The crowning wonder of this wonderful Denver & Rio Grande Railroad is
the Royal Gorge. Situated between Cañon City and Salida, it is easy
of access either from Denver or Pueblo. After the entrance to the
cañon has been made, surprise and almost terror comes. The train rolls
round a long curve close under a wall of black and banded granite,
beside which the ponderous locomotive shrinks to a mere dot, as if
swinging on some pivot in the heart of the mountain, or captured by a
centripetal force that would never resign its grasp. Almost a whole
circle is accomplished, and the grand amphitheatrical sweep of the
wall shows no break in its zenith-cutting facade. Will the journey end
here? Is it a mistake that this crevice goes through the range? Does
not all this mad water gush from some powerful spring, or boil out of
a subterranean channel impenetrable to us? No, it opens. Resisting
centripetal, centrifugal force claims the train, and it breaks away
at a tangent past the edge or around the corner of the great black
wall which compelled its detour and that of the river before it. Now
what glories of rock piling confront the wide-distended eye! How those
sharp-edged cliffs, standing with upright heads that play a handball
with the clouds, alternate with one another, so that first the right,
then the left, then the right one beyond strike our view, each one half
obscured by its fellow in front, each showing itself level browed with
its comrades as we come even with it, each a score of hundreds of dizzy
feet in height, rising perpendicularly from the water and the track,
splintered atop into airy pinnacles, braced behind against the almost
continental mass through which the chasm has been cleft. This is the
Royal Gorge.
* * * * *
The following is a description of the points of interest in the exact
order on the Trip Around the Circle, starting from Denver:
=Castle Rock.=--32 miles from Denver, east side of track. A bold and
remarkable promontory rising from the plain.
=Casa Blanca.=--50 miles from Denver, between Greenland station and
Palmer Lake, west side of track. An enormous white rock, 1,000 feet
long and 200 feet high, presenting the appearance of a castle.
=Palmer Lake.=--52 miles from Denver. A beautiful sheet of water on the
exact summit of the Divide, altitude 7,238 feet.
[Illustration: PIKE'S PEAK FROM THE GARDEN OF THE GODS.]
=Glen Park.=--Half mile south of Palmer Lake, west side of track.
Colorado's Chautauqua.
=Phœbe's Arch.=--One mile south of Palmer Lake, east side of track. A
natural archway through a massive, castled rock of red sandstone.
=Monument Park.=--65 miles from Denver, distant view, west side of
track, from Edgerton station. A natural park filled with fantastic and
imitative rock formations.
=Pike's Peak.=--75 miles from Denver, 5 miles from Colorado Springs.
The most famous peak of the Rockies, altitude 14,147 feet. Easy of
ascent from Manitou.
=Manitou Springs.=--Manitou branch, 80 miles from Denver, 5 miles
from Colorado Springs. The Saratoga of the West. Popular summer
resort, wonderful effervescent and medicinal springs. Surrounded by
more objects of interest than any other pleasure resort in the world,
including "Garden of the Gods," "Glen Eyrie," "Red Rock Cañon,"
"Crystal Park," "Engleman's Cañon," "William's Cañon," "Manitou Grand
Caverns," "Cave of the Winds," "Ute Pass," "Rainbow Falls," and "Bear
Creek Cañon."
=Garden of the Gods.=--Manitou branch. One and one-half miles from
Manitou. Famous the world over as a most interesting and wonderful
park, abounding in strange and majestic rock forms.
=Cheyenne Mountain.=--Two miles south of Colorado Springs. One of the
most beautiful of the Rocky Mountains, in which are the Cheyenne Cañons
and the Seven Falls. Near the summit of this mountain is the burial
place of the author and poet, "H. H."
=Spanish Peaks.=--Two twin peaks rising from the plains, without any
foothills, forming a most striking picture. Visible all the way, to the
eastward, from Pueblo until the descent of Veta Pass into the San Luis
Valley is begun. Height of peaks respectively, 13,620 and 12,720 feet.
=Sierra Blanca.=--This monarch of all the Rocky Mountains, and the
loftiest in the United States with but one exception, can be seen from
Garland station, and remains in full view until the San Luis Park is
left behind. Elevation, 14,464 feet.
=Wagon Wheel Gap.=--Del Norte branch. The hot springs of the Wagon
Wheel Gap are famous for their curative qualities. The place is
exceedingly picturesque and has become a favorite health and pleasure
resort. The best trout fishing in the West. Distance from Denver, 310
miles. Elevation, 8448 feet.
[Illustration: ALIGNMENT OF TOLTEC GORGE DISTRICT.]
=Creede.=--Del Norte branch. New mining camp of great promise.
Population 8,000. The latest and greatest mineral discovery.
=Entrance to the Gap.=--Del Norte branch. The gap proper is a cleft
through a great hill with walls suggesting the palisades of the Hudson
and of about the same height. Through this gap flows the waters of the
Rio Grande del Norte, bright and sparkling, fresh from their mountain
sources.
=San Luis Park.=--This park or valley is one hundred miles long by
sixty broad, altitude 7,000 feet, surrounded by mountains from 4,000
to 7,000 feet higher than the plain. The soil is fertile, and by
irrigation is being developed into a fine agricultural region. Distance
from Denver, 250 miles.
=Phantom Curve.=--After Sublette, 305 miles from Denver, has been
passed, the road makes a great bend around the side of a mountain; on
the left rise tall monuments of sandstone cut by the elements into the
form of weird and fantastic figures; this has been appropriately named
"Phantom Curve."
=Toltec Gorge.=--From Big Horn, distant 298 miles from Denver, to
Cumbres, there is a succession of magnificent and awe-inspiring views.
About midway between the two, at Toltec station, 309 miles from Denver,
is Toltec Gorge. The road traverses the verge of this great chasm, the
bottom of which is 1,500 feet below. The best view is on the bridge
immediately after passing through Toltec Tunnel.
=Garfield Memorial.=--Just beyond the bridge at Toltec Gorge stands a
monument of granite in memory of President Garfield. On the 26th day of
September, 1881, the National Association of General Passenger Agents,
at the time President Garfield was being buried in Cleveland, held
memorial services at the mouth of Toltec Tunnel, and since have erected
this beautiful monument in memory of the event.
=Cumbres Summit.=--Distant from Denver, 329 miles. Summit of the
Conejos range. Elevation, 10,014 feet.
=Trimble Hot Springs.=--Health and pleasure resort, 459 miles from
Denver, 9 miles from Durango and 36 miles from Silverton. The springs
are noted for their strong remedial character. Elevation, 6,644 feet.
=Animas Cañon.=--Just beyond Rockwood, 469 miles from Denver, the
Animas Cañon begins. This gorge is formed by the breaking through the
range of the Rio de las Animas Perdidas. The road is built along a
shelf cut in the solid rock-wall of the cañon, which towers 500 feet
above and drops 1,000 feet below the track. In this it differs from all
other scenes on the line.
[Illustration: ALIGNMENT OF MARSHALL PASS DISTRICT.]
=The Needles.=--After emerging from the western extremity of Animas
Cañon, the traveler can see The Needle Mountains, the most peculiar and
striking of the Rockies, thrusting their splintered pinnacles into the
regions of perpetual snow.
=Elk Park.=--Animas Cañon having been passed, the road enters Elk Park,
a beautiful little valley in the midst of the range, a spot rich in
material for the artist in search of new impressions.
=Garfield Peak.=--At the western extremity of Elk Park rises Garfield
Peak, a grand and impressive mountain towering to a height of a mile
above the track.
=Sultan Mountain.=--Silverton, the terminus of this branch of the
line, is 495 miles from Denver. It is surrounded by mountains rich in
mineral-bearing mines. One of the most picturesque of these is Sultan
Mountain, which reaches an elevation of 14,115 feet.
=Ouray.=--Picturesque mountain town. Hot springs of medicinal
properties make this a resort for health and pleasure. The mines
surrounding Ouray are among the richest in Colorado. Population, 3,000.
Distance from Denver, 388 miles. Elevation, 7,640 feet.
=Los Pinos Agency.=--The ruins of the old Los Pinos Agency can be seen
13 miles from Montrose. The old store house and council chamber are
still standing.
=Cantonment of the Uncompahgre.=--Nine miles from Montrose the road
passes the Government post, where soldiers are still stationed.
=Chippeta's Home.=--Four miles from Montrose can still be seen the late
residence of Chippeta, the widow of Ouray, the dead Ute chief, who was
always the friend of the white man.
=Uncompahgre Mountains.=--After passing Montrose, 353 miles from
Denver, a fine view of the Uncompahgre Mountains, extending to the
southwest, can be obtained. Uncompahgre Peak, the monarch of the range,
rises to an altitude of 14,235 feet.
=Cerro Summit.=--The ascent is commenced directly after leaving
Cimarron station on the westward journey. From here the Uncompahgre
Valley, its river and the distant, picturesque peaks of the San Juan
are within full sight of the traveler.
=Cimarron Cañon.=--Western entrance to Black Cañon, the road passing
up Cimarron Creek, where it debouches in the Gunnison. The Cimarron
abounds in trout and the country round about swarms with large game.
[Illustration: MANITOU.]
=Currecanti Needle.=--Situated in a spacious amphitheater, midway of
the Black Cañon, this curious monolith towers upward like a great
cathedral spire.
=Chippeta Falls.=--A beautiful waterfall near the east end of Black
Cañon, that plunges from the summit of the cañon wall, descending in a
sheet of snowy spray to the Gunnison River below.
=Black Cañon.=--Twenty-five miles west from Gunnison. Along many miles
of this grand gorge the railroad lies upon a shelf hewn from the living
rock, which rises frequently to an altitude of over two thousand feet.
The cañon is sixteen miles in length, and abounds in many striking
features.
=Gunnison River and Valley.=--Just after passing Gunnison City, 290
miles from Denver, the valley of the Gunnison is entered, and upon the
right, as one journeys westward, flows the beautiful Gunnison river.
=Mount Shavano.=--Shavano is a companion to Mount Ouray, and rises on
the opposite side of the track to an altitude of 14,238 feet.
=Mount Ouray.=--At the summit of Marshall Pass, 242 miles from Denver.
An extinct volcano whose crater can be plainly seen. Altitude 14,043
feet.
=Marshall Pass.=--Begins six miles from Poncha Junction, at Mears
Junction. The summit of the Pass has an altitude of 10,852 feet. From
this point a magnificent view can be had of the Sangre de Cristo range
extending to the southeast. The pass is a scenic and a scientific
wonder, grades of 211 feet to the mile are frequent, and the ascent and
descent are made by a series of most remarkable curves. The streams
from the summit flow eastward into the Atlantic and westward into the
Pacific.
=Poncha Pass.=--Two miles from Poncha Junction; leads up to Marshall
Pass.
=Poncha Springs.=--Five miles from Salida. Noted hot springs.
Temperature of the water varies in the different springs, 100 in
number, from 90° to 185° Fahrenheit. A great health resort. Altitude,
7,480 feet.
=Arkansas River and Valley.=--The railroad crosses the Arkansas River
at Salida, and from the bridge, and until the town of Poncha Springs
has been passed, a fine view can be had of the river and its fertile
valley.
=Collegiate Peaks.=--Harvard, Yale and Princeton peaks, plainly seen
from the vicinity of Salida to the northwest. Altitude, respectively,
14,383 feet, 14,101 feet, 14,199 feet.
[Illustration: BEAR CREEK FALLS.]
=Sangre de Cristo Range.=--On approaching Salida, near the western end
of the Grand Cañon, there is a break in the walls through which fine
pictures of the Sangre de Cristo peaks present themselves.
=The Royal Gorge.=--The climax of all the grandeur of the Grand Cañon
of the Arkansas lies midway in this wonderful chasm. The best view can
be obtained from the famous hanging bridge. Here the walls of the cañon
rise to a perpendicular height of 2,600 feet above the track.
=Grand Cañon of the Arkansas.=--165 miles from Denver, between Cañon
City and Parkdale, eight miles long. The world-famed chasm through
which the river makes its way to the plains.
* * * * *
The following points of interest are located on the line of the Rio
Grande Southern Railroad between Durango and Ridgway:
=Cliff Dwellings.=--Those interesting ruins are located in the Mancos
Cañon and the Montezuma Valley, some twenty miles to the south of
Mancos station, and easily accessible from that point by a delightful
drive over a mountain road. A journey to this historic spot will well
repay the time and trouble it would involve. Teams with guides and
drivers can be engaged at Mancos.
=Lost Cañon.=--This small cañon is between Mancos and Dolores, and
hough not so long or high as numbers of others in the Circle tour, is
nonetheless interesting, as it possesses many novelties in the way of
mountain scenery.
=Dolores Cañon.=--While this cañon is not particularly deep, its
natural beauties are manifold, and are sure to make a lasting
impression on the beholder. This cañon is passed just before arriving
at Rico.
=Rico.=--An important mining town of some 2,000 inhabitants,
beautifully situated in the center of a huge amphitheater of high,
snow-capped mountains.
=Lizard Head Pass.=--A mountain pass similar to Marshall Pass, crossing
the Uncompahgre Range at an elevation of 10,248 feet. The serpentine
windings of the railroad up the mountain sides are full of interest.
=Lizard Head.=--A peculiar rock formation at the summit of the pass of
the same name resembling the head of a mountain lizard.
=Trout Lake.=--A beautiful little lake of clear, cold mountain water,
filled with thousands of trout. Good accommodations for the sportsman
are near at hand, and a few days can be pleasantly spent here.
[Illustration: MOUNT OURAY, EAST SLOPE OF MARSHALL PASS.]
=The Ophir Loop.=--The descent down the mountain side after leaving
Trout Lake is called as above, and is one of the most daring and
intricate pieces of railroad engineering that exists in the world.
=Telluride.=--Telluride is located on a branch from the main line some
ten miles away. It is surrounded on all sides by high mountains whose
faces are potted with innumerable mines, whose product is the chief
source of revenue to the 2,500 inhabitants of this beautiful mountain
town.
=San Miguel River.=--Leaving Vance Junction, the line follows the
course of the San Miguel River through the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.
=The Dallas Divide.=--This divide is over a spur of the Uncompahgre
Range on grades of three and tour per cent. Leaving the summit, going
eastward toward Ridgway and to the right of the train, is the main
range of the Uncompahgre with its soft shaded sides towering into
splintered pinnacles above.
=Ridgway.=--The northern terminus of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad
and the junction of that road and the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad; a
city of some 1,500 inhabitants. Here are located the round-houses and
the shops of the Rio Grande Southern, giving employment to hundreds of
machinists and laborers.
[Illustration]