Vast COLORADO SCENERY.



MOST readers are, NO doubt, fond of scenery, and eagerly scan every picture representing those portions of the world, which are renowned for their natural views, particularly health and pleasure resorts.

At one time, Niagara Falls attracted multitudes of pleasure-seekers, and excited the admiration of all beholders. But the mind soon tires of familiar sights and scenes, and seeks a change, and a trip to the "Falls" is now considered dull and destitute of real pleasure as compared with a journey across the "plains" and a climb through the mountains of the "far West."

It would be next to impossible to fully describe the scenery of this "Switzerland of America," where nature has seemed to use all her powers to produce grand and awe-inspiring heights; the beetling rock, the frightful gorge, the mysterious canyon, the mountain cataract, and the cloud-capped peak, all are well calculated to call forth expressions of adoration toward Him who "spake, and it was done," who "commanded, and it stood fast."

The accompanying cut is a good representation of one of the numerous scenes that greet the eye of the pleasure-seeker in the Rocky Mountains. The high peak in the distance, known as "Gunnison's Butte," is twenty-seven hundred feet high. 

It received its name from Lieutenant Gunnison, of the regular army, who was killed in that vicinity by the Indians a number of years ago. The reader can see that its top is represented as penetrating the clouds.

The grandest sight in nature that one could possibly enjoy would be to stand on the top of such a mountain and watch the lightning flash from the storm-clouds as they gather beneath his feet, while above and around him the sun is shining in all its strength and glory. The writer well remembers, when riding over the "Divide," encountering such a storm. 

He passed from sunshine up into it, and then down on the other side into sunshine and dry weather again.

There is one thing of which we wish to speak, that may seem strange to some of our readers. The higher one goes up, the longer time it requires to cook anything by boiling. 

In some places it takes a number of hours to boil potatoes so that they will be soft enough to eat. The reason for this is that at those extreme points of altitude water boils at very low temperature, or, in other words, it requires but little heat to boil water, and therefore, when at the boiling point, the water does not contain heat enough to cook as rapidly as at less altitude.  In the foreground of the picture can be seen a group of men standing by a surveyor's compass, while others are busily engaged in repairing their boats, which are drawn up on the banks of Green River. This river takes its rise, principally, in the Wyoming Mountains, flows in a southerly direction, and empties into the Colorado River, through which it finds its way into the Gulf of California. Green River flows through green shale (a soft slaty rock), which is supposed to contain arsenic or chloride of copper. This becomes detached by drainage, and is deposited in the bottom of the stream, where it fastens itself to the pebbles, thus causing the water to have a green color.

In viewing the scenes of nature, one can scarcely refrain from exclaiming, as did the Psalmist, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches."  "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power." 





J. O. CORLISS.