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In 1883, Katharine Lee Bates embarked on a transformative journey to the American West, where the majestic landscapes inspired her timeless poem "America the Beautiful." Experience the beauty and grandeur of the U.S. from sea to shining sea through her evocative verses. Follow her footsteps to Pike's Peak and revel in the splendor of amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties, and the essence of freedom and unity that define America. Visit the link for live images of Pike's Peak and immerse yourself in the scenic wonder that captivated Bates over a century ago.
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America, the Beautiful! A poem by Katharine Lee Bates
In 1883 Katharine made her very first trip to the American West. At that time, she was 33 years old. She stopped in Chicago to visit the World’s Fair and its model of a modern city, the first to be lighted by electricity. Later, she went to Colorado Springs to teach a summer course in English religious drama. She decided to make a trip up to Pike’s Peak with her fellow professors.
“Prairie wagons, their tail-boards emblazoned with the traditional slogan “Pike’s Peak or Bust”, were pulled by horses up to the half-way house, where the horses were relieved by mules. We were hoping for half an hour on the summit, but two of our party became so faint in the rarified air that we were bundled into the wagons again and started on our downward plunge so speedily that our sojourn on the peak remains in memory hardly more than one ecstatic gaze. It was then and there, as I was looking out over the sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading away so far under those ample skies, that the opening lines of the hymn floated into my mind!”
Visit: http://www.pikespeakcam.com/ FOR LIVE PICTURES OF PIKE’S PEAK!
THE END Created by Patricia Oeste 2003
