Year: 1866

has been taken out of Clear Creek, q stream
which flows down the mountains from Central
City. and enters the Platte north Of Denver.
For the purposes Of irrigation, and from its
meanderings to maintain common level, it
must traverse distance of 25 miles, from
Golden City, thriving town at the opening
of the mountain gorge, to Denver, while by
the usual travelled road it is only l2 miles.
On this road, as far as Golden City, there are
tracts of land brought into cultivation and
made fertile by the water drawn from
this canal, and fabulous stories are told
OF the immense amount Of products raised
upon the soil thus cultivated, and still more
extraordinary ones Of the immense fortunes
made IN single season from comparatively
small tracts of land. For instance, one in
which it is said that an individual cleared,
from single acre of cabbage, eight thousand
dollars last year.


From Golden City you enter the gorge OF
the mountain in your onward course to Cen
trail City, gorge so narrow, in many places
that it is impossible for carriages and other
vehicles to pass each other. On either hand
you look up toward the skies and there you
SEQ mountain piled upon mountain like Pelion
upon Ossa, reaching into the clouds; and still
you ascend upon an average grade of 100
feet to the mile, and at every turn in the road
new scenes and wonders are presented to your
astonished view. At last yoa reach the top
of Guys mountain, from which you have q
wonderful view OF the gerges and mountains
around you and below you.


Yon then proceed on your way down the
descent beyond, much more rapidly than you
ascended to the top of this mountain, so that
in travelling distance of forty rods on n
straight line you must descend from an ati-
tude of from two to three hundred feet in
reaching the point below; and tits only attained
by z,gzaging the mountain side to make the
grade practicable. From this point you con-
tinue down the gorge with here and there an
inhabtant whose aim seems to be to make
fortune off Of fourth acre Of land which
here aud there may be found in these narrow





up which you travel short distance. when
you turn an angie in the gorge. and the city
OF Blackhawk bursts upon your view. Closely
connected with Blackhawk. is Central CITY,
and the next in turn is Nevada City-all in
the same gulch, and were it not for the eorpo
rate distinctions you would take them all for
the same town or city.


Now / will observe that the best descriptive
writers are those who are capable Of Ian
guage TO convey TO the mind the exac, de-
scription of the things they undertake to
describe. But defy the most exalted genius
to properly convey to the mind an image of
what is here beheld, either by pen or pencil
The rapid current of the streams tearing
down the gulches, the construction of the
streets, the order on which the buildings are
constructed. both dwellings and mills, are in
exact conformity with the wild and indescri-
bable nature of the earth's surface, aud as a
matter of conjecture, it seems to me there is
nothing like il. either in the heavens above
or on the earth beneath. ] shall not attempt
a description. Taking these cities together
should say they exceed the population Of
Denver, although one cannot properly Judge
from what he sees, as l am told very con
siderable portion of the population dwell be-
meath the earth $ surface. in search of the
treasures of earth.