The Hartford herald., 1880-11-24

COLORADO SPRINGS, Col, Nov. =.
Editor Herald.
have been thinking for some time
Of writing an article for your columns
about this country and this beautiful
little city, which is situated east of Pixies
Peak, sixteen miles from its summit
and in plain view /; has about 5000 in
habitants, morals good, well supplied
with churches and sehools-common
graded and colleges also good police
regulations, and the hest water In the
world, brought right from the snowy
summit of the mountains in iron pipes
To almost every door in the city.
Five miles from here are the famous
mineral springs of MAINTAIN; this is a
great resort for health-seekers and win
ter quarters for miners, and hence rents
are very high, and also boarding would
seem so to you people In Ohio county,
as il is from s. to SO per week. Farm
ing IL not much of business here. as
there Is lack of water for irrigation
gardening is considerable business,
and pays well, As vegetables sell quite
high stock growing seems to he quite
profitable, that is, growing cattle and
sheep, hogs are no go here. Some seem
To make success of hunting i'm the
mountains, killing bear, elk, deer, etc.
Some get rich mining, while Others
make splendid failure. Upon the whole
il costs more to live here than in Ken
tucky, but then the farmer for farming
is good where water is plenty, the mer-
chant, the mechanic, the laborer, the
teacher, the clerk, the editor, the print
er, and even the preacher, can max e
more money here than there, after all
the additional expenses. All business
is done here on strictly cash blsis. aud
that with good margin on all
| am satisfied that some persons in
the older States think this perfect
heathen land, but that is great mis-
take, for, while you will find Il great
many roughs here who do not care for
themselves nor any one else, you will
meet with many Of as much refinement
as any people in any country or town.
You will find the roughs about the
towns in proportion to the amount of
whisky sold and drank there a. an
evidence of this, Pueblo has great
number of saloons, and, consequently,
great deal Of drinking, while Colorado
Springs has no saloons and but very
little drunkenness, and the consequence
is that you will find ~ reckless dare
devils in Pueblo for here. The Col
orado Springs Company make a condi-
ton i'm the deed to every lot they sell
that if intoxicating drinks should ever
he sold thereon as a beverage the title
reverts back to the original owner I
like the South Platte Valley as farm
ing country, water is plenty and irriga-
ton easy. but the Arkansas Valley and
south of it do not like, there is too
much alkali in the soil which destroys
its productiveness. The great trouble
on the Platte is scarcely of timber, rs
they must haul it all for p miles this,
however can be overcome, as they can
grow timber 10y transplanting, and they
are now constructing a railroad up the
valley which will hiring lumber, coal,
etc, 10 them. Their fences consist of
cedar posts set two rods apart and three
barbed wires fastened to them by staples
driven into the posts astride the wires.
This makes an effectual fence against
horses and cattle, sheep have to be
her,ied, and hogs must he kept up.
If any Of my old friends want to
come to this State to farm, I think they
would do well on the South Platte.
J. n. BARNETT.