CITIES, AMERICAN. (DENVEK, DES MOINES, DETROIT.) 



167 



and private schools have 2,100 more. Four 

 daily and 22 weekly newspapers are issued 

 from offices in the city and there are about 

 60 churches, a library building, a court-house, 

 a jail, and five large market-houses. A State 

 Insane Asylum is located one mile south of the 

 city, and the National Soldiers' Home, with 

 5,000 inmates, occupies about 640 acres of 

 laud four miles west. 



Denver, the chief city of Colorado, capital of 

 the State and of Arapahoe County, on South 

 Platte river, 15 miles east of the foot-hills of 

 the Rocky mountains, arid 5,203 feet above the 

 level of the sea; latitude 39 44' north, longi- 

 tude 105 4' west. In 1858 the place was un- 

 inhabited; in 1870, the population was 4,759; 

 in 1880, 35,629; in 1885, 54,308; and in 1886 

 it was estimated at 75,000. The rapid growth 

 of the city, as well as of the State, is largely 

 due to the immense mineral resources of the 

 region. It is, besides, a resort for invalids, the 

 climate being especially beneficial in pulmonary 

 diseases. The city is substantially and hand- 

 somely built. The Opera-House block cost 

 about $800,000, and the Court-House $350,- 

 000. Appropriations for the Custom-House 

 and Post-Office, now in process of erection, 

 amount to $750,000. Foundations are just 

 laid for a State Capitol, for which $1,000,000 

 have been appropriated. Other buildings, the 

 cost of which is estimated at more than $3,- 

 000,000, are now in progress. There are six 

 national and several private banks, a United 

 States Mint, numerous churches, and seven pub- 

 lic schools. Many of the artesian wells afford 

 mineral water, notably the Court-House well, 

 933 feet in depth. Six railway lines connect 

 the city with other parts of the continent. The 

 commercial, manufacturing, and cattle interests 

 are rapidly advancing. There are four immense 

 smelting establishments. The Denver, South 

 Park, and Pacific Railroad connects the city 

 with Leadville, another city of remarkably 

 rapid growth, situated in a great mining dis- 

 trict. It is but ten years of age, and has a 

 population of 10,925. The product from its 

 silver-mines amounted in one year to about 

 $10,000,000, and the mining products of two 

 smelters in Denver to $12,000,000. 



Des Moines, a city and the capital of Iowa, in 

 Polk County, at the head of steam navigation 

 on Des Moines river, at its junction with the 

 Raccoon, 357 miles by rail west of Chicago; 

 latitude 41 35' north, longitude 93 40' west. 

 The population, in 1875, was 14,443; in 1880, 

 22,408; in 1885, 32,469. The daily papers 

 have increased from three to five, the weekly 

 or monthly publications from 7 to 26, the 20 

 churches to 45. Water- works were construct- 

 ed in 1871. The public district and high- 

 schools, Drake University, Des Moines Univer- 

 sity, and Callaneau College for young ladies, 

 furnish facilities for education, and there are a 

 City, Public, and a State Library. Fifteen rail- 

 roads or branches have stations in the city. 

 Caal abounds in the vicinity, and mining and 



manufacturing are largely carried on, the mines 

 alone employing about 2,000 persons. Among 

 the manufacturing establishments are starch 

 and glass factories, and a very large distillery. 

 Pork-packing is also an important industry. 



Detroit, a port of entry and the chief city of 

 Michigan, capital of Wayne County, on the 

 northwestern side of Detroit river, about 20 

 miles from Lake Erie, 7 miles from Lake St. 

 Clair, and 250 miles east by north of Chicago ; 

 latitude 42 20' north, longitude 82 3' west. 

 The population, in 1870, was 79,577, including 

 35,381 foreigners; in 1880, it was 116,340, of 

 whom 45,645 were foreigners; in 1886, it was 

 estimated at 219,192. Considerable territory 

 was added to the city, in 1885, by the annexa- 

 tion of suburbs. Twelve railroads center in 

 the city, and steamers run to all the lake-ports. 

 Warehouses, factories, and other business build- 

 ings line almost the entire river-front of seven 

 miles. A bridge, to cost $300,000, is in process 

 of construction, to connect with the city the 

 principal park, Belle Isle, on an island in the 

 middle of the Detroit river, containing about 

 700 acres. A boulevard, partly finished, is de- 

 signed to form a crescent, 9 miles long and 150 

 feet wide, leading from this bridge around the 

 city. An appropriation has been made and 

 land bought for a Government building, to cost 

 $1,000,000. The total value of new buildings 

 erected in 1885 was $3,103,873. The assessed 

 valuation of the city, July 1, 1886, was $133,- 

 448,580 ; the net debt, $36,490. The number 

 of daily newspapers is eight, the same as it was 

 ten years ago, but the other periodicals pub- 

 lished have increased from about 12 to 46, the 

 churches from 75 to 139. There are 92 schools 

 and colleges, with 30,296 pupils. Ten years 

 ago the public schools had about 13,000 pupils. 

 The foreign commerce is mostly with Canada. 

 The following table shows the increase in trade : 



In the latter year the receipts of grain were 

 13,059,032 bushels; the shipments, 9,309,319 

 bushels; 346,718 loaded cars crossed Detroit 

 river, having an estimated tonnage of 4,160,- 

 616. The capital employed in the iron indus- 

 try has increased in about ten years from $4,- 

 000,000 to $5,000,000. Detroit is the largest 

 center in the world for the following manu- 

 factures : Railroad-cars, annual product, $6,- 

 000,000 to $7,000,000 ; stoves, annual product, 

 $2,500,000 ; pharmaceutical supplies ; and 

 emery-wheels. Tobacco is largely rnanufact- 



