History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado, Part 1

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 844


USA > Colorado > Arapahoe County > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 1
USA > Colorado > Denver County > Denver > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 1


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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87



Gc 978.802 D43v 1135835


GENEALOGY COLLECTION


ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01066 9783


PIKE'S PEAK.


DEN Drawn


.


ER. Bagley.


ARGO SMELTING WORKS.


HISTORY


OF THE


CITY OF DENVER,


ARAPAHOE COUNTY, AND


COLORADO.


Containing a History of the State of Colorado, from its earliest settlement to the present time, embracing its geological, physical and climatic features, its agricultural, stock-growing, rail- road and mining interests, &c .; a condensed sketch of Arapahoe County; a History of the City of Denver, giving an account of its early settlement and growth, its improvements, its business and industries, churches, schools, &c .; Biographical Sketches; Portraits of some of the Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Views of Public Buildings, Private Residences, Business Houses, &c., &c.


ILLUSTRATED.


CHICAGO: O. L. BASKIN & CO., HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS. DEARBORN STREET. 1880.


NELSON MILLETT.


O. L. BASKIN. -


G


Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by O. L. BASKIN & CO.,


In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.


CHICAGO: CULVER, PAGE, HOYNE & CO., PRINTERS, 118 ANO 120 MONROE STREET.


PREFACE. 1135835


N presenting this, their first work west of the Missouri River, the publishers have no apology to make. In the preparation of the historical portion, they have employed Mr. W. B. Vickers, a gentleman whose well-known standing and ability as a writer are a sufficient guaranty of the thorough manner in which he has performed his task. In the biographical department, the large number of sketches inserted and the limited space to be devoted to each precluded any considerable attempt at literary elaboration ; indeed, it was thought better to present the prominent points in the lives of a larger number than fulsome eulogies of a few. Owing to the indiffer- ence of some and the absence of others, which rendered it impossible to obtain the necessary data, a few biographies that would have been especially appropriate and desirable are necessarily omitted, in spite of the most constant and persevering efforts to make this department of the work complete.


To the great number of the people of Denver and vicinity who, by their information, advice and cordial support, have aided them in their efforts, the publishers and their assistants desire to express their earnest thanks; and, while absolute perfection is not claimed nor to be expected, they trust the present work will meet the approbation of the public, and prove a valuable exponent of the history, resources, development and present condition of the Centennial State and its capital city.


O. L. BASKIN & CO., Publishers.


50


CONTENTS.


PART FIRST.


PAGE.


POEM.


11


CHAPTER I .- Ringing up the Curtain. 17


CHAPTER II .- Early Discoveries of Gold. 22


CHAPTER III .- Journalism in Colorado .. 25


CHAPTER IV .- Early Politics and Organization of the Terri- tory


31


CHAPTER V .- Lo! the Poor Indian. 34


CHAPTER VI .- The Monataios of Colorado. 38


CHAPTER VII .- Colarado during the Rebellion, Territorial Officials


4


CHAPTER VIII .- Progress of the Country. 47


CHAPTER IX .- Climate of Colorado. 48


CHAPTER X .- Agricultural Resources of the State. 53 CHAPTER XI .- Stock-raising in Colurado. 59


CHAPTER XII .- Leadville and California Gulch 67


CHAPTER XIII .- History of the First Colorado Regiment. 73 CHAPTER XIV .- History of the Second Colorado Regiment ... 77


CHAPTER XV .- Sketch of the Third Colorado Regiment.


89


CHAPTER XVI .- The Geology of Colorado .. 90


CHAPTER XVII .- Peak Climbing in the Rocky Mountains ..... 108


CHAPTER XVIII .- Sketch of the San Juan Country and Do- lores District .. . 112


CHAPTER XIX .- The University of Colorado .. 119


POSTSCRIPT.


CHAPTER I .- The Ute Rebellion 122


CHAPTER II .- Affairs at White River Agency. 125


CHAPTER III .- The News in Deover .. 137


CHAPTER IV .- Advance upon the Agency 140 CHAPTER V .~ Arrival at Agency. The Massacre. 145


CHAPTER VI .- Cessation of Hostilities. Rescue of the Pris- oners 148


CHAPTER VII .- Sad Story of the Captives. 151


CHAPTER VIII .- The Atrocities in Colorado. 161


CHAPTER IX .- The Peace Commission Farce. 165


CHAPTER X. The Ute Question in Congress ..


169


PART SECOND.


SKETCH OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY AND LITTLETON. .177


PART THIRD.


CHAPTER I .- Wonderful Transformation of Twenty Yeara. A Prophecy ..... 181


CHAPTER II .- Pen Picture of Denverin 1869. The Pioneers. 185


CHAPTER III .- The Fall and Winter Campaigo. 192 Evans Chapel. 27


CHAPTER IV .- The City of Denver in 1860. Lot-jumping,


Etc. 193


CHAPTER V .- Denver in 1861 197


CHAPTER VI .- From 1862 to the Flood. 199


CHAPTER VII .- The Great Flood of 1864 202


HorDer, J. W. 94 CHAPTER VIII .- Alter the Flood. 211 Iliff, Mrs. J. W 369 CHAPTER IX .- Coming of the Railroads. 215


CHAPTER X .- Eveots of the year 1869. 219


CHAPTER XI .- The Railroad year 1870. 221


CHAPTER XII .~ Progress in the yeara 1871-72


223


PAGE.


CHAPTER XIII .- Denver from 1873 to 1875.


228


CHAPTER XIV .- The Centennial Year .. 233


CHAPTER XV .- Denver in 1877-78-79 235


CHAPTER XVI .- Denver during the year 1879. 239


CHAPTER XVII .- The Public Schools. 942


CHAPTER XVIII .- Railroads. The Denyer Pacific. 248 CHAPTER XIX .- Deaver, South Park & Pacific .. 251 CHAPTER XX .- Denver & Rio Grande Railway 255


CHAPTER XXI .- The Colorado Central Railroad. 258


CHAPTER XXII .- The Telegraph and Street Railway 265 CHAPTER XXIII .- The Churches of Denver. 268 CHAPTER XXIV .- The Sunday Schools of Denver. 285


CHAPTER XXV .- Hill's Smelting Works. 286


MISCELLANEOUS.


CHAPTER XXVI .- Secret Benevolent Societies; Cemeteries ; Brinker Collegiate Institute; Places of Amusement; The Fire Companies; The Military Companies; Denver Pecu- liarities 290


CHAPTER XXVII .- The Learned Professions.


299


BIOGRAPHICAL.


Biographical Sketches, alphabetically arranged .. .................... 30I


ILLUSTRATIONS. VIEWS.


Argo ..


63


Alvord House


342


Avery, A. C.


658


Boston and Colorado Smelting Works. G3


Brown, J. S


140


Brown, J. F IGG


Bailey, J. W.


126


Best, J. D.


531


Chever Block


418


Crow, Henry


279


Central Presbyterian Church


626


Cornforth, B.


256


Clayton, W. M.


220


Deover ..


7


Denison, Charles. 279


Davis, Charles R .. GI6


Denver High School. 621


Evans, John.


27


Farmer, Mrs. Elizabeth W.


320


Gilpia, William.


279


Goss, C. J. 342


Hill, N. P.


58


Jarvis Hall.


108


Jackson, W. H. 279


Kinsey, W. J.


396


Londoner, Wolfe


418


-


vi


CONTENTS.


PAGE.


PAGE.


Lothrop, W. C ... 61 6


Fryer, G. H


328


Moffat, D. H., Jr. 450


Fisher, C. W.


333


Miller, G. W. 428


Gilpin, William


16


Moffat & Kasgler's Block


396


Goss, C. J. 338


Gordon, W. A. 346


351


Streight, H. A


531


Hill, N. P ..


54


Thayer, A. T.


279


Hittson, J.


356


Windsor Hotel.


198


Wentworth Hotel.


306


Iliff, J. W. 364


Wolfe Hall 108


576


Jones, J. H.


378


Walker, W. H.


558


Johnson, B. F. 382


Woeher Bros.


342


Watkins, L. A.


616


Kinsey, W. J.


392


Lovelsod, W. A. H.


400


Lothrop, W. C.


405


Armstrong, S. T.


86


Anthony, S. J


90


Londoner, Wolfe.


414


Miller, G. W.


423


Morrison, J. H.


432


Bartele, L. F


112


Barret, J. M.


117


Bailey, J. W


122


Moffat, D. H., Jr 446


Bascom, J. H.


130


Bates, J. E.


135


Oakes, D. C ..


464


Beckurts, H.


144


Pitkin, F. W.


45


Patterson, T. M.


81


Bliss, W. M. 153


Palmer, F.


Bowles, J. W 158


Parker, C. M ..


Barker, J. H.


162


Brown, Albert


171


Reed, G. B.


477


Brinker, Joseph. 178


Ross, St. Clair


482


Brocker, F. A. 182


189


Stone, W. F.


76


Burdssl, C. S 194


Sampson, A. J.


490


Byers, W. N


202


Smedley, William


495


Butler, Hugh.


207 Steele, H. K.


500


Chaffee, J. B.


60


Sopris, R. 504


508


Clayton, W. M. 216


Smith, E. L ..


513


Clough, H. A. 225


Scherrer, J


518


Charpiot, F 230


Collins, E. H.


234 Streight, H. A.


Crow, H.


238 Schiodelholz, A. 536


243 Steck, Amos, 540


248


Teller, H. M.


68


Thatcher, S. H.


72


Dailey, J. L ..


261


Decker, W. S.


266


Teller, Willard


554


Williams, W. H.


562


Dodge, D. C.


284


Whitehead, W. R.


567


Downing, A. J. 288 Evans, John. 22


Wright, C. W.


580


Elbert, S. H.


32 Wall, D. K. 685


Wilson, W. E. 690


292 Elliott, V. A 297 Walrod, A .. 594


598


Everett, A. S. 310


Walker, J. M. 603


Farmer, J. P.


315


Williams, A. J 608


612


Field, T. M.


324


Younker, J. T.


Tritch, Georgs. 514 549


Vickers, W. B.


Denieon, Charles.


274


Woodbury, R. W


572


Chever, C. G.


212


Stanger, J. S.


Symes, G. G. 502 626


Cook, D. J.


Cola, Samuel


Cole, William,


252


Dudley, J. H.


270


Riethmann, J. J.


486


Buckingham, J. G.


Lathrop, C. C ..


410


Bailey, J. L. 99


Bancroft, F. J. 104


Morrison, A. A. 436


Markham, V. D. 441


Machebauf, J. P 459


Bliss, T. E .. 148


468 472 36


Routt, J. L.


Jacobson, E. P. 374


Woodbury, R. W.


454


Mcclintock's Block


Routt, J. L.


40


Greenleaf, L. N.


Hall, F .. 360


Jeneso, F. 387


PORTRAITS.


Elbert, F. J.


Estes, A. H. 302


Willoughby, E. A ..


COLORADO


NIL.


3N


SHIELD with three white peaks in chief, A pick and sledge beneath them crossed ; For crest, an eye with rays; a sheaf Of reeds about an ax; and tossed About its base a scroll I see, That says, " Nil sine numine."


Oh, child of Union, last born State, We read thee well in this device : That which hath made shall make thee great. Between green base and crown of ice Shine golden gifts that dower thee, Yet are " Nil sine numine."


The ax makes way for fold and field And marching men ; and none may bend Thy sheaf of knitted hearts; who wicld In caverns dim the blows that rend From earth her treasures; these agree All is " Nil sine numine."


We sing thy past, we sing thy praise. Not long for thee hath man made song, But hosts shall sing in coming days. And when thou sittest great and strong, Thy future still, oh, Queen, shall be, Though great, " Nil sine numine."


5


6


12


By running streams that fill the sands That thirsting, prayed so long in vain, . The desert children fill their hands With strange, sweet fruits, and deem the pain Of him that tills, its own reward, Nor any meed of thanks accord.


So, Princess proud, of infant years, Embowered here in green and gold, Thou hast no trace of all the tears These sands drank up; the hearts of old, That broke to see yon doors unseal, Naught of themselves in thee reveal.


Thus doth to-day annul the past ; There is no gratitude at all In Time, and Nature smooths at last The mounds men heap o'er those who fall, However nobly ; thus we see It is, hath been, shall ever be.


But once shall one rehearse thy days And all the pride of those that made Thy places pleasant and thy ways Sweet with swift brooks and green, gray shade ; Lo, memory opens here a book On which our children's eyes shall look.


Turn back the leaves a space, what then Beside this ever-changing stream : The rude scarce camp of bearded men, In guarded sleep they lie, nor dream Of shadowy walls about them set And domes of days that are not yet.


The sun looks not upon their rest. I hear the creak of scorching wheels, I know the hope that fills the breast, I feel the thrill the foremost feels ; I see the faces grimly set One way, with eyes that burn, and yet


13


I know that when all wearily Their feet have climbed the horizon They may not rest, for there will be The rainbow's foot still further on, That some shall faint and fall and die, With eyes fixed on that fantasy.


And yet the saddest face that turns Back from a quest unsatisfied May have more hope than his that burns A beacon in the eyes to guide Those harpies, Luxury and Lust- Lo, how they leave us in the dust.


I see the tide rise up and fall, I see the spent waves turn and fly That broke upon that mountain wall, And see where at its bases lie Worn waifs of men that cling and wait, That cling and droop, yet bravely wait.


A pæan for the brave who wait. Impatience slinks along the wall, And hears afar the battered gate Some day go thundering to its fall. Lo, how the worn host, wan and thin, Like giants rise and enter in.


" To him that wills," the prophet cries, " All good shall come." Behold ! how fair · The vision that their eager eyes Deemed unsubstantial as the air. We see fair streets from hill to hill, And by the river many a mill.


And temples towering far above, And busy markets crouched between, And bowers beside the hills, for love, As fair as any land hath seen, And fanes for Science reared, and Art, Beautiful, and sacred, and apart.


1


14


Y


Yet felt in all men's lives, to dream Was theirs with faith; they drove the plow And kept their herds, and it did seem As though the end were even now And here; so all held to their way, And day was added nnto day.


The wild things of the plain and hill Preyed on them, and were preyed upon. And vengeance had its own wild will, To come and go 'tween man and man. And might that questioned not of right, And hate, and fear, crept out at night.


And blood was cheap upon the street, And gold was dearer, some, than life, And many mornings did repeat The brutal record of the knife; There were worse spirits here, I know, Than Cheyenne and Arapahoe.


Yet ever grew the vision plain, And was a wonder, more and more, How day by day the golden grain Spread all the hills and valleys o'er. How wall on wall and street on street Its promised features men might greet.


One day a cloud rose in the east, And when night fell it was a flame; And soon across yon treeless waste, With sounds of winds and waters came The steeds of Empire, and her star From each plumed forehead flared afar.


The rays of steel before them beam, And close the myriad chariots throng With thunderous wheels, and arms that gleam Are borne by brown hands true and strong. And now, upon her border lands The vanguard of a nation stands.


1


G


2


15


Swift as those cloud-winged steeds may fly, The stranger journeys to our gates. Swift, day and night, he passes by Long stretches where the gray wolf waits. And lo! on his astonished eyes See Tadmor of the Desert rise.


A thousand leagues to yesterday, A thousand to the day before, And, right and left, away, away, Stretch solid seas without a shore, Where porpoise shoals of buffalo Along the sharp horizon go.


And now, he deems it half unreal. The sunset glints in golden hues Back from the river's polished steel, Up from the stately avenues, And sparkles from the spires, and swells And throbs, with sweet of evening bells.


The cows come lowing to the fold, And men throng glad to happy homes. He stands knee-deep in blossomed gold, The distant mountains are God's domes, And on his lips, in deep content, He tastes His wine of Sacrament.


Oh, happy homes, a prophet stands Here all alone on virgin soil, And spreads to you his hardened hands, That here will take their bliss of toil. Be glad ; your bow of promise bends And spans all beauty with its ends.


Seek not beyond ; the happy shores Bend nearer here than otherwhere. The gifts that wait beside your doors, And on the hills, and in the air, Are better than all old conceits, All faded and forgotten sweets.


G


1


16


I see the new Arcana rise, Touched with the fire of other days, And Nature, grown more rich and wise, Yield to your prayers her mysteries. Straight be your furrow, look not back, Trust that the harvest shall not lack.


Build yet, the end is not ; build on, · Build for the ages, unafraid ; The past is but a base whereon These ashlars, well hewn, may be laid. Lo, I declare I deem him blest


Whose foot, here pausing, findeth rest.


J. HARRISON MILLS.


L


5


6


William Gilpin


HISTORY OF COLORADO.


BY W. B. VICKERS.


CHAPTER I.


RINGING UP THE CURTAIN.


L OOKING backward over the brief history of | and national enthusiasm have combined to fire the the State of Colorado, the youngest and fair- hearts and souls and tongnes and pens of Colorado pilgrims, until now the State is so well and favor- ably known that its history may be written with the comfortable assurance that it will find many readers, and perhaps friendly critics, even though its faults are thick as dust in vacant chambers. est of our bright sisterhood, is like turning the leaves of some grand romance that has charmed us in the past, and promises to renew the pleasure when we shall address ourselves anew to its peru- sal. To write of such 'a wonder-land can only be a labor of love for those to whom its rare beauties and eventful history have been revealed. Colorado is a poem, a picture, an embodiment of romance. No fairy tale was ever told in which so many glad surprises entered as have marked like milestones the development of the Centennial State; but still the writer of its history must shrink dis- comfited from the full performance of his duty, discouraged by the incompetence of language to do justice to the absorbing theme.


These may sound like grand words; and the his- torian may be accused at the outset of a "gush- ing" tendency, better fitted to the poet's corner of a country newspaper than to such a work as this. Colorado has the reputation already of having inspired more "gush" than most of the older States. Even New England's rockbound shores, where the Pilgrim Fathers foregathered in the early days, has suffered by comparison with the heart and crown of the continent; and Pike's Peak is at least as well known as Plymouth Rock, beside being much more monumental. National pride


It may be well enough, perhaps, to confess at the outset that this sketch of the State is intended to be discursive rather than dryly statistical, and, although facts and figures will enter into its com- position, they are by no means likely to mar the pleasure of those opposed to the Gradgrind school of social economists. There is no lack, indeed, of interesting historical data, and the material inter- ests of the State deserve more recognition than they are likely to receive here; but there is no room for the long roll of pioneers more than there is for the almost endless list of paying mines. The most that can be crowded into this contracted space will be a skeleton history, filled out with pictures of the physical, social and business aspects of the State.


Chance reference to the pioneers of Colorado carries us hack to the days of '59 and the strug- gles and triumphs of the brave men and women who, twenty years ago, sat down before the mount- ain walls to huild a State, under circumstances the most discouraging. The Israelitish host who


1.


18


HISTORY OF COLORADO.


were forced by their masters to the task of making bricks without straw, had far more to encourage them than the early settlers of Colorado. The real utility of straw in the brick business has been doubted, hut there is no doubt that nine- tenths of the men who saw Colorado in 1859, con- sidered it nearly, if not quite, unfit for human hah- itation. The Great American Desert stretched almost from the Missouri River to the Rocky Moun- tains, a rainless, treeless waste, and the mountains themselves, however rich in gold and silver, offered small inducements for men to build themselves homes therein, much less populous and enterpris- ing cities, such as we see there now on every hand.


The grand passion of our '59ers was to get themselves rich, and concurrently to get themselves out of the country. Thousands of them thought the first of less consequence than the second, and so made themselves scarce without waiting for fortune to shower her gifts upon them, preferring the flesh-pots of " America," as the East for many years was called, to Colorado's sunny but unsym- pathetic and lonely skies. No thought had these, or, indeed, the others who remained, of the glori- ons future in store for the incipient State. Beau- tiful scenery, to be sure; but who could live on seenery? A fine climate, too; but that only aggra- vated appetite, when flour was worth $50 a sack. The man who turned his oxen out to die in the fall of '59, and surprised himself in the spring by rounding them up in good condition, was probably the first one who looked upon Colorado with a view to permanent residence. He was the father of the stock business, and his name ought to be handed down to future generations of cattle-grow- ers as their great original.


Although this expansive region was so new and strange and solitary to the settlers of twenty years ago, and although its history may properly date from the last decade but one, historical accuracy demands that mention be made of former races and tribes of men, who lived out their little lives within these very limits where our prosperous State now stands. Colorado can show the mute


yet eloquent records of a race of men, now and for many long ages unknown to those who succeeded them. In the cliff-houses of the Rio Mancos in Southwestern Colorado, there lived once a half- civilized people, probably descended from the ancient Aztecs, though possibly forerunners or rivals of that romantie race. Later still came the Mexicans, who once owned the country south of the Arkansas River, and who are still counted an important element about election times, some thou- sands of them remaining in the southern counties of the State, and as far north as Pueblo. Con- temporaneous with the latter, and possibly with the former, were the various tribes of American Indians who roamed these then pathless wilds and fought and bled and stole ponies with the same untiring industry which marks their descendants, and makes them the special pets and proteges of the Indian Bureau of to-day. The annals of Old Mexico are silent as to whether or not there was a Mexican Indian Bureau in those days, but it is safe to assume, no doubt, that, if there was, the Indian supplies were stolen long before they reached these outposts of Spanish-American civili- zation. The testimony of history, however, is that the Indians and Mexicans cultivated the Christian grace of dwelling together in harmony and peace, and found the land broad enough for both raees.


Evidently, the heritage of the soil was consid- ered of little worth by either the Indians or the Mexicans, for the former sat up no barriers against Mexican invasion, and the latter thought so little of the country that immense tracts of land were given away to almost any one who would take them. Old Mexican grants cover some of the best land in Southern Colorado.


The Spanish occupation of this country dates back to 1540-42, when Vasquez Coronado led an expedition in this dircetion, and explored the land thoroughly, as he thought, for gold, finding none. If the grim Spaniard could only revisit Colorado to-day, and view the rich treasures of Leadville and our mining districts generally; if he could


2


HISTORY OF COLORADO.


19


1


ride into Denver and stop at one of our leading hotels a few days, long enough to mark the mar- velous growth and activity of the city, what would he think of himself as a prospector and explorer?


From Coronado to Captain Pike is a long leap; but history has not bridged the interval with any account of intermediate explorations. Pike dates back only to the opening of the present century, 1806, when Colorado was a part and parcel of the Louisiana purchase. The Captain was sauntering over the State-of Louisiana-in the fall of the year, exploring the valleys of the Arkansas, when his attention was attracted by the famous mount- ain which bears his name.


Pike appears to have been, if not an ignorant, at least a superficial observer. He was the first white American tourist who visited Manitou and its mag- nificent surroundings, yet he never discovered the famous springs or noted the monument rocks in the Garden of the Gods. He did not even ascend the peak which he took the liberty of christening. In the account of his travels which he published in 1810, but which is now out of print, may be found the story of his attempt to scale the peak, an attempt which ended in ignominious failure. Like many another tenderfoot, he took the wrong direction, and emerged on a mountain fifteen or more miles distant from the peak proper. The latter, according to his story, was twice as high as the point on which he stood, and he thought it must be at least 18,500 feet above the level of Louis- iana proper.


This exaggerated statement is, however, plainly the result of ignorance and not of boasting. The Captain was no braggart. He did not claim to be the first explorer of " Western Louisiana," but mod- estly transfers that honor to one James Pursley, of Bardstown, Ky., whom he met at Santa Fe and with whom he compared notes. But Pursley must have been even more modest than Pike, for it nowhere appears that he claimed any credit for his discoveries, or named a mountain after himself.


Long's expedition, commanded by Col. S. H. Long, next visited Colorado, and Dr. E. James,


"surgeon, botanist and historian," of the party, was the first white man who ascended the Peak. IIe also discovered the famous springs at the foot of the mountain.


Fremont, the Pathfinder, came this way in 1843, and it was the report of his explorations which first awakened public interest in this territory. Although Fremont bore witness to the mineral character of the country, he reported no actual discovery of precious metals, nor did Pike. Pursley, the Ken- tuckian, told Pike there was gold here, but the latter attached little importance to the statement.


Fremont's party passed on to California, but next year returned by another route and explored North, Middle and South Parks, and reported many inter- esting observations. The mountains were full of game and moderately full of Indians, though none of these early explorers appear to have been troubled by the aborigines. Gen. Fremont's reports regarding the country seem to have attracted no settlers hitherward save a few French and half- breed fur-traders, who came West and settled down to grow up with the Indians. Most of them mar- ried one or more Indian wives, and became, as it were, connecting links between barbarism and civili- zation. The earliest settlers of Colorado found many of these rough-handed but warm-hearted people here on their arrival, and, indeed, many of them remain to this day, though death is decimat- ing their ranks very rapidly.




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