The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-12-05
TRIP up Pixies PEAK
What Was Seen On The Trip and
On The Top of The Mountain
By Former Grenadian.


Colorado Springs, Colo, Nov. 30, 'O8
Editor Sentinel: There are numer
Gus trips of interest to be taken from
Colorado Springs, but the gem OF
them all is a trip to Pixies Peak OF
climbing the Rockies" of which ]
will endeavor to give your readers a
brief description.
Every school child has heard of
Pixies Peak with great interest and
we have all wondered in our child
hood days il it would ever be our good
fortune to lay our eyes upon "The
monument Of the continent" and
| those Of US who have been SO favored
will always remember it with the
greatest pleasure.
1t was on Nov. 13. 1906. if have
the date correctly, when Major
Zebulon M. Pike, gallant soldier
and daring adventurer, heading a
small exploring party of American
soldiers first sighted the white crest
of the mountain when many miles
distant upon the plains. The Major
and party travelled ten days in order
reach it's base. and after vigorous at
temptS to scale it, Pike abandoned
the idea with the declaration that
mo human being could ascend to it's
pennacle." Time has past, and the
Major has been proven wrong, but
from that day until the present time
the peak baS gone by the name of
pixies Peak.
In the autumn of 1890 the Moni-
tou & Pixies Peak Railway (better
known as the cog wheel Route) was
completed, and as an engineering
achievement, it is nothing short of
remarkable. There are similar roads
IN other countries, but they are all
pigmies as compared with the one
whose head lies on the loftiest pin
nacIe of Pixies Peak and whose foot
rests on the plain.
Leaving Colorado Springs, you take
one of the cars of the street railway,
passing through Colorado City and on
to Montou. Enroute you also see
Engleman' s Glen one Of the beauty
spots of earth, at the mouth Of which
is the MOnitou station where you
change cars to the cog-wheel route.
We now begin our rides above the
clouds. The coaches Of the cog wheel
route are beautieS-elegant ObServa-
tion cars-each of which seats fifty
people, and the management had
them constructed in such manner
as 10 be absolutely safe. Two coaches
are used on trip, they preceding the
locomotive on the ascent, which is
a great advantage in the matter OBJ
seryation-a follow them on the
descent. All interest is at first cen.
tered imthe novel train, but soon af-
ter the start your attention is taken
up by the surroundings. AS the glen
narrows it's attractisenesS expands.
one of the steepeSt grades on the
line is encountered soon after leaving
the Monitou station. The train hug
the left hand rail, beneath dizzy, pine
clad heights; on the right is a yawn.
ing guich and the Ruxton churns and
splasheS through bed Of giant
boulders At times the rivulet is
hidden beneath a mass of rocks as
big as houses, but further on it reap
pears, foaming, clamOring, rioting.
The first stop Of interest is Mime
haha. a hamlet of rustic cottages
here greers your vision and you ad-
mire them for their quaint architec'
ture. 1t derives it's name from Min
nehaha Falls. its melody filling the
air with it's flaming waters.
Through scenes of ever-changing
beauty you come to the Halfway
House, which is a queer name for the
stop, as you soon realize you are still
far from half way to the sum mit
Here you again wonder at the mar
velS of natures scenery. The Half |
Way House is a rustic mountain hotel |
surrounded by stately grove OF |
pines, and. towering above it, is the
pinnacled rocks of Hill Gate, through |
which the train passes onto the |
delights of all on board
There are SIX stations you pass, be- |
sides the terminals, and three water |
what some of my readers may call an |
mpusslbilty, but which is true
nevertheleSS-water flowing up hill. |
Quaint beauties, groteSque shapes
anu strange illusions fairly crowd the |
way-the conductor showing them all. |
Among the surprises which interests
all is printing office perched on the
mountain side. Here souvenir
daily paper is published with the
news OF Pixies Peak, the names of its
visitors, etc. The editor of this paper,
it can be truthfully said, is always
sup in the air.
The climb is unceasing. Soon the
scene expands. The verdured hills
shrink back and leave the big bleak
peak towering monument. A sense
of awe transcendS that of delight.
The train now gains in elevation
4. -