Morning journal and courier., 1889-06-05
BEAD COLOR6DO TOWNS.
Deserted Villages That Were One Alive With a Esrlssling Population.

Deserted Villages That were Once Alive With a Brlssling Population. From the Denver Republican, The ether day representative of the Re- publican was on a Rio Grande train when the brakeman yelled out in stentorian tones: "Cleora." On looking out of the window only two houses could be seen.
 What a change time has wrought In June of 1879 this same town was by far the largest place between Canon City and Lead- vile. Almost every conceivable branch of business was represented, and in most of them there WAS active competition. Houses were going up as if by magic, and lumber commanded almost fabulous price. Sa- looms were found in almost every block, and dance-halls were scattered about in pIofu- sion. But a month later the town conclud- ed to move, and few weeks later the ma jority Of it's residents had taken up their ! permanent abode in what is now the flour ishing town of Salida.
 Colorado has many places with 8 history something similar to that of Cleora, which, \ by the way, was named in honor of the belle ! of the Arkansas valley, Miss Cleora Boyles. 1 Rollinsville, near Caribou, was booming l place in 1771 and town lots were at premi- um. Hundreds of people were proud to call it their home, and it was thought to be I founded upon 8 rock. To-day the rock is still there, but the population has fled to the | four winds.
 "How is that town of Loma on the Rio | Grande river getting onG' said a gentleman yesterday who left the State in 1874. "1 visited it just before I left the territory, and l I thought it would likely make good place. ' Jack rabbits have been jumping through the
 few remaining adobe buildings for years.
 Kit Carson had population of almost
 twenty thousand people in 1869, and the ps'
 ouliarity about them was that the great ma jority of them resided in dugouts. Wher
 the railroad pushed on to Denver the follow. ing year the residents of Kit Carson headed ] the procession.
 Sunshine in 1875 had population of sey eral thousand, while to-day there is only
 handful of people there.
 Buekskin Joe and Hall Valley In Parl I county were once hourishing places, bu ! about all that is left of them is their name ! Weston tried to put on airs in 1879, as whicl 1 time there were about three thousand peopl
 there. The postofice still remains, as do on or two stores.
 Along the old stage road between Lead ] vile and Aspen, at what was known as In dependence in 1880 and for a few year \ thereafter, not single soul is now living ! Hundreds of deserted houses are standing 1 tenantless, and some of them are quite pre-. ! tentious. A newspaper was once published
 in the corporate limits of the city, and the
 arm of the Washington hand-press on which
 it was printed is now sticking out of the of
 fee window. The proprietor was too much l disgusted to take it away.
 l There was great excitement at Bonanza, II
 Saguaohe county, in 1882. A daily papel
 was published there by w. B. Mckinney
 now of the Pueblo Press, and it was goot
 one too. Everything boomed except tn ! mines, and the tenderfeet pronounced it an
 other Leadville. Four thousand people al
 most broke their necks to get there, and o
 all that number not hundrd now remain.
 There are many other places in Colorado
 with histories similar to the towns men
 toned. Some of them were killed by thu
 onward march of railroads and others be I cause the mines round about did not have the value with which they were credited.