Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-26
IN FERTILE COLORADO.
Interesting "reminiscences of a Wash
ington Tenderfoot.
THE MUCH-ABUSED BRONCHO.
Good Trout Fishing In the Saguache
River-The Prolific San Louis Valley
InnumerabIcDOgsi MISUNDERSTANDING
Jack Rabits-OId w neutrality-suspicious..
Of THE EVENING stan

M\ NPig TO the CemnltlOn DOW-WOWs pv
@A ,cting in the capacity Of a mentor In
%Ab the reporters galleries, I was wont to
while away the time reading fugitive articles
relative 70 the great west and the wonderful
things it contained. was also delighted when
some of my provaricating brethren from be-
yond the Missouri would begin to tune up their
mouths and strum out symphonies about the
feeting jack rabbit, the somnolent black bear,
| the scornful rattlesnake, the pensive burro,
and the bucking broncho. The latter to me
was the most interesting portion of the men
agerle. had never seen one In all the
majesty of his native domain or any where
| else. had never seen Mr.. Cody's aggregation
OF squaw-men, bucks, and bronchos, with which
he Is now educating the millions who now
grovet beneath the iron heels of alleged Euro
pean despots. My nearest approach to n real
broncho was when l viewed MIR. Barnum's
| show and saw several equines who locke ed like
animated bundles of percale, and who were as
quiet as an Indignation meeting in Philadel-
phia- Now. however, am happy, and happily
disappointed. NY soul-searching desire to
view the animal i'll question has been graafed
/ have even placed myself astride an enormous
saddle which was securely cinched down upon
his VertebrR, and live to tell the tale.
THE ANIMAL HE RODE.
The broncho in question was a Unlocking
creature and the sun had shot it's rays through
his whiskers until he was of the undesirable
hue of the hair of woman who has had it
bleached and is suffering the agony incident
upon allowing the hirsute to resume it's natural
color. Everyone knows what that looks like.
looked him over carefully, for he was to
carry, convey or tote you wish to have, 1875
pounds OF flesh and blood which is very dear
to me, and discovering that he had picturesque
and hairy wart on the end of his nose 1
remembered the Latin orator through whom
had waded with genuine disgust in my chrysal-
istic days, and dubbed him Cicero instead of
Bucephalus. The man who owned him called
him Straight, and he told me in confidence that
he gave him that name because the fellow who
had formerly owned him
ONLY HELD THREE KINGS
suppose he was indulging in the slang pc
cuiiar to the west, but did not display my
ignorance, for I'm aware that I'm a tenderfoot
and don't want anyone else out here to know
it. That is the way We tenderfeet always do
and not one of the innocent mountaineers can
tell that We have not lived here all our lives.
Well. mounted Cicero with the secret feeling
that he would cause me as much physical mis-
cry as the old Roman had caused me mental.
/ remembered every story relating to the cata-
pultic powers that were possessed by the genus
which Cicero represented, and l prepared to
sail upward and leave the blue ether and make
muscular grabs at space, as had heard of
other people dong.
1t head up stream after the gangplank had
been removed 1 would have given all l pos
sessed to have been on terra firma once more,
and would have gotten there, too, but ten
pairs OF critical eyes were fixed upon me. They
glared stonily. and their owners awaited the
same developments that did Our calvacade
started off and Cicero singe-footed along as
natural as you please. A couple OF miles were
covered and began to realize that had read
| as well as heard and also likewise written a
good many falsehoods which were direct asper-
| slons upon the blear-eyed but benignant
broncho. Cicero went along as demurely as
you please. He loped better than he single
footed, he galloped better than he loped and
he ran better than all three and he carried me
| over a good portion OF southern Colorado as
safely as a street car would carry one to the
Capitol. Henceforth will consistently refute
| any allegations against the gentle and much
abused Broncho. My friends tell me that
Cicero is an anomaly. l cap only say that an
anomaly to me is as pleasant to ride as q hobby
Is to some people know
GOOD FARMING COUNTRY.
When ! first came out here believed, like a
great many other people in the east, that Col
orado was great in its mineral resources only;
that 1t was an empire of mountains with in
Vulnerable holes dug into them from which the
precious metals were brought forth to enrich
their finders and, eventually, the world.
knew there was some agriculture, but imagined
that it could be found only with the aid Of a
microscope, such as the immortal Sam Weller
described in the case of Bardell Vs. Pickwlck
/ at fault in this. | have Just returned
from hasty trip down into the San Louis
valley, and while the horizon of my investiga-
ton was necessarily limited, and for the simple
reason that investigation was not what went
for, l was more than amazed at the prolific
fertility Of tho soil and the enormous crops
that stretched on every side. Our party was
in the county OF Saguache all the time.
Saguache 10 to county what Taliaferro is to
human nomenclature. 1t is pronounced Saw
! watch-and l met Mr.. Tolliver of unbleac he'd
complexion as soon as got into it. There's
nice consistency for you. On either side of the
Saguache river, which runs through the
| county, is as fine farming and grazing land as
ever saw in ''the garden spot OF America"
that begins at Sugar Loaf mountain and
stretches up into Pennsylvania. We were
after trout and trout we got, but could not
help thinking what a paradise the Saguache
valley would be for those in the east who
barely make both ends meet by continual till
| ing land that was worked out three decades
| ago. When left Denver (July g. there was a
general complaint from farmers in all the
middle and northern portions OF the state
that crops were burning up, but the farmers in
! the San Luis valley had no such complaints to
make. know nothing OF irrigation. but was
| informed that the valley in which we were had
| as perfect a system rs could be developed.
| can readily believe il for the crops of hay and
| alfalfa were wonderful to behold All the
residents seemed prosperous, and one man,
| Garcelon by name, and q relative, be-
| lieve, OF Names former governor, told me that
seven years ago when he took up land under
| the homestead and presumption laws that he
barely had money enough to buy pillow and a
team. He now owns q fine herd of cattle
several blooded horses and brood mares and
| last year he sent 2,l00 pounds Of wool to
market. He further said that there was any
quantity OF land equally as good as his await
! ing the coming Of energetic farmers and it
would cost them nothing save the fees necessary
! to securing it from the government and re-
| munerating the land attorney whom they
might employ.
FRUIT IN ABUNDANCE.
We met party Of railroad surveyors during
| our jaunt and from that l infer that the rail-
roads are at last beginning to realize the i'm
portance Of the agricultural interests Of the
state which they have hitherto overlooked in
| their anxiety to get up to the mines. almost
forgot mentioning the fruit with which we
were RECALLED everywhere we stopped. Straw
berries and raspberries never saw Of such
| quality nor in such profusion, and the peach
] trees were bending under their loads Of
emerald hue. Apricots were Just ripening and
the pear and apple trees were rich in promise.
One Of our party, Mississippisu, remarked:
! "Derned II don't believe cotton n cane 'ud
| grow here II they'd give 'em trial"
GOOD TROUT FISHING.
| We enjoyed magnificent scenery, too, and
such fshing-pardon me, came near forget.
ting the rule relative to fish stories that exists
| in every properly regulated newspaper Office