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Show TALES OF THE COLORADO PIOMERS. CHAPTER I. GOLD. A large proportion of the explorers, adventurers, pilgrims, prospectors and colonial "tramps" that, since the days of Noah, have marched away to establish settlements elsewhere, have been driven to it by some unpleasantness at home. Colorado was to some extent an outgrowth of the great financial crash of 1857. Time-honored houses had reeled, tottered and gone down in the overwhelming business convulsion of that period, and men were ready for any venture which gave even faint promise of rebuilding their ruined fortunes, when Green Russell, a Georgian, returned from Pike's Peak, bearing "tidings of great joy." He had found gold. The Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, makes frequent mention of gold and silver. Abraham "was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." Solomon, the great king of the Hebrews, had portions of his temple "overlaid wi_th gold." The followers of Moses made a golden calf and worshipped'it. Even before the recital of the creation of woman, the existence of gold is mentioned. Genesis 2 :12 reads: "And the gold of that land was good;" but we are not told who discovered it. However, all peoples in all ages have found it to be a good 2 |