The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-09-19
60 the Summit Of rike's peak.

= sss39999333aN
i AA4AAAAAA&AAAAAAAA4A&A&s
Paper Read Before the Chlutauqua Circle.
'sI will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
From whence cometh my help,
My help cometh from the Lord,
Which made heaven and EARTH"
VERYONE can remember some
~ hill of his childhood that he
used to climb, and from which
he used to gather strength, not
only physical strength, but moral
strength as well. He may have gained
the moral strength unconsciously, but
he gained it nevertheless, for who can
look upon the solid, rugged honesty of
q great hill withouta a feeling of admira-
tion for the hill and at the same time q
sense of his own littleness and insig-
nificance. Or who can climb to the
summit of great hill and there midst
the quiet majesty of nature view the
dotted landscape below without feel
ing better-now just as soon as he be-
gins to feel better, why, communica-
tions have been opened up between
him and the hill. The voice of the hills
is the highest in nature to the highest
in man. With their purer atmosphere
they appeal to purity in man, draw us
away from things that are small and
mean, and their strength seems to
enter into our being. Longfellow says:
esEarth has built great watchtowers of
mountains, and they lift their heads
far up into the sky; and gaze ever up
ward -and around to zee il the Judge
of the World comes not"
Along the fortieth parallel there are
twenty-five of these watchtowers two
miles or more in height. The highest
one being Mount st. Elias whose peak
towers upward 1880 feet. But the
most popular of this chain of noun
tains is Pixies Peak which reaches an
altitude of 4,l00 feet. Pixies Peak
hasn't gained it's popularity on account
Of its height, but the scenery around it
cannot be surpassed. for no place else
on earth can the traveller see another
@'Grand Canyon of the Colorado" No
place else can he see such beautiful
passes, with their natural parks abound
ing in lakes, trees and flowers. And
no place else will he ever behold such
phenomenon of nature as is to be seen
in the "Garden of the Gods" In short
the scenery in the vicinity of Pixies
Peak is conceded to be the finest in the
world; and am pleased to state that
the American people have begun te
realize the fact that it is not necessary
to 60 to Switzerland for grand noun
tain scenery, for in the past ten years
the Alps have been gradually going
out of fashion. Hills and mountains
have always been of absorbing interes
to the writer, who had the pleasure o.
climbing to the summit of Pixies Peak
lthis was before the advent Of the "Col
Railroad'o and description of tina
trip is the subject of this paper. 1t i
not the purpose of this paper to tell il
q self-asserting, egotistical manner o
sgreat deeds accomplished" butto Civ
q comprehensive description of tn
places of interest visited and at the sam
time assimilate a few facts in regar
to high attitudes and light atmospher
that is not of common knowledge, an
which hope will be of interest to thi
circle.
During the season of 1889 the write
was travelling with "Kickapoo India
Sagwa Co." (Sagwa means good med
cine.) About the 18th July our aggregs
tion arrived In Denver, where we wer
to splay two weeks stand" But b
the time the paraphernalia was on th
lot at the corner of Goth and Arapahc
Sts., and tho Indians comfortabl
quartered in their tepees, there wei
twenty-four in the company the do
tor received telegram informing hil
Of the sudden death Of his mother
an eastern city. So of course he too
the first train East. But before b
departure he appointed g custodian +
the property and informed the rest
as that we were granted . ten day
vacation. Now just imagine bunt