The Penn's Grove record., 1882-08-26
LETTER FROM COLORADO.

the explorer. Then, too, from what
ever point you view them 1t is impossi-
bic to avoid an ever recurring t, ins
Of admiration for the grandeur of the
two lofty mountains always before you
the majestic appearance Of Pixies Peak,
towering above the line of mountains
around it, and the beautiful Cheyenne,
whose massive contour is so striking as
to make you overlooked the fact that
its height is several hundred feet less
than Pixies. There is a unity of COLI
ception in 1t unsurpassed by any noun
tain | have ever seen, and yeu feel that
it is full Of living power. "Pikes Peak
or bust" lie as much the cry now rs it
was in the early days, and all who feel
equal to the task invariably climb its
rugged ascent and then lay by q few
days for repairs.
In 1910 Coronado was sent into this
| region by those old fellow-Spaniards
who we're consumed with hat fierce
hunger for gold which induced them to
scour the earth in search OF it; and
eighty years before the Pilgrim Fathers
landed Upon Plymouth Rock he wAs
ptrilously tIayersingth the San Luis Park
and, perhaps, seeing the West Noun
tain Valley lying, ss it does to-day,
green and fertile between the TIVE
ranges. But he went away disappoini
ed after all. Then in 1906, when Mr.
jefferson was President, and Aaron
Barr was engaged in his treasnnable
conspiracy to found a new empire
west of the Alleghanies, Lieutenant
Zebulon Pike, an adventurous and pei
serving officer oil the army, was ordered
to proceed westward and explore the
region between the Missouri River and
the frontier of Mexico, which then il
cluded considerable territory now be-
longing to- the United States. lie left
st. Louis on the oath of June ano
camped in the foothills Eear this point
on the 25th Of November. To-day the
same journey may be made in less thai:
sixty hours, and the traveller need not
go into camp upon arrival here either
but may be assigned y comfortable
room by a hotel clerk with eye-glaas.
Pike saw the great peak N the 1t
of November-just as travellers 10y rail
now zee it when at least 100 miles dis
tant. 1t appeared, he said, ''like q
small blue cload," and on the 18th he
marched at tne usual hour, pushed
with the idea of arriving at the noun
tains that night; but found when night
came ne visible difference in the appear
ance from yesterday" And on the
18th he again marched early with the
expedition OF ascending tie mountain.
but was only allie to camp at its base. y
This recalls the old stories we have SO
often i.eard about the d 'ceptive dis
tances in this clear atmosphere. It ID
absolutely trde that mountains twenty
hiiN oiSStAAb uHHrNA W w i'tNt NtiObSf
for a morning walk before breakfast.
Probably the reader has beard about
the Enslishman WHO wouldn't jump a
thgee-foot ir cigatiDg ditch because he
"couidn't tell. by Jove. you know, that
the blasted thing wasn't th~ree-qIarteis
of a mile wide" But to return To
Pike. He called his discovered peak
Mexican Mountain, and left others to
give it his name. UIon the very topof
it, where cold winds blow and snow
squalls occur at nearly all seasons Of
the year, o Government signal station
is now maintained, thu officers in charge
living there a portion Of the time.
1t was the 'old, CID story which
turned the tide of emigration in this
direction. People probably never
wanted gold more than after the panic
of 1857, and the report of ils n,ding
here the following year caused such a
stampede across the plains as has never
been equaled, except in early Califotma
days. Events moved rapidly, ard ip
the winter of 13j0--'61 & Territorial
Legislature, numbering some tv only
five devoted Patriots, met at what was
then Colorado City, located just about
where Pike, followed by Fremont in
l14S, had each pitched their leafs. Tho
remains Of this old Capital ;ue sill to
be 9 less than two miles from tie
town OF Colorado Springs, or about
mid rsay between EeIe and Monitou.
The ''city' consists OF four or five
rough adobe frame buildings, never
much mere than shantiss, but nov SD
ly dilapidated. The old state house is
still standing like some ~sea-fearine
hulk left high and dry upon a deserted
Beech. Tradition states that il cor
tanned three Tooms: 10 ore the meInbe,s
met, in anothertl.ey slept, Whine IL tuu
third WIS that always necessary adj
jurct Of a legislative body-the bar. In
the course of the proceedings, at the
first seasap, | believe, a motioA wa
made TO transfer the seat Of Govern
ment to Denver, then a sprig Of a
town. "And We carried our poinI.1'
said AN en- ertsininy pioneer with
whom it has ben my good fol3une to
converse, because We had tie hes.
wagon, and four mules, and III. most
. Ttiskey.n This old ''state house, hus
until recently been a station for retail
ing "hay and feed" TO the mule teams
traversing the mountain roads, and in
another of the buildings, Chain .iglt-
ningn and lager bier have been sup
piled to the drivers. Aias, fer departsd