MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DENVER AND THE SAN 



JUAN MINES. 



By A. D. Wilson, Topographer directing. 



The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad is now running daily trains to 

 Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Canon City. Persons wishing to reach 

 the new mining district may take the train to either of the three previ- 

 ously mentioned places, and at these points they will have to provide 

 themselves with animals, except by way of CaQon City. From this 

 place there was during last summer a regular line of stages running 

 to Saguache and Del Norte, but from these latter places there is not at 

 present any public conveyance. I mention the three points of starting, 

 as they are all more or less traveled. 



Colorado Springs is situated some seventy-six miles south of Denver 

 on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Leaving the railroad at this 

 point, the traveler is obliged to procure his own conveyance, as there is 

 not at present any public conveyance from there to Saguache or Del 

 Norte. The road from here leads by way of Manitou up the Fontaine 

 qui Bouille, crossing South Park at its southern end, passing by the 

 Salt- Works ; thence down Trout Creek to the Arkansas River, which it 

 follows down some miles to the South Arkansas. At this point the road 

 joins with the one from Canon City, and then, following up Puncho 

 Creek, leads through a pass of the same name to San Luis Valley, thence 

 skirting this valley along its western border to Saguache. This road 

 is somewhat longer than the others, but a very good and pleasant one to 

 travel, especially during the warmer portions of summer. The distance 

 by this route from Colorado Springs to Saguache I estimated at one 

 hundred and seventy miles. 



The next route south is by way of Cailon City. This place is situated 

 on the north bank of the Arkansas River, near where it emerges from 

 the mountains, about one hundred and sixty miles from Denver by rail. 



The road from CaQon City passes around the first caSon by keeping 

 some distance to the north of the river, then, swinging south, crosses the 

 river and again leaves it, passing through the north end of Wet Mount- 

 ain Valley, where it again turns to the north and strikes the river in 

 Pleasant Valley ; thence following up the river until it joins the Colo- 

 rado Springs road, where it crosses the South Arkansas. It is about 

 one hundred and ten miles by this road from Caiion City to Saguache. 

 Pueblo is situated also on the Arkansas River, about thirty-five miles 

 below Cafion City, and one hundred and eighteen miles by rail from 

 Denver. The road leading out from this place crosses the plains 

 toward the southwest and strikes the Huerfano River at Badito. At 

 this point the road forks, one following up the river and crossing the 

 Sangre de Cristo range through the Mosca Pass, thence crossing the 

 San Luis Valley to Del Norte. The other branch of this road crosses 

 the river, and keeps farther to the south, crossing the range through 

 the Sangre de Cristo Pass, strikes the valley at Fort Garland, and cross- 



