Year: 1877

EDITOR CHEF:-As have many friends in Kansas


who are desrous of hearing from me- through the col


umns of your valuable and newsy paper, can but


hope that you will favor them, well myself, by


giving at least few extracts from this communica


ton; for write both sides Of the paper, against


publishers rules, hardly expect you will publish il


all. But economy. you know!


FROM Atchison to Hutchison saw fine country.


In fact Eastern Kansas is the garden of the West and
the choice of that is north of the Kansas River But
the southwestern portion of Kansas is worse if any


thing than Colorado. In fact would rather have 40
acres of average Doniphan County land, to live on,
than 900 of the hest land and its improvements
have since left Fort Dodge. You see, farming
along the Arkansas and among the foothills is like
mining at La Veta-a good thing to invest ill., but a
poor investment to get your money out Of
Pueblo reminds me somewhat of '.Natchez under
the hill )" where the real business of the town
done. The upper town of Pueblo is the city proper,
and should it be built up. will make a lovely
place. But thousands will do business there was
often done in Natehez and find the upper town
and what there is there to support a city, cannot
divine.


At this point fell in with party Of whole-souled
mcn-od miners and tender-feet-bound for this land
of promise. We procured conveyance, and then
away the foothills to Del Norte Behind us We
leave the hOary head of Pixies Peak; to right is
the snowy ribbed Sansre de Christie; away in the dim
distance catch glimpse of the Spanish Peaks, for
which We steer and at the foot of which We find La
yeta Here they tell wonderful stories of rich gold
veins away up in the regions of the Snowking. Hero
lin La Veta, not the mountain) found my old
friend, Milton Utt of Donphan County, in the grocery
and provision business, and doing well. He is itin-
Grating merchant and keeps up with the advance of
the railroad Likely he is at the Big Hill Station,
near Fort Garland in the San Luis Valley. And, by
the way, this San Luis Valley is fraud-a desert-an
alkali and gravel plan-an unfit place for man or
beast, and should be given up to the soap-weed and
sagebrush-the only things that to thrive with
in its borders


Del Norte is place of some Importance, built ON
one of those mice FIAT grare beds" formed by the Rio
del Norte through the foot hills of the great
rocky range and is situated the south side Of said
river, just at the foothills Here rested for
days; very nice, clever gentlemen; replen-
ished our arer; and as Ell Dorado was, like the
milksiekness in Indiana, ust few miles farther"
we took the road for Silverton, up the Rio Grande
and for ten days laborcd along this rugged stream
We found it rapid river in the San Luis Valley, and
left it "wee bit bra" above Carrs Cabin. Here we
took to the mountains earaes for must cross the
range-the backbone of the continent-at Stony Gulch
Ho! all the teams to one wagon, and after working
and toiling all day. train is two miles further
another day of toll and trouble, another preepicc
scaled, and every wagon is above the timber ne-an-
other two miles, aud camp! The rheumatism and
keep unwilling watch until daylight, when all hands
up and of before breakfast, the last miles
must be made over the snow, before SUNRISE as the
drifts deep and dangerous But, alas! the ghtest
wagon and team break through the drift and back
and down the hill must 60! With sorrowful hearts
We return to leave wagons, and pack over. Some
for this pass and some for the Cunningham; some
of determined to fight it through this line, if it
took another week and that night slept in Silver
ton. Those by the Cunningham Pass came in two
days later.


Siverton is quite nice locality, and is improving
very fast, and the day is not far distant when it will
be the largest mining town in Colorado. came here
sick, and for four days Il went not out to view the
city" was called upon by the members of the Mel
vile Mining Company, who kindly offered me every
assistance, and was than glad to receive their
call The Hons. g. w. Click and s. NJ. Strickler are
looking fat and hearty. This mountain air and regu
lar hours are the thing, after all.


In my next will speak of Silverton, and the Mel
vile Mining Companys works; and in the mean time,
let me say see nothing to induce farmer to leave
40 acres Of land in Kansas, here. Mechanics
wages are good, but nothing extra-s3 and e. per day
for masons, carpenters, and blacksmths.


More anon. B. O'D.