The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-10
THE GRAND OLD ROCKIES.
Trinidad, "Purgatory" and the Penitentes.

Ny last letter closed with what might be term
ed "a brd's.eye view" OF Denver, and brc
glance at the grandeur of that fast growing me
tropols. Retiring to
| LA JUNTA
lila Huntal we take the New Mexico branch o
the great A., T. d s. f. Ry., which at this poin
| turns To the southwest and maintains that dircc
| ton to Trinidad, n distance Of more than hun
bred miles, and located on the borders Of Colo
RADIO. As our train glides on We see
| ITO the right the mighty mountains, hoary will
eternal snow,
| Where thousand fOamng fountains singing
seek the plains below"
On our left the broad and endless prairie il
ocean.likc vastness stretches away to the fa
east, with scarce vcstige visible upon the sur
face except sage brush and here and there
wandering herd of cattle. On, ever onward
our train keeps moving, now winding around
SOME sharp curve, then almost doubling itse
to cross some great valley, and again straight
on over the biIlowy like PLAIN, which at times
seems to rise and fall like the waves Of the ocean
In the ride over the plains our train has been
gradually climbing up hill, and at this point we
are at greater elevation, or altitude, than the
highest peak Of the Allegheny mountains, or 20
be exact about it, 70O0feet above the level of the
sea, which, for plain, may be said to have done
its 'level best"
Six hundred and sixty miles beyond the Dor.
ders Of civilization, or at least west Of the Mis-
souri,, our train reaches Purgatory-a region in
this part Of earth of but little consequence as it
is only the crossing Of a shallow river Of the
same name On crossing here II thoughtful hus.
band wrote his "Dear Wife" as follows, by which
it would seem he was surc OF his destination:
"Dar FDe:-We have just passed Purgatory.
HI, or Pueblo, must be the next station. We
shall meet again. Goodbye.
Your loving JOHN"
Every river and mountain In this region has its
French, Indian and Spanish name, but Purgato
ry river has in addition another an American
name, that of picket Wire"--a corruption OF
the French "Purgatoire," for "purgatory," as
they say ''histoire" for history "Butthe prop.
or appellaton to this river, is "Rio dc las Ami.
mas"-"The River Of the Souls"-so named by
Pike and his men, who reached it Oh Nov .,
which according the customs Of the Ca.uolic
church is 'All Souls Day"
The Spanish Peaks so resemble each other that
they By the Indians are called "Wa.ws-te yas"-
THE Twns'-and 10y the Spaniards LAS das
lermannas" THE Two Sisters" No two peaks
OF the Rocky range attract SO much attention
and praise for their beauty and eycnness. They
have been with US ever since we left La Junta,
first appearing like two little hills, ana as we mp
proach the increase in size and height, and now
their forms greet us with awc.inspiring gran
deur.
Ell MORA,
although in Colorado may be called an exclu-
siycly Mexican village, and Us the architecture
OF II Mexican village is neither enchanting nor
impressive, 1t is hard to convey in writing what
1t is or looks like. But suppose you take any.
where from a dozen to Il hundred large.ezed
dry goods boxes, cover them all over with mud,
leaving small hole for door, and place link
on the ground in spots, without regard for
streets, and you have q Mexican village! No
trees no shrubs, no flowers, no grassy plots,
fences or any adornments whatever; but horde
Of goats, dogs, burros (asses) In every door
way wny.faced dame, with shawl or some
thing else covering her head and part of the face,
with cigarette in her mouth, and you have the
picture complete. For street scene, little
burro, or ass, about rs big as good. sized New
foundland dog, with big box or bundle strapped
to his back or straddled by II long -legged, long
haired greaser with broad brlmmed sombrcro
aud his legs touching The ground, clubbing the
Ourro, who expects Il blow just so often, and
when it comes lodges IL with all the cuteness of
a mule All the houses are adobe, or mud
houses; but To be more illustrative, IL Is one sto-
ry square house, built of sun-dried bricks, each
bout six inches wide, three inches thick and
about twelve inches long; these are placed one
above the other as in brick-built cities, until
the required height is reached, which is usually
six OF seven feet, leaving place for q door but
seldom for window. Then a roof is put on al
WAYS Hat ON which is placed three or four feet of
mud or clay for potato patch or to keep out the
y Ct when il rains. This when complete is MI
aduLe house, front view. The portal or main en-
trance opens upon AN Interior square around
shich is usually walk or gallery upon the
ground floor upon which the rooms OF the house
open. Ia the rquare within there is sometimes
!, well, perhaps a lev flowers and tree or two.
iuChS uOueco aiS uSihS al ou shO
first door, aud IRON the thickness OF the walls
usually three feet-are warm in winter and cool
III summer Seen at a distance they present the
apuearauce of sliced brick kilns, and which Me
nuo compared to "a fleet OF boats moored at the
foot of a mountain" Cellars are unknown. and
lew nave floors except mother earth, so the wo
men folks are easy as TO what the spring style o
carpet will bel and never borroY any trouble OF
account Of the hopping and scr1bbiug.
Leaving FL Mora, which distinctly marks the
terminus Of the plains In this direction, We lool
back upon their grassy fluctuations as the,
stretch away. to the east, upon whose surface
like islands In the sea, may be seen isolated
duties aud solitary mesas. Then our eyes wan