The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-08-22
= sting from ths Plains.

KEARSr, August 9th, 1857.
We left Columbus the morning wrote
you, and were until noon, getting across
Loup Fork. did not succeed in getting
man to take tbeplace Of the one we discharg-
ed, and in consequence, there are but seven
Of US ali told. We were about two hours
wading around finding the ford at Loup
Fork, and chen doubled teams, and all Of
US waded across. Going across with the
second team, the wagon and horses sunk in
the quicksand, and we had to unhiteh the
horses and hitch them again with a long
rope, ESQ they could stand en- more solid
bottom) and unload the wagon, and then,
with man at each wheel, and long pull
and strong pull, We got her started.
Nothing of importance has occurred, save
two or three false alarms Of Indians.
We found settlement of about thirty
FIVE persons short distance below Wood
River, putting up houses, breaking prairie,
&c.
Mendoza, the town laid of at the mouth
Of Wood River, is the best TOWNSHIP have
seen in the valley, and if rightly managed,
will make nice town. The country is very
good in the bottom, but the hills seem tobe
very sandy, and the table land is good soil
but very dry, with occasional patches Of
prickly pear. l was over ut the Fort the
same day we arrived, and saw the Command
ant, Lieut.. MARTIN, who endeavorsd to dis
courage us in our undertaking, as much as
possible. ..-. ....-
c. and concluded he was interested
in Central City, a town laid out on the South
side of the river. We have moved our
town-site about two miles up the river
There is military reserve here, ten miles
square, and the old claim was directly upon
it. Now, we just join it, get higher ground,
are nearer timber, and are directly opposite
Central City, which seems to be pretty big
concern. and has some influential men in.
terested in it. We have to use Cottonwood
for stakes, as we could find nothing on
Wood river, except Elm and Ash, and that
50 knotty, it took us nearly half day to
may IS stakes.
i The Cheyenncs made an attack on party
Of men going to Fort Laramie with cattle,
Oh the second of this month. There were
eighteen men and S24 head of cattle. The
Indians killed one man and wounded anoth-
er. There was party went up from the
Fort, who buried the man and picked up
about forty head of cattle. This happened
about twenty-five miles above here, on the
south side of the river. The party had
stopped to take their "nooning," and were,
all but two, asleep with their shoes off.
We keep two men on watch at night and
our guns all loaded. We have one double
barreled shot gun, two rifles, five muskets
and two revolyers, and think the ''bloody
injins'' will have warm time if they attack
US. There are but seventy soldiers in the
Fort, and the Commandant tells me they
are preparing to abandon it. If they do,
the Cheyennes and Sioux will soon stop the
emigration up the Platte Valley.
We had swarm Of grass-hoppers pass
over US day before yesterday. The horizon
was dusky from the quantities of them in
the air, and looking in the direction of the
sun, it looked like snow storm, or a swarm
Of gnats Oh a spring evening.
They extended up as far as the eye could
reach-were going southwest, and were
about two hours passing over. Yesterday
there was another swarm, that concluded
to stop with US, and they now cover the
ground at an average of about thirty to the
square foot. When you walk in the
grass their rising sounds like a flock Of
quails. They are a great nuisance, banging |
around ones head and face, like halstones
in storm. We have have them ssserved
up" in every kind Of style-boiled in the
mush, fried in the bacon, and baked in our
bread. Delicious! They are of the COM
monest kind, about an inch long-the COM
mon brown grasshopper.
We have seen good many decr-no buff
falo. lam going over to the Fort this af-
ternoon to mail this, as the mail leaves in
the morning. We have to wade the Platte,
as the horses always sink in the sand, and
pitch us into the water. The river is about
a mile and half across, but in no place is
there 800 1eet width Of water. 1t is all
islands, mostly small, with young growth
Of willow. Grand Island is just = chain of
all sizes of islands, with timber on the
larger ones. The timber is all cottonwood,
and rather poor in quality. The Fort con-
sists of three good two story frame, and a
number of small frame and sod houses
The sod houses have good shingled roofs,
and walls about four feet thick, and are
quite neat looking. Remember me to
T S., and others, and believe me,
| Yours, ever,
SAM. s. CURTIS.