Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1907-12-01
Talks on Places and People.

The person visiting Denver to-day
after an absence of nine years would not
note many changes in the business sec
ton. Except in 18th street. Only in the
residence portions is the change notlc-
able In 1893 the city had Just come out
of the great depression following the
boom days of 1890 to 1890, and had been
built upon scale of magn1fcence tor a
city of that size never before approached
on the continent. In the building OF
those days, however, Denver went rather
ahead of herself, and built bit beyond.
[ have heard manv interesting stories OF
the boom days Of Denver. It was d riot
Gus time for several years, and fortunes
were made and unmade in the spell
which held her tight in its grasp The
neapolis were all discounted in Denver.
The plating of the plains" was on for
keeps, and had not the bubble been
pricked in time, lots would have been
selling at Pixies Peak by now, and all
in Denver! 1t was wonderful epoch
of the speculative craze which sometimes
seizes American communities, and men
fairly went wild up Denver town. A
million population in ten years was free
ly predicted Senator Tabor, who had
made his millions in gold mines, built
the finest opera house in America, and
its fame went abroad on every tongue.
That opera house was the biggest adj
vertisement Denver ever had 1t did
good while the boom was on. When 1t
was all over, poor Tabor was pauper
and spent the remaining days of his life
as postmaster of the city his brains and
money had done so much to make
metropolis.
There seems to be no way of lodging
Denver. She has played waiting game
and now her time has come. Colorado
has 100000 population, and covers over
10000 square miles. That is as big as
Illinois and Indiana combined with
Maryland thrown in for good measure.
But the best part of Colorado which has
so far done any developing at all, is all
within a Is mile radius. Describe
circle of $50 miles diameter with Den
yer as the center, and you have the
most there is in Colorado to-day. This
would take in Colorado Springs, Lead
vile, Greeley, La Sale and there rests
all there is in the state. 1t is tor this
reason that Denver feels safe in her
growth, being the center of the worlds
garden spot beyond compare. Seven
years ago Tie sugar DCCl was Aillo
into Colorado. 1t has swept onward like
prairie fire. Irrigation has developed
the prairie lands that formerly were
valueless except for grazing, and now
it is easily worth from $Ioo to SIPS per
acre and hard to get in desirable local..
ties at that. Land in the vicinity OF
irrigation is worth SOS an acre. This
latter is so near water that its price is
high in anticipation of the food that will
make it rich Everything in Colorado,
therefore, is tributary to Denver, and it
is sure to outstrip any city between
Chicago and the coast Colorado is fast
filling, faster, perhaps, than any one
ever hoped They look to pass the mil
lion mark long before another five years
Every train leaves Chicago with whole
families, and the end is not yet.
A strange and almost incomprehensi-
Bile popularity of Denver in its mar
velous freshness. It has never aged.
The first houses put up forty years ago
are still new looking, The great Eqult-