GENERAL W. T. CLARK,

BORN in Norwalk, Connecticut, 1834; received a common school education in New England and New York City; taught a public school at the age of fourteen, with the usual experience; while in this occupation he conceived the idea of graded schools, which he announced in the first convention of teachers held in Connecticut; has always been an enthusiast in popular education. After completing his education, read law and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Newburg, New York, October 2nd, 1855. Taking Greeley's advice, to "Go West, young man," he landed in Davenport, Iowa, December 16th, 1855, and commenced practice of law in the office of Hon. John F. Dillon; was in full and successful practice there when the war broke out in 1861. He enlisted as a private and went to the field as Adjutant of the 13th Iowa, and was engaged in all of the campaigns in Missouri. He was identified with the Army of the Tennessee, under Grant, Sherman, McPherson, Logan and Howard, its five commanders, from its organization to its muster-out in 1865; he was in every skirmish and battle of that army, from Belmont, November 17th, 1861, to Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19th, 1865101 battles and engagements. He received the Vicksburg medal of honor, being one of nine. During his service he was promoted successively by the President from Captain to Major-General, commanding a division at the close of the war. He was the personal friend of the brilliant McPherson, whose Adjutant-General he was from the day he received command of the troops in October, 1862, until the day of his death at the battle of Atlanta, July 22nd, 1864, being Adjutant-General respectively of a division, the famous 17th Army Dorps, and the Adjutant-General and Chief of Staff of the Army of the Tennessee, and has a larger personal acquaintance in that army than any living man, except General Sherman.

In 1865 General Clark was ordered by General Grant to the Rio Grande, Texas, in command of a division in the Army of Observation on the borders of Mexico. The French abandoning Mexico in 1866, General Clark the following year resigned from the army and engaged in business as a banker in Galveston, Texas, organizing the "National Bank of Texas."

Re-construction coming on, General Clark took an active part in these measures, having accumulated a fortune which he freely expended in the success of those measures. He was elected to Congress from the Galveston district in 1868, with the largest majority of any mem

ber from that state; was re-elected in 1870.

During his service he was assigned by Speaker James G. Blaine to the committee on commerce, and secured for Galveston the first appropriation for deep harbors, which has continued and resulted in the united action of the entire West in the interest of deep harbors on the Texas Gulf Coast. General Clark was also on the committee of public education and civil service, which introduced the first resolution in the House upon that subject, from which the present system has grown.

After the expiration of his second term in Congress, he was postmaster at Galveston for two years; he was special agent and chief clerk of internal revenue until 1884, when he resigned, and took up journalism in Fargo, Dakota, where he remained two years, until frozen out and burnt out. The General then looked about for a desirable place to reside and engage in business. He naturally turned to Denver, where he has since resided. He embarked in the real estate business, and was instrumental in the organization of the Real Estate Exchange. Upon the organization of the Equitable Accident Association, General Clark became the general manager, and owing largely to his energy and perseverence, the association has achieved a phenominal success, and is one of the leading accident insurance companies of the country.

Like Major Powell, of the Geological Survey, he believes Denver will be the fourth city in America ere many years, and Colorado the greatest agricultural state in the Union.

General Clark is a cultured gentleman, a hard student, a man of marked individuality, athorough business man, generous to a fault, and an uncompromising friend.

neer population. The chief occupation of this people is mining for the precious metals, all other business enterprises being dependent upon and intimately interwoven with mining. That this industry is in its infancy needs only consideration to be convincingly proven, and this will be conclusively shown under the head of "The Mines of Pitkin County" later on in this article. The grand extent of the mineral bearing area, as shown by partial development, is positive evidence that there are hundreds of mines remaining to be developed for every one that is now producing, and in this fact lies the inducement for newcomers to engage in this industry. This great area of

valuable mining ground is only partially prospected, and thousands of acres are open to location by prospectors. Even in the sections which are most thoroughly covered by locations there are constantly recurring new discoveries of pay ore where other miners supposed it was useless to look for mineral. The ground that is held under assessment work in proximity to productive properties can, in most cases, be acquired at reasonable figures or interests secured by the furnishing of capital for development. Leases on the most promising claims are daily being secured from owners by parties who, for specified periods of time, have working control of the property. Hundreds of men have acquired fortunes in a short time in this manner, and there are yet

abundant chances for new men to secure as good ground and as valuable interests as though they had arrived with the pioneers and endured all the hardships they did to acquire possession.

THE EXPLORED PORTION,

Up to within a comparatively recent period, the producing mines of the camp were all within a distance of two miles, just in the vicinity of Aspen, but the past year has carried the line northward, to the top of Smuggler mountain, and southward to Tourtellotte, the portion of the contact which may now be said to be embraced in the producing area, being three and a half miles in length. It will readily occur to anyone that three and a half miles is but a very small portion of 40 miles, and it may be stated here that these figures pretty accurately represent what Aspen is, and what it has a fair possibility of becoming as a mining camp, while other districts in the county, to be spoken of further on, will far more than make good any unprofitable sections of the contact that might possibly be developed.

SOME OF ASPEN'S MINES.

Space will not admit of any extended descriptions of the mines that have been opened within the three and a half miles spoken of above, and the following review of the list will convey some idea of their importance:

Commencing on the north is the Park-Regent. This is a mine that was opened a little over a year ago. From the 1st of May, 1888, to the 1st of January, 1889, it paid $240,000 in dividends, and its shipments are steadily maintained, with great reserves held back.

The J. C. Johnson, next south, has been steadily paying dividends for more than three years, and has nearly 4,000,000 in sight now.

Next is the Smuggler, which has produced great quantities of silver and lead, and has bodies of ore standing untouched, that are from 30 feet to 40 feet in thickness. Five dollars a share have recently been offered for stock of the company, the capital stock being 200,000 shares.

The Mollie Gibson, still farther south, is the wonder of the state. It produces ore in large quantities that is worth $4,000 per ton, while a concentrating mill is kept running on the product from its low grade ore body, which is 30 feet thick.

Crossing the valley to Aspen mountain, the Enterprise property is met with. It has for a long time been a regular dividend-payer.

The property of the Aspen Mining and Smelting Company produces heavily, and pays a dividend of $40,000 per month, with its stock standing at $11.50 per share, the capital stock being 200,000 shares. Next comes the Aspen mine, which for a length of time has been paying dividends of $100,000 per month, and which has ore enough in sight to continue them for two years, with a great area of territory not yet prospected.