The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-08-24
LETTER FROM COLORADO.
Special Correspondence.


The tourist who comes to Colorado
expecting to see all there is to be
seen, or to learn all there is to bc
learned, Of the scenery, resources and
characteristics Of the State in few
days, or even weeks, will be disap-
pointed. Since a:y ar.iva! I have
been constantly on the 60, and have
gathered so much material that !
scarcely know where to begin to un
raVeI The thread; yet l have but just
commeucvd uy explorations. Ap
preaching the Centennial State from
the east, We hav,' been grada lily as
cendiog since We left the Missouri
River, and cross its eastern border at
an elevation Of 1000 feet. Up to the
foothills run plains iutersected by
streams aud by the Divide, ridge
5000 feet high, fifty miles south of
DenVer-giviug room for many cattle,
sheep and farming ranches. Of
these there are many interesting facts
for future letters. Boldly out among
these foothills comes the great lateral
buttress capped by the famed Pixies
Peak !; then comes the majestic range
itself, the backbone of the continent,
describing d tortucus course through
the State, which, as the slang phrase
has it, covers more outdoors than
any other State in the Union, except
California and Texas.
This vast area lies between the
thirty-seventh and forty-frst paral-
lels of north latitude and the one
hundred aad second and the one hun.
dred and ninth meridiaus Of west
longitude. Its average exteut, north
and south, is 275 miles, and east and
west, $50 miles, the total area being
4,500 miles. The plains in the
eastern part comprise about one-third
of the area of the State; and the
mountains occupy the remaining two
thirds. The main range Of tie
Rockies passes through the centre Of
the State from the north to the south.
The plains in the eastern part are
drained on the north by South
Platte and on the south by the Ar
kansas. Tie continental divide fol-
lows the summit of the main range
from north to south. In the centraI
part of Colorado the mountains form
four vast basins, called parks-Nortb
Park, South Park, Middle Park, and
San Luis Park. North Park, with
its area Of $500 square miles, at an
elevation of about 5000 feet, has {
north-eentra! location. Just south
of North Park is Middle Park, with
its area of 5000 square miles, at at
elevation of $500 feet. Still south
of Middle Park is South Park
with its area of 1900 square miles
at an elevation of $500 feet
The fourth park, San Luis, il
near the south line Of the State, ha:
an area of 5000 square miles and ar
elevation of 1000 feet. The moun-
taius are drained chiefly by the ArkaD
sas, the Rio Colorado, the Rio Grsnde
and the Platte. The latter runs through
the valley in which Denver is situated
and though this is said to be coun-
try where rain seldom falls and where
agriculture is only possible by irrisa-
ton 1t has several times gone on the
rampage and caused great damage
In 1864 one of these foods occurred
perhaps the largest ever known, a
which time the county safe was carried
down the stream and has never ye
been recovered, though I say in the
Denver Republican a few days ag'
an anonymous card in which tn
writer claims to have discovered it il
fording the river, and promises t.
have it in Denver before October
The heavy rains of this week hav'
done great damage here also, ant
caused many land-slides.
The stream of humanity which o
late years annually flows into thi
Rocky Mountain region has beer
larger this year, apparently, than eve
before, and still the greatest rush hs
not begun, if the expectations of tn
Depverites are any guide. Thousand
come here every summer as pleasur
tourists, and many come 10 search @
health, though the uumber of thes
latter seems to diminish rather tha,
increase, at least so far as downright
invalids are concerned. From what
can learn | feel convinced that Colo
RADIO as a health resort is all it ha
been cracked up to be- but for al
that it is becoming known that per-
sons in the last stages of consumption