COLORADO MAGAZINE Published Bi-Monthly by the State Historical Society of Colorado
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE COLORADO MAGAZINE Published bi-monthly by The State Historical Society of Colorado Vol. XVII Denver, Colorado, July, 1940 No. 4 Reunion at Fourteen Thousand Feet, 1872 BENJAMIN POFF DRAPER* In the aunals of Georgetown, Colorado, a onc:e booming r;il ver camp, there is a record of a reunion of the three greatest figures in American botany-John Torrey, Asa Gray, and Charles Christopher Parry. '11 he occasion was the official naming of Gray's and Torrey'< peaks. The assembled company, in addition to the three honored guests who had traveled from Denver by stage coach, was an en thusiastic delegation of Joca l citizens from Georgetown. The set ting for this impressive cernmony 'ms the top of Gray's Peak at an altitude of fourteen thonsarnl feet-the crest of the continent. The year was 1872. But the r;tor:v behind thir; meeting goes back earlier into the lives of each of these nineteenth century scientists. ,John Torrey (1796-1873), a New Englander by birth, had early achieved fame as an American botanist, working at Columbia Uni versity. He was tlie outstandillg imm in his field iu the 1820s and 1830s. To him were referred for classification most of the then unknown plants. "The opportunity for extending his i1nestigations to the great plains and the Rocky l\fountains "·as furnished by the collectiom placed in Dr. Torrey's hands by Edwin ,Tames, botanist of Major Imng 's expedition in 1820." Thus 11-rote Professor Gray, in a bio graphical sketch of 'rorrey. Dr. Torrey subsequently eontributed to tlw published teports of ,John Fremont (''the Pathfinder''), General Marcy, and General F. W. Lander of Pacific Hailroad Survey fame. Torrey classified and named most of the plant life of the plains a11d mountains from these collected specimens. This immmer of 1872 was the first time he had ever sren in their natural setting the hundreds of plants he hacl identified fift>·-two years earlier. Asa Gray (1810-1888), was a student of Torrey's at Columbia. 'rheir combined effort, the monumental ]11/ora of North America, first appearing in 1840, established Gray's reputation on the same level with his friend and Professor. In 1842, Gray accepted the Fisher professorship at Harvard and there developed the largest and most valuable herbarium and garden in America. Gray's Strucfaral *Mr. Draper, graduate of Denver University (M.A.) and former City em ployee of Denver, is now living in Chicago, w'here he is employed by the Illinois Tax Commission.-Ed. 122 COLORADO MAGAZLNE REUNION AT FOURTEEN THOUSAND FEET, 1872 123 Botany, first published in 1848, has gone through innumerable edi Clear Creek canon to the new camp of Silver Plume and pushed on tions and is today still the accepted textbook in this field. to the Bakerville House, a two story log hotel. Here they spent the Charles Christopher Parry (1823-1890), had studied under night and were roundly entertained at the fireplace by tales told by Torrey at Columbia and had worked with Gray. Parry at heart was the strangely assorted company of professors, frontier lawyers, ad an adventurer and an explorer. Jn 1849 he first pushed into the venturers, and horse wranglers. The second morning the party unknown regions of the great plains and began his collecting of proceeded up Grizzly gulch to Parry's cabin. Professor Torrey, specimens and recording of his travels. From his own w-ritings, is then seventy-six years old, decided to remain here and not to under given an account of his trip to Colorado: take the strenuous climb. The main party proceeded up Stevens ''In my first botanical exploration of the Rocky Mountain region gulch and reached the summit of Gray's Peak shortly after noon. of Colorado, in 1861, I ptrnhed high into the mountains. In my An account of the ceremony, as reported in the Colorado Miner of solitary wanderings over the rugged rocks and through these alpine Georgeto"·n, follows : meadows, resting at noonday on some sunny nook, overlooking wastes of snow and crystal lakes girdled with midsummer ice, I naturally associated some of the more prominent mountain peaks with distant and valued friends. To two twin peaks, always con spicuous whenever a sufficient elevation was obtained, I applied the names of Torrey and Gray.'' Parry continued his exploration and scientific studies of the plants of the Rocky Mountains, returning each summer to Grizzly CJ.ulch at the foot of Gray's and Torrey's peaks where he had built himself a cabin. Each winter, upon his return to the East, he visited his good friends, Gray and TorrP~'. and painted for them colorful and exciting pictures of the beauties of the Rocky Moun tain West. His annual insistence that they accompany him some :vear led to plans for the expedition of 1872. Georgetown, Colorado, in 1872 was a bustling mining camp as yet not reached by the railroad. Having taken two visits by Presi Courtesy, Harvard Alumni Bulletin dent Grant in its stride, the lively town was excited over the pros TORREY GRAY PARRY pects of visitors of so much dignity and learning. A local wag referred to Professor Gray as a "weed sharp" but the town turned ''Quite nnexpectecl by Professor Gray, a formal ceremony was out in grand style-volunteer fire companies in full regalia, the held, givi11g pro11ouucement to the names which Pany had earlier Georgetown band, and a delegation headed by the "Professor" of given the peaks. Judge l\fol\furdy, leading citizen and host to the the local public school. The stage coach was escorted through town party, addressed his remarks to Gray, in part, thus: to the leading hostelry, "The Barton Honse." 'Sir, your name is destined to occupy this lofty niche. Your William Barton, a gentleman of ''agreeable deportment and · the finest host in the Territory," greeted the venerable Professor friend, Dr. C. C. Parry, has inscribed your name upon this lofty 'I'orrey, his friend of several seasons-Mr. Parry-and his fellow peak, this wedge that pierces the clouds and divides the waters of Bostonians, Professor and Mrs. Gray, with great cordiality. The this continent, and there we hope it will remain and grow brighter record has it that long after the great banquet and reception had and brighter as long as the waves of the sea dash upon our Atlantic concluded that night, Professor and Mrs. Gray sat up in the "back coast or roll in gentle murmurs upon the golden strand of our quiet parlor" and told Billy Barton stories of his native Beacon Street, Pal!ific. of Cambridge, and other scenes he had left behind when he joined 'We have met here touay to welcome you to this, perhaps the the gold rush and came to Georgetown in 11.\67. highest spot in the Uniteu States, and we rejoice that he who has Early the morning after their arrival. the distinguished guest!'! namecl so many of our beautiful mountain flowers has come into our and a company of Georgetown citizrn tnr+ec1 on horseback for the miust to see with his own eyes on what a magnificent scale nature Gray's Peak country. They proceeded rst, up the narrow rocky earries on her work in Central Colorado. 124 COLORADO MAGAZINE COLORADO PLACE NAMES 125 'We, your friends, would say to you who uow stand here upon to the peak, from whose summit is had perhaps the most extensive the very central pinnacle of our widely extended country, as the and magnificent view in the world.'' inscription on the monument of Sir Christopher Wren, at St. Paul';; Professor Torrey, unable to tax his strength by the long climb, says: Si monumentum reqitiris, circiimspice. 'Ve bid you welcome had been ably represented at the top of Gray's Peak by his daugh to this magnificent peak. May you and your excellent wife, when ter. He cheered himself b~- watching from a vantage point the prog you leave these wild and rugged scenes for your classic home in ress of the party and responding to tiny flecks of white which were Cambridge, remember the pleasant social gathering we had on handkerchiefs waYed lovingly in his direction. Gray's peak. Gray wrote: '' 'l'orrey enjoyed the rare pleasure of viewing in their native soil and plucking with his own hands many a flower which he had himself named and described from dried specimens in the herbarium. Here he siood on the flank of the lofty and beautiful snow-clad peak to "·hich his grateful former pupil and ardent explorer had given his name." 'l'orrey was more philosophical about his infirmity which had prevented his ascent o.f the peak. ·Dispelling any suggestion that he might have missed something, he uttered his now famous· phrase, "?\o, give me the fountain of old age!" Nor did Charles Christopher Parry go without honor. His name was later bestowed by Surveyor-General F. M. Case on a peak not far distant. The two peaks, Gray's and Torrey's, have since been climbed by hundreds of adverturesome folk. The region which they tower over is still a paradise for collectors of botanical specimens. 'l'heir names, given them by a rugged, exploring bot anist, are testimony of the honor to the men who first gave the world knowledge of the floral treasnres in the Rocky Mountain \Vest. Courtesy, Harvard Alumni Bulletin GHAY'S PEAK AND TOHHEY'8 Pl•,AK 'And we who starnl ai·ournl yon here to<lay, in the presence of Dr. Parry, in the name of Uolol'aclo, and in the' name of science, now solemnly confirm and ratify the name of this mountain.