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James Cox - My Native Land
"Now, then, you can't tell me that there isn't something in an engine besides machinery," concluded the
engineer, as he turned to the other members of the Roundhouse Club.
"The man who says there isn't, is a fool," was the answer from one, and the others nodded their heads in
approval.
CHAPTER XVII. A RAILROAD TO THE CLOUDS.
Early History of Manitou - Zebulon Pike's Important Discovery - A Young Medicine Man's Peril and
Final Triumph - A Health Resort in Years Gone By - The Garden of the Gods - The Railroad up Pike's
Peak - Early Failures and Final Success - The Most Remarkable Road in the World - Riding Above the
Clouds.
Manitou is a name which conjures up reminiscences of legend and history, and it also reminds the
traveler of some of the most remarkable scenes of the Rocky Mountains. It has been said that the man
who knows how to appreciate natural grandeur and beauty, can spend six months in the vicinity of
Manitou, and then come back six month later to find undiscovered joys and treasures of beauty on every
side.
The earliest reliable records concerning this spot date back to the year 1806, when Major Zebulon Pike
discovered what he called the Great Snow Mountain. This, one of the loftiest of the Rockies, is now
known as Pike's Peak after its discoverer, or at any rate after the man who first described it for the benefit
of the public.
It is on record that when Major Pike was crossing Colorado, nearly a hundred years ago, he saw on the
horizon what he regarded as a misty cloud. When he finally realized that there was a mountain in front of
him, he was at least a hundred miles away from it, and there were two or three smaller hills to be crossed
before reaching it. After marching for over a week the party reached the Cheyenne Mountain, which they
believed was the ascent of the great peak, a theory which was soon disproved. Manitou is at the foot of
this great mountain. It was first described at length by an English tourist who visited the Manitou Springs
just half a century ago. He traveled alone, and exhibited not only an immense amount of bravery, but also
unlimited judgment in evading the attacks of wild beasts and equally savage Indians.
His description of the trip is full of great interest. He describes how a band of mountain sheep advanced
to the edge of an overhanging precipice to gaze upon the intruder, and how, a moment later, a herd of
black tailed deer ran in front of him, with that contempt of danger seen only in animals which have not
come in contact with human beings or modern weapons. The birds, he tells us, were indifferent as to his
presence. They sang almost within arm's reach, and their rich plumage completely fascinated him. He
continued in his hunter's paradise until he accidentally stumbled upon an Indian camp. No Indians were
present, but the smouldering camp-fires warned him that they were not far distant. Later, he saw two
Indians, who were evidently Arapahoes, carrying a deer between them, and he knew that the delightful
hunting he had promised himself would not be forthcoming.
He was shortly afterwards captured in a prairie fire, in which he was in great danger of being destroyed;
nothing but the daring of his horse saved his life. He had heard from the friendly Indians he had met on
his march that the Great Spirit had endowed the waters of the Springs of Manitou with miraculous
healing powers, and he drank freely from the pure springs. These springs made Manitou a veritable
Mecca for Indians of the West and Southwest for many generations before the white men discovered
them. Pilgrimages were made across mountains and rivers of great magnitude, and when an Indian chief
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