The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1902-05-22
CALIFORNIA LETTER.

morning of April 26th, John 2. Boring,
J. II. Johnston, Jesse Parkinson and
myself left our homes at Woodstock for
trip to: California, boarding the cars
at Marietta.
After an all days run we changed cars
at Nashville for St. Louis. After an
all nights run we arrived in St. Louis
early next morning, a city of $50 600
inhabitants. The depot is commodious
and not like the narrow one in Atlanta.
We changed cars here for Kansas City,
Mo, arriving there at s p. m. This
run takes Us almost entirely across the
state of Missouri, 1853 miles, and for
miles along the Mississippi river many
steamers traverse the great mother of
waters. Being an agricultural state,
the wheat and grass is luXuriant, and
pasture land fine A vast number of
| cattle and sheep are to be seen. We
spent the night in Kansas City, and
next morning at 9:45 we started for
| Denver.
The lands in Kansas appear to be the
very best, wheat. grass, ETC., looking
we'll. The pasture lands seem to be
! poorly watered, large holes being dug
to catch the rain water. Many wells
and windmIlls are seen in the fields to
supply water for the stock This Sec
ton was burned up by drouth last year,
almost complete failure of crops in
many places, summer streams dried up
and number of them not furnishing
the same quantity of water as before.
A perfectly dry creek beds, showing
q is oil
as before. We find many apple orch
ards but no peaches. The weather is
quite cool, great many of the out
houses'for cattle are still covered from
one to three feet deep with wheat straw
in order to make them warmer in win
ter. Good care of wheat straw is taken,
and looking bright and yellow as if not
a drop of water had fallen on it. From
Kansas city to Denver is 1856 miles.
Passing Pueblo, Colorado, we came
to Colorado Springs. Stopping four
hours, We took an electric car and went
six miles to the spring, great summer
resort, where there are several fine
hotels and boarding houses for tourists.
They are not yet open as the weather is
quite cold, making an overcoat feel
comfortable. The water in this spring
tastes very much like soda water.
Here we get a view of Pixies Peak
covered with snow, in fact we are in
sight of snow now all the time, and are
gradually climbing the Rockies. At
lvanhoe we reach the summit with an
elevation of 1900 feet, snow two to
live feet deep. The air was so light
that myself and many others could
scarcely breathe.
Passing on we came to Leadville, a
mining town, the elevation almost as
high as Ivanhoe, where it has
been showing every day for two weeks.
From here we get view of Mount
Massive, the highest mountain in the
group, being more than 1900 feet |
do not like this place at all, but the
scenery is grand.
We now pass to the little city of
Glennwood with about 1900 inhabitants,
where we spend the night. This is a
beautiful city, situated in the valley
and entirely surrounded by mountains,
like the letter o, the diameter being
at the nearest point three miles and at
| its most distant point about five miles.
In this valley there are number of fine
springs, some of them boiling. 1t is
very prominent as health and summer
resort. This is one of the most attrac-
tive little places have ever seen.
We pass into the state of Utah, a
mountainous and barren country. For
miles and miles we pass thousands of
acres of land. forming desert, not a
branch or creek to be seen; as far as
the eyes could see the land was per-
fectly naked, not shrub, bush, tree or
living thing to be seen, save now and
then bunch of sage. This section is
uninhabited by man or beast, and in
many places if strong man or beast
was left alone he would die before he
could get water. 1t doesn't look as if
it ever rained here. The wind blows
very hard here at times, and while pass
ing through we were treated to genu-
inc sand storm, rendering it impossible
to see man ten feet away and almost
taking the breath.
Now and then little town will spring
up, they using artesian water, and
where water is sufficient to allow irri-
CATION the growth is luxuriant. While
l think lot of my wife, it would take
more than plurality of wives to in
duce me to settle in Utah; though there
are some pretty places here, among
them being Salt Lake City where we
stopped and spent the night. The pop
ulation of the city is about 10000. We
took a run to Eagle Gate, a very high
point, giving good view of the city
and surrounding country. Here are to
be seen the homes formerly occupied
by the notorious Brigham Young, one
known as the Bee Hive and the other
as the Lyon; also saw his monument in
the center of St. Mar, the Temple. The
Mormon Temple is the great center of
attraction, enclosed by a strong cement
wall of rock several feet high, with now
and then gate, which at certain hours
are open TO the public. The grounds
are beautiful The temple is granite,
walls fourteen feet thick and the steeple
222 feet high. We were not allowed to
enter, as outsiders are not permitted.
The Great Tabernacle is enclosed with
the Temple. This we were allowed to
enter. 1t has seating capacity of H.
600 The largest Inc the world, cost
Sl2O,0OO. The acoustics is so perfect
that whisper or pin dropped on the
floor can be distinctly heard across the
buildinp On the grounds SoU Too