The Daily Texarkanian., 1900-08-06
TEXARKANA ARKANSAS, MONDAY AUGUST 1900
COLORADO LETTER.
Trip Over Marshall Pass and Through
Black Canon-Fine Fishing
at Gunnlson.
MANIron- On. Anr. 8

trip over the celebrated Marshall
Pass, and through the Black Canon
of the Gunnison River, and enjoyed
some very fine fishing in the Gunni-
son River, near town of the same
name, in central Colorado, about
275 miles distant from Manitou.
Made the trip over the Denver 8
Rio Grande Ry., THE Scenic Line
of the World" and right here will
say ride over this Solidly built and
splendidly equipped line, to view
the grand scenery described in my
last as to "Royal Gorge, and here
in spoken of, is worth twice the
cost price of same.
| wrote last from SalIda, Col,
where we had to lay over all night,
so as to take the narrow gauge to
our Observation-Disclosures beyond
the Black Canon-early next morn
ing. About six miles west of Sa-
Ida, we began ascending to Mar
shall Pass over the Rocky Noun
tains, drawn by two large locomo-
tives, and for twenty miles we go
up and up-starting beside a good
sized mountain stream, follow it for
miles to its source, and dthen take a
serpentine course, with a number
of long horse shoe curves around
canons, finally reaching the summit
of the pass, in a long snow shed,
1000 feet above sea level. At
several points we could see three or
four stretches of railroad below us,
in making the ascent, and to say
that the mountain scenery was
'grand beyond description" but
family expresses it, On one side,
seemingly not very far distant, Mt.
Everett's hoary (snow covered) peak
was seen-over $4,000 feet in alti-
tude; also Mt. Uray, not quite so
tall, but alike mantled in snow, in
another direction. At the summit,
short stop was made and passen-
gers ascended the tower above the
shed, and viewed the pass on both
sides and various mountaio peaks,
canon peaks and gorges. Descent
down the western slope of pass was
made more quickly than ascent
from east, distance being four miles
less-speed of train down, is slow
and cautious, requiring nearly an
hour to descend the sixteen miles.
Nearly two hours is required in
making the ascent of twenty miles.
Grade over the pass is said to be
four per cent-21l feet rise to the
mile. At Salida, on east side where
descent begins, altitude is 1850
feet, while it is SAT- feet at Sar-
gent on West Side, where steep
grade begins, From Sargent to
Gunnison, through the Black Canon
on TO Grand Junction, the descent
is gradual-grade not so heavy and
only one locomotive is used.
|. The "Black Canon Of the Gunni-
sou River" is SO named from the
color of the rock therein-nearly
black in many places. At the town
of Gunnison the Rio Grande Ry.
comes to the river Gunnison and
follows 1t down stream to Grand
Junction, one of its various termini,
distance of 1876 miles. At Gunni-
son, observation car (open carr is
put on for the benefit OF tourists, so
they can view the sights of the
Black Canon. The Gunnison river
is large mountain stream, one of
the clearest, prettiest and most
romantic in all the Rocky Noun
taius, and like the Arkansas river
in the Royal Gorge" seems to cut
its way through the mountains in
its passage through the Black
Canon. For some twenty-five or
thirty miles, mountains tower di.
rectly above thousands of feet, with
the river close to the track-much
of the way for track is blasted out
of the solid black rock, in places
overhanging the track 1t certainly
required a mint of money to con-
struct this railroad-the engineer.
ing skill here displayed, as also in
the Royal Gorge, and over Mar
shall Pass, Is indeed wonderful, and
shows what man car accomplish.
Although there is no hanging iron
bridge" in the Black Canon, scenery
is "immense"-of course somewhat
similar to that of the Royal Gorge.
But am tired of trying to describe
scenery" scenery" scenery
everywhere Scenery" 1t reminds
me of the time when was iu Cali