The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-09-27
of the miriads Of stars which here send
their food of lirhf athWart the plains from |

their food of light athwart the plains from
the very horizon, wherever they shine
with but little less lustre than from the
zenith. The beauties of Colorado moon
light night are beyond description and
% ust be seen and felt to be appreciated. U
The grosser elements Of life 10 Colorado
are in some respects identical with that OF
the states. 1t must not be presumed that
because cattle and horses hive on appear
ances. or rather in spite OF appearances.
that the more sensitive and poetical
animal man can live on scenery and air.
for he verify feeds on such gross food as
meat and potatoes. But 1 should not
advise people who consider eating the
principal object of life to come here 10
reside or to make very long visits, for it
must be confessed that this state does not
rank high as q caravansary. Vegetables
are little scarce and fruit almost
unknown. Meats are nothing to brag OF.
and in short the epicure puts 10 most OF
his time erumbling and signing for coun-
try in which he can get a square meal.
Most people in we'll located towns live
In houses and take off their boots when
they retire to sleep. but large class sleep
in tents and many with only the sky and
a blanket for covering This being dry
climate, the latter class run bat little risk
of either dampness from the ground or
moisture from the atmosphere, and even
when they experience it, no serious results
seem to follow. In the mining regions the
people stand less on ceremony as to their
modes of living, and often 20 to bed with
their boots on and sleep under pl5oe oil
CANVASS or the blue sky. Indeed it is said
that it is very common for people In these
regions to die with their boots 90, but oil
this cannot speak. for have as yet seen
nothing of the kind. 1t must not be
inferred from what l have said that people
sleep in their boots for the same reason
that such loose habits are sometimes
INDUCED in in the states. There is very
little drunkenness 10 these high attitudes,
| for ~biskey and electricity together in the
being highly electrical. whiskey ID gener.
ally taken in small quantities, If at all,
| In this town no saloons are allowed
| unless drugs are also sold at the same
place. Places where liquors are alone sole
are absolutely interdicted and none such car
| be found. 1t is probably for this raasoI
| 10 part that this country is so noted for its
ldryness, Though it must be confessed
that the drug business is very profitable
line of trade. as there are about hall
dozen shops in town and all seem 4to
prosper. One must be in town few day
before he can be made to understand how
| a sanitsrium of 1000 people can support
so many drug shops. but when he onct
understands it, it is IS simple as the egs
| problem,
Io addition to the drug business. the
principal and almost only business en- pioy
ments here which afford a living ar,
| hotels, livery stables, boardipg houses, will
a limited mum Der of grocery and dry goods
| stores, butcher shops, &c. 20 keep tn.
others running. The hotel business has
not reached very high degree of develop
ment yet. aud if the doctrine of the survi
val of the ittest should be enforced here
this branch u! business would probably
become extinct. forgot 20 mention II
its proper place, Office holding. This i
not to be omitted from the list OF psoitabl,
lemployments In this any more than 10 any
other country- While mining is not ar
employment here. no miaes existing ia
this region, yet quite q considerable portion
| of the resident population are interested
in this branch of industry, if it can b.
properly called an industry. The owners
of the Robert K. Lee mine all reside here
and have been made already wealthy by it
though l believe all were poor before
investing the very few hundred dollars
with which it was purchased from its
discoverer. One of those most largely
interested 10 il, believe, has received a
his share q net income of $27 600 from
one days output of this mine. These
results have so inoouiated every body here
abouts with the mining fever that il
is difficult now to find anyone who is not
interested in from three to dozen mines
and who does not very confidently expect
to be millionaire 10 q few weeks. 1t il
useless TO say that at least nine ty per
cent Of them will lose all they have invest
ed and have to settle down to the reduced
circumstances in which they lived before
visions of wealth disturbed their quiet
slumbers
On the plains there are number OF
cattle and sheep ranches. though the
cattle are fast being driven ont by the
sheep, and | suppose sheep grazing will soon
be the only industry known to the plains
of the state. The cattle are being taken
north into Wyoming and east to Kansas,
Another industry which / should not
forget to mention is railroad building
This field 10 this state is principally culti-
waited By the Denver b Rio Grande rail-
way company. Although the state in
those portions in which railroads are most
needed is almost wholly mountainous. yet
this company are fast grid ironing the
state with branches of its road, The
main line. suppose l may call it. starts
ct Denver and runs south through this
city 20 Pueblo From this latter point il
is like spiders legs-it goes in almost
every direction. except east. There is u
line to Trinidad and TO Eimors south: to
Alamosa and the San Juan country south.
west, and ultimately into New Mexico, /
believe: westward through the Grand
Canon of the Arkansas to LsadvIle; from
Canon City at the mouth of the Grand
Canon branch is building to Silver Cliff,
one of the rising and staying towns of Colo.
RADIO; and from some point further on
toward Leadville branch is being pushed
into the Gunnison country. Indeed wher-
ever there is q reliable report of the dis
covery of geld or silver in paying quauti-
ties 10 any new and distant quarter, this
com pany mmediately sets about sending
its iron horses over or through the noun
talns to reach the new camp. It Is safe to
say. ! think, that no railway in the world
passes through 30 much wild and grand
scenery rs does this, and when its lines
are all completed which are now projected,
the tourist need only take ticket over the
entire line and keep his seat 10 the car to
see the principal towns of the state and
its best and grsndest natural scspery,
There afe . great many other things
wish to say about this country, but this
letter is already too long and must stop.
Il q