The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-29
DENVER TO SALT LAKE.
A VISITOR RECORDS HER M
PREssIONs OF THE "TRIP.
Along the Arlxansas-On Marshall
Pass-From Beautiful Utah Lake
to Salt Lake City.

| q NNC1Nr Oe~OAA OSN AtSP4AiS3 NAAC AAS<AS
be a clear day that we might view
the mountain heights and scenes OF
Denver Illuminated by sunlight.
But only occasionally the sun
Slowed his face, giving us a glimpse
of glory, then withdrew again behind
the clouds, as the curtain is so quick
we have not half finished seeing"
Thirty miles from Denver we came
to Castle Rock, which resembles one
we had seen near Golden on a trip
over THE Loop" only on NJ
larger and grander scale. Looking like
large moss covered feudal castle, it
lowered above the village, which is it,
self 6,220 feet above sea level Between
here and fair Palmer lake is Casa
Blanca, the white castle of limestone.
every stone of which nature has SO
carefully laid, that we might think this
| beautiful structure was the work of
man.
Along the Arkansas.
After leaving the city of Pueblo,
our route lay along the Arkansas riy-
er. The current, though rapid. is not
SO swift as that of Clear creek, and
It's waters, which flow from the
surrounding mountains bear down
with them burden of silt, making the
waters quite muddy. The river is
from four to six feet deep and runs
over bed of rocks.
Passing through Cannon creek, after
having traverSed through a rich val
ley, we plunged into the Grand canyon
| of the Arkansas. For eight miles or
either side Of US extended the walls OF
granite, sandstone and limestone, with
numerous castle rocks, hanging rocks
and towers rising to dizzy heights
above us. Here so swift was the roar
/ ing, foaming waters that it defied all
power of resistance.
Higher and Higher.
Higher ard higher into the air rose
| the mountain peaks to the north and
the south until in the distant horizon
we dlscerned the snow-capped peaks of
the Rockies. land of eternal snow.
The grandest peak of all the canyon
is the Royal Gorge. where the perpen-
dtcular walls of stone rise $500 feet
above us. We are reminded of Sir
LaunfaPs castle walls. for here in
many places the sunlight has besieged
the rocky walls for ages but has never
entered.
Emerged from this we viewed wary
ing scenes. now the fertile valley and
the towering rocks. and again the
peaks of the Sangre de Christie noun
ta1ns. whose snowy tops are just visi-
| bic above the clouds which filed the
valley.
At o'clock in TIE evening we came
10 SaIlda- Here we awaited the light
OF day on tomorroWs scenes of won
der. WIZ
The depot lays at the foot of Tender
foot Hill. to whose summit we climbed
Just In time to see the splendid noun
tam sunset. The city lies in a beauti-
1ul valley encircled by pine-covered
mountains whose peaks rise higher
ana higher as we look toward the hor-
ZION until at last they seem to touch
| the sky Here Harvard, Yale and
princeton are commemor1ted in rockv
heights whose SUBMITS are over IA 0ao
feet above the sea.
Marshall Pass,
At daybreak we set out from Salida
anu soon were ascending the noun
. ,s.ill oy Marshall Pass. the
winding path of the railway grand
triumph of engineering skiIl-passes
over massive rocky heights, curvine
again and again as it crosses and re,
crosses from one side to another of
the great mountain ranges, making
course. - 80
When we first began the route over
the pass, the clouds were thick above
US, but in the distance we could see
clouded vallies, with the mountain
tops extending high above the clouds.
Soon we ourselves were among the
clouds, and in few moments more,
blue sky was above us and the sun
was throwing it's mantle Of gold over
rocky snow ridged peaks, while Just
below US were the gray clouds. Then
it was we stood and sang America"
Never before did we sing with so
much feeling, Il love thy rocks and
rills, Thy woods and tempted hills,
My heart with rapture thrills, Like
that above"
Again the sun had hidden his face
behind the approaching cloud and in
another moment, snow was falling
thickly about US. We had reached
the highest point of Marshall Pass,
nearly ii coo feet above. the sea.
Here the train stopped and we
assembled the highest summit Of the
observatory. 1000 feet more. and
there breathing the rare air OF the
Rockies, and shivering with cold. we
sent up a hearty yell for our own
Iowa.
Before US lay magnificent Mount
Ouray and the snowy Sangre de
Christie ranges.
The descent of the pass was more
rapidly made, and at last We were in
the mining and fishing town of Gun
nison. with the great Black canyon,
twenty-five miles ahead of us No
scene in all the route can rival this in
grandeur. Here the path OF the rail
Way is hewn out Of solid rock. which,
on both sides of the Gunnison river
and the track, reaches an altitude of
9. 900 feet and over.
Volcanic Action,
The proof of the power Of volcanic
action is written here with letters of
stone. For a height of perhaps 1000
feet the strata of the rock lie
obliouely. from the bank to the sum-
NIT with here and there seam of
dark solid lava, which, when red
hot fluid from the center or the earth;
had melted jis way through this PED
of stratified rock. In some places the ,.
strata run perpendicular. and IN sun
other places. we find long walls or
| rock where the strata lie horlZontaily;
&C though no power had disturbed
them since first they were LAID ohere
by the water.
Beautiful Scenes.
For sixteen miles we travelled
through this mighty canyon. Occa
sionaIIv stream Of water rushed
headlong from some cliff, and fell int
the foaning river below it. Here ano
there the canyon widened into valley
, or the walls for a short distance Were
broken. giving one a glimpse into long
beautiful green valleys, lying between
.. the towering mountain ranges, to TIT
north and the south. Much Of the dis
! tance the granite walls glistened VIII
, mica, but there runs also an aoun
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