Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1908-08-07
Among the Rockies.

little city of about 1900, located in the
Arkansaw Valley, is surrounded with
the most beautiful scenery Of the
Rockies. Away to the north can be
seen the top of Pixies Peak, to the west
Royal Gorge, and to the south and east
the valley sbounds with orchards.
These profitable little homes Of two to
i've acres are called ranches, and are
worth $1,000 and up per acre. Water
for irrigation is brought from the sur
rounding mountains and costs from
$500 to $500 per acre. The inhabi-
tants are of the "common people,"
owning their own homes, educating
their children during the school year.
and utilizing their vacation gathering
the fruit and marketing all surplus at
good price and removing the demor-
alizing influence of idleness. The peo-
pie belong to the church and believe
IN regular attendance. All things con-
sidered, this is the most inviting spot
we have found thus far on our trip.
We spent restful Lords day with a
neice on a ranch twelve miles in the
mountains, and then took breakfast
Monday morniug at the top of Royal
Gorge where we could look down more
than 5000 feet to the suspension bridge
where the Gorge is too narrow for the
river and roadbed.
The state penitentiary is located at
Canon City and convict labor is used
in constructing and maintaining the
roads and parks about the city.
The ssky line" drive is built up the
side of the mountain to the summit
and along its crest at dizzy height.
for three miles, overlooking the city
and valley, the former with it's many
churches and schools, the latter with
its green patches of alfalfa and Or
chards. surrounding comfortable
homes and.happy people The major.
ity coming here seeking and in many
cases finding health. A picnic party
of nineteen drove up the canyon of
"Grape Creek" eight miles to aTemple
Court" spending the day among the
wonders of Gods out of doors in the
Rockies.
A driveway is being made along the
Royal Gorge by tunneling through the
rocks in several places. This will be
the most popular drive and will be
given over to automobiles two days of
the week
Thus our allotted time was spent and
we took the observation car through
the Royal Gorge, stopping at Salida
over night that we might have day
light for our trip over the top of the
mountains. From Salida to Montrose
we have the narrow gauge road Our
landloard told us in five years the
broad guage of the D. g. r. G had
suffered one hundred wrecks while the
narrow guage had but one. Our faith
fuflittle pony engine won the conf
dence of the whole party. How it did
puff and pull as we went back and
forth up the side of the mountain. four
tracks visible at once, one above the
other, with curves SO sharp that at
times the rear car was opposite the
engine. I am sure wide guage train
could not have made the turns. Up
and up we climbed to the summit
1000 feet, where Marshall Pass station
is reached with stop of ten minutes.
Above us stands Mount Ouray, an ex-
tinct volcano 14000 feet high and be-
low US the tracks in a zigzag course
show the way we came up the divide.
This is claimed to be the grandest
mountain pass in the world. Passing
out under the long sn ow shed on the
summit we are sidetracked to wait for
a freight train tugging up "the narrow
way" before US. Here was our coveted
opportunity. A variety of wild flowers
of the most brilliant hues we're bloom.
ing everywhere. I had often read of
the beauty of the coloring of these
mountain flowers, and now to pluck
them for myself and to Gee their
beauty was rare treat.
| We discovered q strawberry s.patch"
with few small red berries as sweet
as the mountain sun could produce.
This is dry season. Usually Marshall
Pass is covered with snow. We hear
complaint about the scarcity of water
in the valleys on account OF little snow
on the mountains. This, however, is
more largely true on the eastern slope.
AS we descend, vegetation is more
abundant. Occa assionally a mining
camp on the side of the mountains or
ranch is seen in some little valley
and cattle fat and we'll fed seem to be
contented with their wild surround
ings. A cloud covered the western sky
and soon we we're in q mountain storm.
AS we start down the mountains q little
stream makes its way along the track
and gradually increases in volume and
force until the magnificent Gunnison
courses its way through the Black
mn