. Butcher's pioneer history of Custer County : and short sketches of early days in Nebraska . directconnection is made for the great gold-min-ing region of Cripple Creek. Just beyond Cafion City the railroad en-ters the Grand Canon of the Arkansas, thenarrowest portion of which is known as theRoyal Gorge. When tirst examined it seemedimpossible that a railway could ever be con-structed through this stupendous canon toLeadville and the West. There was scarcelyroom for the river alone, and granite ledgesblocked the path with their mighty time, however, these obstructions wereblasted
. Butcher's pioneer history of Custer County : and short sketches of early days in Nebraska . directconnection is made for the great gold-min-ing region of Cripple Creek. Just beyond Cafion City the railroad en-ters the Grand Canon of the Arkansas, thenarrowest portion of which is known as theRoyal Gorge. When tirst examined it seemedimpossible that a railway could ever be con-structed through this stupendous canon toLeadville and the West. There was scarcelyroom for the river alone, and granite ledgesblocked the path with their mighty time, however, these obstructions wereblasted away, and to-day the canon is a well-used thoroughfare. But its grandeur stillremains. After entering its depths, the trainmoves slowly along the side of the Arkansasand around projecting shoulders of dark-hued granite, deeper and deeper into theheart of the range. The crested crags growhigher, the river madly foams along its rockybed, anon the way becomes a mere fissurethrough the heights. Far above the roadthe sky firms a deep blue arch of light; butin the gorge hang dark and somber shades. which the suns rays have never the granite cliffs are one thousand feethigh, smooth and unbroken by tree or shrul),and there a pinnacle soars skyward for thricethat distance. No tiowers grow, and the birdscare not to penetrate the .solitude. Theriver, somber and swift, breaks the awfulstillness with its roar. Soon the cleft becomes still more narrow,the treeless cliffs higher, the river closerconfined, and, where a long iron bridgehangs suspended from the smooth walls, thegrandest portion of the canon is from the gorge, the narrow valleyof the upper Arkansas is traversed, with thestriking serrated peaks of the Sangre deCristo close at hand on the west, untilSalida is reached. From this point the tourist can continuewestward over Marshall Pass or northwest-erly toward Leadville, which is one of themost interesting cities in the world to thetourist. It is th
Size: 1782px × 1402px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectfrontie, bookyear1901
