Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-07-04
The Land of Fruits and Flowers.

y. II. SMITH.
The Land of Fruits and Flowers.
BLACK CANYON.
To look at this mighty chasm,
thoughtfully, is to heighten one's opin.
ion ofour Creator. Awful grand seems
to me, TO be fitting expression for it's
scenery. In some places the cliffs rise
to 5000 feet in heightand architectural,
SO much so as to resemble cities with
their towers, steeples, etc. In some
places the red granite looked almost as
smooth as polished stone, while in
others the rocks rise, not solid and
smooth, but SO crumpled and con torted
as to look like violent and conflicting
agitations must have occurred at their
formation. In other places they rise in
terraces covered with shapely trees.
On our left, just opposite stream
whose source is. invisible, Chippeta
water falls comes roaring, dashing, and
splashing down 500 feet. Second In
point of grandeur, or perhaps first is
the Currecantt Needle, which is near
the center of the canon. 1t is conical
In form and seems to be detached from
the other cliffs by deep gash on one
side and on the other by a narrow
canon. The ravlnes are filled with
| shrubs and trees. do not know why
it should be called Black Canon, for
saw nothing in it suggestive of the
name black. The Gunnison River
goes winding and twisting at break
neck speed, now and then hurling its
self against solid rock to be recoiled
in showers of liquid emerald.
AT Gunnison, quiet. bare looking
place, the wind was blowing perfect
gale, and at Sargent the beautiful snow
was falling thick and fast. We now
begin to pass through snow sheds and
the grade is SO steep as to require two
engines to draw six coaches. We 90
winding round and round, up and up,
until we finally reach Marshall's Pass.
which is 1000 feet above the sea
The train stops long enough to let the
passengers offand some of them engage
in game of snow ballng. And this
the sixth day of May. The shrub-like
appearance of the trees show that we
are near the timber line. The brooks
that wind through these mountains
are clear and pretty. AS we 60 through
Silver Creek Valley we see rich looking
land with neat buildings thereon, and
humber of coke ovens. In one viii
lage 1 noticed a beautiful two-story
brick school house and Gothic stone
church, which impressed me as being
a sign of considerable civilization and
progress in this Wild West. Salida, q
II. Il. center, is built of brick, situated
III Stony Valley. 1t twas now showing
and the sun shining at the same time.
We now pass through small place
called Hot Springs; then through
tunnel and we enter the Grand Canon
of the Arkansas where we have reg
ular snow storm. AT Cotipaxer I
noticed miles Qt seemed to me) of
placer fumes from the Placer Mines.
Arriving at Pueblo at p. NJ. and being
told that our train would not leave
until p. NJ, my friend and concluded
to see something of the city. After re-
freshing the inner man with lunch
We proceeded to take i'm the city but
the high wind impeded our progress to
such an extent that we went back to
,he depot, dIsgusted, not with the city,
mt tha VI NNo inf fhot
t contains 10000 inhabitants. Its
,hief interests are rail roads, smelling
furnaces and steel works, to the en-
ployees of which they pay $500, 900
We saw a section of one Of
he large trees, which was 80 feet in
iiameter. 1t is said that the Indians
lad hung no less than II men on it's
coughs, aud the first white woman
who died in the Territory was buried
lnder its branches. 1t was marvel
If beauty, as well as marvel of his
ory. We saw Pixies Peak, some 40 or SO
niles distant. / wish I could find
words to express the beauty of the
LIQUIDS. TLey look like mountains of
'urest snow. AT the appointed time
We board the train, cross the Arkansas
river and leave Pueblo. For some
istance we travel over Mesa land dot
ed with an occasional lake. noticed
arge irrigating bitches and alfalfa on
ii sides. We next come to Colorado
'prings which has IL 900 Inhabitants.
lining and stock raising are Its chief
interests. 1t is also summer. resort.
he city is lighted by electricity.
tuesday, morning we woke up in
Kansas to behold the monotonous prai-
les with its sod houses. We reached
Kansas City at q p. NJ, and at S:2O we
eft for st. Louis, where we arrived AZ
A. NJ. the next morning, just In time
o take the morning train for Ironton,
where we arrived in due time. Thus
nds one of the most pleasant trips OF
ny life. IN. - o.
LosT-At Graniteville, on the Sth inst.,
,<.,, ~ hoot containing about $l65 and