sheep. For a hun
dred miles along the Arkansas River il
almost seems like one continuous herd
OF cattle. There are so many that the
iced got short through the winter and
the stock looks very poor. The north
ern part of the state is occupied by
farmers although there is also much
STOCK r"i"inS. TiIcIv wcll as III the
south part the farmers have to irrigate
the land to produce crops except in
some places near the mountains where
there is sufficient rainfall. Tho largest
and most important of these rainy dis
tricts is near the central part of the
state. 1t is an elevated and broken
tract OF land that separates the waters
that flow into the Platte from those that
flow into the Arkansas Rivers, The
soil is a sandy loom some of il is |
sandy without the loom, causing a yari-
ETY. of rich and poor land intermingled.
The rich land produces abundant crops
and the sandy land furnishes a very
nutritious grass for stock upon which
they feed during the whole winter ex-
cept occasionally when there is too
much snow, for as it is more rainy than
the most of the state, so it is more
snowy and stormy. AS q natural re-
suit of the soil and climate this part of
the state is devoted to mixed husband
~. Farming, butter and cheese max
ing, stock raising, wool growing. lum-
bering and freighting, all receive a due
share of attention. Plenty of wool and
pure water make this desirable place
for those to settle who are not afraid OF
an occasional snow storm and wind
blow. There is but little public land
that if very valuable except for grazing
but farms with some improvements can
he bought at from three to twenty dol
lars an acre on liberal time, almost every
thing is done here on time, some of it
long time. Farmers sell their produce
on time and buy their goods on time,
and sometimes hire their help on time.
They pay from fifteen to thirty dollars
month, usually twenty or twenty-five
dollars. Farm help is not very plenty
All the working men that are not en-
gagged have gone to the mountains.
The settlers are an open hearted liberal
set of people that are ready to welcome
to their country those who wish to earn
an honest living among them.
Respectfully.