South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-05-06
Seeing America
First
BY Fred Kelly.

Lifted from Diary:
In the old-fashioned school geogra-
ply in use 20 or % years ago the
state of Colorado as l recall the cir
Cumstance, was marked on the map in
a sort Of greenish brown. And that is
precisely the color of Colorado as seen
from the train-a greenish brown, the
brown being the granite that forms
the warp and wool Of Colorado and
also the mountainous spinal column OF
the American continent.
AS you proceed up one of the main
streets of Colorado Springs one of the
things you are likely TO notice is a
pretentiOus establishment that looks
like a fashionable club building-but
II isn't. on closer examination you
note that the place is an undertaker's
plant. Presently you see another un-
dertaking shop de luxe and you Won
der if these elaborate places are the
leading industries of Colorado Springs.
But this notion is soon dispelled,
for you cannot go far without meet
ing one or more residents of Colorado
Springs who will give positive as
surance that the climate there is the
finest in the wOrld-sO advantageous
in fact that il is needless and alto
gether absurd of anybody to die
Colorado Springs has more million
aires, acre for acre, and population
for population, than any place. At
least, that is the city's proud boast,
and there seems to be no one pre-
pared to stalk up and say ii nay
And not only are there more mil
lionaires in Colorado Springs but
there are more different kinds of
milliOnaires than you can find else
where in a corresponding area Of
population. You drive out the prin-
cipal residence streets from one given
point to another and you pass the
homes of some 81 millionaires, as
nearly as / can now remember the sta
tlstics. OF that number. many were
pronounced mi1liOnaires almost stimuli
taneously with the doctors announce
ment of their arrival Others became
millioraires by marriage and a few
qualified by gradual process But the
great majority of millionaires in Colo
RADIO Springs are milliOnaires because
Of the circumstance Of being brought
into sudden contact with a gold mine
over Cripple Creek way. aYOu hear of
men who became milliOnaires first and
learned to read and write afterward.
Quick wealth is full of whims and
temperament. inclined to do funny
things and have its own way. A
Colorado Springs multi-millionaire
took a room at the leading hotel in
Denver one night a few years ago.
and behaved in a manner that caused
him 10 be ordered away. He went
away quietly enough, but he went TO
lawyers office and within half an
hour had arranged to buy the hotel.
Then he discharged the manager and
returned 10 his room.
Old Gen. Palmer, who built the
Denver and Rio Grande railroad, did
not make his money as suddenly as
number of the others, but he never
theless acquired notions of having
things just the way he wanted them.
When he built big house on his land
ed estate near Colorado Springs, he
desired an old-fashioned tile roof, and,
Furthermore. he wanted ri e roof TO be
q real antique. He went over 10 Eng
land. bought a castle with the kind
of tile roof he had in mind, had the
tile taken off, and shipped it in boxes
TO Colorado Springs, where II was
placed on his house.
The consequence or so many mil
lionaires Of one kind and another IN
the community is that money counts
in Colorado Springs. No one ever
frets himself over how person ac-
0uired his fortune The main question
asked by the exclusive set Is not no"
did he get il, but has he got IL.
Two different weather theories seem
10 abound in Colorado Springs. one
man told me that il would not warT1
mn until more of the snow had melted
off the mountains. Another declared
that snow would not melt OF the
mountain sides until it warmed up.
Cripple Greek, the world famous
mining town near Colorado Springs,
is still chuckling over the municipal
retort il handed TO Julian street
When that writer was doing his Sc
ries about various American points or
interest under the title OF Abroad at
Home" he visited Cripple Creek, and
as the say is. wrote il up Most
of his article. however. was devoted
10 Mason st. the main thorOughfare
OF the tenderloin section OF the city.
The populace of the mining town re-
scented Streets article as giving undue
emphasis 10 feature of the city that
they preferred 10 regard as one OF its
lesser attractions SO the city council
changed the name OF Mason 81. II is
now officially known as Julian ST.