Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-02-02
The Spirit
Of Colorado

written by Edward Hungerford OF
New York city, on the invitation OF
the Colorado State Bureau of lmmi-
grafton. which supplied the facts and
figures on which Mr.. Hungerford has
founded an interesting description OF
the spirit which has built up Colora-
do and is keeping her in the front
rank of progressive American COM
monwealths.
The future OF the Silver state lies
in the immediate development OF her
resources. There has been a slight
tendency in Colorado within the past
few years 80 allow her great possible
tiles to become somewhat fallow,
Either the Coloradoans have been too
content with their well doing, or else
the whir and the confusion OF the
boomers out upon the Pacific coast
has been too dazzling-certain 1t Is
that today the state is pinching her
self sharply and ordering herself in
to the forward ranks OF the CONNER
cially active.
Denver surveys the map and dis
covers that she is within thousand
miles or 50 OF the ocean port OF Cal
weston, no farther inland than Chica-
60 rests from New York; and forth
with she wonders when she is going
to become a great manufacturing city.
She has already made demands upon
the Gould roads and the Hill roads
that they give her rates into the Tex
as port that will develop her manu-
lac lures.
A tall factory chimney-onc of the
very tallcst in the land-niakes a
landmark to the traveller. who ap-
proaches the capital city from the
north and east. 1t is dozen years
since the bore OF that great STAG kwas
warmed by the smoky fires OF indus
try.
The smelling plant it once served
has long since been demolished and
cartcd away, and the stack stands, a
constant reminder to Denverites not
OF the days that were-for that is o.
poor interest to any Wcsterner-but
of the possibilities OF the future
Denver has a profound respect foi
the tourist and his alien dollar. l.
has built great welcoming arch .
really splendid fabric in bronze, ano
brilliant by night with the witchery
OF many incandescents, so that the
hordes OF incoming strangers whc
pour out into Seventeenth street IRON
the portals 'of the Union station may
know that the capital OF Colorado i
glad to see them.
Nor is that welcome a mere thinE
OF bronze or electricity or gay little
articles in the local newspapers. Ii
is apt to take far more concisS
form. a young woman, who taught
in the public schools OF Middle
Western town, found that she had an
hour between trains in Denver las
summer. She was interested i'll the
place, and some one had told her
that a good view of ii was to be found
by ascending the dome of the capito.
building.
The capitol is long mile from the
Union station, but the girl CHANGED Il
and was rewarded by a fine prospeci
OF Il well-oraered American town.
hemmed i'll by apparently boundless
plains on the one side and the fine
saw-toothed, snow-capped ranges OF
the Rocky mountains on the other.
Then she saw that her hour was rap
idly disappearing. She scurrieo
down the many steps OF the capitol
and to the car that was to take hei
back to the station. 1t was unusual
ed a well-dressed woman i'll corner
drug store about the car service.
The wcll-dresscd woman gave her
no pcrfunctorily polite answer, but
seemed to have some actual interest
in the situation.
II am afraid that,you cannot make
your train within fifteen minutes,
She said. with friendly smile. thai
is, unless you will jump into my car
outside there and let John whisk you
down to the station"
The little school teacher wonder
ed if such a thing could ever have hap
pened in her own Indiana city.
But tourists are one thing-and
good thing, too, i'll way-and per
manent development is another, and
Denver realizes that she must have
the other. Brisk little Pueblo. 100
miles to the south, is already big
ger manufacturing town and has a
ianciiully arrogant way OF calling her.
sell the Pittsburg of the West:
Denver realizes. although she rarely
confesses it. that she has disadvan-
tages of location.
That. then, is the spirit OF the
West. 1t is the spirit that pervades
the men whom you meet in Dcnver's
streets. You may find that this old
fellow is still prospecting in the rough
tore graphy of the mountains; he tells
yor how he still packs out on snow
shoes in the long winter Of the high
attitudes to get bacon and other pro
ycnGer for six weeks OF more OF soil
Here is still an older fellow; en-
gage him in conversation and he will
tell in his frank and friendly fashion
that seems to be very quality oil
Western air that he chased antelope
in the sagebrush where the big and
snowy City park stands today; that
he remembers when nearby road
was first the Santa Fe trail and then