The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-02-05
r..o.,,r,, sou,. III. B.s,.


of the various routes to Pixies Peak and
the gold region unanimously, we believe it
is now very generally conceded that the
most direct, and the best, on many ac-
counts, is by way of the Smoky Hill
Fork.
On. Woodward writes from the gold
region, dating his letter "South Platte
Nov. 18th, 49," and directed to Van Horn
! g. Abeel, of the Kansas City Journal, in
which he says
"The best route for emigrants is to Fort
Riley, thence up the Smoky Hill Fork,
which rises within 80 miles of the base of
Pixies Peak. A road will be laid out in
the spring from the South Platte to the
source of the Smoky Hill Fork"
Julian R. Fitch, a Government Surveyor,
who has Just returned from western ex-
petition on the route of Pixies Peak, writ
ing to the Leavenworth journal, expresses
decided preference for the Smoky Hill
route. He gives various reasons why he
prefers that route, and closes with the
following
"At Junction City the traveller can pro-
cure anything he may have forgotten when
leaving the river. Keeping straight up the
bottom, on the North side of Smoky Hill,
thirty four miles, you come to the mouth
of Solomon's Fork. This you follow,
nearly due West, for fifteen or twenty
miles, and at or near the second standard
parallel, which is just six miles South of
Leavenworth, you come to a good stone
crossing. And gentleman by the name
of Bruce is now engaged in putting in a
good ferry, to be used in case of high
water. Having crossed the Solomon. you
take the high divide, North of the Smoky
Hill, and keep nearly West course until
you come to the Saline, the last branch of
any size to be crossed, where they will
find no difficulty in crossing. That passed,
the road is good to the "gold regions"
The Junction City Sentinel, a paper
published at the FUNSTON of the Repub
lican and Smoky Hill Forks of the Kan
sas river, some sixteen miles West of Fort
Riley, says
"Grass is said to be a month earlier on
this than any other route, and it is reason
ably accounted for by scientific explorers,
from the gypsum formation "a great fer
tilizer) discovered along the Smoky Hill
Fork. Wood and water (the two greatest
necessaries on the plains) are found in
abundance. The route is two hundred
miles shorter than any other route from
either Kansas City or Leavenworth. For
the truth of this last assertion we refer the
incredulous TO any map of the country, a
glance at which is sufficient to convince
an appropriated mind. If you outfit at
the above first named city, you follow the
road on the South side of the river to this
place; here you cross, and continue up on
the North side of the Smoky Hill to its
head waters, this being due West course,
and direct to the mines; but should you
start from Leavenworth City, you have a
splendid road (Col. Cook, U. S. A., calls it
'the best natural road in the world, ~
running an almost bee line, directly West
to Pixies Peak; you cross the Republican
Fork at Fort Riley, and thence through
our town and along the North side OF
Smoky Hill. The first stream after leav-
ing here, is Chapman's Creek, with a
bridge across it; the next is Mud Creek,
} with good bridge; next, Solomon's Fork,
and last the Saline Fork, both with excel
lent ferries"
There can be no doubt but the central
: route, here indicated, is the shortest and
best, and we think the principle parties
going over the plains in the spring will
take passage over this road.