Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-08-27

GREELEY S LETTERs--XIX.
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY.
FROM BRIDGER TO SALT LAKE.

SALT LAKE Cry, Utah, July ii, '59.
Fort Bridger, wheAce my last was sent,
may be regarded as the terminus in this di.
rection of the Great American Desert. =
| Not that the intervening country is fertile
or productive, for it is neither; Lut at
Brdger its character visibly changes. The
hills We here approach are thinly covered
with struggling growth of low, scraggy
Cedar; the Sag6bush continues even into
this valley, but it is no longer universal &
almost alone; Grass is more frequent and
far more abundant; Blacks Fork, which, a
few miles below, runs whitish with the clay
wash Of the desert, is here clear, spark
ling mountain torrent, divided into half
dozen streams by the fiat, pebbly slets On
which the little village--or rather posts
located; while, twelve miles up its course,
an Improvement of 500 acres, begun some
years since by the MormonS, has this sea-
son been put under cultivation, with hatter-
ing prospects. Oats, Barley, Potatoes,
Peas, &C., are the crops sought; and the
enterprsing growers have contracts for the
supply of Fort Bridger at prices which
will insure them liberal return in case
they realize even moderate yield. This
may seem small matter; but | doubt that
there are, in all, 500 acres more under cul-
tivation in the 100000 square miles or
more lying between the forks of the Platte
on the east, the Salt lake Basin on the
west, the settlements Of New Mexico on
the south, and the yellow Stone on the
north. Yet in this radius are included sew
eral military posts at which every bushel of
grain consumed costs an average of So
while Potatoes and other edible Roots
wOuld command nearly as good prices,
could they be had There are herdSmen
at intervals throughout all this region who
have each their hundreds of heads of Cat
tie, but who hardly know the taste of a
potato or turnip, who have never planted
nor sowed an acre, and never contemplated
the possibility Of growing an apple or cher
ry, though they expect to live and die in
this region. | trust, therefore, that the
Fort Bridger entesprise will succeed, aud
that it will incte to like experiments 10 the
vicinity of each wilderness post. The pre-
sent enormous cost of our Military service
in this immense desert may thus be slightly
compensated by proving the great desert
not absolutely worthless, and creating a
/ basis Of civilization for its rude, nomadic,
Iawless, but hardy, bold, and energetic pio-
neers.
From Fort Bridger (named after an In.
dian trader who first settled here; then
settled as an outpost aud relief station by
the Mormons when they began to people
this valley, but abandoned by them oa the
approach, late in '57, of the Army, by
which it has since been held the Salt Lake
trail rises over high, broad ridge, then
descends very steep, rocky, difficult hi
to Big Muddy, a branch Of Blacks Fork
where-l2 miles from Bridger-is the Mai
Company's station, at which we had ex
pected to spend the night But the mex
drive is so miles, and our new conducto
wisely decided TO cut piece of Of it tina
evening. as the road at the other end wa
hazardous in dark night. So we moVet
on little after shutdown, rising over anoth
or broad ridge, and 'alter narrowly eseap
ing an upset in gsuy dug in the trail b.
that days violent shower, camped 10 mile
ou little after IL p. m. The sky wa
densely clouded; the moon nearly down; =
was raining little aud blowing more, a
We lay down to rest; most Of us under IN
sullen sky. An hour OF more thereafter
our mules (Which were simply tied IN pair
by long ropes aud thus turned out TO groze
were somehow disturbed, a our stage-me
challenged and stood ready to repel tn
supposed depredator. He proved, how
. ever, to he a friend. travelling on mule-bac
, from Bridger to this place, who had wal
dered off the trail in the deep darkness
, perhaps been carried among our animals b
the fondness of his own for congenial soc
) ty; SO all was soon right, and tbe new ccu