Litchfield enquirer., 1853-02-24

Ve0-GRe Xn0tGnS ana TIE ChOLefG--
b0rrenness oftke SOIL great WindfaH
MOuntains-olkah streams Lndepen-
dencs Rock Packing our MuLes--
StaDepede-the Sweetwater River -
extensive lGndscape-Green Rirer Fer
ry, &c. &c.
On the 10th Of May, we came 10 sight
of Laramie Peak, which l first observed
over the bluffs al the distance Of about
fifty miles, its summit being occasionally -.
yelled in clouds. So venerable and ma
jestic ON object bad never before burst
upon my sight. l could think Of moth.
ing so applicable as Pollock's description
OF the mountains which circumscribe the
plains of Paradise
---" 90 lofty, pure and bright,
That nought but angels foot or saints Of
God elect might dare 10 venture there"
Laramie. from whom the Fort took its
name, was hunter and trapper Of fol.
mer days. massacred by the Indians
AT this Fort. as at Kearney. is kept agar
rison of between so and 100 soldiers, Tor
the purpose Of gliding needy emigrants
and keeping the Indians in awe. Many
Of the Indians had died of the cholera The
preceding year, and they were told by
the officers that It they did not keep OF
the trail. the pale-facss would give i. to
them again and they would die with it
which was probably the reason why we
saw so few Of them. Here. says our
guids>book. written by Col. Ware. who
accompanied Fremont across the coun>
try 10 1s4s.) "here commences the tug
Of war"-and here. say. will the tide Of
emigration roll on its breakers, 500
miles east Of the Great Windfall, or more
properly. the Summit Ridge Of North
| America. Ienquired Of a soldier whsth>
er they could raise corn, potatoes, &c.:
he replied with an oath, that they could
raise nothing but Vind in that region
the truth Of which J was very ready to
believe from the constant demonstration
We had Of the chilling blast.
We had travelled from Fort Kearney
$50 miles, most Of the way over road
4
the equal Of which for excellence caa
hardly be found in the States for the
same distance and now we begin to have
steep. precipitous places in the trail. and
enormous hills Of shelly and cobble stone
and reddish earth, over which are seat-
tered shrub pines and cedars. giving the
country a dark and gloomy appearances.
Hence they are called the Black Hills.
May l4th. Passed over section Of
broken barren land, the rocks and bluffs
| Of which were reddish, having the ap.
pearance Of iron ore. Saw some buffa.
loes here for the last time. Farther west
they could scarcely End susie nance. To
the south l saw range Of mountains
with the strata lying obliquely on an an-
gle Of elevation IF about As degrees, re-
sembling vast masses o: ice thrown on
from the northwest. Whether this was
| dore when "ihe fountains Of the great
deep were broken up" or when Satan 10
his ire '.t'@2
.Up tore he hills and hurled them through
the air." 4os NJ ,as
| am not at present advised.
A little more than 100 miles above
Laramie We crossed over the North Fork
Of the Platte in a scow. Pushing our
mules into the river. they SWAIN across.
Some stone coal is found in this region
which is about the only thing Of any
worth in the country.
l6th Of May. Saw Windfall or Sum-
NIT Mountains in the west. more than
| IVU miles ulotant 5E~ t@ tA
May l9th. Passed stream Of alkali
water. very strong and nearly The color
Of common I've. few rods west Of which
| we saw tho bones Of ten cattle lying 10.
gether. u 10 said that they I'LL died
there together from the effects Of The
water which they had drank. TO the
westward. whensver ! see anything bat
barren hills and wids-extendsd plains
covered with sage bushes and wa.sred
with alkali streams. iii a aIl.) i will %
a rarity, and shall mention II. ssif
May goth. Game % Independenes
Rock, which is from 400 10 500 feet tigA
and 90 nearly solid rock that no bushes