New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-06-02
LEADvILLE.
Peculiarities of This Elevated Mining
Town of Colorado.

Peculiarities of This Elevated Mining
Town of Colorado.
Leadville is known as a mining
camp, and, lifted up among the clouds
as it is, you would expect to find it al
SO shut away from all the earth, rough
and rude, filled with tents, shanties
and dugouts, the resort of the Widest
characters But Leadville is, in the
fullest sense Of the word, a modern city.
1t has waterworks, gas and electric
lights and the telephone. It has its
"Grand Opera House." seating 1000
persons; its ably conducted morning
and evening papers; its common coun-
Gil and its city debt. It has it's COM
plete directory and $4,000 inhabi-
tants. The architecture of the place
is not yet classic or greatly influenced
by the style of Queen Anne. But
its streets are lined by comfort
able houses and it's stores are a won
der. In cities of three times it's
size one will seldom see larger or finer
establishments. l found three great
dry goods houses, for instance, each
carrying on an average 100000
worth of stock, one of them having
no less than $4,000 in rugs and
carpets. There are hardware, grocery,
furnishing and news stores to match
The city commands the trade OF
the mountain country through Cir
cult of thirty or forty miles, and is
centre for all mining supplies. The
miners pay quickly and largely, and
want the best OF everything while their
money lasts. Both the demand and
profits are therefore large and sure.
1t is for this reason that to find one
OF the finest assortments of diamonds
and precious stones west of the Missis-
sippi you must come to Leadville.
The miner patronizes his own wares
as none other does Under the efficient
supervision of Professor Joab, g
Yale graduate, the city schools are
doing a good work, though a mis-
placed streak OF economy limits their
term to six m onths in year. Eight
or ten churches have houses OF wor-
ship, and are year by year lifting the
community up from depths which
| have been as deep as the location is
high.
But the night side ofLeadville is still
among the most characteristic
features. The times have passed when
! the unruly element ruled the town
Society has organized itself, and gov
eminent stretches outfits strong arms
1t has checked violence and regulated
vice. But it has not expelled or even
suppressed it. There IS no spot so in
tested by parasites of society as a
mining city Since the early days
many of these have left, seeking fresh
fields of conquest. A few have re
formed. But, while l have walked
through some OF the great gambling
| places OF Europe, have never seen a
place where as large a proportion OF
the population seemed to be drawn
within the clutch Of these night vices,
and to actually participate in gam.
bling, as here. Keno, poker, roulette
and other similar games are the at.
traction for the crowds that swarm
from the mines and furnaces into the
saloons, where they spend the greater
part OF the night. There is virtuous
/ openness about it ALL The represen-
tative OF the law may always be seen,
But [ have never witnessed in evil
places such u mingling of all classes Of
society as here, the well dressed and the
ragged, the cultivated and the ignorant,
the hardened and the weak, fascinated
by the same serpent, infected by
the same poison, dragged down to the
same fate. Some of the professional
gamblers are men of almost supernat.
ural keenness. College graduates,
some of noble Eastern families, are
among them; young men who, averse
to toll, unfortunate. perhaps, in spec
ulations, are cast Oh their wits and
i've on the gains OF others. In all min
ing communities there is such an at.
mosphere OF uncertainty and there is
bred such temperament of specula,
ton that there seems little difference
between risking what one has in pros
pecting q claim and in CHANGING the
turn of a card. It seems no worse to
lose money in one way than another,
equally legimitate to make money in
either. Gambling requires less capital
than mining and it's returns are quick
er. have talked with many young
men in Leadville who have put all they
could save, from time to time out OF
their wages, into mining claims, but
almost every one assured me that he
had never made a dollar. Yet each
could point out some one who had
made a fortune. "My turn must come
some day. l mean to keep on till
make the lucky hit" What more
natural than that s,,ch a. life should