The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-08-02
IN INTERESTING LETTER FROM JASPER LADY TRAVELLER.



MIR. EDITOR: am spending few weeks in the
Rocky Mountains with A. M. Sweeney and family,
at Buffalo Park, Colorado, and at your request and
that Of several Of my friends | send this letter de.
scrbing this region to the readers Of the COURIER
We are sojourning now over twelve hundred miles
from Jasper. To us this is, indeed new country
and shall never again think that Dubois county, in
Its most rugged parts, is anything but very level
land after seeing these rough regions. Buffalo Park
Is ald out on a reservation OF 800 acres, ard is
summer resort peopled chiefly by citizens OF Den
ver AT present there few other Hoosers here
besides our party. The Park is situated on low foot
hills, in basin at break in Plate canon. This
basin is surrounded by half dozen of lofty peaks
which tower up almost straight from one thousand
to fifteen hundred feet high. These peaks are
named the Bishop, the Cathedral Spires Buffalo
Peak, Green Mountain and Fords Peak While
these peaks are very high, they still within the
timber line, yet occasionally see them above the
clouds, and hurries Of snow playing around their
tops; this snow soon disappears. Last Tuesday af-
ternoon July I'd, while the people in Jasper we're
very likely sweltering with heat and dust with only
few minutes warning, we had heavy fall OF hail
and snow that covered the ground to depth Of
three inches The hail stones were as large as birds
eggs. This hail storm was accompanied by the
fercest thunder and lightning l ever heard The
lightning struck twice within two hundred yards Of
our cottage, tearing away part Of the roof Of the
dancing pavilion, and later striking large tree.
assure you that all very well stirred up by
it. These electrical storms occur here very frequent
ly, and come on very suddenly. Tie rare condition
Of the atmosphere up this high makes the thunder
and lightning sound more fierce. We nave had sew
eral sudden storms, but yesterdays was the worst
When the storm was over we had to put on heavier
wraps and start the fires to be comfortable. In the
middle of the day the weather is quite warm but
we sleep under double blankets and quilt every
night The mornings here SO cool that no one
thinks Of rising till eight o'clock, when the sun be-
gins to peep in on us over the lofty mountain peaks
The atmosphere sdelightful and can't be described
The air is loaded with the odor of the pine trees and
ii is very invgorating 1t has queer effect on one,
and makes you feel like wanting to stir about, or
even like dancing at this season of the year.
The sky is such deep blue and looks to be SO
distant as there are no clouds like at home The
and valleys all covered with pine
trees, and you scarcely any other kind Of tree.
There is, however, very little valuable pine timber
left
Another thing that surprised us was that it takes
much longer for things to cook here than at home
II we would cook our meats potatoes here ory as
long as we do at home they would be only about
half done. Sweet milk will not sour in forty eight
hours, even without ice. This is due to the great
height at which we live, and the rare condition Of
he atmosphere We are over one and one fourth
niles higher up here than you in Jasper-or shall
say over a mile and fourth nearer hcavsn? We
nave one small, though pretty, church ediice called
union church, in which all denominations hold
heir services. Next Sunday the first Sunday in
Iuy, the Catholics will have mass in this union
hurch, and few children Of this neghborhood will
eceive their first communion.
A narrow gauge division Of the Colorado Southern
:. r. connects Buffalo Park with Denver, which is
{ distance Of forty miles to the northeast. The
abroad twists and turns and wriggles its crooked
ray for twenty miles up and up along the windings
( the Platte River which runs through Platte canon
latte canon, or canyon, is q very deep gorge cut
trough the mountains by the action Of the waters.
nd the walls Of the canyon shoot up straight from
i've hundred to over one thousand feet. One can
OF think Of a grander sight than to stand on the
platform Of observation car and, as the train
reeps up the steep grade, to watch the rushing,
,amng waters Of the Platte River in their steep de-
cent, and then to glance upwards hundreds of feet
etween massive walls Of rock to see only the blue
Ky above. The Platte river Is q very narrow
ream, only about as wide as our own classic Pa
,ka River but, running over rocky beds II is clear
crystal, and is the home Of the mountain trout.