The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-08-20

people walking around down below YOU
looking like mere dolls. After few
minutes rest we again start for ride
to the far famed grave of Helen Hunt
Jackson, and this time Mrs. Hull also
had to mount burro for there was no
other way to go unless she tried to
walk and the long climb up the stairs
had resigned her to her fate. 1t was a
fine trip up to the towering summit of
the peak, the burro trail winding in and
out, around big rocks where there was
scarcely room for the animal to place
it's feet, but we noticed that they never
took second step until they have Sc
cured firm footing. Riding alone
they are hard to make go, but with
good leader or driver behind they fol-
low along the trail in pretty good shape,
although Helen Hunt, the diminutive
burro which Dorothy was riding decid-
ed to wander of up the mountain side
away from the trail despite her tuggipg
at the bride reins, and the burro boy
had to go up after her before she could
get her burro back down to the balance
of the party. The grave of Helen Hunt
jackson was finally reached with moth
ing to mark it but mound of boulders,
and we each added one more rock to
the mound and then learned that Helen
was not buried there at all, so the
guide said, but at Colorado Springs, in
their beautiful cemetery, her body hav-
ing been removed a number of years
ago, but the place still proves great
attraction to the tourists and many 90
away thinking her body lies under the
rock mound. We had to tear ourselves
away from this beautiful spot and when
we left the burros at the top of the
falls we thought it would be easy to
walk down the many steps, but it was
really harder than going up.
1t was with regret that we left Colo
RADIO Springs and Manitou, but our time
was limited, and we had several other
places to visit, SO back we went to Den
yer and took the famous Georgetown
Loop trip over the narrow gauge road
which is part of the Colorado Southern
lines. From the time we left Denver
early in the morning until we reached
the end of our journey it was up grade
all the time and in the fifty-four miles
we increased the elevation little over
four thousand feet. From Denver to
Golden, distance of sixteen miles
there is not much scenery, but after
leaving Golden we enter the Clear
Creek canon, to such places as Chimney
Gulch, Guy Gulch, Elk Creek, Forks
Creek and the scenery is grand beyond
description. AS we proceed up the
canon, we get our first view of placer
mining, and from the time the canon is
entered until Silver Plume, the terminus
of the road is reached there is mine
after mine, mostly small but here and
there big one which has tunnelled
miles into the sides Of the mountains.
Many Of the mines are up SO high that
the ore has to be brought down on a
cable to which is attached ore buckets.
Idaho Springs is f1ourishing town of
3,700 population and some of the great
est mining enterprises in Colorado are
located here. Thirteen miles more
takes us to Georgetown and then after
leaving the station the train starts up
a steep climb to reach Silver Plume.
Passing above West Clear Creek, with
just glimpse of the picturesque bridge
that spans DEVILS Gate, the road runs
under the great viaduct, and rises un-
til we have left Georgetown hundreds
of feet below and to the north, but with
a sudden turn the city is again seen,
with the train this time moving toward
the city and over the great high bridge,
completing the loop and still climbing,
crossing and recrossing the canon until
the big fill has given another circle to
the track, then with turn to the west
around the slope Of Leavenworth Noun
tain, with still another view of George
town, and then we alight at Silver
Plume.
The loop was built in 1882. The
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which is 319a feet. The track under the
bridge is S,697 feet above sea level, and
the track elevation on the bridge at the
point of crossing the track below is
8,772 feet, and seventy-f1ve feet higher
than the track below, while it is ninety
feet down to the water in Clear Creek
Of track is 1856 feet to the mile or three
and a half feet to each one hundred
feet. The actual distance between
Georgetown and Silver Plume by rail is
four and one tenth miles, while by the
wagon road it is only one mile, Silver
Plume is a typical mining camp, and
we walked down through the place.
The most noticeable thing was the num-
ber of saloons, for the town has a popu-
lation of less than 800 but must have at
learned that times there were pretty
hard, many of tue mines being closed
on account of the low price of lead, cop
per and silver. One party living there
for eighteen years said he never saw
times as hard before.
From Silver Plume there are two
routes to the top of the mountain range,
one by train over Argentine Central
which runs to Gray's Peak, where the
elevation is ..14,OO7 feet, and the other
is one Of those novel aerial trips to Sun
rise Peak by way of tramcar. The
tramway line is a little more than one
and one-fourth miles in length, and in
this distance overcomes more than 81
800 feet vertically, or 80 feet for every
100 feet Of its length. 1t is big end
less steel cable, to which are at.
tached buckets or cars as they call
them, each of which will seat four per-
sons, and after getting in one of them
you cannot get out until the top is
reached for you 60 swinging through
the air over rocks and trees. They say
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