New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-08-23
LETTER FROM COLORADO.

COLORADO SPRlAes, Aug, Is, 'Ss.
The tourist in search of either
health or pleasure may proftably
spend many days, or even weeks, in
the vicinity of,Colo1ado Springs. To
the health-seeker the ait here is pro-
badly more exhilarating and braciing
than that of the higher attitudes, or
Of any other place in the State, ex.
cept, possibly, Idaho Springs, about
one hundred miles further north.
And then the various points of in.
terest near here, some of which |
mentioned in my last letter, furnish
ample sources of amusement to the
explorer. Then, too, from whatever
point you view them tits impossible
to avoid an ever recurring feeling of
admiration for the grandeur of the
lofty mountains always before you
the majestic appearance Of Pixies
Peak, towering above the line of
mountains around it, and the beau
tiful Cheyenne, whose massive con.
tour is 80 striking as to make you
overlook the fact that its height is
several hundred feet less than Pixies.
There is unity of conception in it
unsurpassed by any mountain /
have ever seen, aud you feel that it
is full Of living power. ''Pike's
Peak or BUST is as much the cry
now as it was in the early days, and
all who feel equal to the task invari.
ably climb its rugged ascent and
then lay by few days for repairs.
In 1910 Colorado was sent into
this region by those old fellow-Span.
ia,ds who We're consumed with that
fierce hunger for gold which Undue.
ed them to scour the earth in search
Of it; and eighty years before the
Pilgrim Fathers landed upon Ply
mouth Rock he was periloosly tray
ersing the San Louis Park and, per-
haps, seeing the Wet Mountain ly.
ing, as it does to-day, green and
fertile between the two ranges.
But he went away disappointed af-
ter all. Then in 1906, when Mr..
Jefferson was President, and Aaron
Burr was engaged in his reasonable
conspiracy tt tonnd new empire
west Of the Alliganies, Lieutenant
Zebulon Pike, an adventurous and
persevering officer Of the army, was
ordered to proceed westward and
explore the regi, II between the Mis-
souri, River and the frontier of Mex
leo, which then included considera.
BILE territory now belonging to the
United States. He LETT St. LOUIS
on the 24th Of June and camped in
the foot: hills near this point on the
25th If November. To-day the
journey may be made in less than
sixty honrs, ami the traveller need
not go into camp npon arrival here
either, but may be assigned com
Portable room by hotel clerk with
eyeglasses, Pike saw the great
peak on the Is Of November--iust
as travellers by rail now see it when
at least $50 miles distant. It ap.
peared, he said, 'tlike Il small blue
cloud" and On the 18th lie s'.narch-
ed at the usual hour, pushed with
the idea of arriving at the noun
taips that night; but found when the
night came no visible difference
in their appearance from yester-
day" And on the 25th he again
marched early with the expectation
of ascending the mountain, but
was only able to camp at its base. :"
This recalls the old stories we have
so often heard about the deceptive
distances in this clear atmosphere.
tits absolute true that mountains
twenty miles distant appear to be
near enough for 4 morning walk
before breakfast. Probably the
rea Ter has heard about the English.
man who wouldn't jump three
foot irrigation ditch because he
..couldn tell, BY Jove, you know,
that the blasted thing wasn't three
] quarters Of . mile wide.
II