Delta chief., 1883-04-04
Completion of the Denver and Rio
Grande
From the Denver Tribune.

and cultivation the western part of Colorado,
which is apparently to be the food furnisher
for a large part of the mountain country.
The same advantage of proximity which have
induced the location of manufactures along
the eastern slope of the Rockies will cause
agriculture to be pushed to its utmost limits
wherever available land can be found, and
the rich valleys of Western Colorado are
capable of astonishing production, as has al
ready been demonstrated. The advantages
of the country have caused several railroad
but the Denver & Rio Grande, with its custo-
mary enterprise, has made it its own.
About eighteen months ago this road pur-
chased the Utah K Pleasant Valley road, a
small line of only los miles, and of which
only S3 miles were available for the purposes
of through line. 1t runs from Salt Lake
City in southeasterly direction to Pleasant
valley, near which are located valuable coal
mines. The work of construction from Gun
nison City to Pleasant valley, which has re-
ceived the name of the Utah extension, has
occupied about nine months. The distance
from Gunnison City to Salt Lake is 446 miles,
but as S3 miles of the Pleasant Valley road
we're used, there remained 1868 miles FIR con-
struction. This has been accomplished in the
face of great difficulties. All the troubles of
construction through an unsettled country
were met, as matter of course. The heaviest
work was in going through the Black Canon
on the Gunnison river, west of Gunnison
City.
This rock-bound chasm is wilder, more
canon. The cliffs are fully as high, but their
sides are broken into narrow shelves where
shrubs trees and clinging vines have found q
foothold. In many places miniature cataracts
leap from dizzy heights into the sea-green
waters of the river, or, broken by.projecting
ledges, reach the bottom of the canon in
silvery spray. Here solitary pinnacle scars
upward like delicatcly formed cathedral
tower and again the enclosing walls hug the
road for miles in unbroken masses. The con-
tour of the palisades of the Hudson is almost
reproduced here. Halfway through the canon
the Gunnison turns into still deeper gorge
to the right, and the road continues by the
side of Cimarron creek, which leads to where
the cliffs are more rugged still, and whose
sides are filled with clinging vines and stunt
ed pines and cedars. The region becomes
darker and gloomier, while the creek flows
over its rocky bed and among granite boul-
ders with rumble that fills the gorge with
deafening echoes.
The natural difficulties in the way of con-
I;,r i,hf thnv flor Tho CaIar
divide is crossed by series of steep grades
and thence the line descends to Montrose, in
the Uncompahsre valley, the richest part of
the old Ute reservation. The Ouray extern
sion will be built from this point. Following
the Uncompahgre, after leaving Montrose,
the road traverses valley filled with rick
farm land to Delta. Here the Gunnison river
is again encountered, and the road follows it,
through its yellow-lined canon, to Grand
Junction, the extreme western city of the
State, built at the head of Grand valley. A
wide neck of land runs westward from it be.
tween two long lines of cliffs, and watered by
the river Grand, is capable of producing every
variety Of fruit and cereal. The valley is as
level as floor, the climate is exceptionally
fine, and the view of distant mountain ranges
is one of the finest which any part of the State
affords.
After leaving Grand Junction the railroad
enters upon averitabls desert. Low, treelcss,
dry and neglected wastes extend before one
for nearly $50 miles1, The traveller is on an
inland sea, where the.winds have formed bill
lows Of sand, and the earth is caked by the
heat of summer. Under the effects of irriga-
ton much of it will probably be reclaimed
Finally Green river, broad sluggish stream,
is reached and crossed. The maximum grade
from Grand Junction to here IL 5.S2 feet to
the mile. Turning now to the northwest, the
road approaches the Wasatch mountains.
Soon Price river is crossed, tributary Of the
Green and later Castle valley is entered,
where there is more vegetation. At its ex.
treme end, and reached after long twistings
and turnings among the foothills of the range,
stands Castle Gate, leading into the very
heart of the Wasatch mountains, and formed
have sheer descent of nearly 500 feet, and
are severed of-shoOts from the cliffs behind
them. They are so close to each other as
barely to allow the passage of the road and
the stream. Once through the narrow way,
and climbing the steep grades of Price river
canon, the road follows one stream and then
another, and all the while there are unbroken
forests, vari-colored rocks, clear waters, green