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Show 452 WESTERN WILDS. abrupt and rocky, 2,000 feet above the timber line. In summer one may go the foot of Gray's Peak with less inconvenience than to any of the secluded mountain towns of Pennsylvania. But it is the last 2,000 feet that cost. Let us map out the district about Georgetown, beginning at the quartz mill, a mile below the city. First to our right, and west-ward, is the lowest of the mining localities, Douglas Mountain. Farther along, and rising just to the west of the lower part of George-town, is Democrat Mountain, nearly bald on the summit, not because it is above the timber line, but because of an immense slide some cent-uries ago. Silver Creek Gulch, a slight depression, separates it from Republican Mountain. Several hundred feet higher than Democrat, and crowned with heavy timber to its summit, this latter rears an awful front two thousand feet above the center of town. The bald front seems nearly perpendicular, and has projections the size of the largest church in New York, and perpendicular faces here and there a hundred feet square - a sight of unwearying sublimity. Seen from directly in front, that is, anywhere in town, it would seem that no living thing but a bird could go up or down that face; and yet there is a winding trail along the rocky offsets by which a few daring men de-scend rather than make a long circuit; and on the Fourth of July, 1875, a French miner ascended to the summit, planted a flag, and re-turned to the hotel in one hour and forty- eight minutes. This he did on a bet of ten dollars that he could do it in two hours. It's a pity for him, perhaps, that he could only raise ten dollars, for he could have had takers to any amount. On the summit is a flag three feet long which can only be seen from town by a good eye, and then looks about the size of a pocket- handkerchief. A little beyond, the face. of the mountain bends toward the south- wr est, and continues two miles further, to Cherokee Gulch. Beyond comes Sherman Mountain. At their junction is the great mining center, from which I know not how many millions in silver ore have been taken. Sherman runs on nearly a mile further to Brown Gulch, beyond which is Brown Mountain, the last in that direction which has any relation to this district. All of these gulches are very shallow, and do not really di-vide the niountain ; the formation of veins is continuous across most of them, and some of the richest lodes extend across the deepest gulch. On the left, or east side of the cafion, all the range is known as Griffith Mountain, while from the south Leavenworth abuts sharply on the town. West of it is Right- hand Gulch, down which comes a good sized stream by way of Devil's Gate and half a dozen more beau- |