Denver is the great city of the Rockies, whose snow-capped summits are seen to the westward in a magnificent and unbroken line, extending in view for one hundred and seventy miles from Pike's Peak north to Long's Peak, with many intervening summits, most of them rising over fourteen thousand feet. Denver stands on a high plateau, through which the South Platte River flows, and it is at nearly fifty-three hundred feet elevation. This "Queen City of the Plains" was settled by adventurous pioneers as a mining camp in 1858, and through the wonderful development of mining the precious metals has had rapid growth, so that now there is one hundred and seventy thousand population. It has many manufactures and some of the most extensive ore-smelting works in the world, the annual output of gold and silver being enormous. The high elevation and healthy climate make it a favorite resort for pulmonary patients. There are many fine buildings, and a noble State Capitol with a lofty dome, erected at a cost of $2,500,000, and standing on a high hill, so that it gives a superb outlook. The city was named in honor of General James W. Denver, who was an early Governor of Kansas and served in the Civil War. He first suggested the name of Colorado for the Territory (now a State), and thus his name was given its capital. Denver has built for its water-works, forty-eight miles south of the city, the highest dam in the world, two hundred and ten feet, enclosing a gorge on the South Platte to make an enormous reservoir holding an ample supply.