Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-08-21
Denver and Beyond.

The city of Denver, which three years
years ago had population of IS 900, to-
day claims 125, 900 Inhabitants, and to
judge from the many public and private
improvements that have been made
during that time the claim does notap-
pear an extravagant one; depending as
] it does mainly upon the mining inter
ests, it has seen it's ups and downs for
the last % years, but during the past
few years these have improved won
derfully, and based upon more solid
foundation than heretofore, and one
consequence has been that the city has
greatly improved. The state capitol,
| which, when finished, will be mag
nifcent building, has been under pro-
cess of building for the past two years,
but owing to the niggardly action of the
legislature and the jealousy of country
members towards Denver, the work is
progressing but slowly; the Court house
of Arrapahoe county is one of the finest
buildings of its kind in the country,
both in exterior grandeur and interior
ornamentation and convenience; the
city hall is worthy the growing and pro-
gressive city; the hotels are among the
finest to be found anywhere in the
| world, and only Uncle Sam is showing
his usual stinginess in erecting post
office building on little corner lot
which, by the time it is completed, will
be found far too small to accommodate
the city; scanty appropriations cause
the work to progress very slowly, and
the building, so far at least, gives mo-
sign of being any better than almost;
hundreds of building blocks in the city.
On all sides new buildings and private,
and public improvements are going on
at a rapid rate; business blocks costing
from 100000 to $5O0,OOO are being
erected; private dwellings exclusively
built of solid stone or brick, costing
from So, 800 to 100000 are springing up
In the suburban parts of the city, and a
cable-car system, nearly 35 miles in
length, is just being finished.
Three immense smelters transform the
ore brought from the mines up in the
mountains hundreds of miles distant
into solid bars of silver, lead or copper,
and it is very interesting sight to
watch the handling and Transformation
of the raw material into shape where it
can be handled with ease
Colorado Springs is fiourishing and
enterprising city of Is, 900 people, lying
directly at the base of the Rocky noun
talns, on the plain bordering on the,
foot hills; its high elevation, 5,982 feet,
and the fresh air that blows down over
1t from the mountains make it great
resort for invalids; from every street
running east and west Pixies Peak is in
full sight, and good eyes can see the
U. S. Signal station on top, and even
discern the carriages carrying tourists
up or down; every day the top is visit
ed by some Is to $50 people, a railroad
(the Colorado Midland) running part of
the way up to point where carriages
can be had and the trip completed ina
day; back of this city, nestled in the
mountains, is the famous Manitou, one
of the most delightful summer resorts
IN the world, where springs of various
mineral waters bubble out of the earth,
and thousands of summer guests fill the
large and constantly increasing hotels,
while picturesque summer cottages line
the mountain sides. No lovelier spot
to spend few summer months can be
found anywhere on earth, and the place
is growing rapidly, as it's attractions be-
come better known, the only%dfawb
being the extravagant price charged for
hotel and livery accommodations.
Travellers of moderate means, therefore,
prefer to stop in this city, and from
here make the excursions into the
mountains and visit Manitou during
that now connect it with this city The
excursions include trips UP into the
different canons, Ruxton's Villains
the Ute pass, the Cheyenne canons, two
In number, with the famous Rainbow
falls, the Seven sisters fall, and the
Garden of the Gods, long stretch of
country filled with the wonderful
formations of red sand stone formed
into all shapes, resembling animals of
various kinds. Though complaints ere
made that travel is not as heavy this
year as formerly, the hotels are all full
to OverhOwing and the roads crowded
with carriages, horses, mules and jacks
carrying visitors in all directions.
The improvements made in this city,
and indeed in all the places visited
during the past three years, is indeed
wonderful. The entire carriage road
from here to Manitou by the way of
Colorado City, distance of six miles,
is lined with tasty residences and cot
tages. Colorado City, the capital of the
state, three years ago almost q desert
ed village" consisting of broken down
shantles and abandoned huts, is now a
fiourishing place Of 1900 inhabitants,
has electric lights, water works and
glass works; the transformation has
been brought about by the building of
the Colorado Midland R. r., which has
established it's shops here and runs
from Colorado Springs to Leadville and
Aspen, and has also caused many new
summer resorts to be opened up further
in among the mountains. Among the
wonders to be seen on some of the ex-
cursions should be mentioned the
Grand Caverns and the Caye of the
Winds, wonderful underground cav
erns in the mountains, filled with Gu
rious formations of stalactites and sta
lagmites, the former hanging down
from the ceiling, the latter rising
up from the ground, which were visit
ed, are 1900 feet above Manitou, and
the latter above 500 feet above the city,
reached through the Ute Pass hy a
narrow carriage road winding its way
up the steep sides of the mountains.
To properly describe them is almost be-
yond human power, and description
would hardly be believed.
In Denver an old Watertown boy, Joe
Zimmerman, was met with now engaged
with The Denver Republican, and the
owner of a beautiful home in the OUT
skirts of the city. Next you may expect