The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-08-30
A TRIP TO COLORADO.
0skaloosa Men Enjoy Outing and
Business Errand

your correspondent starts abroad. In
this particular instance our story re-
lates of trip from Oskaloosa to the
great high interior of Colorado. We
went via the Rock Island and at les
Moines we transferred to their cele-
brated Hummer with no further
change until we reached Denver. Dur
ing our wait at Des Moines we had
an opportunity of testing and inspect
ing the trolley lines leading to the
parks and through the residence por-
tons of the capital city and found
that all in all they compared fairly
we'll with Oskaloosa, and that is a
pretty fair compliment for Des
Moines.
| The stops on this rapid-gliding
Hummer" are few and far between
and the view during the day is one
grand sea of corn fields, said to be
the most bountiful crop ever produced
in Iowa. Every effort is being made
in Nebraska and Kansas to cope with
our grand old commonwealth but they
fail to catch up, yet deserve great
| credit for their laudable efforts.
There is no possible question of the
desire of the farmers to push the
| corn belt west In Kansas and Neb-
raska along the Rock Island you see
this effort as the crop becomes so
small that no ears are visible from
the train-eVidently used for fodder.
| Arriving at Denver, after a number
of years absence, we found an en-
larged and greatly improved city, a
metropolis of push and energy. Ev-
erybody on keen jump, determined,
seemingly, to get there, and when you
pay your bills you know they got
| there.
| From Denver via the Denver & Rio
Grande railway we pass through Colo
RADIO Springs, Pueblo, and then due
west to Salida and land at Buena Wis
ia, the capital city of Chaffee county.
And here we found most enjoyable
/ surprise. The residence portion has
been greatly extended, and is, in fact,
a beautiful view, and the business por-
ton, principally Of brick, deserves
notable mention. We had the pleas
ure of meeting quite a number Of
old time friends and the greeting was
most cordial and friendly. 1t would
be a pleasure to mention each one If
space would allow.
From Buena Vista we take the Col
orado & Southern narrow gauge fer
Alpine, where again meet old friends,
Mr.. and Mrs. Coster, and are COM
fortably quartered with Mr.. and Mrs.
James Parr. And now the feature of
the trip commences.
Taking the ever patient and true
footed burros to climD the mountains.
Although at Alpine we are at an alti-
tude of 1915 feet, the great peaks Of
Mt. Princeton, Mt. Ontario, Boulder
Mountain, and Massima Mountain rise
in their majesty several thousand feet
higher. In making this ascent is
where my friend and fellow citizen,
Mr. F. R. Schultz, showed the metal
he was made of. Not a speck of the
| tenderfoot was shown. He went up
the trail without hesitation and in as
good form as any olu timer. In truth
he made the old timer hustle to keep
pace with him. After a careful sur
vey of the great Topeka tunnel group
of claims, mill sites and the water
power, late in the evening went down
to Alpine for rest and food. On this
down trip when at point nearing the
old town and a fairly steep place on
the road the hind cinch on the rig
Fred was riding proved to be too
loose and the burrs being hooked up
in the forward motion, there was a
beautiful header taken. No damage
of any kind, however, and for partic-
ulars see Shultz. The next day we
resumed business, taking in the sur
roundings of st. Elmo, some four
miles above, viewing the stamp mill
and the large cyanide plant located
there and in operation. In fact, all
kinds of mining operations are going
on and the precious metals are forth
coming to an extensive degree. The
famous MARY Murphy mine is in this
vicinity and has record of producing
many millions. There are other prop
critics also, many of them in various
stages of development that will even
Itually achieve like reputation. Old
Chalk Creek is specially noted for
her large fissure veins and at an ear
lier date the ores were considered
very fractions, but all that is past and
gone for levelheaded men with the
persevering trend of mind have over
come all these objections. Hence.
the old camp takes on new life now,
to be seen in every direction.
In the earlier period of the camp the
ores containing zinc and copper, to-
gether with other refractory metals,
were objected to, but now all of these
are sought for and the mills save ev-
erything valuable, as well as the gold
and silver, and pay current rates for
each valuable constituent, thereby en-
HANGING the value of the mining prop
critics. One of the rare metals found
in that part of Colorado and used In