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THE MINES OF COLORADO.

CHAPTER I.

Glance at Pike's Peak prior to the Discovery of Gold-Discovery of Gold on Ralston Creek in 1852, and on Dry Creek in 1858Effect of the News in the States-Crossing the Plains-Indians -First View of the Mountains-Prospecting, Hunting-Placer Camp-Auraria-Arapahoe County-Election of Delegate to Congress and Representative to Kansas Legislature-Denver Town Company.

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IT is unnecessary here to inquire into the causes of the immemorial movement westward of the human race from its cradle in Asia. served, however, as marking an era in the world's history, that the planet is at last girdled; that the extraordinary mineral discoveries of Western North America have startled even the Orientals from their accustomed lethargy; and they are moving from China eastward, or rather westward, on the other side of the globe, to meet the historic column on this side, in the gold and silver fields of the Rocky Mountains. Thus we have a double westward movement, each wing starting originally from Asia, and pursuing the same direction, only on opposite

sides of the earth, to the same destination. There are those who think this double-action immigration pressure will essentially modify the future of the mining regions of North America. Buddhism and Polygamy will be brought into contact with Christianity and Monogamy; but it would seem to be the senility of age contending with the strength and vigor of youth. There can be no doubt as to which will triumph.

If we could examine the old Spanish archives in Mexico and Spain, we might perhaps find detailed accounts of explorations in the region of the Rocky Mountains now comprising Colorado; but if so, none of them is known or published to the world at large, thanks, we suppose, to the Japanese policy which formerly actuated the Colonial Governors and Captains-General of Spain in America. About twenty years ago a work was published which contained a full and authentic account of an expedition in the years 1540-1542, by order of the Viceroy Mendoca, and under the conduct of Vasquez Coronado. It consisted of three hundred and fifty Spaniards and eight hundred Indians. Starting from Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, they reached the sources of the Gila, passed across the mountains to the Rio del Norte, wintered twice in the Territory of New Mexico, explored it from north to south, and afterwards, taking a northeast course, crossed the mountains, reached the buffalo plains, which they traversed a considerable distance eastwardly and as far north as the 40th parallel. Finding no gold they returned to Mexico. The Spaniards did not

CAPTAIN ZEBULON M. PIKE.

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re-enter the country till the year 1581, and the conquest of New Mexico was not completed till about the year 1595. There is nothing of interest concerning this country in the published account of Coronado's long, fatiguing, resultless expedition. Had his party found the rich treasures of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, how different would have been the history of North America. But it seems that was not to be.

In our day the discoverer and first chronicler of these regions was the energetic and indefatigable Captain Zebulon M. Pike, after whom the "principal peak," as he calls it in his quaint and curious. "Account," was named. Colonel S. H. Long was

*"An Account of Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi, and through the western part of Louisiana, &c., in the years 1805, 1806, and 1807: Philadelphia, 1810."-Pike first saw the mountains from the Arkansas, November 15, 1806; November 24th to 28th he explored the north fork (Fontaine qui Bouit,) of the Arkansas, without discovering the soda springs, however, and ascended a chain south of the peak from which "the summit of the grand peak, which was entirely bare of vegetation and covered with snow, appeared at a distance of fifteen or sixteen miles from us, and as high again as we had ascended." Pike measured the altitude of his peak by triangulation "on the base of a mile," and counting the prairie 8000 feet above the level of the sea, made it 18,581 feet. He exaggerated in both instances. Subsequently he wandered about among the mountains with his few followers for two months in search of the sources of Red River, visiting the head waters of the South Platte, the Arkansas, and at last the Rio Grande, where he was taken prisoner by the Spaniards of New Mexico. In the Appendix to his "Account" Pike relates an incident curious enough in view of what has since transpired. He says he met in Santa Fe one James Pursley, from Bairdstown, Ky., "the first American who ever penetrated the immense wilds of western Louisiana," and who, after many adventures with the Indians, as whose captive he got

the second explorer of the country. The surgeon, botanist, and historian of Long's expedition was Dr. E. James, the first white man, so far as we know, whose foot ever trod the summit of Pike's Peak. He also measured its altitude by triangulation, and counting a point twenty-five miles below the springs on the Fountain, as it is now called, 3000 feet above sea level, made it 11,507.5 feet. His mistake was in estimating or calculating the elevation of his base. This was in 1820. In 1843 Fremont paid a hasty visit to the soda springs at the base of the peak. He was delighted with the beauty of the little mountain-walled cove containing the springs, remarked that the water resembled in taste the famous Selter Springs in the Grand Duchy of Nassau, and was almost of the same character though still more agreeable in taste than that of the Beer Springs on Bear River of the Great Salt Lake, and left us the following analysis of an incrustation made by the water on a piece of wood:

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into the Pike's Peak region, came to Santa Fe. "He assured me," says Pike, "that he found gold on the head of La Platte, and had carried some of the virgin mineral in his shot-pouch for months, and that the Spaniards had frequently solicited him to go and show a detachment of cavalry the place, but that, conceiving it to be our territory, he had refused.” Good boy.

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