Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-12-10
Denver and Other Colorado Towns.

DENVER, Col. Nov. Is. 1886.
EDITOR DEMOCRAT: During the
Pixies Peak excitement in 1853 a small
camp was pitched at the junction of
Cherry creek and the Platte, which in
a short time was called Auraria, and
in its place, i'll little over quarter of
century, we now have Denver the
Queen city of the plains.
The great range of the Rocky
Mountains, with its snow capped peaks
to the west, and the broad plains to the
east, stretching to the Missouri River,
make the beauty of the city'S location
worth the attention and admiration of
all that visit it.
The foot hills of the 81 called back
bone of the continent are only fourteen
miles distant. while Longs Peak north
west, James and Grey'S Peaks more to
the west, and Pixies Peak to the south
and west, tower up in plain view, con
nected by the glistening, serrated line of
the snowy range.
With its substantial county, city,
and private buildings and residences,
pleasant parks, and fine boulevards is
shown some of the wealth. cultivation,
and enterprise to be found in Colorado
capital, Among the places of interest
that we might mention are: Tabor
Grand Opera House, built at cost of
SS5O.00O and said to be the second
finest in the world: L. =. mint; County
Court House. an elegant and costly
structure. the building and grounds
occupying an entire block: City Hall ;
Academy of Music; VOLTS Hall; st.
Johns Cathedral; Argo n Grant Smelt-
ing works: and numerous churches.
hotels and business blocks.
The city is lighted by electricity aud
gas, and has a telephone exchange by
which messages may be sent distance
of Seventv-hve miles.
Right here let us speak of some of
these thrifty places OF the northwest.
where only Il few wears ago il was sup
posed nothing would grow. Boulder,
Il pleasant town of three thousand
people. is thirty miles from Denver and
close to the foot hills. The state uni
versity is located here. This is a
pleasant place for those seeking health.
with beautiful mountain scenery and
canons of marvellous scenic grandeur
Going farther to the north and east we
come TO Lougmont. a thrifty village of
1900 inhabitants, in the midst of an
energetic farming community. Still!
north and about eighty miles from
Denver. we reach Fort Collins. which
looks little out of Joint and dilapi-
dated, as it is the place that is building
up and that everybody trades at in
stead of at its neighbor Greeley, which
is a temperance town where people
won't 90 10 trade(s) Let us take a trip
| to Greeley and see for ourselves. After
pleasant ride through fine farming
country, where the farmer by irrigation
makes it rain as he likes. we reach the
most thrifty and pleasant place We
have visited. \ walk through the
town-yes a two days stay, and we
| fail to meet the chronic bum, with the
rose on his nose: and although at Fort
/ Collins, we are told that more whiskev
is sold at Greeley than in Collins. We
have failed to see drunken man or
one under the influence of liquor, all
of which we saw in the other places
mentioned. Greeley has a population
of 2.loo, and we saw many fine stores
that would do credit to much larger
towns, and heard less complaint of
hard times than in other places spoken
of. Greeley has no saloons.
Let us return to Denver, and on in
quiry we find that we have come in