The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-09-02
Our Colorado Letter.

DENVER, Col, Aug. 26, 1882.
1t is scarcely necessary to write much
concerning the city of Denver itself, as
people all over the East have heard SO
much Of it during the last few years that
nearly every reader knows nearly all there
is to be said about it. 1t is the Chicago
of the far West; o modern city in all re-
spects, with fine buildings, public and
private, beautiful, regular streets, i'm
mense business establishments, magnii-
cent hotels, and all the appliances and
improvements OF o modern metropolis.
1t is credited by the last census with con-
siderably less than $4,000 inhabitants
don't remember the exact number-but
should say that fully that population
sojourn within its limits. There is not
more thriving, busy, bristling, enter
prising. growing city in America, or any
where else, than this same Denver, and
probably there is not another city OF its
size doing anywhere near the amount of
business that is done here. Walking
down any of the business streets one may
see establishments that would do credit
to the largest cities of the Union, and ]
am sure that the beautiful city of Wash
ington, with its $50, 900 inhabitants, must
take a place to the rear of Denver in this
respect. As on evidenc of the growth Of
the city, as we'll as of the increase of trav-
ell this way, take the changes in the hotel
accommodations. The old American and
the Grand Central, which four years ago
been overshadowed by the st. James and
the Windsor, the largest aud grandest OF
hostelries. The former is conducted by
David A. Gage, formerly of the Grand
Pacific, Chicago, and also the well re-
membered Treasurer of that city. The
newspapers OF Denver are also an index
of its greatness. Outside Of three or four
large cities there are no better dailies in
the country than the Denver Republican
and the Rocky Mountain News, or even
the Evening Times. Here, again, the
National Capital is left in the rear.
One Of the things that have helped to
make Denver great is the location aud
Investments here OF so many bonanza
kings-so many of the millionaire miners
OF Colorado, who have come here to live
and invest their wealth in improvements,
public aud private. Ifyou ask Denver
man who these men are he will mention
Lieutenant Governor Tabor as first and
foremost. This is partly because he hai
been about the lnckiest man in the Stat,
and because he has done great deal fol
Denver for witness of which see tht
Windsor Hotel, of which his son is man
ager. the Tabor Opera House, and hi.
own million dollar residence. heard 81
much about Tabor's mines and Tabor
bull iings and Tsbur's schemes-one o
which is to take Secretary Tellers plac'
in the Senate-from the time / crossed
the line which separates total-abstinenc,
Kansas from drink-as-you-please Colora
do. that was quite anxious to meet tn,
bonanza king face TO face. And my curl
>sity has been grati6ed. His warmes
admirers would not call Mr.. Tabor eth
er handsome or graceful. He is appar
emily about ffty-seven or eight, his hal
Is black and as coarse as an Indians, ,anC
his large mouth is covered rather thai
ornamented by heavy moustache, whicl
is slightly tinged with gray. His arm
and legs seem made of wood and hi
joints of iron. In conversation with tn
luckiest of men one soon forgets his pc
culiarities OF manners and appearance
There is so much straightforwardnes
and strong common sense in what he say
that no one who knows him wonders tha
he has become one of the great master
of the great art of money making.
Tabor's history ia one of the romance
of mining. Twenty-Five years ago, whe
/ the pixies Peak OF bust" fever was at II
height, Tabor and his wife left their HON
! in Maine to seek fortune in the will
: West. They didn't find it. For eightee
: weary years they went up and down Il
, foothills and mountains of Colorado pu
. ing the phantom gold, and growing ol
aud discouraged in their tiresome an
] bootless search. He was sober and 81
, thrifty, but somehow they did not get Q
! il the world. While keeping q litt
8 store at Orc City, a small camp about tN
I miles from where Leadville now hourisl
4 es, aud where the first discoveries
i quartz were made in Leadv,lle, Tabc
$ "grub-staked" tive prospectors to scare
9 for ore, on the condition that he shoul
J. have half of all they should discove
n The first ore they found ran only eigl
: ounces to the ton, but as they went dow
J. Oh the Little Pittsburg" the qSalit
: steadily improved. About this tin
d Leadville had outgrown Orc City. an
b Tabor moved his store to the larger plac
d He came to Denver and bought bill
r goods amounting to 81, 500, and not ha
o ing money enough to settle, be offered b
!, share in the mine to the Denver firm, bl
b they preferred to take their chances c
Il getting their money back when he hs