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The Marvels Of Half-moon Canyon

The Marvels Of Half-moon Canyon image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
October
Year
1879
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

About a dozen miles from the famus Twin Lakes, wliich are the wonder f this continent in ï'egard to scenery, nd perhaps twenty live miles from the magie city of Leadville, the traveler n the road tothe new mining district urrounding Independence guleh, omes to a clear, sinuousstreamknown s Ilalf-Moon Creek. It tears down ie Eastern slope of the great devide, !irough beds of snows, whose underïost layer has never feit the warm ays of the sun, and over grassy plots vhere fragrant and delicate flowera are ursed in the mountain storms. Folow its course downward ;uid it will ose iteelf in Lake Cieek, which feeds he twins mentioned, andby following ; up perhaps an hour's ride from vhere he road strikes the creek, t is, lost ight of in Half-Moon Canyon, ttwough vhose overhanainsr pines andcliffs the nn's rays never f all to the shadowed vaters. The mouth of the canyon is barrel haped, ajid the entrance over the flrst ïundred yards is made by swinging 'rom one rock to another in the stream y means of overhanging boughs and branches. At every step the scène becomes more enchanting, the luxuriant undergrowth at times reaching nearly the water's edge, and again quite shutting out the view a few rods to the front. The enchanted explorer on coming to these parts might readily believe that he had reached the end, were it not for the music of the waters, which may be heard seemingly miles away coursing down through tlie shadowed cavern, all sound being thrown out through the canyon to its mouth. When in about the distance named the canyon opens out twice the size of that portion of it now passed, and on the right bank the traveler comes to a trail, which eiwls at a great bowlder here, but is well defined as it readies into the canyon, as If made by the constant tread of an armed sentinel, whose duty it might be to halt intruders below. In this break in the canyon, and for perhaps another hundred yards, the trail has been followed by the gold-seeker and huntsman, when both are turned back through fear of wliat may be found beyond. The trail is all well beaten at this point,' as over the part past, but again the pines overhang the canyon, the stream widens, and the traveler loses his determination to see f urther. More than one man, professing greater courage than those gone beCore, lias gained tliis point, wondered at wliat miglit be unfolded to him beyond, and, like the rest, retraced lus steps, cougratulatine himself that lie was allowed unmolested to return, gome say that it is inhabited only by bears and mountain lyons, and that the beaten path was made by them to the great bowlder, where it ends, and tliat these wild beasts are novv. and perhaps always have been, virtual prisoners within their own grounds. A fffintleman who lately visited the WOntU'l'IUl ÍHln unlviiunn uuijuii, TTY-ivn intervied by a reporter frorn tne Chronicle. Like perhaps a hundred others, he went to see and perhaps discover the unknown.but his heart failed liim, and lie was quite satisíied tohear related the strange stoñes of those wlio had made bold enough to reach the point named. This gentleman was told that miners had brought out quartz picked from the sides of the canyon which contained more gold than rock; that many of them believed that its walls were made of such stuff, yet no one was bold enough to pass on to ascertain the truth, because of the stories told in regard to the canyon. One of these was to the effect that some years ago two prospectors lured on by what they had found up to the secorid wall spoken of above, passed on and never returned. Our informant declares there is no doubt that two men passed in aearch of gold, and that they never returned 'is a fact attested by those who waitcd anxiously for their report. The Chronicle man suggested that they might have passed out through some opening in the canyon as yet unknown, but this idea was exploded by the statement to our informant by those who were left behind. that if thty liad lived they would certainly have returned and reported.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Argus