The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-08-03
IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS
What One secs who L~eisurely Visits
the Mountains OF Colorado


= SOiC.s July "
Dear Messenger:
1t does one good to get out in the
world and contrast the difference in
which one lives in the hum-drum Of
home and the rapid movement of our
American civilization, where cities of
two and three hundred thousand in
habitants are built in a life time of
thirty-ive or forty years. We have
been waking up a continent, and the
forces that have been to work have
never before combined to work out
the destiny of the human race. Vast
wealth has been combined to make IL
possible, but we of the eastern part OF
h country, with u one or two nun
dred years of history, can hardly con-
ceive of what can be done in a few
years in one of those western towns;
we are thirty or forty years increas-
ing twenty thousand in populatlon,
and some of these western giants DO
as much in twelve months 1t is only
forty years since the first house was
put up in Minneapolis and to-day n
boasts Of two hundred and firty not
sand inhabitants, and claims to rank
as the second city in the union in point
of beauty.
I have been spending my time de-
Iightfully with my sister on lax Min
netoka; it would do you good, dear
Messenger. to be able to pull off our
hat as l do, as you view the beautiful
grounds and thank the owners, as I
do, for giving you so much pleasure,
as you view the landscape; there are
hundreds of thousands of money spent
on the grounds, and there are thirty
or forty miles Of suburban. residences,
and some OF the wealthieSt men of the
northwest reside there. The climate is
Ideal for one from Wilmington; / have
slept under blanket every night, and
have not yet found it warm enough to
put on my summer coat
w edecided last night to extend our
trip still farther west, covering Omaha
Nebraska. and Denver. Colorado, and
I can assure you I have been amply
repaid. We stopped and spent a couple
of days in Omaha which IS a beautiful
place, and has one of the largest
smelling works in the country; We fol-
lowed the gold. silver, copper and e
through all it's processes, which is GER
tainly very interesting: saw them
mark and stamp their morning work
up To L O'cIock-two gold bricks. worth
thirty-fve thousand dollars, besides
the piles Of silver. brass and lead. We
left Omaha in the afternoon and ar
rive here yesterday morning in a
ain storm. The thermometer was 45
and I had my heavy ~overcoat on and
my wife her fur cape. How is that
for July weather?
Denver is aid to be over four thou
sand feet above the sea level. Yester-
day was cold and disagreeable and we
did not get about much. but this morn
ing the sun rose clear and | never say
a more beautiful day. This is the
most marvellous city in the country;
not over forty years since the first
gold was washed from the banks of
the small stream. They now claim
over two hundred thousand inhabi-
tants.
We have just finished a ride around
the city-about eighteen miles. You
can see Pixies Peak from here (about
forty miles away all covered with
snow, and many others of the range
are snow capped; they say we want to
spend some time in this latitude before
invading the peak, as persons of any
weakness can not stand the rarified
air. l must not forget to say a word
about the Brown Palace hotel; 1t cost
the builder millions. / presume nc
one was ever bold enough before &c
build a hotel of onyx, as this man did;
the whoIe inside finish is great slabs OF
onyx. some of them pictures of trees
and birds, all very beautiful. All the
slabs in the building are the same ma.
teriaI. We go down to Colorado
Springs tomorrow or next day, AND
visit the peak next week. Will write
you from there
Respectfully,
WIN. \. FRENCH,