Stanley Wood
Published: 2015-07-20
Total Pages: 348
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Excerpt from Over the Range to the Golden Gate: A Complete Tourist's Guide to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Puget Sound, and the Great Northwest It is no light undertaking to prepare a guide-book which shall adequately describe the places of interest on the great trunk lines between Denver on the hither side of the Rocky Mountains, San Diego at the southern extremity of California, and Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma, the three commercial entrepots of the Great Northwest. Yet such is the undertaking purposed. In a work of this character fact must ever stand paramount to fancy, and lucidity of expression take the precedence. No attempt will be made at "fine writing"; every effort will be made to state just such facts as the traveler would like to know, and to state these facts in clear and explicit language. The country traversed is most interesting, abounding in scenes of the greatest variety, from the broad and billowy expanse of the boundless prairie to the rugged grandeur of the American Alps, from the picturesque quaintness of New Mexico and the nomadic wildness of the Indian reservations to the polished civilization of metropolitan cities. There is no journey which can be taken on the continent of North America that presents so much of interest to the tourist, and which can be taken with such a comparatively moderate outlay of lime and money, as the one described in the following pages. New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington Territory! What a field for investigation, investment or pleasure! These are the lands of gold, of silver, of coal, of agriculture, of all fruits known to the temperate and sub-tropical zones. These are the lands of new endeavors, of fresh impulses, and for these reasons are of special interest to tourists, business men, and seekers after health and pleasure. Aside from the interesting character of the subject discussed, there is also a special value in the work now presented to the reader, inasmuch as great care has been taken to gather information that shall be found statistically accurate. In a work of this character it is difficult to combine accurate information with matters of general interest in such a way that neither shall have an undue prominence. The writer has endeavored to attain this desirable medium. One thing is certain, nothing in this book is venal in its character. The opinions here expressed are those of the writer; the descriptions of scenes given here are reproductions of the feelings inspired by those scenes. There has been no bias in any direction. On the contrary, every effort has been made to write judicially, and at the same time, retain the enthusiasm which the traveler naturally feels in beholding new sights and scenes. As an aid to the traveler abundant illustrations have been prepared, which will give the purchaser of this book an idea of what he may expect to see; and which, after he has beheld these places, will serve as a reminder of those pleasant scenes which by their assistance can never fade from his memory. It has been the endeavor of the writer to meet as nearly as possible the wants of all classes of travelers. Information of value to the tourist for pleasure, the health seeker, the sportsman, and the man of business, will be found in the pages of this book. Nothing has been written in the interests of any clique or class. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com