The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-12-04
NERVE THAT PARALLELS FICTION
The Gunnison Empire.

Tho Gunnison Empire.
The question has frequently been
put. Have women of today the cour-
age of the pioneer women as depict
d IN ''The Covered Wagon?" Most
Of us answer "No," but If it were
generally known that two girls, not
vet out of their teens, braved the
'c'd and WEAKNESS and the treachery
of mountain roads and walked from
mesa near Delta to Gunnison, ar
living Thanksgiving Day, it is TO be
hoped that we would at least scent a
revival of the spirit of '49. Fanciful
though this story may seem, it c1n,
nevertheless, be borne witness to not
only by several Gunnison residents
but by travellers along the road and
Neople of other towns.
Two young girls sixteen and nine
teen respectively, cousins, deserted
" the father and stepmother of one
If them. at Palisades, started out to
reach Amarillo, Texas, with but their
ourage and the few clothes they
wore as their capital stock. All sum.
mer and fall they had worked in the
fruit, turning their earnings over to
the father and reveling in the belief
shat when work was done the whole
family would go back to Amarillo,
where other relatives and friends re-
'ide. But one morning they awoke
% find themselves deserted. The
father and stepmother had vanished
and with them had gone the earnings
# the girls. frightened. penniless.
md alone, they had but one thought
to reach Amarillo. Hoping to find
'ufficient work along the way with
which to purchase food and lodging.
hey started out on foot. The young.
.r girl had short time previous to
'oming to Colorado. suffered COM
Mound fracture of the left limb and
hat member being still weak and
improperly healed. the poor child
'uffered agonies as she trudged along.
IN her own words: any leg hurt pret-
ty bad at first but got used to it
after a little and if l limp just so
can walk pretty fast"
Day after day passed. Sometimes
they were fortunate enough to secure
Eustenance and nights lodging in
return for work. but frequently they
ate but one meal in twenty-four
Nours and even not that at times, and
spent the nights in Larns and desert.
ID sheds. Fo- these girls. born and
cared in the broad. .Iar lands of
Texas, our rugged peaks ard moan-
ain passes held untold fears, but
heir one thought was that over those
forbidding mountains lay Amarillo,
Nome and friends. Reach there they
must no matter what the odds
They rassed Delta. Montrose and
anne on. Occasionally a motorist
Nicked them up and gave them lift
tut so manv auto drivers are OBJ
'essed with the fear that if they give
traveller along the road, even
'hough that person may he mere
@irl, weak and worn out from hun
7er and walking, that their generosity
s liable TO be murdered or at Ierst
heir machine appropriated so those
h''dren we~e more often passed bv
han given lift At last they
cached Cerro Hill Bravely they
tarted to climb but it was harder
-oing and very. very much slower
hon they thought The light air be-
a. TO tell and the older girl. who
Nad been victim of sleeping sick
ness about year ago felt lassitude
Hreeping upon her and had 10 lay
DOWN end rest every little while, The
sun made his Journey across the sky
al too soon and before they realized
=. darkness had crept upon them and
they were alone on a much feared
mountain, hungry. cold, tired and
very much frightened. But they kept
On. Their clothing was of the very
scantiest. They did not even have a
oat between them. While the sun
shone and they kept walking it was
not so bad, but as darkness fell and
fatigue overcame them, a new spec-
ter arose to add to their fear. Used
TO warmer climate, they did not
'rnow but what the chill mountain air
and unaccustomed frost would freeze
them to death. Fortunately, they had
box of matches and by walking as
'ong as they could and then stopping
and gathering what wood they could
ind and building fire by which to
warm themselves and obtain a little
, rest. the long night passed and the
next morning they reached Cimarron.
There was no work to be found
there, so they started up the railroad
track into the Black Canon. We who