Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-18

is very young town. On the oath of
June was held the forty-ffth reunion of the
survivors of a party of 10i persons who
came across the plains from Kansas City
in 1858 and arrived here on June "a of that
year. They were nearly all southern men.
Green Russell of Atlanta was their leader.
They found no gold in the sandy bottoms
of the Platte river and all OF them re-
turned disheartened to the states except
thirteen who remained and founded this
city. James Harrison Pierce, one OF that
number, now living at Morrison, Col. was
present at the reunion and told the story.
Since that time Denver has had her ups
and downs. She has suffered from booms
and panics alike. Many of the original
bonanza kings are still livingstone in pow
erty and others In affiuence; several being
actually destitute. large number OF Dig
fortunes have been made and lost Ihey
say that the man who gave the organ TO
a local church is now keeping a twenty
five-cent restaurant in New York city, ana
that another who contributed S2o.Ooo on
hand toward the erection of the same church
is now working for days wages Inc
panic of 1893 was the ruin or half the pop
ulation, who had invested their money IN
real estate at high prices and were caught
with no other resources. The man VINO
owned and lived in the handsomest resi-
dence in Denver was so pinched that ne did
not have money enough to buy 1000 LOT MS
family.
downs and has gone steadily Forward
growing in wealth and beauty and COM
merce so that one who visits the city IN
frequently is always astonished at the
changes that have occurred in his absence.
The real Denver is a beautiful city-one OF
the most beautiful in the world-and Its
attractions are all artificial, which makes
it the more admirable The mining Kings
have good taste in architecture. or at least
have used good judgment in selecting their
architects: and throughout the residence
quarter they have erected block after block
Of costly and artistic residences and have
surrounded them with lawns, trees and
shrubbery Few cities have so many beau
tiful homes and shaded streets, and Visi-
tor from the east will always admire the
apartment houses. because they do not re-
semble factories or asylums. They are de-
signed to look homelike and artistic, and
are seldom more than three or four stories
In height. The streets are wide and well
kept The business section Is paved with
brick and asphaltum. while In the residence
quarter they have been macadamized with
a decomposed granite that Is brought from
the canyons of the mountains and packs as
hard as concrete.
Trees Were All Planted.
The most attractive feature of Denver is
the trees and to appreciate them you
should know that every one of them was
artifcially planted. When this city was
laid out there was not green thing in
sight except cactus and sage brush. There
was not enough forage on the town site to
feed a burro. When the late John Pierce OF
Hudson, Ohio was appointed surveyor gen.
eral of Colorado by President Lincoln In
1881 he took up homestead and brought
water two miles and half in a pipe, to
make the first garden In Denver. He plant
ed trees and sowed grass Seed and his wild
ow is still living In the old place at the
corner of 18th and California streets. enjoy
ing the shade of the first trees planted In
Colorado. One noble elm. which throws
shadow over half the house, was brought
across the plains in stage coach, Mr..
Pierce carrying in in his lap.
Then came Avery Gallup of Cleveland,
Ohio who started nursery down on Cher
ry creek. The beautiful lawns and shrub
berry the shade trees in the streets and
parks can be traced to him and his in
fluence. He did more than any other man
to beautify Denver. The first aspirations
of the people for lawns. shade trees and
shrubbery were the fruits of his example
and teachings. You cannot go through a
street in the residence district or visit one
of the parks without thinking of him and
blessing his memory. His widow and son
still live here and supply Denver with flow
The park system of the city is being rap
Idly extended. The municipal officials de-
serve the highest concentrations for their
enterprise in this direction They are buy
ing large tracts of land and laying them
out in an artistic manner for pleasure
grounds, drivewayS and Fairgrounds for the
children. They are digging artificial lakes,
planting shade trees and soddlng the sur
face of the ground and few years hence
Denver will have as fine a park system as
any city in the country.