THE CONQUEST OF ARID AMERICA 



and aridity. Denver is one mile above the level of New 

 York harbor, and much of the inhabited portion of the 

 State is even higher. The result is a rarefied atmos- 

 phere very exhilarating in its effects and extremely 

 favorable to persons suffering with certain kinds of dis- 

 eases. Summer and winter are almost equally de- 

 lightful, though presenting great extremes of heat and 

 cold. 



Of the mineral wealth it is needless to say more than 

 that it increases its annual output with regularity, and 

 that there is every reason to suppose that much the 

 greater part of it yet remains to be discovered and de- 

 veloped. It will be a permanent resource of the highest 

 utility, since most of it is directly converted into money 

 at the local mints. While the energies of the mining 

 industry are chiefly centred upon the search for precious 

 metals, the country is endowed with the greatest variety 

 of mineral riches. These include nearly all the base 

 metals, such as copper, lead, and iron, as well as coal, oil, 

 precious and semi - precious stones, granite, marble, 

 onyx, and sandstone. These materials exist in the great- 

 est profusion, but must lie mostly unused until the pop- 

 ulation largely increases. 



In considering the matter of agricultural development, 

 it must be remembered that Colorado is the crown of 

 the continent. Its lofty mountain-peaks cut the rain- 

 fall and melting snows in twain, sending one part to the 

 Pacific and the other to the Atlantic Ocean. The same 

 influence makes a radical division in climate, produc- 

 tions, and the character of agriculture. Irrigation devel- 

 opment naturally began earliest where streams could 

 most easily be diverted. This was on the high plateau 



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