The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-09-28
GREATEST
OF ALL
Gold Camps on Either
Continent
IL CRIPPLE CREEK. COLORADO
One-Fifth of All the Gold Produced
in the World Is Mined

peaceful little city of 10000 inhabi-
tants, with churches. and more
schools to the population than Chica-
go or Minneapolis; such is the min
ing camp" Of Cripple Creek. High UP
in little bowl in the mountains, forty
miles west Of Pixies Peak, in a little
district of six miles square, is the
greatest gold-mining region in the
world. Here is produced One-tWen-
tieth of all the gold produced in the
world and fifth of the output OF the
United States, including Alaska-a
sum which in 1901 amounted to more
than $24,000,0O0. The monthly out
put from this little section averages
more than $1,500,000, and since the
discovery of gold here, ten years ago,
the production has aggregated more
than $120,0O0,000.
This country used to be a grazing
section. One day a cow-puncher, his
name now lost to history, but en-
ployed by a ranchman named Bob
WOmack, picked up a rock to throw
at a steer, but finding it heavy in
his hand, he glanced at it, and did
not throw it at the COW. He took the
rock to Colorado Springs, where he
had it assayed. and what he discOv-
cred from that assay resulted shortly
in the announcement to the world OF
the wonderful gold discovery in the
region Of Cripple Greek. Il may be
interesting to know that the ranchman
who owned this territory or larger
part Of it, cleaned up the enormous
sum of $4,000 as a result Of the gold
discovery. which he straighWay lost
in mining speculation. The coWpunch-
er who actually picked up the ROCK
never received a cent.
The speculative era has passed in
the Cripple Creek gold-mining region
SO has the period of border ruftianism
and the days Of uncouth and strange
doings which are associated with the
pioneer stages of gold-mining. Grip
pie Creek is now the Mecca Of tour
lists. and a sober, industrial center.
where values are figured j. percent
ages, and tourists come in Pullman
cars and have electric lights, tele-
phones, running water and all the &C
compartments of modern civilization.
There is a good opera house here,
Science church Practically every
business block and residence is built
of substantial red brick, after the
most approved modern architecture.
The streets are macadamized, curbed
and guttered and lighted at night, and
80 per cent OF all tle houses are
equipped With telephones.
The Cripple Creek region, socalled,
includes a number of separate settle
ments, all of them situated in or about
the small basin to which reference has
been made before. Of these the prin-
cipal one are Victor. Goldfield, indie
pendence, Altman, Anaconda, Elkton
and Cameron. The total population
Of the district is estimated at 10000.
There are three lines Of railroads,
which carry the gold ore and passen-
gers to the outside world. One Of
these lines has just been completed
and is owned and managed by the
prOprietors Of the principal mines. 1t
is known as the short line" AMI al
though but forty miles in length, cost
100000 to build. It's termini are
Cripple Creek and Colorado Springs.
The president of the road is the pro-
prietor of the Portland mine, which IL
the richest in the district, and Irving
W. HOwbert is his name. The road
is regarded as one of the most Won
derful feats of railroad engineering
Of modern times. 1t is of standard
guage and granite ballasted, through
grades and cuts which have for years
been regarded as inaccessible to-
steam travel.
The scenery along the road is such
as to render futile any effort at de-
scription. Photographs give but a
faint hint at it, and the English Ian
guage, as Finley Peter Dunno once
said, is bankrupt in attempting uol
discharge this obligation.
The short line" was built in self
defense against the trust proclivities
of the two other lines entering the
gold fields A combination, or gentle
mems agreement, was formed between
the two pioneer railroads, their pro-
prietors coveting the lions share of
the gold-mining profits. But this was