I found parts of this story in a Denver newspaper of the 1890s. It tells of the arrival of a carload of Kansas newspaper men, some 24 in number, and a few guides, making a tour of Colorado. The car originated in Topeka and traveled over the Rock Island to Denver. The tour, largely over the Rio Grande would include the Front Range and Mountain mining camps like Leadville. When they left Denver they traveled south.

The car made a stay at Palmer Lake which included a few side trips. They took up an entire hotel and visited the ice industry and many local farms and ranches. The group represented many Kansas investors who might like Colorado. This was not the first of these trips. In previous years other railroads had promoted similar visits. Some centered in Denver promoted northern Colorado’s farming regions. These visits caused a number of new residents arriving in Colorado, to live or vacation.

It is no wonder that in this area there are streets named for places in Kansas. Up in Ute Pass there were regular visits from the Santa Fe railroad who even arrived in their private railroad car. Some stayed all summer. The same is true for Monument and Palmer Lake. This is largely as a result of the newspaper men’s trips to Colorado.

Ancestors of mine were included in these settlers from Kansas. I had relatives in Monument in the late 1880’s. Other members of the family traveled to Rifle, Colorado Springs and Craig. Most were farmers, ranchers and even in construction. As I read these old newspapers I often look for family names, but generally the newspaper do not tell me those things.