"Around the Circle"

RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN ROUTE.

Leaving Durango via the Rio Grande Southern line, the tourist is whisked across the Rio de Las Animas up Lightner Creek, past the silver and gold smelters with their seething furnaces and smoke and dust-begrimed workmen, and shortly past the famous coal banks where the black diamond is dug from the bowels of Mother Earth, and from there hauled to the smelters where it is used for the reduction and refining of its more exalted, but not more useful brethren.

Up through the valley the train speeds along among huge pines which thus far have escaped the woodman's axe, and which will be free from such invasion as long as Uncle Sam claims this particular spot as the especial reservation for the military post at old Fort Lewis.

From Fort Lewis the line passes through seemingly endless forests of pine trees, and after the reservation is passed an occasional saw-mill is sighted from its emitting unearthly screeches, which the knowing ones say is merely the head sawyer sharpening up.

CLIFF DWELLERS.

Descending the mountain into the valley, the beholder looks out on a broad expanse of fertile, well-watered country, surrounded on all sides by snow-capped mountains, and dotted with the rancheros of the hardy pioneer, who has been well repaid for his daring in locating in this far-away but beautiful valley, by its productiveness, and now that the railroad, that greatest of all civilizers, has come, he has abundant opportunities for the disposition of his produce.

In the center of this valley lies Mancos station, which is the junction with the main line of the proposed extension of this road into Arizona.

To the south of Mancos station within a day's drive, and easily accessible, are the ruins of the strange habitations of an extinct and mysterious race known as the Cliff Dwellers. To those seeking curiosities and wonders, the great Cañon of the Mancos, the great Montezuma Valley, the McElmo Cañon, the Lower Animas Valley and the Chaco Cañon are the wonderlands of the world. They contain thousands of homes, and a town of the ancient race of Mound Builders and "Cliff Dwellers," that has attracted the curious ever since the discovery of America. The great Mancos Cañon contains hundreds of these homes which were built and occupied hundreds of years ago. Yet many of them are in a good state of preservation, and in them have been found hundreds of specimens of pottery, and implements of husbandry and warfare. This cañon is twenty miles south of Mancos, over a good wagon road. The cañon is cut through Mesa Verda, a distance of thirty miles, and the walls on either side rise to a perpendicular height of two thousand feet. These cliff dwellings are built in the sides of this cañon, as shown in the illustration. Fifteen miles farther west from the Mancos is situated the great Montezuma Valley, where thousands of fine specimens of pottery have been found among the ruins of that ancient people. On the west side of this valley is the great McElmo Cañon, also full of the ancient homes of the "Cliff Dwellers." Thirty-five miles south of Durango, in the valley of the Animas, are some extensive ruins of the Aztecs, and fifty miles further south are the wonderful ruins in the Chaco Cañon. These ancient Pueblos are, without doubt, the most extensive and the best preserved of any in the United States. Of these Prof. Hayden, in his report of the Geological Survey of the United States for the year 1866, says: "The great ruins in the Chaco Cañon are pre-eminently the finest examples of the works of the unknown builders to be found north of the seat of ancient Aztec Empire in Mexico." There are eleven extensive Pueblos in this cañon, nearly all in a good state of preservation, and their appearance indicates that they were once the home of fifteen hundred to three thousand people each. They are the most accessible from Mancos of any point on the line of railroads. From the thousands of ruins of cities, towns and families found throughout this great San Juan Valley, it is evident that once this great valley was the home of hundreds of thousands of this extinct race. That they were a peaceful and agricultural race of people is evidenced by the large number of their implements of husbandry and specimens of corn and beans found in these ruins, besides irrigating ditches and reservoirs for the storage of water.

SULTAN MOUNTAINS.

Leaving Mancos, the road winds up the sloping sides of a flat-topped mountain, and there on its summit, among huge pines centuries old, bubbles up a clear, cold spring of sparkling water, forming the stream that flows down through the beautiful Lost Cañon, and is called by the unpoetic name of "Lost Cañon Creek."

Lost Cañon is a novelty in itself, as its sides are densely wooded and softly carpeted with a thick bed of moss and leaves, beautifully colored by millions of Colorado wild flowers whose delicate beauty is unrivaled.

Emerging from Lost Cañon the traveler is whirled up to the beautiful valley of the Dolores River, with its many ranches and farms, past the town of the same name. Off to the left, flowing to the eastward, comes bubbling down the mountain side into the larger river, the West Dolores, and no more famous or prolific trout stream exists than this.

Continuing on up the main river, the valley begins to narrow down, until we are once more within the walls of a cañon which takes its name from the stream flowing through it. While this cañon is not particularly deep, its natural beauties are manifold and are sure to make a lasting and delightful impression on the beholder.

Rushing out of the cañon the tourist is now landed at Rico. Rico is one of the most important mining towns of the State, whose mines dot the mountain sides, and whose product is packed in the cars on the backs of the ever-patient and faithful burro, without which no mining camp can be complete. The town is located in what was at one time the crater of a large volcano. Precipitous mountains with poetic names arise upon all sides of it, gradually widening, until by describing a circle of their summits they appear as the top of a huge funnel. Among them is the famous Telescope Mountain, a freak of nature only to be seen to form a proper realization of the aptness of its name. The place has much of historic interest, as evidences of early Spanish discoveries are found on many sides.

Leaving Rico, the line continues up the Dolores, which grows smaller and smaller, until it becomes a mere silver thread winding in and out among huge rocks and boulders. Thirteen miles north of Rico, and after climbing many miles of three and four per cent, grades, the summit of the Lizard Head Pass is reached at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet. From the summit and to the left will be seen the Lizard Head, a peculiar rock formation capping a tall, bare mountain. This rock derives its name from its resemblance to the head of a mountain lizard, though at the same time it may be said to resemble the shaft of some large monument.

OPHIR LOOP.

Descending the pass through the mountain gorges over rushing mountain streams, one finds one's self at Trout Lake. No more graphic description of this sheet of beautiful blue water can be given than a verse from a poem by "H. H."

"The mountain's wall in the water;

It looks like a great blue cup;

And the sky looks like another

Turned over, bottom side up."

Here the sport-inclined tourist may spend a few days, for the lake is inhabited by thousands and thousands of mountain trout.

Shortly after leaving Trout Lake, the famous Ophir Loop is passed. Here the skill of the engineer was taxed to its utmost, for the track winds in zig-zags down the mountain side, rushing through a deep cut here, over a mountain torrent and a high bridge there, darting around sharp curves, in and out of snowsheds, until on the opposite mountain and high above us is to be seen a line of freshly-turned earth, which the knowing ones say is the track over which we have just passed.

From Vance Junction, a side trip of ten miles, which will well repay the tourist, can be made to Telluride, a mining town of some 2,500 inhabitants, nestling among snow-capped mountains, rising to stupendous heights and rich in gold and silver.

From Vance Junction the journey is continued down the San Miguel River, past Placerville, until the river leaves the rail, and again we commence to go up; this time over the Dallas Divide. This pass resembles Marshall Pass, though not quite so long. After reaching the summit, the line runs down the eastern slope along Leopard Creek, high above it on the mountain side, giving a most magnificent view of the Uncompahgre Range to the south with its gentle slopes softly colored by the deep, dark foliage of dense pine and fir forests, gradually rising until the mountains develop into a huge mass of shattered pinnacles, their topmost points covered with the everlasting snow.

Arriving at Ridgway, a city of some 1,500 inhabitants, the journey is again resumed on the original route via the Denver & Rio Grande.

ILIUM CURVE.

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THE RAINBOW ROUTE.

From Durango, the metropolis of the San Juan, to Silverton the scenery is of surpassing grandeur and beauty. The railroad follows up the course of the Animas River (to which the Spaniards gave the musical but melancholy title of "Rio de las Animas Perdidas," or River of Lost Souls), until the picturesque mining town of Silverton is reached. The valley of the Animas is traversed before the cañon is reached, and the traveler's eyes are delighted with succeeding scenes of sylvan beauty. To the right is the river, beyond which rise the hills; to the left are mountains, increasing in rugged contour as the advance is made; between the track and the river are cultivated fields and cosy farmhouses, while evidences of peace, prosperity and plenty are to be seen on every hand. Nine miles above Durango, Trimble Hot Springs are reached. The spacious hotel stands within a hundred yards of the road to the left of the track. Here are medicinal hot springs of great curative value, and here, in the season, gather invalids and pleasure seekers to drink the waters and enjoy the delights of this charming resort. Leaving the springs behind, the train speeds up the valley, which gradually narrows as the advance is made; the ascending grade becomes steeper, the hills close in, and soon the view is restricted to the rocky gorge within whose depths the raging waters of the Animas sway and swirl.

Animas Cañon has characteristics peculiarly its own. The railroad does not follow the bed of the stream, but clings to the cliffs midway of their height; and a glance from the car window gives one the impression of a view from a balloon. Below, a thousand feet, are the waters of the river—in places, white with foam; in quiet coves, green as ocean's depths. Above, five hundred feet, climb the combing cliffs, to which cling pines and hemlocks. The cañon here is a mere fissure in the mountain's heart, so narrow that one can easily toss a stone across and send it bounding down the side of the opposing rock wall until it falls into the waters of the river coursing through the abyss below. Emerging from this wonderful chasm, the bed of the gorge rises until the roadway is but a few feet above the level of the stream. The close, confining and towering walls of rock are replaced by mountains of supreme height. The Needles, which are among the most peculiar and striking of the Rockies, thrust their sharp and splintered peaks into the regions of eternal frost.

Elk Park is a quiet little nook in the midst of the range, with vistas of meadows and groves of pines, a spot which would furnish the artist many a subject for his canvass.

At the end of Elk Park stands Garfield Peak, lifting its summit a mile above the track. Beyond are marshaled the everlasting mountains, and through them for miles extends, in varying beauty and grandeur, the cañon of the Animas. Frequent waterfalls glitter in the sunlight, leaping from crag to crag, only to lose themselves at last in the outflowing river. Emerging finally from this environment of crowding cliffs, the train sweeps into Baker's Park and arrives at Silverton in the heart of the San Juan.

Silverton is interesting, both from its picturesque position and from the fact that it is a mining town. The mountains by which it is surrounded on all sides are honeycombed with the shafts and tunnels of innumerable mines. Sultan Mountain, which overlooks the town, is a noble and impressive elevation, and adds to the grandeur of the scene by its regal presence.

MOUNT BEATLE.

From Silverton the journey "Around the Circle" is continued by taking the Silverton Railway, a road constructed up the difficult grades of Red Mountain, and doing an immense business in the handling of ores which are taken from these rich deposits; also employed in the transportation of passengers. This wonderful road owes its construction to the genius, daring and wealth of one man, Mr. Otto Mears, who has for years been the "pathfinder" of the San Juan region, building toll roads and opening the gates of prosperity to the many mining towns of this mountainous country. He is the sole owner of the road, and has conquered engineering difficulties of the most astounding character. The line does not as yet bridge the gap between Silverton and Ouray, and from Ironton, its terminus, stages carry tourists over the mountains to the latter point, where the trip is resumed by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.

The stage ride forms one of the most attractive features of this most attractive journey. Lasting only two hours, passing over the summits of ranges and through the depths of cañons, the tourist will find this a welcome variation to his method of travel and a great relief and recreation. The old fashioned stage, with all its romantic associations, is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. A year or two more and it will have disappeared, except in rare instances, from Colorado. Here, in the midst of some of the grandest scenery on the continent, the blue sky above and the fresh, pure, exhilarating mountain air sending the blood bounding through one's veins, to clamber into a Concord coach and be whirled along a splendidly-constructed road, costing in some instances $40,000 a mile in its construction, to behold the grandest of Nature's handiwork, and to be in such close communion with the everlasting hills, is surely a novel and delightful experience.

The scenery on this journey between Silverton and Ouray is of the greatest magnificence. This is especially true of that portion of the route traversed by stage. The Silverton and Ouray toll road has long been noted for its attractions in the way of scenery, the triangular mass of Mount Abraham's towers to the left, while the road winds around the curves of the hills with the sinuosity of a mountain brook. The scene from the bridge over Bear Creek is one which once beheld can never be forgotten. Directly under the bridge plunges a cataract to a depth of 253 feet, forming a most noteworthy and impressive scene. The toll road passes through one of the greatest mining regions in the world, and the fame of Red Mountain is well deserved both from the number and richness of its mines. Before Ouray is reached, the road passes through Uncompahgre Cañon. Here the roadbed has been blasted from the solid rock wall of the gorge, and a scene similar in nature and rivaling in grandeur that of Animas Cañon is beheld.

MOUNT ABRAM, OURAY TOLL ROAD.

Ouray is one of the most beautifully situated towns to be found anywhere. Its scenery is idyllic. The village is cradled in a lovely valley surrounded by rugged mountains. The situation of the town is thus vividly described by Ernest Ingersoll in the "Crest of the Continent": "The valley in which the town is built is at an elevation of about 7,500 feet above the sea, and is pear-shaped, its greatest width being not more than half a mile, while its length is about twice that, down to the mouth of the cañon. Southward—that is, toward the heart of the main range—stand the two great peaks, Hardin and Hayden. Between is the deep gorge down which the Uncompahgre finds its way; but this is hidden from view by a ridge which walls in the town and cuts off all farther view from it in that direction, save where the triangular top of Mount Abram peers over. Westward are grouped a series of broken ledges, surmounted by greater and more rugged heights. Down between these and the western foot of Mt. Hayden struggles Cañon Creek to join the Uncompahgre, while Oak Creek leaps down a line of cataracts from a notch in the terraced heights through which the quadrangular head of White House Mountain becomes grandly discernible—the easternmost buttress of the wintry Sierra San Miguel.

"At the lower side of the basin, where the path of the river is beset with close cañon walls, the cliffs rise vertically from the level of the village, and bear their forest growth many hundreds of feet above. These mighty walls, two thousand feet high in some places, are of metamorphic rock, and their even stratification simulates courses of well-ordered masonry. Stained by iron, and probably also by manganese, they are a deep red maroon. This color does not lie uniformly, however, but is stronger in some layers than in others, so that the whole face of the cliff is banded horizontally in pale rust color, or dull crimson, or deep and opaque maroon. The western cliff is bare, but on the more frequent ledges of the eastern wall scattered spruces grow, and add to its attractiveness. Yet, as though Nature meant to teach that a bit of motion—a suggestion of glee was needed to relieve the somberness of utter immobility and grandeur, however shapely—she has led to the sunlight, by a crevice in the upper part of the eastern wall that we cannot see, a brisk torrent draining the snowfields of some distant plateau. This little stream, thus beguiled by the fair channel that led it through the spruce woods above, has no time to think of its fate, but is flung out over the sheer precipice eighty feet into the valley below. We see the white ghost of its descending, and always to our ears is murmured the voice of the Naiads who are taking the breathless plunge. Yet by what means the stream reaches that point from above cannot be seen, and the picture is that of a strong jet of water bursting from an orifice through the crimson wall, and falling into rainbow-arched mist and a tangle of grateful foliage that hides its further flowing."

CURRECANTI NEEDLE.

Resuming the railroad journey at Ouray, the traveler will find much to interest him in the run past Ridgway, where the Rio Grande Southern connects with the Denver & Rio Grande, to Montrose, where the main line is again reached, and, with faces turned once more to the eastward, the homeward segment of the "circle" is entered upon, and the greatest wonders of all this wonderful journey lie before. From Cerro Summit a fine view can be had of the Uncompahgre Valley, its river, and the distant peaks of the San Juan and Uncompahgre ranges of mountains. Cimarron Cañon is entered shortly after leaving Cerro Summit, the road following this cañon down Cimarron Creek to where it empties into the Gunnison river. Here begins the tourist's experience in the world-renowned Black Cañon of the Gunnison. The name is a misnomer. There is nothing black about the cañon except the shadows of the towering granite walls. The cliffs themselves show bright and happy colors. Gay contrasts of pink and blue, bright complements of red and maroon, all shades blended and differentiated, dashed on here and there as with the broad, free-handed sweep of some master scenic painter. The scene is varied, kaleidoscopic, constantly changing. Here the train rolls along between frowning and exalted walls: there a stream of water, Chippeta Falls, white as wool, pitches from the brow of a precipice two thousand feet above; yonder a side cañon yawns with capacious mouth as if to engulf us. Now we are in a spacious amphitheater, in the center of which stands a tremendous monument of solid stone, a spire graceful as if hewn by the hand of a Gothic builder, and terminating in a sky-piercing pinnacle. This is the famed "Currecanti Needle." Thus for twenty miles the ever-changing variety of the Black Cañon holds the awe-stricken attention of the traveler. At last the train rolls out into the valley of the Gunnison, and pastoral scenes take the place of the tumultuous grandeur just beheld.

But soon a new marvel demands attention. The ascent of Marshall Pass is just begun. We have just gone through the mountains, now we are to go over them. The Pacific slope is now to be achieved. Two powerful engines puff vigorously and take us spinning up the ringing grooves of this marvelous road, climbing grades of 211 feet to the mile with as much apparent ease as though we were traversing the level plain. What a varied panorama of mountain views meets the gaze, and when the summit is reached. 10,852 feet above the distant sea, the train pauses and the eye sweeps the prospect as far as vision reaches. To the right, fading away into the blue distance, can be seen the serrated range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, snow-covered pyramids of transcendent beauty. To the left towers fire-scarred Mount Ouray, a volcano whose fires died out ages ago, while opposite stands its companion peak, Mount Shaveno. Beneath is the pathway of our ascent, four lines in view, each one an ascending circle of our tortuous upward journey.

CATHEDRAL SPIRE.

Half a dozen revolutions of the wheels and we are on the Atlantic slope. The waters all run to the eastward now. One engine holds the train in check. There are no smoke and cinders. Pneumatic breaks skillfully applied by the engineer control the power of gravitation, which is the sole force needed to carry the long train down its winding way. The sinuosity of the descent is something indescribable. A glance at the illustration of the alignment of the road over Marshall Pass will convey a better idea than anything that could be said. The descent is ended at Poncha Springs, and the train enters the valley of the Arkansas.

At Poncha are some of the most remarkable hot springs to be found anywhere in the West. There are over one hundred of these springs; the water varies in temperature from 90 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The analysis of the Poncha Springs corresponds almost exactly with that of the waters of the Hot Springs in Arkansas.

From the Arkansas Valley can be obtained a fine view of the Collegiate range of mountains, including the peaks of Harvard, Yale and Princeton, all of which reach an altitude greater than fourteen thousand feet.

The crowning attraction, the wonder of wonders, the marvel of marvels, yet remains to be seen. The Grand Cañon of the Arkansas lies before us. There are no words in the language which can describe this cañon. There are no pigments on the artist's palette that can paint it; it is indescribable and entirely beyond the reach of mimetic art. The Grand Cañon is seven miles in length—seven miles of wonders, seven miles of the grandest, most awful scenery in the world. To the right boils and surges the Arkansas River, above which tower the red rocks of the cañon. To the left are cliffs, jutting in places above the track, and rising to tremendous and awe-inspiring heights. The progress down the cañon is by means of many intricate curves, and it seems as though the engine would dash itself to atoms against the cliffs, but each time a slight turn is made and the train rounds the promontory in safety. Soon the tourist finds himself in the heart of the mountain. Peak upon peak rises above him, until the splintered summits seem to touch the sky. Darker and darker grow the shadows, narrower and still more narrow grows the gorge, deeper and deeper grows the gloom, the river ceases its roaring, the noise of the train is hardly perceptible, for the engineer has "slowed up," and the Royal Gorge is at hand. Here the cañon is not wide enough for road and river, and here is one of the most remarkable feats of engineering. Right across the gorge, fifty feet wide at the base and perhaps seventy at the summit, which soars above to a height of nearly three thousand feet, a series of great iron braces has been thrown, from which huge iron bars depend, holding a long iron bridge in suspension, that clings to the face of the cliff, and runs, not across, but parallel with the course of the river. The eye can scarcely comprehend the stupendous height of the perpendicular cliffs whose summits pierce the heavens half a mile above our heads.

APPROACH TO THE BLACK CAÑON.

After beholding the Royal Gorge the traveler has a superlative comparison for all that is wonderful and grand in nature. He has seen something which he can never forget, and of the many marvels of this marvelous journey "Around the Circle," the greatest of them all, the crowning glory, is the Royal Gorge.

It will not be inappropriate to make some special mention of several of the more important points of interest on the circle tour, and we add below a short description of the "Royal Gorge," "Toltec Gorge," "Animas Cañon," "Black Cañon of the Gunnison," and the "Marshall Pass."

THE BLACK CAÑON.

In all the world there is no place so beautiful, imposing, sublime and awful, that may be so easy and comfortably visited, as the Black Cañon, for the iron horse of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad has a pathway through the cañon, and he draws after him coaches as handsome and pleasant as those which he draws on the level plain. Along many miles of this grand gorge the railroad lies upon a shelf that has been blasted in the solid walls of God's masonry; walls that stand sheer two thousand feet in height, and so close together that for most of the distance through the cañon only a streak of sky, sometimes in broad daylight, spangled with stars, is seen above.

"I'll look no more;

Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight

Topple down headlong."

Unlike many of the Colorado cañons, the scenery in this one is kaleidoscopic, ever changing. Here the train glides along between the close, regular and exalted walls then suddenly it passes the mouth of another mighty cañon which looks as if it were a great gateway to an unroofed arcade leading from the pathway of some monstrous giant. Now, at a sharp turn, Chippeta Falls, a stream of liquid crystal, pitches from the top of the dizzy cliffs to the bosom of the sparkling river which dashes beside the road. Then a spacious amphitheater is passed, in the centre of which stands Currecanti Needle, solitary and alone, a towering monument of solid stone, which reaches to where it flaunts the clouds, like some great cathedral spire. Truly there is no gorge in all the Rocky range that presents such variety and grandeur as the Black Cañon of the Gunnison.

TOLTEC GORGE.

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MARSHALL PASS.

Marshall Pass is entered almost imperceptibly from Poncha Pass, and the whole wonderful ascent might very readily be imagined as one and the same. The summit is almost eleven thousand feet above the sea, and the tortuous method by which the daring engineers of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad have achieved this summit can best be understood by a glance at the cut illustrating the alignment of the track, shown on another page. As the train progresses up the steep the view becomes less obstructed by mountain sides and the eye roams over miles of cone-shaped summits. The timberless tops of towering ranges show him that he is among the heights and in a region familiar with the clouds. Then he beholds, stretching away to the left, the most perfect of all, the Sierras. The sunlight falls with a white, transfiguring radiance upon the snow-crowned spires of the Sangre de Cristo range. Their sharp and dazzling pyramids, which near at hand are clearly defined, extend to the southward until cloud and sky and snowy peak commingle and form a vague and bewildering vision. To the right towers the fire-scarred front of old Ouray, grand, solitary and forbidding. Ouray holds the pass, standing sentinel at the rocky gateway to the fertile Gunnison. Slowly the steeps are conquered, until at last the train halts upon the summit of the continental divide which separates the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. The traveler looks down upon four lines of road, terrace beyond terrace, the last so far below as to be quite indistinct to view. Wonder at the triumphs of engineering skill is strangely mingled with the feelings of awe and admiration at the stupendous grandeur of the scene.

ANIMAS CAÑON AND NEEDLE MOUNTAIN.

TOLTEC GORGE.

The approach to this great scenic wonder prepares the traveler for something extraordinary and spectacular. A black speck in the distance against the precipitous surface of a frowning cliff is beheld long before Toltec is reached, and is pointed out as the entrance to the tunnel, which is the gateway to the Gorge. As the advance is made around mountain spurs and deep ravines, glimpses are caught of profound depths and towering heights, the black speck widens into a yawning portcullis, and then the train, making a detour of four miles around a side cañon, plunges into the blackness of Toltec tunnel, which is remarkable in that it pierces the summit of the mountain instead of its base. Fifteen hundred feet of perpendicular descent would take one to the bottom of the gorge, while the seared and wrinkled expanse of the opposite wall confronts us, lifting its massive bulwarks high above us,

When the train emerges from the tunnel it is upon the brink of a precipice. A solid bridge of trestle-work, set in the rock after the manner of a balcony, supports the track, and from this coigne of vantage the traveler beholds a most thrilling spectacle. The tremendous gorge, whose sides are splintered rocks and monumental crags, and whose depths are filled with the snow-white waters of a foaming torrent, lies beneath him, the blue sky above him, and all around the majesty and mystery of the mountains.

ANIMAS CAÑON.

Animas Cañon is one of the wildest and most picturesque gorges in the Rocky Mountains. Through it the Rio de las Animas Perdidas, or "River of Lost Souls," finds its way to the valley below. For a dozen miles north of Durango the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad traverses the fertile and cultivated valley of the Animas in its approach to the cañon. Soon the valley becomes more broken and contracted, the approaching walls grow more precipitous and the smooth meadows give place to stately pines and sighing sycamores. The silvery Animas frets in its narrowing bed and breaks into foam against the opposing boulders. The road climbs and clings to the rising cliffs, and presently the earth and stately pines have receded and the train rolls along a mere granite shelf in mid-air. Above, the vertical wall rises a thousand feet; below, hundreds of feet of perpendicular depth and a fathomless river. The cañon is here a mere rent in the mountain, so narrow one may toss a pebble across, and the cramped stream has assumed the deep emerald hue of the ocean. In the shadows of the rocks, all is solitary, and weird, and awful. The startled traveler quickly loses all apprehension in the wondrous beauty and grandeur of the scene, and, as successive curves repeat and enhance the enchantment, nature asserts herself in ecstasy. Emerging from the marvelous gorge, the bed of the cañon rapidly rises, until the roadway is but a few feet above the stream. Dark walls of rock are replaced with clustering mountains of supreme height, whose abruptness defies the foot of man, and The Needles, the most peculiar and striking of the Rockies, thrust their splintered pinnacles into the region of perpetual snow.

ROYAL GORGE.

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THE ROYAL GORGE.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HEALTH AND PLEASURE RESORTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. — MOUNTAIN PEAKS AND PASSES OF COLORADO. — ELEVATION OF LAKES. — ALTITUDE OF TOWNS AND CITIES. — INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS.

Located on the Line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.

On or Easily Reached from the "Around the Circle" Trip.

MINERAL SPRINGS.

PLEASURE RESORTS.

With Their Elevation Above Sea-Level.

Seventy-two peaks between 13,500 and 14,300 feet in height
are unnamed and not in this list.

Revised Since First Edition From Engineers' Measurements.

SEVENTY POINTS OF INTEREST "AROUND THE CIRCLE"
FOR ONLY
$ 28 $
ALL SEEN
FROM THE TRAIN
A THOUSAND MILES THROUGH THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

DENVER ROYAL GORGE THE GRAND CAÑON Arkansas River COLLEGIATE RANGE PONCHA HOT SPRINGS Poncha Pass SANGRE DE CRISTO Atlantic Slope MT. SHAVENO MT. OURAY Marshall Pass Pacific Slope Chippeta Falls CURRECANTI NEEDLE GUNNISON RIVER Black Cañon CIMARRON CAÑON Cerro Summit UNCOMPAHGRE MTNS. U.S. CANTONMENT OURAY UNCOMPAHGRE CAÑON BEAR CREEK FALLS MOUNT ABRAHAMS Ouray & Silverton Road Red Mountain SULTAN MTN. SILVERTON ELK PARK NEEDLE MTNS. Garfield Peak Animas Cañon TRIMBLE HOT SPRINGS

RIO LAS ANIMAS DURANGO Fort Lewis Mancos Valley Lost Cañon DOLORES RIVER DALLCE DIVIDE RICO TELLURIDE TROUT LAKE LIZARD HEAD OPHIR LOOP INDIAN RESERVATION CUMBRE'S RANCE LAS PIONS VALLEY GARFIELD MEMORIAL TOLTEC TUNNEL TOLTEC GORGE Phantom Curve Rio Grande Riv. San Luis Valley Sierra Blanca LA VETA PASS Mule Shoe Curve SPANISH PEAKS PUEBLO CHEYENNE MT. PIKE'S PEAK MANITOU COLORADO SPGS. GARDEN OF THE GODS PHŒBE'S ARCH PALMER LAKE CASA BLANCA CASTLE ROCK