The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-10-15
OUR WESTERN EMPIRE.
The Chiefs Correspondent In Colorado-A
Region Fifty Called the Switzerland of
America.
PONCHo SPRINGS, Aug. 1881.

The Chiefs Correspondent In CO1OradO-A
Region Fifty Called the Switzerland of
America.
PoNcHo SPRINGS, Aug. 1881.
EDITOR CHIEF:
The wealth of minerals in the Gunni-
son country led the Denver and Rio
Grande Railway Company to open COM
munication with that hitherto inacces-
sible region to the Pacific slope, on the
other side of the continental divide. The
work was begun November, and I shall
seek to give the reader some idea of the
country, the grandeur of the scenery, and
the marvellous engineering skill which
has opened up this great highway of COM
merce, where eight months ago these
mountain recesses were undisturbed and
hushed in the stiffness of the eternal past.
At South Arkansas, leaving the main
line, we whirl along the valley of the
South Fork up a steep mountain grade
and soon reach Poncho Springs, new
town lying in a beautiful valley, tho hot
springs being up the mountain side
mile and half away. Leaving the cars
purposing to enjoy the baths at the
springs we soon discovered that the prac-
tices of hackmen at Niagara Falls had
struck this beardless city, and that the
attack was dangerous to pocket-books
generally. The cheapest way u.der
present quotations to secure convey
anco is to buy it outright. A long wind
ing ascent of 500 feet brought us to the
celebrated hot springs, over 100 in num-
Der, boiling forth with their breath of
flame from the crest of lava beds thrown
up ages ago by some volcanic action.
Eggs are cooked by these waters,
which are strongly impregnated with
sulphur, iron, magnesia and other min
erals. Invalids are here treated for par
alysis, rheumatism, scrofula and other
diseases, and many go away perfectly
cured. The present need is an infirmary
large enough to accommodate 500 pa
tients, with good first-class hotel, loca-
ted on the mountain-side, giving view
unequalled in beauty of plains, messas
and mountains, while in the distance,
old Havana with his monarch snow cap
ped peaks lift their hoary heads high
into ether, by day or night, a thing of
beauty and a joy forever. After few
days spent at this delightful spot, we go
by train to Maysville, new mining
town, with large and profitable mineral
interests, up the gulch Of the South
Fork of the Arkansas. Mr.. George Par
fridge of st. Louis is largely interested
in these mines, being the owner of the
Brighton and other choice properties
The writer here found Mr.. Pitt Cook
and Mr.. Moorehead of Washington, and
their partner, Mr.. Looney of Baltimore,
living on splendid rancho, with every
thing growing in garden and field most
luxuriantly under Il splendid system of
irrigation. These young gentlemen have
already made themselves felt as factors
in the growing future of this young
State. Leaving Maysville we reach
Poncho and begin our ascent around
acute curves, over great chasms, grand
and awful as seen from the car window.
Now we creep slowly along the outside
of great mountain, or pass under a
chiselled "via" through great rocks,
moulded and shaped in the womb of ma
ture in the long, long ago. A frail bridge
spans ghostly chasm, and over it goes
the painting engine, while far below
dash, plunge and roar the angry waters
of the Clear Creek. Up and on we go
till the shrill whistle echoes and re-
echoes through these mountain fortresses,
announcing Mcars' Station, 1000 feet
above Poncho Springs. This is the point
of divergence of the San Luis valley ex-
tension of the railroad, a Sodom in wick
edness, where men die with their boots
on" human life being held as no better
than that of a big mastitf. Soon in our
skyward journey Shirley is reached
as way station. The trip from Shirley
to the top of the divide beggars descrip-
ton. Neither pen nor pencil can do JUS
tice to what we saw as we were whisked
onward and upward, creeping cautiously
alongside of mountains and over tressel-
ings, up a grade of 217 feet to the mile,
while the engine and train seemed play
ing hide and seek among spurs of old
snow-capped Ouray, lifting his hoary
head in the distance of Il, 900 feet above
the sea.
What sublimity and grandeur! On
the continental divide this ioary old
sentinel of the mid d-contnent stood
watch and ward on creation's morn. We
creep upward, and from the car we
count four tracks far down in the ch asm
below, over which we have passed,
travelling six miles to make one in dis
tance. While we sweep on in a cooler
atmosphere we gather our wraps about
us as we come to face old Ouray covered
with snow OIL the 22nd of July. We are
now up to timber line, but what wealth
Of beauty lies just below in acres on
acres of flowers that have bloomed ages
upon ages, with no eye to feast Oh their
beauty or TO breathe their perfume but
the eye of the eternal God. A little
stream comes dashing down the rocky
sides of the great monarch, its waters