The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-12-20
NUMBER THREE.

these, United States, and when they fail
I the lines have their dining, or better still
their hotel car
i Your route to the Missouri will, O.
course, be regulated by your startingpoint
Thence the Union Pacific in its transcon
tinental course unites at Cheyenne, W. L.
with the Denver Pacific, and the Colorado
Central, which will bring the passengers
into the capital city, Denver. Between
Omaha and Denver is run the "Julesburs
cut off, OF the Union Pacific, which de
ereaSes the distance between the two
points by seventy miles, and the time by
ten hours The Chicago, Burlington an(
Quincy, also sends one OF its fastest eX
presses into Denver, and the Kansas Pa
clfic runs into the city. Arrived at Den
yer, the traveller may make choice between
the Denver and New Orleans, and Denver
and Rio Grande to Colorado Springs, thu
two roads running parallel for some dis
lance, and through an equally picturesque
section of country. The d. & r. G.. is tht
pioneer, the brave, baby road, which witt
the shining magnet of its steel track, drew
as with loadstone, innumerable benefits
to the then trackless lands OF the west
n early every mining camp in the State Is
included within its network OF cOmmunl
cation, and travellers coming from the west
may meet it at Salt Lake city OF Ogden
and come Colorado wards, for its Utah ex.
! tension is completed. The Denver and
/ Rio Grande has now also, a broad guage
track between Denver and Pueblo, ovel
which the s.Thunderbolt, q fast, daily
train, is run during the summer. The
Denver and New Orleans is a fine, broad
guage road, pressing steadily southwards
to meet the Denver and Fort Worth road
and to bring up to the new west the tour
| lists and trade from the Gulf. Another
way to reach Colorado Springs and Mani.
tou is to take the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe railroad, through southern Kan
sas and Colorado to Peublo, and thence to
| Colorado Springs, by the southern branch
of either the Denver and Rio Grande,. OF
the Denver and New Orleans. In coming
from California the Atlantic Pacific and
Southern Pacific, connect with the A. i.
q S. F. near Albuquerque-these are roads
which run to Colorado from San Fran
cisco. Over the six miles intervening be-
tween the towns of Colorado Springs and
Manitou, the d. & r. G.. has built branch
and trains making close connection with
| those arriving at Colorado Springs depot
ply back and forth every few hours. Since
| the first four months of 1888 Colorado has
| taken the lead among the States IN railway
construction.
COLORADO SPRINGS
| lies seventy-fve miles south of Denver and
| forty five. miles north of Pueblo it's eleva
ton is 6 900 feet above sea-level. Its lati
tude is about the same as that OF Wash
/ ington, D. G. 1t is queen among cities
occupying the vantage ground OF a mesf
or table-land. able to extend its borders Il
the eastward, over miles of plain, and en-
vironed on the west by the Rocky Noun
tains. five miles away, and seeming tt
strangers to be crowding in sublime dis
order to the very edges OF the settlement
On the north. where the majestic line OF
the spur lowers its crest, is the oval, pur
pie mountain marking the Divide.
To the south, the short range is bounded
by Cheyenne, rising in scorn from the loWl.
plain. without the Intervention of bluff O.
foot-hill. Cheyenne with its vast simple
surface, the s'broadest mass OF blue ant
purple shadow that ever lay on the easel O
nature" In the centre tothe west. Pike
Peak lift it's lofty head, its Stainless spurs
Ranged in white ranks against the blue un
trod,
Infinite, wonderful, whose uplands vast,
And lifted universe of crest and crag,
Shoulder and shelf, green slope and icy horn
Riven ravine and splintered precupice,
Led climbing thought higher, ana higher,
1t seemed to stand in heaven and speak wit
Cod
The western poet did not put it tina
way. He said:
'sIm looking at your lofty head
Away up in the air,
Eight Thousand feet above the plain
Where grows the prickly pear.
A great big thing with ice on,
You seem to be up there"
Those who stand face to face with hi
majesty Pixies Peak, in the ante-chambe
| - lx., ,,,,t .rx4 hnf ha Ic NO
ALWAYS regal On summer moons he is Du
Observation-Disclosures sand-hill, with
few dots of SnoW-very red, very bare
very hot, and the reverse Of imposing.
Late in the afternoon, he CLOVIS with
beauty borrowed from the sunset, SO misty
so ethereal, so heavenly, that his uncome
illness under the burning caresses OF tn
MONDAY sun is forgiven. In winter nights
his sides are Smoothed under his Shrou
of snow, illumined by frosty moonshln
and starlight with an unearthly radlanc
which awes him who gazeS upon the grea
white throne. The mountains below cate
not ray. but are sombre, inky-black, INK
the enamel setting of some pearl OF grea
price. Its lovers may gaze year after.yea
upon this wonderful mountain OF transtls
uration and see it anew every day. Some
times the clouds spread over it in gauZ
mists, through which shine it's unwaste
SHOWS; again it lifts it's calm brow irr;
dated with golden light caught from som
/, far region of ether. to which the lowe
SUBMITS vainly aspire.
In the summer, when the snow liz
fees up the slopes before advancing We
dure, and pines brighten their dark We
ture, this range is most grand with Jagge
shafts and rock-seamed sides sOftened
rainbow miStS left in the wake or TT
showers. Monte Rosa, Mount GARFIELD
Cameron Cone and other nameless peal
cluster about the knees of their king to .
him honor. To the north of Colorat
Springs, lies the ''pineries, IA belt of blacl
ish green, extending northeastward.
Though timber for the region round h;
been cut from these groves, the supp
seems ineXhaustible as in early days whe
the settlers hewed logs for cabins. b
tween pineries and plains stretch Austin
: Bluffs, rounded buttes, gray and brow
dotted with bunchy pines. East and soul
is a waste of plain meeting the sky. III
plains are every shade from pale yellow
rich brown. all the tints to which fore
leaves turn at the frost touch, from II
to wine color. This is where the full su
shine falls upon them, barely, and i'll WI
ter. In summer they, too, are green, wi
a pale tinge. Great tracts will be yello
with flowers or white with the liutterii
petals Of Mexican peoples, with here al
there the fiaming scarlet torch OF Il
painted cup. Back and forth the solen
!. cloud shadows pass and re-pass, and plai
and skies melt away together in lilac. blu
or rose. Mt. Washington, q little kn'
over which your horse will carry you at ;
easy pace, breaks the line Of plain, and
it's foot dark pine grove marks Eve
green Cemetery. Mt. Washington IS lu
the height above the sea level of Mt. Was
ington in the White Mountains. Up
this elevated plain. it is a very mole hi
Colorado Springs occupies the center
r this amphitheatre OF mountain and mes
pine and plain. Extendedto the nortlla
south three miles, --narrow to the east a
west,-it lies, with precise blocks four hu
bred feet square The streets runat rig
angles, north and south. east and we
and are alternately 100 and l40 feet
width, with sidewalks IL feet wide. Y
itors say they feel lost upon boundls
prairie" when trying tn cross the street,
Over seven thousand shade trees. pr
cipally colt mwoodS. haze been plant
along the Slr.e.s. The cottonwood is
Ut fully leave rs the maple. and not uni
= = the linden ia growth and foliage. In sn
- NOR ha ,l.u..4 il plnhowpred in green. il