The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-11-19

The story OF Cripple Creek reads like a
romance. In all human history there Is
no parallel. It has been related how in
1880 and 1891 the site Of Cripple Creek
was but a COW pasture; how the cattle
roamed the hills under the supervision
of ranchulen, many OF whom subse-
quently became ricb, aud some of them
TODAY are among the wealthiest citizens
Of Cripple Crock; how the mortgages on
the ranch we're foreclosed and came into
the hands of unailling investors of Den
yer who had advanced loans; how these
investors were compalled to hold their
wort less lands" and pay taxes because
no fish" would bite. All this is an old
story and year after year ii has hepn the
theme of the narrator and
artist who strolled into Colorado for ma
teriai for pen and brush. BIT it is a
story that never tires, for the gist of i,
is that magic word Gold, and great
deal of it will be knew to The GRAPHlcs
readers-ntw because Cripple Creek is
so little like the generally preconcpived
idea Of it. Pictures Of IL that The aver
age reader carries in his minds eye
show it to be town 1t loosely built
shacks and rude log hute, SO unlike the
modern city that 1t really is. All the
Bgughnpss and rudeness pecnli4r to
mlulug camps built almost iii day
were swept out of existence by TWO ter
rlbie fires in 1886, one following SO
closely upon the other that its $1,000
people were made homeless within
week. From the ashes has sprung since
one of the finest mining camps in all
the world, in buildings, in refinement.
in population and all that goes to make
a hustling western CITY. Cripple Creek
now has population Of 10000 and busi-
ness has settled down to a solid basis.
The business or professional man i'll
search of a Few location could find few
better openings. The rouahness of Grip
pie Creek is now confined exclusively to
its landscape, and that is rough enough
to suit the most ardent hill climber,
The business blocks are OF substantial
brick buildings, hotels with all the mod
ern improvements, frst-class restaurants
and all the cOnveniencps of any eastern
city. There is nothing, incidentally,
that Gold will not bring, and Of tho lat
ter Cripple Creek has a plenty. 1t is the
center Of the greatest gold producing
district on the globe.
This brings me to point which was
new to me, new to nearly every visitor
and probably new to most of our readers.
The big gold mines are not, in Cripple
Creek, but ut Victor, a rattling good
town seven miles distant from Cripple
Creek. There are few mines Of conse-
quence in Cripple Creek proper, but on
the contrary they are scattered over the
mountains throughout the Cripple Creek
district. What is known as Cripple
Greek district comprises the towns Of
Cripple Creek, Victor, GoldGeld, Florence,
Altman and Anaconda. The towns are
all small mining camps with the cxcep-
tion Of Victor, which is we'll built city
Of 5000 population and all the modern
improvements. All the towns, however
are incorporated, lighted by electricity
and cnnnI,ad nv pura ,,on,.to;, xuotnr
The electric lights are supplied by a
plant 35 miles distant at Canon City
The district is connected by two lines ol
railways, one standard and the othel
narrow gua2e, aud trolley line ownet
and operated by English capitalists
Some idea Of The busines and whirl d
the district may be had from the fac
that forty trains enter and leave Crippl,
Creek daily. One car 60 and come from
any part OF the gold district at any hou
Of the day or night. There are abou
loo producing mines in the district EN-
ployiag $3.50 union miners at So a da,
for 8 hours work,
The editorial excqrsionists left Colo
RADIO Springs late at night with thei
big train Of Pullmans split into tw
sections. The first section went straigh
through to Cripple Greek, where tile et
ll0rs and ladies were met by a big recep
tion committee and escorted to break
last and subsequently taken lhroug
the mines near by and to all points {
interest. Later they went to Victor an
were entertained BY the good people {
that city all afternoon. Meanwhile til
second section stopped at Victor. Ther
is no little jealousy between the tw
towne, though most likely principal
on tho part Of the smaller, Victor. IT
latter feels that Cripple Creek has ii
, credit Of being the whole thing in II
) Cripple Greek district and hogs all IL
reputation and notoriety scattere
throughout a region inhabited 10y 400
souls. For illustration. the famol
Stratton mine, the "Independence
Portland" and "Gold Coin" are all
Victor, while Cripple Creek has the nan
of having them all, along with 9th
famous mines throughout the distri,
One can we'll imagine then that Wet
was more than glad to welcome a b
squad Of eastern newspapermen il f
nothing else than to counteract the ga
eral impression that has gone afro;
wherever this wonderful gold reg on
! s. known. The people Of Victor saw Il
first section pass through to CripE
Greek in the carly morning aud prepar
to show that hllrg that she wouldn'tde
thing to the editors she was to welco1
j little later, AS the train reaches v
tor 1t appears to pass the city us it ski
the mountain side far above the roofs
the buildings nesting In the valley |
low. A switch is turned and The ira
backs slowly down the grade to the S
tiOn in the heart OF the camp. As Q
train came to stop ut the switch, pc
pie could be seen huIrying from all
\ II.