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Among the most pop- ular subjects are, xTansparenuies on Glass, l^af worli, Autunni Leaves, Wax Work, Painting, Leather Work, Picture Frames, Brackets, Wall Pockets, Work Boxes and Baskets, Straw Work, Skeleton Leaves, Mosaic, Crosses, Card-board Work, Worsted Work, Spatter Work, Mosses, Cone Work, etc. Hundreds of ex(iuisite illustrations decorate the pages, which are full to over- flowing witli hints and devices to evei^ lady, how to ornament her home cheaply, tastefully, and delightfully with fancy articles of lier own constrtu'.tinn Mv tar tJio mnat. "^pular and elegant V- v>^ ■-»vrtT5^^-,flr*t'. ;..■■, T^RCHeR B/iLLIjv(AHIJvf(^H. al Home Corn- ed to Household „ r— B. • 1 Jts, I-tidles' Fancy Work, Soclet' . Amuseraenta, Flowers, Window Gardening, Cot- tages, etc. 'Che prettiest Ladies' Paper in Amkrioa. BF.AUTIFULL iLUrSTRATED. A PERFECT GEM. Full of gOOd sense, and Invaluable to every lady for its reiinement, elegance, and rare value. Price, $1.3t) per year, including beautiful Chroino. Specimen copies, 10 cents. The Little Gem and Tounvr Folks' Favorite.— Tbf. pret- tiest PAPER FOB THE YODNO FOLKS IN THE tJNlTED STATES. A beautiful Illustrated Journal, devoted to the interest of the Toung Folks, their amusement, improTement and Instruction at home and at school. Full of pretty pMturea, eQtertalnins stories, puzzles, fim, anecdotes, questions, little pieces, and velps to school studies. Pure, sen8il>le, usenil. Parents, take it FdR YOUR CHILDREN. Price, 65 cents per year. Specimen ooples, _ Scents. „- "^ Above Books and .Tounials for sale by all Bookstores and News dealers in the U. S., or sent post-paid by mail on receipt of price, by > r r j . HENRY T. f ILLIAHS,PQDMer 46 Beekmaii Street, New M. es' Floral Cabinet, 3(t0 pages, contaln- Window Culture, !nforiaatioii about ry, Wardian Case, Bulbs for House , Plant Decoration dly beautiful, and '. Price, »1.50, by Work" treats of: , Shrines, Hustle ;er Crosses, Straw Bead Mosaic and snts. Hair Work, n immense nuin- ght all lovers of nail post-paid. enep.— A delight- Ladies— practical, able information Plants, Annuals, 1 for it. Printed Bound in cloth, Scroll SawlnsTi -Part 1 has pat- snts, post-paid by | il5. Price, 91.00 i really exquisite. I ree on receipt of | '^ ^'HCiK." ^ ^"" ''°'"*°'''>> an^Piders, Sprinsllcid, Mass. BWMiH. ' 'w^r," ( L ,;•. ^mlars^m^ntS' ' A \ 1876:^1 a very complete |>assuiiger, and a poiitatiu/ Th« informatiou Btated while the illustra- [formiiig a most attractive " be liberally rewarded for een at in producing it. J. Dickey, Superintendent Telegrapli DepajbM^Tit. "Office Chicago & NoRTH-WESTERS^fii'BOAD, Co. 'ago, June 3, 1876. f You Iiave made a Ouid^Mtflt you sliould be proud of. and I trust tliat you will bi^^imply repaid for your worlc. I sin- cerely hope for its success. W. H. Stexnett, General Passenger Agent." " Office of V. S. Geological and Geograpbical Survey of ^he Territories, Washington, June 10, 1876. DkabSik: Your Guide Book is splendid. Nothing lilie it ever got out on tliis Continent. It is a world of information in regard to the Far West. It will be useful, not only to the traveler, but to all others, as a condensed library of infor- mation about the West. Yours sincerely, P. V. Hayden." " Michigan Ckmtbal Railroad Co., ) Chicago, May 29, 1876. ) I thank you for an opportunity to see ' Williams' Pa- cific Tourists' Guide.' It makes a very creditable ap- pearance, and will meet the wants of all who are searching for a correct guide to the many points of interest upon our Great Trans-continental Route. I wish you much success in the undertaking. Yours truly, / ■~>Henry C. Wentworth, * General Passenger Agent." "Chicago, Burlington A Quincv Railroad Co.. ) ^ Boston, Julie 1, 1876. 1 Your Guide Is very finely gotten up, and is ahead of any- thing of the kind I have yet seen. E. P. Ripley, General Eastern Agent." " Michigan Central Railroad, ( Boston, June 6, 1876. ) I have examined your 'Pacific Tourist.' and take pleasure in cominondins it to trans-continental travelers, not only as an accurate Guide Book, but as a work well cal- culated to while away hours which become too heavy for comfort. The work is welt edited, and is wortliy of a place, not only in the hands of the traveler, but on the shelves of the private library. I hope your labors will meet with sat- isfactory reward, J. Q. A. Bean, General Eastern Agent." " We are surprised at the amount of Information it con-" tains. The volume contains more matter tha n tli billed issues of NordhotT'sCHlitornia, I li I.u|m»i||IM run ili ii and Crofutt's book. Its llliiiiliiiLi)|iMi lit imii scenery and travel, in numbers, liniMly iHil iii j, exceed those of any volume i ini .liiillTniii il Tiie railroad cornpanies have unqiialiUe^l^ndorsed it as the mo&t accurate and re- liable guid^^cr seen." American Bookseller, N. Y. '" The Pacific Tourist Is singularly full and complete." The Evening Post, N. Y. * ( *"i HE Pacific Tourist is as its editor claims, the costliest and bandsomtfst book of the sort yet issued. The descrip- tions are well written, and wood engravings after good art- ittts are very Iiaiidsome. Mr. Williams has done a great - deal of trayeline, spent a considerable amount of money in getting up^tne Guide, and ha» been very competently aided by tourists and journalists of experience." Sprikowuld Republican, (Mass.) " It will not disappoint expectations in any respect, its only faulfbeing that its contents are of so comprehensive a kind, that the intending tourist will, likely enougli, suffer from an embarrassment of riches." Daily Inquires, Philadelphia, Pa. " This Guide ranks among the very best efforts ever issued. Its richness agd completeness in illustrations, information and descriptions, can only be realized by an examination of the work. The ground traveled over and described is immeai*. It is doubtful it any other work offers so much valuable and useful information *to travelers in so suc- cinct and attractive a form. We may say that it gives, in- deed, too much for the money. Tiie views are profuse and notably good. The amount of illustration in the book con- sidering its cost, is absolutely marvelous, and the ability and energy Mr. Williams has shown in getting it up is some- thing to l>e ftdmired." Publishers' Wh zkly, New York C— -. " At last ther6 is a Guide Book to the Pacific Coar way worthv of the wonderful scenery, and inexbr .o resources of the western part Of the Annrican C' . t, and the sagacity, skill and money that hv •■ gh Jie Pacific Railroads. The Pacific Tourist is edited by the one man in this country, who is competent to furiiish such a Guide Book. Mr. Williams has. In personal travel and by various excur- sions, made himself personally familiar with the whole ground. The volume Is tilled wlUi all possible information of value >o those intending to travel to the Pacific, and is so inlereBtiniriv written, and so lavishly and l)eautlfully Illus- tr.ated by the best artists, as t<> make it a volume worthy any library. Time and space utterly fail to describe details. The book only needs t» be seen to be appreciated." The Daily Union, Springfield, Mass. "Indispensable to persons traveling in the West. It is brouglit out in excellent, even sumptuous style, and is very copiously illustrated with pictures of Interesting places and oil AmctorH Every sortof information useful and entertaining, is given in regard to the wliole region of the Pacific Slope, thus making the book of the greatest value to tourists and busi- ness men." Tub Daily Graphic, N. Y. tmm f^tmmim niBpwpiRii mPNi ^h^ ||^and«0mesl ^ntde K^i^olt -2 XliINO FULL DE8CKIPTIOX8 OF RAILROAD ROUTES ACROSS THK COXTIXENT, ALL PLEASURE RESORTS AXI> PLACES OF MOST NOTED SCENERY IN THE FAR WEST, ALSO OK ALL CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, U. S. FORTS SPRINGS, LAKES, MOUNTAINS, ROUTES OF SUMMER TRAVEL, BEST, LOCALITIES FOR HUNTING, FISHING, SPORTING, AND ENJOY- MENT, WITH ALL NEEDFUL INFORMATION FOR THE PLEASURE TRAVELER, MINER, SETTLER, OR BUSINESS MAN. A COMPLETE TRAVELER'S GUIDE OF AXD ALL FOISTS OF BUSINESS OR PLEASURE TRAVEL TO CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, NEBRASKA, WYOMING, UTAH, NEVADA, MONTANA, THE MINES AND MINING OF THE TERRITORIES, THE LANDS OF THE PACIFIC COAST, THE WONDERS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, THE SCENERY OF THE SIERRA NEVADAS, THE COL- ORADO MOUNTAINS, THE BIG TREES, THE GEYSERS, TtiE YOSEMITE, AND THE YELLOWSTONE. BY HENRY T. WILLIAMS, Editor. WITH SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY Prof. F. V. HAYDEN, CLARENCE KING, Capt. DUTTON, A. C. PEALE, JOAQUIN MILLER, J. B. DAVIS, F. E. SHEARER. ILLUSTRATIONS BT THOMAS MORAN, A. C WARREN, W. SNYDER, F. SCHELL, H. W. TROY, A. WILL. ENGRAVINGS BY MEEDER & CHUBB. Price, S1.50 Railroad Edition. SS.OO JC^xU. Cloth. NEW YORK: HENRY T. WILLIAMS, PUBLISHER. 1876. Copyriglit, 1876, by Henr>- T. Willianis. 'f ' 11 XMSO ■w mm ^ TSIG" PREFACE. A Few can fbrm an adequate idea of the immense fleld required to be covered by a Trans-Continental Guide. The amount of labor, personal travel, and research, all of utmost faithfulness and accuracy, is beyond expression or terms of comparison. Think of the wonderful results accomplished in a few years, by the opening of the Pacific Railroad. In 18&0, the Far West was unknown and unexplored. In 1860, its total population was but 619,000, most of whom were residents of the Pacific Coast. In 1870, the population had doubled. In 1876, seven years after the opening of the Pacific Uailroad, see how wonderful the change. The population of the Far Western States and Territories had again increased 40 per cent. And the Far West now includes this immense field reached only by this Railroad. Population in 1875, 1,621,- 708; area of square miles, 1,446,882; area of square acres, 1,882,744,766. The entire capital now invested in Railroad enterprises in this vast region now exceeds 9760,000,000. Over 800 towns and sta- tions have arisen on the great Trans-Continental Route and its branches. The annual receipts exceed •980,000,000 a year, and the number of passengers, both through and local, exceed 1,000,000. The tide of pleasure travel has turned westward, and Europe clasps hands with China and Japan across our Cimtinent. Thus have seven short years turned the travel of the world. This volume represents over nine months' actual time spent in personal travel — over 2,600 miles — yetting with faith- fulness all possible facts of interest and tlie latest information. Over 40*artists, engravers and corres})ondents have been emf^yed, and the whole represents an outlay of nearly -920,000 : thus making it not only the most elaborate, but the costliest and handsomest Guide Book in the world. No other volume in the world contains so many views of the scenery of the West The Editor and his Assistants have, in the past seven years, personally traveled over this great Route more than 8U times. More than 100,000 miles of travel on the American Continent have been traversed by the Editor, who during eight years' active service as an associate editor of The New York Independent, has conducted four large editorial parties to the wonders of tb" West, representing over 150 journals and a total circulation of over 8,000,000. In this volume is combined every possible &ct to guide and instruct the pleasure traveler, business man, mintr, or settler, who turns his face westward. Herein are found every Railroad Station, and time of the principal Railroads, all Stage Routes, Distances, and Fare to all principal points ; all the wonders of Western Scenery, Springs, Mountains, Canons, Lakes, Deserts, Rocks, and Gardens are here described in detail. The trans-ocean traveler from Europe to the Pacific will find all needful information of Routes on the Pacific Ocean ; and the traveler eastward fh)m Australia and Japan will find invaluable help for his route to New York. Professor F. V. Bayden, the celebrated leader of the United States Geological Exploring Expedition, has contributed specially to these pages an admirably condensed account of the Wonders of ihe Yellowstone ; and with the assistance of A. C. Peale, this Guide is the only publication which gives the most detailed and accurate information of Routes — how to reach it. The Big Bonanza Mines are also described in glowing language, and add to the interest of these pages. The Representative Men of the Far West, who have been the energetic projectors and supporters of all its active and successful enterprises, are illustrated in our pages. I acknowledge, with pleasure, special thanks for the services of Mr. J. B. Davis, late editor of The Common- wealth, Topeka, Kansas, and F. E Shearer, of San Francisco, who have done so much by personal travel and effort to make this Guide complete- As the Tourist looks with pleasure upon the sketches of Thomas Moran, who more than any other American artist has illustrated the Glories of the West, or upon the scenes illustrated ttam the paintings of Bierstadt, America's favorite painter, and the sketches by Warren, Will, and others, all from life and accurate in every detail, let him give due credit to Art for these happy embellishments of nature. Wishing every traveler " bon voyage," I am, cordially, HENRY T. WILLIAMS, Editor. (k^Kii: -::A\Xj^ ital Guide, is beyond r», by tlie M), its total ilation had le change. And the i76, 1,624,- pital now 18 and 8ta- )t8 exceed he tide of Cttntinent. with faith' ndenlM have t elaborate, d contains ven years, vel on the trice as an wonders of linesB man, time of the Df Western detail. I the Pacific New York, edition, has ellowstone ; >8t detailed B pages, rs of all its Vie Common' I travel and 1 any other Miintings of nd accurate ihing every 3, Editor, /MERICA^S Q RE A TEST WONdER . The Pacific Railroad. / Her grandest scenery borders its magnificent pathway ; tlvither is her most popular route of pleasure travel, and most celebrated health resorts ; and along these iron lines, the monument of financial intrepidity and daring engineering skill, there is opened a new West, a Continent of itself, richer in wealth than the most sanguine of hopes ; and hither, in so short space of time, has poured so immense a volume of trade, as to change the entire commerce of the world. Industries have arisen by the opening of this great trans-continental line which were never ex- pected or dreamed of by the projectors; the richest of mineral discoveries and the most en- couraging of agricultural settlements have alike resulted, where little was thought of, and stran- gest of all, the tide of travel from the European and the Asiatic countries, and the distant isles of the Pacific Ocean, once the exclusive privilege of English vessels through the Suez Canal, or around the Continent of Africa, actually now crosses the American Continent with far more speed and greater safety. The exclamations of American and European tourists, after a passage over its magnificent route are alike, — " The greatest wonder of the nineteenth century!" Viirlo»ltie8 of History. — To whom the honor belongs of first pi'oposing the plan of a rail- road to the Pacific, history can never ftiUy deter- mine. Whitney offered to build it for a grant of thirty miles in width along its track, and it was looked upon as the freaky fancy of a monomaniac. Benton, too, the famous statesman, was once aglow with enthusiasm over the subject, and be- gan to agitate the project, but it was considered the harmless fancy of an old jwlitician. And in 1856, when General Fremont was nominated, the Platfonn of the National Republican Party contained a clause in its favor — but it was re- garded as a piece of cheap electioneering " bun- combe," and decidedly absurd. Perhaps the earliest record of a devoted admirer of this project was that of John Plumbe, in 1836. He was a Welshman by birth, an American by education and feeling, a civil engineer by profession, and lived at Dubuque, la. He began to agitate the project of a railroad from the great lakes across the Continent to the Territoiy of Oregon. From that time to his death, in California, sev- eral years after the discovery of gold, he never failed to urge his project ; earnestly and ardently laboring to bring it before Congress, and attempt- ing to secure a beginning of the great work. To far-seeing statesmen, the idea naturally occurred that in course of time there would arise on the Pacific Coast another empire of trade and com- 27928 G TME ^siVlFW TQWMl^W. nierco and industry, either ftt San Francisco, or Wwi J'uget Sound, which would in time, lieconio tlie rival of New York and the Kust, and at once tlio T)roject was taken uji and oncourajjed 1>y Carver, Wilkes, Henton, A\ hitney, Burton and others; 1)ut all sucli ideas met with indiii'erencu and ridicule. In 1844, when Fremont made liis famous ox- iilorations across tlie plains, which has earned lim so world-wide a reputation, so little was known of the geojj;raphy of that country, that liis rejK)rt8 were considered an inunense accpiisition to the collection of books of physical knowledge of our country. This section was fully 2,!i(i(» miles in distance, entirely vacant, no settlement, entirely occupied l)y roving bands of Indians, and the undistiu'bed home of the buffalo and antelope. In that year Chicago was but an obscure village, on a prairie without a single inhabitant. And not a single Wv.^^ of i-ailruad was built from the Atlantic westward beyond the Alleghanies, and on the Pacific only one American flag covered a feeble colony. The dis- covery of gold in California nad its effect in directing public attention to the unknown riches of its Western border ; and at last Congress woke up to the need of thorough explorations and investigations. In March, 1853, Congress made its first appropriation to explore the Far West, and ascertain if there was really a practi- cable route to the Pacific. In 1854, Congress ajv propriated $190,000 additional ; and, as a result, nine surveying parties were organized and pur- sued their wt)rk. Ten routes were surveyed between the 32d and 49th parallel of latitude ; the eastern ends ranging all the way from Fulton, Ark., to St. Paul, Minn., — and the western ter- minal points from San Diego to Puget Sound. The lengths of these routes varied from 1,.')33 to 2,290 miles. The continued gold discoveries brought an im- mense flow of population to the Pacific Coast, and California, more alive to the necessities of such roads than the East, after numerous agitations, at l8«t really made the first initiatory experiment. Early in 1861 there was organized at Sacramento, Cal., the Central Pacific Railroad Company, who by the appointment of T. D. Judah, as chief en- gineer, began the first and most thorough railroad survey ever made on the Sierras. Congress then woke up, and in July, 1802, the first national charter was granted. As a curious fact in the act — the utmost limit of time allowed for the completion of the road was fixed at July 1, 1876. In October, 1863, the preliminary organ- ization of the company was completed. A capi- tal of one hundred million dollars authorized, and the first contract for construction begun in 1864, but no practical progress was made till 1865, when on the 5th of November, the first ceremony of breaking ground, at Omaha, was celebrated. Then was begun the great work; the rapid progress of whi(!h afterward was a world-wide seiisalioM, astoiniding engineers, <'apitaii.Hts, and even govfMiinienls, with the almost Pfckless dar- ing of (ronstruction. XereMHity nnif Iteuvtitn to the Ooiwi'n- im'nt. From 1850 to 1800, the iH)pulatlon of tht» far Western States and Territories increased from a mere handful to the large number of 554.3(»1 jHtrsons, and in the whole area of 2,0(H) miles there had been built only 232 miles of U'legraph, and 32 miles of railway. Tim United States (joverinnent had established forts and trading stations, and the year 1870 saw the completion of the Pacific Hailroad line. Congress and the whole coinitry were astonishetl to see the rapid rate of development, and the enormous expense oi government military service. In tluit year the tK)pulation had increased to 1,011,971, there had )een built over 13,000 miles of telegraph lines ; there were completed over 4,000 miles of rail- road; all representing the gigantic capital of 83(!3,7.')0,000. In the remrts of distinguished statesmen to the United States Senate, occur these remarks which show the spirit of the times then. Senator Stewart of California, says : " The cost of the overland service for the whole period, from the acquisition of our Pacific Coast 5K)ssessions down to the completion of the Pacific tailroad was 198,000,000 per annum, and con- stantly increasing." As a curious fact of national economy, these figures will show the result of the Pacific Rail- road in saving to the United States Government : Since the building of the road, the cost of transportation to the government has been as follows : Amount cash paid to railroad companies for one-haU olinrge of transportation p«r year, about $l,200.(NH) per annum, Bay for 7 years— 1869 to 187fi, $8,400,000 The coet to the government of military trans- porUtion In 1870, was $8,000,000 per annum, and increasing over $1,000,000 per year. In 1876, would Save been over $14.- 000,000. Average for 7 yean, at $ 10,000,000 per year, $70,000,000 $62,600,000 Total saving in 7 years to United States Govern- ment, The actual amount of interest during this time paid bv the United States 1 sasury on bonds issued in behalf of the railroad, average interest, $3,807,129 per year. Total for 7 years, $27,279,906 Net pront over all expenses to United States, $42,820,0»4 These figures do not include vast amounts of incidental items which would have been of incal- culable trouble, or immense expense to the United States, such as the indemnities constant- ly being paid by the United Stjites for destruc- tion of life and private property by Indians ; also depredations of Indians on property in gov- ernment service, increased mail facilities and decreased mail expenses, prevention of Indian orld-widf iilints, iiiiil kii'ss (liii- iiorevn- )t' th« far it'll from a if iMt.aol ,()(M) iniU's tt'k'Krupli, ted Stutt's id trading oiiiplt'tioii and the the rapid s expensH lit year tlie there had apli lines ; es of rail- capital of itinguished mte, occur f the times says : r the whole icific Coast the Pacific , and con- louiy, these 'acitic Rail- overnment : the cost of as been as or «r 'or i»- ler «r I.- 100 $8,400,000 •70,000,000 $62,600,000 ne on kd. tal $27,279,906 $42,820,094 amounts of !en of incal- ise to the 3S constant- for destruc- ty Indians; irty in gov- :ihties and . of Indian FME *Psi€lFW WQitdlSr, wars, the rapid salt^ of piihlic lands, and the oni^rgetic dcvolnpint'nt of the mining interests of all tile Territitrifs. If these (;au all be correctly estimated, the net gain to the Uniterl States by the Imilding of the I'acitic Railroad, is iwav Jifty miltionn of doll ant. Hon. II 'iny Wilson, in a speech liefoie the Senate, Tlurty-sevtMitli Congress, boldly said : '• I give no grudging vote in giving away either money or land. I would sink IfiiKMMKX 1,01)0 to build tlie road, luid do it most cheerfully, and think I had done a great thing for my country. What are )!!7ri,000,000 or «1(»0,000,0(K> in opening a railroad across the central regions of this Cou tinent, that shall connect the peo[)le of the Atlantic and Pacific, and bind us together? Nothing. As to the lands, I do not grudge them." It is a significant fact, that while the heal - d ncH Ity of Congressional discussion was most eui nest in aid and encouragement of the project, the following sentiments were unanimously enter- tained by allth)! members of Congress: •1. That the roatl was a necessity to the go\ern- inont, and if not built by private capital, must be built in timj with public funds alone. 2. To encourage the capitalists of the country to como forward aiul aid the project, the govern- raent wore willing to give one-half the funds necessary as a loan, and were then merely doing the least part of the whole. 3. That no expectations were entertained that the road would ever, from its own means, be «ible to refund the advance made by the United States, and no other thought was ever entertained, save of the benefits to accrue to the public from the opening of this grand highway of national interest. No expectations were formed of the ability of the company to pay or repay the interest on the loan, but one thought was con- sidered, that the building of the road was ample compensation and service in its vast aid to in- dustry, and its saving in transportation. As editor of this Guide, knowing well the re- sources of the Far West, we positioehj assert that the government has already, in seven yearn, realized in both savings and sales, enough money to liquidate one-third the whole principal, and accrued interest of the government loan, and in less than .twenty years from the opening of the road, the government gain will be greater than the whole of the financial aid it has ever given. The Pacific Railroad i° the right-hand saving power of the United States. Discourage ments. — Notwithstanding all that the government had done to encourage it (by speeches), the work languished. Capitalists doubted it. The great war of the rebellion attracted the attention of every one, and the gov- ernment, after its first impulses, grew indifferent. A few bold men determined to work incessantly for its completion. And one of the results of the great war was the conviction in the minds of every one — c^f a closer I'liion of the Statf.s. " Who Itiiotrs," said one, "hut Cfiliforniii and llir whole I'licific Coast may secede, and where are we then f We can do nothing to retain them. The Pacific Railroad must be built. It shall be built to keen our country together." Ihe chief engineer of the railroad, CJeii. (J. M. Dodge, in comiilinifiiting llie directors on the day of the(!onipletion of the last mile of track, says: "The country is evidently .satisfied that, you accom]>lished wonders, and have achieved a work which will bo a monument to your energy, yi ir ability, and to your r'-votioii to the enter- ,)rise, through all its gloomy, as well as bright 1 'iods, for it is notorious that notwithstanding li 1* aid of the government, there was so little l.iith in the enterprise, that its dark days — when yiiur private fortunes, and your all was staked on the siiccess of the project — far exceeded those c ; sunshine, faith and confidence." The hick of confidence in the project, even in the West, was so great that even in localities which were to be specially benefited by its con- struction, the laborers even demanded their pay before they would jierform their day's work, so little faith hui\ they in the payment of their wages, or in the alillity of the company to suc- ceed in their efforts. Probably no enterprise in the world has been so maligned, misrepresented and criticised as this, but now it is, l)y unbiased minds, pro- nounced, almost without exception, the best new road in the United States. Kfijritl I*i'Of/i't'HM. — I'hough chartered in 1862, yet the first grading was not done until 1804, and the first rail laid in July, 1865. At that time there was no railroad cc; munication from the Kast ; a gap of 140 miles existed be- tween Omaha and I)es Moines, and over this it was imjiossible to get supplies. For 5(K) miles westward of the Missouri River, the country was completely destitute of timber, fuel, or any material with which to build or maintain a road, save the bare sand for the road- bed itself, everything had to be transiwrted by teams or steaniboats, hundreds and thousands of miles. 1 . \bor, and every thing made by labor, was scarce and high. Railroad ties were cut in Michigan and Penn- sylvania, and shipped to Omaha at a cost, often, of $2.50 per tie. Even the splendid engine, of seventy horse-power, used at Omaha lor the company's works, was transported in wagons across the prairies from Des Moines, the only way to get it. Shops had to be built, forges erected, and machinery put in place, and the supplies, even, for the subsistence of laborers bad to be brought by river from the East; yet it was all dc ne. As the Westerners concisely express it, " The wind work had all been done, and grading now be- gan." • awwisteii^.,,,,,,. I "i In 1865, 40 miles of track wcvf. laid to Fre- mont. In I8(i(), •_'()() miles were laid. In 1807, 210 miles were laid, which inclnded the ascent to Sherman. By January 1, 18(J8, there had been completed 510 miles. In 1808, to May 10, 1800, 555 miles more were laid, ami the road finished — seven years in advance of the time set by Congress, and the time actually spent in construction was just three years, six months, and ten {/ai/:(. To show the enormous amount of materials required in the Union Pacific Railroad alone, there were u«ed in its construction ;300,000 tons of iron rails, 1.700,000 fish-plates, 0.800,000 bolts, 0,126,375 cross-ties, 23,505,500 spikes. Fast Biiildinff. — Day after day the average rate of building I'ose from one to two, three and five miles. Many W'ill remember the daily thrill of excitement as the morning Journals in the East made the announcements of so many nrore miles nearer the end, and as the number of com- pleted miles, printed in the widely circulated advertisements of the company, reached 1000. the excitement became intense, as the rival roads now were fairly aglow with the heat of compe- tition, and .so near each othe;. In previous months there had existed a little engineering rivalry, good natured, but keen, as to the largest number of miles each could lay in one day. The Union Pacific men laid one day six miles ; soon after the Central followed suit by laying seven. The Union Pacific retaliated by laying seven and a half; to this the Central sent the announce- ment that they could lay ten mil<'s in one day; to this Mr. Durant, the vice-president, sent biick a wager of $10,000 that it could not be done. The f)ride and spirit of the Central Pacific had now )een challenged, and they prepared for the enor- mous contest, one of extraordinary magnitude and rapidity. The 2!»th day of April, 1800, was selected for the decision of the contest, as there then remained but II miles of track to bring a meeting of the roads at Promontory Point. Work began ; the grounil had ah-eady been graded and ties placed in position, and at the signal the cars loaded with rails moved forward. Four men, two on each side, seize with their nip- pers the ends of the rails, lift from the car and carry them to their place ; the car moves steadily along ove. the rails as fast as they are laid. Im- mediately after follows a band of men who attach the plate and put the spikes in position ; next a force of Chinamen who drive down the spikes solid to their liomes, and last another gang of Chinamen with shovels, picks, etc., who ballast the .rack. The rapidity of all these motions, whicii required the moat active of exercise and alert movements, was at the rate of 144 feet of track to every minute. By 1.30 p. m., the layers had placed eight miles of track in Just six hours. Resuming woi'k again, after the noon rest, the track-laying progressed, and at 7 i*. m., exactly, the Central men finished their task of 10 miles, with 200 feet over. Mr. James Campbell, the superintendent of the division, then seizing a locomotive ran it over the ten miles of new track in forty minutes, and the Union men were satis- fied. This was tlie greatest feat of railroad building ever known in the world, and when it is known how vast the materials required to sujv ply this little stretch of ten miles, the i-eader is fairly astonished at the endurance of the laborers. To }>ut this material in place over 4,000 men had been constantly employed. The laborers on that day handled 25,800 cross-ties, 3,520 iron rails, 55,000 spikes, 7,040 fish-plates, and 14,080 bolts, the weight of the whole being 4,302,000 pounds. Upon both roads, for a year previous, tliere liad been remarkable activity. A total force of 20,000 to 25,000 workmen all along the lines, and 5,000 to 6,000 teams had been engaged in grading and laying tlie track or getting out stone or timber. From 500 to OtIO tons of materials were forwarded daily from either end of the lines. The Sierra Xevadas suddenly became alive with wood-choppers, and at one place on the Truckee River twenty-five saw-mills went into operation in a single week. Upon one railroad 70 to 100 locomotives were in use iit one time, constantly bringing materials and supplies. At one time there were 30 vessels en route from New York via Cape Horn, with iron, locomotives, rails and rolling stock, destined for tlie Central Pacific Railroad; and it is a curious fact, that on sev- eral consecutive days, more miles of track were ironed by the railroad comiianies than it was possible for an ox-team to draw a load over. And when at last the great road was completed, tlie fact suddenly flashed upon the nation that a road once so distrusted, and considered to* gigantic to be possible, was co.istructed an actual (listance of 2,221 miles, in less than f re yeais, of which all but lOO miles was done between January 1, 1800 and May 10, 180!) — three years, Jour months ami ten days. l*lcu>*un' of Overland Tftivel. — I'ul- iive Vav Life on the I'aei/ic liail- foatf. — 111 no part of the world is travel made so easy and comfortable as on the Pacific Rail- road. To travel 'rs from the East it is a con- stant delight, and to ladies and families it is accompanied with absolutely no fatigue or discom- fort. One lives at home in the Palace Car with as much true enjoyment as in the home drawing- room, and with the constant change of scenes afforded from the car window, it is far more en- joyal>le than the saloon of a fashionable steamer. For an entire week or more, as the train leisurely crosses the Continent, the little section and berth allotted to you. so neat and clean, so nicely fur- nished and kept, becomes your homt>. Here you sit and read, play your games, indulge in social conversation and glee, and if fortunate enough to po ov pr m tn fir St an th th to m( sic II on m >i 10 miles, mpbell, tlie I seizing a f new track 1 were satis- of railroad anl when it lired to suj> le reader is :lie laborers. 4.000 men laborers on 20 iron rails, 14.080 bolts, ,000 pounds. IS, there had voikmen all teams liad the track or oOOto 600 daily from ne alive with the Truckee operation in I 70 to 100 ', constantly At one time New York ,'es, rails and ntral I'acitic that on sev- i track were than it was ii load over. IS comjileted, lation that ted an actual fire yearn, of ne between —three years ^ <,t'f.—raf- i/if liait- travel made I'acitic Kail- it is a con- iniilies it is le or disconi- ice Car with ine drawing- ;e of scenes 'ar more en- ble steamer, lin leisurely n and berth > nicely fur- . Here you Ige in social be enough to possess good company of friends to join you, the overland tour becomes an intense delight. The sleeping-cars from New York to Chicago, proceeding at their rushing rate of forty or more miles per hour, give to travelers no idea of the true comfort of Pullman car life. Indeed the lirst thousand miles of the journey to Chicago or St. Louis has more tedium iind wearisomeness, and dust and inconvenience than all tlie rest of the journey. Do not judge of the whole trip by these first days out. From Chicago westward to Onuiha the cars are far finer, and traveling more hixurious, likewise the rate of speed is slower and the motion of tlie train more easy than on roads farther east. At Omaha, as you view the long Pacific train just ready to leave the dej)ot for its overland trip, (often over GOO feet in length), giving an appear- ance of strength, massiveness and majestic jwwer, you can but admit it is exceedingly beautiful and impressive ; this feeling is still more intensified v.hen a day or so later, alone out \\\w\\ the upland plains, with no living object in sight, as you stand at a little distance and look down upon the long train, it seems the handsomest work of science ever made for the comfort of earth's people. The slow rate of speed, which averages but sixteen to twenty miles per hour, day and night, produces a paculiarly smooth, gentle and easy motion, most soothing and agreeable. The straight track', which for hundreds of miles is without a curve, avoids all swinging motions of the cars ; sidelong bumps are unknown. The cars are connected with the Miller buffer and platform, and make a solid train, without the dis- comforts of jerks and jolts. And the steady, easy jog of tlie train, us it leisurely mces west- ward, gives a feeling of genuine comfort, such as no one ever feels or enjoys in any other part of the vvorld. A Pullman Pacific car tr.ain in motion is a grand and beautiful sight too, from within as well as f'-oni A'ithout. On some lovely, balmy, sum- mer lay, when the fresh breezes across the prai- ries induce us to open our doors and windows, tlienj may often be seen curious and pleasant sigliis. .Standing at the rear of the train, and with all doors oi)en, there is an luiobstructed view alor. ., the aisles throughout the entire length. On either side of the train, are the prairies, where the eye sees but wildness, and even desolation, then looking back upon this long aisle or avenu'% he sees civilization and comfort and luxury. How sharp the contrast. The first day's ride over the Pacific Uailroiul westward, is a sliort one to nightfall, but it carries one through the beautiful undulating prairies of eastern Nebraska, the i)est settled portions of the State, where are its finest homes an call through euce of hest IS oil the cars ir always — a ts per (lay, ion to your iiid constant land-satchel, all you give ay are given, le porters of specially ex- nioii Pacific at excellent meals. The which seems )m either di- t it furnishes ner at Chey- gives a very but there is m, except at ar Laramie, 'estern train ops ten mill- excellent con- th the Pacific The keepers ellence under it of Sidney, jught from a parations for I dining-halls iety is nicely [vk, tongue of of V)eef steak, the best steak ,kes a special- At Evanston the Chinese them. Also fi. At Green it ; at Grand ly eat ; it has ies. ith the neat- l service. At xcellent. and y who either y to eat three lul to carry a 1 a little cup. ipping-places ne and coni- iside tiie car. ittlt! table in white table- When the tourist reaches the Ceatral Pacific Railroad he passes beyond the domain of the Pullman Car Company; nevertheless, tlie new coaches of the Central Pacific Railroad are just as elegant and convenient. As the comforts of the new cars are far supe- rior to the old ones, which still are used, it would be better to wait over at Dgden one day to make sur3 of them. The dining-stations of the Central Pacific Railroad are bountiful in their supplies ; at all of them fruit is given in sum- mer-time -with great freedom. Fish is almost alw.iys to be had ; no game of value. The food, cooking and service by Chinese waiters is simply excellent. The writer has never eaten nicer meals than those served ar Winnemucca, Elko, Battle Mountain and Colfax. The Humboldt Desert is far from being a desert to the traveling public, for its eating-stations always furnish a dessert of good things aiwi creature comforts. A little lunch-basket nicely stowed with sweet and substantial bits of food will often save you the pain of long rides before meals ; when the empty stomach craves food and failing to receive it, lays you up with the most dismal of sick head- aches; it also serves you splendidly whenever the train' is delayed. To be well on the Pacific Railroad eat at regular hours, and never miss a meal. Most of the sickness which we have witnessed, has arisen from irregular eating, or injudicious attempts at economy by skipping a meal to save a dollar. We have noticed those who were regu- lar in eating at every meal, passed the journey with greatest ease, most comfort and best health. Those who were irregular, skipping here and there a meal, always suffered inconvenience. In packing your little lunch-basket, avoid tongue, by all mfans, for it will not keep over a day or two, and its fumes in a sleeping-car are any- thing but like those from " Araby the blest." Avoid all articles which have odor oi any descriiv tion. Lunch counters are attached to all eating-sta- tions, so that you may easily procure hot coffee, tea, biscuit, sandwiches and fruit if you do not wish a full meal. The uniform price of meals at all stations over- land, is !|1.0() greenbacks. On the Central Pacific, if you prefer, pay 75 cents in silver ; at Lathrop pay .')() cents silver — the cheapest and best meal for the money, of your whole tour. For clothing on your overland trip, you will need at Omaha the first day, if it is summer, a light spring suit ; the next day a winter suit at Sherman. Again, at Salt l^ake City and the Humboldt Desert, the thinnest of summer suits, and at the summit of the Sierras, all your underclothing. We can only advise you as you have to pass through so many extremes of temperature, to always wear y( ' underclothing, day and night, through the overland trip, and add an overcoat if the air grows chilly. Beware of the quick transition from the hot ride over the San .loatiuin Valley to the cold sea air on the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco. Invalids have been chilled through with this un- expected sea breeze, and even the most hardy do not love it. Keep warm and keep inside the boat. Thus, reader, we have helped you with kindly hii-.ts liow to enjoy your trip. Jsow let us glance, as we go, at each scene of industry where our tour will take us. nrxTS. 1. Jiafffffif/e, — All baggage of reasonable weight can be checked from any Eastern city direct to Council Bluffs, but is there re-checked. 2. At Council Bluffs all baggage is weighed, and on all excess of over 100 pounds, passengers will pay 1.") cts. per pound. This is imperative. 3. Ruilrofif'^ Tickets — are easily procui-- able for the w!. ..e trip across to San tVancisco. It is better to buy one through ticket than to buy separately. By returning a different route from Omaha, from t'le one you went, the tour will be much more interesting, and give you fresh scenery constantly. 4. Buy your tickets only at known railroad offices, and never of agencies. In the West, railroads have offices at the principal hotels. These are usually perfectly reliable. 5. To Check Baggage — be at every depot one-half hour or more before the departure of trains. 6. Transfer Coaches, — In all Western cities there is a line of transfer coaches, which, for the uniform price of fifty cents, will take you and your baggage direct to any hotel, or transfer you at once across the city to any depot. They are trustworthy, cheap, and convenient. The agent will always pass through the train before arrival, selling transfer tickets and checks to hotels. 7. At Salt Lake City, horse-cars run front the depot direct to the hotels ; also there is an omni- bus transfer. Price, fifty cents. 8. At San Francisco there is no general om- nibus transfer or baggage company. Each ho- tel has its own coach, for which the uniform price of i|L()0 is charged per person and his bag- gage. Horse-cars also run from the wharf direct to all the hotels. 9. Greenbacks are used for all railroad tickets and payment of sleeping-car berths for the en- tire distance to California; also for all hotels to and including Salt Lake City, b"t beyond that, everything is payable in silver and gold. For the Central l\acific 'Railroad, you do not need more than $5 for coin expenses. After reaching San Francisco, you can sell your greenbacks and buy coin as often as necessary. If much coin is needed, buy and use the gold notes which are current everywhere within ;{00 miles of the city; beyond that the coin only is used. Gold drafts m V :! H Clin be bought in all Eastern cities on San Francisco. 10. The uniform prices of board in the West are ^l..j(» per day at Cliicago. l^iM) per day at Onialia, Denver, and Sai*^^ Lake City. In San Francisco, S8.(H) gold per day at all liotels. To secure good nice rooms in California, the tour- ist nuist submit to extra charges of sjSl.OO to §l..')l» p;;r day. 11. If traveling with ladies, it is good policy, when within 100 miles of each city, where you expect to stop, to telegraph to your hotel in ad- vance, requesting nice rooms reserved, alwiiys m'jntioning that you have ladies. I'J. AVlienever disposed to tiike horses and carripge for a ride, look out with sharp eyes for the tricks of the trade; if no price or time is agreed upon, you will liave to pay dearly, and the farther west you go, the hire of horse flesh grows dearer (though the value p^r animal rap- idly grows less.) Engage your livery cai'efully at so much par hour, and then choose your time to suit your wishes. Ten dollar bills melt quicker in carriage rides than any otiier " vain show." 13. AV'ithout much exception, aii railroad officers, I'ailroad conductors, Pullman car con- ductors are gentleman in manners, courteous and civil. No passenger over gains a jwint by loud orders or strong and forcible demands. You are treated respectfully by all, and the same is expected in return. The days of boisterous times. lOugh railroad men, and bullies in the Far West are gone, and there is as much civility there, often more, than you will find near home. 14. Railroad tickets must always be shown when baggage is checked. BOCTES. Route Xo. 1 from New York. — Take the Pcimsylvania Central Railroad which leaves foot of Desbrosses street, by ferry, to Jersey City. To engage a good berth in your sleeping-car, go to a proper railroad office, and secure your berth by telegraph. There are local telegraphs connect- ing with the principal Pullman office. Do this the previous night, or morning, as then the best berths can be secured. Pullman cars run on the Pennsylvania Railroad to Chicago and St. Louis, direct, without change. Three trains leave per day. To see the richest scenery, take the woni- ii)ff train and you will have a good view of nearly the entire State of Pennsylvania by daylight, the valley of the .Susquehanna and Juniata. annlight. The Pennsylvania Kailroad h ''alicays on time," the most reliable in its connections. Route No. 5? from New York, — Leave via tiie Erie Railroad from foot of Chand)ers or West 2M street. The advantages of this route are numerous. This is the famotis Pullman line — where run the only line of dining-cars — between New York anf Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, direct without change, to Chicago. Passengers also can take other sleep- ing-cars of the train, if they wish, which will convey them direct to Buffalo and NiagJira Falls, where there is direct connection ria the ]^ake Shore Railroad o; Alichigan Central to Chicago. Route No. !', — is ciu the New York Central and Hudson 1'iver. Toinists by this route will have the {I'l.antage of a d.ay light ride along the Hudson River, and the Mohawk Valley, wliich, in early sununer, is very fine. The dniing-sta- tions on this route, especially at I'onghkeepsie, •Albany, Utica and Syracuse are the finest in the Eastern States, and meals are super excellent. The sleeping-cars of this line are owned by the AV'agner Company, which upon the princijial day find night express trains are exceedingly fine, w«ll furnished and luxurious. Wagner cars run by two routes to Chicago, one via Buffalo, Cleve- land and Toledo, over the Lake Shore and Michi- gan Southern Railroad, the other ria Niagara Falls and Detroit over the Michigan Central Rail ..ad. The time made on this route is very rapid, and always exceedingly jirompt and re- liable. From Philudelphia. — Tourists uniformly prefer the Pennsylvania Central, though many often wish to visit Baltimore and Washington, and thence see the scenery along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and go westward via Cincin- nati to St. Louis. From Baltimore and If'ashfuf/tou. — Tourists have choice of either the Northern Central with Pennsylvania Central cc»nnections, or the lialtimore ;ind Ohio Railroad. I'ullman cars run on either road. From Ronton. — Wagner sleeping-cars run direct over the Boston and Albany Railroad, to Rochester, N. V., and usually through to Chicago. Though this is an exceedingly con- venient route, yet it gives no scetiery of conse- quence. Tourists who dcisire the best scenery will do well to come direct to New York, the ride by steamer being always pleasant, and from Nev/ York make their start, the pleasantest time for departure always lieing on the fast special ex- press in the morning. From Cinehniati. — tourists have choice of two routes; 1st. rin Ohio and Mississipjii Railroad, direct to St. Louis, j)assing over the famous St. Louis Bridtre, with onniibus transfer to other railroads ; or, '_'d, via IndianajMylis, Bl(X)m- m \ TMM ^;i€lFia TOWBmW. 13 The sleep g to tlie Pull- in the world, The scenery Bans take the (I at ix)ints is and dining- hicago. The tic and (ireat of Baltimore it change, to e other sleep- which will ^'iagara Falls. via the l^ake 1 to Chicago. Yoik Central his route will ide along the I'allev, wliich, he dniing-sta- roughkeepsie, e finest in the per excellent, owned by the principal day eedingly fine, igner cars run iuffalo, Clevc- ire and Michi- ria Niagara ligan Central route is veiy ompt and re- ists uniformly though many Washington, the Baltimore rd via Cincin- ^shhtf/tou. — the Northern 1 coiniections, ad. J'ullman ping-cars rini my Kailroad, y tlnough to eedingly con- lery of conse- liest scenery Vork. the ride lid from New itest time for st special ex- liave choice 1 Missisf-ippi v anv route, One berth, New York to Cincinnati, one and one'- half days, l>v Pennsylvania Railroad, One berth, New York to Cincinnati, one and one- lialf diiys. l)v other routes. One berth. New York to St. Ix)ui8, two days, by anv route. One berth, Chicago or St. Louis to Omaha, by any route. „ , One bertli. Omaha to Ogden, by PaciHc Railroad, One berth. Ogden to San Francisco, by Central Pacific Railroad, $5 00 4 00 5 00 6 00 3 00 8 00 MEALS. All meals at all railroad dining-stations east of Omaha. , „ Except dinners on Erie and New \ ork Central, All meals on Union Pacific Railroad, All meals on Central Pacific Railroad, first day, currency, „ ,, AH meals on Central Pacific Railroad, at Colfax, coin, ^ , All meals on Central Pacific Hailroad, Latbrop, coin, 00 «0 75 1 00 1 00 1 00 75 60 \\ SCKNES IN OMAHA. l.-Oenernl View of Omaha niid the Platte Valley. 2.— Po8t-Offlce. 3.-Hlgh School Building. 4.-Grnnd Centrnl Hotel. S.-Mis'souri Klver Bridge. I g^ ding. wm.E ^maxFm WQuniBT. 15 OMAHA, Omaha occupifs an exceedingly beautiful sit- uation, l)old and coniniandiutf. Ajuiroachiui; tliis eity from the east, tiie broad valley of tlie Missouri river first comes into view. Then, as you near Council Hluffs, the jjreat iron bridifo which spans thr river is [dainly visible. Kehind it, looking to the west, is Omaha, covering a part of the low bottom lands, tiie higher table lands, and the bluffs or hills beyond. On the cover of a book recently writ- ten by an English gentleman, on the advanta- ges, etc., of Nebraska, there is a picture, in gilt, of the Union Pacific bridge. On the top of this picture the following expressive legend is inscribed: " To the I'lains ; To the Mountains ; to W\A Pacific." This legend points the way, and means all it says. Omaha is the grand gateway through which the western tide of travel and inunigration is passing, in search of what may be found, either for amusement, pleasure or profit on these plains, mountains, and the ocean named. It is the half-way house, and resting-place for those who are weary of continual travel, and has sufficient attractions to render a visit profitable and inter- esting. Earl f I HiHtovff. — In June, 1853, as a party of gentlemen were standing in the shade of the bluffs, at whose feet nestled the Mormon town of Kanesville, now Council Bluffs, their eyes rested iipon the spot wluire Omaha now stands. The plateau that ascended gently before them to the finely-rounded hills and covered with a beautiful green carpet, was a most captivating sight. It was a fine location for a city, and the question of em- barking in the enterprise of building one was discussed by the party. The project was so favorable in their view, that they shortly after crossed the river and proceeded to make a per- sonal examination of the grounds. They found their anticipations fully realized — the location being even better than it had appeared in the distance. The lines were at once laid down, and the same year surveyed and lithographed. But before the survey, a town company was incorporated under the laws of Iowa, and known as the "Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company." The date of this organiza- tion was July 23, 1853. The honor of naming the town belongs to Jesse Lowe, at whose sug- gestion it was called Omaha, after a tribe of Indians which is now nearly extinct. The records of Lewis & Clark's expedition up the Missonri river, in 18(H, show that they under- stand the name of this tribe iis " Mahas." but we are in the dark as to how or w-hen the letter "O" was prefixed to the name. Having per- fected their organization, the next step was to obtain title from the Indians. A preliminary treaty was made with ^hem in the winter of 1853-54, which was ratified by the government, to which the lands reverted; and afterwards the town site was obtained through two jjatents to two gentlemen who acted for the town company. The fiist ferry across the river was a cotton- wood eiaft; but it was superseded in 1853 by a steam ferry-bo.-.t called the "(Jeneral Marion." After this event, by means of advertising, the overland travel was rapidly concentrated, and Omaha began to grow. The first house was erected by the ferry company, in 1853, on the corner of Twelfth and Jackson streets. Tlie erection of other buildings (juickly followed. In 1854, the first brick kiln was burned; and the Omaha Arrow, the first newspaper, made its appearance. The first grave was dug where Turner Ilall now stands, for an old squaw of the Omaha tribe, who had been left by her com- panions to die. How prophetic the' words of Whittier in his poem : " nehind the squaw's light birch canoe, The steamer Hmokefi anil raves; And city \o\» are staked for sale Above old Indian graves." The first legislature of Nebraska convened in the winter of 1854-5. There was a great strife for the location of the capital, but Omaha triumphed, and in 1850 the capitol building was commenced on the ground now occupied by the High-school building, which was donated by the city. jHuHff Times. — In 1856 things were "boom- ing " in Omaha, and corner lots were held and sold for extravagant sums, but the crash of 1857 soon followed, and men who were supposed to be wealthy the year before, found themselves penni- less, unable to obtain money enough to get away. These were forced to stay, and by this fact alone many of them are now rich and prosperous. But "the discovery of gold in Colorado, in 1859, was a godsend to Omaha. It lifted it from depression and set it marching forward on the road to an enduring prosperity. White-topped wagons from the east came by the thousands. On some of them these words were painted, "Pike's Peak or bust," and "busted" the owners of many of them became as the sequel proved. It was during these flush times that many of the solid merchants and business men of (imaha laid the foundations of their wealth and coiimiercial prosperity. In the winter of 1857 a city charter was granted to Omalia, and Jesse Lowe, one of its original founders, was the first mayor. In 1809, it was chartered as a city of the first class. Up to 1807, the means of "public communication with the city were stage-coaches, overland throuj; . Iowa, and the steamers on the Missouri river. In the winter the Jatti-r ceased to run. Various railroad proj- ects were agitated, but until the year 1802 nothing definite was accomplished. Meanwhile the growth of the city was slow, and attended Hi U \ !• ' i -■A ill 1 Ai 16 with varying fortiuiea and prosjieets/ But in tiiat year an act was passed by Congress, autlKJi-- izing tlie construction of a trunk railroad from the 100th meridian — which is about 200 miles west of Omaha — and two brandies, from }x)ints on tlie western iMJunthiries of Iowa and Mis- souri. The first branch that rptched tlie 100th meridian was authorized to bv "id tlie trunk line. The terminus of the northern branch was fixed by President Lincoln in a proclamation dated November 17, 180:3, and from this date the progress of the city has lieen rapid and sub- stantial. This is manifested by the fact that in 1805 the population had scarcely reached 4,500 souls, while in Januarj% 1875, Omaha had a population of full 20,00<), — an increase of 15,500 in ten years. This remarkable increase is due almost wholly to the location of the Union Pacific railroad, and from the fact that this is the initial jioint and eastern terminus of the road. During those ten years marvelous changes were wrought and wonderful improvements made, until Omaha can now Iwast of as fine business blocks, hotels, school-ljuildings and churches as can be found in many older and more pretentious cities in the East; while the manufacturing enterprises now in operation and contemplated, will surely make good its claim as the commercial metroiwlis of the Missouri val- ley. Its geographical position is eminently commanding. Its railroad connections are in- creasing, and as year by year it reaches out its iron arms, more territory will be brought to pay it tribute and establish its supremacy as the seat of influence and {wwer. The first railrpad that reached this city from the East, was tiie Chicago and North-western — the first train over it arriving on Sunday, January 17, 1807. Then followed the Council Bluffs and St. Joe, the Burlington and Missouri River and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific. After these came the Sioux City and Pacific, the Omaha and North-western, and the Omaha and South-western railrojids. The last-named road has been leased by the Burlington and Missouri. It extends to Lincoln, the capital of the State ; then west- ward uniting with the Union Pacific at Kearney Junction. It has a branch from its main line at Crete to Beatrice, a tliriving town near the southern boundary of the State. The Omaha and North-western is completed about 50 miles, and follows the valley of the Missouri on the west side of that rivei", north from Omaha. It will probably soon be extended. More railroads are contemplated and will doubtless soon be built. Omaha is well supplied with churches, and they are generally well supported, though some of them are still without edifices for public wor- ship. All the religious denominations are repre- sented in these establishments, and some of the church edifices are tsistef ul and elegant, — present- ing a fine arcliitectural appearance. In public schools, however, Omahi; is without a peer or a rival in the West. Ii. 1800, the capitolof the State was removed to Lincoln, and the legislature afterwards donated the stiuare and capitol building to Omaha for high school pur- jtoses. The old capitol building was torn down, an. Large quantities of Utah fruit are received at Omaha, both dried and fresh, and a large market opened ; 40 car-loads were received in 1875, from Salt Lake City. This is one of the greatest curiosities developed by the Pacific Railroad. Corn is shipped west from Omaha to feed the inhabitants of tlie Salt Lake Valley, while the same cars bring back their surplus fruit. In 1871, the first shipment of fruit was made, 300 pounds. In 1875, the trade amounted to 900,000 pounds. The business of collecting and drying hides, buffalo robes, pelts and furs alone is $150,000 per year, and to supply the prairie settlements with such modern inventions as the sewing- machine, requires over $250,000 per year ; one company alone having sold last year $191,000 worth. One dealer reports a sale of such frivoli- ties as 568 Canary birds, and 331 baby carriages. Perhaps the best index of the enormous trade of Omaha is gained from the statements of rail- road transportation. The total number of cars of freight received at Omaha from the East, in 1875, was 10,045, of which above 3,689 were of coal, and 1.500 additional of grain from the West. The freight paid by Omaha merchants r ll: I'i' u I 1 t ill 1875 upon goodH received for consumption was ^744,248. From the West there were received l,'i77 cars of bullion, 40 of ore, and 4 for sudu. These items are of the trade and consumption of Omaha only, and not the main traffic of the railroad. These are only a few of the many important items which show how vast a business has been built in 20 years, from the smooth, unopened Krairie soil, now made rich and active with tlie um of industry. The U. r. R. II. BHdfie Acromt the MtMSOuH River. — The huge bridge, which spans the Missouri, is a fitting entrance to the wonders beyond — a mechanical wonder of itself, it fills every traveler with a sense of awe and majesty, as the first great scene of the overland journey. Tlie last piece of iron of the last span which completed tne bridge was fastened in its place on the 20th of February, 1872. Previous to that time, all passengers and traffic "were transferred across the treacherous and shifting shores of tlie Missouri River in steam-boats with flat keel, and with the ever-shifting currents and sand-bars, safe landings were alwajyrs uncertain. The bridge comprisfs 11 spans, each span 250 feet in length, and elevated 50 feet above high water-mark. These smns are supported by one stone mason 17 abutme'it, and 11 piers witli 22 cast-iron col- umns ; each pier is 8 1-2 feet in diameter, and made of cast-iron in tubes one and three-fourths inches in thickness, 10 feet in length, with a weight of eight tons. As fast as the tubes of the columns are sunk, they are fitted together, seams made air-tight, and process continued till the complete depth and height is attained. Dur- ing the building of the bridge from February, 1869, when work first commenced, until com- pletion in 1872 (excepting a period of eight months suspension), about 500 men were con- stantly employed. Ten steam-engines were in use for the purpose of operating the pneumatic works to hoist the cylinders, help put the super- structure into position, to drive piles for tempo- rary platforms and bridges, and to excavate sand within the columns. The columns were sunk into the bed of the river after being placed in correct position by the following method : The top of the column being made perfectly air-tiglit, all water beneath is extracted by pneumatic exhaustion. Then descending into the interior, a force of workmen excavate the sand and earth, filling buckets which are quickly hoisted up- wards by the engines. When the excavation has reached one or more feet, the column sinks gradually inch by inch, more or less rapidly, un- til a solid bottom is reached. The least time in which any column was sunk to bed rock from the commencement of the pneu- matic process was seven days, and the greatest single depth of sinking at one time was 17 feet. The greatest depth below low water which was reached by any column, at Iwfd rock, was 82 feet. The fifoatest pressure to wliich the men working in thj columns were subjected, was 54 [Kiunds ihu- square inch in excess of the atmosphere. Wlit'ii solid foundation is 01 oe obtained, the interior of the columns are filled with solid stone concrete for about 25 feet, and thence ui>wai'd with ce- ment masonry, till tlie bridge is reached. The total lengtli of tlie iron structure cf the bridge is 2,750 feet. The eastern ai)proach is by an embankment of gradual ascent one and a half miles in length, commencing east of the Transfer grounds, and almost at Council Bluffs, and thence ascending at the rate of 85 feet to the mile to the bridge. The old dejwt grounds of the Union Pacific Railroad were on tlie bank of the river immedi- ately beneath the bridge. When this was con- structed, in order to connect the bridge and main line of the railroad, it was necessary to constiiicl, directly through the city, a branch line of road 7,000 feet in length, and construct a new depot on higher ground, of which as a result, witness the handsome, new structure, and spacious roof, and convenient waiting- rooms. From the first abutment to the bank, a trestle-work of 700 feet more, 60 feet in height was constructed; thus the entire length of the bridge, with necessary approaches, is 9,950 feet. Total cost is supi)osed to be about $2,650,000, and the annual revenue about $400,000. The bridge has figured nota- bly in the discussions of Congress, whether or not it should be considered a part of the Union Pacific Railroad. The recent de- cision of the United States Supreme Court has at last declared it so to be, and with this is done away entirely the Bridge Transfer of the past. PrepHving for the Wesftvard Trip. — Having rested and visited the principal jwints of interest in Omaha, you will be ready to take a fresh start. Repairing to the new depot, fin- ished last year (1875), at the crossing of Ninth street, you will find one of the most magnificent trains of cars made up by any railroad in the United States. Everything connected with them is firstxlass. Pullman sleeping-coaches are at- tached to all express trains, and all travelers know how finely they are furnished, and how they tend to relieve the wearisome monotony of tedious days in the journey from ocean to ocean. At this depot you will find the waiting-rooms, ticket-offices, baggage-rooms, lunch-stands, news and bookstand, together with one of the best kept eating-houses in the country. You will find gentlemanly attendants at all these places, ready to give you any information, and cheerfully answer your questions. If you have a little time, step into the Union Pacific hand office adioining the depot, on the east, and see some of the pro- FMM ^mCtFlG TOmtlST. 19 vater which was •ock, was 8li feet, the men working as 54 jioundH inn- loHjihere. When d, the interior of 1 stone concrete upward with ce- reached. structure cf the rn approacli is by itcent one and a iing east of the t Council Bluffs, rate of 35 feet to 16 Union Pacific the river imniedi- len this was con- ! bridge and main sary to constinct, branch line of and construct a d, of which as e, new structure, venient waiting- lent to the bank, more, 60 feet in the entire length ■y approaches, is supix)sed to be annual revenue as figured nota- ougress, whether ered a part of Tlie recent de- Supreme Court to be, and with Bridge Transfer fward Trip, — principal ^wints be ready to take le new depot, fin- jrossing of Ninth most magnificent y railroad in the mected with them ig-coaches are at- and all travelers •nished, and how nme monotony of "a ocean to ocean, le waiting-rooms, mch-standa, news one of the best y. You will find lese places, ready , and cheerfully have a little time, id office adjoining some of the pro- ductions of this prolific western soil. If you have come from the far East, it has been ^ slightly uphill journey all the way, and you are now at an elevation of DUO feet above the sea. If the weather is pleasant, you may already begin to feel the exhilarating effect of western breezes, and comparatively dry atmosphere. With books and papers to while away your leisure hours, you are finally ready for the start. The bell rings, the whistle shrieks, and off you go. The road first winds up a little valley, passing the Bridge Junction 1.5 (one and five- i^^ tenths) miles to Sh tarn it HUl- f>*f/f — 3.2 miles from Omaha ; eleva- tion 1,142 feet. This place, you will ob- serve by these fig- ures, is reached by a heavy up grade. You are 176 feet higher than when you first started, and but little over three miles away. Here is a deep cut through the hill, and beyond it you strike Mud Creek Valley with a down grade for a few miles. This creek and the road run south on a line nearly parallel with, and about two and a half miles from, the Missouri River until the next sta- tion is reached. Gilmore. — It is 0.5 miles from Oma- ha, with only 10 feet difference in eleva- tion— WJQ feet. The valley is quite thick- ly settled, and as you look out on the left " GOOD' side of the cars, alx>ut four miles from Omaha, you will see a saloon called Half-Way House. At about this point you leave Douglas County and enter Sarpy County. Gilmore was named after an old resident of that locality, now dead. Here you are some nine miles south of Omaha, but only about three west of the Missouri River. Here you will first see what are called the bottom lands of Nebraska. They are as rich as any lands on this Continent, as the re- markable crops raised thereon fully attest. From this station you turn nearly due west, and pass over the lower circle of what is called the OX-l)OW. I'apiUon, — 14.5 miles from Omaha; eleva- tion 9T2feet, is the next station, and is a thriv- ing little town ^pronounced Pa-pil-yo). It derives its name from the creek on whose banks it is situ- ated. This creek was named by Lewis and Clark in their expedition to Oregon, in 1804, and is derived from a Latin word which means butter- fly. The main branch was crossed a little west of(iilmore. Iteinj)- ties into the Mis- soiu'i River about one mile north of the Platte River. It is reiHirted that the early explorers luimed, saw an im- mense number of butterflies in the muddy and wet places near its mouth, and hence the name. These gentlemen explored this stream to its source, near the Elk- horn River. The town was laid out in the fall of 1869 by Dr. Beadle, and is the permanent county-seat of Sar- py County. It has a fine brick court- house, and a brick school-house, hotels, flouring mills and a grain ware-house ; is located as are all the towns on the first two hundred miles of this road, in the midst of a rich agricultural country. Sai-py County has two newspapers — one the Papilion Times, published at this place, and the other, the Sarpy County Sentinel, published at Sarpy Center, some five miles in the country from this station. Sarpy is one of the best settled counties in Nebraska, and has a property vahuvtion of over S83,000,000. MiUurtl—vi named for Hon. Ezra Millard, president of the Omaha National Bank, who has considerable landed property here. The station- house is comparatively new, and there are a few other buildings recently erected. It is pleas- antly located, and, like all western towns, has plenty of i-oom to grow. It is 20.9 miles from -BVE.' 20 FMM ^iiCIFIC FOi^ISr. > ■ 1 Omiihti; eluviitiou. 1,017 ffM't. KvidtniwH of tlirift ai(i liverywhcrn vimU)!)! as ytm eiwt your oycs over tlie rolliii;; piiiiiit's, ami y»'t then! is aiiipltt room for all who dcrtiit' U> local" in tliis vicmity. You liavn a;,'aiu orosMcd the bouiulary lint" ot Sarpy County, wliidi is a luilu or two Houth-tMiHt of Millard, and arc a, is laid down at l.Uu feet. The town has a tine water-|K)\ver whieh iuis been improved bv the erection of a large tlom-iug-mill. It also has a steam-mill in jinx ess of construction, and a new (h'lnit. At this i«tint you enter the I'latte Valley, of which so mucii has been written and which occupies such a prominent place in the history of the country. The Klkhorn and I'latte Ujvers form a Jiniction a few miles south of this point, and the banks of these streams are more or less studded with tim- ber, mostly Cottonwood. In fact, tht( Klkhorn has considerable timber along its banks. f'atii'if — is ;l.').2 miles from Omaha, and is 1,120 feet above the sea. It has a store and hotel, and is the center of a rich farming dis- .VKiHT Hcr.NK. PIlAIItlli: ON FIKK. hill on the east side of this sti-eam, about a mile from the station, and then on a down grade you glide into the valley. The rolling prairies are now behind you and south, beyond the Platte River, which for the first time comes into view. Crossing the Elkhoru River you arrive at Wnterfoo, — 30.9 miles from Omaha, and only two miles from the last station. A few years since, a train was thrown from the bridge spoken of, by reason of the high water of a freshet. This train had one car of either young fish or fish-eggs in transit; the contents of this car were of course lost in the river, and since that time the Elkhorn abounds in pike, pickerel, bass, sunfish and perch. What the California streams lost by this disaster, the lilkhorngp'iied, as these fish have increased rapidly in this trict. The land seems low, and one would easily gain the impression that tlie soil here was very wet, but after digging through the black surface soil two or three feet you come to just such sand as is found in the channel of the Platte. In fact, the whole Platte Valley is underd rained by this river, and this is one reason why surface water from hard and extensive rains so (pnckly disappear, and why the land is able to produce such good crops in a dry season. Water is ob- tained anywhere in this valley by sinking what are callefl drive-wells, from six to twenty feet. Wind-mills are also extensively useil is often apjialling. One of (Jeneral Sherman's veterans, in tles(!ribiiig a prairie tire to a visitor, raising himself to his full six feet l!::igiit, and with eye Hashing as in battle excit(v meiit, said : " Mr. V., if I should catch a man firing ilu^prairii! at this time, as (iod lu^lps nie, I would shoot him down in his deed." A traveler riding on the prairie said, " only a few miles from iiie an emigrant, traveling in his dose-covered wagon "irii/i ilie winii," was overtaken by tht! flames coming down on him unseen, llor.ses, family, wagon, were all destroyi^d in a moment, and liim- selt' barely lived long enough to tell th(! tale. Nt-arly ev(iry night in autiiniii the pniiri(!s of the botindhnss \V est, show either the near or distani glow of a fire, which in extent has the appear- ance of another burning t'liicago. " nrsTi:D." I'tke'i* Peak or Bust, — This expression has become widely known, and received its origin as i 'ii ill iiir I n:>!! KEPBESENTATIVE MKN OF THE UNION PACIFIC RAILKOAD. ^ ^■■~Vy ■ ^j ^) ^; Q i w rr^ follows : — At the time of the opening of the Pike's Peak excitement in gold diggings, two pioneers made themselves conspicuous by paint- ing in large letters on the side of their wagon cover : — " Pike's Peak or Bust." In their haste to reach this, the newly discovered Eldorado, they scorned all safety and protection offered by the " train " and traveled alone, and on their " own hook." For days and weeks they escaped the dangers attending their folly, and passed ' nliarmed until they reached the roving ground of the bloody Sioux. Here they were surrounded and cruelly and wantonly murdered ; their bodies were driven through with arrows, and pinned to the earth, and left to the sunshine anO storms of the skies. Fremont — is 46.5 miles from Omaha, and has an elevation of 1,176 feet. It is the county- seat of Dodge County, and has a population of full 3,000. In the year 1875, over 1100,000 were expended in buildings in this growing young city. It has never, so far as population is con- cerned, experienced what may be called a great rush — its growth having been slow and steady. It is located n'lar the south-east come/ of the fl^- county. Originally the town comprised a whole section of land, but was afterwards reduced to about lialf a section. The town company was or- ganized on the 26th day of August, 1856, and in that and the following year, thirteen log houses were built. John C. Hormel built the first frame iV use in 18.')7. The Union Pacific reached the u;^\l| town on the 24th day of January, 1866, nearly ^\|y ten years tiiter it was first laid out, and trains ran to it regularly, though the track was laid some 11 ir iles beyond, when work ceased for that winter. The .Sioux City and Pacific road was completed to Fremont late in the fall of 1868. In the expectations of the residents, it was then to become a railroad center, and lots were sold at large prices. This last-named road runs from Blair on the Missouri River, where it crosses sail stream and forms a junction with the Chi- cago and Nortii-vvestern. It then runs north on the east side of said river, to Sioux City. The Elkiiorn Valley Railroad completed the first ten miles of its track in 186!), and the balance, some 50 miles, was finished to Winner in the following year. This road is one of the natural routes to the Black Hills, and it is now stated that it will soon be extended in that direction. It will con- tinue up the Elkhorn Valley to near its source, and then crossing the divide, will strike into the Niobrara Valley, thence westward until the Bliick Hills are reached. This road is a feeder to Fre- mont, and very valuable to its trade. The Atch- ison and Nebraska Railroad, is to be extended from Lincoln to this place, during the present year (K<76). The city will then have a direct line to St. Louis and the South, with two direct lines to Chicago atid the East. Other railroad piojocts are contemplated, which will make this place in reality a railroad center. Fremont has a large, new hotel, the Occidental, and several smaller ones; has the finest opera house in the West, and the largest and finest dry- goods house in the State. It has five or six church edifices, and an elegant public school building, two banks, three or four elevators, a steam flouring-mill, extensive broom factories, and two or three manufacturing establishments where headers are made. It also has a foundry and machine-shop. Owing to change in railroad time, it has not for some time, been an eating- station on the road — passenger trains passing it from the West to Omaha, and not leaving Omaha until after dinner, an arrangement which is likely to continue some time. Fremont is virtually located at the junction of the Elkhorn and Platte Valleys, and from its position naturally controls a large scope of coun- try. Its people are industrious, wide-awake and energetic. It is in the midst of a thickly-settled region, and its future prospects are very flatter- ing. Fremont has two newspapers — ihe Fremont Herald (daily and weekly), and the F*-emont 'Jnbune (weekly). The latter was first estab- lished, and probably has the largest circulation. The enterprise of newspapers in these western towns, contribute very largely to their growth and prosperity. The town is the fourth in size and population in the State. The Elkhorn Valley is between two and three hundred miles in length, is well timbered and remarkably fertile, and the railroad which is to do the carrying business of this valley, has its terminus at Fremont. T/ie Great Platte VaUey. — You have now passed over a few miles of the great Platte Valley. At Fremont it spreads out won- derfully, and for the first two hundred miles varies in width from five to fifteen miles. Through nearly all its eastern course, this river hugs the bluffs on its southern side. These bluffs as well as those more distant on the northern side of the valley, are plainly visible from the cars. Before the road was buiU, this valley was the great highway of overland travel to Colorado, Utah, California, and Oregon. Immense trains of wagons, heavily freighted, have passed over it, in their slow and tedious journeyings towards the setting sun. Leaving the Missouri at differ- ent points, the routes nearly all converged in the Platte Valley, and thence westward to their des- tination. The luxuriant grasses, and the prox- imity to water, made this the favorite route. It has also been the scene of deadly conflicts with the savivges, and the bones of many a wanderer lie bleaching in the air, or are buried beneath some rough and hastily-made mound near the beaten road. But a wonderfiil change took place with the advent of the road. The " bull-whacker," 24 III ii||ii with his white-covered wagon and raw-boned oxen — his slang phrases, and profane expressions, his rough life, and in many instances violent death — the crack of his long lash that would ring out in the clear morning air like that of a rifle, and his wicked goad or prod — an instnunent of tor- ture to his beasts — with all that these things imply, have nearly passed away. Their glory has departed, and in their place is the snorting engine and tlie thundering train. The remarkable agricultural advantages of this valley are everywhere visible, and it is rapidly filhng up with an industrious and thrifty class of farmer,". The land grant of tiie Union Pacific Company ext;'nds for twenty miles on either side of the road, and includes every alter- nate section of land that was not taken at the time it was withdrawn from the market, for the benefit of the company. If you pass a long dis- tance in the first two hundred miles of this valley without observing many improvemiMits, it is pretty good evidence that the land is held by non-resident speculators, and tliis fact has a great influence in retarding the growtii of the country. Around many of the residences are large groves of cotton-wood trees tiiat have been planted by industrious hands and which give evidence of iMiusual thrift. In fact, the cotton- wood in most every part o' this region is indig- enous to the soil, and will thriftily grow where other kinds of timber fail. Trees sixty feet high and from eight to ten inches in diameter, are no uncommon result of six to eight years' growth. The banks of the Platte and the many islands in its channel, were formerly very heavily timbered with cotton-wood, but that on its banks has almost entirely disappeared, together witli much that was upon the islands. Tiie favorable State and national legislation in regard to tree planting will cause an increase in the timber land of Nebraska in a very short time, and must of necessity, have an influence upon its climate. Many scientists who are familiar with the cir- cumstances attending the rapid development of the trans-Missouri plains and the elevated plateau joining the base ri ihe Rocky ^Mountains, assert that this vast region of country is gradually undergoing important climatic changes — and that one of the results of these clianges is the an- nually increasing rainfall. The rolling lands adjoining this valley are all very fertile, and with proper tillage produce large crops of small grain. The bottom lands are better adapted for corn, because it matures later in the season, and these bottom lands are better able to stand drouth than the uplands. The roots of the corn peiicstrate to a great depth, till they reach the moisture from the under-draiiiiige. One of the finest sights that meets the eye of the traveler, is the Platte Valley in the spring or early summer ; to our ejistern farmer, it is fairly captivating, and all who are familiar with farms and ffirming in the Eastern States, will be surprised ; no stumps or stones or other obstacles appear to interfere with the progress of the plow, and the black surface-soil is, without doubt, the accunuilation of vegetable matter for ages. The Platte Valley must be seen to be appreciated. Only a few years ago it was scarcely tenanted by man, and while the develojv ment has been marked, it will not compare with that which is sure to take i>lace in the near future. There is ample room for the millions yet to come, and the lands of the Union Pacific Company are exceedingly cheap, varying in price from ^>\ to ^10 per acre. The altern.ite sections of governmeiit land for the first two hundred miles of this Vcalley are nearly all taken by homesteaders, or under the preemp- tion laws of congress. Much of it, however, can be purchased at a low price from the occu- pants, who, as a general thing, desire to sell out and go West still. They belong to the uneasy, restless class of frontiers-men. who have decided objections to neighbors and settlements, and who want plenty of room, with no one to molest, in order to grow up with tlie country. A sod house near a living .spring of water is to them a small paradise. They might possibly suffer from thii'st, if they had to dig for water, and the labor re- quired t^ build even a sod house, is obnoxious. But th' will not hold good of all of them. There are many occupants of these sod houses in the State of Nebraska, and other parts of tlie West, who, with scanty means are striving for a home for their wives and children, and they cling to the soil upon which they have obtained a claim with great tenacity, and with sure jnospects of success. They are worthv of all pr.aise in their self-sacrificing efforts. A few years only will pass by before they will be surrounded with all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. These are the experiences of many who "bless their stars " to-rfeie witli B black surt'aee-soil ation of vepi'table alley must be seen .V years ago it was wlliile the develop- not compare with place in the near n for the millions the Union Pacific heap, vaiying in e. The alteriiiite for the first two iy are nearly all nder the preemp- h of it, however, ice from the occu- , desire to sell out mg to the uneasy, who have decided elements, .and who one to molest, in itry. A sod house is to them a small ^^ suffer from thirst, ami the laboi- re- )use, is obnoxious. 1 of all of them. hese sod houses in )tlier parts of the are striving for a •en, and they ding e obtained a claim sure ]iiospects of xll praise in their years only will rrounded with all e luxuries of life, many who " bless ive sod houses — reat Platte Valley. , — This is a favor- mber mornings in covered with its last all the season ubble field of oats, the golden corn, teze, and perhaps ' meadow larks or le dogs with keen- up the g'.inie. and gun with its aim, [ick lifeless. This way to look at a s that after a slice served at the eat- from which we t'"eth, and unsat- (xclaim "distance tough tlie meat, [irst killed, yet if kept till it grown gradually more tender, there is a wild, spicy flavor, which make them very agree- able eating. Buffalo meat and prairie hens are not altogether reliable as viands of the railroad dining stations, still every one must try for him- self, with here and there a chance of finding sweet tender morsels. good an illustration as any, of the rapid growth of some of the western towns and counties. The county was organized in the spring of 1800, two years after the railroad had passed thiough it, — with Schuyler as the county-seat. In the spring of the present year, 1876, it has an assessed valu- ation of nearly $1,2.50.000. Evidences of sub- AuK's — At present simply a side track, 53.3 miles from Omaha, and 1,270 feet above the sea. This was formerly called Ketchnm; but bears its present name from Oliver Ames, Esq., one of the builders of this railroad. Observe the size of the trecis in the cotton-wood groves and hedges near this place — all planted within the memory of the oldest inhaV)itant. North lie ml — (51.5 miles from the eastern t(irmiinis of the road, and 1,259 feet in elevation, a little less than the preceding station. This is a thriving little town, with several stores, hotel, lumber-yard, groin elevator, etc. It is soon to liave a bridge across the Platte River, which will materially increase its trade with Saunders C'oiuity on the south. The openingof many fat :ns in its vicinity have made it quite a grain matket. The town is so named from a northward bend in the river, and it is the northernmost ]X)inton the I'liion I'acific in the State of Nebraska. It is the liist town west in Dodge Coimty. liofff'i's — is a side-track, will eventually be- come a station ; is in the midst of a rich farm- ing country : is 08.5 miles from Omaha, and has an (elevation of 1.350 feet. Sr/nifftcr. — The county-seat of Colfax County, li is 75.0 miles from Omana. with an elevation of 1,335 feet. This town and county, perhaps, is as IIUSTIXU PRAIKIE HKKS. stantial growth are everywhere visil)le. The town has alwut twenty stores, of all kinds, hotel, a substantial brick court-house, several churches, a beautiful school-house, grain elevators, etc. New buildings to accommodate its increasing trade, or its new residents, are constantly going up. There are three flouring-mills in the county, on Shell Creek, a beautiful stream f<'d by living springs, which runs nearly through the county from west to east, and from one to five* miles north of the railroad track. The land in this county is most excellent, especially the rolling up-laiid north of Shell Creek. Some of the finest crops of spring wheat r.-iised in the A\ est are grown in this vicinity. The people are turning their attention to stock-rai."ing more than for- merly, and several flocks of siieep and herds of cattle are now kept in the county, by some of its entf^'prising stock-men. All of this accom- plislied in about six years. Sciinyler is the second town west of Omaha that has a bridge across the Platte, Fremont l)eing tiie first. These bridges are very advantageous to the trade of the towns in this valley. Rirhlaml. — A small station S3.7 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 1.440 feet. I'p to a late period the land surrounding this station has been mostly held by speculators, but a change "l'il if Ij il ■ i '! having been effected, the town has brighter pros- pects. Lots are freely given away to parties who will build on them. The location is a very fine /One f'->r a town, and it is surrounded by an ex- cellent country. It is the last town west in Colfax County. ColinnbiiM — is 01.7 miles from Omaha. It is 1,432 feet above the sea. A beautiful growing town, with a rich agricultural country to Taack it. It has several churches, school buildings, brick court-house, two grain elevators doing a large business. Good hotels and other building enter- prises contemplated. It is located at the junc- tion of the Loup Fork, with the Platte Rivers, and near where the old overland emigrant road crossed the first-named stream. It now has a jiopulation of about 1,500 people, and sup^iorts three newspapers — the Republican, which, though the youngest, has the most patronage, and tlie largest circulation ; the Journal, which was first established, and the Era. Columbus has had two lives thus far. The first town-site was jumped by a party of Germans from Columbus, O., from which it takes its name. Afterwards the two interests were consolidated. It was the principal town west of Omaha until the railroad came. The old town, near the feny crossing, was then moved to its present site near the star tioii. The old town had two or three small stores, a blacksmith's shop and saloons ad libitum. It was mostly kept alive by the westward emi- gration. At that time the Platte Valley was well supplied with ranches and ranchmen, only other names for whisky-shops and bar-tendera. During the week those concerns would pick up wliat they could from wagon-trains, and Sundays the ranchmen would ci'owd into Columbus to spend it — the sharpers improving the opportunity to fleece the victims of their seductive wiles. At this time no attention whatever was paid to agricultural pursuits. On the advent of the railroad in 1800, the wood-choppers, the freight- ers, the ranchmen and others, lured by the charms of a frontier life, jumped the town and country. They could not endure the proximity to, and restrairits of civilization. Then the second or new life of the town began. Farmers began to come in, and it was found by actuivl ex- periment that the soil was immensely prolific; that it had only to be tickled with the plow in order to laugh with the golden harvests. In the lai)se of the few brief years of its second or permanent growth, it has become a great grain narket, and probably ships more car-loads each year than any other town on the line of the road. Men draw grain from seventy to eighty miles to this place for a market. It has access to the country south of the Loup and Platte Rivers, by means of good, substantial bridges ; while the country north of it is as fine rolling prairie a^ can be found in any part of the West — well watered and adajited tieb. It is one of the best home-like hostelries in the West. Mr. Clother is an old resident, having been in Columbus six- teen years. When he first came, the country was more or less overrun with wandering tribes of Indians, among whom were the Pawnees, the Omahas, the Sioux, and occasionally a stray band from some other tr'he. In those days he was accustomed to traffic in furs and robes, and the business has grown with his increasing ac(iuaint- ance, until it is now both large and profitable, though with the disappearance of both Indians and buffaloes, it is liable to decrease in the future. General Sheridan, we think it was, said that the vexed Indian question would be settled with the fate of the buffaloes— that both would disappear together. During the past few years, the slaugh- ter of these proud monarchs of the plains, has been immense, and will continue, unless Congress interposes a friendly and saving hand. It is safe to say, that millions of them have been killed for their hides alone, or "just for fun," which in this case amounts to the same thing, as their hides have been repeatedly sold for less than a dollar, and regularly not more than $1.50. This slaughtering has taken place principally in the Platte, Republican, Solomon, and Arkansas Val- leys, and where a few years since, travelers could see countless thousands of them from the car windows and platforms, on either the Union Pacific, Kansas Pacific or Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroads, they now, probably will see but few, if any. Their hides have been shipped Kast, where they make a poor quality of leather. Those only which are taken late in the fall and during the winter months of January and Febru- ary, are fit for robes. The hair, at tliis season of the year, is thick and firmly set. About the time this killing process began in 1870, Mr. Clother entered upon the work of tan- ning robes, employing for this purpose the squaws of the Pawnee and Omaha tribt^s. The Pawnee resei-vation was only a short distance from Co- lumbus, and the "Bucks" were glad of the opportunity of employment for their squaws. Labor is beneath their dignity, and they depise it. Besides this, tanning robes is hard and slow work, and, in their opinion, just fit for squaws. For a who first came to or, and it has been e capital they have 1 industrious toil, without a dollar of n have other rail- y, and another to cted; while in its quantities of good prices. These are tages which Colum- f future homes. •e Made.—George Mrs of the Clother ; is one of the best Vest. Mr. Clother 1 in Columbus six- ne, the country was andering tribes of the Pawnees, the onally a stray band ihose days he was and robes, and the icreasing acquaint- rge and profitable, !e of both Indians irease in the future, was, said that the be settled with the th would disappear V years, the slaugli- of the plains, has ue, unless Congress ig hand. It is safe L have been killed for fun," which in me thing, as their )ld for less than a than #1.50. This principally in the md Arkansas Val- ice, travelers could lem from the car either the Union chison, Topeka & , probably will see have been shipped quality of leather, te in the fall and inuary and Febru- r, at this season of t. process began in 1 the work of tan- urpose the squaws les. The Pawnee listance from Co- here glad of tlie OT their squaws, and they depise it. rd and slow work, )r squaws. For a FMM ^d^ciJFw weimmw. 27 fe\ir years the squaws of both of the tribes named, have been engaged by Mr. Clother, but the de- parture of the I'awnees to their reservation in the Indian Territory, precluded the iK)ssibility of tiieir employment, and hence in the winter of 187(5, the Omahas seem to have a monopoly of the work, though there is not as much to do as for- merly. We visited their camp to inspect the proc- ess of making robes. It wjus located in a body of heavy timber, with a thick growth of under- brush, on the narrow point of land where the Loup Fork and Platte Rivers form their junction. The low bushes made a perfect wind-break, and ill the midst of the tall trees their Sibley tents were pitched. The barking of numerous dogs greeted our approach, and after making a few niquiries of one or two who could talk broken English, we crawled into the tent occupied by the " Bucks," whom we found intensely interested in gambling — playing a game with cards called " 21." In this tent were nine " Bucks " and one squaw; three sat stolidly by — disinterested wit- nesses of the game ; the squaw was engaged at some very plain needle-work, and occasionally poked the partly burned brands into the fire, which was in the center of the tent, and over which Ining a kettle of boiling meat; the re- maining six, sitting upon a blanket a la Turk, were shuffling and dealing the cards. Of course they play for money, and before them were sev- eral quarters in currency, and several silver quar- ters, with some small sticks, which were used as money, and which enabled them to keep an ac- count with each other, of the gains and losses. During this game they passed around, sevei-al times, a hollow-handled tomahawk, which was used as a pipe. One would take three or four whiffs, then pass it to the next, and so on, until it had been passed around seveial times. One of these " Bucks " was called " Spaftord." He could talk English quite well. After a while we asked " Spafford " to show us some robes, but he 28 pointed in the direction of his tent, and indicated where they could be found. He said he could not leave the game just then. We went to his tent where we found his mother, who showed us two robes, one of which was hers — a smaller one which she held at six dollars. Spafl'oru had pre- viously told us that .f 12.00 was th*" price of his robe. We then began to look for other robes, and saw them in various stages of completion. The process of tanning is simple, and yet, Indian tanned robes far excel those tanned by white men, in finish and value. When the hides are first taken from the animals, they must be stretched and dried, flesh side up ; if they are not in this condition when the squaws receive them, they must do it. After they are thor- oughly dried, the squaws then take all the flesh ofl^, and reduce them to an even thickness, with an instrument, which, for want of a better name, may be termed an adze; it is a little thin piece of iron, about two inches long on the edge, and two and a half inches deep. This is firmly tied to a piece of the thigh bone of an elk, and is used the same as a small garden hoe, by eastern farmers in cutting up weeds. When the requi- site thickness is obtained, the flesii side is cov- ered with a preparation of lard, soap and salt, and the robe is then rolled up and laid by for two or three diiys. It is then uiu'olled and again stretched on a frame, like a quilt, with flesh side to the sun ; in this shape it is scraped with a thin, oval-shaped piece of iron or steel, resem- bling a kitchen eho'^ping-knife without the han- dle; this process usually lasts about two days. The iK)be is then taken from the frame, and drawn across a rope stretched l>etween two trees, with the flesh side to the rope, until it becomes thoroughly dry and soft. 'J'his last p ocess makes it very pliable, requires a good deal of time and strength, and renders the robe ready for market. Befoie the Indians came in con- tact with civilization, they used sharpened pieces of bone, instead of the pieces of iron we have named, and in place of the preparation of lard, soap and salt, they used buffalo brains, which are considered altogether preferai>le to this mixture; the brains of cattle are also used when they can be obtained; but the robes are taken out on the plain.s, or in the Platte and Repnl)Iican Valleys, and brought here by wagon or rail, and of course the brains cannot very well be brought with them. Tlie squaws laughed when we pulled out our note-book and began to write, being evidently as much astonished and interested as we; they looked with wonder at the book, piMicil. and the words we wrote. While; the la-y " Bucks," sit in their tents and gamble, the squaws are laboring liard to secure means for their support. An Indian is constitutionally opposed to labor. He is evidently tired all the time. rfnrkson — So called from a former road- master of th(! Union Pacific — is 1)1) :} miles from on ow )ui ett / in vlu en I ioi roi ow ,vh hv Omaha, with an elevation of 1,470 feet. Thc^ Loup Valley is just over the hills to your riglil. and the magnificent Platte bottom lands ans still j stretching out before you. It has one or two i stores and .)ears a thrifty appearance; at one time it was supposed that this place or Columbus would be made the end of a division, but nothing has been developed on this subject within the past few years. Silrcr Creek — 109.4 miles from Omaha, and 1,534 feet above the sea. It is the first station in Merrick County, as Jackson was the last in Platte County. North of this station is the Pawnee reservation, one of the finest bodies of land yet unoccupied in the State. This onco ' .qJ, powerful tribe, between whom and the Sioux a pi, deadly hostility exists, has dwindled down to ,,,. small numbers, and during 1875, they abandoned ] p), their reservation entirely and went to the Indian )f Territory. An attempt was made a short time jii^ since to sell a part of this reservation at an aj> ;j,..| praised valuation, but it was not successful, and ^im eflorts are now being made to bring it into [,iii. market under the preemption laws of the govern- ^^(\ ment at a fixed price, ($2..50 per acre) the pro- ; ,;i,. ceeds of which are to go to the tribe on their ■ jjio new reservation. AVhen this takes place Silver ■ ;,vi Creek will have a great impetus to its growth . for and trade, as it is the nearest railroad station to ; „\re this reservation. ;i ^oit Clurh. — Named after S. H. H. Clark, gene- ^ piii ral superintendent of the Union Pacific ; it is 1 ^ho sometimes called Clark's, Clarksville and Clark's o .-^^ \ Station. It is 120.7 miles from the eastern | ^la terminus of the ■•oad with an elevation of 1,610 j tow feet. It has three sto;-es, school-house, church. ^ (.uii shops and dwellings, and is doing a fine trade ; pjo with a rich country around it, and the Pawnee •; ap[ reservation soon to be opened on the north, it is Jiiev destined to become a thrifty town. Loite Tree. — The county-seat of Merrick County ; has two or three churches, several stores, a brick court-house, a two-story frame school- house, hotel and numerous other buildings. The name of the ]K)st-office is Central City. The Ne- braska Central Railroad is expected to form a junction with thi! Union Pacific, here. Local robably be called Lone Tree, and it is expected that a ]xist-oftice with the same name, will '.,e establishe jnind Island was south of the present site, on s not successful, and ; 1,^ old emigrant road. The first three years of , y\^ ^^ into ; his town were very severe on the settlers. They 11 laws of the govern- M^^^ ^^ h^,j, j^,i ^heir supplies from Omaha, an^ .)0 per acre) the pro- «i.i,.t yf this time they were obliged to live on short rations. They immediately began the cul- tivation of the soil, but at first had no market for their crops. This was soon remedied, how- ever, by the opening of a market at Fort Kearny, some forty miles west, where they obtained good prices for everything they could raise. In a , ^ , short time, the rush to Pike's Peak began, and xrksviUe and Clark's ; .j^ ti,;, vvas the last place on the route where emi- s trom the eastern [riauts could obtain grain and other supplies, the m elevation of 1,610 j town grew, and many who are now in good cir- cumstances, then laid the foundations of their prosperity. In this vicinity stray buffaloes first appeared to the tiarly settlers of the valley. They never came in large herds, but when hunted bj' the Indians further west and south in the Repub- lican Valley they would be seen wandering near this place. While the war was in progress, the settlers frequently saw war parties of the Sioux ichool-house, church. doing a fine trade; it, and the Pawnee d on the north, it is town. ity-seat of Merrick irches, several stores, story frame scliool- :her"buildings. The itral City. The Ne- expected to form a acific, here. Local 3 town in the past, its growth in the west of this place a | it in. It is yet un- .bly be called Lone it a )X)st-office witli tablished. Alerrick 1. both of which arc Platte River, '.'he 'hich the place was peared, but nu.ner- everywhrire visible, es from Omaha, from Omaha, and t is iiamtHl after a ]>ass to and from the Pawnee camp on the high bluffs south of the Platte River, and opjKJsitc Fremont. When they returned from their at- tacks, they would exliibit the scalps they had taken, and manifest great glee as they swung them through the air, dangling from their (pears. In the early spring of 1859. the stages from Omaha began to run. At first they came once a week, then twice, aud later, daily. Then the telegraph line was put up. Meanwhile the traus-coutinental railroad was agitated, and as it became more and more talked about, the settlers liei-e fondly hoped that they were on the exact spot where the three converging linos, as first proposed, would meet. But they were doomed to disappointment. Tiie Union Pacific, Eastern Division, now the Kansas Pacific, grew into an independent line, while the Sioux City & Pacific had its course changed, finally uniting with the Union Pacific at Fremont. But the railroad came at last in 180(5. The heavy bodies of tim- ber on the islands in the river and between the Platte and ^Vood Rivers were nearly all taken for cross-ties. It was only cotton-wood, but it would hold the spik(!s and rails for a few years until others could be obtained. Then the buildings on the old town site were moved up to the rail- road and the town began to grow. 'I'lie round- house for the steam-horses was built, and the town was made the end of a division of the road. An eating-house was erected, and stores, shops, and dwellings followed in quick succession. It is the county-seat of Hall County, and the first station in the county from the east. It has a fine large brick couit-house, three church edi- fices, scho- ' house, hotels, bank, and one of the largest st a fiouring-mills in the State. This is one of the regular diuing-stations on the road. Last year, 1875, the company put up an elegant hotel for the accommodation of the traveling public, at which all passenger trains stop for meals. It is exceedingly well kept, and under its present management will command the pat- ronage of the public. Like all other towns of any importance in this valley, Grand Island hopes and expects more railroads. A road to connect with the St. Joe & Denver, and the Burlington & Missouri at Hastings, twenty-four miles south, is nearly all graded, and will proba- bly soon be finished. A line is also projected to the north-west, and one to the north-east to reach Sioux City. Its present population is about 1,200, and its prospects for the future are fiattering. The country in this immediate vicinity is well settled by a thrifty class of German farmers, who have dug wealth from tlie soil, and when ratioi. were scarce and border scares frequent, still hung on to their claims. The road came in 18GG, and gave them communication with the outer world. The location of the roundhouse and necessary repair sliops, for the division, is a great help to the town, as they give employment to quite a number of skilled mechanics. It is also the lo- cation of the government laud office for the Grand Island land district. It has two weekly newspapers, the Times and Independent, both of which are well conducted. The new eating- house, elsewhere six)ken of. is the finest on the road, though less expensive than many. It cost about ^15,000. This is a breakfast and supper station, and the company has furnished ample acconunodatious for the patrons of this house. After leaving Grand Island, a magnificent stretch of prairie country o]ieiis to view. The same may be said of the entire valley, but the view in other places is more limited by bluff's and hills than here. After jjassing Silver Creek, there is a section of the road, more than forty miles, in a straight line, but the extent of prairie brought into vision there is not as large as here. Up to this jwint, you have doubtless witnessed w Im If t I 4 ft EMINENT AMERICAN EXPL0UEB8 AND ARTISTS. 1.— Gen. Ciidter. 2.— Oen. Fremont. 3.— Lieut. Wheeler. 4.— Prof. F, V. Hayden. 6.— Albert BterBtadt. 6.— MaJ. .T. W. Powell. 7.— Thomas Moran. FMM ^^€IFIG T@tf miles from Omaha, at an elevation of 2,:U)r) feet. Jomtelffn, — Aside track; will eventually be- come a station ; luuned after the pay-master of the Union Pacific lload. It is 225.1 'miles from Omaha, with an elevation of about 2,;{;K» feet above tlie sea. l*luin Creek. — So named from a creek on the .south side of the river, which Hows into the Platte nearly opjxisite the town. The stiige- station, on the old overland road was located on this creek and in those days it was considered quite an impoi-tant |K>int It was the scene of a niunber of conflicts with the savages — in lactone of their favorite jKiints of attack ; eleven white persons were killed and several wounded during one of these attacks. Four miles west of the present town-site tlmy captuied and burned a train of cars in 18(i7; one of tin; train men was scalped and recently was still living in or near Omaha; one was killed, and the others, we be- lieve, nuule their escape. The nature of the bluffs here is such that they luul a good ojijior- tunity to .attack and escape before the settlers and emigrants could rally and give tlit in battle. The creek rises in a vei^ bluffy region, and runs north-east into the Platte. Plum Creek is the county-seat of Dawson County; has abou*^^ 500 inhabitants ; a fine brick com t-house with jail underneath, one church e(litic<% school-house, two or three hotels, stores, warehouses, etc. It is a ix)int where considerable brooni-corn is pur- chased and shipp«'d ; has a semi-weekly stape line across the Republican Valley to iS\>iton, in the State of Kansas, and a weekly newspaper. There is a substantial wagon bridge across the Platte River, nearly three-quarters of a mile in length. It is located in the midst of a very fine grazing country, though in favoiable seasons crops have done well. With irrigation, perhaps they might be made a certainty. This town also enjoys quite a trade with the upper Republican Valley. It was formerly a favorite range for buffaloes, ."nd large quantities of their bleaching bones have been gathered and shipped by rail to St. Louis and places east. It is 231.4 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 2,370 feet. Battle with the Imfiaus at riinn Creek. — While the railroad was being built, the engineers, graders and track-layers were fre- quently driven from their work by the Indians. Not only then, but after the track was laid and trains running, it was some times torn up anJ trains ditehed, causing loss of lives and destruc- tion of property. One of these attacks took place near Plum Creek, as we will now relate. In July, 1807, a train vvils ditched about four miles west of the above-named station. It 34 TMg rmCIWlO TOV9IST. % •'i! A r i wiw by a band of Bouthern Cheyennes, under a chiuf called Turkey Leg, who now draws his raliuuH regularly from Uncle Sam, at the Red Cloud agency. lie is a vicious looking fellow, his appt^arance naturally suggesting him as a fit subject for a hanging bee. At a small bridge, or culvert, over a dry ravine, they had lifted the iron rails from their chairs on the ties — raising only one end of each rail — about three feet, pil- ing up ties under them for support, and ilrmly lashing the rails and ties together by wire cut from the adjoining telegraph line. They were pretty cunning in this arrangement of the rails, and evidently placed them where they thought they would penetrate the cylinder oji each side of tliB engine. But not having a mechanical turn of mind exactly, and disregarding the slight curve in the road at this point, they missed their calculations, as the sequel shows, as one of the rails did no execution whatever, and the other went straight into and through the boiler. After they had Axed the rails in the manner described, they retired to where the bench or second bottom sloiths down to the first, and there concealed themselves in the tall grass, waiting for the train. Before it left Plum Creek, a hand-car with three section men was sent ahead as a pilot. This car encountered the obstacle, and ran into the ravine, bruising and stunning the men and frightening tiiem so that they were unable to signal to the approaching train. As soon as the car landed at the bottom of the ravine, the Indians rushed up, when two of the men, least hurt, ran away in the darkness of the night — It was little past mid- night — and hid in the tall grass near by. The other, more stunned by the fall of the car, was scalped by the savages, and as the l^nife of the savage passed under his scalp, he seemed to realize his condition partly, and in his deliriiini wildly threw his arms out and snatched the mijiIii from the Indian, who had just lifted it fron> liin skull. With this he, too, got away in th'>- '.'U'^i- ness, and is now an employe of the compaiiy at Omalia. But the fated train came on without any knowledge of what had transpired in front. As the engine approached the ravine, the head-light gleaming out in the darkness in the dim dis- tance, fast growing less and less, the engineer. Brooks Bowers by name, but familiarly called " Bully Brooks " by the railroad men, saw that the rails were displaced, whistled "down brakes," and reversed his engine, but all too late to stop the train. The door of the fire-box was open, and the fireman was in the act of adding fuel to the flames within, when the crash came. That fireman was named Hendershot, and the boys used to speak of him as " the drummer boy of the Rappahannock," as he bore the same name, and might have been the same person whose heroic deeds, in connection with Bum- side's attack on Fredericksburg, are now matters of history. lie was thrown against the fire-box when the ravine was reached, and literally roasted alive, nothing but a few of his bones be- ing afterwards found. The engineer was thrown over the lever he was holding in his hands, through the window of liis cab, some twenty feet or more. In his flight the lever caught and rip- ped open his abdomen, and when found he was sitting on the ground holding his protruding bowels in his hands. Next to the engine were two flat cars loaded with brick. These were landed, brick and all, sonje thirty or forty feet in front of the engine, while the box cars, loaded with freight, were thrown upon the engine and around the wreck in great disorder. After a time these took fire, and added horror to the scene. The savages now swarmed around the train and whooped and yelled in great glee. When the shock first came, however, the con- ductor ran ahead on the north side of the track to the engine, and there saw Bowers and Hender- shot in the position we have described them. He told them he must leave them and flag the second section of the train following after, or it, too, would be wrecked. He then ran back, sig- naled this train, and with it returned to Plum Creek. Arriving there in the middle of the night, in vain did he try to get a force of men to proceed at once to the scene of the disaster. No one would go. In the morning, however, they rallied, armed themselves and went out to the wreck. By this time it was near ten o'clock. The burning box cars had fallen around the brave engineer, and while the fieiy brands had un- doubtedly added to his agony, they had also ended his earthly existence. Ilis blackened and charred remai.^s only told of his suffering. The rescuing party found the train still burning — the Indians had obtained all the plunder they could carry, and left in the early morning. In tne first gray dawn of the morning they manifested their delight over the burning train in every possible way, and their savage glee knew no bounds. From the cars not then burned they rolled out boxes and bales of merchandise, from which they took bright-colored flannels, calicos, and other fancy goods. Bolts of these goods they would loosen, and with one end tied to their ponies' tails or the horn of their saddles, they would mount and start at full gallop up and down the prairie just to see the bright colors streaming in the wind behind them. But the end of this affair was not yet. The avenging hand of justice was on the track of these blood-thirsty villains, who, for some inscrutable reason, are permitted to wear the human form. In the spring of that year, by order of General Augur, then in com- mand of the military department of the Platte, Major Frank North, of Columbus, Neb., who had had no little experience in the business, was authorized to raise a battalion of two hundred Pawnee Indians, who were peaceable and friendly wmm i^sicinc Foimisr. 35 towards the whites, and whose reaen'ation is near Cohiinbus, foi' scouting duty. It was the old experiment of fighting the devil with lire to be tried over again. These scouts were to tight the various hostile bands of the Sioux, Arrapo- hoes, attd Cheyennes, and assist in guarding the railroad, and the railroad builders. At the time this train was attacked, these scouts were scat- tered in small detachments along the line of the road between Sidney and the Laramie Plains. General Augur was immediately notified of it, and he telegraphed Major North to take the nearest company of his scouts and repair as soon as possible to the scene of the disaster. At tliat time, Major North was abou'' fourteen miles west of Sidney, at the end of the track, and his nearest company was some twelve miles further on. Mounting his horse, he rode to their camp in about fifty minutes, got his men together, and leaving orders foi tie wagons to follow, returned, arriving at the end of the track at about four o'clock in the afternoon. By the time these men and horses were loaded on the cars, the wagons had arrived, and by five o'clock the train pulled out. Arriving at Julesburg, they were attached to a passenger train, and by midnight, or within twenty-four hours after the disaster took place, ho arrived at the scene. Meanwhile other white troops, stationed near by, had arrived. In the morning lie was ordered by General Augur to follow the trail and ascertain whether the at- tack had been made by northern or southern In- dians. With ten men he started on the scout. The sharp-sighted Pawnees soon struck the trail. They found where the hostile band had crossed the river, and where they had abandoned some of their plunder. They followed the trail all that day, and found that it bore south to the Ilepublican Valley. From this fact, and other indications that only Indians would notice, he ascertained that the attacking band were south- ern Cheyennes. Returning from this scout, after about thirty-five miles' travel, he reported to the commanding officer at Omaha, and received orders to remain in the vicinity, and thoroughly scout the country, the belief being generally en- tertained among the officers that, if not followed, the Indians would soon return on another raid. Subsequent events proved this belief to be true, ind they had not long to wait. In about ten days, their camp being at Plum Creek, one of the scouts came running into camp from the bluffs south of Plum Creek, and reported that the Indians were coming. He had discovered them in the distance, making their way in the direction of the old overland stage station, which they soon after reached. Arriving here, they unsaddled their horses and turned them loose in an old sod corral to feed and rest. They then began preparations to remain all night. The scouts, nowever, proposed to find out who and what they were before the evening approached. Major North first determined to go with the company himself, but at the urgent solicitation of Capt. Jumes Murie, finally gave him charge of the expedition. There were lu the command, two white commissioned officers— Lieut. Isaac Davis, besides the Ciu)tain — two white ser- geants, and forty-eight Pawnees. The company marched from their cump straight south to the Platte River, which they crossed ; then turning to the left followed down its bank under the bushes to within about a mile and a half of the creek. Here they were discovered by the Chey- ennes. Then there was mounting in hot haste — the Cheyennes at once preparing for the fray. There were one hundred and fifty warriors to be pitted against this small band of fifty-two, all told. But the Cheyennes, up to this tiiiie, sup- posed they were to nght white soldiers, and were very confident of victory. Forming in regular line, on they rushed to the conflict. Captain Murie's command, as soon as they found they were discovered, left the bushes on the river bank and went up into the road, where they formed in line of battle and were ordered to charge. As the order was given, the Pawnees set up their war-whoop, slapped their breasts with their hands and shouted " Pawnees." The opposing lines met on the banks of the creek, through which the scouts charged with all their speed. The Cheyennes immediately broke and fled in gi'eat confusion, every man for himself. Then followed the chase, the killing and the scalping. The Indians took their old trail for the Republican Valley, and put their horses to their utmost speed to escape the deadly fire of the Pawnees. Night finally ended the chase, and when the spoils were gat^iered, it was found that fifteen Cheyenne warriors had been made to bite the dust, and their scalps had been taken as tro- phies of victory. Two prisoners were also taken, one a boy of about sixteen years and the other a squaw. The boy was a nephew of Turkey Leg, the chief. Thirty-five horses and mules were also taken, while not a man of the scouts was hurt. After the chase had ceased, a rain-storm set in, and tired with their day's work, with the trophies of their victory, they returned to camp. It was about midnight when they arrived. Ma- jor North and a company of infantry, under command of Capt. John A. Miller, had re- mained in camp guarding government and com- Eany property, and knowing that a battle had een fought, were intensely aii :Ious to learn the result. When the Pawnees came near, it was with shouts and whoops and songs of victory. They exhibited their scalps and paraded their prisoners with great joy, and spent the whole . 'ght in scalp-dances and wild revelry. This victory put an end to attacks on railroad trains by the Cheyennes. The boy and squaw were kept in the camp of the Pawneep until late in the season, when a big council was held with the Brule Sioux, Sjxjtted 'rail's baud, at North Plaice, to make a uew treaty. Hearing of this council, Turkey Leg, chief of the Cheyenues, sent in a. ruiuuir and offered to deliver up six white captives held in his band for the return of the boy and the squaw. After the necessary preliminaries had been effected", the runner was told to bring the white captives, that tiie ex- change might oe made. The boy held by the scouts was understood to be of royal lineage, and was expected to sue need Turkey Leg in the chief- taincy of the tribe. After the exchange had taken place, the old chief would scarcely allow the boy to leii\e his sight — such was his attach- ment to him, and manifested his delight in every jwssible way over liis recovery. The white cap- tives weie two sisters by the name of Thompson, who lived south of the Platte River, nearly oppo- site (i'.and Island, and their twin brothers ; a Norwegian girl taken on the Little Blue River, and a white child born to one of these women while in captivity. They were restored to their friends as soon as jiossibie. T/*e Ne:cf Attack. — The Tndiruis were not willing to "nave the iron rails that should bind the shores of the continent tor'eiher laid in peace, and made strenuous anf peisistent efforts to prevent it. On the IClh of April, 18(58, a " cut off" baud of Sioux, under .t scalawag chief, named Two Strikes, attack^ and killed five section-men near Elm C"reek Station, taking tin ir scalps, and ran off a few head of stock. They were never pursued. On the same day, and evi- dently according to a pre-arrang(Hl nian, a part of the same band attacked the post at Sidnev. They came up on the bluffs north of the ttmr. anil fired into it. '.Mit no one was injured from their shooting at that time. Two conductors, however, named Tom C'ahoon and William Edmunson, had gone down the Lodge Pole Creek, a little way to fish. They were unobserved by the Indians when the firing took place. Hearing tlie re- ports they climbed up the bank to see wiuit was going on, and being seen by the Indians, they i'.t once made an effort to cut them off, though tlii'y were oi.ly a mile or so frviin the post. The savages charged down ujK>n them, and shot C'ahoon, who fell forward on the ground. The Indians immediately scalped him aiid left him for dead. Mr. Ednumson ran towards the post as fast as he cou'd, and drawing a sniall Derringer pistol, fired at his puisiiers. Thinking he had a revolver and would ..ii likely to shoot again if tlu-y came too close, they did not venture up as tiiey iiad done, but allowed him to escape. He got away with some eight or nine arrow and bullet wounds together and carrying four arrows sticking in his body. He was taken to the hospital, and rapidly recovin'ed from his wounds. AfUir tli(f Indians had gone, the citizens went after the body of Mr. Cahooii, wl'.om tliey supjxjsed desid, but to their surprise he was still alive. They brought him into the jx)st, where he recovered, and is now ruiming on the road Attack at Oralalla.- Tn September of the same year, the same band of Sioux attempted to destroy a train between Alkali and Ogalalla. They fixed the rails the same a;} at Plum Creek. As the train came up the rails penetrated the cylinders on each side of the engine, as it was a straight track there; the engine going over into the ditch, with the cars piling up on top of it. The engineer and one of the brakemen who was on the engine at the time, were thrown through the window of the cab, and were but little hurt. The fireman was fjvstened by the tender agaijist the end of the boiler, and after the train had stopped, there being no draft, the flames of the fire came out of the door to the fire-box ujxtn him, and the jwor fellow was literally roasted alive. He was released after six hours in this terrible position, during which he begged the attendants to kill him, but lived only a few moments after Jms release. All the trains at this time carried arms, and the conductor, with two or three pjissengers, among whom was Father Ryan, a Catholic priest of Columbus, Nebraska, seized the arms and defended the train — the Indians meanwhile skulking -imong the bluffs near the track, and occasioiKilly firing a shot. Word was sent to North Platte, and an engine and men came up, who cleared the wreck. Mean- while word was sent to !Major North, then at Willow Island, to tfike one company of his scouts and follow the Indians. lie came to Alkali and rejHirted to Colone' Miziuir, who was marching from Noi'tli Platte with two companies of cavalry, ail of whom stai ied in pursuit. They went over to the North Platte River, crossed that streaiii and entered the sand-hills, where the scouts over- took and killed two of the Indians; the whole party going about thirty-five miles to a little lake, where the main body of Indians had just left and cami>ed, finding the smouldering em- bers of the Indian fires still alive. That night some of the white soldiers let their camp fires get away into the prairie, and an innnense prairie fire was the result. This, of coui'se, alarmed the Indians, and further pursuit was at)andoued, nuich to the disgust of the scouts. Colonel Miziier also claimed that his rations were run- ning short, but from all the facts we can learn, he lacked the disposition to pursue and capture those Indians. At lt:«,st, this is a charitable con- struction to put ui>on his acts. In October of tl:«! same year (18(58), the same band of Iiulians attacked "the seetiou-meu near Potter Station, drove t'.iem in and run t '* about twenty head of horses and nmles. Majoi North and his scouts were immediately sent in pursint. Leaving camp at Willow Island, the command v.as soon on the ground. It was evidently a small raiding i^arty, and Major North sent; a 37 riiey brought liiin vered, and is now I September of the Sioux attempted to cali and Ogalalla. a;j at Plum Creek, iils penetrated tlie engine, as it was a ne going over into g up on top oi it. brakemen wlio was re tlnown througli I'ere but little hurt, the tender against iter the train had , the flames of tht; the fire-box uix)n is literally roasted six hours in this ch he begged the lived only a few II the trains at this Miductor, with two whom was Father ilumbus, Nebraska, ed the train — the •imong the blutt's illy firing a sliot. te, and an engine tlie wreck. Mean- jor North, then at iipany of his scouts anie to Alkali and ho was marching npanies of cavalry, .. They went ovi-r ■ossed that streani iva the scouts over- ndians ; the whole ! miles to a little Indians had just ) smouldering em- ilive. That night t their camp fires m immense prairie louise, alarmed the was abandoned, scouts. Colonel rations were run- Caets wo can learn, iirsue and capture s a charitable con- r (18fi8), the same I section-men near au'l run c"* about les. Iviiij'ii North ly sent in pinh;!it. xnd, the command t was evidently a i.jor North sent a Lieutenant and fifteen of his men after them. They struck their trail, followed them to the North Vl.dte River, which they crossed, followed and overhauled them m the sand-hills, killing two, recapturing a part of tlio stolen horses, and re- turned without loss. T.e Indians have made some efforts to ditch a few trains since that year, hut have effected no serious damage. Theii t»fforts of late have mostly been confined to stock stealing, and they never seem .so happy as when they have succeeded in running off a large num- ber of horses and mules. When the road was first built it was their habit to cro.ss it, going south and north, several times in each year. They roamed with the buffaloes over the plains of Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas. The effort of the government of late has been to confine them on their re.>ervations, ami the rapid disappearance of the buffaloes from the regions named have given them "lo excuse for hunting in the country now crossed by railroads and filling up with settlers. Coyote — is the next station, simply a side track with a section-house near by. But little timl)er is visible at this place, though the bottom lands begin to widen, giving an extended viev/. This is not a timber country, and wherever it is found, the traveler will please bear in mind tl.at it is ,lie exception and not the rule. The islands in the river doubtless had some timber, but tlie most of it has long since disap[)eared. Occasion- ally you may see a few scattering trees which h:ive been left by the prairie fires, and which stand in inaccessible places. This side track is '1V.).\. miles from Omaha, and 2,4^0 feet above the sea. The next statu/U is Cozad — so named after a gentleman from Cincinnati, Ohio, wln^ purchased about 40,000 acres of lav.d here from the railroad company ; laid out the town; built quite a number of iiouses; inductid people tn settle here; has resold a go )d deal of his land, but still has about 20,000 acres in the imniidiate vv inity. Along the rail- ro,i(l track, west of ]".iiii Creek, the traveler will notice that the br!'ialo grass has been rooted out by what is call ,.l prairie or blue-joint grass. This last is an annual grass and is killed by frost, after which it resembles dark colored lirick — a reddish brown appearance. It has but little nutri- inciit after the frost eom,!s, but if cut and Ciired in July or August, makes an (-xcellent quality of hay. The buffalo <;rass is just over the divicle a little way, but is giving way to that just named. Soiui! men of capital near Cozad, are interest- ing themselves in sl-.eep raising, and freqnertly fiom this place west you will see large herds of cattle. Cozad is 245.1 luiles from Omaha, with an elevation of 2,480 feet. !t has two or three stores, sc'-:)ol-house, hotel, several large dwellings, and with favorable seasons for growing cro|>s in the future, will become (juit ' a town. The Platte V' alley at 'Ms [xjint is about twenty miles wide. Willow l8lai,'d—h the next station; so named from the large number of willow bushes on the island in the river near by. It is ^50.1 miles from the Missouri, and has an elevation of 2,511 feet. The prairie or blue-joint grass still con- tinues along the side of the track, and the bluffs on the south side of the river seem n.>oie abrupt. They are full of ravines or " draws,' and these some- times have timber in them. At this station a large quantity of cedar piles and tek'graj)h poles are delivered. They are hauled soine forty miles from the canons in the South Loup Valley. There is a store at .this station and a corral near by where stock is kept ; with a few old log and mud buildings, rapidly going to decay in the vicinity. The glory of this place, if it ever had any, has long since departed, but it may, never- theless, yet become the pride of stock-men, who shall count their lowing herds by the thousand. Grand Duke Alexis' First Buffalo Hunt, During the visit of the Grand Dnke Alexis of Russia, to the United States, the imperial party W'^re escorted to the plains, and enjoyed the excite- ment of a buft'alo hunt, over the western prairies. Connected with the chase were some incidents of rare curiosity and pleasure. As the only repre- sentative of the great Russian nation, he has seen the novelty of military life or. the frontier ; shak- en hands with )>artially tamed Indian warriors, and smoker, tb.e pipe of peace in ancient style. Among the company were Buffalo Bill, a noble son of the wild West, ami Generals Sheridan and Custar. TI. ' red men tappeared in a grand pow-wow and wf "-dance, and indulged in arrow practice for his particular benefit. The party started from camp Alexis, Willow Creek, Nebraska, in January, 1872. For the hunt the Duke's dress consisted of jacket and trowsers of heavy gray cloth, trinmied with green, the buttons bearing the Imperial Russian coat-of- ivrins; he wore his boots outside his t "ovrsers, his cap was an Australian turban, with cloth top; he carried a Russian hunting knife, and an American revolver recently presented to him, and bearing the coat-of-arms of the I'nued States and of Russia on the handle. General Custer appeared in his well-known fi'ontier buckskin lumting coviume, and if, in- stead of the comical sealskin jap he wore, he had only had feathers fastened in his flowing hair, he would have passed at a distance for a great In- dian chief. Buffalo Bill, the famous scout, was dressed in a buckskin suit trimmed with fur, and wore a l)lack slouch hat, his long Jiair hanging in ring- lets down his shf)ulders. Game was sighted in a long canon with broken side.' and higli hills or. either side, forming a magni{5cent arena. The Grand Duke and Custer started off, and as they went Custer pulled out his revolver, anil n^ 38 said, " Are you ready, Duke ? " Alexis drew off his glove, grasped his pistol, and with a wave of his hand replied, " All ready now. General." Buf- falo Bill had been selected to show the Grand Duke how the buffaloes would stand at bay when suddenly j-ttacked. A cow was singled out to show him how fleet of foot the females are, and the speed and skill essential to overtake and kill them. As soon as she espied them she started off at full speed, the Duke and Cusf-^r after her. Finding herself hard pressed, she ran up a steep declivity on the right side of the canon, and gain- ing a footing on the slope, kept along the narrow ledge, while the Duke and Custer followed in a line along the Iwttom of the canon. The qhase was most exciting, and the Grand Duke, exhilv iting an enthusiasm and daring which the most elevation of 2,637 feet, and 268.4 niiles from the eastern terminus of the road. Tlie island in the river, from which the station is named, is quite large, and formerly had considerable timber for this counti-y. An occasional tree may yet be seen. McPhersoti — is 277.5 miles from Omaha, and 2,695 feet alxive the sea. It is the station named after the fort which is located south of th(i Platte River, on a military reservation, and nearly opposite the station. There is a wiigon bridge across the river coimecting the two places. The fort is about seven miles from the station, and is located near some; springs foi-merly called "Cotton-wood Springs." It bears the name of the gallant general who fell before Atlanta, in 1864, in the war for the presouatlin of the Union. But few soldiers are !"-\\ at this ORAKD DUKE ALEXIS KILLING HIS FIRST IIUFFALO. experienced western hunter could not have sur- Eassed, pressed his game until shvj turned upon im. Describing a semi-circle with his horse, he dashed to the other side of her, and taking deliberate aim, discharged the contents of his revolver into her fore shoulder, as quick as a flash of lightning. The buffalo fell dead upon the instant. Thus, as he telegraphed to his fa- ther, the Czar of Russia, he killed the first wild horned monster that had met his eye in America. The sport continued foi" two days, and ended with a series of Indian festivities. fFai'i'en — is a side track 260.4 milea from Omaha, and 2,570 feet above tlie sea. A section- house st ' ids near by. The valley here narrows, and the bluffs on Iwth sides come near the river. Bradu Inland — is the next station, with an fort, though at the time the war was in progress, and afterwards during the building of the roar" and in ♦^he years of Indian conflict that raged on the frontier, it was a |>ost of considerable I iwrt- anco. Immense quantities of luvy are v.i ally cut near this place, with wliich governniei;', ■■•c'^. private contracts are filled. A part of tli • ^- ■ enth Iowa Cavalry, inide- Major O'B/ien, camp d on the site of the fort in 1^'66, ai d afterwards troops from tiie Vcg-iliu army ware stationed here. f»Vf»«f'ff -named a-' t : .F. W. Gannett, Esq., of Boston, ai r O'Hiien, caniji d !)(), ai d afterwards ly ware stationed W. Gannetu, Esq., f tl I'nion Pacific 1 adjacent secii..!!- )malia, and 'J, 752 tionsfor from fifty I, are located in an excellent grazing country, and cattle and sheep are coming in to occupy it. Five miles from Gannett, the railroad crosses the North Platte River on a pile bridge. There is a side track and two section-houses just east of the river, the side track for hay cars, and one of the section-houses near the bridge for the watchman, who walks its entire length- after the passage of every train. The bridge is planked by the railroad company, and rented by Lincoln County, so that wagons, teams and stock have free passage. After leaving Cozad, the number of settlers' cabins and houses diminishes till you come to the North Platte Valley. South rf the river between Fort McPherson and North Platte, there a,re quite a number of homesteaders, who have farmed it for a few years, with indif- ferent success, having to contend with drought and grasshoppers. The soil has been proven to be prolific, but some plan of irrigation will have to be adopted, before agriculture can be made a paying investment. In choice locations, how- ever, such as pieces of low bottom land near the river, crops of potatoes iiivl " garden truck " have been successfully raised for several years. We have now entered upon the great stock- growing region of the continent, where cattle and horses can be grown and kept the year round without hay, and where the buffalo grass, except- ing along the streams, affords the rich nutriment that produces fat, and renders cattle ready for market without grain. The North Platte River will be crossed again at Fort Steele. It has its source in northern Colorado, wtst of the Medicine Bow Mountains. The Laramie River, which you cross just beyond Laramie City, apd the Sweetwater, which rises in the Wind River Mountains north of Point of '.iocks, and runs through the great South Pass, ' c two of i^s principal tributaries. It drains an mnnense region of country, and is fed by inm - nierable streams and springs from the Black Hill t of Wyoming, tlie Wind River Mounta^s, thj Medicine Bow Mountains, the Sweetwatei^Mour - tains, the Big Horn Mountains, R,vttiesnake'Hill9 find other elevations. '! iie traveler musL r.o'u be confused bv the term " Black Hills." The Black Hills of Wyoming are thosc^ which you cross be- twv II Cheytnne and Laramie City, the summit of which you reach at Sherman. These are not the Black Hills of which so much has been said of late, in connection with the discovery of gold and the Sioux Indians. They are called the Black iiiils of Dakota, and the nearest point to them on the railroad is Sidney. From the im- lai'iise amount of water which runs into the North Platte River, it is a mystery what becomes of it all, as the river is shallow and sluggish where it is crossed near its mouth. Tcm tTach- erous bottom of ever varying and shiftir."' calls for beef and mutton. These plains must become the great beef-producing region of the continent. They are the Almighty's pasture groiMids. and if there are not a thousand cattle upon a hill, there will surely be " cattle upon a thousand iiills." The numerous tributaries to these two rivers are from ten to fifteen miles apart, with high roil- ing prairies between— affording abundance of water with adjacent pasture, and this pasture is the home of the richest natural grasses. Before you reach the North Platte River, you will see conclusive evidence of the adaptability of these plains to stock-raising, and from this time on to where the river is again crossed, you will see numerous herds of catthi and fioeks of sheep. The snows of winter in these elevated regions are dry, and not frequent. Driven bv fierce winds, thev will till the hollows and small ravines, while the hills are always left bare, so that cattle and sheep can always obtain access to 40 00 I g o i o » 9 o CO K o Hi o H H « 41 n o i o o in S4 o o n H the ground, and the buffalo and bunch grasses with which it is covered. While hay must be cut for the sustenance of sheep during the few days storms may last, and for the horses and cattle that may be kept up; the vast herds, wliether of <;attle or horses, will go through the most severe winter that has ever been known in this region without hay or shelter, except that afforded by the ravines. The experiment h^s been repeatedly tried, and the vast heids that are now kept in this region, attest the success of that exjieriment. In L;""Jn Countj', of which the town of North i'latte is the county-seat, there are probably 00,000 head of cattle alone. Eastern farmers and stock-raisers will see that the attempt to provide hay for this vast number would be useless, and if required wou'd render the keeping of so many in a single county un- profitable. The expense of providing hay would in the first place be great, and the expense of confining the cattle and feeding it out would be still greater. And if the buffaloes have lived in tiiis country year after year, during the flight of tlie centuries without hay, why may not cattle and horses do likewise? The stock-grazing region to which allusion >>< h-^re made, comprises in fact all tlie country west c* the 100th meridian of longitude, to tne base ot the Rocky Mountiiins, and the elevated plateaus or great parks lying l)etween the eastern and western ranges of the same Mountains; while the extent north and south reaches from the Gulf of Mexico to the northern boundary line of the United States. Three great railroad lines already penetrate this vast stock range, and a decade will hardly pass away before other lines will follow. A ready outlet to the best stock markets in the country is therefore always accessible and always open. But with all the natural advantages of this region, not every one who may be captivated with tlie idea of a stock ranche and lowing herds, can make it a success. The business requires capital and care — just the same attention that is given to any ot.ier successful business. Nor can it be safely entered iqwu under the impression that a fortune can be nuvde in a day or in a year. It is a business liable to losses, to severe winters, un- favorable seasons and a glutted market. It does not run itself. By reason of a single hard win- ter, one man in the stock business lias been known to lose a hundred thousand dollars, and the losses that same winter were proportionally »e\ ere ujx)n those who were not as able to suffer them. It is a business which, if closely attended to, promises large returns upon the capital in- vested, and which, at the same time, is liable to heavy losses. It is more sure than mining and more profitable than agricultural or dairy-farm- ing. But we shall liave more to say of this hereafter, with specific illustrations as to what can be done in both sheep husbandry and cattle raising. Returning to the two rivers, one of which we crossed near their junction — the vast area of bottom lands continue to widen, and for a long distance each has its broad valley. Leav- ing the North Platte here we shall ascend the South Platte to Julesburg. About one mile west of the bridge, we arrive at North Plutte — the end of another division of the Union Pacific Railroad. It is 291 miles from Omaha, and 2,78!) feet above the sea. It is a thriving city, and outside of Omaha has the most extensive machine and rei)air shoiis on the line of the road. The roundhouse! has twenty stalls, and it, together with the nuwthiiie and repair shops, are substantially built of brick. In these shops engines and cars are either repaired or entirely built over, — a process which cannot hardly be called repairing, but which neverthe- less renders them as good as new. The engine- room for the niachine-shops, is a model of neatness; everything in and around it being kept in perfect order. The town has about 2,000 inhabitants, two wide-awake newspapers ; the Republican being a weekly, and the Western Nchraskian being a semi-weekly, together with several wholesale and retail stores and shops of various kinds. 1'he Railroad House is the largest and leading hotel. About 150 men are given constant employment in the shops. There are also one or two com- panies of troops stationed here, iK>t to protect the railroad from the savages, for that necessity has passed, but for economy in keeping and convenience for frontier duty. The town also has two or three church edifices, a brick court- house and brick school-house, I- "th new, and ImUIi presenting a fine appearance. There are also several elegant private residences. It is beauti- fully located, and has excellent drainage. The bluffs or hills are in near view, both north and south, and give quite a picturesque app -^rance to the country in the immediate vicinity. The Black Hills excitement, in regard to the discovery of gold, has had some effect uiwu the town, and a railroad oft" to the north-west is talked. It is the home of some of the leading stock-men of this section of country. Near this city, in 1875, Col. E. I). Webster and Mrs. A. W. Randall, wife of the late ex-postmaster-general Randall, foi-med a copartnership to engage in the dairying '.fusiness, and erected a cheese factory. During the year they manufactured about 30 tons of tlieese, which brought them a fair retunj. Col- onel Webster claims that the experiment has demonstrated that the business can be carried on with profit, and he believes it will eventually become the leading feature of this part of the country. He further says that the only draw- back at present is the scarcity and unreliability of help, it being difliciilt > obtain a sutticient number of " milkers " at a reasonable price to milk a large number of cows. In 1876 the firm pro^wses to make cheese from the milk of from one to two hundred cows, and the balance of their herd — some five hundred — will be devoted to stock-raising. This dairy establishment is one of the new enterprises of North Platte, and, if successful in the future, will make it the prominent cheese-market of the West. The town has abundant attractions for invalids needing rest — there being antelope and deer in the hills, fish in the streams, and an abundance of pure air to invigorate the body. It has a bright future and is destined to become one of the leading towns on the line of the railroad. Formerly it was an eating-station, but as now run, trains pass it in the night. The road was finished to this town in the fall of 1866, from which time until the following June it was the jK)int where all overland freight was shipped. It was a rough town then, but this state of affairs did not last long, and the character of the place rapidly improved with the arrival of permanent set- , tiers. There were a few In- dian scares, but no serious at- tack was made by the savages upon the town. Two or three trains were ditched and wrecked, both east and west, but this was the extent of the daiujige done by them. Of this, however, we shall have more to say in another place. Chinineif Rock.— Ne&T "Sorth Platte is the far-famed Chimney Rock, two and a half miles from the south bank of the Platte River. It is composed of a friable yellowish marl, which can be cut readily with the knife. It rises in the form of a thin, perpendicular shaft above a coni- cal mound, whose base slopes gradually out toward the plains. It appears to be the re- newal of the old chain of hills and rocks which bounded the valley, but which, from their soft- ness of material, have been disintegrated by wind and weather. This possessing harder ma- terial has withstood these effects, although it is steadily yielding. In the days of Fremont's ex- pedition, it was estimated tiiat it was over 200 feet in lieight, but other travelers and explorers who had seen it years before, stated that its height liad been as great as 500 feet. In those days it was a landmark visible for forty or fifty miles; now it is hardly 35 feet in height. Around the waist of the liase runs a white band CUIMNEV HOCK, HEAR MOBTH PLATTE, which sets off its height, and relieves the uni- form yellow tint. It has often been struck by lightning. T/ie Overland Pony Express. The Pony Express (of wliich few now remem- ber those days of excitement and interest) was started in 1660, and the 3d of Apil, that year, is the memorable date of the starting of that first trip. In those days, the achievements of the Pony Express were attended with an eager excite- ment hardly less interesting than the building of the Pacific Railroad itself. " Overland to Califor- nia in thirteen, daw," was repeated evei7where as a remarkable achievement. The first fiompany organized v/as formed in California ia 1858 or 1859, under the name of the Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express. At that time, with no telegraph or even stage line across the continent, this attempt was considered exti-a- ordinarily au- dacious. The services plan- ned and exe- cuced by the company were a pony express, with stations sixty miles apart, the en- tire distance from St.Joseph, Mo., to Sacra- mento. The time occupied between ocean and ocean was fourteen days, and from St. Joseph to San Francisco, ten days. And the schedule of the company - quired the pony express to make trips in the following time : Prom St. Joseph to MarysvlUe, 12 hours. From St. Joseph to Fort Kearny, 34 hours. From 8t. Joseph to Laramie, 80 Iioiirs. Prom St. Joseph to Fort Brldger, 108 hours. From St. Joseph to Salt hake, 124 hours. From St. Joseph to Camp Floyd, 128 hours. Prom St. Joseph to Carson City, 118 hours. From St. Joseph to Placervllle, 226 hours. From St. Joseph to Sacramento, 232 hours. From St. Joseph to San Francisco, 240 hours. An express messenger left once a week from each side with not more than ten pounds of matttir. The best of riders were chcsen from among trap- pers, scouts and plains men, familiar with all the life of the route, fearless, and capable of great physical jwwer, endurance and bravery. The ponies were very swift and strong, a cross be- tween the American horse anl Indian pony, and after each run of sixty miles, waited till tlie ar- rival of the messenger from the opjwsite direc- 48 relieves the uni- en been struck l)y !/ Express. ill few now remem- and interest) was April, that year, is arting of that first lievements of the ith an eager excite- lan the building of Overland to Cali/or- ited evei^where as The first company ifornia ivi 1858 or Central Overland Express. At tliat n stage line across 3 considered extra- ordinarily au- dacious. The services p 1 a n- ned and exe- cuted by the company were a pony express, with stations sixty miles apart, the en- tire distance I from St.Joseph, i Mo., to Sacra- mento. The time occupied between ocean and ocean was , fourteen days, I and from St. Joseph to San Francisco, ten the company lake trips in the 12 hours. ', 34 Iioiira. 8fl lioiirs. ', 108 hours. 124 liours. 128 hours. 118 hours. 226 hours. 232 hours. 0, 240 liours. a week from oacli ounds of matter, from aniong trap- liliar with all the capable of great d bravery. The rong, a cross be- ndian pony, and aited till the ar- le opjwsite direc- OVERLAND POKY KXFK£8S PUB8UED JIY UIGUWAVMKX. tion, when each returned. The riders were con- stantly exposed to dangers from Indian attacks and pursued by highwaymen ; and to compen- sate them for this risk they received the large salary of $1,200 a month each ; and the modest price charged for the conveyance of business letters was $5.00, gold, per quarter ounce. At the time of the departure of the first messenger from St. Joseph, a special train was run over the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad to bring the through messenger from New York, and a " Pony Express Extra " was issued of two pages, by the St. Joseph Daily Gazette, containing telegraphic news from all parts of the world, with a heavily leaded account of the new enterprise, and sending greetings to the press of Califor- nia. The route from St. Joseph, after reaching the Platte Val- ley, followed just north of the present track of the Pacific Rail- road to Lara- mie, then up the old ponv expbess gTATioM Sweet Water to Salt Lake, and down the Hum- boldt to Sacramento. Night and day the messen- gers spurred their ponies with the greatest speed each could endure. Often on airiving at an express station the messenger, without waiting to dismount, tossed his bag to another already waiting, and each were off at once, back again, and thus for eight days the little express bag traveled, arriving at the rail terminus, rarely a minute behind the prescribed time, a total dis- tance of 2,000 miles. For two years this system was kept up, until the telegraph line was finished in 1862, when the company dissolved with a loss of $200,000. As an instance of rapid speed, once, very important dis- patches — e 1 e c - tion news— were carried from St. Joseph, Mo., to Denver City, Col., 625 miles, in sixty- nine hours, the last ten miles being made in thirty- one minuteis. On this and next page, we give two illustrations characteristic of these times. One engraving is taken from a painting of G. AT CHEESE CBEEK, ^EBKA8KA. Q, M. OttillgCr, I of Salt Lake City, which represents the express I rider dashing along and cheering the telegraph 44 men who were erecting the poles. This is an actual scene, as, in the summer of 1862, while the telegraph was under construction, the flitting by of the Pony Express was an almost daily occui^ reuce. An illustration is also given of one of these express stations at Cheese Creek, Neb., which was soon afterwards abandoned as a thing of the past. The government mails were carried by special contract of the Overland Mail Com- pany with the United States government, which was started in 1858, who contracted with them to run a monthly mail from San Francisco to the Missouri River for a consideration of ^650,000 annual compensiition. Of this company, John Butterfield who drove the first coach, was presi- dent. The route chosen was the Ox Bow, via. Santa Fe, but in 1860 the Indians became po the driver may be heard shouting loudly, or with terrific whoop — a mi'o or so before his station is reached the keepers have heard it — and as his stage rattles up, the new relay of horses is ready, and in two or three minutes the stage is on its way again. After a few days' journey, the travelers become used to the swinging motion of the sta.ge, and sleep as naturally as if made for such a life. A Word with InvaJUU. Thousands of invalids, especialljr consumptives, visit the mountains and California coast, every year, in search of health, and to try the effect of u change of climate in restoring them to activity and vigor. There can be no question but that many have been benefited by the change, and it is a fact eqnally patent that many have left good homes, PONY EXPRESS 8ALUTIXO THE TGLEORAPH. troublesome that the route was changed to that of the Pouy Express, and .soon afterwards a daily mail was established at an expense of $1,()0(),(K)0 annually. The incidents of overland stage life have been repeated over and over again in books of Western adventure. Here and there were lonely post-offices away out on the distant prairies or phiins. No passengers to .set down or take up, the driver throws out his mail-bag, catches the one thrown to him, and whirls on without stop- ping, or scarcely checking the speed of his team. Morning, noon or night comes the inevitable ^^refreshment station," such as it is, where the weary passengers, well shaken up, were glad to regale themselves on pork and beans, corn bread, and " slumgullion " — the Far We.stern name for tea. Toward the middle of the night, perhaps, kind friends, and plenty of care — ^to die alone and among strangers. With this hist class the main trouble is, they wait too long in the East before staii;ing. The disease, more or less rapid in its strides, gets too firm a hold u{H3n the sysj- tem — becomes too deeply rooted to be easily thrown off ; then they start for health and rest that cannot be found, and most always go too far in search of it. There are a few words of ad- vice to these people, which are the result of years of observation and experience on the plains and among the mountains. First, the discovery of a tendenctf to lung and throat diseases should be a sufficient incentive to prompt one to an immediate change of cli- mate. l)o not wait n'ljl a change becomes hope- less because of the at' ..need stages of the di.sease. Second, do not at Jirnl go too far. This is I another mistake frequently committed by those I wiio finally get started. Third, do not yo too fast. Remember the I railroad from Omaha, in less than two days, will lake you to an altitude of more than 8,000 feet, and this is a severe test on a pair of healthy I lungs, to say nothing of its effect upon weak I ones. First go as far as Grand Island, and stop. I This place is 1,850 feet above the sea, and you [are in the midst of a fine prairie country, I with a geiunally clear atmosphere and balmy breezes. Here are good hotel accommodations, in a thickly settled region, where you can obtain plenty of fresh milk, cream and eggs, and such either along the stream or on the adjoining high- lands, still camping out, until you reach North Platte. Then take another rest, look around the country, mount your horse aiul ride out to the cattle ranches and live with the herders for a time. Do not be in a hurry to get away, and after you have been here a month or six weeks, if you still improve, or even hold your own with the character of the life herein prescribed, it will be safe for you to go still farther, and in tlie same manner, liut if you are not benefited by tlie trip tlms far, it will be better for you to return to your liomes and friends, where loving hands can smooth your pillow and administer comfort dur- ing your declining days. ■i \ 8HOOTIXO ntTCKS ON THR I'KAIRIES. other articles of diet as are necessary and condu- cive to your welfare. Ride or walk out from town; go around ailiong the farmers, and if, I aftcn* a month or so, you improve and wish to go [ farther, buy a team and wagon, and from this place go along leisurely overland, camping out if i the weather is favoraliile. There are opportuni- i ties for hunting and fishing, along the i-oad, which will afford amusenvnt and recreation. When you get to Kearny Junction, stop a few weeks. Notice the effect of your new mode of life and the climate upon your health, and if you simply hold your own, it is safe for you to take another step up the Platte Valley iii your westward journey. Leisurely pursue your way. If the journey has benefited you, pursue it overland and camping out, to Sidney or Chey- enne, up the Lodge Pole Valley and along side of the railroad, or at Julesburg go up the South Platte Valley to Greeley. You are now, if at Cheyenne, over 6,000 feet above the sea, and be- tween 5,000 and 6,000 feet at either (Jreeley or Denver, in the midst of a rarified and dry atmos- phere. If your health is regained, do not think of returning, for this is almost sure to bring on a relapse, which is usually sudden, and from which there is no escape; your safety depends upon your remaining in these high altitudes, and on the high and dry plains of the West. A trip down in New Mexico, and across the plains to U"; ; ii,i /i!« Arizona, will also prove beneficial. In the old overland times, thousands of consumptives re- gained their health in driving teams, and by slowly crossing the plains, who would have died if the same journey iiad been taken on the cars. By the latter mode, the change from a damp and heavy atmosphere in the East, to the rarified and dry air of the plains and mountains, is too sud- den ; and after all, if the disease has become thoroughly seated, it is doubtful if any change will be effectual. It is an experiment which should only be tried with all possible safeguards thrown around it. Buffalo Or«8ft. — After you have passed the stations of North Platte and Sidney, you will ob- serve the entire country carpeted with a short, dried up grass growing in little bunches. This is the famous buffalo grass which covers thousands of miles of the plains northward and southward and westward. Though it gives to the country a dried look, as if the very appearance of jlesola- tion and sterility, yet it is the richest grass ever known in the world. The entire State of Ne- braska is famous for its remarkable variety of grasses. The Platte Valley is the home of no less than 149 varieties, all native to the soil, and were it not for the extraordinary beauty and luxuriance of the green carpet the grasses make, the Valley of the Platte would be almost wholly devoid of interest. The buffalo grass is rarely over two to three inches in height, and its seed is produced on flowers almost covered by leaves close to the ground. It grows in little tufts, broad and dense, and is exceedingly rich and sweet, having no less than 3 6-10 per cent, of saccharine matter. When making its first growth in the spring, it is green, then dries on its stem and remains the rest of the year like cured hay on the open ground, retaining all its sweetness. Without a single exception, horses, mules and stock of all descriptions, will forsake all other kinds of grass until all the buffalo grass within reach has been consumed. While the buffaloes roamed over this country it was their natural food, but with their disappearance and the coming of the white man, it is disappearing to give place to others. Leaving North Platte, the next station is Nichols,— 29QA miles from Omaha, and 2,882 feet above the sea. It is simply a side track with section-house near, in the midst of the level bottom lands between the two rivers, both of which are' in sight. Before reaching North Platte it will be observed that the bottom narrows, and that the bluffs or sand-hills in' some instances approach the river's bank. But after leaving the town, for nearly twenty miles west, the level prairie between the rivers spreads out in view, with bluffs on either side beyond. Between North Platte and this station there are a few set- tlers, but the territory is mostly occupied as the wi' ter range of Keith & Barton's herd of cattle, as they are easily confined between the rivers I with little help. ly Fallon* H — is the next station. It is 307.0 1 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 2,970 j feet. It is a telegraph station. O'Fallon's Bluffs I are plainly visible south of the South I'lattcl River, which they closely approach; at this point we lose sight of the Valley of the Nortli Platte — a ridge of low hills jutting down from the west, while the railroad follows the south river. The railroad reached this place late in the fall of 1866, but North Platte was the terminal station until Julesburg was reached in 1867. If there was any timber on the streams in tliisj vicinity, it has long since disappeared. On an I island in the South Platte the Indians used to; camp, and from their hiding places in the sand- hills and bluffs, frequently attacked emigrants ! and tains, but as before remarked, with the buf-j faloes, the Indians disappear. Dexter — is simply a side track where trains j occasionally meet and'pass. It is 315.2 miles from ! Omaha, and has an elevation of 3,000 feet. The | bluffs here come very near the river, and they I are utilized in the building of a corral — the rocky | ledge answering all the purposes of a fence,! The monotony of the sceneiy up to this point] now passes away, and the traveler will always find something in the ever-varying views of rock-s, bluffs, streams and plains that will interest him | in the journey. Alkali. — A telegraph station, 322.4 miles from | thii Missouri River, and 3,038 feet above the sen. The alkali spots which have been witnessed in l the soil since we left Omaha, are now more fre-| ?[uent, and the station naturally takes its name | rom these characteristics. This station has a small depot, side track and section-house ; is in the midst of a fine grazing country, and opposite an old stage station south of the river. RoHcoe, — Simply a side track, 332.0 miles I from Omaha, with an elevation of 3,105 feet. Just before reaching this place, and in this vicin- ity, the railroad passes through more sandy bluffs that approach the river. Off alalia — is the P°xt station, 341.6 miles! from Omaha. Elevation 3,190 feet. It is the county-seat of Keith County, Nebraska, and is destined to be the Texas town on the line of the Union Pacific. The regular trail for driving cattle from Texas may be said to terminate here. I It has a depot, water tank, side tracks, cattle j chutes, store, one or two boarding-houses, saloon, etc. It is the head-quarters and outfitting place of a large number of ranchmen, who have nerds of cattle in this vicinity. It is some twelve miles from the North Platte River, where a num- ber of herds find ample range. In 1875, it is claimed that nearly 60,000 head of Texas cattle were driven to this point, and afterwards dis- tributed to various parties to whom they were sold. A large number of them were taken' to the FMB ^diCIFW FOt^ISr. 47 d between the rivers Indian agencies at Red Cloud and Spotted Tail. liere will be numerous buildings erected soon to iccommodate the growing necessities of the town. caving Ogalalla we next come to Brule, — so called from the Brule Sioux, a and of which Spotted Tail is the chief. Red loud is chief ot the Ogalalla Sioux. This is robably the most powerful tribe of Indians now xistiug in the country, and when all united they re said to be able to raise at least 10,000 war- Those of them who have been taken east Et station. It is 3O7.0 an elevation of 'J,07(i ion. O'Fallon's Bluffs of the South I'lattc y approach; at this i Valley of the Nortli lis jutting down from )ad follows the soutli id this place late in the itte was the terminal 8 reached in 1807. If the streams in this disappeared. On an e the Indians used to ng places in the sand- y attacked emigrants ^marked, with the buf- ar. Je track where trains It is 315.2 miles from on of 3,000 feet. The ir the river, and they ■ of a corral — the rocky purposes of a fenco, neiy up to this point I traveler will always varying views of rocks, that will interest him ation, 322.4 miles from j )38 feet above the sea. ive been witnessed in I ha, are now more fre-j ;urally takes its name j This station has a d section-house; is in country, and opposite of the river, le track, 332.0 miles I vation of 3,105 feet, lace, and in this vicin- 1 through more sandy 'er. ; station, 341.6 miles I 3,190 feet. It is the ity, Nebraska, and is )wn on the line of the lar trail for driving iaid to terminate here. ! ik, side tracks, cattle j larding-houses, saloon, s and outfitting place imen, who have herds It is some twelve e River, where a num- •ange. In 1875, it is head of Texas cattle , and afterwards dis- 1 to whom they wer(! lem were taken to the riors. Washington and other eastern cities, seem to ive lost their belligerent feelings toward the vhites, and will not probably go to war with them unless misled by tricksters or influenced by some other powerful motive. The youn^ " bucks" vho have remained on their reservations, how- 8ver, think they can whip the whole country in very short time if they should once get at it. This station was a favorite crossing place with this band of Sioux during the years when they ised to hunt on the rivers south, or go on their Iscalping and horse-stealing expeditions. Brule lis 351.2 miles from Omaha, and has an eleva- Ition of 3,286 feet. North of this place, on ■the North Platte, is Ash Hollow, a celebrated Icampin^ ground for Indians and the scene of a jgieat victory over them by General Harney, in |18.j9. The whole tribe of Sioux probably nave la greater admiration for General Harney, to-day, I than for any other living American. Physical [force is the only power which they can be made |to respect and fear. Next comes Big Spring, — which is 360.9 miles from the leastern end of the road, with an elevation cf |3,;}25 feet. It is so named from large springs jwhich break to the surface of the gi-ound at the Ifoot of the bluffs, on the right-hand side of the Iroad going west, and in plain sight cf the cars. JThe water tank, at this station, is supplied from Ithese springs. The water is excellent, and the ■station is quite a camping place for those who [continue to journey overland. This is a tele- [graph station. Barton, — called after Hen. Guy C. Barton of [North Platte. It is 308.7 miles from Omaha-, and 1 3,421 feet above the sea — simply a side track [where trains meet and pass. Beyond this sta- [tion, a short distance, the old town of Julesburg [can be seen across the river. Late in 1875, a [stray herd of about six hundred buffaloes quietly [passed over the old town site to and from the I river, where they went for water. It will proba- bly be their last visitation to this part of the country. JiUeshurff, — 377.4 miles from Omaha, and 13,500 feet above the sea. It was named after Jules Burg — a frontier character who was killed by one Jack Slade, another rough, in the old overland stage times. The old town was across the river, some four miles below the present sta- tion, and was a pretty rough place. The station is opposite old Fort Sedgwick, now abandoned, and was the promsed junction of a branch rail- road up the Soutn Platte River by way of Gree- ley to Longmont, from which a railiuad is com- pleted to Denver. This branch is graded nearly the entire distance, and bridged part of the way. By an agreement made in 1875, the Union Pa- cific, or men in the company, relinquished the proposed and completed roads in Colorado to the Kansas Pacific, and the latter road relin- quished its through business to the Pacific coast, and its efforts to compel the Union Pacific to pro rate with it from Cheyenne west. This ar- rangement effected the entire suspension of all eiforts to complete this branch, and Julesburg is now, as formerly, a way-station on the Union Pacific. It is, however, quite a place for ship- Eing stock, has one or two stores, some adobe ouses and stables, with cattle-yards and chutes. The completion of this branch road would have been of great benefit to the Union Pacific, and to the entire State of Nebraska, by reason of the coal which is found in large quantities near Boulder, and which, if obtained there, would save some three or four hundred miles in haul- ing over very heavy grades, as is now done. It is doubtful if it is ever completed. At this point the Union Pacific passes through the north-eastern corner of Colorado, and here it leaves the South Platte River and ascends Lodge Pole Creek to within a few miles of Cheyenne. The early pioneers who went to Utah, Califor- nia and Oregon overland, lusually cross e South Platte River at this place, and follow , p the Lodcje Pole to Cheyenne Pass. In fact, ■ e were many routes. One up the North Platte, one up the South Platte, one up the Lodge Pole, and others. The northern route passed through what is known as' the Great South Pass, about 65 miles north of the Point of Rocks. The Lodge Pole route crossed, the Black Hills at Cheyenne Pass, and the South Platte route followed up the Cache La Poudrc ..■ 1 Dale Creek, until it struck the great Laran i- '^Mins south-west of Sherman. Fort Sedgwick, of which wa have spoken, was established in May, 1864, and was named after the gallant commander of the Sixth Corps, army of the Potomac, who was killed at the battle of Spottsylvania Court-IIouse while sigliting a gun, and whose loss was greatly lamented by the en- tire army, and especially the corps he commanded. . Among " the boys " he was familiarly spoken of as " Farmer John." Incidents in th*> History of Julesburg, The overland stage company had quite an im- portant station at Julesburg, south side of the river, and about a mile east of the location of Fort Sedgwick. It was in 1865, before any rails had been laid on the Union Pacific. The stage company had accumulated a large quantity of supplies at this station, and the Indians knowing 48 wmm ^siciFi€ woimisr. UiiH, and evor hoHtile to tli« travel of the wliites lliroiiKh this ntfrion, hud their oii|ndity urouHitd. 'I'nMtjiH were Hcattered ull alon;? tho route, and frequently liad to escort the HtiijjeH froni one sta- tion t«) another. At JuleHbur^', tiie roiid crossed tiie South I'latte, followed tlio I^df;e l'f)le up to Sidney, an«l then crossed over to the North Platte, whicii it ascended to Fort Laramie and beyond. Cajtt. N. .F. O'lh-ien was in command at the fort, with one company of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, i ud two pieces of artillery. On th.i 7th of January, 1875, tlie Sioux and Chey- ennes, one thousa'.id strong, discovering the snuiU force to defeiul it, attacked the fort with great bravery, 'i'hey had previously run the stage into the station, killing one man and one liorse. When their presence was discovered, but h'aving tiieir dead conu'ades to fall into tin' hands of the bUtod-thirsty foe. The Indians per- ceiving tlieir dis|X)sition to fall back, red«)uble(l their efforts, and endeavoreil to cut them off from tlie fort. They attacked with greater fury ami boldness than ever, and came very near effecting,' their purjxjse. The men, however, fell back in f;o{id order, and were successful in gaining tin; ort. The Indians now surrounded this, but thu artillery was brought out and served with good effect, so that they were kei)t at bay, and event- ually night put an end to the conflict. In this night the Indians withdrew, and when the morn- ing broke, not one was in sight. Hut now comes the most horrible part of this incident. Tlni men went out to find, if possible, the bodies of their dead conu-ades. Tliey found them, but INDIAN ATTACK ON AN OVERLAND HTAOK. Captain O'Brien made the best disposition possi- ble with his small force. He left a sergeant with some twelve men in the fort, to handle the artil- lery, and mounting the rest, thirty-seven men and one oficer, besides himself, went out to meet the savages. The charge was sounded, and in they went. About a mile from the fort there is a projectinj.; hill in the bluffs, back of and around which the main body of the Indians were con- cealed. As the niL-!! neared the top of this hill, they saw the large iorce opposed to them, but never flinched. The Indiaiis charg 'd ujxjn them with great fury, and for quite a time the unequal contest was continued. Hut his ranks having become depleted by the loss of fourtt-;'!) of the thirty-seven enlisted men, the captain ordered them to fall biick, which they did in g(X)d order, nearly all were beyond recognition ; stripj-ied of every vestige of clothing, mutilated beyond ar- count, cold and stark they lay, in the places they had fallen ; their fingers, toes and ears cut off, their mouths filled with powder and ignited, and every conceivable indignity committed ujx)n their, persons. Sorrowfully they gathered up these re- mains, and conveyed them to the fort, where they were decently buried ; but the recollections of that awful night, did not fade from the mem- ories of the survivors of that company. In sub- sequent battles with the savages, their courage was quickened and their arms nerved to deeds of daring, which cost many a warrior his life, and gave him a sudden exit to his happy hunting grounds. The loss of the savages in tliis battle, could not, at the time, be accurately ascertained. riTjr 9;§ciFic Tommtsw. 49 but from the best information since obtained, admitted by the Indians themselves, they had sixty-tiiree warriors Icilled in this engagement. None were found on tlie field, as they always carry their dead away witli them. On the second day of Februaiy, less than a month from the above attack, they appeared in the vicinity of the fort again, and attacked and l)urned the station house of the stage company, other out-buildings and stores, and one or two houses adjoining. Five miles below the station was a ravine called the Devil's Dive, through which the stages passed. Captain O'Brien and four or five men were escorting the coach with three or four passengers, one of whom was a lady. As he ascended the oank of the ravine going to- ward the fort, ho saw a smoke, and riding up to the top of a hill, he saw Indians. Iteturning to the coach, he had every man, passengers and all, care- fully examine his arras, and caused the coach to proceed slowly along. Soon the road neared the bank of the river, and here he met some team- sters with wagons, who, beyond a pistol or two, were unarmed, and who had left the station for some object, less than a half hour before. They now bacame aware of the situation, and were greatly alarmed. These men the captain ordered to return and keep near the stage, which they did, all moving slowly toward the station and fort. Meanwhile the heads of Indians were popping up quite frequently, over the bluifs in the dis- tance. Arriving near one of these, the captain iboldly rode to the top, and taking his blanket pwung it three times over his head. The Indians Isivw this, and supposed he had a large force in he rear, which he was signaling to come up, and hey began to fly. The river was frozen, and and had been scattered over two roadways on he ice. They took everything they could from he burning station and houses, and beat a re- reat across the river. At the first sign of their eaviiiff, the stage-driver and teamsters put their nimiils to their utmost speed, and ran into the ort, the captain arriving there in time to give he Indians a few parting shots from his artillery is the last of them ran across the river. The hots ricocheted along the ice, and caused the ndians to drop some of their plunder, though 'oing no further damage, as we could learn. These are only two of the many incidents in ur frontier history, that will soon be beyond he reach and knowledge of either the present or uture generations. Tlie Great Indian Battle at Summit Springs. On the divide south of the South Platte River, ind about midway between old Fo'-t Morgan land old Fort Sedgwick, opposite to which Jules- Iburg now stands, there are some fine springs — jthe only good water in quite a region of territory, yihey are now called Summit Springs ; and are 4 near the summit of a divide from which the water, when there is any. runs north and south. In the winter of 1801), Major Frank North, be- fore alluded to, received orders to recruit his scouts for the summer campaign. He organized one company in February, and two the following Ajjril, the total number in the three companies being one hundred and fifty men, exclusive of their white officers, hi April of that year. Gen- eral Carr, taking two of these companies and eight of the Fifth Cavalry, then stationed at Fort Mcl'herson, was ordered to scOut the coun- try in the Republican, Solomon and Saline Val- leys and their tributaries, and strike any ma- rauding bands of Indians he might find. At that time, the Indians were raiding the advanced settlements in the lower Republican and Solomon Valleys, burning houses, killing and scalping men, women and children, and stealing all the horses they could find. The third company of tlitj scouts had not tlicn been organized. As s' ion as this was done. Major North was ordered ti) take them across the country from Fort Kearny, and join General Carr's command, at the month of Prairie Dog Creek, in the Repub- lican Valley. This he did, effecting a junction about the otli of May. After scouting the coun- try between the Republican and Solomon for about a month, the command returned to the Republican, where it met a supply train, which had been sent out from Fort McPherson, and then proceeded up the valley. On arriving at the mouth of Medicine Creek, they struck the trail of a large village. This was on the first day of July, and they continued to follow it up the river for about one hundred and twenty-five miles. The trail then left the valley, and bore off to the North, until it struck Frenchman Creek, then up that creek to its source, and then over a divide to Summit Springs, about thirty- five miles from the headwaters of the Frenchman. The Indians oi this village kept pickets out as a sort of a rear-guard, but did not think of an at- tack from another quarter. The Pawnee scouts were constantly in the advance, and kept the command well informed of the condition and dis- position of the Indians. They had discovered the rear-guard of the Indians, without being themselves seen, reporting their situation, and telling just how the attack should be conducted, in order to be successful. A wide detour would have to be made, and the Indian village, en- camped in a ravine near the springs, would have to be approached and attacked from the west. Every precaution was taken to conceal the move- ments of the troops. The attack was made on the nth day of July. The heavy wagon train was left in the rear, and the best horses with their riders, were selected for the march, which was supposed to be, with the detour mentioned, at least fifty miles. The command arrived within about a mile and a half of the Indians undiscovered, at - ii 'I < : ,' '■ II 50 chout three o'clock, p. m., but b'^fore the disposi- tions and arraneemento for making the final charge had been tuUy completed, one company of cavalry unnecess.".rily ex^wsed itself, paiu. this pre- cipitated the attack. The In;!:a: s were i>ioux, forty lodges, Cheyennes, forty-five )oige8 — eigi.ty- five in all. They had been in the riids togethvT, and were to separate the next day. They hav' evidently concluded to take one day at these splendid Springs, for f;he enjoyment of their fare- well pow-wow, but it proved to be a " bad medi- cine day " for them. When they saw the com- pany of cavalry that had unfortunately been exposed to their view, they ran out to gather in their horses, which were quietly feeding in the the chief. He was seen, as the troops approached, mounted upou his horse, with his wife and child behind him, trying to escape, but when he found his retreat cut off, he ran into a " pocket " or j " draw," in the side of a ravine, with almost per- pendicular sides, where some fifteen other war- 1 riors had taken refuge. He had a very fine horse, i which he led to the mouth of this " pocket " and | shot dead. He then took his wife and child and pushed them up on the bank of the " pocket," 'elling her, as he did this, to go and give them- selves up, perhaps their lives would be spared. The squaw and ner child, a beautiful girl, went straight to Major North, and raising her hands in token of submission, drew them gently ever INDIAN COBXrMES. vicinity of their camp, a mil6 or more away. There was no time for delay. The troops and scouts charged down upon them with all their speed. The scouts, as usual, set up their infernal war-whoop, and went in with a rush. The In- dians were wholly unprepared for the attack, and some of thfim were quietly lounging in their tents. In fact it was nearly a complete surprise. They were all under the lead of Tall Bull, a noted (yheyenne chief and warrior, and numbered about five hundred men, women and children — nearly or quite two hundred being warriors. Seventeen squaws an '. children were taken prisoners, and as nea*" «? (yu'd be estimated, one hundred and sixtv warriors were slain, among them Tall Bull, his face and down his form to the ground, where | she sank upon her knees, her child standing Ix;- side her. While Major North can talk Pawnee j like a native, he could not under-stand what she said, but as all Indians use sign language to a great extent, he rerdily interpreted her motions to mean that she surrendered, and wanted hlnito j spare their lives. He motioned her to rise, which sne did, and told her by signs lo go a little way, sit down and stay there, and she would not l*' harmed. She then, by signs, indicated thiit there were seven living braves still in tlif | "pocket," and asked him to go in after them, doubtless thinking that her husband might be saved with herself. Ho declined this reque.sl, lie troops approached, kh his wife and chiltl , but when he found into a " pocket " or ine, with almost per- le fifteen other war- had a very fine horse, »f this " pocket " and is wife and child and ink of the " pocket," go and give them- es would be spared. beautiful girl, went nd raising her hands 5W them gently over to the ground, where er cliiUi standing Ix'- irth can talk Pawnee understand what she ts to shoot them from the train as it passes. Away scamjiers the little dog. stomach so full that it touches the ground, while little feet pulled for dear life for its own hole, and by its side or under it traveled the livelier bullet, each tearing up a stream of dust quicker than the eye can follow. Attempts have been made to tame them as pets, but they rarely ever live long, and have too apt a way of biting off fingers. They live only on the roots of grasses, not being flesh eaters. Burton, an early traveler across the continent in 1861, was immensely interested in his exami- nation of a prairie dog village. The Indians call them " Wish-ton-wish" from some slight resem- blance to this cry. " WislFton-wish " was at home, sitting posted like a sentinel upon tl^e roof, and sunning him- self in the mid-day glow. It is not easy to shoot him ; he is out of doors all day, but timid and alert ; at the least suspicion of danger he plunges with a jerking of the tail, and a somersault quicker than a shy young rabbit, into the nearest hole, peeping from the ground, and keeping up a feeble little cry, (wish-ton-wish I) more like the notes of a bird than a bark. If not killed out- right, he will manage to wiggle into his home. The villages are generally on the brow of a hill, near a creek or pond, thus securing water with- out danger of drowning. The holes, which de- scend in a spiral form, must be deep, and are connected by long galleries, with sharp angles, ascents and descents, to puzzle the pursuer. Lieu- tenant Pike had 140 kettles of water poured into one without dislodging the occnpant. The precincts of each village are always cleared of grass, upon which the animals live, as they rarely venture half a mile from home. In the winter time they stop the mouth of their burrows, and construct a deeper cell, where they live till spring appears. The Indians and trappers eat the flesh, declar- ing it to be fatter and better than that of the .s(iuirrel. If the meat is exjwsed for a night or two to the frost, all rankness will be corrected. In the same hole are found rattlesnakes, the white burrowing owl, tortoises and horned frogs, the owl often gratifying his api)etit« by break- ing open the skull of a young dog, with a smart stroke of his beak." Iliff, tite Cattle King of the riaintt, Has a range 150 miles long, a herd of 2fi,000 head, and is called the Great Cattle King of the plains, and has the " boss ranche " of this western country. This ranche is in northern Colorado. It begins at Julesburg, on the Union Pacific Rail- road, and extends to Greeley, lotJ miles west. Its southern b<;undary is the South Platte River ; its northern, the divide, rocky and bluffy, just south of the Ijodge Pole Creek. It has nearly the shap** of a right-angled triangle, the right angle being at Greeley, the base line being the South PiatU' River. 'J'he streams flowing tlnoiigh it are, first. uiid, while own hole, he livelier ist quicker have been rarely ever biting off of grasses, continent his exami- ndians call ight resem- ing posted nning him- asy to shoot timid and he plunges somersault the nearest eeping up a re like the killed out- > his home. )w of a hill, water with- ?, which de- ep, and are harp angles, ^suer. IJcu- ater poured iipant. The s cleared of i they rarely 1 the winter •urrows, and m till spring flesh, declar- that of the • a night or )e corrected, esnakes, the lorned frogs, te by break- vith a smart Plains, ■d of 26,000 King of the this western \)lorado. It Pacific Rail- 's west. Its te River; its y, just south rly the shap«' angle being H)nth riattf 1 it are, first. n U'l \ M 54 rMM Piicme FO^sisr. tbe river just named, Crow Creek, and other small creeks and streams which take their rise in living springs, in and near the bluffs of the divide mentioned, and flow in a southerly direc- tion into the South Platte River. It includes bottom and upland ranges, and has several camps or ranches. The chief ranche is nearly south of Sidney, and about forty miles from Jules- burg. At this ranche there are houses, sheds, sta- bles, and corrals, and more than two sections of land fenced in. All the cattle bought by Mr. IlifE are rebranded and turned over to him at this place. Here are his private stock yards, with corrals, chutes, pens and all necessary conveni- ences for handling cattle. It is near the river, and of course has fine watering facilities, while from the adjoining bottom lands plenty of hay may be cut for the use of the horses employed in herding. He cuts no hay for his cattle; they live the entire year on the rich native grasses on his range, and with the exception of a severe winter, now and then, the percentage of loss is not very great. Mr. IlifE is a thorough cattle man, and from his long experience has a perfect knowledge of the busmess. He began in 1860, and during the war had government contracts to fill, in New Mexico aud other frontier territories. He sup- Elied most of the beef to the contractors who 'lilt the Union Pacific Railroad, and brought immense herds of cattle from Texas and the Indian Territory which were driven along the line of the road to supply the army of laborers with beef. He has been engaged in the stock business in Kansas, New Mexico, and now in Colorado, and thinks his present location is ad- mirably ad^ted to it, if the sheep men will only keep out. Cattle and sheep will not do well on the same range together. Success in either requires separation. Mr. IlifE has purchased and now owns more than twenty thousand acres of the range he occupies, whicn, of course, in- cludes the choice springs and watering places within its limits, and will, undoubtedly, purchase more land as soon as it comes into market. He now has more than 26,000 head of cattle, of all ages, sizes and conditions. The number of calves branded on his ranche, last year, reached nearly 5,000 head, and his sal&«* of three and four-year-old steers and fat cows, last sea- son, reached nearly the same number. He realized about $Ji2 per head, net, on these sales. At this rate, 4,000 head would bring him the snug little sum of $128,000. To take care of this immense herd, he employs from twelve to thirty-five men — very few, usually, in the winter months, and the largest number during the "round ups" in the spring. During the ship- ping season of 1875, he had twenty-four men who were employed in cutting out of his herd the four-year-old steers that were ready for market, some fat three-year-olds, and such fat cows as were no longer fit for breeding purposes. While engaged in this work, the same men gather the cows with unbranded calves, which they put into the corrals near by, and after the cblves & ) branded they are turned loose with the herd again. By the introduction of thorou^h- bntd Durham bulls, his herd Is rapidly being graded up. In addition to the cattle raised on his ranche, he deals largely in Texas and Indian cattle, and last season ^vertised for 20,000 head of Texas cattle to be delivered on his ranche during the driving months of 1876. These cat- tle m'^^t 1(0 yearlings, two and three-year-old steers, and for them he expects to pay l||7, $11 and $15 per head, respectively, 'liiis i«<. at least. 10 per cent, advance ol the prices paid for the same kind of cattle in 1875, and indinntcs their growinff scarcity in Texas. If he does not ob- tain this number from Texas, he will supply the deficiency with Oregon and Montana cattle, which ate now beginning to cor^e East. Mr. niff estimates the increase of cattle fron. his home herd — outside of purchases and sales — to be about 70 per cent, per year, and about equally divided as to gender. He does not L-'pa- rate his bulls froir the herd, but allows them to remain with it the entire year. In this part of his management, we believe he makes a mistake, as the percentage of increase would be much larger if no calves were born during the severe winter and spring months of each year. The loss in calves at these times must be very great. The shipping points for liis ranche are at Pine Bluffs and Julesburg, on the Union Pacific, and at Deers' Trail on the Kansas Pacific. The most of his cattle, however, are shipped over the first-mentioned road. Iciest any one should come to the conclusion tiiat this business is all profit, and that the ex- ixaises and losses do not amount to much, let us further state that Mr. Iliff's policy is to keep his expenses as low as possible, naving the keeping and safety of his cattle constantly in view. In 1875, the expenses of herding, cutting hay for horses, etc., amounted to less than $15,000. But the losses from thefts and death, some years, are frightful. The winter of 1871-2 was very severe. There were deep snows over his rang« that remained on the ground a lon^ time, and the storms we incessant. In the midst of these storms, Mr. lliff visited the ranche, and found his cattle literally dying by thousands. On the islands in Suuth Platte River, he found and drove off into the sand-hills and bluffs, on the south s:dt . aftev great exertion, some 2,700 head, and of this nu'nter less than half were recovered. Their bleaching bones now whiten the plains in the vicinity •vvhere they were frozen and 8tarve ; some of the clouds were of solid masses of the. deepest indigo, while a few were black, some were pur- ple, and others faii.tly tinged with crimson and gold. Two days before, I had witnessed cloud effects almost equally fine. There is no monot- ony in the glorious dawns or beautiful sunsets, which are the rule on these elevated plains, and whitth go far to relieve tne tameness of the land- scape. " As evening approached, on my journey to La.'amie, and I neared my destination on the great mountain plains, I saw hovering over one of the sno\ -capped peaks, a richly colored cloud, so curious in form, and withal so perfect that it might well have been considered a miraculous omen, in the superstitious days of old. It was a most accurate representation of a long waving ostrici plume, in varying tints of crimson and purple and gold ; I ga?ed on it with pleasure and wonder till it faded away." Sunset in a Stm'^m,— The Earl of Dunraven, in an account of his travels, mentions with won- der these extraordiiiary sunset scenes : " Just be- fore sundown, the gorgeous flaunting streamers of bright yellow ar.d red that were sudde-i'y shot out across a luriri sky were most wonderful to behold. If the vivid colors were transferred to canvas wi*^ a quarter of their real brilliancy, the eye would be distressed by the representa- tion, and the artist accused of gross exaggera- tioa and of straining after outrageous effects. " These stormy American sunseta are startling, barbaric, even savage in their brilliancy of tone, in their profusion of color, in their great streaks of red and broad flashes of yeUow fire ; startling, but never repulsive to the senses, or painful to the eye. For a time the light shone most brilliantly till over the western hemisphere, breaking throu . a confused mass of dazzling purple-edged clouds, massed against a glowing, Durnished copper sky, darting out bright arrows through the rifts and rents, and striking full upon the mountain top. " But not long did this glorious effulgence last. The boul of the evening soon passed away ; as the sun sank, the colors fled. The mountains became of a ghastly, livid greenish color, and a" the faint rose light paled, faded slowly upward and vanished, it really looked as though the life were ebbing away, and the {'^ull gray death-hue spreading;: over the face of a dying man." Sunne/ Scene on Mount Wastthume. — The Earl cf Dunraven ascending, in the summer of 1874, thfc summit of Mt. Washbume was re- warded at sunset with a scene of extraordinary magnificence, which he relates as follows : " The ■'N 58 rmm ^mctwic tqusmst. sun was gettine very low, and the valleys were already steeped in shade. To the east all was dark, but in the western heavens long flaming streaks of yellow were flashing across a lowering sky. The masses of black clouds were flowing red with an angry flush. The clear white light of a watery sun had changed into broad streaks of flaunting saffron. Across all the hemisphere, opposed to it, the setting orb was shaking out the red and yellow folds of its banners, challeng- ing thd forces of the storm, which was marshal- ing on the horizon its cloud warriors resplend- ent in burnished gold. " The sun sank behind a cloud, and I turned away to descend; but as we went, the sun, though invisible io us, broke through some hid- den rift in the clouds, and shone out bright and strong, splashing its horizontal rays full against the opposite slope, and deluging the lower por- tioas of the valley with a flood of intense cherry- colored lurid light. The hills reddened as if beat upon by the full glare of a great furnace. It was a sight most glorious to see. The beauty of it held us and forced us to stop. The glow did not gradually ripen into fullness, but sud- denly, and in all its intensity, struck upon a prominent ridge, lighting up the crags and cliffs, and even the rocks and stones, in all their de- tails, and then by degrees it extended and spread on either side over the foot-hills, bringing out the projecting slopes and shoulders from deep gloom into clear light, and throwing back the valley into blackest shade. Every rock and precipice seemed close at hand, and shone and glowed with such radiance that you could trace the very rents and crevices in the cliff faces, and mark the pine trees clinging to the sides, while in comparison the deep recesses of the chasms and canons seemed to extend for miles back into dark shadow. As the sun sank, so rose the light, rushing upward, surging over the hills in a wave of crimson mist, really beautiful to be- hold, and illuminating the great bulk of the range, while the peaks were still darkly rearing their sullen heads above the tide, and the valleys were all filled with gray vapors. At last the glare caught the mist, and in an instant trans- formed it from gray cloud into a gauzy, half- transparent veil, light, airy, delicate exceed- ingly, in color like the inner petals of the rose. Then, as the sun dropped suddenly, the light flashed upon the summit, the peaks leaped into startling life, and the darkness fell." Broivnfton. — Simply a side track. Elevation 4,200 feet above the sea. Distance from Omaha, 423.2 miles. The station was named after a for- mer general freight agent of the Union Pacific. From Sidney, and in this vicinity, the bluffs are rugged, and look like fortifications or the old castles that we read about. They are simply indications of the grand scenery which is to follow. Potter, — 433.1 miles from Omaha. Elevation 4,370 feet. It is a telegraph station. West of Potter you cross th» bed of a dry creek, which leads into the Lodge Pole. Sennett. — Another side track, at which pas- senger trains do not stop. There is a fine stock ranche near by, and the grazing in this vicinity . is excellent. The station is named after Colonel | Bennett, the efficient superintendent of the Pull- man Palace Car Company at Omaha. It is 442.3 I miles from the eastern terminus of the road, with | an elevation of 4 580 feet. Antelope, — 4i'>1.3 miles from Omaha. Eleva- 1 tion, 4,712 feet. A telegraph and coal station, | with side tracks and section-house. In Novem- ber, 1875, the Indians, who have a liking for I good and fast horses, equal to that of Bonner, the New York Ledger man, went to the ranche of Mr. Jones, a Kentuckian, about twenty miles south of this station, and stole some forty head of blooded horses and mares which he had there for breeding purposes. They are supposed — believed — to have gone north, and if Uncle Sam's Indian agents would withhold rations from the tribe until uiey were brought back, or make | a thorough search for them, they could undoubted- ly be found. Many of the animals were thorough- breds, and very valuable. Here is another viola- 1 tion of the SJoux treaty. Mr. Jones will have to I pocket his loss, while Uncle Sam will, of course, I pocket the insult. Antelope is the home of some old hunters, and if the traveler desires to hear their experiences, let him stop a day and inter- [ view Jack Evans, who has a ranche here, and Mr. I Goff, who has been engaged in the business some | fourteen years. LandHcape of th^ Colorado Plains.— \ There is a charm in life on the great plains. Tul one who visits it for the first time, it seems] lonely indeed, and yet it is never wearisome. Now come great rolling uplands of enormou!i| sweep, then ooundless grassy plains, and all I the grandeur of vast monotony and desolation, r Sometimes the grand distances are broken by I rugged buttes and bluffs. As they rise in sight,! the traveler is as ea^er in his curiosity as the I sea voyager just catching his fi.rst view ~i the dis-l tant shore. Over all these plains there is ar sparkling, enthusiasm-giving atmosphere, crisp,! strong, magnetic, and a never-failing breeze;) even in the hottest days, or portions of the day,f the air is bracing, and rarely ever is the sky longj cloudless. That vastness of solitude, boundless plains,! and boundless sky, that stretch of blue, that I waste of brown, never a tree, river, bird, or ani-f mal, home or life of any nature, who can de-j scribe the sensations, which are so overpowering.! As you approach the mountains, the Colorado I plains assume more verdure, as they are better! watered by the little streams from the foot-hills,! or bedewed by the mountain showers. In sum-' FMM p^ciFie Foitmisr. 59 Ler time the landscape is ^reen, and the plains bovered with flowers, while in autumn, witb the trellow of the prairie gnat, the flowen ever stay, liew oneH eomiug aa old ones disappear. The lunflower is the most profuse of all the species of Vegetation that spring up wherever the soil is bpened. For thoiusands of miles, wherever the (•ailroad or a wagon route has made its way sross the country, there spring up parallel rows M the ever-living sunflower. In the eastern por- Lioiis of the plains of Nebraska and Kansas, near flie Missouri River, may be seen square miles of kuflowers, 7 to 9 feet high ; as we travel farther [vest, they gradually dwindle until they are, in polorado, only 3 to 9 inches in height, the oddest little plant in nature, yet perfect in shape and rrowth. years yet to come, to be only the grazing-field of thottimnds of butt'alo or herds of cattle. Water is scarce, irrigation m imix>s8ible, rains uncer- .tain, and in many parts tha soil is full of soda and alkali. The western matoit of settlement practically ends at the one hundredth meridian of longitude — North Platte. (JoyoteH. — Pioneers, Indians and drivers, unite in the most thrilling exclamations of their detestations of this, the meanest of the animal tribe that infest the plains. Just after twilight, if you happen to be encamped on the plains, you will hear not far off the quick bark of a single coyote. This is the first call, the bugle cry. Then como answers, and the pack of wolves assemble rapidly ; and just as darkness closes down, you have but one enjoyment left, to listen to the most COYOTES. Into this vast area of plains, which reaches f lotn east to west 500 miles, and north to south 1,1)00 miles, there can be poured nearly all the Jiwpuiation of Europe and Asia. Swallowing up P^ytlie thousands, the plains, with open mouth, pvait with insatiate appetite for more. Into this ilea can be put the whole of India. It is twice |as large as Hindostan, and as large as the whole of the United States east of Chicago. Ajifiiculture is certain as far west as the three Ihundredth mile from the Missouri River; from Itlieiice westward, to the immediate vicinity of Ithe mountains, no crops can at present be raised. iThis reach of 200 miles or more is, for many dismal of hov/ling matches. As each new comer arrives he is welcomed with a howl. Each howl is short, and by the band there seems to be a chosen few who execute them in proper manner, with all the variations. After tnese few have performed some of their most " striking airs," a silence of a few moments' duration follows, and then the whole band breaks out with the most un- earthly noises, which are second to no other noises of plains and mountains. Kit Carson once said of these howls, " that it was only a little dispute as to which coyote had, as the winner of the match, the right to take the stakes (steaks)." A trav- eler says of them : " It is quite impossible to do 1 1 f I I) I' ll ■ ' 1 if • i : j 1 ■; 1 ' M i; 1 . i " ■■'1 II V i m :4 i m m 60 TMM p^cmc rot^isr. full justice to this wolf music. There is no racket known to the inhabitants of the more civilized sections of our country which will com- Eare with it. All the felines in the neighbor-i ood would not make a noise which would begin to equal wolf music." Strange as it may seem, the rough pioneer esteems this music his sweetest lullaby, for as one of the old " rough and readies" says : " If any redskin should take it under his scalp to look about camp, every cuss of them coyotes would shut up his trap and wake the fel- lows up with the quiet." So long as the coyote cries there is no danger from Indians — the moment he ceases, danger is near — so the pioneer esteems their music his best lullaby, and their bark his safety. Occasionally the pack, toward early morning, will make a raid into the traveler's camp, and grab any edibles or pieces left within reach; even sometimes seizing the very haversack upon which the sleeper's head is pillowed, but seldom ever touching the per- sons of the campers. As morning approaches, they retire to a safe distance from camp, and squatted on their haunches like dogs, wait till the party leaves. The plaitu men have an old saying, " That the coyotes can smell a States feller, and then you will not see a coyote anywhere within sight of camp." The explanation for which is supposed to be as follows, given also by the old plains men : " States fellers shoots at any live thing as jumps in their sight., whether it is any 'count to them or no." Adams. — A side track 457.3 miles from Omaha ; elevation 4,784 feet. The country here is considerably broken, and between the bluffs on either side nuge boulders crop out. Bttshnell, — 463.2 miles from Omaha, and 4,860 feet above the sea. It is simply a side track with water tank. In coming up this val- ley the railroad crosses the Lodge Pole Creek, or its little branches, several times. Near Bushnell is a trestle bridge across the creek. HaitMornm. — This region of country is fre- quently, in summer, visited with hailstorms and cloud-bursts. In the summer of 1875, a train was overtaken by one of these hailstorms, and not a whole pane of glass was left in the side of the cars toward the storm. The glass in skylights on the top of the cars was broken, and many of the hailstones, as large as a man's fist, bounded through the cars on the opposite side. The wooden sides of the cars were dented, and the sheet-iron casing of the engine-boiler ^'ooked as though it had passed through a violent case of the small-pox. When these cloud-bursts occur, the drops of rain seem as large as walnuts, and come so fast that the entire sunace of the ground is covered — the surplus water not having time to run off. In such storms the road is liable to washouts, and great care is necessary in the run- ning of trains to avoid accidents. Bushnel'. Ijthe last station in Nebraska. Jufttl across the line, between it and Wyoming, comes I Pine JUuffs, — 473.2 miles from Omaha ; ele-l vation 5,026 feet. The little station takes \u\ name from the stunted pines along the blutl'sJ Pine timber once was plenty here, but it di«ii]vj peared when the road was built. It is the gniitl trail and crossing point for Indians passing froraj the buffalo grounds on the Uepublican to IlorseJ Creek and North Platte River. Was several! times attacked by Indians during construction of! road, several were killed and large amounts of I stock stolen. It is now the head-quarters of I Judge Tracy's cattle ranche, and several carloiulsl of cattle are shipped each year. Muddv Creek I is just west of station, htvs water most of tne time,! yet Lodge Pole Creek, beyond Egbert, sinks iul the sand. Water can be found in the bed of the I stream by digging 3 to 9 feet. This is a telegraph I station, with side track, cattle-yards and chutes. I 2V«cj/r— 478.8 miles from Omaha; elevation I 5,149 feet. It is a side track named in hoiior| of Judge Tracy of Cheyenne. Bjg^ertf—AMA miles from Omaha; elevation I 6,272 feet. It is a side track with water taiikj Three miles south of this side track runs the! Muddy, which has quite a settlement of ranche-l men. The Lodge Pole at this point is still dry, I and the company dug thirty-two feet for thtl water which supplies their tank. The road herel leaves the main valley of the Lodge Pole, to the I right, and runs up a branch, in which the bed of I a creek is visible, but which never has water in| it except aft«r the cloud-bursts spoken of. JlMm«r— 490.7 miles from the Missouri River, j with an elevation of 5,428 feet. The grade is now quite heavy as we are going up on to tliej divide between the Lodge Pole and Crow Creek, r Bums is simply a side track where trains occa- sionally meet and pass. I HiUitdale, — a telegraph station with side I track and section-house. The place takes its name I from a Mr. Hill, who was killed here by the In- 1 dians at the time the road was located. He I belonged to the engineer corps of the road. Tliel company's well here, which supplies the water I tank, is 72 feet deep. North and south of this stal tion numerous sheep ranches have been opened. I By looking straight west, up the track, you can I here obtain the first glimpse of the Black UiHsl of Wyoming — and they will come into plain view j ai you ascend the heavy grade toward the divide.! Hillsdale is .5,591 feet above the sea, and 400.4 miles from Omaha. Notice the grade indicated by the elevations as you pass these stations. I ^#A;i««,— 502.6 miles from Omaha, and 5,800 1 feet above the sea. It is a side track, simply, j with water tank and section-house near by. Tlie j well which supplies this station with water isj over 200 feet deep. Here the traveler obtain.s a I good viev* of the Black HUls stretehing oft to the! right. Still up the grade you go, reaching the I TMM 9mCiFi€ TOVrntST. 61 Nebraska. Just! rVyoming, coine!i| om Omona ; elef itution taken iUl iloiig the blutkl sre, but it diHU|>-l It is the grt'uti ans passing frornl ublican to Horsi'l ir. Was several I ig construction oil arge amounts of I head-quarters of I i several carloads I Muddy Crtiekj most of tne time,! Egbert, sinks iul in the bed of thel This is a telegraph I ^arda and chutes. ^rnaha; elevation I named in honor I Omaha; elevation I with water taiik.f le track runs thel blement of ranche-j point is still dry,[ •two feet for thej k. The road here I Lodge Pole, to thel 1 which the bed of I lever has water in | \ spoken of. he Missouri River. I set. The grade isl oing up on to thej J and Crow Creek. [ where trains occa- itation with side! lace takes its nanie| id here by the In-! was located. He I of the road. Thel upplies the water I d south of this sta-l have been opened. I the track, you can of the Black Hills me into plain view toward the divide. the sea, and 49(5.4 le grade indicated hese stations. Omaha, and 5,800 1 dde track, simply, iu.se near by. The ion with water is traveler obtains a tretchingoff to the X go, reaching the Riimniit of the divide in the flrst snow shed on liie line of the road just beyond Arv/irr, — which is 508 miles from the starting [dace, with an elevation of 6,000 feet above tide- kvuter. This station is a side track with section- kiouse near by. A short distance farther, you makes it« way through the bluffs off to the left. Soon we come to a deep cut through the spur of a bluff, passing which, we cross a bridge over a .dry ravine, and then continue up the hill to the " Magic City " of the plains, called Cheyenne. Long's Peak, — Travelers will notice, a few \ '^»=^^-L^- ^. •^™«t-:.>!' ~^-. ■^\ "^^^.^ 'r.^ LONO'S PEAK FROM E8TES PABK. ■enter the shed ; it seems like passing through a Itunnel. In the distance there are mountains 'to the right of you," and mountains "to the jlel't of you," but we shall see more of them here- jafter. Leaving the snow shed we are now on a Idown grade into Crow Creek Valley, which hours before reaching Cheyenne, the snow-clad summit of this bold peak, rising above the dis- tant horizon. It is about sixtv miles south-west of the Union Pacific Railroad, and the highest mountain in northern Colorado. The view we here give is taken from Estes Park ; a beautiful 62 Fjrjr ^mctwic TovmiST. little park on itN nortli-western slope, and about twelve miles distant from the Hummit. This park is about four miles wide, and six miles long, IS well riiieltered, easy of access, and beautifully covered with pine and spruce trees, scattered easily about over the grassy surface, which gives to it a true park-like loveliness. It is partially occupied by a few families who have taken up permanent homesteadj, and has been for a long time an excellent pasti.re for large herds of cattle which live here the entire year. It is also becom- ing c[uite a pleasure rt"'rt, and has many at- tractive features to interest the health seeker and tourist. Excellent fishing, ir. lovely little trout) streams, can be found all over the vicinity. From this valley is the only practicable route for ascending the peak. Long's Peak is 14,271 feet in elevation, and about 6,300 feot above the park. Its construction is of the boldest and most de- cided character, with groat walls, deep canons; and on its sides tliere are gorges and caverns among the grandest on the continent. Its sum- mit is divided into two sharp crests, the western one being the highest and most difficult of ascent. It is a famous landmark for a stretch of country of more than a hundred miles from north to south. Sufflaloes. — Buffalo hunting is a pastime tourists can now have little hope to indulge in. Few or no buffaloes ever appear within sight of the car windows of the overland trains, and the vast herds which once roamed for thousands of miles and continually up and down the great plain, are passing away, or disappearing from their old haunts to find some nook or corner more quiet and secure. Thousands of them have been killed during the past two or three winters for commercial purposes. The hides are stripped off and sold for as low prices as 91.50, while the bones are gathered in heaps near the railroad station and freighted eastward to be used for commercial fertilizers In one winter it is esti- mated that on the lines of the Union and Kansas Pacific Railroad there were killed over 100,000 head. A Smart Indian Trade, — The Indians which in olden times used to visit the military rosts, were noticeable for their great anxieties to trade, and for their great shrewdness, which had often the fipice of humor. At one of the posts a Kiowa chief endeavored to consummate a bargain for an officer's wife, by offering oa an equivalent a large number of fat dogs ; the number was so large that the Indians present thinking it was impossible for the officer to v.ithstaud so tempting an offer, made haste to express their willingness to help eat the dogs, if there were more than the white man could man- age for hinxself . But it is among the Indians themselves that the sharpest species of trading is seen. In the great passion of the Indian for " fire-water" — whisky — there conies out, in their trade for \\ all the possible shrewdness and cunning of th races. At one time, as a military officer relates tlul story, there was a Kiowa village, beuutifiilli) located for the winter near a grove of old coltoii. wood trees. The fact that the village was riili in buffalo robes and other skins became know J to a band of the Cheyenne tribe. Stealing woiik not answer, as there were too many Kiowas iiini too few Cheyeiines. But the shrewdness of tlij Cheyennes appeared soon in the shape of a bottlj of whisky ; now they obtained it was a mystcr not explained. With their whisky, the Cheyennes proceeds to the Kiowa village, exhibited their bottles, uimj distributed around a few judicious smells of tiJ refreshing corn juice ; every now and then giving the bottle a shake, so that the aroma should thoroughly appreciated by their friends the KiowmX The smells were freely accepted, and therJ was an uncommon desire manifested to know niorJ (i. e., get better acquainted) of the CheyeniiejT Pipes were produced and duly smoked; a ltd which the visitors announced their willingness toy trade, as they said. " They had not brought much whisky, as the} j did not know that their brothers, the Kiowiil would like to see it. The little that they liaiif with them was good and very strong," (withj water) "when the Kiowas had tastod of it tlnvl would see." The Cheyenne was liberal, would g^ve so much," (holding up the bottle amll marking with the thumb something like half anl inch of the whisky). " But seeing that thel Kiowas were not in haste to trade, the Cheyenmsl would smoke with them." Meanwhile a kindljl disposed bottle-holder was dispensing smells ofl the whisky to a few Kiowas, who were loud inl their announcements of the number of fine robcl which they possessed. This second smoke \va\ quickly finished, and the Cheyenne again n\ hibitea the^re.toal(i| a could detect thel H n slightest variation between the whisky mark and the position of the finger on the bottle. The Kiowas did not get drunk, and the Chey- ennes left the village with all their ponies loaded with robes, having as they freely remarked, made a " heap smart trade." Astonishment of Indians at. tlie iMco- motlve and Telegraphs, — When the first locomotive was seen passing over the plains, an Indian guide in the employ of the ■ nifced States, exclaimed with inexpressi"^ ' ) surprise, "Grood Medicine, good .-xedicine. Look look," at the tu-te (toot). As he p ased under the telegraph wires whicn then were stretching along the Platte, through which the wind as it swept, made the whirr and singing oound of a prairie harp, this guide heard the sound, and directly declared that they were talking "medicines." '.riiis was sup- j>i>3ed to be the creations of the great spirit, and everything of supernatural nature was "medi- cine." The Indians have I'arely ever molested the tele- graph wires whi'^h spanned the continent. Por- hafrayer will givfj an id«a of their feelings and longings, and the extent of tlieir moral 8entirnent«, It is a prayer to the Great Spirit by a Crow Indian : ' ' I am i-ioor ; that is bad." *' Miake me a Chief; give me plenty of horses; give me Tme clothing. I ask for good spotted horsea." \\ 'i " Give me a large tent ; give me a great many horses ; let me steal fine horses ; grant it to me." " Give me guns by cheating ; give me a beauti- 1 ful woman ; bring tne buffalo close by." " No deep snow ; a little snow is good." " Give me Black r eet to kill or to die ; close | by, all together." " Stop the people from dyirg, it is good." " Give instruments for amusements, blankets ] too, and fine meats to eat." " Give the people altogether plenty of fine buf. falo, and plenty to eat." CHBYENNB, "Magic CUy of the Plains.;*— 51^ miles j from Omaha ; elevation, 6,041 feet Thus truly is it named, for it is at present th e most active I and 8ti)Ting city on the entire lir e. Travelei-s | will here take a dinner in com ortable style at one of Ihe best kept hotels between tlie two oceans. It is a g«od place t j rest after a tiresome jouiTsy, and it win pa'^ to stop a few days and enjoy the pure air cud genial sun in this high altitude. The hotel is owned by the railroad company, and is 150 feet long by .'ifi wide, with a wing 25 feet square. It has an elegant dining-hall, around which hang the heads of antel<)pe, deer, elk, mountain-sheep, black-tailed deer, buffalo, etc., all nicely preser\'ed and hwkiiip very natural. It is two stories hifh, the upper floor being well fm-ni-slied with sleeiiing-roonis ivx guests. Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming and the county-«t. *■ of Laramie County. Cheyenne has \)uA. its ujirf and downs. Once very lively when the road was building, then it fell dead and motionlet<ck interests which centtu" here, and second, th<5 recent gold dis- eovRiies in the Black Hills. Uptc-the year IST.'i, it was the teiminus of the Denver Pacific R0, a large i)ublic schcud builditig, a go.ll around it are the ranches of stockmen — men engaged in growing cattle, sheep, horses and mules for market. With the exception of sheep, no hay is cut for these animals except for those kept up for use. Winter and summer they thrive and fatten upon nothing but the native grasses. Chf'yenne 'b the central and natural trading- pf)iut for taese ranchmen and stock growers. Another large and valuable element of its pros- iwrity is *he railroad trade — the company having liere q\iite extensive machine and repair shops, with a commodious roundhouse. Hunting and exploring parties also supply themselves with out- fits at this place, and immense quantities of mili- tary and Indian supplies also pass through here for the ^'Gsts and Indian igcncics nortli. To give a'l idea of the stock business which centers here, and its rapid incretwe, let ns state that ■'575 cars of cattle were shimjed ii< 1874. which represent 7,r>iK) head. In 1875. the shipments in- creased to iJ2.> cars, or 10,500 head, with prosi>ectf« for a large increase in 1876 and future years. It may lie well to state here, the shipments ^rom other jwiuts in this grazing belt of the country : North Platte In 1875 sIiIpikmI n6 care, or 1.9*20 head. OijiiUlla, " ' 207 " 4,140 " .liileeburg, " " 218 " 4,320 " Sltlti«T. " " 03 " l.MO " PiiieBluff«, " " 208 " 4,160 " Tliip statement does not iiichidethe cattle mar- kclt'd a*; home or Hupprxd to the Indian agencies ill the north. Sixty tiiousani] hea*! of cattle. sHvent}' (liM'.isand sheen and four tlHxisand liurses and mules are the estimated nnmber owned and held in Laramie County alone. The development of the cattle and stock interests of this vast u^v land region is something never thought of nor entered the heads of the projectors of the railroad. In 1867, when the railroad first arrived, there was not probably a hundred head of all kinds owned iu the whole territory, outside of those belonging to contractors and stage lines. Now it is u leading interest, and represents millions of dollars. Like all other frontier towns, Cheyenne has a history, and it is similar to that of otliers. It was once a very fast town, and it is not very slow now. On the Ist day of July, 1867, it had one house built and owned by Judge J. II. Whitehead, on Eddy street, between Sixteenth and Seventeenth. That house stands to-day, and is known as the Whitehead block. 1 1 was built of logs and smoothly plastered, outside and in. Moiiifh Times, — When it was known that this was to be the winter terminus of the road, there was a gi-and hegira of rough.'*, gamblers and pros- titutes from JulesL v: >-g and other places down the road to this point, and in the fall of that year and winter of '68, Cheyenne contained 6,000 inhab- itants. Habitations sprang up like mushrooms. They were of every conceivable character, and some were simply holes in the giound, other\\'ise termed " dug-outs." Town-lots were sold at fabu- lous prices. Every nation on the globe, nearly, was represented here. Tlie principal pa-stimes were gambling, drinking villainous rot-gut whisky, and shooting. Shooting scrapes were ax\ every- day occurrence. Stealing anything from any- body was the natural habit of the thieving roughs. Knock dowrs and robberies were daily and nightly amusements. But tliesc things nad to come to an end, and their perpetrators, some of them, to a rope's end. The more respectable portion of the citizens became weaiy of the dep- redations on property end life. Vigilance com- mittees were organized, and "Judge Lynch" held court, from which there were neither appals nor stay of executions. Juries never disagreed, nor were there vexatious delays and motions for a new trial. Witne.sses were uunece.H.sary and de- murrers of no account. Nor would " the insanity dodge " avail. The victims were kno>\n and "sp»Hted" beforehand, the juilgnients cf the courts were unerring and generally righteous. No gallows were erected, because telegrajih jwles and the railroad bridge across Crow Creek were con- venient of access. When Cheyenne was only six months old, so frequer.t were the murdei-s and robberies, and the city authorities so powerless, that a vigilance committee was organized. The first knowledge of its existence hapjwned thus : Three men were arrested on the 10th day of Janimry, 1868, charged with having stolen ^900. They wero put under iKuids to apjiear before the court on the 14th of the same month. On tiie morning of the day after they were arrested, they were found on Eddy street, tied together. 66 rmm ^mciwic rmmiSff. nim\ m mi y !■; m walking abreast with a large piece of canvas attached lo them, on which the following words were con^Micuous : "$900sany, and lieneral Casement of Ohio, the cham- pion track layer of the continent. The first city government wajj organized, by the election of officers, on the 10th of August, 1867. The first newspaper was issued on the 10th of September, called the Cheyenne Leader, and has maintained its existence ever since — publishing daily aod weekly tHlitions. Other pa|)ers have since l>een started, but they were short-lived, until the publication of the Cheyenne Daily News, which is a spicy little daily. As the town is now able to suppoii; two pa|)ers, the News (just merged into the IMily Sun.) will continue to flourish. Cheyenne is well laid out, with broad streets at right angles to the railroad, and has an abund- ant supply of pure water. Irrigating ditches rim through the streets. A ditch was dug from Crow Creek to some natural " hollows " or reser- voirs north of the town, whicli form beautiful little lakes. Frrnn these the water for the streets is taken by ditches. As a nssult, trees and shrubbery will soon ornament the streets and yards of the city, which will greatly add to its attractiveness and beauty. There are a ft*w local manufactories already in existence anil more will follow, and on a larger scale. With the wool which is soon to be annually shipped from this place, we should think a woolen factory would be a great desid- eratum. PteclotiH Sfonen. — In the adjacent mount- ains, on the hills and bluffs near by, and in the valleys of the streams in this vicinity, a large num- l)er of curious and precious stones, gems rich and rare, have been found. They an/ vejy plenty in their natural .state, their chief value being in the cost of cuttmg by a lapidary and mounting by a jeweler. In the inunediate neighltorhood of Chey- enne the following are found: Moss-a^tes, m great pi-of usion ; t^paz, in colors ; garnet or mount- ain ruby; they ac9. usually found in the little heaps oi sand thrown up by ant>s ; opals variegated, rare o^ yet, and valuable ; petrifatitions of wood and shells, which when cut, polished and niouiiteil, are splendid ; amethysts, onyx, black and white, for cameos and jasper. All of tliese have been found in this vicinity, though some are rare. Tim most beautiful moss-agates are found about half- way to Fort Laramie, on Chugwater Creek. Messrs. Joslyn & Park, an old and reliable firm of manufacturmg jewelers, in both Cheyenne and Salt Lake City, have made this business a special- ty, and |x)ssess the largest and finest collection of stones in the country. Some of them are exceed- ingly beautiful. Fine 8])ecimens of petrified palm-wood may be seen at their store. They are lx)th beautiful and rare. The fact that petrified palm-wood and petrified bones of the rhinoceros have been found in this territory, shows that some six million years ago — comparatively recent — there was a tropical climate in this region of country, when the palm flourished in luxuriance, and the rhinoceros sfKirted in the warm streams or cavorted around on their sunnv banks. Trav- elers who are willing to omit t^ieir dinner can improve the half hour allowed by the railroad, by a hurried run over to this store, which is but a block awaj . ProspectH, — At present, the greatest cau.se of the growth and prosjierity of Che^'enne is the dis- covery of gold in the Black Hill'-- i Dakota. This cause will last until, if that c untry will warrant it, a railroad is built there. The discoveries of gold .seem to be extensive and inexhaustive, and the building of a railroail from .some itoint here or on the Union Pacific or Missouri Iviver, will rapidly follow. Such a roatl might for a time at least injure the trade of the town. I)ut at present its prospects are flattering, and its busi- ness men are reaping a rich harvest from theii investments. The opening of northern Wyoming to settlement, the development of the vast mineral resiiurces of tlie tt>rritory, and the continued pros- perity of her stock interests, will give to the- " Magic City of the Plains " the traout 4,000, and there was invested in new buildings, in the single year of 1875, no less than $430,000. The Black HUfs {fold mucoverlett. For several years the inipn>ssi()n has obtained that there was gold in the Black Hills of Dakota, and every exploration under tlie auspices of the government has tended trations nor destroy their proj>- erty. Nor will tl) t Laramie there are opportunities for replenish! ig your supplies, if there is a defi- ciency, and the route from here is w oil watered, but with no wood for about 50 miles. By it you leave the Indian agencies to the right, and, as a general thing, see nothing of them. Ranches are oeing established along the road, and a stage line will soon be put on. It is intended to make the trip from Cheyenne to Custer City in forty-eight hours. Thus far, Custer City and Ilill City seem to be the principal to .is started in the Hills. At the present time, parties should not think of starting with less than three months' supplies ; but if the country remains open and further rich discoveries are made, a plenty of everything can soon be obtained on the ground. The Hills are reported to contain a large amount of timber and water, with open prairies and rich grasses, — naturally adapted to grazing. SitcceHHf'tU Gold Dlftcoverles. — Latest re- ports from the gold scenes are of an enthusiastic nature, — enough to fairly warrant the unprece- dented rush of miners and prospectoi's. A state- ment is made, appai ently of unquestioned accu- racy, of an explorer on Spring Creek, who, with three othera, and one day's sluicing, took out $!i8 coarse gold, the pieces varying from three cents to three dgllars m value. One man ])rospecting on Iron Creek, sixty miles farther off, took out #23 67 from one pan of dirt. Mr. Allen, the re- corder of mining claims, took from his claim four pounds of coarse gold in one month, and all re- ports agree in an average of seven to twenty-five cents per pan, which will turn out per day ^7 to $50 to eacli man. The stream of emigration thither can hardly be adequately descrioed. A traveler arriving in Cheyenne, from Custer City, states that ho counted no less than 185 wagons en route to the Black Hills. Scores of ^old-seekers depart daily. As a proof of the existence of gold, it is biit necessary to quote from the authority of Profes- sor Jenny's report of a visit in July, 1875, whereof writing to the Department of the Intfci-ior at Washington, he announces the discovery of gold in paying quantities near Harney's Peak ; de^tosits very rich, with plenty of water in the streants : "The gold is found in quartz ledges of enormous dimensions. Whether tlie mines be valuable or not, there is a vastness of future wealth in the grass lands, farms and timber. The soil is deep and fertile ; the rain-fall more abundant than any other point west of the Alleghanies." In the summer of 1875, an expedition headed by Gen- eral Custer, visited this region, wherein he de- scribes finding an abundance of wild fruits, st"" wherries, raspberries, gooseberries in won- deilul profusion ; and frequently the wild berry wao A larger size and more delicious flavor than the domestic species in the Eastern states. A miner writing from personal view thus speaks of the richness of the section thus far dis- covered : " I found several miners v.orking their claims, as yet in a crude and primitive manner. Some of tnem working with a Chinese rocker cleaned up from five to seven pennyweights of gold in my presence, the result ot but three hours' work. Twenty-five miles north-west of Spring Creek, I found the largest vein of gold quartz I have ever seen, being from i300 to 600 feet in width, and traceable for over 40 miles in length. I also found a vein of white crystallized quartz alwut four feet in width, in which gold was plainly visible. I obtained some specimens, fab- ulously rich ; one piece was sent to the Omaha smelting works wnich averaged $42,000 to the ton. At Rapid Creek the praspects are still bet- ter than in Spring Gulch. Castle Creek is the richest so far found in the Black Hills. One claim has been worked to the bed-rock, in the channel, which paid $6.00 of gold to one cubic foot of gravel." The mining district is about 50 miles from cast to west, and 75 from north to south, The best mines have proved by the latest discoveries to be on the west side of the Hills, and a.side from the value of the precious metal, the superb salubrity of the cinnate, and the natural richness of the soil, make it extra- ordinarily attractive. An explorer describes the countiy as " the richest ever seen or heard of between the Missouri River and Central Oregon. Excellent timber in the greatest abundance ; as fine pasturage as I ever saw ; rich black loam soil ; splendid water ; showers every few days ; no disa- greeable winds ; a delicious, l^racing atmosphere to either work or rest in ; a splendid diversity of hill and valley ; prairie and timber forest ; aland- scape of which the eye never tires." I}('velopment of the lUavk HUIh, — An explorer who has spent a month in roaming around the principal camps, valleys, and mining diggings of the Black Hills, the past spring, brings back definite information of the progress of settlement. Custer Park is now covered with a little town, "Custer City." The town site is 640 acres, which, ]iractically, embraces the whole of the park. The entire site has been laid off into lots 60 by 150 feet in size, and command prices rang- ing from $25 to $500 each. The principal street has been named after General Crook, and is 200 feet wide ; other streets are 150 feet wide ; lOO buildings were erected in one month, and every lot has tt'.e foundation for a stnicture of some FMJB ff^CiWia FOimiST. 71 Bort, or is covered with tents. The richest dis- coveries were at French Springs, Castle Rabbit, Iron, Whitewood, and Deadwood Creek. Dur- ing one week, 800 miners passed through Hill City en route for the two last mines. In most of the ci-eeks the bed-rock lies 15 to 20 and 40 feet below the surface. On the Ist of March there were estimsited to be 4,000 people in the Black Hills, and rapidly accumulating at the rate of 1,000 per week, which would be still greatly aug- mented when the summer weather opens. A Terrible Thunder- Stm^n.— The Black Hills of Dakota are the fear of Indians, because of the frequent thunder-storms. Col. R. I. Dodge, United States Commander of Black Hills Expedition, 1874, states that in this region "thunder-storms are quite frequent, terrific in force and power, and fearful m the vividness, the nearness of the lightning. Scarcely a day in summer that there is not a thunder-storm in some part of the hills. "One afternoon, from the top of one of the high mountains, near Harney's I'eak, I saw five .separate and distinct storms, occurring at the H same instant in different parts of the hifls. One Sof these struck our party with fatal results. 2 "A heavy rain-stoi-m coming on, two soldiers •■and the boy took refuge under a tall pine. All B three were seated on a rock about six feet from *" the trunk of the tree, and each held in his hand othe reins of his horse's bridle. At the flash, ^ the three persons and horses were thrown to the u gix)und, one of the soldiers being pitched quite a "^ distance, alighting on his head. The surgeon I was promptly on hand. Each person had been g struck on the cheek bone, just under the eye. M The fluid passed down the person of each, going §out at the ball of the foot, boring a hole in the shoe sole as clean and round as if made by a bullet, and raising a large blood blister on the bottom of the foot. Neither had any other mark whatever. Skipping from the men to the horses, the flash prostrated all, striking eao)i just over the eye. Two soon recovered their feet, and the third was killed. " During this storm, which lasted scarce half an hour, more than twenty trees were struck by lightning within a radius of a few hundred yards. " At another time, I witnessed another curious and unaccountable phenomenon. I was on a high mountain of the Harney (ifroup. Within four miles of me, in different directions, were three thunder-storms, their clouds being probably 600 or 1,000 feet below me. Though I could see the vivid and incessant flashes of lightning, not a sound of the thuniler could he heard. Through- out the Hills the number of the trees which bear the mark of the thunder-bolt is very remark- able, and the strongest proof of the violence and frequent recurrence of these storms. The elec- tric current acts in the most eccentric way. In some cases it will have struck the very top of a 72 TMM f^CIJriC TOimiST. lofty pine, and ptiAsed down, cutting a st.aight and narrow groove in the bark, without any ap- parent ill effect on the tree, which remains green and flourishing ; at other times the tree will be riven into a thousand pieces, as if with the blows of a giant axe, and the fragments scattered a hundred feet around." RahibowH. — "The rainbow of the Black Hills is a marvel of perfection and beauty. Two or three times wider than the rainbow of the States, it forms a complete and perfect arch, lx)th ends being, sometimes, visible to the beholder, and one so near and distinct that there would be little difficulty in locating the traditional ' pot of gold.' Very frequently the rainbow is doubled, and several times I saw throe distinct arches, the third and higher being, however, a comparatively faint reflex of the brilliant colors of the lower." 807 feet at base, 2D7 feet at top. It rises 1,127 feet above its base, and 5,1(H) feet above tide- water. Its summit is inaccessible to anything' without wings. The sides are tinted and scored bv the action of tiie elements, nnd inmiense blocks of granite, split oif from the colunni by frost, are piled in huge, irregular mounds about its base. The Indians call this shaft " The Dad God'a Tower:' Game. — The Mills are full of deer, elk, beai-H, wolves, cougars, grouse, and ducks. The streams have an abundance of fish, although of but few sorts. After careful investigation General Dodge closes with this expression of careful judgment : Opinion of (ieueral Itottge, — " 1 but ex- press my fair and candid opinion when I pro- nounce the Black Hills, in many respects, the DETIL'S TOWER— BLACK RILU. MoiiHtninit. — Hamey'B Peak is 7,440 feet above tide-water, the other peaks are Crook'ii Moiiuiuent, Itodge'8 Peak, 'I'arry'a Peak, Warren's Peak, Oiuter'a Peak, Crow Peak, Rare Peak, Devil's Tower, 7,600 feet elevation. 7,300 feet elevation. 7,200 feet elevation. 6,000 feet elevation. 6.7JS0 feet elevation. 6,200 feet rlevatlon. 5,200 feet elevation. 0,100 feet elevation. The DeviCs Tower is one of the most remark- able peaks of the world. General Dodge de- scribes it thus : " An immense obelisk of granite, finest country I have ever seen. The beauty and variety of the scenery, the excellence of the soil, the magnificence of the climate, the abundaiu^f of timber and building stone make it a most de- sirable residence for men who want good homes. " As a grazing country it can not be surpiissed, and small stock farms of fine cattle and sheep can not fail of success. " Gold there is evei-y-where in the granite — gold enough to make many fortunes, and tempt to the loss of many more. It rises 1,127 et above tidu- e to anything' .ed and scored mid ininieiis<- the column liy niouiids al)oiit haft " The Dad deer, elk, bears, The streaniH iigh of but few Gieneral Dodge eful judgment: fe, — " I but ex- m when I pro- ly respects, the The beauty and Hence of the soil, e, the abundance lake it a most ilc- (vant g(K)d homes, not be surivwsed, cattle and sheep tlie granite — gold 38, and tempt to " Here is a country destined, in a few years, to ■be an important and wealthy portion of tbo great American Republic." There is little doubt that in a few yearH this ht'ction, from the Bhiok Hills of Dakota to and iicMxm tlie Big Horn regiuii, and all northern IWyoining, will be a rich field of indu.stry, as Tliave been Colorado and Utah. The illustrations jwe give are from photographs taken bv (Mineral I'lister in his famous Black Hills Exploring T-ki^edition of 1875, and represent this country I be of great scenic beauty. COLOIiADO. PtenHtire Renoi-tH, — Colorado is an empire [)f itself in enterprise, scenic beauty and abund- iiiice of pleasure resorts. In 1870, few or none of these were known, and towns were small in |iuinber and population. Since that time, it hiis ucoine a center of great railroad activity, has rrowii ill wonderful favor as an attractivj region \ov summer travel ; and as a country for healtli- riviiig and life-giving strength, it has drawn tliitlier thousands who have made it their perma- ticiit home. The Denver Pacific Railroad runs direct from ^'heyonne, southward, to Denver, and trains con- ricct with the midnday trains of the Union Pacific nailroad from each direction, east and west, leav- ing usually about three p. si., arriving at Denver |ilN>ut eight p. M. The distance, 106 miles, is niiiiiily over a vast level plain, covered only with the short gray buffalo grass, but parallel with the [iiaiii range of the Rocky Mountains, and not more than 15 to 20 miles from their eastern base. The scenery from the western side of the car, ks the train, in summer afternoons, gradually nioves southward, with the brilliant rays of the jifternoou sun illuminating the long range of ^now-capped peaks, and the window is opened to Mlmit the pure mountain invigorating air, is kliarming in the highest degree. Travelers will Bo well to arrange their Western trip, if for pleasure, so that a good two weeks or a month piay be spent in this lovely section. It is a rejrion of capital living, excellent hotels, every BiDilern convenience to make life abound with ihmI home comforts, and excellent society for lliose who choose to make it their temporary noiiiR. The citizens are mostly from the East, liigaged in farming, stock raising, and active jiusiiiess, with but a small proportion devoted in niiiiiiig, and are more orderly and peace- [ul than in most of the mining localities of the noiiiitains. Colorado shares the enviable ,rep- iitatioii of possessing the best class of citizens, jhe most active business developments, the love- liest scenei-y, and most rapid increase of popu- iJition of all the Western Territories. Life every- klun-e is safe ; travel is easy ; the mountains are [nil of neat little homes, all filled with the quieter class of settlers from the far East, and tint re]mtatiuii of the coiiiiiiiiiiity for law and order, and peace, is eminently proverbial. This Territory was first ojwiied practically to the rest of the country by the completion of the Denver Pacific Railroad, an enterprise started originally by the capitalists of Denver to a fiord quicker connecticm with the I'liion Pacific than by stage The enterprise was begun in the fall of 1807, when, by subscription and county bonds, nearly )|1,(K)0,000 were raised, and completed tFuiie 24, 1870. It was operated for a series of years iiidepeiulGnll)- of either the Union or Kansas Pacific Railroad, but at last, in 1872, was sold to the latter, by whom it is now con- trolled. The road has never paid any dividends on stock, and barely pays expenses and in terest on the bonds. The aistances and princi- pal stations on the railroad are as follows : Cheytiniie to Siimiutt, 10 miles. Ulieyeniiu to Cmss, 21 miles. Clieyeiine to Pierce, 41 mllea. Cheyenne to Oreeley, 06 miles. Cheyenne to Evans, 69 miles. Cheyenne to Johnson, 75 miles. Clieyenne to Hughes, 89 miles. Cheyenne to Denver, ' 1U6 miles. Soon after leaving Cheyenne, the railroad de- scends some very heavy grades, at one place nearly UK) feet to the mile, and passes over the ridges which form the northern bluff limits of the South Platte Valley. From these rough bluffs and plains can easily be seen the snow-clad suiiiniif of ling's Peak, the great landmark of nort I II Colorado. The railroad soon reaches a more open country, the wash from the mountains with smooth, clear surface, and at last descends into the valley of the South Platte, up which it passes to Denver. On its courae it passes through two flourishing colonies, one of which is Greeley f — Named in honor of Horace Greeley. It was settled in May, 1870, by a small colony from the East, who obtained by homesteading and purchase about 100,(M)0 acres of fine alluvial soil in the Valley of the Cache La Poudre River. This is the largest stream that flows eastwai'd from the mountains of north Colorado, its water being pure and flow constant. Irrigating ditches were constructed, and the entire colony has had an abundance of water for all agricultural pur- poses. The town for several years has increased with steady rapidity, and the }K)pulation is slight- ly over 2,000. It has had many drawbacks inci- dent to new settlements — grasshoppers, frost, want of knowledge of climate, and methods of raising crops. Still these are mostly overcome, and the community feel greatly encouraged. The crops of the last year are said to have reached a value of over 1(200,000. At this place are lo- cated some of the finest grist-mills of the entire West. The place has achieved considerable repu- tation as a temperance town. No intoxicating liquors being ficrmitted on sale. This restriction is of but little consequence to those who will have 74 rmm ^stanc romtisr. |! 1 WILiilAMS' CANON, COLORADO SPRINOS. BT THOMAS MOBAIT. Vs t tiomc ponf( liiim fill w TMM p^ciFic roimisr. 75 iV, as it can eaailv be obtained at the next station, [six miles away, out it haa kept a class of loafers land idlers off, who otherwise v )uld have been a |curso to any community. EratM — is a small settlement of about 1,000, I which is the number of two colonies, one from I St. liuuis and one from Hoston, Mass. There are |al)out 00,000 acres of land occupied in the vicinity. J}enver — is the capital of the Territory (which Iwill soon become a State). This has fclecome a llarge railroad point. From it diverge the Kan- Isas Pacific, 630 miles eastward to Kansas City, (the lienver and Uio Grande Railroad, Narrow |(i!iu):;e, southward, 156 miles to Canon City, Pu- leblo and Trinidad, the Boulder Valley Railroad to ■Boulder, and the Colorado Central Railroad to I Idaho Springs and Central City in the mountains. I Its population exceeds 16,000, and its location lis most advantageous for easy trade and corn* Imunieation with all the principal points of the JTtirritory. Located on an <>nen plain, about thirteen miles from the Rocky Mountains ; there lis a grand view of the entira range from Long's ll'eak on the north to Pike's Peak on the south. ■While eastward, northward and southward Htret<;hes the vast upland plains which is so im- lliressive with its boundless extent. The city is full :)f thrift, of life ; and trade is always »plendid. iTIio building which grace the principal streets |ar» made principally of brick, and in general ap- ptearance, are superior to those of any city west of the Missouri River. Daily, weekly and monthly lewspapers thrive. Hera is a branch of the lUiiited States Mint, gas-works, water-works, horse-railroads, and a multitude of hotels. The best of which are the Grand Central, Inter-Ocean, LViiicrican, Sargent, Broadwell and Villa Park. Fi-om this point the traveler can radiate in all lirections in search of pleasure resorts. Note* to Toui'igtH. — The uniform railroad ^are in the Territory averages ten cents per mile. ptage routes run all through the mountains, fare iroin ten to twenty cents per mile. The uniform pie of board is four dollars per day, and almost Every-where can be found excellent living; the licest of beef steak, bread and biscuit. In many l)t the mountain resorts plenty of good fishing can ^e found, and delicate trout are common viands of the hotel tables. The best season of the year ifor a visit to Colorado is in July and August. Vs then the snow has nearly disappeared from the mountains, and all the beautiful parks and valleys are easily approachable. Those who wish ^ include both Colorado and California in a bleasure trip will do well to visit California first, (luring Apnl May and June, and then on return |ij)end July and August leisurely in the oo«y little pome resorts of Colorado. Although it must be Confessed that the scenery of the Colorado mount- Mns is far the most impressive and most beauti- ful when first seen, before reaching the greater niagnificence of the Yosemit« and Sierras. Living in Colurado is more nearly like New Eng- land customs than in California, and to those who seek Western travel, for health, the climate of Colorado is much more favorable than that of California. The Denver and Rio Orande Rail- road — will carry the traveler southward from Denver, along the base of the Rocky Mountains, to some of the most noted pleasure resorts of the territory. This little narrow gauge is a wonder of itself, representing nearly f 1,000,000 of capi- tal, and operating over 200 miles of road, it has developed a traffic exceeding 9500,000 per year, where six years ago the stage route did not real- ize 91,000 per month, and the prospects for the future for its trade with the miners of the San Juan Country, Trinidad, Sante Fe, are most en- couraging, as the new gold discoveries become iM'tter developed. Seventy-six miles south of Denver, on this line, are clustered three little places of resort, practically one in interest, Colo- rado Springs, Ccdorado City, and Manitou Spring*. — The foimer is the rail- road station, a lively town, which in five years has risen from the prairie to a population of 3,000. Six mi'*'H distant from the Springs at Manitou, are collected several elegant hotels, and in the vicinity are numerous soda springs — iron springs and medicinal baths — of great virtue. The location of this resoi-t, with its wonderful col- lection of objects of natural interest and scenery, have earned for it the title of " Saratoga of the Far West." Travelers find here beautiful scenery in the Ute Pass — Garden of the Gods — Glen Eyrie, numerous beautiful canons, Queen Canon — Cheyenne Canon, grand and impressive, and towering over all is the lofty summit of Pike's Peak, l4,:j00 feet high, up which ascends a trail to the government signal station, the highest in the United States. Travelers, who frequently ascend this peak are rewarded, when on a clear day, with & glimpse of grand and glorious views of the pealu and mountains, southward and westward. In this vicinity is located a pretty little canon about 15 miles in length, with walls of rock ris- ing to uniform height of 600 and 800 feet above a very narrow foot pass below. This canon was discovered and named, in 1870, by a party of editors, Williamf Canon, in honpr of H. T. Wil- liams, their commander. This was the first visit of an Eastern pariy, of any notoriety, at the Springs. No railroad was then built, and not a houae was to be seen, nor even a rancheman's cabin. The scenery of this canon, (see illustration), is at various points wild in the extreme, and the colossal walls of rocks are of such shape and for- mation that they give to the observer an excellent general idea of the characteristic canon scenery of the mountains. The canon has never been fully explored, and at present is the scene of fifty or more claims of gold discoveries. irr' •■.<-r ^,\ .:' ^'^>.^r^^ ridgt with ■■>.irvA'» •' -Vi* . " . ■ Thru . >■ - . 1 1 iiru the 8 <-, "-^ ^'V A at^* ^•^.- y.rT- Aroi •r;'^-^-^^ - orini ical .« , -f'-'i '' lovel '^'%i, . den. . v/r-'V' rock(' '■ 'n-:,- mom ' .::n^' Glen ^'.-c'- nithu " >'0- The '" ^'-Xv>.v conti 1 14 fr \' "..i^- ■ -x '^^ ' und 1 Tlie valle ^'4\-^'d'' past 'r,-X',yv'!' Runn ' ,A ' ,rC.\i , 11 -' : ■,'\^-< Krai) ■'"j^y "" I'ali* , "' ^ -> cessf out < feet :'':-^; ^ ' ■ bvi In a ' "6 ■ ^ • • "w "* ran^ ' T, ■ ■ ■. ','"■- •■>^ tVVi -' ■'( 't* - . . > 'v - , u'^.' y .rT■ •','^«"^y ^ -; >- ■ '^ ( . '^■'h< '^. %i, . . ;-;';;-:j'' Vr V^-N- """'-r '' ' -,,Y^ -' '\'.'''- ' ,-'■-'-■ " ■,.■1'- ' < " 1 /- V ''//' V - -^A . " > ^ ''v? / , '( r >- . 7 •i'-yX* , !,v''^ <' "'. ',v '>>>:■ " '^--v • : v^'v ■ r'f 'v'/,-. -.lA ".,; .Uv^i''' ^n ( ,-^ . 1 .-•'^ ..•■\^--r '■ ViJ^.r /:V.VK PleoflurH travelers are uniformly glad that |th)>y linve made a visit to these j)om£, as tliey lex(!rtion to the height of 350 feet, with > natural gateway between of 200 feet in width, vith a small rock in the center. Standing a little |eastward, the observer gets the view illustrated in 3ur engraving. At the right is another parallel ridgo uf rocks, pure white, which contrasts finely ritli the dark red of the rocks of the gate. iThrough the gate, in the long distance is seen Ithe summit of Pike's Peak, eignteen miles away. |Arouitd these rocks is a little grassy park of fifty ar more acres, in which according to the mytholog- ical stories of the people, the " gods " found sucn jlovely times in play that they christened it a gar- leii. These two parallel riclgea of white and red cks extend for many miles at the foot of the noimtains, and form other curious formations at ilen Eyrie, Monument Park and Pleasant Park, lalthougn much less in size and impressiveness. yriie locality is the most famous in all Trans- continental travel. TAe Dotne of the ConHnent — €fray*s jP^'rtAi*.— Westward from Denver, 65 miles, and |14 from Georgetown, Colorado, rises the grandest land most beautiful of the mountains of (^lorado. |The way thither is one of easy approach, through valley and mountain roads of gradual ascent, past Idaho Springs, one of the most charming of pmniner resorts, and past all the mines of Grolden, iKmpire, Georgetown, and the silver mines of the Ji'alisiides. Near to the summit are two very suc- Icessful mines. Baker and Stevens, which are dug lout of the perpendicular face of a rock fully 200 jfeet in height. Rising alwve all the ranges of the jColorado Mountains of north Colorado, Gray's IPcaks are the grand Ixmkout Points, from which Ito view to advantage all the vast mountain range. Jin a clear day the observer can embrace in his |range of vision a distance of 100 miles, in each direction, northward, southward and westwar.', and even eastward to over the plains i>ast of Denver. From this iK)int are plainly discernlbit' Pike's Peak, 80 miles away. Mount Linodii, .')«» miles ; Mount of the Holy Cross, (JO miles ; Long's Peak, 50 miles ; the City of Denver, 05 miles, and even the summit of the Spanish Peaks, 150 miles southward, and the higher ranges of the Uintah Mountains, 150 miles. westward. The total raiigo of the vision being not less than 200 to 250 miles. Beneath them at the foot, lit; the beautiful rivers and lakes of Middle Park ; southward the \'ust extended plains of South I'ark, and everywheit* near at hand multitudes of little grassy parks, like valleys dotted with the groves of spruce and pine, as if planted for a grand pleasure ground. The height of the Peak is 14,>)51 feet, and is the easiest of access of all the mountains of Colo- rado. Travelers and pleasure tourists who desire one grand sight, never to be regietted, must not fail to include this in their Western visit for the sublimity and grand exaltation as from so lofty a height one views a sea of huge mountains, is a thing always to live in one's memory. There is a fine road to within three miles of the summit, through charming verdure-clad canons and val- leys and the rest of the way can be made over a fine trail by horseback, even to the summit. Westward from Denver are Idaho Springs, Georgetown, Gray's Peak, Middle Park, Cl»iar Creek, and Boulder Canons, with the mining at- tractions of Central City, Georgetown, Empire, Caribou, and Black Hawk, where the observer can witness sights of extraordinary beauty. We can not possibly describe the attractions of these resorts. They are at once terrible, overpower- ing, lonely, and full of indescribable majesty. Amid them all the tourist travels daily, imbib- ing the life-giving, beautiful, fresh air full of its oxygen to quicken and stimulate the system ; the eye drinks in the wealth of scenery, and loves to note the beauties of the wonderful glow- ing sunlight, and the occasional cloud-storms, and virild display of power and glory. We know of no country better worth the title of the " Switzerland of America " than Colorado, with its beautiful mountain parks, valleys, and springs. Go and see them all. The tour will be worthy of remembrance for a life-time. The editor of this Guide expects soon to issue TTie CoUtrado Tourist, devot«d more especially to the attractions of Colorado, as the limits of this Guide can not begin to possibly describe a hun- dredth part of the objects of interest within that little region — a worid of pleasure travel by itself. Of Life in Colorado, — a prominent writer has said : " At Denver I found, as I thought, the grade of civilization actually higher than in most Western cities. In ele'-">.ce of building, in fin- ish, in furniture, in dress and equipages, that city is not behind any this side of the Atlantic border. The total absence of squalidity and vis- 78 1; 91 I ?«■ i H MOUNTAIN OV THK HOLY CROSS, COIOKAIK). FMM ^mctwic rovttisr. 79 libit! jiovertv, and I may aim) »ay of coarseness ]ii!i(l n.wdyisin, impressed me on ray visit vei-y htiougly, OS did the earnestness, activity and iii- tciisily of life which is everywhere so apparent." I'. T. Uarnum once said of Colorado, in a lec- tiiit': "Why, Coloradouns are the most disap ||K)irli'd i)eopIe I ever saw. Two-thirds of tliem iiiiiif here to die, and they canH do it. This |\v(iiiilt'rful air brinj^ thetn back from the verge iif the tomb, and they arc naturally exceedingly j[lis;iii|K)inted." Tilt' average temperature is about OO*^ the j' ur ^■ttmiil — the air is bracing, winter mild, and days liiKist always full of clear skies and bright warn< Ititiisliiiie. The purity and dryness of the atmos- [ilii w are proverbial. MouHtalti of th^ Hnlff Crow*.— The name ii tlilK remarkable mountain is renowneit to the Bii Ls ot the earth, and ia the only one with this liiiiiif ii, th(! world. It is the principal mountain \\w Sawatch Kange, just west ol th*; Middle I'ivrk of Colorado, and exceedingly difficult of ..^Access. The Hayden party were several days in "^iii'icly finding an accessible way of travel to h'iiclt its base. Tlit "haracteristic features which ^ive it its name is tlio vertical face, nearly - •itioii, fuel or provisions, except one pocket luiicli. Military Pogta, 1 At ('ln>yenne is Camp Carlin, which is prin- [■ipally a ili'jH)t for quarterinastt>rs' supplies. I'imi! miles north on Crow l!reek is Fort D. \A- Kiissi*!!, nuMud in honor of the gallant com- liiaiidcr of the first division of the sixth army K'liw, who fell at the battle of Winchester while leading his men to victory. It is a fifteeiH^om- fiany {lOst ; its grounds are well laid out, with fair uiildings for ofiicers and men. Tlie creek runs on two sides of tht) t'lidosuro ami " a spur " from the railrotul lejids to it. This fort was established by (ieneral Augur, alxmt the first of August, 18(J7. Th«f reservation on which it is located contains 4,r)l'J acres. It is a distribu- ting i<<;iut for Intth trH and supplies. In the winter (juite a large n'.imlM>rof troops, principally cavalry, an; kept lie-.e; but in summer they are at out-stations on tlie frontier. Foft A«r««t/*'.— This fort is on the North Platte River, ninety-two miles from Cheyenne. It was established in Aiipist, 180!), by Major W. F. Sanderson. It was formerly a triuiing-iHtst and a great resort for the northern Indians. The trap]>ers ani hunters among them and among the whites used to visit this place t«> trade their furs for sujiplies. The fort (h'rives its name from Laramie River, which unites with the North Platte near this )M)int. The gov(!rnmi>nt has a reservation here of fifty-four s()uarps in that vicinity, and is an iin))ortant link in the chain of forts that should be re-establish( n afU'r biiriieil by the lii.liaiis. I .*■■ .lU ,i'^ :.:^rmm h'\ M. 81 Fort Reno. — Established by General P. Edward Coiuior, on I'owder River, alxiiit ninety iiiiit's north-west of Foit Fftttninan, during the war, and Fort Phil Kearney; established by C!ol- oiii'l Carri'igtoii, at the forks of th-.^ Hig and Little I'iney Creeks, in 18(j(J, have both been al>aiidild Montaiut road, ni'iu- the bikse of the itig Horn JMuuutains in Montana, some ninety miles from Fort Phil Kuaruey; establish(Ml in 18(!(( and abandoned at the same time the other jXMts were given up. The region of country in which these lorts were establisned is veiy line for grazing, buft'aiues living there the entiru year, with an abundance of other game. It is a famous hunting region for the Indians : but siruie the gnvernniiMit has inaugurated the jH)liey of feeding them, they have become too lazy to hunt. Notliing but a horse- stealing raid oau ruuse the auibitiuu of an ordi- nary Indian. Powtlfir Rlrer CouiUrff, — The Powder River, so named from the dark powder-colored sand in its bed, . ises in the Big Horn Mountains, north and north-west of Old Fort Ca«i>er, and runs in a general north-easterly direction till it I empties iitto the Yellowstone Uiver. it drains an iiinn^iuse area of country, flows through a large region of fine grazing lands, and has in tiie mount- ains and hills on either side, untold treasures of rich inotals and precious gems. It has hitherto j been forbidden gmund to white men, but those who have passed thmugh it give glowing descrij)- tions of its luxuriant fertility, its grand scenery and its mineral wealth. The demand for gold must soon cause it to bo oi^ened, and if it should not prove as rich in minerals as has been predictt^i, it will uBverih'.'less be oiu) of the finest grazing- rtigions in thii country, pnxiueing vast herds uf cattle, sheep am^ .<.ri»ns, which will atld to the matnrial wealth of the country. There are also hi'iivv bodies of timber on the hills and mount- ains which border this river, and which will soon be needed to build th<' homes of the jH-opIc who are to inhaliit this mituntain region of the ( 'out i- iieut. Its wundurs are just beginning t^> be toM. They have yet to become known. When fully realized, the overcrowil>'il population of the East will b,i drawn to it is (bf magnet draws the iron; the wildi'mi'ss will imd and blossom as the i-ose, iiud a State will rise fmni the gniuml now Iniiiui'd oviu- by wild Itx'.ists and tenanted by sa vagi's. '/V»« TouffUH Hirer fVm»i/ry. -This is sim- ilar in soum of ; t.s general featiuH'sto thutlHinhT- iu)r the I'uwd.-r stiver, with this < xeeptioii,— t'le (toil is saiil to bi> moil' ffrtil<' nnd bett»'r adapt>'(i to h' ricultiinil pursuits. Tie- Tongue Uiver rises in I 111 Bi/ HtTii Mountains, in the t^entml {tortion |ol northern Wyoming, and runs north into the VelluwsUiue River. It ;il«)uiuls in the usual Viuietie.i of ti.sh, and game is abundant along its banks. It is a very enwked stream, — its wavs being more dtn'ious than those of a modern whis- ky-maker. It only awaits the advent of white men and women to become an empire of it.self. A ready outlet to the best stock-markets in the country is needed to render it accessible ami always open. Ifazarti — is .')'J2.1 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of V>,'-VJ7) feet. It is a side track and ttdegraph station, and there is a shet-|) ranehe near bv. As you leave Cheyenne, IcKiking olV to the right, you will .see the Hlikk Hills of Wynining stretching tbthe north, and you will wonch'r how you are to get by them. To the left. Long's Peak rears its snowHuipped summit high into the air. It is one of .the lamous mountains of Colo- rado, and you have a better v'ww of it on the Denver Pacific Iload than from the I'liion Pacilic. It is always crowned with snow and freipiently olwcured uy clouds. How grand it looks, and how iiuge it appears in the ''istanee. After leaving Ilazanl, the road (Miters a •' draw," or ravine, and the monotony of the .scenery over the plains is past. From this place on, the mount- ains will be constantly in sight. The next sta- tion is imo.—mOA) miles from Omaha, and (1,724 feet alK)ve the sea. Here, looking to the right, you will see an old road-bed, partly graded. It was abandoned and the track was laid mi the present grade. Every opiKirtunity for obtaining the rugged views, both to the right and left, should be obsen'ed and taken advantage of. The station itself is simply a side track with tel- egrajiii office. Ortniite i'aiiou — is the next station, 5;i5.tJ miles from Omaha, and 7,'il)8 feet in altitude. You approach this station high ui>on the siiUi of a ravine, and through deep cuts in granite spurs. Stunted pines, like lone sentinels, are set-n (»n tht! bh'uk hills, where they have for ages withstood tht! frosts of time. The station has a few hou.ses, a lime kiln, telegraph ottice, and the accomjKiny- ing side track where trains meet and piis.s. The cuts, through a reddish granite, are sluut but very heavy. Snow sheds are now (piite freipient. ihi/'ord, — iy-l'J.it miles from Omaha; eleva- tion, 7,7H(> feet. It is a telegra|)h station. As you leave it on your left, the " Twin Mfumtains.' two peaks in the Hhuk Hills, lift their rocky heads above the barren waste around them. Near these momitains the noted despeijido. .lack Slade, once luul his retreat. '!'he count ry here, is (Mivered with short buffalo gras.s cut with ravines and draw.s, abounding in tine springs, and in places, covered with pine trees. Tlit; dark hues of the pine give the hills their r.ame, "black," and in places the timber is ipiite heavy A short distJince to your right. Crow Creek rises and winds its way amonu tiie iiills to the plains be- low. Four ami a half r.ii' . north from Hut'ord, near the valley of Cn •• i i Jjk, mines of copper i i ■• i 1 w 1 tsH 82 FJUT ^iicmc TOnttST. and silver have been discovered. The ore assajrs over $50 per ton, but is very refractory. It will eventually become a silver mine, as the copper in nearly all such <;a8es runs out. Sherman — is 549.2 miles from Omaha, at an elevation of 8,242 feet. At the time the road Wiis completed here, it was the highest railroad point in the world, but there are higher places now reached by rail in South America. It has been reached by an ascent so gradual that you have hardly noticed it. In the past few years there have been many changes in grade of the Union Pacific, and wherever possible, the track has been raised above the cuts, so the snow,, unless in immense quantities, now causes but little impediment to travel. At Sherman, the snow never falls very deep, but there is a con mile, and the maxinmm g^ade of any one mile is 90 feet. From Sherman to Laramie, the dis- tance is 2<).4 miles ; the average grade is 50 feet to the mile, while the maxinmm grade of any on6 mile is the same as on the eastern slope — !)() feet tc the mile. These grades indicate wliy this route across the Black llills was selected in preference to others where the altitude was not as great — the approach on either side being nn i-e grMual, though the elevation is greater. Ncnrly all trains bctwt^n Cheyenne and Laramie have two engines attached so that they may be easily controlled. It is a steady pull to the sunmiit, from each side, and the heavy Hown grades from it require a great deal of powf r to properly con- trol trains. About a miln west of Sherman on the left side of the road, is " Reed's Hock," 80 •KrU. BOOKA, stant breeze, that most Kastem p«H)ple would jiroiiouiico a gale, and the snow is constantN- drifting and packs so hard wherever it (!•»<« lodgment, that it is exceedingly difficult t«> dis- place, requiring an immense p)wer of sno*- plows, engines and shovelers. As you ap^iroacii Sherman, you will see the balanced ifM'ks. !»nd to the right of the station, about nne-<|uiirtpr of a mile, IS a rugged jwak, near which ar" graves of some who are cjuietly sleeping so near heaven, and a solit"- j pine tree, like a sentiiml keejMng guard over them. Sherman is a t^d^graph Ht> lion, has a hotel, one or two sakKtns, several houses, and a roundhojiso where an engine is ki'pt for use in cases of »>mprg«'nrv. Tlx difl'tu- ence in elevation between this place and Choy- enuo is 2,201 feet, and distance nearly X\ nules. The average grade from C'heyenno is 67 feet p«r ItKAR •■KRMAN. called from oiiw of th< 'Ivil engineers who liiiil out the roa to .«■ n, light airy st. uoture, but i^ really very substantial. The vr«>k, like a tlin iil of silver, winds its devious way in the tK>pth^ In- low, an ■<' '''et )• i,'. and uearH ^^M) feet high, and is «.ii.- oi 'In- \i i ders on the great trRMH-c-Mitinenla! i>'ute. '> waf«r tank, just beyond it, is supj^lied muh wui-r | TMM ^OICiFiC rontiST. 83 '* I. ■ - from the creek by meann of a steam pump. The buildings in the valley below seem small in the [distance, though they are not a great way off. The old wagon road crossed the creek down a I ravine, on the right side of the track, and the reniains of the bridge may still be seen. This stream rises about six miles north of the bridge, and i.s fed by numerou.'^ springs and tributaries, I running in a general southerly direction, until it I empties into the Cache La I'oudre River. The I old overland roiul from Denver to California liwended this river and creek until it struck I the head-waters of the Laramie. Leaving Dale I Creek bridge, the roa«i .soon turns to the right, I and before you, on the left, is spread out, like a {magnificent panorama. The GretU Laramie PlaitiH. — These Iplains have an average width of 40 mile.s, and art' 100 miles in length. They begin at the j western ba-se of the Hlack Hills and extend tf) Itlie sloiM! of the Medicine How iMountaina, and jiiorlh beyond where the Laramie River cuts jits way through these hills to join its waters Iwitli tfie North Platte. They comprise an area li)f over two and a half millions of acres, and lare regarded as one of the riche.st grazing \M)r- Itioiis of country. Across these plains, aufl a JiiUli) • ) the left, as you begin to ghdo over them, jriseji ill full view the Diamond Peaks of the jMedicinn IJow Range. They are trim and rlear- leut, eones, with sl.arp pointed summits — a fact Jwliicit liiis given them their name, while their MJd's, Hiid the rugged hills around them, are cov- leiiMJ with timV-er. .'*ill fartiier in the shadowy Idistiuicc, in a south-westerly direction, if the latiiiDsi liore vi clear. y.Mi will see the white sum- liiiits of tl e Snowy Kange — white with their nibcH (if pciiK^tual snow. Kven in the hottest weather experienced on these plains, it makes DALE onBEK BBIDOE. one feel chilly to look at them, they are so cold, cheerless and forbidding. in the hills we have just passed, there is an abundance of game, such as mountain sheep. bear, antelope, and an occasional mountain lion, while Dale ( reek and all the little brcwks which flow into the South Platte River are filled with trout. The speckled beauties are not found however, in the streams which flow into the North Platte. This is a wellM'stablished fact, and we have yet failed to discover any satisfiic tory reason /or it, though some of these brook,-. flowing in opposite directions, head not more than fifty yards apart. SkiUl IttH'kH. — These rocks, found near DaU^ Creek, are excellent samples of the granite rocks which are so abundant in this section, and sliow how they bear the effects of th(^ severe wfiither. All the massive rocks, which, like tia- ruins of old castles, are scattered all ovt-r the Hlark Hills, were once angular in form, and square nias-ses, which in time have been worn li theii |)resent forms by the disintegrating effect » td the atmos- phere. Vi('-Si(ltnff, — 555.2 miles from Omaha; ele- vation, 7,085 feet. This is a teletjiaph station, with side tracks for the accomnioilatioii of the numerous cars which are loaded with ties, f«'»c»- ]H)les and wcK>d. Vast (luantitics are hauled tn»ni the monnt^iins in the vicinity of the '>)iimond P(*aks t^) this siding. There an a !e\\ houses, and the inevitable saloon — houscf o<'cu|iie(i tiKwb- ly by woodchop|H'rs and teamsters whil" the saloons generally take 'he most of their money. A short distance from this station two >*i'ldiei> of an lov, a cavalry regiment were killed hy In dians at *he overland stag** station, in 1S<».">. Th» pine hittii'd and moiiml which ;narks their resting piack vvili )ii>ou disup{)ear, and there will be niiUi- 84 rmm Psicuric ii !, inff left to mark the spot where they fell. Near Tie-Siding are extensive ranches occupied by sheep during the summer. The general direction of the traveler is now north. In fact, after leav- ing Dale Creek bridge, you turn towards the north, and continue in that direction, sometimes even making a little east, until you pass Kock Creek Station, a distanci> of about seventy miles by rail. We have now fairly entered upon the great Laramie Plains. The next station is Havney, — simpl" a side track, 559.3 miles from the eastern ter:..mus, with an elevation of 7,857 feet. We are going down grade now pretty fast. The old stage road can be seen to the left, and the higher mountains of the Medicine Bow Range shut in the western view. Red ButteSf — near the base of the western slope of the Black Hills — is 563.8 miles from Omaha; elevation, 7,330 feet. So-called from the reddish color of the Buttes between Harney and this place, on the right side of the track. This red appearance of the soil on both hill and plain, indicates the presence of iron. It would seem that at some remote period the whole v.lley was on a level wit', the top of these Buttes, and they, composed »f harder and more cohesive sub- stance than the soil around, have withstood the drain and wash of ages, while it has settled away. They are of all soi-ts of shapes. The nearest about half a mi In from the track, and ex- cite no little interest ironi thnir peculiar forms, in tlu! mind of the tniv(Uur who is at all ciu'ious on such subjects ; some • of thetn are isolated, and then again you will see thom in Rroups. There arc! qjiite a number in sight from t le car windows, and their close ins|)ection would war- rant tlirt tourist in stopping at l^arainif and making them and f)th('r oV)ject8 in the vicinity a iciiuty 1, with visit. Red Buttes is a telegraph station, with a few settlers in the neighborhood. These plains have been i;iilled the paradise for sheep; but of this sul»t«ct we will spieak in another place. /•Vm* Sfiuders, — ."iTO.S miles from Omaha; el«vatk>n 7,1(53 feet. This is a station tor the military post which was established here in June, IHrtH, hyCol. H. M. Miz.ier of th<" ISth United Stiite.s Infantry. Its Imildines for both ottic*'r>i and meii mr*- niuiiiiy of logs, and n'.any of thfin are botli - tibstantial »nd comfortable. The post can b* seen from a long distance in every direction ; is clof^ t«> the track and on the old military roafi hiading across the Black '!ills by way of C'lM-yenne Pass to Kort V^ albacli at the eastern base of the hillti. now abandoned, and t* the military jK)sts noui ( heyenne. It will prob- ably 1mi abandoned in a short time. hnramli' — is 57'J.8 mile.s from Omaha, and 7.1!23 feet alvive the sea. It y* the end of a divi- sion of the I'nion Pacific Railn)ad, is a regnlai eating-t»tjir.ip»« '>ii the rmid. Inis largf ni;ichine and Hiio|M«. and is dei^tinwl t« bei-onie frfwu its and mauulii' j; capwities yet uude- velo[»ed, the largest city on the road in Wyominj;. It is located on the Laramie River, in the iniJst of the Laramie Plains, has fully 3,U0Ct {>eople, is the county-seat of Albany County, has nuinerons | churches and schools, several public buildinj^s, brick and stone blocks, with streets regularlv laid I out at right angles to the railroad ; is well wa- tered from one of the mountain streams in the vicinity, and altogether is one of the most promis- ing towns on the line of the road. It is called | the "Gem city of the Mountains," and its alti- tude and close proximity to the hills behind it I give it a fair show for the name. 'J'he rolling mills of the company, giving employment to from 150 to 300 men, r^re located and in operation here, in the northern limits of the city. It is ex- [ pected and understood that a foundry and smelt- 1 ing works foi reducing iron ore will soon bel estoblished in connection with the rolling milk I At present these mills have all they can do in re-l rolling the worn out rails of the track, which are! brought here for that pui-pose. The water-poww J in the Laramie River will also soon be utilized in I the erection of woolen mills and factories for re- 1 fining soda and other minerals with which thisl country abounds. The mineral resources of Wv- 1 oming have not been developtd. The slight i-x-l plorations which have thus far been made onlvl demonstrate the fact of their existence in mitoldl quantities. Laramie, for instance, has within a I radius of thirty miles the following named nlill^| rals : Antimony, cinnabar, gold, silver, coji]Mr,| lead, plumbago, iron, red hematite iron, brownl hematite, specular iron, sulphate of soda, gyp.siuii| kaolin or porcelain clay, fire clay, brick clavj coal, sand, limestone, fine quality, sandstones fori building purposes within two miles of the eitvl and good wagon roads to all the places wliiitl these materials are found. Laramie, from it>[ ]ocatio:i and surroundings, must become a niMiinJ faeturing city, and u[)on this fact we base \M prophecy of its future greatnes.s and prospc: in There are lakes of soda within the distance naiimi that must soon be utilized. A simple chemitail prtn-ess only is retiuired t*; render this article intc| the s(,da of commero«^ iinnionse (|uantities which are used in this country annually, and nui>i| of it coinf-s f 11 >m foreign countries. It is ex|iiTt[ ed thai a simIa fiuitory will be started at Laraiu'i within the next year. Shrep~ KuiniMf/. — We have before remr iktiil that the Laramit' Plains were a paradisi' furl sheep. The succe.ss which has attended slii'tij husbandry on these plains fv.itticiently attests tlii'[ fact. It IS true, first efforts were not as siuii ful as they should have been, but this is reiis(i:i| ably accounted for in the lack of ex]>erieiu •■ those who engaged in it, and a want of kno\vlr( of the peculiarities of th»v ill! the expenses of the flock, leaving the imn'ase as clear profit, and the increase de- pt'iids to a larg«! exti'ut on how well the flock is niauaLfed; it is ordinarily 80 per cent. Some hiivn liad an increase of their flocks .as large !\a !*!» i"'!' cent., others a» low as 00 per cent. S(t)me "t till' successful shi'ep men have begun their tliicks with Spanish Meriros, others with Freiieh .M.iiiios. othei-s with t'otswolds, and others still \N ii li .Mexican sheep. These last are very hardy ; have small bodies anxt terminus should be made known. The iron rails that were soon to bear tlie iron horse were laid past the town on the Uth day of iMay 18f{8, and on the day following, the first train arrived and discharged its freight. Lara- mie inaintaintHl the character of all these west- who were respectable, and who desired to do a legitimate business could not endure for a long time, the presence and rascalities of these border characters. There being no law in force, the next best t' '-ig was a resort to "lynch law." This was the experience of Laramie. I^aramie is now an orderly, well-governed city, where the rights of {lerson and property are xv- spected, and forcibly reminds one of the quift towns in the East. All saloons and other nlucfK | of like character, ure closed on the Sabbath, the churches are well attended, and the schools are lib- 1 erally patronized. It is one of the most attnte- tive towns on the line of the Union I'acitie I road, and offers many advantages to those wlio | desire, for any reason, a change of location. In addition to other public institutions else- EARLY MOBHINO 8CE!(E ern towns in the early days of their settlement. Tho same class of human beings that had impu- lattiil and depopulated North Platte, Julesi)urg, Chuyt'niio, and other phvces, lived a'vd flourished hiM-f! until the next move wa« made. They were .!4;ainl>liirs, thieves, prostitutes, ni' rderers — bad mi'ti and women of every calling and description under the heavens, and from almost every natinii- iility on the globe — and when they could ]>rey upon no one else, would, as a matter of course, iircy ujxm ^vav\\ othisr. The worst that has ever been written of these characters does not depict the whole truth; they were, in many cases, out- laws tVoin the East — fled fco escape the ooiise- ipicuces of (M'inies committed there, and each man was a law unto himself. Arjned to the very teeth, it was simply a word and a shot, and many times the shot came first. Of course those ON THE tARAMIR PLAINS. where mentioned, Laramie has the location of I the territorial jienitentiary, a small wing of | which is alreatly constructed, anf, aud if the mines of this ar- ti(!le are j)roi>'''iy develo|M!d, I^aramie will soon sunply tlxi worl(i with soda I'uough to rai.se, not only l)lscnits and bread, but no small sum <'f I money a.s a return for the investment. 'I'Ih' rolling mills and machine and repair shops of I TME ^actFic rovMsr. 87 eHired to do lure for a \o\\^ of theHe bonlfr ill force, the " lynch law." | me, 1-governed city, I )ropert'y are r-. le of tlie quiet lid other pliioit le Subhatn, tiie HHchoolsarelib- 1 iie most attrac- Union racific I 8 to those wild I location, stitutions else- i the location of small wing of | and which is mce west of tiif one of the it'ffu- The comi>atiy ept by Major II. and 8iipi)er sta- ed of Rood iiirals ] ion with the din- iip|ilii'd with tlie A mamifactiiry tnincH of tliis ar- iramie will soon rIi to rai.st', nut } small sum nf | ivestnM'iit. Till' repair shops of the company are sourceR of jM>rpettial trade and income, and must of necessity increase with the aiiiuially iiicreaaiiiR business of the company. A visit to the soda lakes, gold mines, Iron Mount- ain, Ked Hiittes and other places of interest in tlie vicinity, together with good hotel iKcommo- (lations, will surely lure the traveler to R{H{nd a few (lays in this ** (iem city of the Mountains." Ltnuimle Peak, — This is the highest [H'ak of the Rocky Mountain Range in Wyoming and Colorado, north of lx>ng's I'eak, and is alntut lO.OlN) feet high. The Ilayden exploring party, who were encamped at its base, describe witness- ing a sunset scene ot rare beauty. The sun passed down directly behind the summit of Laramie Peak. The whole range of mountains was gilded with a golden light, and the haziness of the atmos- water. Probably no finer R))ecimens exist in the United States than are found on the lines of this road. We give an illustration of the one at Laramie : — Its height is alM)ut 75 feet The base is IT) feet by *J5 feet. The tank for holding the water is alN)ut half the height of the tower. The arms or wings of this machine are 2o feet in leiifilh, and the fan or weatheiMlirector at the ()p{H)site enci of the shaft is nearly 25 feet in length, the wlmle being balanced on this beam. In the tank is a large hollow globe floating in the water. This glooe is so conn )cted with levers that when the water has rea<;hed a certain height, the slats or tans are thrown in line w ith the winlyiiig the locomotives and station houses with AT LARAMIK. machine is again put in motion. It is thus self- regulating and self-acting. The water is thrown up by a forcing pump. A curious fact may be here mentioned. These tanks, when closely covered, have thus farpi-oved that there isenougli caloric in the water to prevent' it, from freezing. The cost is upward of 910,000. U'litd liiref MoHiitalnH. — These mount- ains, seen on the map and just north of the rail- road, are destined soon to celebrity, for their min- ing value, although as yet but partially explored. Two well-known )K;aks rise among them, Fre- mont's Peak and Snow's Peak, the latter being the highest, its elevation is given by Fremont a8l:l,.'i70 feet. The mountains are filled with a dense growth of a sjtecies of the nut nine, which fur- nishes fooort Fct- tennan, and unite with the Medicine Bow Htrngv in northern Colorado, south-west from Shennan. Laramie Peak and Reed's Peak, north of th« Laramie Canon, are the highest peaks in this range. The waters which flow from thom east of the Black Hills, and those which flow west from the Medicine liow Range, all unite in the North Platte River, which descriltes a half circle arouiui their northern extremity, and then flows east- ward to the Missouri River. This range of mountains, as before stated, is crossed at Sher- man. They have not Iteen prosjiected to any great extent for the precious metals, but golil, silver, copper, iron and other minerals are known to exist. Iron is found in large quantitii>8. IMOIAN nilKIAt TRKK, NEAR PORT LARAMIE. ito groves, as many as eight or ten Imdies have been found in a singlo tree. Another mode of burial is to erect a scaffold on some prominent knoll or bluff. These customs are prevalent among those Indian tribes which are most rov- ing, and live in the saddle. " Foot Indians," those which inhabit the plains, and are jKuiceable, most invariably bury their dead in the ground — always, however, accompanied with such good things as he will need in his trips thereafter in the lu'w hunting-grounds. The lilnek HUlt* of W'ifoniinif, and the Mrdlrine Itow Itange, — In going west, the first range of real mountains the traveler meets with are what are called the Black Hills of About 18 miles north-east from Laramie is Iron Mountain, on the head of Chugwater Creek. It is said to be nearly pure, and will some day he developed. Tlwre has been talk of a railroad from Cheyenne with a branch to this mountain, but nothing has been done yet. In searching for a route for the Union Pacific Railroad, a jiar- tial survey oT the Laramie Canon was made, but it was fotnid to be iinr/facticable for a railroiid. It, however, has gran.l Bcenery, and will lieconie a place of resort, by tnuristj*, as soon as the In- dian question is settled. The Ilhwk Hills virtu- ally connect with ths Medicrine How Range at lM)th extremities, bearing to the left around tlm circle of the North Platte, and to the right south rmm i^diCiFtc tov^mst. 89 MEDICIXE BOW MOUNTAINR, KROM MEDICIMK BOW BITE) . I of .Sherman. T if» can us of l»oth tlie Laramie laud Platte Riven> mi- rwmiyA and grand. Lara- mie Peak has a.i !iV.?ion of lO.OOO feet, and Hes ill plain vie>v off to the right from Lookout I to Medicine Bov, S'^^ations. Crossing the iJlack Hills, the road strikes the Liininiie Plains, and then the Medicine Bow l{iiiit,'e rises grandly before you. At Laramie City— the road running north — you look west and Ix'hold Sheep Mountain in front, whose sum- init is 10,(KH> feet al)ove the sea; to the left of tills 13 Mt. Agassiz, so named in honor of the distinguished scientist who gave his lite to the I causn he loveil so well. To the right of Sheep Mountain, which is in the Medicine Bow Kange, you discover what seems to bo a largo depression in the mountains. This is where the Little Lara- mie lliver heads, and across it. to the right, still other jteaks of this range lift their snowy heads. The range is now on your left until you pass around its northern bend and into the North Platte Valley again at Fort Steele. On the northern extremity, Elk Mountain looms up, the l>est view of which can be obtained as you jiass from Medicine Bow Station to Fort Steele, pro- vided, of cour.io, you look when the foot hills do not obscure your vision. The Medicine Bow Kange is also full of the precious metals, mostly r IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) u ij, k^ €.^, S" MP^ We 1.0 I.I |50 """^ I4g 1^ IIIIIM 1.8 1.25 1.4 III '-6 ^ 6" — ► Wa ^ /a '^I / /S« r 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (714) 873-4503 90 TMB ^iiCIFW FO^&ISF. gold, but has not been developed. The Centen- nial Mine, located by a party of gentlemen from Laramie, on the first day of January, 1875, is on the mountain just north of one of the branches of the Little Laramie River, and in a clear day, with a good glass, can plainly be seen from Lara- mie City. Nearly all the streams which head in the Medicine Bow Mountains will show " color " to the prospector, but the lodes are mostly " blind," and can only be found by persistent search. This range is also heavily timbered, and abounds in game, and except the highest peaks, is free from snow in the summer. The timber is mostly pine, and immense quantities are annu-; ally cut for railroad ties, telegraph and fence poles and wood. Nearly every ranche on the Laramie Plains is supplied with poles for corrals, sheds and fences from the Black Hills or Medi- cine Bow Range. The Laramie Plains is the great basin between these two ranges, and the road has to pass northward a long distance in order to find its way out. Leaving the grand views of these mountains, the traveler enters upon a vast, dreary and unproductive waste — fitly called a desert. Still its rough and broken appearance with rocks, !r' Us, and mountains on either side afford a strange and pleasant relief from the dull monotony of the eastern plains. Leaving Laramie City, the track passes close to the company's rolling mills, from the tall chimneys of which there are huge volumes of black smoke and occasional flames, constantly belching forth. We soon cross the Laramie River on a wooden truss bridge, and run along near its banks to Howell, — which is a side track, eight miles from Laramie, and 580.8 miles from Omaha; elevation, 7,090 feet. Passing over the plains, walled in by mountains on either side, we reach the next station, Wifotning, — over fifteen miles from Laramie, and 588.4 miles from Omaha; elevation, 7,068 feet. Having reached the highest altitude on the line of the road between the two oceans, at Sherman, you see we are now going down hill a little, and from this time until we cross the Sierras, there will be a constant succession of " ups and downs " in our journey. Wyoming is on the Little Laramie River, which empties into the Laramie River near the station. It is a tele- graph station with a few houses in the vicinity — in the midst of a fine grazing country, with sheep and cattle ranches in sight. Leaving Wyoming, the aspect of the country soon changes. A blufE on the right lies near the track, the country becomeo more undulating as we pass on, and the grass seems to grow thinner except on the bottom near the stream. Sage brush and greasewood, well known to all frontier , men, begin to appear. We have seen a, little of sage brush before in the vicinity of Julesburg, and Sidney, and now strike it again. Cooper's Lake, — 598.& miles from Omalia, with an elevation of 7,044 ftet. It is a telegraph station with the usual side track and section- houses. The station is named from the little lake near by» which can best be seen from the cars at the water tank, beyond the station. It isn't much of a lake, nor can much of it be seen from the car windows. The water is said to look very green in the summer, and to differ but little in appearance from the gi-een grass wliich surrounds it. The lake itself is about half a mile wide, and a mile and a half long, and about I two milea from the track, though it does not seem half that distance. It is fed by Cooper and j Dutton Creeks, but has no visible outlet. Lookoitt, — 607.0 miles from Omaha, and about thirty-five miles from Laramie ; elevation, 7,169 feet. The road left what may be called tlie Laramie bottom at the last station, and now winds through a rolling country, which soon be- comes rough and broken, with the sage brush | constantly increasing. Notice the changes in the elevation as you pass along. Miser, — 615.9 miles from Omaha ; elevation, 6,810 feet. There are quite a number of snoAv- sheds on this part of the ' road, with numerous | cuts and fills. Near here coal has been found. It is in the vicinity of Rock Creek, which is said I to be the eastern rim ot the coal fields discovered on this elevated plateau, in the middle of the Continent. From the last station to this, and be- yond, you have fine and constantly changing views from the moving train, of Laramie Peak, away off to the right, and of Elk Mountain to the left. Sage brush is the only natural production of the soil in this region, and is said to be eaten by antelope and elk in the absence of grass or anything better. It is also said that sheep \vili feed upon it, and that wherever antelope live and flourish, sheep will do likewise. Miser is a telegraph station with the usual side track and seciion-house. Rock Creek^ — so-called from a creek of the same name, which the road here crosses. It is 624.6 miles from the eastern tei minus of the road, wich an elevation of 6,690 feet above the | sea. Rock Creek rises in the north-eastern peaks of the Medicine Bow Range, and runs in that di- rection to this station, near which it turns to- 1 ward the west and unites with Medicine Bow River, near Medicine Bow Station. Parties who are anxious to fish, may find plenty of what are called " suckers " in this creek, and also in tlie Laramie Rivers. The road now follows in its general course Rock Creek, until it empties into the Medicine Bow River. There is the usual telegraph office, side track and section-house at| the station, with a broken country around. WUeox, — A side track for the passing of I trains, 632.3 miles from Omaha, and 7,033 feet | above the sea. The next station is C7o»»o,— named after Lake Como, which the | road here passes. One peculiarity of this lake is that it is near Rock Creek — separated from it by a ridge of hills estimated at 2U0 feet high, — with no visible outlet. The station is 640.2 miles from Omaha, and 6,680 feet above the sea. The lake has been estimated to be 200 feet above the surface of Rock Creek, from which it is separated as above stated. It is fed by warm springs, which also supply the water tank of the company at the station. In a cold day the steam from these springs can be seen at some distance. It is also a great resort for ducks, and sportsmen can obtain fine shooting here in the proper season. If lizards are fish with legs, then we have fish with legs abounding in this lake and vicinity. These animals are from 6 to 18 inches in length, with a head a good deal like that of a frog, and tufts or tassels where the gills would be on a fish. They have four legs and crawl around to a certain extent on the land. There are two kinds of these lizards, one differ- ing from the other in size and color more than in shape, and either kind are devoured by the ducks when they can be caught. The lafce is about one mile wide in the widest place, and two and a half miles long. Valleif of the Chug water. — The Chug- water Valley is about 100 miles long. It has been for many years a favorite locality for winter- ing stock, not only on account of the excellence of the grass and water, but also from the fact that the climate is mild throughout the winter. Cat- tle and horses thrive well all winter without hay or shelter. The broad valley is protected from strong cold winds by high walls or bluffs. The soil everywhere is fertile, and wherever the sur- face can be irrigated, good crops of all kinds of cereals and hardy vegetables can be raised with- out difficulty. In this valley and near the source of the Chug- water, are thousands of tons of iron ore, indicat- ing deposits of vast extent and richness, which can be made easily accessible whenever desirable to construct a railroad to Montana. Medicine Bow— is 647.3 miles from Omaha ; elevation, 6,550 feet. The river, from which the stal/ion is named, was crossed a short distance before we reached the station. It rises directly south, in the Medicine Bow Mountains, and runs nearly north to the place where it is crossed by till! raiU'oad, after which it turns toward the west and unites with the North Platte, below Fort Steele. I'jissenger trains going east stop here ten minutes, for a cup of coffee and lunch, in the inoruing. There is a roundhouse of five tails, in wliich one or more engines are kept, to assist trains up and down the steep grades between hero and Carbon. It is also a point from which a large quantity of military supplies for Fort Fetterman and other posts are distributed. The government has a freight depot here. There are one or two stores, with the inevitable saloon and severfil dwellings, in the vicinity. There is a good wagon road from this place to Fort Fetterman, distance ninety miles, and it is by far the nearest route to the gold fields in the Black Hills of Dakota, for passengers and miners from the West. The Indians were disinclined to leave this region and even now hardly know how to give it up. In the summer of 187o, they came here and stole a herd of between three and four hundred horses that were grazing on Rock Creek. Some of these horses have been seen and recog- nized at the agencies of Red Cloud and Spotted Tail ; and when demand was made for them, the owners were quietly told by the Indian agents to make out their claims and present them to the proper authorities to be paid. But the cases of their payment are like angels' visits, few and far between. Some of the horses stolen belonge-^ to Judge Kelly, member of Congress, from Pennsyl- vania. Medicine Bow is in the midst of a rough, broken country, over which millions of antelope and jack rabbits roam at pleasure. When the road was built here immense quantities of ties and wood were cut in the^mountains south, and delivered at this place. Ciwiosities of Indian Life and Char- acter. — The entire country, from North Platte over as far as the western border of Laramie Plains, has been for years the roving ground of the Indians, of whom we could tell many inter- esting facts respecting their life and the curious interviews the overland scouts, trappers, etc., have had with them. To a man, every scout will unite in denunciation of their treachery. Jim Baker, — an old Rocky Mountain trapper, — once told, in his characteristic manner the following, to General Marcy : " They are the most onsartainest varmints in all creation, and I reckon thar not mor'n half human ; for you never seed a human, arter you'd fed and treated him to the best fixins in your lodge, just turn round and steal all your horses, or anything he could lay his hand on. " No, not adzacUy 1 he would feel kinder grate- ful, and ask you to spread a blanket in his lodge if ever you passed that way. But the Indian, he don't care shucks for you, and is ready to do you a heap of mischief as soon as he quits your feed. No, Cap'," he continued, "it's not the right way to give 'um presents to buy peace ; but ef I was governor of these yeer United States, I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd invite 'um all to a big feast, and make believe I wanted to have a big talk, and as soon as I got 'um all together, I'd pitch in and scalp half of 'um, and then fother half would be mighty glad to make a peace that would stick. That's the way I'd make a tr ?aty with the dog-ond, red-bellied varmints ; and, as sure as you're born. Cap., that's the only way. " It ain' no use to talk about nonor with them. Cap. ; they hain't got no such thing in 'um ; and they won't show fair fight, any way you can fix it. Don't they kill and scalp a white man, when' ir they get the better on him ? The mean varmint's, they'll never behave themselves until you give 'um a clean out and out licking. They can't onderstand white folks' ways, and they won't learn 'um, and ef you treat 'urn decently, they think you're afeard. You may depend on't. Cap., the only way to treat Indians, is to thrash them well at first, then the balance will sorter take to you and behave themselves." Indian observations dn the character of the American and English people, are often pretty good. An Indian once describing to an English- man the characteristics of the different people he knew, said as follows, most naively : " King George man, ( English ) very good ; Boston man, (American) good ; John Chinaman, not good ; but the black man, he no better than a dog." They are particularly curious about negroes, as they do not feel certain whether the black goes all through. Some years ago, a party of negroes escaping from Texas, were captured by some of the Comanches, who scraped their skin to settle this question. At the time of the presidency of Lincoln, an Indian, while conversing with an English mis- sionary, asked him who was the chief of the English. He was told. " Ah ! Queen Victoly," for they can't pronounce it. " Is she a woman ? " " Yes.' " Who is the chief of the Boston men, (American) ? " " MK Lincoln." « Ah ! I thought 80 ; but another Indian once told me that it was Mr. Washington. Are Mr. Lincoln and the English woman-chief good friends ? " " Yes, excellent friends." He thought for a moment, and, finally, said eagerly : " Then if they are so good friends, why does not Mr. Lincoln take Queen Victoly for his squaw f " The Indians are very fond of card-playing, and, perhaps in no other way can their natural treachery be so well illustrated, and desire to take advantage of others by cheating. An Indian once, while at a wayside village, near the mines, and withal a natural born swin- dler, explained to his white hearers how he could manage to cheat while dealing the curds. While playing in the open air, in some valley, near some rocks, with a young Indian, while dealing the cards, he would shout out as if he saw some lovely forest maid passing near or ascending the rock or sides of the hill : " Aah, nanich skok tenans klatchmann (Hallo! look at that young woman !) " While the Indian looked around, " old Buffalo " immediately took the opportunity of dealing double to himself, or of selecting an ace or two before his opponent turned around. A semi-civilized Indian, named Block Beaver, once visited General Marcy at St. Louis, and on his return back to his native camp, he prided himself not a little on his knowledge of cities and men, white and civilized. Camping one niglit with a Comanche guide, the General overheard the two in an apparently earnest and amicable talk. The General inquired of him afterwaid what he had been saying. "I've been telling the Comanche what I've seen among the white folks. I tell him 'bout the steamboats, and the railroads, and the heep o' houses I see in St. Louis, but he sav Ize fool. I tell him the world is round, but he kt'cp all o' time say, ' Hush, you fool, do you spose J'ze child? Haven't I got eyes? Can't I see the prairie ? You call him ro'ind ? Maybe so ; I tell you something you not know before. One time my grandfather he made long journejr that way (West), when he got on big mountain, he see neep water on t'other side, just so flat as he can be, and he see the sun go straight down on t'other side. S'pose the world flat he stand still?'" General Marcy attempted to explain to him the telegi'aph, but there he was nonplussed. " What you call the magnetic telegraph ? " He was told, "You have heard of New York' and New Orleans ? " " Oh, yes." " Very well ; we have a wire connecting these two cities, which are 1,000 miles apart, and it would take a man thirty days, on a good horse, to ride it. Now, a man stands at one end of this wire in New York. and by touching it a few times, he inquires of his friend in New Orleans, what he had for breakfast. His friend in New Orleans touches the other end of the wire, and in ten minutes the answer comes back, ham and eggs." Beaver was requested to tell this to the Co- manche, but he remained silent, his countenance all the time covered with a most comical, puz- zled expression. Again he was asked to tell him, when he observed, " No, Captain, I not tell him that, for I don't b'lieve that myself." He was assured that it was a fact, but no amount of assurances could induce him to ]iin his faith on such a seemingly incredible state- ment. All he would reply was simply, "Injun not very smart; sometimes he's big fool, but he holler pretty loud; you hear liim, maybe, half a mile ; you say ' Merican man he talk thousand miles ;' I 'spect you try to fool me now, Cap'n. Maif be you lie." Polygamy is quite frequent among many of the Indians of the plains, and some* amusing stories are told of the way they get their wives. One such is told of an Indian boy of only eifrht- een, whose father, considering tnat he liad ar- rived at the years of discretion, presented him with a lodge, several horses, and goods enoiigii to establish him in life. The first thing the jire- cocious yc'itl: did was to go and secretly bargain with a chief for his daughter, enjoining secnoy, and then to a second, third and fourth, the re- sult of which was, that on a fixed day, he claimed all four ladies, to the astonishment of the trihc 93 and the indignation of tlie fathers. But he ob- tained his wives and marched them off to his wigwam. Not only this, but the chiefs deter- mined that a youth who could do so bold an act, must be a person of discretion, and deserved and gave him a seat in the council among the war- riors and the piedicine men. Of the want of books and writing among the Indians, they give the following explanations : " It is impossible. The Great Spirit at first made a red and a white boy ; to the red boy he gave a book, and to the white boy a bow and arrow, but the white boy came round the red boy, stole his book, and went off, leaving him tlie bow and arrow, and, therefore, an Indian could not make a book." Carbon, — 656.5 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 6,750 feet. A telegraph station with usual side tracks for passing trains, and for the coal business which is done here. This is the first station on the line of the road, where the company obtains a supply of coal. A shaft about 120 feet deep has been sunk, and veins of coal opened about six feet thick. The coal is hoisted to the surface by means of a stationary engine, and dumped into cars by means of chutes, or into large bins from which it is taken to supply passing engines. From 50 to 150 men are employed in these mines, and a good many of them live in board shanties, adobe houses, and dug-outs along the side of the track. The coal is mostly used by the company — but little being sold as it is not as good for domestic purposes as the coal found at Rock Springs. Leaving Car- bon we pass through a rugged country, with scenery sufficiently attractive to keep the traveler on the constant lookout, to Simpson, — a side track, with section-house, 663.5 miles from Omaha, and an elevation of 6,898 feet. Passenger trains do not stop and on we go to jPercy,— 668.1 miles from Omaha, and 6,950 feet above the sea. From Simpson to this sta- tion, you can obtain the finest view of Elk Mountain on the left. We have not been able to ascertain its elevation, but its comparative short distance from the road causes it to look high and grand. It can be seen irom. a long dis- tance, either east or west, and is the noted peak of the Medicine Bow Range. It seems to jut out from the main ridge, and looking irom the west, stands in bold relief against the sky. The station is named in honor of Colonel Percy, who was killed here by the Sioux Indians, when the road was being sur- veyed. At this fetation passengers who desire to visit Elk Mountain, and the region in its im- mediate vicinity will leave the cars. During tlie construction of the road large quantities of wood and ties with timber for bridges, were cut in the mountains and foot hills, and hauled to tliis station. At the foot of Elk Mountain stood Fort Halleck now abandoned, and a station of the Overland Stage Company. There were many skirmishes with the Indians in this vicinity in those days, and now and then you will be able to find an old settler who will entertain you for hours, in the recital of wild adventures and hair- breadth escapes. A visit to the site of the old fort and the region of country around, together with a close view of the gi'and scenery of the mountains, will amply repay the traveler for his time and money. About four miles south of Percy, fine veins of coal were discovered in 1875, but they have not been opened or tested. One is nine and the other over twenty feet in thick- ness. Notice a suggestive sign as you pass the station. It is " Bowles's Hotel," and of course, indicates that everything is perfectly " straight " within. South of this station there is some very fine grazing land, mostly in the valleys of the little streams that head in the Medicine Bow Range, and flow westward into the North Platte River, and a considerable quantity of hay is cut during favorable seasons. A Curious and Exciting Race. — En- gineers have told of a curious scene on the Pacific Railroad not far from the Laramie Plains, of a race between the locomotive and a herd of deer. At daybreak, the locomotive, with its long train of carriages and freight cars, entered a narrow valley or goi^^e, where runs quite a rivulet of clear and cold mountain water. On the banks of this stream a large herd of red deer were standing, occasionally lapping the refresh- ing element. The timid creatures, startled by the presence in their midst of the " iron horse," knew not what course to pursue in order to get away from it. The engineer, to add to their evident perplexity, caused the whistle to send forth its loudest and most discoi'dant shriek. This was enough for the deer. To get beyond reach of this new enemy, they started up the road, taking the course the locomotive >/a8 pursuing. The race became exciting. It was a superb trial of steam and iron against muscle and lung. Thi engineer " put on steam," and sent his locomotive with its burdensome train, whirling along the track ; but for many miles — six or seven it was estimated — the frightened animals kept ahead, fairly beating their antago- nist. At last the pursued and pursuer got into a more open country. This the deer perceiving, they sprang on one side, and, with unabated speed, ran to a safe distance, where beyond reach of locomotive or rifle, they stood and gazed with dilated eyes — their limbs trembling from un- usual exertion, and gasping for breath — at their fast receding enemy. Dana — is the next station — simply a side track. It is 674.2 miles from Omaha: elevation, 6,875 feet The rugged, broken character of the country with cuts for the track, and fills in the 94 i M. DEBR BAOE WITH TRAIN ON THK U. F. B. R. valleys, will interest the observing tourist if he passes by in daylight. St. Marys, — 681.7 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 6,751 feet. It is a telegraph sta- tion with accompanying side tack, section-house, etc. From this station to the next, the bluffs are rugged and wild, the road passing through a short tunnel and several deep cuts. There is nothing but the changing scenery as you move along with the train, to relieve this country from its desolate appearance. Sage brush and grejvse- wood continue to be the only products of the soil. Walcott, — a side track 689.5 miles from the Missouri River, and 6,800 feet above the sea. After leaving this station, the road winds around the bluffs, passing through some very deep cuts, . near one of which there is a stone quarry from which stone is taken by the company for road purposes at Green River. A side track to the quarry has been laid and stone easily loaded on the flat cars used for their transportation. Sud- denly bursting through one of these cuts we enter the valley of the Platte, through M'hat is called Rattle Snake Pass, by the railroad men, and arrive at FoH Steele, — which is 695.3 miles from Omaha, 122.5 miles from Laramie, and has an elevation of 6,840 feet. It is a telegraph station, and the site of the government post of the same name. We cross North Platte River just before arriving at the station, and are 4,051 feet higher than when we crossed the same stream at North Platte City, near the junction of the two Plattes in the State of Nebraska. Fort Steele was established on the last day of June, 1808, by Col. R. I. Dodge, then of the Thirtieth United States Infantry. It is considered a good strate- gic point, as well as a convenient base of supjilies, in case of a campaign against the Indians. The buildings are mostly of logs, and none of thi'm very comfortable. In 1875, the government fin- ished a fine stone hospital building here. The station also does considei able government busi- ness, and there is a government dejwt for receiv- ing and stoiing supplies near the track. The valley of the North Platte at this upper cross- ing is quite narrow, without the broad and fertile bottom-lands we were accustomed to see below as we whirled along its banks. From the hea i of this river in the North Park of Colorado, to a point as far down as Fort Laramie, its rorae describes the form of a horseshoe. Its tributa- ries from the east mostly rise in the Medicine Bow Range, and flow "westward. They are principally Douglas Creek, Fresh Creek, Brush Creek, Cedar Creek, Spring Creek, and Pass Creek. They are beautiful streams with fine grass valleys and partially wooded banks. Its tributaries from tne west are Beaver Creok, Grand Encampment Creek, Cow Creek, Hot Spring Creek, Jack Creek, and Sage Creek. Hot Spring Creek is so named from the hot snl- phur springs which are found near its mouth. All the streams which rise in the Medicine Bow- Range, and flow into the North Platte, show tlie " color '* of gold where they have been prospected. and some rich diggings are said to have been discovered at tht head of Douglas Creek. A\'e believe it will not be long before the Medicine Bow Mountains will develop into a rich mining 95 country. The waters of the Hot Springs re- fnrred to are claimed to possess remarkable me- dicinal virtues, and are from 40 to 45 miles from Foit Steele, up the right bank of the river. The wonders of even these desolate plains do not begin to be known, and when they are fully realized, the world will be astonished at the results. About three miles west of Fort Steele is the site of Benton — the town that was — now wholly abandoned. For a short time it was the business terminus of the road, while its construc- tion was going on. and possessed all the charac- teristics of the railroad towns in those days. At one time it had a jwpulation estimated as high as five thousand souls. Old iron barrel hoops, rusty tin cans, a few holes in the ground, a few posts and stumps, and nearly or quite a hundred nameless graves in close proximity, are all that perior satisfaction it would give. The rail- road reached and passed Benton in July, 18(58. The valley of the Platte River begins to be occu- pied by cattle men, as stock can be carried through the severest winters, thus far experienced, without hay. It has superior advantages, not only for grazing, but its numerous " draws " or ravines afford friendly shelter in case of storms. Vietv ftn the Noi'fh Platte, veai' FoH Fred Steele. — The Platte River here is over 700 miles from its mouth near Omaha, and has an elevation of 6,845 feet. Upon the plains it was a wide, shallow stream, with sand-bars and shift- ing currents. Here it is a deep, clear, cold stream, and but little distant from its source among the perpetual snow banks of the Rocky Mountains. GrennvUle — is the next station, 70;^.7 miles from Omaha with an elevation of 6,5(i0 feet VIEW ON THE PLATTE, now remain to mark the place where Benton was. It grew in a day, and faded out of sight as quickly. But it was a red-hot town while it lasted. A dtath, sometimes two or three of them, with corresj^nding burials, was the morn- ing custom. Whisky was preferred to water be- cause it was much easier to obtain, and unre- strained by civi^zed society or wholesome laws, the devil in men and women had full sway, and made free exhibitions of his nature. The town was three miles from the North Platte River, where all the water was obtained and hauled in, price ten cents per bucket, or one dollar per barrel. In that town, a drink of regular old "tangle-foot" whisky, at "two bits" (twenty- five cents) would last a good deal longer than a bucket of water, to say nothing of the su- NEAR FORT FRED STEELE. above the sea. It is simply a side track for the meeting and passing of trains. Passenger trains seldom stop. The next station and the end of a subdivision of the road is Rawlins, — named in honor of Gen. John A. Rawlins, General Grant's chief of staff and his first secretary of war. The springs near here bear the same name, but it has been incorrectly spelled, heretofore. This station is 137.9 miles from Laramie, and 710.7 miles from Omaha. It has an elevation of 6,732 feet. We are going up hill again. The town has a population of about 6(0 souls, a large majority of whom are railroad employes. The company has erected a hotel for the use of its employes and the traveling public, and has a roundhouse and machine-shops which are kept pretty busy in the repair of engines. 96 I I The water used by engines on this division is strongly impregnated with alkali and other sub- stances, which form scales on the inside of the boiler and adhere to the flues. The engines are, therefore, carefully watched and every precaution taken to guard against accidents. North of the town, is what might be called in some countries, a mountain. Near the east end of this mount- ain valuable beds of red hematite — iron ore — have been found. This ore is very pure, and, when ground, makes a Very hard and durable paint. It is said to be water and fire-proof when used in sufficient quantities. The dark red freight and flat cars which you sue on the line of the road belonging to the company, have been painted with this material, and it is rapidly growing into public favor as its merits become known. There are two mills here for the manu- facture of this paint, and a large quantity is always on hand. Forty miles duo north from Rawlins are the Ferris and Seminole mining dis- tricts. These mines were visited, in 1875, by Professor Hayden and Professor Thompson. The lodes operated by the Vulcan Mining Com- pany, indicated gold, silver and copper, mixed with iron. Th's company is composed mostly of mechanics and employes of the Union Pacific. They first sunk a shaft on the vein and obtained ore at about 60 feet from the surface that assayed well and gave indications of a rich mine. They then commenced a tunnel, and from their monthly wages, during nearly two years or more, contributed and expended about $24,000. At a distance of about 365 feet, they struck the vein, and have a large body of rich ore in sight and on the dump. A mill will soon be put in, when the company will begin to realize some- thing for their outlay. The Elgin Mining Com- pany have also put in a tunnel, and are reported to have struck a rich vein. The developments, thus far made, indicate that the copper and silver will soon run out, and that the mines will be essentially gold-bearing. South of Rawlins about 60 miles, in the Snake River Region, are fine grazing fields, already occupied, to a certain ex- tent, by cattle men, and mining country yet undeveloped. Placer diggings have been found and worked to some extent, and indications of rich quartz lodes are prevalent, some having already been discovered. A colony of fanners and miners from the vicinity of Denver, Col., have settled in that region, and more are con- stantly going in. About a mile and a half from Rawlins, east, is a large sulphur spring. It is imtaken. as yet. We could not ascertain whether the wat«rs had been analyzed or not, though they are claimed to possess the usual medicinal qualities of wter from similar springs. The springs ficqutatly alluded to as Rawlins Springs, are rn the left of the track, and a little west of the town. The small creek which passes through the place, is known as Separation Creek, and empties into the North Platte River north of Fort Steele. There are, also, immense beds or lakes of soda, tributary to this station, some of which is nearly pure. When they are utilized, as they doubtless soon will be, and the industry is developed, employment will be given to many laborers now idle, together with fortunes to those who have the nerve and capacity to successfully carry it on. We are informed that from twelve to fourteen millions of dollars are annually paid in customs duties on the article of imported soda, alone. Rawlins is in the midst of a broken, des- olate country, and depends upon railroad impor- tations for nearly eveiything upon which its people live, though there is a fine country re- ported both north and south. In addition to the other buildings named, it has the usual quantity of saloons, together with several stores, at which a thriving trade is done. The future of the town will depend largely upon the developments in the mining districts spoken of. Summit. — A side track, nearly seven miles from Rawlins, and 717.4 miles from Omaha; elevation, 6,821 feet. Heavy grades now for quite a distance. Separatitm, — One would naturally suppose from the name, that the waters flowing east and west, divided or separated here, but such is not the fact. Tt. is reported that a party of engineers who were surveying and locating tho road, separated here to run different lines — hence the name. It is a telegraph station, 724.1 miles from Omaha, and 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. The artesian well at this station, which supplies the water tank is 860 feet deep. The water from these wells is not always pure — fre- quently having a brackish or alkali taste. JPi/emore, — named in honor of a former di- vision superintendent of the road, now in the stock business, with ranche at Wyoming. . It is 731.6 miles from Omaha; elevation, 6,^5 feet Simply a side track in the midst of a ban-en, broken country. CVe«fonr— (38.6 miles from the eastern ter- minus of the road, and 7,030 feet above the sea. It is a telegraph station, with the usual side tracks and section-house. Three miles farther west, and we reach the summit of the divide which separates the waters of the two oceans. This is the cr wning ridge in the backbone of the Continent, and a desolate place it is. It is the summit of the Rocky Mountains. " What was this country made for?" — We asked a fellow- traveler. "To hold the rest dl it together"— \'as the ready reply. That is good; the best reason for its existence we've had. It is of some use after all. Allowing 00 feet grade for the three miles west of Creston, to the actual summit of the divide, and we are then 1,122 feet lower than at Sherman. It is true there are no loftv peaks here, with snowy crests the year round, but an immense roll, over which we glide and TMB Psi€IFI€ WO&&i§T. 97 never think that we are croRsinjjf the suiniiiit of the rock-ribbed Rockies. At this divide a short distance north of the track, a pole was or.ce erected with a flag to mark the spot, but it has fallen before the fierce gales which sweep over tiiis elevated ridge, and which seem to have with- ered everything *hey touched. Standing on the rear platform of the train, looking east yon notice the undulations of the road as it passes beneath you ; Elk Mountain of the Medicine Bow Range, and the far distant Black Hills rise grandly in view as you approach the crest, but suddenly you I have passed to the other side, and a stretch of [ country two hundred miles long drops from your view in an instant. On this part of the roaa the most difficulty with snow is usually experienced in the winter. There is a constant breeze here, and frequent storms, though a few miles farther it may be clear and pleasant. In the great snow blockade of the winter of 1871-2, the telegraph I poles were frequently buried in the drifts. Tne Western Union Company had their wires ele- vated on poles planted in the snow in several places, to keep them above the drifts. In that blockade, the worst ever knowji since the road was built, there were seventeen days without trains. Since then the track has Veen raised, snow fences planted, sheds erected aiiu every pos- sible appliance used to insure the safe and speedy passage of trains. Looking again to the north you can see the snowy heads of the Wind River Mountains, with the peak named after Fremont, the gallant Path-finder of the West, towering against the sky. Notice the dark shades of the timber lines as they press against the eternal snows with which they are covered. Looking forward to the west, it you have a [chance, Pilot Butte, north of Rock Springs, one I of the great landmarks of the plains, is clearly I visible. To the south you behold the mountains I where the tributaries of the Snake River rise, land whence they flow into the Pacific Ocean. [Passing rapidly down the grade we arrive at LfUham, — 746.1 miles from Omaha, and 16,900 feet above the sea. Passenger trains do |not stop as it is only a side track. On we go to Washakiep — so called after a Shoshone chief, Ireputed to be friendly to the whites, whose tribe Ifights the Sioux when there is opportunity. It is |7o3.7 miles from Omaha ; elevation, 6,697 feet ; [and nearly 200 feet lower than at the last station. Red Desert. — The country near is reddish pn appearance, but the place is named after the ^ed Desert, near which is an immense basin of ^ts own, similar to the Salt Lake basin. It lies feet below the level of the country, has no ttutlet, and extends from the South Pass on the borth, to Bridger's Pass on the south, and east |[rom summit ot the divide to Tipton on the west, very singular depression right on the divide of the Continent. The little stream just seen before peaching this place, flows south and is lost in this 7 basin. The country near is alkali, and subject to high water and heavy rains, giving great difli- cultv to preserve the security of road-bed and track. Station is 763 miles from Omaha; ele- vation 6,710 feet. Tij/ton, — a side track for nieeting and pass- ing trains. It is 768.6 miles from the " Big Muddy," with an elevation of 6,800 feet. We have been going up hill again — leaving the val- ley of the Snake River. The snows of winter leave heavy drifts along here, but the railroad men have learned by experiencB how to manage them quite successfully. When the drifts have reached the top of tho fences in height, they go along and raise the fences to the top of the drifto, fastening them as best they can in the snow. This they repeat as often as necessaiy, and thus, the snow, in many instances, is kept avvay from the track, buu the drifts become pretty high. TfiMe liockf — named from a rock resembling a table south of, and about six miles from the station. It is 776.3 miles from Omaha, and 6,890 feet above the sea — is a telegraph station. There is a long, evenly cut bluff south of the track, estimated to be 600 feet in height. On what appears to be the north-west corner of this bluff a square, table-like, projection rises — the table — and presents a vei^ odd appearance. It cai. be seen for quite a distance, as you look to the left from the cars. The table projects about 60 feet above the bluffs adjoining, though it does not seem half that distance. Next we come to AffOte, — 781.3 miles from Omaha, and 6,785 feet above the sea. South of this station and to a certain extent, in its immediate vicinity, moss agates are found. The stones, however, are not clear and well-defined. They are smoky and dark, rendering them nearly valueless. Agate is only a side track where trains seldom stop. Down the grade we pass to Bitter Creek, — a telegraph station, 786.£ miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 6,685 feet. At this station, we first strike the well- known Bitter Creek Valley, through which we shall pass to Green River. About four miles below this station, on the south side of the track, the old overland stage and emigrant road struck the valley, as it came in from Bridger's Pass, and aci-oss the Snake River Valley. The railroad reaches Bitter Creek through a " draw " or diy ravine which unites with the valley proper, at the station. The old stage-road struck the creek farther south, and before it reaches the railroad. This was formerly <]uite a station, and the end of a passenger divisioii. It has a small round- house, with nve stalls and turn-table, upon which the engines and snow-plows are turned. Between t^\is station and Rawlins, as has been observed, ^re very heavy grades, requiring two engines to pull a train. These extra engines come with trains as far as this station, and then assist east- ward bound trains back again. A large quan- 5=^ SCENES ON GREEK KIVER. 1.— Flnmlng Gorge. 2.— Brown's Hole. 3.— Looking up the Valley of Green River. Fjrjr ^acmc rotmisr. 99 tity of bridge timber is also kept here, ready [for any emergency. In the great washout at I the foot of this valley, in the spring of 1875, llargc (juantities were used. Bitter Creek is Irigntly named. Its waters are so strongly |ini[>n!gnated with alkali that they are almost luHeleHS. Nevertheless, at the head of this Icreek, where it is fed by cold, clear springs, Ifor more than ten miles from the station, ^rout have been caught, though they are BtnaU. The rugged scenery along this valley nil interest the traveler, as the views are anstantly changing. There are no machiiie- khops for repairs here, only the five-stall roundhouse. The creek has been dammed Eor the purpose of supplying the water tank, though the water is not the best for boil- jers. The whole region of country, from a loint east, as far as Rock Creek to Green tiver, is underlaid with coal. It frequently brop out in this valley. The coal is lignite ^nd will not " coke " like the bituminous oal. There are also indications of iron knd other minerals, in the immediate vicin- ity of the valley. Occasionally, you will lee little shrub pines on the bluffs — but no limber. These pines have tried to grow, put the sterility of the soil is against them. They find it almost impossible to "take oot." Sometimes it seems, as you pass Sown the valley and look ahead, as though |he train was going square against the )cks, and would be dashed in pieces; but sudden curve, and you have rounded the brojecting bla£fs, and are saf'jly pursuing rour journey. Again, it seems as though ne bluffs were trying to shake hands across lie chasm, or making an effort to become lovetailed together. They assume all sorts |f shaped, washed out in places by the torms of ages — smoothly carved as if by iie hand of the sculptor — and again, ragged Ind grotesque. The geology of the Bitter preek and Green River Valleys, will afford 1 chapter of curious interest, and will amply eward him who searches thoroughly after lie knowledge. Professor Hayden and Major Powell have the best reports on the forma- fon and geology of this region. Bfark BiUten — is the next station, 795.4 liles from Omaha, and 6,600 feet above lie sea. It is a telegraph station with companying side tracks. Foi-merly there jfas a coal mine worked here, said to be- png to Jack Morrow, now of Omaha, and uite a noted frontier character in his ly- It furnishes excellent coal, easily ac- bsible, the vein being from six to eight ht thick. As you approach the station, lotice the balanced rock noi-th of the l»ad and within 50 feet of the side rack. The buttes from which the station is named are south of the creek, and plainly visible. Hallvllle, — named after a noted contractor who graded the road through thib part of the valley. A few {)osts and adobe walls are all that remain of the camp. It is simplv a side track, 800.9 miles from Omaha, witn an elevation of 6,590 feet. Point of Itockn — is a station with a his- toiy. It was formerly quite a town, but its dory has departed with the causes wHich Drought it into existence. It was formerly the point of departure and the outfitting place for the Sweetwater Gold District, South Pass City. jStlantic City, Camp Stambaugh, and other places in the region of the Great South Pass at the foot of Wind River Mountains, and is the nearest railroad point to those places, to-day, with a good wagon road not much traveled. Distance to South Pass City, 65 miles. Th6 rocks from which this place is named are on a high point south of the track, and a little east of the station. They seem in the distance like faint outlines of huge perpendicular columns, not very high, but really 365 feet perpendicular above their base surroundings. Their summit is about 1,100 feet above the track. At the base of the rocks proper, and about 735 feet above the track, seven sulphur springs break out, three of which are large ones, the balance being small. North of the track, and three-fourths of a mile west of the station, is an iron spring, reputed to possess remarkable medicinal qual- ities, several invalids, especially females, hav- ing been highly benefited by drinking of and bathing m its waters. Four miles north of the station is a huge sulphur spring, with water pouring forth from the ground. The artesian well, which supplies the water tank here, is 700 feet deep. Water is pumped out by steam power. Wells & Far^o's Over- land Express Company had a station here, and their old adobe buildings, rapidly going into decay, mav still be seen across the creek, at the base of the bluffs. In the "piping" times of the town several build- ings were commenced, but the collapse was so sudden that they were never completed. This station is 806.7 miles from Omaha, and 6,490 feet above the sea. If the springs in the vicinity are improved, it will become a great resort for invalids, and those who de- sire to realize the beneficial effects of their healing waters. Thayer, — simply a side track, 812 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 6,425 feet. The moving trains will give the tourist an ever-varying view of the grand And beau- tiful scenery of this valley. Salt Wats, — 818.2 miles from the eastern 100 FXm ^SCtFW TOMmtST. terminuH of the road, and 6,360 feet above the Hea. It ih a telef^rapli Htation, and in the construction period of the road, was a place where considerable timber, wood, etc., was delivered. The water from the well here lias a saltish, alkaline taste, her.ce the name. Three and one-half miles north, there is a salt or alkali basin, which has no visible outlet in which the brackish waters stand the most of the year. J8aa5eerr-826.2 miles from Omaha; eleva- its entire line. Rock Springs coal for domentic purposes is only surpassed by anthracite. It nas but little ot the sulphurous smell of oilier soft coal, burns into ashes without clinkers, and without the black soot which characterizes other coal. These mines, with others, were formt ily operated by the Wyoming Coal Company, '1 heir product is annually increasing; wherever the superior merits of the coal have become known it speedily supplants other kinds in use, In 187.') tne company mined 104,427 tons, or CASTLK ROOK. tion, 6,800 feet — A side track where passenger trains do not stop. The valley narrows in this vicinity, and the rugged rocka with their ragged edges, if possible become more interesting to the observer. Rock Springs, — 831.6 miles from Omaha, and 6,280 feet above the sea. This is the great coal station on the line of the Union Pacific Road. _ The company not only furnishes the finest lignite coal to be found, lOr its own use, but supplies the market at every point along 10,442 cars allowing the usual ten tons per car. They did not, however, ship this number of cars I as considerable coal is furnished to all the en- 1 S'nes that pass, and consumed by the people I iring in the town. They are now working two! veins, one six and the other about nine feet in | thickness. Lawrence, — 840.6 miles from Omaha, with! an elevation of 6,200 feet. A side track for| passing trains between Rock Springs and Green River, — ^which is the end of the Lai*! mie (HviHion of the road, 27i).8 milea from that ))liici>, 1111(1 84(S.6 inilRH from Omaha, with an ttU;- vatiou of 0,140 tmt. ThiH is u regular uatiiig- Httttion, breukfuHt and Huppt^, and is uoto one of the bent kept hoHtelrieH un the road. This place will eventually be u jwpulur resort for those who are seeking for fossiliierous ruinuins, and those who delight in fishing. Hero is the outfitting Joint for hunting and fishing parti<'s who esire to go either north or south, aiid here is the head center for Rocky Mountain spec- imens, fossils, petrifactions, etc., and travelers would like to know beforehand just what accom- luodutions they can obtain. Mr. Kitchen is able to provide for all, in elegant style, at reasonable prices. Here, also, he has on exhibition and for Kale the specimens alluded to — such as beautiful moss agates, fossil fish, petrified shells and wood, with otiiers which we are nr*: able to uiini.'. Par- hut thus far with indifferent success, though Mr. Fields was quito successful, in 1875, with a crop of ]K)tato(>s, cabbagf H, turnips, radishes, and other "garden truck." His wheat, outs and barley did not ripen, though he says thity were planted too lute in the season, and that the experiment was not a fair test. The vull*^ of Salt Lake has been recluinu^d by. the Mormons, and crops may yet be raised hero upon similar soil (alkali), though the elevation is some 2,000 feet greater than at Salt Lake. The high projecting tower noiih of the track, crowning a l>liifl. is (125 feet higher than the river level below, u. ' about (J15 feet higher than the track. Other i • cks. as " The Sisters " and " The Twin Sist'Ts " will be readily recog- nized by the pas'ing traveler. "Wake up, w •' up," ^M an old lady to her husband, as the train upproach>'d the station one ^CHAwm THK TWIN HI8TKRS, OREEM RIVER. ties of men are employed to search the hills, mountains and valleys in this vicinity, for these specimens, and when found, to bring them in. The stock is, therefore, continually replenished with rich and rare gems and fossils, and they mav here be obtained at any time. Being the end of a division. Green River has a large roundhouse with fifteen stalls, and the usual machine and repair shops. The railroad bursts into the valley through a narrow gorge between two hills, then turns to the right and enters the town, crossing the river beyond on a wooden truss bridge. The old adobe town, re- mains of which are still visible, was on the bot- tom-land directly in front of the gorge. Green River is now the county-seat of Sweet- water County, Wyoming, and has a population of about .500 souls. Efforts have been made by Mr. Fields and a few others to reclaim the soil. morning last year; "here is Solomon's temple petrified," saia she, as she gave him another shake. The old gentleman rubbesterly diiection till it reaches Bryan, theri turns toward the south-west and unites with Green River some twenty miles below the town of Green River, The valley at Bi-yan is quite broad in places, and thickly covered with sage brush and greasewood, The soil is said to be fei-tile and capable of pro- ducing lar^e crops with irrigation. Fort Bridger, eleven miles south of Carter Station, is on this stream, and at that place over 300 bushels of potatoes have been raised from a single half acre of gix)und. This shows what this virgin soil can do if irrigated. The table- land on the elevated benches that the traveler will obsei-ve on either side of the road, is said to be equally rich, and would be equally as prolific if it could be irrigated. As you approach Bryan, look away to the south and south-east, and you will behold the towering peaks of the Uintah Mountains, 70 or 80 miles off. They do not look so distant, but then distance is very decep- tive in this countiy. Bryan is a telegraph sta- tion with a store, saloon, and a few houses — all that's left to tell the story of its better and de- parted days. Its early history is the same as all the railroad towns we have mentioned, with roupfhs, cut-throats, gamblers, villains, etc., and their cleaning out by vigilance conmiittees, under law administered by "Judge Lynch." We now pursue our way up the valley of Black's Fork. Four rriles west of Bryan, the road first crosses this stream which it follows to Church Buttes. MargtOH — is the next station — a side track 21 miles from Green Rivsr, and 867.6 miles from Omaha ; elevation, 6,245 feet. From the ap]iar- ently level plains which the road crosses, abrupt buttes or bluffs rise as if built by human hands WMB fisicirw FQirmiSF. 105 as mounds to conceal some treasure, or to perpet- uate some remarkable incident in history. They form a curious study, and awaken no little in- terest in the mind of an observing traveler. To the left of the track there are a number of low buttes as you approach Granger f — the next station, 877.2 miles from Omaha, and 6,270 feet above tha sea. It is a telegraph station, named in honor of an old set- tier nere, and is the principal shipping point on the line of the Union Pacific, for Montana and Idaho cattle. These cattle are driven to this point from the territories named, and the ship- ments are increasing every year. Yards and chutes have been erected for their accommodation and use. Near the' station are one or two stone houses. The road here crosses Ham's Fork, a tributary of Black's Fork, which rises some 70 to Evanston, in great profusion. The most of them, however, are valueless, but occasionally specimens of rare beauty are picked up. On what are called " the bad lands," about 7 miles south of the road, however, the finest agates, with other beautiful geme, are obtained with lit- tle difficulty. In Ham's Fork water agates, creamy white, and amber colored, may be occa- sionally picked up. They are quite rare, and when cut by the lapidary, are held to be of con- siderable value. F<«M> of Uintah Mountains, — The view ' we give an illustration of, on page 80, is one of the finest in the Far West. The scene is t^en from Photograph Ridge, at an elevation of 10,829 feet. In the foreground is a picturesque group of the mountain pines. In the middle distance flows Black's Fork. The peaks or cones OHCaOH BCTTE8 miles north-west, and which, the old settlei-s say, is really the maip stream of the two. The banks of this stream, as far as you can see, are lined with bushes, and farther up, its valley produces luxuriant grass, from which hay is cut, and upon which nuiherous herds of cattle feed. An oval peak rises on the north side of the track, beyond which, in the distance, may be seen a range of bluffs, or mountains,which rise up betyveen Ham's Fork and Green River. From Granger to the next station, are buttes on both sides of the track, while, to the left, the high peaks of the Uintah Range tower up '- the distance, affording oiie of the grandest vie\ ;n the line of the road. This is the region of moss agates, gems of vari- ous kinds, and precious stones. Agates are found all along the line of the road from Green River ON BLACK'S FORK. in the distance have their summits far above the limits of perpetual snow, and from 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the springs that are the sources of the streams below. These cones are distinctly strati- fied, mostly horizontal, and there are frequently vast piles of purplish, compact quartzite, which resemble Egyptian pyramids on a gigantic scale, without a trace of grit, vegetation, or water. One of these remarkable structures stands out isolated from the rest, in the middle of the Valley of Smith's Fork, and is so much like a Gothic church, that the United States Surveying Party gave it the name of Hayden's Cathedral, after the leader of the exploration. Church Bwttes,— 887.7 miles from Omaha ; elevation, 6,317 feet. The particular buttes, from which the station derives its name, are 106 rmm ^sicinc roMiisr. about 10 miles south of the station, on the old overland stage road, but buttes rise up from the level plains in this vicinity in every direction. They are, however, fast washing away. The annual increase in raiu-fall on this desert, since the completion of the railroad and the stretch- ing of five telegraph wii'es, is remarkable, and is especially noticed by the old settlers. These rains, with the frosts of winter, are having a noticeable efEect on the buttes. Isolated peaks have disappeared entirely — and prominent pro- jections have been materially lessened. There are still a large num?ier, however, chiseled by the action of frosts And mins into fantastic shapes which will excite the attention and rivet the gaze of the traveler, as he passes by ; but, if their annual diminution continues, in less than half a century, they will have lost their interest. Near this station is the last crossing of Black's Fork, which now bears away to the left, while the road ascends another of its branches, called the Big Muddy. What has been said ki refer- ence to agates, etc., of the other stations, will apply to Church Buttes with equal 'orce. Curious Scientific Exploratimis. — Church Buttes is a curious formation, located on the line of the old overland stage route, about one hundred and fifty miles east from Salt Lake, and at this point having an elevation of 6,731 feet. The formation is part of the Mauvaises Terrea, or Bad Lands, and consists of a vast de- posit of sedimentary sandstones, and marly clay, in perfectly horizontal strata, and contain within their beds, some very remarkable paleontological remains. The peculiar effects of stormy weather and flood, in the past, has carved the bluif-lines into the most curious and fantastic forms — lofty domes and pinnacles, and fluted columns, these rocks resembling some cathedral of the olden time, standing in the midst of desolation. Professor Hayden, in speaking of them says, " Distance lends a most delicious enchantment to the scene, and the ima^nation can build many castles from oat of this mass of most singular formation. A nearer approach dispels some of the illusions, but the mind is no less impressed with the infinite variety of detail and the scat- tered remains of the extinct life of some far dis- tant age." In this section are found " moss agates," in the greatest abundance, being scattered all over the surface of the country. Standing upon one of the summits of the Highest point of the " Bad Lands," Hayden says, "as far as the eye can reach, upon every side, is a vast extent of most infinite detail. It looks like some ruined city of the gods, blasted, bare, desolate, but grave, beyond a mortal's telling." In 1870, a geological expedi- tion, headed by Prof. O. C. Marsh, of Yale College, and known as the " Yale College Expedition of 1870 " — visited the « Bad Lands " and made a geological examination. They were accompanied by Buffalo Bill, a military troupe, end ten Pawnee Indians, as guides. On the way, Profesoior Mursh endeavored to explain the mighty changes of ' geology and the grand discoveries they would make — and as Bimalo Bill intimated, some of them were "pretly tough yarttf." The decolation of the country can only be imagined, not de- scribed — hour after hour the party marched over burning sand-hills, without rocks or trees, or signs of water, while the thermometer stood at 110" in the shade oi the wagons. After fourteen hours in the saddle, one of the soldiers, exhaust- ed with heat and thirst, finally exclaimed ; " What did God Almif/hly make tuch as thitforf" " Why," replied another more devout trooper, " God Almighty made the country good enough hut it's thin deuced geology the pr/feseor talks about, that spoiled it all." Foi fresh water the party had to thank the I favor of a thunder-shower, during which they i drank from the rims of each other's hats. Their researches resulted in the discovery of the re- 1 mains of various species of the camel, horse, mammals, and others new to science. A brancli I of this expedition exploring the canons and plains of Northern Colorado, discovered a large deposit which contained great quantities of fossil turtles, and rhinoceros, birds, and the re- mains of the areodon, — a remarkable animal combining the characteristics of the modem j sheep, pig and deer. The remains of another mon- ster, the Titanotherit •,, were found of such vast I proportions, that a lower jaw measured over /our feet in length. At Antelope Station, in one of these areodon beds, remains were found of several species of horse ; — one a three-toed ani- mal, and another which, although full grown, had attained the height of but two feet. In an ex- 1 ploration near Green River — the expedition found petrified fishes in abundance, and a* small bed, containing fossil insects, a rare discov- ery. Here were beetles and dragons, flies and grasshoppers ; a gigantic fossil mosquito, and an extinct flea of great dimensions were also discovered. At Fort Wallace, Ks., the party found a trophy in the form of a skeleton of a sea serpent nearly complete, which alone re- quired lour days to dig out and bring to the camp. This monster when alive could not have | been less than 60 feet. It had a slender eel- like body and tail, with mouth like a boa-con- strictor. Among the curious incidents which hap^/fued. was the discovery of a genuine Sioux Indian bur- ial ground. The dead were reposing on platforms I of boughs elevated above the ground, and sujv ported at the four corners by poles about fight leet in height. On one of these tombs lay two bodies, — a woman, decked in beads and bracelets, and a scalpless brave, with war paint still on the cheeks, and holding in his crumbling hand, a rusty shot-gun, and a pack of cards. Several | rmm i^atciWic TO^miST. 107 md ten Pawnee rofes'jor Marsh ity changes of j .68 they would ated, some of The decolation igined, not de- y marched over :8 or trees, or meter stood at After fourteen j Idlers, exhaust- It exclaimed : icA a« this for f" \ (levout trooper, ^ good enough, [ asor talks aboni, id to thank the j ing -which they jr's hats. Their j )very of the re- le camel, horse, | ence. A branch the canons and j iscovered a large t quantities of irds, and the re- 1 larkable animal of the modem | s of another nioii- und of such vast easured over /our station, in one of were found of a three-toed ani- h full grown, had feet. In an ex- —the expedition jice, and a* small , a rare dhcov- ragons, flies and il mosquito, and nsions were also i , Ks., the party a skeleton of a ' which alone re-1 md bring to the e could not have | id a slender eel- 1 li like a boa-con- j which happened. ^ioux Indian bur- sing on platforms ground, and sup- loles about fight sse tombs lay two ids and bracelets, paint still on the :rumbling hand, f cards. Several | incidents occurred from the abundance of rattle- snakes. Several animals were bitten by them, and the coimtrv at some places fairly swarmed with them. >i umbers were killed every day by the horses* feet, and while members of the party would occasionally bathe in the river, these reptiles would bask upon the bank of the stream near their clouhes, as one of them says, " Their humming soon became an old tune, and the charm of shooting the wretches wore away for all but one, who was collecting their rattles as a necklace for his lady love." f Hampton, — a little over 50 miles from Green River, 897.1 miles from Omaha, and 6,500 feet above the sea. It is simply a side track where, occasionally, trains meet and pass. Approaching this station, two large buttes lift themselves above their fellows on the left side of the track, while beyond, a low, dark ridge may be seen cov- ered with cedars. In this ridge is an abundance of game and good hunting at almost any season of the year. The game consists of elk, coyotes, wolves, deer, bears, etc. About three miles be- fore you rea6h the next station, you will notice off to the right of the track, a long, low, dark ridge. It is also covered with cedars, and it strikes the road near Bridger Station. There are also plenty of cedars in the bluffs to the left before you reach C'ai'ter,—the next station, which is 904.6 miles from Omaha, and 6,550 feet above the sea. The station is named in honor of Col. Dick Carter, whose home is here, and who has lived here since the completion of the lailroad. It is the nearest railroad station to Fort Bridger, which is located on Black's Fork, 11 miles due south, and reached by daily stages from this point. Colonel Carter is about to try the experi- ineut of raising crops at this station. He has built a dam across the creek and du^ a ditch nearly 2,000 'oug, which will irrigate the ground he proposes to till. Near Carter, also, one can h&rdly go amiss of moss agates and other curious specimens. About 20 miles a little north-west of this station, is a mountain of coal on a tributary of Little Muddy. In this mountain are found three splendid veins of coal, of total thickness of 87 feet, which can be traced over ten miles, also layers of slate 25 to 30 feet in depth. The coal resembles cannel coal, and makes excellent coke for smelting purposes. Seven miles north of Carter, a white sul- phur spring was discovered in the summer of 1875, whose waters will equal, if not surpass those of the celebrated springs of Virginia. Within about a hundred yards of these sulphur springs, and at the same time, a chalybeate spring was also discovered, but its waters have not yet been analyzed, though their medicinal qualities are said to be excellent. riiere is also, a fine fresh water spring near by. A branch railroad from Carter would pass these springs, and reach the mountain of coal in a dis- tance of 24 miles. Smith's Fork, a branch of Black's, is about five miles south of Fort Bridger, and Henry's Fork, of Green River, is some 25 miles still farther south, and is noted for its rich grazing. It is mostly occupied by stockmen as a winter range, and large numbers of cattle are annually win- tered without hay in its valley. Smith's and Henry's Forks are tilled with trout, and afford fine fishing, while there is an abundance of game, such as elk, deer, antelope and bear to attract the hunter and sportsman. A plenty of sage hens give fine shooting in the summer months. Carter is a telegraph station, and has a store fh)m which ranchemen, hunters, and others ob- tain supplies. It was formerly an eating-station on the road and was renowned for the splendid trout which were served up by Colonel Carter, who was its proprietor. A government road to Fort Ellis, Montana, and the Yellowstone Park, has been surveyed from this station by way of Bear River Valley and the Soda Springs in Idaho. It is some 80 miles nearer than by Ogden or Corinne, over a fine route, and will probably be opened in a year or two. Bridger, — 914.1 miles from Omaha, with an elevation of 6,780 feet. It is a telegraph station named in honor of Jim Bridger, who was a noted hunter and guide, for goverament and other ex- peditions. Since leaving Bryan, we havo been going up hill all the time, and our ascent will now be rapid until we pass the divide between Piedmont and Aspen. The country is exceed- ingly broken and rough on each side of the track, while the valley of the Big Muddy narrows up, as we approach the summit. JLerojf, — is the next station. It is 919.1 miles from Omaha, and 7,128 feet above the level of the sea. In passing over only five miles of road, we have ascended nearly 350 feet. Leaving this place, you will observe old telegraph poles still standing on the left of the track. They mark the line of the old overland road. About two miles west of Leroy, at the base of a hill or bluff, south of the track, are some excellent Soda Springs. They are near the road, and trains sometimes stop to enable passengers to drink the water. In 1875, an emigrant train stopped at these springs a few minutes, when one of the passengers, on the way to the springs, picked up a most beautiful moss agate, in which there were six clearly defined, conical shaped trees, each one -perfect in shape and form. The hills and val- leys in this vicinity continue to abound in agates and other curious specimens, while soda, iron and fresh water springs, are numerous, some- times in close proximity to each other. Piedmont. — Here the road, after crossing it, leaves the Muddy, which comes in from the south. This station is ten miles from Leroy, 929.1 miles from Omaha, and has an elevation of I \ 108 FMS ^siCIFW Fo&misr. 7,540 feet. In summer, the scenery along this part of the ix)ad is delightful, while in winter the storms are severe, the wind blowing almost a constant gale, while the snow drifts mountains high. There are several snow sheds along this part of the road, the longest being on the sum- mit, 2,700 feet in length. The road having to wind around the spurs and into the depressions of the hills, is ver^ crooked, in one place doub- ling back on itself. We are now crossing a high ridge in the Uintah Mount- ains, and the second highest elevation on the Union Pacific. Off to the left these mountains in higher, grand- er forms, lift their summits toward the clouds, and are most always covered with snow, while their sides are lined with dark green — the col- or of the JjImh forests, which partiaUy envel- op them. While the road was be- ing built, large, quantities o i ties, telegraph poles and bridge timber,were cut on the Foot Hills, near these mountains, and delivered to the company. About two miles north- west of Pied- mont, is a won- derful Soda Spring. The sediment or de- '(■Ti.f.iiir posits of this IMTEBIOB OF SNOW spring have built up a conical-shaped body with a basin on the top. In this basin the water appears, to a small extent, and has evidently sometime had a greater flow than at present . but, as similar springs have broken out around the base of this cone, the pressure on the main spring has, doubt- less, been relieved, and its flow, consequently, lessened. The cone is about 15 feet high and is well worthy of a visit from the tourist. At Piedmont, the traveler will first observe the per- manent coal pits, built of stone and brick, which are used in this country for the manufacture of charcoal for the smelting works of Utah. There are more of them at Hilliard and Evanston, aud they will be more fully described then. Leaving Piedmont, the road makes a long curve, like a horse-shoe doubling on itself, and, finally, reaches the summit of the divi ^'^ in a long snow shed, one of the longest on the road. AHjten, — the next station. It ib 938.5 miles from Omaha, and has a reported elevation of 7,835 feet. It is not a great distance — only about two miles — from the sum- mit. Evidences of change in the formation of the country are everywhere visi- ble, and the change affords a marked relief to the weary mo- notony of the desolate plains over which we have passed. Down the grade we now pass rapidly, with high hills on either side of I the track- through a lovely valley, with an occasional fill, and through a j deep cut» to the next station. HiUiardy- a new station, opened for busi- ness in 1873, is I 043.5 miles from { Omaha, with an elevation of 7,310 feet. The town owes its importance to the Hilliard I :ume & Lumber Company, which has extensive property interests here, and in the vicinity. In approai^-hing the town from Aspen, the road passes down a " draw " or ravine, through a cut on a curve, and near this place enters the Bear River Valley, one of the | most beautiful, and so far as has been demon- strated, fertile valleys of the Rocky Mountains. I Two things excite the curiosity of the traveler if he has never seen them before ; one is the cos! pits, and the other is the elevated flume under 8HED8, U. p. R. R. which trains of cars pass. This flunie, built of timber and boards, is 24 miles long, and is 2,000 feet higher where it first takes the water from Bear River, than where it empties the same at Milliard. The greatest fall in any one mile is 320 feet. The timber which is brought to the station by this flume, is obtained in large amounts in the foot hills of the Uintah Mount- ains, or on the mountains themselves anr^, is mostly pine. The saw-mill of the company, erected at the head of this flume, has a capacity of 40,000 feet in 24 hours, with an engine of 40 horse-power. Over 2,000,000 feet of lumber were consumed in the construc- tion of this flume, and its branches in the mountains. Through it cord-wood, lum- ber, ties and saw-logs are floated down to the railroad. The cord-wood is used for char- coal. You will observe the con- ical shaped pits in which it is made, near the railway track, on the right, as you pass west- ward. There are 29 pits or kilns at Hilli- ard, nineteen small ones, and ten large ones. The small kilns require twenty- six cords of wood at a fill- ing, and the large ones fortv cords. The small ones cost about 8750, each ; the large ones f|900. These kilns consume 2,000 cords of wood per month, and produce 100.000 bushels of charcoal as a re- sult, in the same time. There are other kilns about nine miles south of the town, in active oper- ation. There are fine iron and sulphur springs within three-fourths of a laile of the station. The reddish appearance of the mountain we have just passed indicates the presence of iron in this vicinity in large quantities, and coal also begins to crop out in different places as we go down the valley. Bear River is renowned for its trout. They are caught south of the road in BOCK OUT, HEAB ASPEN. the mountain tributaries, and north of Evans- ton, in Bear River Lake. Though the country has somewhat changed in appearance, and a dif- ferent formation has been entered upon, we have not passed the region of agates and gems, precious and otherwise. They are found in the vicinity of Hilliard,'in large i;uantities, together with numerous petrifactions of bones; etc., with fossilized fish, shells, ferns and other materials. Twenty-five miles a little south-west of Hil- liard are found two sulphur mountains. The sulphur is nearly 90 per cent, pure, in inex- haustible quan- tities. The scenery of the Upper Bear River is rugged and grand. About 20 miles south of Hil- iiard is a nat- ural fort which was taken pos- session of by a gang of horse thieves and cut- throats, under the lead of one Jack Watkins, a genuine front- ier ruffian, who, with his com- f)anions, for a ong time re- sisted all at- tempts at cap- ture. The hills and mountains in this vicinity abound in game, and offer rare induce- ments to sports- men. The country around both Hilliard and Evanston is the natural home 'or bears, elk, deer, catamounts, lynx, wolves, ruyptes. Wolverines, beaver, mink, foxes, badger.., mountain lions, wild cats, jack rabbits, etc., grous j sage hens, quails and ducks in the spring and fall. Not far north of Evans- ton, on Bear River, is Hear Lake, ten miles in length, and from five to eight in br<,adth. The boundary line between Idaho iUid Utah passes directly across the lake from east to west. Sofia SprinffH.—Fa,Tt\ier north,at the Big Bend of Bear River, the most interesting group of soda springs known on the Continent, occupy some six square miles. To thost graced with steam vents, Fremont gave the name of Steamboat 110 FMM ^SiCiFtC TOMtiST. Springs, from the noise they moke like a low- pressure engine. Near by is a spring with an orifice brightly stained with a brilliant yellow coating of oxide of iron, from which the water is thrown up two feet. Independence Mock. — This has long been a noted landmark, for travelers on the old over- land waeon route. Its base which borders the road is literally covered with names and dates, some of them even before Fremont's expedition crossed the Continent — many more well known. The Sweetwater River flows immediately along the southern end of it, and on the opposite side of the stream is another ridge similai' to ^t, continuing from the south-west, which was once connected with it. It is a huge example of dis- integration; its rounded form resembles an oblonff hay-stack, with layers of rocks lapping over me top and sides of the mass. Thin layers another conspicuous landmark, — the Twin Peaks, which really are but one hi^h peak in the ridge, cleft down the centre, dividing it in two, nearly to the base. View in ttie Uintah Mountains.— The view we give on page 80, is taken from Photo- graph Ridge, elevation, 10,829 feet, — by the Hayd<=>n Exploring Expedition, and is one of the grandest und most perfect mountain views in the West. The traveler, as he passes rapidly through Echo and Weber Canons, and casually notices the chain of mountains at the south, can form no idea of their beauty and grandeur. Professor Hayden says of this view " In the fore- ground of our view is a picturesque group of the mountain pines. In the middle dis- tance, glimmering in the sunlight like a silver thread, is Black's Fork, meandering through grassy, lawn-like parks, the eye follov/ing it up nrOKPENDRNOB ROOK. b'' 'e been broken off in part, and huge masses are scattered all around it. On some portions of the sides they 'ap down to the ground, Mrith so gentle a descent that one can walk up to the top without difficulty, 'the rock has a circum- ference of 1,550 yards. The north end is 193 feet in height, and the opposite end, 167 feet, with a depression in the center of 75 feet. DevU's Gate on the Stveetwater. — Follow- ing up the valley from Independence Rock, and five miles north, is another celebrated natural curiosity. The DeviTa Gate, a canon which the Sweetwater River has worn through the Granite Ridge '*utting it at right-angles. The walls are vertical, being about 350 feet high, and the dis- tance through is about 300 yards. The current of the straam through the gate is slow, finding its way among the fallen masses of rock, with gentle, easy motion, and pleasant murmur. Fifteen miles farther above the Devil's Gate, is to its sources,- among the everlasting snows of the summit ridge. The peaks or cones in the distance, are most distinctly stratified and ap- parently horizontal or nearly so, with their sum- mits far above the limits of perpetual snow, and from 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the springs that rise from the streams below." Giibert'n Peakf — is one of the highest peaks of the Uintah Mountain Range, named after Greneral Gilbnert of the U. S. A. It has near its summit a beautiful lake of 11,000 feet, and above this rises the peak abruptly 2,250 more. Total, 13,260 feet. Throughout these mctuntains are very mauy lakes, — which gather among the rocks bordered with dense growth of spruce trees, and form a characteristic feature of the scenery. Bear River City. — After leaving Hilliard, the road, as it continues down the valley of Sul- phur Creek, passes the site of Bear River City, a ram ^^ciFtc ro&sisr. Ill loif^a famous town, but which now has not a sin- Igle building to mark where it once stood ; a mile I anil a half west of Uilliard will be seen the head- I boards of the graves of early-day rioters. The [city was laid out in 1808, and for a time there ■was high speculation in lota, and once the popula- Ition reached as high as 2,000 persons. Fre- Iquent garrotings, deaths and robberies, led to the lorganization of a vigilance committee, who hung I three of the desperadoes. An active Aght after- I wards ensued I between the I citizens and ■the mob, who [had organized Ito revenge the I death of one ■of their num- Iber. The oiti- Izens were well I protected b y ■the wall of a I store, and by ■active firing |killedl6of the ■rioters, with lother losses, Inerer known. I From that day Ithe place was ■dropped by the [railroad, and [it faded en- [tirely away. mtUlis — is [the next sta- [tion, 947.5 [miles from I Omaha, with I ail elevation of 16,790 feet It jis an unim- [portant side [track, where [trains occa- [sionally pass. jl<^^2 location is [about a mile and a half be- I low or west of the site of Bear [River City. thk dxvil'b oatb Leaving Millis the road soon crosses Bear River over a low trestle-work — an opening being left m the embankment for the passage of surplus water in time of freshets. The entire valley here has been known to be covered with water m the spring. Evaneton, — 957 miles from Omaha ; eleva- tion, 6,770 feet. It is the county-seat of yintiih County, Wyoming Temtory, and the last town going west, in Wyoming. It con- tains about 1,500 people, and is a thriving business place, owing to proximitv of the coal mines, its lumber interests and the location of the division roundhouse of twenty stalls, with car and machine-shops — ^giving constant employ- ment to a large number of men. The town is lo<.ated on the western bank of Bear River, and has abundant water power that might be utilized in various manufactories. A large saw-mill, run by a lumber company, gets its logs from the mountains to- ward the head of the stream. They are rolled into the river, and floated down to the mill. This place, also, has a few charcoal kilns— lumber, coal and char- coal, being the principal prod- u c 1 8 of the town. Evans- ton is a regu- lar dinner sta- tion — trains from the east and west stop- ping thirty minutes for dinner. You will dine at the "Mountain Trout Hotel," a well-kept house, where everything is scrupulously neat — the food being plainly, but well cook- ed. At this house, the trav- eler will find regular Chi- nese waiters, dressed in Chi- nese costume, ON THE 8WEETWATBB. quick, p O 1 i t e and attentive, and you can here gratify your cu- riosity by seeing and talking with them. Game and trout will usually be found on the tables, in their season. The proximity of this eating-sta- tion, and the one kept at Green River, to the great trout-fishing regions of the Rocky Mountains, creates an expectation, on the part of the traveler, that he will usually find the speckled beauties served up at these stations, nor is he often dis- appointed, in the proper season of the year. 112 TMM ^siciFic romiST. I i The town has good schools, three or four churchea and an excellent court-house. A daily and weeklv newspaper — " Tht Evatuton Age" is published nere. Bear River, which runs through this place, rises in the Uintah Mountains, on the south, and runs in a general northerly direction to the great soda springs in Idaho, about 120 miles directly north of Echo City. It then turns to the south-west and empties into Great Salt Lake, near Corinne. Its valley is pretty well settled by Mormons, and othera, ail the way round its gpreat bend. Near the location of these soda spring, and at the northern extremity of Bear River ' Mountains, evi- dences of vol- canic action are everywhere visi- ble, and extinct craters are no uncommon thing. Evanston i s built mostly on. the left side of the track, as you enter the town, the valley ris- ing into the hill behind it. This hill, were it not for the hard winds and deep snows of winter, would afford some very fine building spots, and for summer residences must b e delightful. In winter, how- ,ever, some of the little houses that skirt the hill on the west- em borders of the place, are literally covered #ith snow which drifts over the hills from the south. The agricultural prospects of the valley, lower down, are said to oe flattering — the Mormon .farmers producing fine crops. Near Evanston there are a number of cattle ranches where hay is cut. and cattle have to be fed and sheltered during tha winter. There have also been some successful experiments in raising potatoes, cabbages, turnips, parsnips, radishes, let- tuce, onions and other " garden truck," while oats, barley and wheat can undoubtedly be raised in favorable seasons. Notice the altitude of this place, and then the traveler can form the best opinion as to whether agriculture, as a steady busi- LAKS I.AI1, OB MOORE'S LAKK, HEAD OP BEAR RIYER. as you proceed west. ness, can be made successful. (Janddr coni]iel8 us further to say that frosts may happen during I every one of the summer months. Sporting, — Evanston, however, possessPH all the attractions which delight the sportsinan. The mountains to the north and south and the high hills in the immediate vicinity, „re full of game, while Bear River is renowned for its trout. The streams flowing into Bear River, on either side, both north and south of the town, are full of trout, and afford excellent sport in those seasons of the year when their I catching is not prohibited by law, while Bear Lake, some sixty miles north, from all that we co|iId learn about it, is the chosen home of trout and the very paradise of fish- ermen. Sport- 1 ing parties can obtain guides, outfits, and Jiccommodations .at Evanston, from which t)lace they can mnt, fish, visit the Sulphur Mountains, and search for fos- sils, etc., to their heart's content. It is one of the most favorable points on the line of the road for recreation and amusement, and will, event- ually, become a noted resort for tourists. Chinamen be- gin to thicken At Evanston they have quite a settlement, the shanties and buildings on the right of the track and opposite the depot being "China Town." Here they have their " Joss "house, saloons and residences. Ah Say, their head man, speaks very good English, has his Chinese wife with him, and with the excer- tion of the inevitable " cue," dresses and appears like the Americans, with whom he has now lived for about fifteen years. About three miles from Evanston, on the east side of Bear River, is Alma, the coal mirers' town. Here coal mines belonging to the Cen- tral Pacific, the Union Pacific, and to S. H. rmm fR^awic Tov§tiST. 113 Winsor are worked. Mr. Winsor is just open- ing his mine — which is nearest to Evanston — whilu the other mines have been worked for 80IUO time. " The Rocky Mountain Coal Com- pauy," is the name of the corporation which supplies the Central Pacific with coal. In 1875, this company mined 08,897 tons, or 9,800 cars of coal. They have three mines open. In one year, not long since, they mined aoout 150,000 touH, or 15,000 cars. The Union Pacific having other mines along their road do not, of course, mine as much here as does the Kocky Mountain Company. A Mountain on fire. Do not be startled at thb an aouncement, ^et this is a genuine fact ; the companies operatmg these mines, have been put to immense labor and I expense to keep under control an immense fire in their coal veins. These mines took fire from spontaneous combustion in this way. They perhaps took out too much coal in the first place, that is, did not leave pillars enough to support the overhanging walls ; what is called "slack" — coal that has crumbled by action of air — was also allowed to accumulate in the mine. The vein of fire clay next above the vein of coal fell down on this slack, and caused spontaneous combustion of the I coal underneath it. A fire with a perpetual {supply of fuel is rather a hard thing to master, and in a coal mine generally awakens no small I amount of anxiety. In fact, it is very danger- jous. As soon as it was discovered, and its loca- Ition fixed, the company immediately began to I wall around it ; they ceased all operations in its jimmediate vicinity, and with rock, lime and laaud, made their air-tight walls along "the Islopes," between "the rooms "and across "the lair passages," until the outside air was com- Iplettily shut out, and the fire entirely shut in, land awaited further developments. Occasionally lit breaks out over a piece of this wall, and then Ithey begin farther back and wall again. But Ithe fire is not extinguished and probably never ■will be. Water will not quench it, its action on Ithe fire clay only increases the difficulty. Inside m these fire walls, pillar after pillar of the coal [left standing to support the roof has been con- sumed, and the earth and rocks above have fallen into the cavity, leaving great craters on the bide of the mountain, and the rock-ribbed pile ptself has seamed and cracked open in places above Ihe burning fires. Air has thus got in and the fains and melting snows of spring run into these pssures and craters, dissolving the fire clay, and Ithus add to tiie extent of the burning mass. Jut everything goes on around the mine with- put excitement, and as though nothing had hap- pened. Watchmen are kept on duty all the time, Mid the first appearance of the fire near the Vails is detected and a new wall built. And thus while the smouldering fires are burning up the coal in one part of the mine, men are taking it out unconcernedly in another part, to supply the locomotives with the power to generate steam. How long the fire will bum no one can tell. It will only stop when the fuel upon which it feeds is exhausted, and this can only be cut off by mining all around it, taking out the full thickness of the vein — 20 feet — and thus exhausting the supply. It will then cave in and the rest of the mine can be saved. Coal mining has its dangers, not the least of which are "slack and waste" which result in fires. In Mine No. 1, of the Rocky Mount- ain Coal Company, the fire is confined lu a space 250 by 600 feet. In Mine No. 2, owned by same company, it is confined by a space 175 by 1,100 feet. A Valuable Coal Mine. — Leaving Evans- ton, in about two miles the branch to Alma turns off to the right, and the town with hoisting works of the coal companies can be plainly seen, together with a beautiful view down the Bear River Valley. On what is called Twin Creek, down this valley, the Wyoming Coal & Coke Company, have discovered and located a coal mine 41 miles due north from Evanston. The mine is on the east side of Bear River. This company has what it claims to be a mount- ain of coal. The veins on the around level are four and one-half feet thick, above it there are about six feet of slate ; then a ten foot vein of coal; then sandstone about five feet thick — what miners call "Winn roc''*" then three feet of fire clay ; then two feet Ca. coal ; then al- ternate layers of fire clay and coal 26 feet ; then 125 feet of solid fire clay; then sandstone, lime- stone, etc., to the summit, it being about 400 feet above the level surface around it. A shaft has been sunk from fhe ground level, and an- other vein of coal struck ten feet below the sur- face. We are minute in giving this description of this coal mine, because it is claimed that the coal it furnishes will coke, that it will give 50 per cent, coke, and coke is the great demand of the smelting furnaces in the mining regions of this part of the Continent. It is claimed that the tests which have been apj^lied to this coal, establish conclusively its coking qualities and ovens for coking purposes have been put in. The work of the present year will, satisfactorily determine the question whether coking coal can be found in the Rocky Mountains. The history of rich mineral-producing regions is that the metals are usually (because cheaper) brought to the fuel instead of carrying the fuel to the metal. Hence if these coal mines are proved to produce good coke, a town of smelters must spring up near by. WaIi8atchf—& telegraph station, on the divide between Bear River Valley and Echo Canon. It m in jtj 4- UOCKS NEAR ECHO CITT. 1.— Bromley's CstbednL 2.— Caatle Bock. 3.— TbeOreatEMtem. 4.— Hanging Bock. TMM PstCtFlC TOMtiSr. 115 \l Ih 0(t8 milea from Omaha, and reported to be 0,)47U feet above the level of the hob. The road hero crosiieH a low paw in the WahHatoh Uan^fe of Mountains. Aa you ascend the beautiful val- ley leiuling to this station, the grim peaks of the Uintahs towur up in the distance on your left, while the adjuinnig hills shut out the higher elu- vatioiis of the Waosatoh Range, on the north. Leaving Evanston, the rood turns abruptly to the loft, and the town and valley are soon lost to light. Four miles out, on the left side of the Tack, the traveler will notice a sign put up on a )08t— tiio east side of which read», " Wyoming," he west side, " Utah." Wahsatch was formerly \ termiiius of a sub^livisioii of the road, and loiitainud the regular dining-hall of the company, ith roundhouse, machine and repair shops, etc. he water in the tank is supplied from a mount- in spring near by, and a "Y" for tuniing ingines, and a small house to shelter one, is bout all that is left of a once famous town. ArteHian WeUtt. — It has been our caudid pinion that the great plains, basins and alkali iuflerts which lie oetween the Rocky Mountains nd Sierras can all be "claimed and soil mode fertile by the sinking o I artesian wells. The en- ire Humboldt Valley can be made productive this means alone. As a proof of the success sinking artesian wells, we can mention iveral along the Union Pacific Railroad. Com- lencing at Separation and terminating at Rock Springs, a distance of 108 miles, the Union 'aoific Railroad has sunk successfully six arte- lian wells : One at Separation, 6,900 feet above sea level, 1,180 feet deep, the water rising to within 10 leet of the surface. At Creston, 7,030 feet elevation, the well is nly 300 feet deep, furnishing abundant supply i. water at that point. At Washakie, 6,607 feet elevation, the well is 638 [eetdeep. The water rises 15 feet above the sur- ce, and flows at the rate of 800 gallons per hour. At Bitter Creek, 6,685 feet elevatum, the well 696 feet deep, discharging at the surface 1,000 lions per hour, and with pumping, yields 2,160 Ions per hour. At Point of Rocks, elevation 6,400 feet, the sll is 1,000 feet deep, and the supply of water pundant, although it does not rise to the sur- ce nearer than 17 feet. At Ilock Springs, at an elevation of 6,280 fe e well is 1,156 feet deep, and discharges at tl. irface 960 gallons per hour, or at 26 feet abr j e surface, 571 gallons per hour. As the elevation of all these places is 2,000 feet more above the Salt Lake Valley, and also the umboldt Valley, there is every probability that e sinking of artesian wells in these valleys 'ould result in an immense flow of water. thincHe Workmen.— The Chinese are em- atically a peculiar people, renovmed for their industry and economy. Thay will live comfort- ably on what the same number of Americans would throw away. Their peculiarities have been so oft/cn described that a repetition of them to any great extent is not needed here. Never- theless a sight of them always awakens a curios- ity to know all there is to be known concerning their customs, habits, social and moral relations, etc. A great deal tliat they do is nivHterious to us, but perfectly plain and simple to them. In their habits of eating, for instance, why do they use "chopsticks" instead of forks? "Same as 'Melican man's fork " said one as we watched its dextrous use. 1'heir principal articles of diet seem to be rice and pork. Ttiey reject the great American fashion of frying nearly everyttiing they cook, and substitute boiling instead. In the center of a table, or on a jencn nearby, they place a pan flliud with boiled rice. To this each one of uie *♦ mes.s " will go ar d fill his bowl with a 8iK)on or ladle, return to the table and take his " chopsticks " — two lender sticks, about the length of an ordina>y table knife, and operate them with his fingers _ — we anxiously scan the scenes from car win- dows or platforms, and prepare for one grand, rushing descent into the glories of Echo Canon. The writer will never forget the feelings of over- whelming wonder and awe, as with the seal vi ad- miration 111 both eye and lips, the ride through this famous canon was enjoyed. Rocks beside which all eastern scenes were pigmies, rose up in astound- ing abruptness and massiveness — colossal old Ti- tans of majestic dimensions, and sublimely soar- M 116 FMM ^SiCIFK FOmtlSr. ing summits, and perpendicular sides, — succeeded each other for miles, and the little company of spectators, seemed but an insignificant portion of the handiwork of the Almighty. The train of cars, which, on the plain, seemed so full of life, and grand in power, here was dwarfed into baby carriages ; and the shriek of the whistle, as it echoed and resounded along the clifts and from rock to rock, or was hemmed in by the conGncs of the amphitheatre, appeai'ed uke entering the portals to the palace of some TerribU Being. Into the short distance of sixty miles is crowded a constant succession of those scenes and objects of natural curiosity, which form the most interesting part of the road, and ha/e made it world-wide in fame. It seems hard, after nearly a week of expectation and keen anxiety for a glimpse of such scenes of grandeur, and after more than two days of steady riding over the smooth surf-yje of the rolling upland plain, to find all the most . magnificent objects of interest crowded into -^ short a space, and passed in less than three hours. Travelers must remember, however, that the scenes witnessed from the railroad are but a very little portion of the whole. To gather true re- freshing glimpses of western scenery, the tourist laust get away from the railroad, into the little valleys, ascend the bluffs and mountains, and views yet more glorious will greet the eye. Echo Canon is the most impressive scene that is beheld for over 1,500 miles, on the overland railroad. The constant succession of rocks — each growing more and more huge, and more and more perpen- dicular and colossal in form — make the attrac- tions of the valley grow upon the eye instead of decrease. The observer enters the canon about on a level with the top of the rocks, and even can overlook them, then gradually descends until at the very bottom of the valley the track is so close to the foot of the rocks, the observer has to elevate his head with an upward look of nearly 90°, to scale their summits. Let us now prepare to descend, and brace ourselves eagerly tor the exhilaration of the ride, the scenery of which will live with you in memory for years. Entering Echo Canon. — Leaving Wah- satch we pass rapidly down gfrade, into the canon, and we will point out, in detail, all objects of interest as they are passed, so that travelers may recognize them. From Wahsatch, especially, you want to look with ali ihe eyes you have, and look quick, too, as one object passes quickl j out of signt and another comes into view. About a mile from Wahsatch, you will notice what is called the " Z " canon where the road formerly zigzagged down a small canon, on the left, ana passed through the valley of the creek to near Castle Rock Station, where it united with the present line. Two miles farther on, over heavy grades and short curves, you enter tunnel No. L, which is 1,100 feet long. Pass- ing through the tunnel, the high reddish rocks, moulded into every conceivable shape, and frequent side canons cut through the walls on either side of the road. You reach at last CasUr JRock Station, — about eight and one- 1 half miles from Wahsatch, 076.4 miles from Omaha with an elevation of 6,290 feet. It is so called from the rock a little east of the station which bears the same name. Notice the arched doorway on one comer of the old castle just after it is passed, with red colored side pieces, and capped with gray. In close proximity are | some needle rocks — sharp-pointed — one small one especially prominent. i5till nearer the station is a shelving rock on a projeci ing peak. Opposite the water tank are rocks worn in curious share. Further on, about half a mile, is a cave witL rocks and scattering cedars above it. Next I comes what is termed " Swallows' Nest," be- 1 cause of the numerous holes near the t^p^j chiseled out by the action of both water wind, and in summer sheltering a large number | of swallows. Toward it in summer months, " The Swallows Homeward fly." Then comes a honey-combed peak with a| shelving gray rock under it, after which we \ through, what the railroad boys call "gravel" or I "wet cut " — the sides being gravel, and springs I breaking out in the bottom by the track. Then! Phillip's Canon juts in from the right mtbl yards for cattle at its mouth. See the curious I formations along the side of this canon as ^onl pass it. About four miles from the last station, I are other castle rocks similar in appearance to| those already passed, and rocks with caps slender little spires like needles. Then comes 1 1 singular perpendicular column jutting outin front [ of the ledge, with outstretched wings as if it| would lift itself up and fly, but for its weight. This is called the " Winged Rock.' Tf there! was a projection in front to resemble >| neck and head, the rock would appear venl much like an eagle or some other large bini,! with pinions extended just ready to fly. A littkl below this, are the " Kettle Rocks " nuge gran looking boulders, nearly to the top of the ledgRJ looking like immense caldron kettles. Behindl them are some sharp-pointed projections liliel spires. These rocks are capped with red, but I gray underneath. Then comes "Hood Rock'j a single angular rock about half way to the topi of the ledge, worn out iu the center, and resentl bling the three-cornered hoods on modern ulstrj overcoats. About a mile before reaching t' next station, the rocks are yellow in appearancel and ounding a point you will notice sandstonel layers with a dip of more than 45 degrees, sho«-| ing a mighty upheaval at some period iu the i»| mote past. FMB e;§CiFi€ TQ^miSF. 117 b curves, you enter feet long. Pass- high reddish rocks, vable shape, and rough the walls on reach at last about eight and one- 1 976.4 miles from I 6,290 feet. It is east of the station I Notice the arched the old castle just colored side pieces, close proximity are | inted — one small one nearer the station is iing peak. Opposite orn in curious shap. mile, is a cave witL irs above it. Next! SwaUows' Nest," \»\ holes near the t^p, 1 of both water and I tering a large number j 1 summer months, meward fly." !ombed peak with t, after which we pai : boys call " gravel " or I g gravel, and springs I a by the track. Then ivom the right witiil uth. See the curious I I of this canon as you I ) from the last station, I lilar in apparance t»| rocks with caps s sedles. Then comes 1 1 imn jutting oufin front I ■etched wings as if it| r, but for its weight. Dged Rock.' Tf there! ront to resemble >l k would appear venj ome other large biro,! it ready to fly. A little I tie Rocks " huge gran the top of the ledge,! idron kettles. _ Behind I inted projections like! capped with red, but! comes " Hood Rock'! it half way to the the center, and resem-j loods on modom ulstcl 9 before reaching t' ! yellow in appearancel u will notice sandstonel than 45 degrees, showj ; some period in the re'l Hanging JRock, — a little over seven miles from Castle Rock, and 983.7 miles from Omaha; elevation, 6,974 feet. The descent has been very rajpid since we struck this canon. This station is wrongly named. All books and guides which represent the rocks of Echo Canon over- hanging tne railroad, are erroneous. Nothing in the shape of a hanging rock can be seen, but as you pass the station, you will notice bow the elements have worn out a hollow or cavity in one place, which is bridged by a slim gray rock, nearly horizontal in position, forming a natural or hanging bridge across the cavity, about 50 feet in depth. It can be seen as you pass around a curve just after leaving the sta- tion. Going a little farther, you notice what is called " Jack-in-the-Pulpit-Rock," at the comer of a projecting ledge, and near the top there- of. A round gray column, flat on the surface, stands in front ; this is the pulpit, while in close proximity rises the veritable " Jack " himself, as if expounding the law and gospel to his scattering auditors. Then comes the North Fork of Echo Canon,— down which more water annually flows, than in the main canon. Now bending around a curve, if you look forward, it seems as though the train was about to throw us directly against a high precipice in front, and that there was no way of escape; but we keep onward and finally pass safely on another side. We now approach what are called " the narrows." The rocky sides of the canon seem to draw together. Notice the frame of an old ricketv saw-mill on the left, and a short distance Wow, still on the left, sea a huge, conical-sha][^ied rock rising close to the track. We are particular in men- tioning these, because they are landmarks, and will enable the traveler to know when he is near the ledge on the right of the track, upon which the Mormons piled up stones to roll oown on Gen. Albert Sidney John- son's army, when it ehould pass hei-e, iii 1857. The canon viitually becomes a gorge here, and the wagon road runs close to the base of the high bhiffs, (it coull not be made in any other place) —which the Mormons fortified after a fashion. Now you pass these forts ; high up on the top, on the outer edge or rim you will still see small piico of stones wnich they gathered there for of- feasive operations, when the trains and soldiers of the army went by. They look small— they are so far off, and you pass them so quickly — not larger than your fist — but nevertheless they are there. They are best seen as they recede from view. At the time we speak of, (1857) there was trouble between the Mormons and the United States authorities, which led to the sending of an army to Salt Lake City. It approached as far as Fort Bridger, where — the seiuon being late— it went into winter quarters. It was ex- pected to pass through this canon, however, that same fall, and hence the preparations which the Mormons made to receive it. Their army—the Nauvoo Legion, redivimts, under the command of Gen. Daniel H. Wells, had its camp near these rocks, in a little widening of the valley below, just beyond where you pass a " pocket " of boulders, or detached parts of the ledges above, which have sometime, in the dim past, rolled into the valley. The rocky fort being passed, with tlie pocket of boulders and the site of the old camp, the traveler next approaches " Steam- boat Rock," a huge red projection like the prow of a big propeller. A little cedar, like a flag of perpetual green, shows its head on the mw, while farther back, the beginning of the hurri- cane deck is visible. It slopes ofE to the rear, and becomes enveloped in the rocky mass around it. By some, this is called " The Great Eastern," and the one just below it, if anything, a more perfect representation of a steamer, is SENTINEL ROCK, ECHO CANON. called " The Great Republic." They are really curious formations, and wonderful to those who look upon them for the first time. " Sentinel Rock " comes next. It is within a cove and seems withdrawn from the front, as though shun- ning the gaze of the passing woriJ, yet in a posi- tion to observe every thing that goes by. If the train would only stop and give you more time — but this cannot be done, and your only recourse N.. ^* ( if-' '^ ^*i-^7: *'8 Slide, <€c, i — on the left side of the track. There it stands, spreading its arms of green, from one of which j hangs the sign which marks the distance traveled since leaving Omaha. It is passed in a moment, | and other objects of interest claim your attention, High upon rocks to the right, as you peer ahead, I see how the winds have made holes in project- ing points .through which the light and sky be- yona can be observed ; now looking back see another similar formation on the opposite side- one to be seen looking ahead, the other looking back. Now we come to Slate Cut — where photo- graph rocks without number are found. The rocks are so -ailed from the pictures of ferns, branches of trees, shrubs, etc., which are seen traced in them. They remind one of moss- a^tes, only they are a great deal larger— mag- mfied a thousand times, and are not in clear groundwork like the agates. Lost Creek Cam now puts in from the right, and around the I curve you can see the houses of the little Mormon Town, Croyden. It is only seven miles froin Ik;ho. This canon runs parallel with Echo Canon for quite a distance, and is said to be I rich in the scenery characteristic of this region, I with a narrow valley of great fertility when cul-l TMB i^sfciFia Fo^misr. 125 tivated. But right here on the left sMe of the road, pushing out from the side of the mountain, is the " DevWa Slide" — one of the most singular formations to be seen on the en- tire route from ocean to ocean. It is composed of two parallel ledges of granite, turned upon their edges, serrated and jutting out in places fifty feet from the mountain side, and about 14 feet apart. It is a rough place for any one; height about 800 feet. iVeber Quarrj/, — 1,001.5 miles from Omaha, and 5,250 feet above the sea. It is a side track where fine reddish sandstone is obtained for building purposes, and for the use of the road. The sandstone is variegated, and is both beauti- ful and durable when cut, oi^ polished. The gorge still continues, and devils* slides on a smaller scale than the one noticed, are visible on both sides of the road. A little below this station. Dry Creek Canon comes in on the right. The road now passes round short curves amidst the wildest scen- ery, when it is suddenly blocked to all human ap- pearance; yet tunnel No. 3 gives us liber- ty. Crossing a bridge ol^ serve the ter- raced mountain on the right, and by the time it is well in view, we enter and pass through tunnel No. 4, after which comes Kound Valley, where a huge basin in the mountains is formed, and where man again obtains a foothold. On the right of the mountain, as you enter this val- ley, there is a group of balanced rocks, that seem ready to topple over into the valley below. Still rounding another point farther down, and we arrive at Weber, — 1,008.5 miles from Omaha, an ele- vation of 5,130 feet. It is a telegraph station in a thrifty looking Mormon village. The valley here widens out — ^the narrows are passed — and scenes of surpassing beauty, especially in the summer, t chant the eye. To the left the mountains gradually recede, and East Canon Creek, which takes its rise in Parley's Park, be- THOUMAND MILK TREE.— WEBER CANOX fore mentioned, cutting its way through the rocky hills, comes into the valley of the Weber. This station is the nearest point on the Union Pacific Road to Salt Lake City. The town and cultivated farms in the valley seem like an oasis in the midst of a desert. Here, for the first time on the road, the traveler will see the magic sign, " Z. C. M. I.," which, literally translated, means "Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution," where all the faithful are expected to purchase their dry goods, groceries, notions, etc. The Mormon name for this station is Morgan City. As you leave this station, the same query broached before, rises in the mind of the trav- eler — how are we to get out ? We seem entirely surrounded by hills and mountains, and, while there is a depression visible off to the right, it does not seem low enough for a railroad to pass over. But we follow the river down, and notice the re- sult. Bend- ing first to the right, then to the left, and again to the right round a curve like an el- bow, and near- ly as short, we reach Peterson, -1,016.4 miles from Omaha; elevation, 4,963 feet — another tele- graph station, near which a wagon bridge crosses the river on the left. It is convenient to a Mormon village called Enterprise, near by, and within a few miles of another, called Mountain Green. Just be- low Peterson, Cottonwood Creek puts in from the right, while immediately in front. Devil's Gate Mountain rears its snowy crest. You npw begin to see where we are to get out of the basin. A huge gap in the mountains opens be- fore you. It is the DevWa Gap with the DeviPa Gate and several other odd characteristics about it. It is one of the most remarkable places on the line of the road. The waters of Weber River, as if enraged at their attempted restraint, rush -wildly along, now on one side of the road, and now on the other, and now headed off com- pletely by a projecting ledge before them, turn madly to the right, determined with irresistible 126 TMM Psiciwtc rotmisr. strength to force their way through the mountp ain ; foiled in thia, they turn aoruptly to the left, 9till rushing niadlv on, and at last find their way out Uf the plain beyond. If Echo was grand, and tlie narrows grander — this Dev- il's Gate pass is surely, grandest of all. Just before you enter the duep cut, you will notice the old wagon road winding along the bed of the stream, cut out of the mountain's side in some places, and, .in others, walled up from the river. In the midst of all this inajus- tio grandeur, the train passes, but seldom stops at a station appropriately named DevU'H Gate, —1,020.4 miles from Omaha, and 4,870 feet above the sea, — and so we pass rapidly on. rhe gup begins to open in the west, and we soon emerge i'rom one of the grandest scenes in nature, into the lovely val- ley below, re- claimed by the hands of men from the barren waste of a des- ert, and made to bud and blossom as the rose. We have now passed the Wansatch Range of mount- ains, though their towering peaks are on the right, and re- cede from view on tiie left, as we leave their base and get out into the plain. We are now in the Great Salt Lake Basin, or Valley ; and, though the lake itself is not in sight, the mountains on its islands are. These mountains, back of Ogden, are almost always crowned with snow, and frequently have their summits enveloped in clouds. They are storm-breedere — every one, and the old iStorm King sometimes holds high carnival among them, when " From peak to peak, tlie rattling crags among, Leaps the live thunder." The winds and storms of winter occasionally fill the craggy gap through which we have passed with snow, to such an extent that it slides like nEVIL'B SLinK — WKBKB OANON. an avalanche down over tke track, and in the river below, where the rushing waters givu it a cordial greeting, and where it soon melts in their embrace. Uitttah, — 1,025.3 miles from Omaha ; oleva- tion, 4,560 feet. This was formerly the stage station for Halt Lake City, but the completion of the Utah Central Railroad from Ogdun, took away its glory. While it was the stage teniiiniu it was a lively place, though it never possctwed indications pi being a town of any great size. Approaching the town, the valley opens out like a panorama, and neat little houses with fumu and gardens at- tached, f^rect the eyes of the trav- eler in a won- derfid cliiinge from the scenes through which he has just passed. lx)ok- ing off to the left you will no- tice the first bench of land across the river, with a higher bench or terrace in the rear. Upon this first bench, the Mor- risite massacre took plact! in 1802, an account of which we shall give in an- other place. Leaving Uintah, the road pursues i ts'way iii a general norther- ly direction along the biise of the mountains, till it arrives at Of/flcii,— the western termi- nus of the Union Pacific Railroad, 1,033.8 miles from Omaha, and 4,340 feet above the level oii the sea. By agreement between the two roads, i it is also the eastern terminus of the Central Pacific Railroad. The place is one of con- siderable importance, benig the second city ini size and population in the Territory of I tab. It is regularly laid out, is the county-seat of Weber County, has a court-house of brick, which, with grounds, cost about ^0,000, two or three churches and a Mormon tabernacle. The town may properly be divided into two part"* — upper and lower Ogden. The upper part is pleasantly situated on an elevated Omaha; deva- iierly th» stuge 16 completion of _-WV'ii?>.. .:m^..m^«imttmi^ ^ ^^^^ ^'^<.>: V*-i t'v'^'*^ ■"-"'^ """MF <:<:i' '.k:^' K ':*L'- r||ya^K^ ' Jhajki^u^liiA. ?*■• Aa :^.:^^^^ > ^■■>t. ^ / ^^fciti^^^^^^^^'fl ^«^ ?r SCENES IN WEBEK CANON. l.-Ogden. Utah. Wahantoh Mountains in the dUUnce. 2.-DevU'g Gate and High Peaks of Wahsatoh Mnnntains. 3.— Heighta of Weber Canon. 4.— Tuunel No. 3, Weber Canon. bench adjoining the mountaina. Thia bench breaks rather abruptly, and ahnoat forms a bluff, and then begins lower Ogden. The upper part is 'mostly occupied for residences, and has some beautiful yards with trees now well grown. The lower portion — that which is principally seen from the railroad, is mostly occupied by business houses. One peculiarity of the towns in these western or central Territories, is the running streams of water on e^h side of nearly every street, which are fed by some mountain stream, and from which water is taken to irrigate the yards, gardens and orchards adjoining the dwell- ings. Ogden now has fully 6,000 people, and has a bright future before it. It is not only the ter- minus of the two great trans-continental lines before mentioned, but is also the starting-point of the Utah Central and Utah Northern Uail- roads. These four companies have united in the purchase of grounds, on which a large Union de- pot will soon be built, nearly east of the present building, and nearer the business portion of the city. It is the regular supper and oreakfast sta- tion of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads— ^passengers having one hour in which to take their meals and transfer their baggage. The Central Pacific Road has numerous macnme and repair shops here which are wooden build- ings of a temporary character, and which will soon be replaced by more permanent structures. In addition to their freight depots the Union Pacific has only a roundhouse for the sheltar of engines — their buildings for the subdivision of the road being located at Evanston. Ogden is the last, town on the Weber River before it empties into the Great Salt Lake. This river takes its name from an old mountaineer an 1 trapper, who was veil known in these parts during the early days of the Mormon settiement. The town is named for Mr. Ogden, another old mountaineer who lived and died near or in the city. Ogden is destined to become a manufacturing town of no small importance. Vast quantities of iron ore can he obtained within five miles of the city, and iron works on a large scale have been commenced, but owing to want of proper foresight, the company ran short of means berore their works were completed. An effort is now being made to resuscitate them, and with addi- tional capital carry them on to completion. . The freight on all iron brought into the Territory is so large in assmmt, that an iron manufactory here, with coal and iron ore bearing 60 per cent, of pure iron of an excellent quality, near by, will prove a pajring investment and materially facil- itate the development of the Territory. Discov- eries of silver have also been made on the mount- ains back of the city, but the mines have not, as yet, been developed. These discoveries have been made up in Ogden Canon, about five miles from the city. On the mountain directly east of the town, ex- cellent slate quarries have been disooverotl ami I worked to some extent. It is said to be eciual to | the best found in the Eastern States. Ogden River rises in the Wahsatch Uanni of Mountains, some 40 miles east of the city. It i has three forks — north, middle and south — all o! I which unite just above the canon and fairly cut I their way through one of the wildest and nioit | romantic gorges on the Continent. Ogden Canon. — This lovely little canon con- 1 tains views quite as pretty as either Weber or Echo Canons. Visitors should stay over at Og- den and spend a day in a drive hither. A fine creek, about 30 feet wide, and three to five feet deep, has cut through tho mountain and its ridges. As it comes out '^f the mountain on the west side, it opens into a broaa, grassy valley, thickly settled with farmers, and joins the Weber River about five miles distant. Th« scenes, as the traveler passes through the narrows of the canon, are wild in the extreme. The rocb | rise from 600 to 2,000 feet almost perpendicularly, and the width averages less than 100 feet for a l long distance. In this canon, geologists have found evidence sufficiently satisfactory to indi- cate that the entire Salt Lake Valley was once a huge fresh water lake, whose surface rose high up on the sides of the mountains, even covering | the highest terrace. Five miles up the canon, which runs eastward, I there is a beautiful little valley, with table-like terraces, 30 to 60 feet above the bed of the creek, wherein a littie Mormon village is located. The situation is a lovely one— the sides of the hills which enclose the vallev, are 800 to 1,000 feet high, smoothly rounded and sloping, covei-ed j with coarstt bunch grass and small bushes. In addition oiris, prominent amonjg^ which are the I Utah Hotel, an up-town establishment, conven- ient for commercial men, and the Beardsley | House which caters for railroad travel. It is also supplied with two newspapers, the Dailj Junction, a small seven by nine sheet — the organ of the church, and published by one of the bishops, a Mormon poet, etc. The other is a weekly, styled the Ogden Freeman, the organ of the opposition. The city water-works are sup- plied with water taken from Ogden River, at the mouth of Ogden Canon. The road through the canon is a dugway along the stream, and some- times built up from it, while the wall rocks on either side tower up thousands of feet. The water in the river goes rushing madly on over huge rocks and boulders lying in the bed of the stream, as though it would push them out of the way. In some places the rocks almost hiiug over the road, and as you round some point tliey seem as though they would push you into the stream- In some places the formation and dip of the rocks is verv peculiar. The^ seem to be aet up on end, in tliin layers, and with a slight dip, while the wash of ages has worn out a channel for the river. About two miles up the canon. Warm I Spring Canon comes in on the right It is not I much of a canon, but high up on the mountain I Hide, near its source, are warm springs from I which it takes its name. About half a mile far- Ither are some hot sulphur springs, on the left hide of the river, in the midst of a little grove of I trees. This is a Icharming resort Ifor the tourist, land lie will never Icease admiring the Iwild and rugged in |nature,a8 exhibited jin this canon. The Icanon is about six Imiles long, and ■the stream which Iruns through it is [filled with "the ■speckled beau- Ities " which are so |tempting to the fisherman and so Isatisfactory to the lepicure. As you |l(X)k to the top of |the mountain you vill see pine trees that appear like little shrubs. e trees are from 50 to 80 feet |in height, and are cut and brought down to the val- for their timber. Accommo- iatious for pleas- ure parties for risiting this won- derful canon, and jfor fishing and ^unting, can be pbtained in Ogden, and no excursion arty from ocean |o ocean should M to visit it. eyond the mountains, before the river gorges through, there is a fertile valley protty well lettled, and the road through the canon gives |he people living there an outlet to the town. This road was built several years ago, and re- quired a great deal of time and labor, and fitly Illustrates the persevering industry of the Mor- Hon people. Fruit-growing is very common in the vicin- ity of Ogden, and a large quantity of the best varieties grown in the Territory are pro- duced in this region of country. Utah apples, peaches and pears are finer in size, color and flavor than any grown in the Eastern or Middle States. Hot Springa, — Northward from Ogden, about a day's ride, is a very interesting lo- cality, known as the Hot Springg. Here is a group of warm springs, forming, in the aggregate, a stream three feet wide, and six to twelve inches deep; the sur- iaoe, for a space of 300 to 400 yards in extent, is cov- ered with a de- posit of oxide of iron, so that it resembles a tan- yard in color. The temperature is ISO*". They flow from beneath a mountain called Hot Spring Mount- ain, wnich is about five miles long and three wide. The elevation of the lake is 4,101 feet. The water of the spring is clear as crystal, containing great quantities of iron, and the sup- ply is abundant. As there are plenty of cold springs in the vicinity, there is nothing to prevent this from bein*; a noted place of resort lor invalids. The medicinal qual- ities of this water are excellent for rheumatism, skin diseases, dvs- pepsia, and the climate is unsur- KABBOWB OF OODBM OAMOIT. Hie Territory of Utah. When the Mormons first located in Utah, in 1847, It was territory belonging to Mexico, but by the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo, in March, 1848, it was passed over to the United States with New Mexico and the whole of upper Cali- fornia. The government of the UnitcKl States was not very prompt in extending its jurisdic- tion over the newly-acquired Territoi^, and in 130 FMB ^aiCIFIG TQM^iST. i ^. TMB 9;MCirtC TOMmtST. 131 Ithe absence of any other government the Mor- linons set up one for theixiselves, which was called [the State of Deacret. This was done in the hpring of 1849. On the 9th of September, 18; 0, I Congress passed a bill which ignored the Sta'« Igovei-ument of the Mormons, and organized tl e ITerritory of Utah, and on the 28th of that same Imonth, Millard Fillmore, President, appointed iBrigham Young,GrovernDr of the Territory with a IfuU complement of executive and judicial officers. I Since that time the area of the Territory has been Idiminished, but it is still large enough for all Ipractical purooses. It now extends from the |87th to the 42d parallels of north latitude, and Ifrora the 109th to the 114th degree of longitude, [embracing over 84,000 square miles or over 151,000,000 of acres. The national census of 11870 showed a population of about 90,000, and fa fair estimate would give the Territory at-out |l25,000 people at the present time. The climate, las a general thing, is salubrious and healthy, and Iviolent extieraea of either heat or cold are seldom lexperienced. The area of land susceptible of ■cultivation is small as compared to that included [in the whr -le Territory, and a lar^e quantity of leven desert land is now unproductive oecause of Ithe presence of alkali ana mineral substaiices [While all kinds of grain can be grown with more lor less success— dependirer "pon local causes — ■wheat is the ^reat staple, and in favorable sea- Isons and localities monstrous crops of the great |cereal have been produced. It may astonish eastern readers, but it is nev- lertheless a fact, that whole fields, producing Ifrora fifty to sixty bushels per acre of as ^ue I wheat as was ever grown, are no uncommon Ithing in Utah. The land, of course, '3 irrJ[vated, land there is no great danger of loss by rains dur- jing the harvest Reason. The average yield, it is Itriie, is a great deal less than this, amounting to ■about twenty-five bushels per acre. On account lof the high altitude and cool nights, corn ^i Inot do as well, though fair crops are .dised. iVegetables of all kinds grow to an p.tonishing [size, and are superior in quality. Corn will, as a Igeneral thing, do better in the valleys in the ■southern part of the Territory, where cotton is jalso grown to a limited extent, and some kinds lof tropical fruits. The climate and soil are lespecially adapted to the production of appJds, |l>ears, i)eaches, plums, currants, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. It must cuustantly jbe borne in ffind, that successful a^icultural jpursuits can only be carried on here with irriga- jtion, and that, as a general thing, it costs no jniore irrigate land here, nor as much, as it jcosis to 'Irain and clear it in many of the Eastern I States, The market for met of the products jraised in this Territory, is at the mining camps laud settlements, and in Nevada, Idaho and Mon- Itana. The explorations in tb'i southern half of Ithe Territory, nave resultea in the discovery of vast deposits of iron, coal, copper, silver, gold and lead. In the Strawberry Valley, coal veins over twenty feet thick, of excellent quality, have been discovered. In San Pete Valley, other ma^ificent coal deposits have been found, from which coke for smelt' ag purposes has been made. East of the Wuhsatch Range, in San Pete County, are the remains of the Moquis Village, of which much has been written. Iron County, still south, is so named from the vast deposits of this material found within its limits; and, in the spring of 1876, the most wonderful discov- eries of silver wer«? made near St. George, in what has been called the Bonanza District. There is horn silver around a piece of petrified wood in a sandstone formation. A part of this petrifaction was coal. The discovery of silver in such a formation, has upset many of the geo- logical theories heretofore prevalent in the countiy. Ore from surface mines to the value of over fifty thousand dollars, has already been taken out. This discovery is one of the won- ders of the country. A correspondent of the Salt Lake Tribune, rbcently spoke of these mines as follows : " Tho mines are in the rear of Bo- nanza City, and ave certainly a new thing in the theory of geoloji^y and the mining world. Those in Silver Flat are found under and in saiidstone, lying flat and about six to eight inches in width, showing rich chlorides, horn silver and sulphur- et^, carrying some mica. The manner of work- ing the same has the appearance of quarrying rock." Judge Barbee, the discover;"* of these mines, found several pieces of petr fied wood ore, containing chlorides and horn sil /er. The specimen that we saw, said to have been wrought from these mines, was carbonized to a cer- tain extent — one side distinctly showing «» thin vein of coal. There are two main ranges of mountains in Utah, running nearly parallel to each other. The easternmost range is the Wah- satch, and that farther west, the Oquirrh. Still farther to the west are broken ranges, parallel with those above named. Nearly all of these, so far as they have been prospected, are mineral bearing; and, in our judgment, the time is not far distant, when mines greater even than the Comstock, will be developed in Utah. They only await capital and the extension of railroads for their development. The Emma mine, which has filled the public prints, is thought to be one of the richest mines on the Continent, to-day, by the leading business men of Utah, who are fa- miliar with tho characteristics of the district in which it is located. In fact, Utah alone, has all the resources of an empire ; and if it were only under a sate, stable and peaceful political local government, she would become the richest ;ind brightest star in the coronet of the nation. It were well if certain pages in her eventful history could be forever obliterated. Vtah Central ItaUroad, — Ogden is the 132 FMB 1^^CIFI& FetmiSF. northern terminus of this road. It is the pioneer line of Utah proper, though the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Roads were completed first through the magnificont generosity of the people of the United States. Early in May, 1869, the iron rails which boimd the Continent together were joined near Promontory, some 50 miles west of Ogden. One week after this was done, work on the Utah Central began. The company was organized on the 8tli of March previous, Brigham Young being president. A large quantity of material for building railroads was left on hand, when the Union Pacific was finished to Promontoiy, and this was purchased by the Utah Central Company. Brigham "ioung had entered into a contract for grading the former road, from the head of Echo Canon to Ogden, and successfully accomplished the work. If this had not been done, that road would have failed in its face across the Conti- nent, and the Central Pacific would have built the greatest part of the trans-continental line. His contract was sublet to John Sharp and Joseph A. Young, the eldest son of the Mormon prophet. They crowded it with all possible speed, and obtained that experience in railroad building then, which has been of great advan- tage to the people of Utah since. In less than eiglit months from the time ground was broken for this new line of road, the last rail was laid, and on the 10th day of January, 1870, the first through train from Ogden, arrived in Salt Lake City. As elsewhere stated, this company is to unite with others in the erection oi a Union depot at Ogden, work upon which will probably begi)> 'he present yea.-. Their road now crosses the "central Pacific in Ogden, at nearly right angles, and their depot and freight houses are north of the Pacific Roads. Arriving at Ogden from the east, the traveler, looking ahead to the right, will see the engine and train of cars ready to take him to the City of the Saints. Entering elegantly furnished cars at about 6 o'clock v. M., and turning your back upon Ogden and the lofty mountain peaks behind it, you will soon be off. In less than a quarter of a mile, the road passes over the Weber River on a new and elegant iron bridge, just put up by the American Bridge Company of Chicago. It is a suspension bridge, 150 feet span, each end resting on a solid abutment of masonry. This bridge is so constructed t'.uit it will contract by cold or ex- pand by heat as one body, one end being placed on roiiers to allow self adjustment by the action of heat or cold. The bridge crossed, the road ]>asses through a cut, and rises upon a bench or terrace of land from which, off to the right, the traveler obtains the first 'iew of the Dead Sea of Americe, — the Great Salt Lake. The general direction of the road is due south, and -you pur- sue your way along the base of the toot hills and mountains, whic'i form t te first line looking east, of the Wahsatch Range. As far as Kaysville, the road passes over a comparatively unsettled country, though in the dim distance on the right, the farming settlements of Hooper may be seen near the mouth of Weber River. We soon arrive at KaysviUCf—lQ miles from Ogden. It is a telegraph station surrounded by a farming set- tlenient, with its " co-op " store, blacksmith-shop and the usual buildings of a small country town. in entering and leaving, the road crosses several little creeks that flow down from the mountains, the waters of which are nearly all drank up by the dry earth in the processes of irrigation. Passing on, the traveler will notice a fewliouseg and settlements, toward the lake and mountaius, sometAines nearer the mountains; arriving at JFtwniinffton, — the next station, 21 1-4 miles from Ogden. It is the coui'ty-seat of Davis County, and ha.", besides a court-house, the usual store and 8hoi)s. This town is also located in the midst of a fanning region, and nearly over- shadowed by the mountains on the east. Diivis County sloi>es to the west toward the lake, lias a warm rich soil, and when irrigated, produces luxuriant crops of vegetables, melons, grain, etc, for the Salt Lake market. Leaving this station the road draws near to the side of this great inland sea, to Centemnlle, — 25 1-2 miles from Ogden,— a little farming town with its store, etc. Between the lake on one side and the mountains on the other, and the thrifty farms with orchards and ga. dens now on either side and all around liiin, the traveler will be kept pretty busy. Wood's CroHS — is the next station, 27 34 miles from Ogden. It is about midway between the mountains and the lake, and is located in what is called the best portion of Davis County. Ii is a telegiaph station with usual side tiatks, ttc. The country gradually slopes into the lake toward the west with an occasional drift of sand near the shore, covered with the inevitable sage brush which we have had since leavinjj Lar* niie River. The cosy farm houses and the evi- dences of thrift everywhere visible, the growing crops and ripening fruit , if in the sunnner— all conspire to make a plesisant landscape, upon which the traveler can feast his greedy gaze, while the shadow of the mountains grows longer, and the twilight deepens into night a,s we arrive at SaJt Lake Cit}/, — the southern t'^rnniuGof the road, 36 1-2 miles from Ogden. But vi thif city, more in another place. The Utah Central ha.-* bt a payi i ir road from the start, and its businei^ , as the y« «« by, is destined to make it be'ter still. \\ e Iwve not all the data at hand to show whai/ it hastwiie, but will give one or two illustiations. In 1873, its tonnage was as follows. Freights received, 283,533,450 lbs. Freights shipped, 55,887,754 lbs. In 1874, there wos a slight fallinj? off. . As far as comparatively itn distance on of Hooper may er River. We >gden. It is s a farming set- >]acksmith-shop country town. crosses several the mountains, drank up by of irrigation, ce a few liouses and mountains, arriving at ion, 21 14 miles '-seat of Davis liouse, the usual also located in uid nearly over- lie east. Davis the lake, has a gated, produces ions, grain, etc., ing this station e of this great jusy. t station, 27 34 midway between i)d is located iu of Davis County. iual side trafcks, slopes into the ccasional drift of th tlie inevitable nee leaving Lara- uses and tlie evi- l)le, the glowing the sunnner— all cape, upon which y gaze, while the longer, and the : •e arrive at lern terniiiusof an. But of thif !illi' k^. m ' % ,> i€'M^^^ 111 , ■,. -^ m.s^ I \4 mh |WI;'||i!|^|^ 134 fjrjr fMCMFic rovmiST. though it was not as large as expected from the business done in 1873, because of general depres- sion of the mining interest of the Territory. In 1875, its business was as follows : Freights re- ceived, 184,158,526 lbs. Freights shipped 54,189, 929 lbs. Its gross earnings for 1875 were $407,000. Its operating expenses were 9162,000. Tnis last sum does not of course include' divi- dends on its stock of 91,500,000, nor the interest on its bonds amounting to 91*000,000. The pas- senger fare, first class, from Ogden to Salt Lake is 92. The controlling interest in this road is at ? resent owned by stockholders in the ^. ion 'acilic, and it is one of the best paying re : the country. The above figures prove it SALT LAKE CITY, Its Discovery. — ^When Brigham Young, with his weary band of pioneers arrived here, in 1847, it was a dreary waste, nevertheless a beautiful site so far niS location is concerned, for a city. It lies on a bench or gradual slope from the Walisatch Mountains, which tower up be- hind it on the east, to the River Jordan, which bounds it '>n the west. It is recorded that when the pioneers came within a few days' march of the place, Orson Pratt and a few others went ahead of the party *' to spjr out the land " and select a place lor camping, etc., convenient to wood and water. On the 22d day of July, 1847, he rode over this valley with his compan- ions, and returning to the main body, reported the results of their observations. On the morn- ing of July 24, 1847, this body arrived at the top of the hill, overlooking the site ing. If meat is dropped into this boiling water, agriculture and vegetation for hundreds of yards within the vicinity. This lake is also supposed to be supplied, to some extent, by other hot springs beneath the surface. Strange as it mar seem, the hot water does not prevent the ex- istence of some kinds of ezcellent fish, among which have been seen some very fine large trout Analysis of Hot Sulphur Spring : Chloride of Sodium, " " Magnesium, " " oiOolum, Sulphate of Lime. Carbonate of Ume, Silloa, 0.8082 o.m» 0.1096 0.0806 0.0180 0.0180 1.0602 Speoiflo gravity, l.MM. The Mufteinn — is located on the south INTKBIOR OF OFFICE OF BSIOHAH YOCNG. it is soon cooked, (though we cannot guarantee a pleasant taste) and eggs will be boiled, ready for the table, in three minuses. Often a dense volume of steam rises from the spring, though not always. A very large volume of water issues forth from the little hole in the rock- -scarcely larger than the top of a barrel — about four feet wide and six to twenty inches deep. Immedi- ately near the rock is a little pool, in which the water, still hot, deposits a peculiar greenish color on the sides, and coats the long, wavy grass with its sulphurous sediment. Flowing beneath the railroad track and beyond in the meadows, it forms a beautiful little lake, called Hot Spring Lake, which, constantly filling up, is steadily in- creasing its area, and, practically, destroying all of South Temple street, and directly opjxjsite the Tabernacle. Professor Baiioot is in cliarge, and he will show you specimen ores from the mines, precious stones from the desert, imtter)- ware and other articles from the ruins of ancient Indian villages, the first boat ever launched on the Great Salt Lake by white men, honus-made cloths and silks, the products of the industry of this people, specimen birds of Utah, a scalp from the head of a dead Indian, implements of Indian warfare and industry, such as blankets white people cannot make, shells from the ocean, and various articles from the Sandwich Islands, and other things too numerous to mention. Formerly there were quite a number of living wild animals kept here, out some fiend poisoned 137 i n the south side VIEW OP 8ALT LAKE CITY, ]X)OKIirO WESTWARD ACROSS THE JORDAN VALLEY. ■the most of them. There are now living, how- lever, a large horned owl, a prairie dog, and the lowls that burrow with him, together with the Irattlesnake ; also other birds and reptiles which Ineed not be named. This institution is the re- jsult of the individual enterprise of John W. wmmm% «IOK OF MORMON STORES.— SALT LAKE CITY. Young, Esq., and for which he is entitled to great credit. A nominal sum, simply, is charged for admission, which goes for the support of Pro- fessor Barfoot, who has the care and direction of the Museum. Across the street, behind a high wall, is the Tabernacle, and near by it, on the east, enclosed within the same high wall, are the foundation walls of the new Temple. We shall not attempt a description of either, as a personal inspection will be far more satisfactory to the visitor. We advise every tourist to get to the top of the Tabernacle, if possible, and get a view of the city from the roof. Within the same walls may be found the Endowment house, of which so much has been written. In this build- ing both monogamous and polygamous marriages take place, and the quasi-masonic rites of tlio church are performed. On South Temple street, east of Temple block, is the private residence of Brigham Young, also enclosed in a high wall which shuts out the rude gaze of passers-by, and gently reminds the outsider that n*} has no busi- ness to obtrude there. Nearly opposite to this residence is a large and beautiful house which is supposed to belong to the Praphet's favorite wife, Amelia — familiarly called Amelia Palace, probably the finest residence for 500 miles around. Returning to East Temple or Main street, we behold a large brick building with iron and glass front, three stories high, with a skylight its 138 rmm p^cmfmc T0U9M8r. '''''M'i ,■^.r'.:V■;;);,[S'; ',W"V: ■„;,;,• '■'>' entire lenztb. This is the new "co-op" i»tore, 40 feet wide and 300 feet long, with all the mod- ern improvements, steam elevator, etc. Nearly opposite this store is Savage's picture gallery, where fine photographs of views along the road may be obtained; also of the prominent Saints and some who are not so prominent. Continue ing on the same street south, and the eleg'ant building of the Deseret National Bank greets our gaze, on the north-east comer of East Temple and First South streets. Di- agonally across the street from this is the emporium of William Jennings, Esq. But it is needless to enu- merate all the buildings in the city, be they pub- lic or private. We must not omit, however, the ele- gant private resi- dence and beau- tiful grounds of Mr. Jennings, on the corner east of the depot. They are worthy of a visit, and so, also, is the elegant pri- vate residence of Feramor Little, directly east of the Deseret National Bank. The theater is open occasion- ally in the even- ing, where may be seen many of the leading Mormons and their families. The city is sup- plied with gas, water, and street railroads. The water is brought from City Creek Canon, thtjugh the IKTKRIOR OK UOBMOK TABBBMAOLB.— THE OBEAT OBOAK. the west the Great Salt Lake, to the south tbel valley of the river Jordan, the settlem-jiits alon|l the nne of the railroad, and the mountains otl either side. Though the way to the summit rt'l auires a little toil, and will expand one's lungs tol tie fullest extent, vet the reward, when once thtl summit is reached, will amply pay for all thi| toil it has cost. In the summer months only, the Tabernacle J open, and the services of the Mormon church aitl then held theitl nearly every Salvl bath. Behind tbel rostrum or piil is the great organ,! made in the citjl and said to be tli(| second in size ml the Continent. East of the citjl there seems to ttl a withdrawal (l lished by Genenll Connor during thtl late war. ltisbeai>l tif uUy located oil an elevated bendl commanding tiii| city,andatthebaiil of the mountainsl New buildingi have been erect«l| and it is iioi| considered ok| of the finest anil most convenieiit| posts the goverjj ment has. Itii| supplied nit water from Keij Butte Canon, anJl has a great mai'i wnveniences. 7m-^- ' I j.( " ' I ■ III ■ ii 'KV''\ IIHIIIIII - .. if ; .1 pipes, til' t^h in principal streets, in iron some seasons the supply is rather she o. Scenery Near the City. — ^North of the city. Ensign Peak lifts its head, the Mountain of Prophecy, etc. Its crown is oval in shape, and the mountain, etc., is said to have been seen in a vision by some of the Mormon dignitaries long before it was beheld by the naked eyes of the present settlers. The sight from this peak, or others near at hand, is grand and impressive. Under yom- fdet lies the City of the Saints, to Below Camp Douglas, Emigration Canon neitj cuts the mountains in twain. It is the canoil through which Orson Pratt and hia companioal came when they first discovered the valley, i'l lake, and the site for a city— through wbidl Brigham Young and the pioneers came, andwj the route by which nearly all the overland emi'l grants arrived, on coming from the East B^'^'I this, as you look south, is Parley's Canoal throujjh which a road leads to Parley's Park 'M the tnining districts in that region Then comaj South Mill Creek with its canoi., Uiruugh m rmm ^mcirtc ro^misr. 139 towering peaks, and then the Big Cottonwood Creek and Canon. Between it and Little Cot- I tonwood Canon, next on the south, is the mount- ain of silver — or the hill upon which is located I some of the richest paying mines in the Terri- tory. Here is the FlagstiS, the North Star, the Emma, the Reed & Benson, and others worth their millions. The Emma mine has become notorious in the history of mines, but there is not a practical miner in Utah who doubts the existence of large bodies of rich ore there, and, if it had been practically worked, would, in the opinion of many. have if not exceeded, the celebrated Com- I stock lode be- I fore this. No visitor to jSalt Lake I should leave I the city with- out a trip to the lake and a ride on its placid bosom— a trip, also, to the southern ter- minus of the Utah Southern Railroad, the mountains and canons along its line, and to the mountains land mines of Stockton, [Ophir, Bing- ham, and above all, the Cotton- wood districts. I If you are fur- ther inclined to I improve the op portunity, ride up to Parley's Park, go to I Provo and spend a week, or a month even, in I visiting the wonderful canons near there, and I in hunting and fishing in the mountain streams and in Lake Utah. A trip to the summit of old Mount Nebo would a£ord you good ex- ercise, and very fine views. With Salt Lake I for headquarters, all these places can be taken I in, and your only regret will be that you did not stay longer, travel farther, and see more of I this wonderful land. Gardening Irrigation.— The city was j onginally laid out in large ten acre blocks, which 1 were, in time, subdivided into house lots, most [ of which, having been liberally planted with SEW BESIDEirOE OF BRIOBAH TOUNO.— AMELIA FAI^kOE. fruit trees, have since grown with great luxuri- ance, and the city seems a vast fruit orchard and garden. Through all the streets run the little irrigating streams, and every part of the city has its chance, once or twice a week, to get a sup- ply of pure water to wet the soil and freshen the vegetation. The city is divided into wards. Every ward has its master, and he compels all the inhab- itants to turn out and work on public improve- ments. There is no shirking. Every one has a responsibility to guard and watch his own property, take care of his own irrigatin ditches, am keep his ward in perfect order. The city is one of perfect order and quietness. Through all the streets of the city there is a universal and luxuriant growth of shade trees. These have been planted profusely, and gow with amazing rapid- ity. The lo- cust, maple and box-elder, are the greatest fa- vorites, the for- mer, however, being most planted. In many cases the roots have struck the al- kali soils, which contain an ex- cess o f soda and potash, and their leaves have turned from a bright or dark green to a sickly yellow — and often trees may be noticed, half green and half yellow. This alkali nas to be washed out of the soil by irrigation, and gradually grows less positive year by year. In nearly all the gardens are splendid apples, peare, plums and apricots, growing with exceeding thrift, and covered with the most beautiful blushing colors. Apricots which in the East are almost unknown, here have been so abundant as often to sell as low as $1.00 per bushel, and we have seen them as large as east- ern peaches, from four to six and eight inches round. 140 rmm Pstcmc ro^misr. Flowors aie ver* abundant, and vegetables are wonderfully prolific. In the gardens of William Jennings, may be seen growing out doors on trellises, grapes, the Black Hamburgh, Golden Chasselas and Mission grape, varieties which are only grown in a hot*house in the East. Through all the gardens can be seen an abundance of raspberries, gooseberries and currants. In Mr. Jennings's garden, in summer, may be seen a pretty flower garden, 150 feet in diameter, — within the center of which is a piece of velvety lawn — the finest and most perfect ever seen — while from it, southward, can be caught a spe- cially glorious view of the Twin Peaks of the Wahsatch Mountains, capped with unvarying snow. Future of Salt Lake f7/f//.— The future of Salt Lake depends upon two things — the mines and the railroads. If the mines are developed and capital is thus increased, it will have a ten- dency to cause an immense amount of building in the city, and a corresponding advance in real estate. It is claimed that the citv now has a population of 30,000 souls, but we 'think 22,000 a closer estimate. Many parties owning and operating mines make the city their place of residence, and some have already invested in real estate there. We heard the opinion of a wealthy capitalist — a gentleman operating in mines — to the effect that in ten years Salt Lake would number 250,000 people, but he was a little enthusiastic. If the Utah Southern is extended to the Pacific Coast, it will add largely to the wealth, population and influence of the "'City of the Saints." The silent influence of the Gen- tiles and the moral power of the Nation has already had an effect upon the Mormons of the city, which will soon be felt throughout the Ter- ritory. The discovery and development of the mines will largely increase the Gentile popula- tion throughout the Territoiy, and their influ- ence will then be each year more powerfully felt, and we question if Mormonism will be strong enough to withstand them. Hewspfiiterti. — The press df Salt Lake is exceedingly peculiar. The Dailif Newst is the recognized church organ; the Daily Herald \'^ more lively. It is the organ of the so-called pro- gressive Mormons. The Daily Tribune is a stinging, lively journal — the leading organ of the opposition to the priesthood and the the- ocracy. The Mail is an evening paper under Gentile influences, but not as bold or belligerent as the Tribune. The Utah Weekly Miner is a paper devoted to the development of the mineral resources of the Territory. There is another lit- tle evening paper called the Timeit, under church influences. Fortunes have been expended upon newspaper enterprises in Salt Lake, but with the exception of the th'-ee papers first mentioned, none have succeedeu. The ground is now, how- ever, fully occupied, and further efforts should be directed toward improving those already! established, rather than in new and costly ex- periments. The Utah Smttheni Ratlrwifl.—'l'lm \ road is really a continuation of the Utah Cen- tral. It was begun on the 1st day of May, 1871, and completed to Sandy that same year. In I 1872 it was extended to Lehi, about thirty miles from Salt Lake City. In 1873 it was extended to Pit)vo, and its present terminus is at York, a little place just across the divide betwet-n Lake | Utah and Juab Valley. It will probably be ex- tended from a hundred to a hundred and fifty I miles the present year. York is 75 miles from Salt Lake City, and 10 miles from Nephi, the next town on its proposed line of any im- g)rtance. The stockholders of the Union l\c\k \ oad, own a controlling interest in this, as sis in the Utah Central. It will probably be ex- 1 tended to the Pacific Coast sometime. Tiie| following is the record of freight received ; forwarded at the Salt Lake City Station for tlie I year 1875. Freight received, 70,916,527 lbs. Freight forwarded, 71,069,954 lbs. It.s gross l earnings for same period, were |!188,987.60,— and its operating expenses, were 1^120,650.87. The great bulk of its business is between Salt Lake City and Sandy, though travel and traffic are gradually increasing on the balance of its line, and will rapidly double up as soon as tbe raad shall have reached the rich mining districts in the southern portions, of Utah, which are at pres- ent comparatively undeveloped. Its general di- rection IS southward fi-om Salt Lake City, up the Jordan Valley to the Valley of Lake Utah, and | thence across the divide as before mentioned Travelers visiting this Territoiy should not fail to visit the towns, valleys and mountains on this I line of road. The Vallev of Lake Utah cspe- 1 cially, entirely surrounded by mountains lofty and rugged, will compare favorably, so far as magnifi- cent scenery is concerned, with anything of a I similar character to be found either in Kurope or America. Leaving Salt Lake City, we slowly pass through the limits of the coiiwration where cultivated fields and gardens, with farni houses and fine orchards of all kinds of fruit trees, giving evidences of thrift on every side, greet our gaze. Streams of water are constantly ran- ning through the irrigating ditches, and the i contrast between the cultivated lands and the sage brush deserts, sometimes side by side, is wonderful. On our left, the everlasting niount- ains, with their crowns of snow almost always visible, stand like an impenetrable barrier U> ap- proaches from the east, or like eternal finge^ boards, and say as plainly as words can indicate — " go south or north ; you cannot pass us." On the right, the river Jordan winds its way to the waters of the great inland sea, while beyoiid, towering into the sky, are the peaks of the Oquirrh Range. You will need to keep youf | TMM PstCiFiC FOMiiST. 141 jeyes wide open, and gaze quickly u)wn the Upidly changing scenes as they come into view, t)r swiftly recede from your vision ; for, between be scenes of nature and the works of man in jreciaiiniug this desert, yuu will liardly know vhich to admire the most, or which is tne most worthy of yoin* attention. Passing on, we arrive at the first station — Little Cottonwood,— 7 miles from the city. It is a way station at which trains do not stop lunless flagged, or the signal is given from on oard the train. All the canons and ravines in jthe mountains supply more or less water, which ps gathered into canals and distributed through [litches as re- quired for the nelds, meadows la n d orchards. iThe well culti- vated fields con- Itinue until we larrive at Junction, — |12 miles from ISalt Lake City, Iwhere the Bing- Iham Canon & ICamp Floyd ■Railroad inter- Isects the Utali I Southern. Pas- Isengers here ■change cars for IBingham Canon land the mining Idistricts in that Ivicinity. This ■road 1 s about [twenty-two Imiles long and |i 8 extensively I used in trans- jprtingore,bull- jion, coke, coal laud charcoal to land from the mines and I smelting works land railroad. I feet) road and is now doing a fine business. I Sandif, — 13 miles from the city and the point of intersection of the Wahsatch & Jordan Val- ley Railroad,— narrow gauge (three feet). This road turns off to the left and goes up Little Cottonwood Canon, which can now plainly be seen from the cars. The Big Cottonwood Canon 13 also in sight. There they are, with the mount- ain of silver between them. There is silver enough in that mountain to pay the national debt of the United States, with enough left to pay for a huge fourth of July celebration. This road has some very heavy grades, and, on the -^ i^^ifeT SNOW SLIDB MOUNTAIN.— LITTLB OOTTONWOOD CANON, It is a narrow gauge (^three upper end of it, horses, instead of engines, are employed to haul the empty cars. Inese two narrow gauge roads are now under one manage- ment. The Little Cottonwood Koad is about eighteen mil6s in length. Sandy is a flourish- ing little town. It has several smelters, or reduction works, where crude ore is converted into bullion. The celebrated Flagstaff mine has its smelting works here ; its ore is brought down from the mine on the Wahsatch & tfoi- dan Valley Itailroad. Every visitor to Utah, who is at all interested in mines, or metal- lurgy, will obtain a great deal of infonr.a- tion, and be amply repaid for the time and ex- pense of a visit to its more cele- brated mining districts. A visit to the Bing- ham and Little Cottonwood Dis- tricts, certainly should not be neglected. Leav- ing Sandy, we enter into a des- ert country again ; the farm- houses are scat- tering, though the land on tlie right, toward the immediate vicinity of the Jordan, is still pretty well set- tled. The next station is Drapervitle, — 17 miles from Salt Lake City. It is an unim- por'...u station, CO..' '\^nt to a little Mormon settlement. Leaving this sta- tion we soon cross South Willow Creek, and then follow the outer rim of the hills around the valley toward the right, like a huge amphitheatre. We have been going up hill, and, as we turn to the right, to get througn a pass or gorge in the mount- ains, the valley below us with Sandy, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake itself, its iplii:?ds, the mountains beyond and a vast scope of country is suddenly unrolled, like a beautiful panorama, to our view — a magnificent spectacle which never fails to excite and satisfy the beholder. Turning to the left again, we near the narrows, and, looking to the right, the river Jordan winds along beneath us ; then, passing through 142 TMM 9;§CiWiC TOimiSr. a deep out, we suddenly emerge into the valley of Lake Utah, and at once become en- chanted with the lovely view nv iv spread out be- fore us. The valley, cities and towns we have just left, are entirely shut out from our vision, and, in their stead, new wonders invite our at- tention. There is Lake Utah, with Httlu villages and settlements between its shores and the base of the mountains, and those mountains thou- sands of feet in height, piercing the very clouds, around it. With an alevation about 500 feet higher than that of the Great 8aU; Ible, Spanish Fork, Peteetneet, Salt and a few other small creeks. -Its outlet is tho River Jordan which empties into Great Salt Lake, and supplies water for irrigating ihe numerous famis in its valley. As before stated the lake abounds in fish, and on its eastern and northern sides, has a large quantity of arable iand. Its western shore is not very well watered, only one or two little creeks putting down into it from the Oquirrh Range of Mountains. It is wcil worthy of a visit f loiii tiie tourist, or sportsman. T/ie Vtah Westeint, BaUroad. -This road was first charter>id on the 15th of June, 1874, with a capital stock of ^900,000. The company is mostly composed of Utah men having their residence in Salt Lake City ; John VV. Young, a son of Brigham Young, being President, while Heber P. Kimball is Superin- tendent. The same year it was chartered, twelve miles were completed and opened for business on the 12th day of Deceniber, and, on the Ist of April, 1875, it waa completed to Half-Way House, thirteen miles farther. An extension of fourteen miles is now under con- tract, which will doubtless be completed the present year. This last extension will take the road to within mie and a half miles of Stockton, a prosperous mining town on the western slope of the Oquinh Range of Mnuntains. Its busi- ness o s unty-five miles of completed road, for the yt winning February 10, 1875, and end- ing Febr try !». 187(!, l.oth days inclus'vf. w...-* as follows: Freight^ received, 1.5,2H4,'>3(i lbs.; freights > foi-wardiM ...•276,(519 lbs., on* of the smelting works near St 'ktoii, alon< to' warding over 7,000,000 lbs. of l)u]li<.ii, ore, etc. The cash receipts for the same time were a.s folhiwa : $49,186, and the operating expenses of tl. road, also, for the same period, wen^' lu-arly ^10,(KK). It is a narrow gauge road, (th' '• feet) and has prospects for an extensive business in toe future. Its general route is westward until it passes the southernmost point of the Great Salt Lake, and then southward, alon^ the western ' c of the Oquirrh Range, and into the licl aning dis- tricts which have been developed .. the western slope of those mountains. Leaving Salt Lake City, on a heavy downward grade of ninety-five feet to the mile, but which is short, the road crosses the River Jordan on a common pile bridge, and then over a barren sage brush country, un- til it reaches Mitintone Point,— new the base of the mountains, and 11 1-2 miles from Salt Lake City. This place is named from the fact that the first millstones used in grinding grain in Utah, were qiiarried from the mountams near this point. The old overland stage road from Salt Lake City to California passes along tlie line of the road, as does one line of the Western Unioa Telegraph Commny, to the present ter- njinus of the road. The station is of no partic- y : ■■Uf ■■..•}•>■ m I FMB fi^CIFW F0&miSF. 149 u a: •■A -i c ular importance, and beycnd the incident men- tioned, 13 without a history. We are now at the base of the Oquirrh Range, and the first station of the Old Stage Company where they changed horses is [lointed out to tnb traveler on the south side of the road. Beyond Millstone Point, about two miles on the south side of the track, is a large spring, which furnishes a good supply of water, and which has been utilized by a dairy- man. A little beyond this spring on the same side of the track, there is, in the first point of rocks, quite an extensive cave which a snepherd uses as a shelter for his sheep, during the inclem- ent season of the year. A rail fence with gate surrounds the entrance to the cave, and it is said to be large enough to turn a foUi horse team and wagon with- u t difficulty. The extent of the outer part of the cave is about 40 feet, where a huge fallen rock precludes fur- theraccess with- o u t inconven- ience. The lake and its mount- ain islands, and the ranges be- yond, now come grandly into view on the north side of the track. The next sta- tion is Black Rock, —17 1-2 miles from Salt Lake City, — a sta- tion named from a rock, dark enough to be called black, rising in the lake about 100 yards from the shore. It is nearly flat on the top, and with a little effort can be easily ascended. Jtitting out from the shore, and a short distance from the station, is " Lii 's II