The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-04-21


quently elaborated upon at recent
session of the Denver Chamber OF
Commerce by Rev. T. H. Malone, edl-
tor of The Intermountain Catholic The
address has occasioned much favorable
comment throughout the country. We
reproduce it in part:
Denver, nucleus of all inland west
ern trade and of all Colorado trade,
which but a generation ago was a from
tier town with all the doubtful pros
poets of existence and all the elements
Of instability of a thousand other min
ing camps which are today not even
memory,
Perhaps a travellers stay takes him
into the mountains. He finds all the
conveniences of travel to be had any
where in the world. He may go south
towards the New Mexican border,
passing through Colorado Springs
home of culture and elegance; Pueblo,
Pittsburg Of the West; Canon Clty'
laden with orchard fragrance, and on
to Walsenburg Alamosa, Conejos or
Trinidad all centers of busy human
life. or west to the Utah state line.
visiting Leadville, formerly the great
silver mining camp, now one Of the
wonders Of the West in gold Aspen.
Glenwood with its unsurpassed
springs. fitted up with all the elegan-
cies of life. though situated in the
heart of the mountains. and then INTO
the fruit country. with Grand Junction
as it's center. where the peaches rival
in sweetness of taste and beauty OF
coloring those of any other part Of the
world Nor should be omitted the great
cattle ranches scattered through the
mountains and over the eastern part
of the country. to which the tourist
may turn his steps. and marvellous goid
mines Of the Cripple Creek district
which have been 40 recently opened up
by the efforts of the tireless prospectOr,
that ULYSSES of the Western world.
Through canyons ancient and awe
inspiring. dark with perpetual twi-
light past tumbling mountain streams
pteruallv wreathed with foam. uD the
sides Of massive mountains. dark with
pine or rugged and bare with clltfs OF
grayish granite: here and there clumps
of scrub-oak and everywhere gorgeous
mountain flowers, like stars. of every
shade Of color. CLEAN against the SOM
Der grandeur of the mountains: hare
bells anemones. viOlet-hued column
bines and pentstemon. blue as the
veins of Cynthia's eyes pale pink prim-
roses. oX-eyed daisies. roses, thickets
of mountain raspberries: or following
some OlQ MOUNTAIN II dtt. Il1'AE AitA q
tions ago by Colorado's native son, the
Indian the traveller leaves the modern
world behind in its representative, the
railroad and climbs the mountain side:
what eXhilaration in the why noun
tain air. and in the views from points
Inaccessible save by footpaths. Up. up.
ono height attained. to Sae but others
still more lofty Or. perhaps on
summer evening the train leaves him At
the entrance of one of our many nat
ural parks The sun is just setting in
a glory indescriba bic by pen or brush.
Before him rise from the level floor OF
the park towers and minarets and pa
godas such as no one spot in all the
world has assembled together. They
rival the vision of Eastern splendor and
call TO mind visions of the gtOrieS that
must belong to the far-famed Tat
Mahal or cities Of the mirage. which
have no earthly cOunterpartS And be-
hind their battlements and minarets
he sees the glory of the everlasting
hills. not boldly outlined as at noon
day. but softened as if by great green
velvet mantle.
"Coloradoans aud Denverites are
known throughout all the civilized
world for intense love of home. IT
WAS this love that brought back the'i
early immigrant when. discouraged, he
had returned to his Eastern home; it
was this love for her hills and plains
that kept the pioneer true through re-
verses of fire and flood that would have
dsheartened the most high-spirited
his Colorado home is to every man to-
day what it came to be to the first
plainsman-the love of his youth. that
strong. sweet first love which always
sfbides in memory as the best Of life's
experiences. OF him are the poets
words the truest ever written:
'' An exile from home. splendor dazzles
in vain
The unsurpassed climate. winters
neither too cold nor summers too hot. |
air that stimulates like wine sunshine
perpetual. beautiful scenery, health and /
energy producing. ali these furnish the
charm that IS perpetual and never TO
be forgotten. These more than any
mineral or agricultural wealth have
power TO make men love the country,
and IF such a thing were necessary, be !
poor here rather than rich elsewhere.
After the famous Pixies peak ex
Citement the country began TO fill uD
rapidly from the East
The early settlers Of Colorado We're !
men OF peculiar boldness, daring and
enterprise. They did not pass on after
having exhausted all the wealth of the
land; some did. Of course. when the
placers gave out and all the gold was
supposed to have been washed out of
The sands Of the various creeks, the un-
stable left and their loss was but their
cOuntry's gain Men of power and
stamina remained, however, and
through dark and tTOubous times
tried by fire and food and Indian ar
TOw-gave evidence Of the faith that
was in them. Some of them are with
us today. sturdy and straight as our
mountain pines. with courage like the
flint Of the mountain and souls as crys-
"a ac @ lakes that 10
bosom Of the eternal hills.
Passing over the great losses suf-
fered by the hardy little community by
the foods Of Cherry creek in her early
history, and those sustained by fire, |
she had also to contend with blockades
due to Indian warfare And the hor-
7'Jrs OF such warfare can never be ade-
quately told. Never will the massacre
Of that noble man, Agent Meeker of
the White River agency. and his little
band Of assistants be forgotten. nor the
other atrocities wrought on scattered
settlers in the mountains and immi- |
grants coming across the plains by
bands of redskins. Glancing over old
affidavits collected from those who suf-
fered from their depredations. afidavits
that were made for the purpose of pre-
senting the Whole Indian situation at
Washington. the story is found repeat-
ed over and over again: Wife and
family destroyed by the Indians. horri-
bly, mutilated. attacked a train. kill
ing so many persons, bodies mutiated
in every conceivable manner. stock run
Off property burned; so many Indians
camDed up, pretending to be friendly;
when people at disadvantage attack /
ed them, killing them mutilating bod
les and so on through unspeakable
crimes committed against helpless wo- !
mankind and on the dead bodies of ain
or 81,