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AND PACIFIC COAST GUIDE.

three miles distant to the eastward, on the
headwaters of Cherry Creek. This isa
lovely little valley about six miles long,
and a half-mile wide, first settled in 1860,
completely over-run by Indians in 1864,
and some of the settlers killed; and was
raided by Indians, at various times since,
until 1870.

Our train is now climbing the Divide,
on a heavy grade; the air is pure and clear,
the country is rough and broken, with
here and there a little opening; the huge
mountains rise high on the right, but their
base is five miles away, and the long
timber-marked water-shed that divides the
waters of the Platte from the Arkansas
Valley, stretches away to the east. and is
lost in the distance, extending 100 miles.

The next station—on paper—is 3 8-10
miles further on, and is called

GREENLAND—buttrains seldom stop here.
A side-track is its chief feature of civiliza-
tion, but 5 3-8 miles further we arrive at the

Divipp—Here is a postoffice, called
Weissport. A few miles before reaching
the station, on the rirht, can be seen a long,
rocky, castellated ridge, like which many
are to be seen along the eastern base of
the Rocky Mountains.

Before reaching the station, when looking
ahead, the prospect of getting beyond the
mountain ridge, which rises up, as though
to bar our progress, is hopeless—appar-
ently—but remembering that it was this
company that built their road over the
Sangre de Christo Mountains, we are con-
vinced that with them, “all things are
possible” (in railroad building), In proof
of this we climb to the Divide, turn to
the left, from a sharp mountain spur; and
roll down toward the great Arkansas

| Valley.

Our course is now more to the eastward,
with the Valley of Monuments and Mon-
ument Creek on the right, and ahead—al-
most at our feet—Pike’s Peak.

MonumeEntT—is the next station, 5 3-10
miles from the Divide. The mountains,

| far to the right, show droppings of red

sandstone, rising slab-like from its side
several hundred feet in height.

At Monument there is quite a settlement
of agriculturists, stock, and lumbermen.
The village is near the site of the “Dirty
Woman’s Ranche,” of 1860.

Downward rolls our train 2 4-10 miles to

Borsr’s—named for the superintendent
of the road. Trains stop on signal. Cattle
Tanges appear; long timber ridges are

81

 

seen on the left, the same above noted. It
is 8 6-10 miles more to

HustEeps—another signal station.

Passing on through a timbered and
rugged country, bluffy and wild, crossing
Monument Creek several times in five
miles, and we come to

EpcERTON—where are piles of |umber,
indicating saw mills near. “

Continuing down the creek, cattle and
sheep are numerous, and a few fields and
gardens appear. Occasionally on the right
we catch a glimpse of some of those pe-
culiar rocks, which rise up in places, in
this vicinity, on the sides of the hills, to
the height of from 20 to 50 feet. These
are round, and from 3 to 10 feet in diame-
ter, surmounted with a cap, in one case
resembling a Spanish sombrero. They are
called by various names, but by the gen-
eral name of “Monuments,” from which
this valley and creek derive their names.

From Edgerton, it is 8 2-10 miles to

CoLoRADO Sprines—and 76 miles from
Denver. This city was laid out in July,
1871, and settled by the Fountain Colony.
It is situated on a high, broad plateau, to
the east of, and about one-half mile
above the junction of Monument Creek
from the north, with the Fountain Qui
Bouille, from the west. This thriving
place is the county seat of El Paso county,
and contains—the city proper—a popula-
tion of about 2,500, with. three miles sur-
roundings, giving about 3,500.

The citizens have erected some fine

buildings, which include a_ college,
churches, banks, schools, hotels, and

many private residences. The streets
are 100 feet broad, and the avenues 150
feet in width, with sidewalks 12 feet wide.
Along the avenues rows of trees have been
set out near the sidewalks, and little
streams of water are rippling along beside

them, from the large canals built by the |

citizens for irrigating purposes.
There are several hotels in the city, chief

‘of which are the Crawford and the Colo-

rado Springs Hotel. Two papers, the
Gazette and the Mountaineer, greet the citi-
zens weekly. The principal mercantile
business of the city is with the mining
region of the South Park and San Juan

country, via the Ute Pass wagon-road, |
which leaves the city for the West, and |

proceeds up Fountain Creek and over the
mountains to the north and west of Pike’s
Peak.

Colorado Springs has become quite