| Show Story r Colorados Colorado's Story R f t e ea t r s r a Z 7 V sg a Crude Forerunner of the Modern Ore Mill MITI I Prepared Pro b by National Society U D C. C C soulee story of Colorados Colorado's swift Tim development dl In III the short space of one lifetime Is crammed with romance tragedy edy and high adventure with strokes Itro of good fortune and aull ill 1 as are fe few chapters In the tile national chronicle One day the time region was raw virtually vir untouched by civilization cl The next almost men mea were stunting starting I to make a state out of or thin mountain moun lain tain air and ond dusty dust sagebrush flats fiats were selling town lots n nt at t auction Issuing newspapers building homes churches saloons and theaters organizing organizing or or- stagecoach companies talking politics l The Tile stage probably had never been Leen better set let during American his his- history tory tor than during 1839 8 for a n rush to new lands The country was In the middle of a II great financial depres slon sion Tens of thousands of others othel's were ere barely barel making livings and were restless ess Then the news of gold discoveries In tho time PIkes lIkes Teak Peak country sifted back not last not the true facts fact but preposterously glowing accounts the time winter snows had melted melt ed long lines of travelers were In motion converging on the frontier towns nearest the peak country coon COlin try try-Leavenworth try Lawrence Nebraska Ne- Ne braska City What t a 11 mad mild scramble It Il became that mass marching to find the rainbows rainbow's end endl l Over the boundless prairie west of the settlements It with scarcely II a break from the Missouri MIsouri to the Hockles Sturdy covered conred wn wagons with three yokes yok's of oxen light tight wagons drawn drown by hy horses and ond mules mule's horseback riders men n and women on foot trundling loaded pushcarts other pedestrians with knapsacks some sOllie reckless souls with nothing but hut the clothes they Ihly wore oil wore nil poured on toward the Land peak or host was blazoned on many a II wagon In the motley train Some of these were to meet dis dis- disappointment appointment nt at the meager gold gohl showings In the river sands and to return In a n few months with only a sense senKe of humor left the old sign I marked out nail below a 0 laconic new one hosted Hasted by Gosh I Pikes Peak Diggings the time discouraged return stampede to the Fast could run Its course there came rame news new of really substantial gold 1 discoveries In Inel el veins I then new hopes n anti and nil n a new and antI bigger gold Iohl rush Where had gone he before fore now probably crossed the tho plains The Colorado mountains It seemed might be Americas America last frontier and Americans turned toward them themus us ua children troop to a 0 street pa pa- rude rudl They overran the time existing towns built new ones clambered Into time the mountains staked claims claim or Jumped them du dug played riotously riot fought organized vigilante committees and courts and began lIn Ineptly nt at first lint but determinedly to Iron out the Ibe rough edges of the tile frontier Into a civilized community So began the Tikes PIkes Peak Teak Diggings Dig gings a n group of communities s that was to spread over a great grEnt area and to become 17 11 years later Inter the Centennial state Colorado Is U something of on nn anomaly Acro s It marches North Americas America's mountain range ronge and within It U are ore concentrated concentrated concen concen- Uncle Sams Sam's greatest group of lofty peals peaks Among these mountains moun rise some of the country's maJar major ma ma- jor Jar rivers Yet Vet at no point does range or stream mark Colorados Colorado's boundaries Its straight lines of M meridians anti and parallels hurdling all natural geographic features actually ac so- lushly bear bElr n closer relationship to Ore England and the Equa Equator tor ton than luau they do 40 to the tile Hocky moun moun- mountains talus or the time Colorado river The eastern castern two fifths of the state Is a II plains country a 11 continuation of the gently undulating and always rather dry prairies prairIe of on western Kansas Kan sas and Bcd Nebraska Approach from the time west and ond yon find that Utah carries over oyer Into the extreme western part of Colorado Cola Colo ratio rado Oil ast Kansas and Its Us neighbors do on the time east Dry Orl plains alternate alternate alter alter- nate with table tablelands their rock rocky slopes clad with scraggy bushes bushel Central 1 Area of Colorado Time The treat great nt central area where the earth ruth hn has hns been thrust un Is the region of glittering gold goia to which Colorado owes Its birth ns os a state If It you fOU would plunge Into obi old 0 ef of It gold gold- mining days drive e west nest from Den fn S. S ver cr on paved la Id roads over OHr the foothills foot toot hills and up Clear Cleur creek for 23 mills miles There strung out In n a canon canyon can cnn yon on you jou ou will find Idaho Springs fa fa- mOils mons as os the town that Is three miles long tong anti and three blocks wide Look up to 10 sights flights that will become become be III come more and ond more familiar as ns you yon ou poke about time the mountains holes moles torn In the hillside with steeply sloping Moping dumps outside as though huge hURe animals had du dug lairs scratching the debris out behind them A few are mere prospect holes holE's where some treasure seeker guessed wrong wron Others are portals of tunnels There are steep steep- rooted roofed mills some abandoned some preserved for a better day Hut push deeper Into the pioneer country Turn Tura up Virginia canyon and over oer a II tremendous ridge to Central Central Central Cen Cen- City and Black Hawk the cradle cnn cra dIe dle of the time Colorado mining Indus try Here at fit the Gregory Gregor Diggings Dig Dig- gings the time first gold was dug from veins the first crude ore crusher was evolved evolve the first steam quartz mill was S erected It was the the miners miner's laboratory Steam tire Ire chemicals were tried In the battle to pry precious precious pre pre- cious clous gold from worthless rock and finally In 1807 1507 the first experimental mental smelter was set fet up Central City was a 0 lusty town In those days vying with Denver Itself until welt well after Colorado became became be came clime n a state At At one time both United States senators and the states state's single member of or the lIO house of or representatives es hailed from the little mountain town It has hns never become a 0 ghost town like many of or orthe the early mining but at times In recent years U t has seemed to have at least one line foot fout In the gra grave grace C Gold Gol has Imas been c a fetish In Colo v ratio rullo as It tins has In all ail outer other parts of or the world where It might be had bad for tor the digging tUgging but It has played placed placeda a 11 ml mighty part In the states state's life lite Gold Stilt Still the Magic Word Colorado has manifold manHole Int Interests rests and diverse activities now but hasn't deserted the old love Talk for half nn an hour to any substantial west of the one hundred rind and fifth firth meridian and Inevitably th the magic word gold will creep creel Into the conversation 00 Through n It new quest n a newl newly discovered ere 1 vein n new process perhaps only a 0 new lIew personality whose genius for management management man man- Is taking hold of or a It seemingly seemingly seem seem- worthless property anti and making mak I ing log It 11 pity pay Interest In gold U is continually con kept alive all fanning from front the gravels and sands of streams was the earliest method of gold recovery practiced In Colorado ns as It has hns been In most of at the worlds world's gold fields Then In Inthe Inthe inthe the mountains prospectors found the weathered veins of or ore from which the golden grains had hod been wo washed warned and Colorado's Colorados second chapter In gold reco er recovery started The third phase came COUle when the hard veins velas were fol fol- followed lowed Into the rocky hearts of the mountains It was then that Colo Colo- rude gold mining ceased censed to be he a n one-man one possibility Much capital was required Companies took hold bold complicated treating plants were erected and nod finally the era of smellers smelters smelt smell ers was ushered In In Colorado has entered the fourth stage of gold mining now and ond if ie Is a t typical modern American stage of or more efficient organization tion better machinery aOl and more careful management mining com com- ponies today are able to make money mOl from ore so 1 low In grade that a n generation ago It 11 was of tit no nomore nomore nomore more value for mining than the top soil soU of or an nn Iowa corn farm A As you fOU explore Colorados Colorado's mountain moun moon thin tain region rich alike In gold anti and superb scenery you OU find excellent motor roads penetrating the roughest rough est terrain The states state's mountain highway system has open opened Id I'd up this region of tumbled tumble 1 peaks only In recent re re- re rent cent years fears Twenty years ago ORO the state states summer land 1 consisted al almost III al most exclusively of the time foothill country and the eastern slopes of the front range ronI Now with four tour excellent main highways crossing the Continental divide and with a II network of minor roads and trails available tag log numbers of the holiday crowds are pushing Into the back country where the fishing Is better where the highways are less crowded and where If it one wishes to penetrate still further farther he can ron leave tion Itself bt behind and live Uve for a II time in to an unspoiled wilderness |
