The Topeka state journal., 1913-06-07
IN The MOUNTAINS
Topeka Boy Spends Week at
Pixies Peak.
One of the Most Picturesque
Spots i'm Colorado.
THRONGS OF KANSAS PEOPLE
They Are in the Three Cities
at Foot of the Peak.
Colorado Springs, Colorado City
and Manitou Joined.

tourist, ana perhaps the greatest oI
them is the Cog railroad, a wonderful
piece of engineering, up Pixies Peak,
| from Manitou, a distance of nine miles.
Fifty years ago it was considered a
| feat to reach the summit of this fam
Gus pile of rocks, but now several
train loads of people go up daily, and
many walk. However it is rare thing
for a person to walk up twice. He has
enough the first time, and unless he
has strong constitution, he will do lit
tie more walking for a month after
making the trip. 1t costs five dollars
to make the round trip on the Cog
road. This may appear to be stiff
rate for an eighteen rifle ride, but the
foot tourist wishes he had invested in
a ticket by the time he has climbed
mile up the big hill.
The traveller. whether at ease on the
train, or weary on foot, does not put
in a dull moment from the time he
starts until he finishes the trip. One
of the many interesting objects on the
way is the Lone Fisherman rock, which
resembles a man fishing. This fisher
| man is enjoyed especially for the rea-
son that he does not tell how many fish
he has caught. The Halfway house
has a good location under the shadow
of mountain of solid rock called
Castle Thunder. A trail leads up the
beautiful Sheep Gulch from here, where
burro parties make their ponderous
way to the top. Mount Badly. nearly
as high as the Peak, looks like the
bald head of an old gentleman, with
a rim of snow for hair. 1t is in another
county, although it appears to be an
hours walk from the track.
Mountain View, half way up, is where
the Pixies Peak Daily News is printed,
and sold to train passengers and foot
tourists. 1t is published by Tom VIII
son, who formerly lived in Topeka and
whose ability to string tourists ex-
GELS Munchausen. Windy Point, above
the timber line is we'll named and here
is where the Cog passengers rent sec
ond-hand overcoats from the conduc-
tor. From Windy Point one can see
Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek and
the plains of eastern Colorado, almost
to the Kansas line.
Directly below Windy Point are the
Seven Lakes, the highest lakes in
America. Farther up the snow capped
peaks of the Continental Divide can be
seen extending from Leadville to the
Spanish Peaks of New Mexico. At last
the train reaches the summit and the
tourist eagerly views the vast pano-
rama before him.
The BottomIess Pit.
The mountain is made of huge
granite rocks. At the north end of
the peak, proper, is the Bottomless
Pit, nearly four thousand feet deep.
An old extinct crater can be reached
from the summit only on foot. but
can be plainly seen. The Summit
house. where the United States gov
ernment maintains a signal station, is
made of stone, with a tower extending
over it. The trip to the summit and
back can be made in a morning or an
afternoon.
Manitou is the principal summer re-
sort of the Peak district, on account
of it's climate and mineral springs,
there being three kinds of water
| iron, sulphur and soda. The town is
entirely surrounded by mountains, and
tourists flock there every summer
from all over the country. However,
Kansas furnishes the big end of the
tourist traffic, Manitou being so handy
1t is the only summer resort Kansas
people can reach in a day.
Manitou, Colorado City and Colorado
Springs make practically one city, be-
ing connected by an electric railway.
They are SO closely built that a stran-
ger cannot tell where one ends and
the other begins. Judging from the
''for rent" signs in the windows, the
side line of most people living in the
three towns is taking roomers. 1t is
said that many residents get their
support for an entire year from sum-
mer roomers. and this in the face of
the fact that the prices are not ex-
orbitant. Dining room rates are very
reasonable in Manitou,> considering
that tourists usually expect to pay dou-
BILE prices for everything. Square
| meals range from 35 cents at the cafe
|
! dollar at the Cliff house, where Sam
! Radges put up.
I The Williams Camp at Pixies Peak.
| An attraction on Pixies Peak, espe-
| cially to Kansas people, is the camp
| of the late A. L. Williams of Topeka,
| 240 acres of rough mountains, four
miles above Manitou. Mr.. Williams
| purchased the property 35 years ago
| for summer home. and built two log
| cabins, which are used every summer
| by members of the family. Fine
streams of water cross the property,
two of them having their source in the
! old crater mentioned The Cog road
! runs through the Williams property
The writer went on hike with some
i friends, from Pixies Peak to Cripple
Creek distance of % miles The party
first took the Cascade wagon road and
later branched on a trail, which led
through the Red Cliff and Beaver Creek
canons. In many places there is per-
petua1 snow. Although this section Of
the Cripple Creek district was once
alive with mines, now it is practically
deserted. About four miles from Grip
Die Creek is Gillett. This town once
had nearly 5000 people, but now there
are only a few families. 1t has a beau
tiful location in the mountains on the
Midland Terminal railway. From Gill
lett to Cripple Creek is an improved
automobile road.
Inc SCcASIy 1IOlIi 6dh TO Cr1D-
pie Greek is very beautiful, and in the
canons columbines and mariposa lilies
grow in profusfon. On the mountain
peaks forget-me-nots are found Wild
animals in this section include noun
tain lion, deer, mountain sheep and
wolves. The sheep and deer are pro-
tected The mountain lion and wolves
don't bother settlers and tourists any-
more Hunters seldom get close enough
for a shot Four years ago black
bear was killed west of Pixies Peak.
according to Tom Wilson. There is lit
tie fishing in the peak region, but there
is plenty of good shooting, confined,
| however, to grouse, geese and ducks.