, 1859-02-05
Routes to the Gold Mines--Smoky Hill
Route Impracticable.-Grent SANTA Fe
Roatc-.festimony of Mr. j. c. NC.
Coy, Twenty-Five Years on the
Plains.


lFfom the KAnsas City Journal Of Commerce.l
Below We give letter from our citizen j. G.
Mccoy, Esq. II contains more usetul and gene
rAl information on the subject Of routes to the
gold mines than all the letters aud editorials
that have as yet been published on the subject,
It ia letter that should be read by ererr per-
son intending 10 20 the to 1ujres this season,
Rend it caretn.ly:
Ms. Ep1roR-The recent discovery of gold at
the base Of the mountains near Pixies Peak. has
been the means of shedding perfect Hood of
light in regard to the geography Of the Crest
Plains which lie between the western boundary
Of Missouri md the Rocky Mountains. For
more than a quarter Of q century have been
yearly trarersing these Plains, from the Big
Platte, between Missouri and Arkansas ind the
mountains, about seven years Of that time,
from 1850 to 1857. being almost continuously
employed under the Government il surveying
in what was then the Indian Territory. l had
traversed this region in almost every direction.
had camped upoa almost every creek and stream
Of any note, having now many lines Of departure.
as far west from The Missouri aud boundaries "a
four hundred miles. and in nv IGNORANCE had
supposed that | had acquired q pretty fair
knowledge OF the Great Plains Of the West
But. however humi,iat,na It NAV NAV be- be- to % d. .o T !
haze now to confess that have travelled these
plaius to but very little purpose If one tenth of
what these writer's put for,h is to be- beliYed. I.
however. prefer to stick to mY frat Impressions
in regard to the country, and also 10 try to
prove that great number Of the writer's afore.
said Il make several honorable exceptiont)
moved By the instigation Of the - and theif
cupldity, hars had total disregard Of the CON-
mandment.
It is very we'll known there are but two good
roads from the Missouri to Pixies Peak, and ia
my humble judgment, there never will be any
others whicn can compete with them. One is
the Santa Fe road which was thoroughly sur
veyed and established under authority Of the
9. =. Government, BY Commissioners George
G. S,bioy and Benjamin Reeves, more than
thirty live years ago and has been the ou}y great
thorouRhfsre ever since that time to New Uexi.
CO. The other is the route now travelled up The
Big Platte river, By Fort Kearuy.
To those who start from the Missouri river at
any point below EebraakA CITY, the former is
from or above Nebraska City, the Platte route,
think, would be the best. As regards the
Smoky Hill route, about which so much has been
written, it is all in the Imagination Of the writ
ers, there IS not, and there nerer will be, good
wagon road up that stream, or the Saline or
is too billy and broken. The whole line Of tbe
road would be succession Of impassable creeks
rayines and hills. and half miljion Of do]lars
wonld not, in nv oninion. construct A mad IN
the yalley of the Smokv HiiI wtich wonId Mt ei1
compare to that of The Santa Fa road. Tha
Santa Fe road is without doubt tho best natural
road Of its length on The continent and from
Couucil Grove Sestw.rd II il nnsnrn,ssad So ''on'
Tia Creat P1.;n. we.t nf M Esra dnnh,1s., ..
sonn rsmo4s ns-;od of t;matb haJ ~ asaas ~
the conntrv hoirasn tha SmntT nj, 49, -
puh'icsn Forks Of Kansss' and the rnnnn,a;as
eastxard wnuId saem Ia have h.en tnnana ~
land r1tendinn ess.xaraix into that ocaaR og . ~