The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-10-07
Our Colorado Letter.


LEADvILLE, Col, Sept. 80, 1882.
The "short cut over the mountains
from Georgetown to Leadville is "A rough,
laborious journey fraught with no Incl
dents ofspecial interest, though we cross
the main range of mountains two or three
times, am told. But here we are in
Leadville, that great centre of big strikes
and "carbonates, which nearly turned
the heads of the whole country few
years ago, and which is still the largest
mining camp on the continent. Mining
camps, in the nature of things, grow to
towns and cities, as boys grow to men;
but as there are some humans whom we
declare to be not men, bat overgrown
boys, so seems L=adville not q city, or
town, or a village, but an overgrown
mining camp. 1t has taken on the airs
of city, of course, and during the las!
few years things have solidified, as it
were, so that in the character of buildings
and the kind of growth manifested there
is more of the appearance of place that
had come to stay; yet in its general
characteristics, its surroundings, and the
uniqueness of its construction, the rough
mining camp still appears to view. Let
the reader picture to himself a valley or
gulch through which runs a stream, its
banks rent and torn into distressing un.
shapeliness by the gulch mines of former
days. Close around are hills once Who'll.
ly, but now partially, covered with trees,
which, having been burned into leailess
sometimes branchless, stems. furnish
surroundings positively weird in theil
desolation. Around at n greater distance
rise lofty mountains high above the town,
which is mostly built along four princi.
pal streets and composed of every variety
of material from logs to plain boards,
adobe, stone, etc. Outside of these are
mines and smelling works, smelling
works and mines, log cabins and stumrs
and stumps and log cabins "ad infni
tum," This, at an altitude of 10000
feet, is the outward description of the
great city of Leadville.
In spite of the advance of "civiliza
ton" here, the many improvements ant
growth of the place, the large amount O
business done and the fortunes made
there is still state of crudeness every
where. The sidewalks are not all on til,
same level, each man having built tha
in front of his store at a height that wal
convenient for himself, so that as yor
pass along you are repeatedly obliged t.
go up or down one or two steps. Non,
of the streets are paved. but several o
them had foot or eighteen inches o
broken slack from the smelling work.
carted upon them and covered with earth
forming kind OF Grade macadam, mucl
smoother and frmer than the natura
ground. Log houses, however, hay,
pretty generally disappeared from th
principal streets. 1t has been said o
Leadville that its main street is busie
and shows more life and activity thai
any street Of any city in the State OF Col
orado. This is very near the truth, AL
day and all night the broken sidewalk
rcsouud with the tread of feet, Durinl
the day blockades often occur in th
street which would do credit to Broad
way, aud, ms for the sidewalks, they AZ
continually crowded. All night the So
looms and gambling-houses are brilliant
ly lighted aud thronged with the rough
est class Of miners, who come from tn
cabins up the gulches to enjoy them
selves according to the most approve,
methods among mining communities
The lights and the shadows of minin
life are strangely mingled, and form ~
interesting, though not always commend
able, picture. Ia estimating the popu
lt;ion of ibis place one should remembe
what John PLWuix said Of Cairo, Illiuoi
'HN' ~ NNhn4oNNh u thirteen, Dul wa
put at five thousand because they too
the census just when five trains of cal
had arrived before boat started for Ne,
Orleans The influx of strangers is nc
as great now us when the excitement wa
at its leight two or three years ago, bu
it is still considerable. The resideI
population is not over $1,000, thinl
though more is claimed.
NJ impressions of Leadyille are littl
better now than two years ago when
thought il was the most corrupt, unir
. yitiug ana oyercrowded city on the fac
+ of tie earth. Every foot of ground ha
. even then been surveyed, stGked of an
recorded, and the man who iJurneye
f thousands of NJ! los with the hope Of Gn,
- ing an iueA ofayailable ground to"squar
I on, had either to 20 on up the mountai
] or else buy at an exhorbitAut price Pc
e pie in the East can form no idea of Il
1 crazy stampede that filed up this couI
+ try with men who vaiuly expected
. make a fortune here in a month. retui
= to tue States, start bank, live in luxur
4 run for some Office, aud forever a(terwal
Y live On tho lat OF the land. How the
= hopes were realized, generally spcakiI
C Is pretty vel Known. Foot aud W.