6 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 



Another excellent vantage point from which to view the mountains 

 is the dome of the Capitol (PI. II). This fine building, which is 

 constructed of native granite and marble, stands on a commanding 

 terrace facing the west. The dome is 276 feet high, and from its 

 balcony on a clear day a vast extent of the mountain front may be 

 seen. 



Fronting the Capitol is the Public Library and the United States 

 Mint, both constructed of Colorado granite and both massive build- 

 ings, which serve as a fitting setting for the State Capitol. The 

 library is interesting as a piece of Grecian architecture and the mint 

 as the place of manufacture and the storage of vast sums of Gov- 

 ernment coin. The new Federal post office, a beautiful building, 

 which occupies an entire city block, is built of Colorado marble. 

 This stone is just becoming well known and is being used in many 

 parts of the country, notably in the new Lincoln Memorial in 

 Washington, D. C. It is taken from quarries about 40 miles south 

 of Glenwoocl Springs. Another public building that attracts at- 

 tention is the great auditorium, built to accommodate the Democratic 

 national convention of 1908. It seats 12,000 persons and contains 

 one of the finest theaters in the United States, seating 3,500 persons. 



Denver is an active industrial city, and its manufacturing plants 

 make many and various articles ranging from railroad cars to 

 radium salts. Perhaps the most interesting plant to the average 

 traveler is the smelter for the reduction of the ores of the precious 

 metals. A description of a smelter is given on pages 252-254. There 

 are also brick and clay works, railroad shops, and other works. 



Denver is noted for the excellence of its public schools and for 

 the beauty and serviceableness of its school buildings. It is a center 

 of higher education also, for the State University is at Boulder, 

 less than 20 miles northwest of the city; the State School of Mines 

 is at Golden, 16 miles west of it; and Denver University is in the 

 city. 



The residential part of the city is very attractive. The houses are 

 substantial and are surrounded by velvety lawns diversified and 

 beautified by flowers and shrubs. No frame buildings can be erected 

 within the city limits. 



Although the extremes of temperature at Denver are rather great, 

 the summer temperatures reaching 95° F. or more and winter tem- 

 peratures touching the zero point, the climate is not hard to bear, 

 for the air is so dry that the extremes of either summer or winter are 

 not felt as they are in a more humid climate. According to seven 

 years' records of the Weather Bureau the mean annual precipitation 

 is 13.7 inches and the mean annual temperature is 50°. The dryness 

 of the air may be better appreciated by comparing it with that of 



