The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-08-11
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY.
XI.
THE KANSAS GOLD DIGGINGS
In THE Rocky MOUNTAINS,

IN THE nOCh1 MOUNTAINS, {
Gregory's Diggings, June 9, 1859.
We left Denver at q yesterday morn
ing, iu wagon drawn by four mules.
crossing by rope ferry the south fork of
the Platte directly. This fork is swift,
clear, cold stream. some thirty rods wide,
fordsble except when SHOWS are melting
in the mountains. Many gold-seekers
wagons were waiting to cross. and more
we're momenlly arriving, so that the fer
ryuen at least must be making his pile
out of the diggings. Henceforward, our
way lay northwest for fifteen miles across
Hroiliug and we'll -grassed prairie, on which
one or two farms have been commenced, I,
while two or three persons bave just cs-
tablished ranches that il. have built
each bis corral, iu which cattle are herd
ed at isht, while allowed to run at large
on the prairie during the day: 81 80 per
month is the usual price per head for
herding cattle in this way, and the cattle
arc said to do very well. The miners
leave or send back their cattle to herd on
these prairies, V bile they prosecute their
operations on the mountains, where feed
is generally scarce.
Reaching Clear Creek, (properly Yes
auer's Fork)-a cold, swift, rocky bot
toned stream, which emerges just above
deep narrow canon from the Rocky
Mountaius-we left our wagons. saddled
the mules and forded the creeh-and it
was all our mules could DO to stem its
impetuous current asceDied a geutle,
grassy slope to the foot of Rocky Moun-
tains-which had for an hour seemed al
most within stone-throw on our left
Now they were to be faced directly, and
the prospect was really serious. The
hill on which we were TO make our 6r-t
essay in climbing rose to hight of 500
feet 10 a little more than a mile, the as
cent for most of the distance being more
than one foot in three. / never before
saw teams forced up such a precipice;
vet there were wagons with ten or twelve
hundred weight of miLiug tools, provis-
ions, &e, being dragged by four to eight
yoke of oxen up that giddy precipice,
with four or five men lifting al the wheels
of each. The average tine consumed iu
the ascent is an hour and q half Our
mules, upused to such work, were visibly
appalled, by it; at first, ;hey resisted ev-
cry effort to force them up, even by zig
gags. Ny companions all walked, but
was lame and had to ride, to my mules
intense disgust. He was stubborn but
strong, aud in time bore me safely to the
summit.
New as this rugged road is--it was FIRST
traversed five weeks ago to-dsy-death
had travelled it before NE. a young man
shot dead. while carclesly drawing rife
from his wagon, lies buried by the road
side on this mountain have beard Of
so many accidents of this nature-not
less than a dozen goldseekers having
been shot 10 this manner during the last
two months--tbat I marvel at the care
lessness With which firearms are every
where handled on this side of the Missou-
ri. Had no single emigrant across the
Plains this season armed himself, the
number of them alive at this moment would
have been greater than it is
We travelled some two miles along the
crest Of this % mountain, then descended, By
pitch equally sharp with the ascent but
shorter, to raviue, in which We rested
our weary animals and dined. That din
ner-of cold ham, bread and cheese - was
one of the best relished Of any ever
shared. Re.saddling. We climbed anoth-
er precipiee a little less steep-and so up
and down for ten miles, when we descen.
ded into the narrow valley of a little
branch of Clear Greek. and theucefor.
ward bad ten miles Of relatively smooth
going, crossing from one valley to anoth-
er over hills of moderate elevation and
easy ascent.
A wilderness Of mountains rose all a.
round US, some higher. some lover, but
generally very steep, with sharp narrow
ridges for their SUBMITS. Sofae of them
are thinly grassed, between widely scat
tered trees up their sides and on their
tops, but they are generally timbered aud
mainly with Yellow Pine, some OF it quite
large; but more of it mall and apparently
young. High Oh the mountains this pine
is short and scraggy, while in the raViues
1t grows tall and sharply, but average
not more than foot in diameter, Hur-
rIeanes have frequently swept the noun
tains, prostrating the pines by scores,