Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-24
PICTURESQUE
PUEBLO
UEBLO, Col, Aug. 20.-Many
cities, like people, seem to &c
quire sudden prosperity only
hniH, GiGIlO-
By FREDERIC J.. HASKIN

UEBLO, Col, Aug. 20.-Many
- cities, like people, seem TO &c
quire sudden prosperity only
at the expense Of their dlspo-
sitions. but not Pueblo. Although IN
important Industrial metropolis, bur-
dened with the respo nsiblIty of sup
plying a tremendous variety or man
ufactured articles to the rest OF the
world, Pueblo is as informal, as I'M
the days when It was but a tiny
trading post-and almost as p1ctur-
eSque.
Pueblo's main street is the only
one we have encountered in our west
ern travels which can anywhere near
ly compare with the stirring brand
Of western thoroughfares occurring
in the movies and in some of our
most popular fiction. Even 1T IS
rapidly succumbing to the modern
influence of Advertisement stores,
Victrola shops, movie palaces, inter-
ior decorating parlors and soda
founatin lunch rooms, but lew
traces of the bold, bad west of old
still survive. Among the most thrill
ing, of these are dozens Sans OF fu dn1:s
contain not the usual assortment of
discarded jewelry, but formidable
collection Of high-class reviewers.
daggers, bowie knives and "jimmies."
a dangerous weapon in Pueblo as
it is to be attacked with one in
New York, and yet Pueblo has never
yet had to be quieted down by visits
from the state militia. These stores
cater chiefly to the Mexican popula-
particularly fond of carrying val
liable weapons, although they are
generally quite peaceful. Thus, while
the stock is largely ornamental II
gives Pueblo rather reckless air,
especially since a few of the shops
are in direct and sinister line with
Impressive undertaking establish
mentS.
The appearance Of a large num-
Der of men in khaki shirts. breeches,
and boots. some of them on horse
back, suggests a mining atmosphere,
but in reality many of them are
foremen and superintendent of
plants producing nothing more start,
ling than bricks or saddles. Ana
many of the Mexican Don Juans who
stroll gracefully up the main street
on Saturday nights, wearing broad
brimmed, black felt sombreros re-
calling Spain Of the sixteenth CEN
fury, are laborers in the local steel
A Western P1ttsburg
For Pueblo, in spite of its exotic
touches, is a typical american rI2sI IN I'M
factories and proud of its recent
name. THE Pittsburg Of t,n the I've WesC of
news to fasteners whose idea OF
Pueblo's industrial or geographical
status Is distinctly visionary. Tee
whiz! This is a regular town, eA-
claimed a New Jersey manufacturer
who happened to change trains mere
about year ago. "And I always though
il was an Indian village" As j. -
make up for this injustice, this
manufacturer has now openfu ? 80
tory here and become confirmed
Puebloite.
Pueblo owes it's spectacular indus
trial rise to it's admirable location,
which is in a basin on the eastern
foothills of the Rockies and on both
sides of the Arkansas river. II IS
not only surrounded by the richest
Colorado, but it is also in the vlcin-
ity of large coal and oil fields,
and provides the nearest, cheapest
downward haul from the gold, cop
railroad point, with five trunk lines
stopping at it's back door. it has be-
come the greatest receiving and dis
tributing center west of the mis-
sissippi. In other words, it is the
logical point for receiving raw ma
bulk in the form of manufactured
articles, and shipping them out again.
Most Of the city's growth has oc-
Cured durin gthe past ten years, In
which period the population has In,
creased SIS per cent, while scores OF
new factories have been added. Pu-
eblo now has the largest steel plant
west Of Chicago. 1t Is great smelt-
ing center. 1t has a giant flour mill,
with a storage capacity of 5OO,00O
bushels of wheat, which ships flour
to every part Of the globe. large
shipment recently going forward tc
Ds'p: where Saddles Are Made
Two large saddle houses are To-
Gated here, which specialize in the
western saddle, and distribute 1t moi
South America, Mexico and Canada
Pueblo tents and awnings are shipped
over an equally wide territory, while
one tent and awning firm manufacture
a patented waterbag, known as the
in all parts of the world where there
is scarcity Of water, being greatly
in demand in some parts of South
America and Africa. .
Pueblo is also the greatest bread
distributing center in the West--a
prestige which it acquired during the
war; when many bakeries within the
radius of hundreds of miles were
compelled to drop out of existence
because they could not keep pace
with the IC6
Evidently the bakeries of Pueblo
could, for they are now supplying
the surrounding territory, including
parts of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona,
Texas, Kansas and Wyoming with
bread, rolls and doughnuts. In fact
so conspicuous is the bakery atmoS-
phere in Pueblo that the smell of hot
raisin bread and doughnuts will be
associated with visit here.
Yet with all its industrial responsi-
bilities, and we have, mentioned but
a few of them, Pueblo is extremely
good-natured and easy-going, with a
great capacity for enjoying life. 1t
seems to be filled with a boundless
enthusiasm for everything. In the
evening, when the band plays in the
park and most of the population is
bursts forth in the form of loud and
prolonged applause. After each must
cal number, the automobiles parked
in the vicinity of the band stand press
their horns and keep UP constant
din until the leader of the band bows
his acknowledgment and gives the sig
nal for another encore. Sometimes,
if the tune is a popular one, five or
six encores are demanded before the
audience relents and permits the band
to drop it's instruments.
If you ask the Puebloites, they will
tell you that their energy and cheer
fulness are due to the almost per-
petual sunshine, which by actual
record occurs on an average of $50
days a year. You see," said one of
them in propounding this theory, "the
sunshine has to escape somewhere,
and so 1t turns us all into natural
Pollyannas."
They Used to Have Liquor
But it may also be that Pueblo's
pleasantness is an inheritance from
it's pasta past which hardly seems
possible in this year Of our Lord and
the eighteenth amendment. For Pu-
eblo has always been famous for it's
good spirits. It was here, during
the mining days, that the redoubtable
Jack Allen had his popular estab-
lishment and brew which tradition
says was made from alcohol, chill,
Colorado tobacco, Arkansas water, old