Colorado City and Pike's Peak Vicinity.
Colorado City and
Pike's Peak Vicinity.

Colorado City and Pike's Peak Vi-
cinity.
______

Colorado City--Its prominent situation--Pro-
gress and Improvements--The surrounding
Agricultural sections--Rich pasturage lands
--New free wagon road to the Park and
Snowy Range region--Grandeur and beauty
of the neighborhood--The Medicinal Springs
--The "Garden of the Gods"--The "Cave
of the Gods," &c.
______

    EDITOR NEWS: In compliance with my promise a few weeks ago, I herewith contribute to your columns my impressions, such as they are, of the above interesting section of our Territory, trusting they may be of some little interest to those of our citizens and strangers here who have not yet had the opportunity of making a personal tour to that cornerstone of Jefferson. Although a citizen of the "Consolidation," and interested in these cities here, I deem it but due to justice, and the prominent enterprise of the above city, to speak my mind regarding the place, independently and fearlessly. What is doing, and has been done at any of the great points of our young Territory, is an advantage and a triumph to us here also, and we share in this triumph.

COLORADO CITY.

    This growing city is situated immediately eastward of the great Ute Pass to the South Park, Tarryall, Blue and head waters of the Arkansas gold fields. The town site contains some twelve hundred odd acres, admirably situated for all the natural advantages of water, wood, coal, and regularity of streets and avenues, parks and cemetery, sunny slopes and grassy hill-sides. The principal streets are 100 feet wide, running east and west, and affording the most admirable locations for thousands of business buildings, one location about as good as the other, all along the two or three great central avenues or streets, forming the great thoroughfare hereafter from the States to the mountain mines beyond, as well as the direct trading travel to and from the South Park regions, via their new road, which connects directly with the heart of the city, intermediately parallel with, and between both sides of the town, on the west.
    The Fontaine qui Bouille river, with its cool and crystal-like streams, wends its serpentine way through the town site, leaving the best business part of the city on a level and lovely plain to the north-ward; while Camp creek, Monument and Cheyenne creeks intercept and bound the vicinity almost on every side. Forests of oak abound on the adjacent ridge-sides, coal mines within four miles of town, and the finest pineries are only about twelve miles to the north-eastward.

IMPROVEMENTS.

    Three saw-mills are erecting, or forthcoming, for operations therein, and there is a speedy show for cheap lumber and building facilities. The peculiarly beautiful red-rock quarries, brown sandstone and limestone quarries adjacent, together with the red-rock clay, which, mixed with water, and a very little lime, constitutes the finest and most durable mortar; these, in connection with their close proximity, afford exceedingly cheap facilities for erecting handsome and durable stores, offices, private and public buildings, as cannot be excelled, or equalled, in the great West.
    There are at present here some two hundred and twenty new and nice looking houses--some stone, but chiefly frame. Additions are being daily and weekly made in building and other improvements. Several large houses and store rooms are under contract of building. Messrs. Bayaud & Guiraud, of Denver, are having erected a grand and commodious stone store house, 40 by 80 feet, three stories high, with large hall above. On Colorado Avenue, nearly opposite the park, J. M. Broadwell, Esq., also is having a fine stone building put up. Some New Mexican traders, who have been supplying that city and the Tarryall mines with flour, meal, &c., this winter, have begun building operations on a large scale, three or four blocks east of the park intending to intercept the New Mexican traffic, and build up a profitable communication with that Territory. Mr. Clark, lately connected with coach and express interests at Omaha and Kansas City, has opened a general store here, and is said to be making arrangements for buildings for the Kansas City and Pike's Peak line of coaches, which are to run regularly after a while on the great Santa Fe or Arkansas road, thus intercepting the lower Missouri river travel, and making this city of Pike's Peak a prominent "head-quarters," and a great and important "Sacramento" of Jefferson. Messrs. J. H. Gerrish & Co., of Denver, have been carrying on the pioneer store there since last fall, and have done a large and profitable trade among the citizens, the mountain mines, and the surrounding settlements. These pioneer merchants of Pike's Peak proper, have now in course of completion another and very fine new warehouse, on Colorado Avenue, which will be filled with goods as soon as their trains arrive from Kansas City. Having started there in its "day of small things," and stood by the city to its present prominence, this firm has the universal esteem and popularity of its settlers and citizens; and deservedly so.
    Mr. Engineer Fosdick, who planned and platted the city's survey, is erecting an exceedingly sweet looking gothic office, on the main Avenue; also M. S. Beach, Esq., the efficient and popular City Secretary, is having a large and fine looking office put up for the Company's interests.
    A newspaper will be started here by the middle of May next, called the "Pikes Peak Pioneer and Jefferson Miner," to be conducted by Geo. Wynkoop, Esq., formerly editor for many years of a leading journal in the Keystone State. We wish this enterprise the fullest success. We have perused the Colonel's prospectus, and take the liberty of pronouncing it, so far as our appreciative judgment goes, a very appropriate, able and masterly document--scholarly in its literary structure, and suitable in its practical contemplations.
    With its past and present progress, under all sorts of difficulties, we cannot see why Colorado City may not become at least the second greatest city of this Rocky Mountain valley, both for commerce and for advantageous agriculture; and property must be valuable there after the Southern and Middle States' emigration get in, per the great Santa Fe thoroughfare, and therefore we predict for it unbounded success.

AGRICULTURAL ADVANTAGES.

    The finest and richest tracts of arable land and pasturage, perhaps to be seen in this country, lie all along for forty miles to the eastward and southeastward of Colorado City, along the Fountaine qui Bouille, Monument creek, and towards the Arkansas. We should judge that these excellent and extensive bottoms and savannas should be able to support an agricultural population of at least fifty to one hundred thousand.

NEW FREE WAGON ROAD TO THE MINES.

    This great undertaking is now nearly completed, and instead of the bad old road of last year to the Park, there is now a fine, free thoroughfare, with an easy grade and the best of bridges, connecting the Peak with the Park in eighteen miles, and which is bound to be the great line of travel to the mines by the great body of the Santa Fe route emigration.

THE MEDICINE SPRINGS.

    These celebrated fountains of nature are situated about two miles due west of Colorado, and are striking curiosities, contemplate them how you will. They have been known and essayed upon by Baron von Humboldt and other scientific travellers, European and American during the last century; and, we believe, for health, pleasantness of taste, general and peculiar properties, are second to none in North America, so far as reports go, by those who have analyzed and written about them in their books. These mineral springs are destined to become the great watering place in the course of a few years, not only of the west, but doubtless of the eastern and southern invalids and fashionables, who will all be delighted with a summer excursion to this new and important section of our wide-spread Union. As soon as fine hotels and collateral objects of civilization are constructed, and the grounds improved and adorned by art, in the few places where the great artist, Nature, omitted or overlooked, then, we believe, this will be the most pleasant, profitable, refreshing and romantic resort of the kind to be visited in this whole United States. Let the gentlemen or company who now own this property, look out that no time, action or expense be spared to provide it a popular place for the public's entertainment, and as early as possibilities will permit.

THE GARDEN OF THE GODS.

    This is truly a perfect palace of a place. Nature and beauty must have here convened and constructed this place in co-partnership. To describe it, on my part, would be in actuality detracting from it, for its romance and picturesque sceneries, as it were, beggar all description. A green, velvety lawn of over one hundred acres, shaped like an amphitheatre, and surrounded by red-rock pyramids, three or four hundred-feet high, and by white rock cliffs, tall, pine-clad ridges, and a dozen or more different kinds and classes of monuments and curiosities, this place, verily was not called out of its name, when christened as above, by the trappers and aborigines. Claude J. Demotte(?) and Pauline might have chosen it as their model, had they passed across our prairies and continued to Pike's Peak. The "Cave of the Gods," close by this garden, is a rare and romantic arrangement; long and wide and high enough to hold almost a hundred persons--provided, of course, they were not all of them lady passengers, and crinolined beyond boundary. This garden is owned by Wm. H. Garvin, Esq., who carries on the mercantile affairs of Messrs. Gerrish & Co., in Colorado. He has erected a house thereon, and intends to have the property properly improved, in the way of saloons, restaurants, billiard rooms, ladies' ten pin alley, swings, etc., in the course of time in order to accommodate his patrons--ladies and gents--from here and from the States, who may throng to those resorts in the progress of a few more years, if not sooner. Lines of cabs will be running next summer and fall from Colorado City up and down hourly to the springs, via this garden and cave, and we expect one of these days to break open a bottle of Heidseck or Missouri wine upon the aforesaid grounds ourselves.
    Taking the objects of natural beauty and benefit of this section into consideration, I must say, without hesitation, that of all the places I know of, it, popularly speaking, beats the world. Nature here has planted the Peak, and here it shall remain forever, a guidepost for this city, and a source of grandeur and sublimity. Nature here has been lavish in outlays of the conveniences and the adornments. These fairy fountains and their charming streams, have a wealth within them which for human health may be more valuable even than the golden rocks of the mountain ridges. Those delightful canons and delicious nooks around about there, shadowed here and there by lofty pines--with picturesque parterres--and smiling flowers--scenes of such rare and refreshing romance as a person from the old States can scarcely tire to gaze upon or go among, these and other witcheries and romances abound and adorn the ever varying contour between the city and the peak.
    Whether at the heights of Brooklyn, or

Within a mile of Edenboro' town--

whether on the sunny side of the Hudson, or in the sheltering ravines of the Snowy Range, I have never beheld a greater "blending of all beauties," in certain points of view, as are to be experienced and observed near Colorado suburbs and about the great northern base of Pike's Peak.                                             TRAVELLER.


Source:

Traveller, "Colorado City and Pike's Peak Vicinity," Weekly Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado, Wednesday, 14 March, 1860, page 2.

Created August 14, 2006; Revised August 14, 2006
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