The morning call., 1894-01-22
ONE OF THE PIONEERS.

Governor Gilpin was so generally for
gotten that most people may have thought
be was dead. when on Saturday the news
of his actual demise was made public.
he was man who filled large space In
the history OF the last generation, but ne
had become a back number. 1t is well,
however. that he should not be laid away
without word. The history of the settle
ment of the prairies must allOt consdera-
bic space to his performance.
He was soldier, though he was born a
Quaker; he was bred at West Point; when
he was barely of age he served in Florida
and subsequently in the Mexican War.
where he commanded a regiment Of
mounted volunteers from Missouri. But
his life work began when he was ap-
pointed to the command of the force which
was charged with the duty OF keeping open
the trail across the prairies from the river
valleys to the Pacific Coast. The dis
covery Of gold in California followed so
swiftly on the conclusion of peace with
Mexico that things were hurried. 1t was
important 10 keep open the wagon trail :;
in 1861, when the war broke out, il was
vital. The task was difficult Between
the Missouri Valley and the Rocky Noun
tains over a thousand miles of trackless
prairie interviewed and this vast region
was peopled by warlike Indians, well fed
on countless troops of buffalo. The duty
of keeping open the line through these
savageS was entrusted TO Major Gilpin.
BE crossed the prairies in 1S47 from Fort
Leavenworth and wintered that year at
the base of Pixies Peak. In the following
year he took the field and in a series of en-
gagements he defeated the Indians so
thoroughly that they were never again
able to concert operations on large scale
to prevent the invasion of their hunting
grounds by the whites.
At the close of hostilities Major Gilpin
settled on ranch on the eastern flank of
the continental range. in what is now the
State of Colorado. He visited this State
in the days of the gold boom and at one
time contemplated pitching his tent here,
but the attractions of his mountain home
mastered the lure of gold diggings and he
returned 10 the interior. The men found
him quietly following the business of ranch
ing and mining. Gold had been found in
the streams which flow down the eastern
slopes of the Rockies. and theory that
there was a second FL Dorado there had
led to a large immigration from Kansas,
Nebraska and Missouri The people
formed a government and the region was
admitted as Territory; the first Governor
was William Gilpin, who was appointed in
1861. During the fifteen years that Colo
orado was Territory Gilpin subs ided the
leadership of the Territory fell into the
hands OF Chaffee, who became Senator of
the United States. but it was mainly due
to Gilpin's efforts that the large territory
of Gunnison was included i'll Colorado.
This will be his claim to remem brance
by posteritv. He was the first to point out
the extraordinary resources o; the Gunni-
son country. which now embraces five or
six counties in Colorado, Astounding in re-
sources. The valleys OF the Gunnison and
the Grand con tain some of the best farming
land in America; the Uncompahgre Noun
tans are full of silver, and in the country
OF Gunnison itself are beds of coal which
are superior grade of Ignite. Aspen,
which is now one of the most fiourishing
towns in the State. is on the Roaring Fork
of the Grand; it was one of the points
whose future Governor Gilpin predicted.
How fine country this is may be inferred
from letter recently written from Lead
vile, on the edge of the Gunnison country.
1t said that the writer had been told that
hard times prevailed through many parts
of the East and West, but added: ''As for
US we never knew more prosperous times
than those through which we are passing"
| 1t is sad to hear that Governor GilpiD
was out of the swim when the boom OF
1880 struck Leadville. and that he did
not get his share of the fortunes which il
vielded tn more active oDerators