The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-04-23
on TOP OF PIXIES PEAK.
The Highest Inhabited Spot In
America.

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America.
A gentleman Who haa just re-
turned from Colorado Springs gives
some interesting information con.
cerning the highest inhabited spot
in the United States, This place
is the summit Of Pixies Peak. The
stone building on the summit o1
the mountain enjoys the distinction
of being at a greater elevation than
any other inhabited house in this
country, being at an elevation Of
IA, 1877 feet.
Many years ago the United States
government established a signal sta.
ton upon the summit, and, owing
to the violent storms and hurri.
canes, considerable trouble was had
in "holding down" the weather.
station house. Accordingly stone
house was built out of the huge
granite powders which covered the
"peak" to an unknown depth. The
"station-house" is about 3Ox2O feet,
and the walls are eight feet in thick
ness, so as to prevent any rude
winds from toppling it over. AS q
further safeguard, the four corners
are pinned" down by iron rods,
extending from the topmost corner
rock into the ground several feet.
The summit of the peak proper
covers about twenty acres ofground.
Upon this inhospitable spot there
is not q sign of animal life or
vegetation-nothing but solid, hard
granite, which echoes back in the
clear and rarefed atmosphere the
lightest s4en of the Continent-trot-
ting tourist.
Finally, the Weather Bureau
learned, after considerable expend-
iture of money, that weather obser-
vations from this great elevation
were of no practical value elsewhere,
not even at Colorado Springs or at
Manitou. a few miles distant. So the
Signal Service station was aban-
doned, and that is how the stone
station-house become a tourists
hotel.
AZ soon as it was understood gen.
orally that the Weather Bureau in
tended abandoning the station, and
that the land would be transferred
to the Interior Department, and be-
come subject to entry, several squat
ters or jumpers came upon the
scene. But the present occupant
seemed to have got straighter or
more direct "tip" than the other
claimants, and, according to his
own statement, he moved in and
took formal possession before the
government officials had got out of
sight of the building on their down
grade march. At about the same
time he filed his intention to apply
for patent to the land. When
asked whether he filed on the land
as agricultural, mineral or timber
land, the settler-landlord, DR.. Lewis,
gave significant shrug of his
shoulders, and began telling what a
time he had in holding at bay, with
the aid of repeating rifles, some
jumpers who came up to dispos-
sess him.
It is we'll known that the land is
not suitable for agricultural pur-
poses. There is not a shrub nor
stick of timber upon the entire 100
acres applied for, and there is no
mineral in the granite rocks. But
the applicant evidently thinks that
the ''claim" is a good one, for he re-
fused $4,000 for one acre, situated
q short distance from his hotel.
Before the recent construction of
the "cog" railway everything need
ed was transported to the hotel on
the backs of "burros."
For long time it was held by
writer's and travellers that Muca-
patio, Peru, at an elevation of 16,158
feet, was the highest inhabited spot
upon the globe, but recently it was
that mining camp near
Peru, is entitled to that
honor, being 1920 feet above sea-
level.
The "cog" railway running to the
Of the peak reaches the
highest elevation of any railway in
the United Statesr14, ,137 feet. The
highest point reached by railway
on the main line is at Fremont's
Pass, west of Leadville-10,871 l feet.
This special railway line up Pixies
Peak is 81 miles in length and cost
about $4,000. The maximum
grade is Is per cent, and the mini
mum 8 per cent. Ten per cent grade
in ordinary railroad building is con.
sidered very heavy. 1t is estimated
that about 20 per cent Of the length
of this serpentine road is in curves,
the sharpest curve being 35 degrees.