Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-11-13
Westward Ho!
DENVER, COL, October q, 1884.

DENVER. COL, October %, 1884.
Your correspondent started for the
"boundless West" at the beginning Of
the present month, enjoying pleasant
trip by the Grand Trunk Niagara Falls
route 10 Chicago, and thence via the IA
NOUS Crock Island" to Kansas City.
The Grand TFdnk line through Canada
has lately been newly ballasted and
laid with steel rails, and in connection
with the new Chicago and Grand Trunk
up through Michigan and Indiana is
really one of the best as well as the most
interesting routes to Chicago. The
crossing of the Niagara River at the
Suspension Bridge and the st. Clair at
Point Edward. are among the entertain
ing features of the journey. From the
great metropolis of the West to the
Missouri River there can be no more
pleasant and interesting route than the
Rock Island. During the afternoon,
leaving Chicago at Midday, whirling
along i'm the elegant cars of this splen-
didly equipped line, one enjoys fine
view of the prairie and fine farming
lands of the Garden State, Illinois,
crossing the broad Mississippi at Daven-
port early i'm the evening. In the early
morning we get glimpse of Western
Missouri, equal in all respects to any
country in our whole land. For several
miles we follow the bank of the "Big
Muddy" which is finally crossed just as
Kansas City is reached. Ofall the cities
I ever saw-and | have seen nearly all
the important ones in this country
Kansas City ''takes the cake" 1t is a
muddy, dirty, incongruous, up-and-
down, sorry-looking place, having prob
ably about 10000 Inhabitants, and q
commerce barely second to st. Louis
and Cincinnati. Such dirty, dilapida-
ted, scare-crow looking street cars as
are drawn through the muddy road
ways of Kansas City by ungainly mules
were never seen anywhere else in the
United States. But the town has some
good buildings, tasty Opera House,
and contains many fine people. Its
growth both in population and COM
mercial importance is really phenomi-
nal.
Coming from Kansas City direct to
Denver, one is forcibly impressed with
the marked contrast between the two
cities. Here everything looks as clean
and neat as new pin. There is an ap-
| W DllShblCSS, IC"ltSS, Cit-
gance and taste throughout the whole
city. It's streets are broad and clean,
and as smooth as house floor, though
unpaved. Many new building and bu-
siness blocks have been erected during
the past four years, and the city is great
| ly improved in many ways. Among
the leading structures erected within
the period named are: the City Hall,
County Court House, the Windsor, st.
James, Markham and Albany hotels,
several fine school buildings, nearly
equal to the Sheppard School in Wash
ington, the Tabor Grand Opera House,
Tabor Block, Cheeseman Block, Barclay
Block and several others. The newest
of the public buildings is the Court
House, and it is the finest one I know
of in the whole country. at first sup
posed it to be new State Capitol build
ing, until informed to the contrary.
The Tabor Grand Opera House is also
| structure of unusual elegance. 1t eX-
ceeds in costliness and convenience any
similar structure can now call to mind
the interior being furnished in beauti-
fully hand-carved rosewood, and up
holstered in the most expensive style.
In this comparatively rainless region
water is a great dissideratum, and dust
the one Objectionable feature. But in
Denver the streets are Systematically
sprinkled. averting any real discomfort,
and the Holly System of water works
carries full supply to the upper sto-
ries of the highest buildings. In addi-
ton artesian wells of the purest spark
ling water have been sunk in vari-
GUS parts of the city. This water is
obtained at an average depth of 500 to
600 feet, and at a cost of 81 800 to 81 300
per we'll, but SO pure and delicious is it
that over twenty five of the wells have
already been put down. In a future
letter will give more detailed informa-
tion concerning the material growth
and commercial prospects of the city
and State.
Nature hereabouts isnow in the "sere
and yellow leaf" probably more adj
vanced in this respect than in the East,
because of the dryness of the climate,
but the weather is delightful-what the
ladies would call perfectly lovely" 1t
is like the old time Indian Summer
which remember so well when I was
a boy back in New York State. The
bright mornings and the light rarified
atmosphere make one feel like perform
ing that gymnastic feat that old Mother
Goose melodiously attributes to the
cow. l.. M. b.