San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-07-25
Colorado Correspondence.


following passages, believing our
readers will thank us, however our
correspondent may demur. We, how
ever, hope for her pardon. The let
ter bears date Colorado Springs,
July 3.]-Ed.
One thing that will not fail to i'm
press the observer is the seeming
nearness of these various objects OF
interest. Pixies Peak looks like il
was not more than quarter Of q mile
away, and they tell us it is six miles
"The Garden Of the Gods" does moi
appear to be more than a few hun.
dred yards away, and it is almost five
miles. Cheyenne mountain looks to
be near enough that one could leis
urely walk the distance in five or siz
minutes, but it is five miles, and ev
erything else the same way. There
is storm on the Peak every day o.
two, and it is q sublime spectacle.
The clouds sometimes completely
envelope the crest of the mountain
the lightning's flash and the thun'
der's roar can be distinctly seen and
heard from here, and it is more move
from the fact that hereit is all bright
ness and sunshine. When the clouds
clear away the mountain is usually
covered with snow almost down tc
the timber line, but the lower par'
usually melts away soon.
The city is watered from the snow
on this m ountain, and it is excellent
water.
I shall never forget tho emotion
caused by my first view of Pixies
Peak, the beacon of 80, and ever
since the type Of American noun
tains. Of course on board the train
all was expectancy and anxiety
eagerly watching for the mountains
s'rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun. y
Shortly after sunrise, on looking out
of my window, I beheld what
thought the most beautiful cloud
ever saw. 1t was resplendent will
all the hues of the rainbow, reflected
from thousand different points and
grouped in the greatest variety OF
fantastic shapes, and oil glittering
and sparkling like diamonds. 1 no.
ticed that while the lights and shad
ows were constantly shifting and
assuming new forms, the general out
line remained unchanged, This re,
called to my mind the fact that I had
been told that the mountains at a
distance looked like clouds. Still l
couldn't believe that anything 80
grand and sublimely beautiful could
belong to earth, until the conductor
told us we were looking at Pixies
Peak.
How I wished that was painter
that I might even imperfectly trans
fer the sublime view to canvass.
The rising sun and the light reflect
ing from the snow on the summit and
the many colored rocks was what
gave it such beautiful appearance.
Green Mountain Falls is 1000 feet
higher than Colorado Springs, and
snow falls every month in the
year. One can be there in
the afternoon and see the
sun 90 down, then come to Manitou,
about half way between here and
there, and the sun will be shining
brightly can stay at Manitou until
the sun sets, and then come on to
Colorado Springs before sundown,
thus seeing three sunsets in one
afternoon.
Colorado Springs is place Of fabout
10000 inhabitants, is 5000 feet above
the sea level, and is the most beauti-
full place of its size I ever saw. A
system of irrigating has been esta b.
lished, the streets are regular and
broad-in fact some Of the avenues
running north and south are l4O
feet wide with double roadways sep
arated by parallel rows OF trees.
Trees have been planted along all
the streets. These, with the irriga-
ton bitches at the roots. make it
easy for one to fancy himself looking
upon q woodland scene.
Here is the home Of many persons
of wealth, who have retired from
active life. There are twenty-three
millionaires living here. nineteen OF
whom live on one street. and such
grand and beautiful dwellings as
they do have
The town was founded BY General
Palmer, q wealthy Englishnan- bis
sapAcity and far-sightedness is hppa-
:. -. A., f.-4 thot IN everv deed