Dakota City herald. [volume] (Dakota City, Neb.) 1857-1860, 1859-12-03
rus ROUTE FROM FoRr RANDALL
To FORT LARAMIE.

Tue 4 FROM FORT RANDALL
To FORT LARAMIE.
The question whether the Government
should not make Fort Randall the point from
which 70 freight its stores to For, Laramie
and Utah, appears to be gaining ground. In
view Of the immense advantages the adoption
Of this route would give. aud the vast saving
ia mo7sy, time and distance this is as it
should be. The route Is decidedly preferable
70 that from L~saVenworth or Nebraska City.
The distance from the former place to Port
Laramie, Is $50 miles from the latter, 575 4;
while from Fort Randall 1t is not fully $50
miles. Here would be saving in the first in
stance Of 500 miles Of land travel, and IN the
second, Of 225. Every one who has been
over the two hrst mentioned routes, knows
hcW difheult it is, during the early part Of
sammer Tor freight wagons 90 make suy
progress. on account Of the innumerahIs small
streams On tho route nearly all Of which are
uubriigot. ca the Randall route this incon.
v]eaienoe does not exist, and but three streams
would need be briiged which might be done
ct a small expense.
The usual time il takes o trsia Of Govern
meut stores 90 reach Fort Laramie Is from
eighty to ninety days and TO reach Sal. Lake
City about Que hundred AMI forty. IL train
leaves Lcayenworth or Nebraska CITY IN the
first Of May-wlioh is as early as il il pru.
dent TO start-it will be the last % July or
hrst Of August before il reaches Laramie, aud
about the middle Of September before it can
reach Salt Lake City. The train may unload
possibly, st Fort Laramie and return to the
Missouri river before the winter sets in; but
this cannot be done from Salt Lake City
Several parties undertook The experiment last
year, but December caught them ia the noun
;ains and most Of them fr0zo to death. II
Fort Randall was made the depot, from whence
Government stores were freigStsd to Lara
and Utah, they could leave that point
as early 80 the 6rst Of May, certain, and, al
loving hfy days 10 which to reach Laramie
reach Salt Lake City about the tenth
Of August. There would be ample time to
unload the train and leave the Mormon val I
and return 10 Randall or any ether point
on the river before the cold weather commcno-
ed.
The cost Of freighting from Port Randall
Al the present price paid to Russell, Majors
& Wsddsl-oould be six dollars less on the
hundred pounds THAI is now pa,d rom Lesy-
snWorth aud Nebraska City. That firm re-
628 90 a hundred, fer freigbtipE stores
to Salt Lake City, which is about g 90 per
owt for = huRIrel niles. 0ovsFuBent stores
be shipped to For; Randall, OF any other
point there that might be selected as a depot,
for, at most, 81 90 per hundred. DeIucting
this from the Sc 90 saved in land travel, and
have IS 90 left, which amount the Gov
eraneRI can cave on every hundred pounds
rent to LArsnis or Camp Floyd. We have ne
.dea Of the Teigh; Of stores cent to these
but vi will make 3 rough estimate
.hs, we know, must fall far shoT. Of the aclu-
u weight, and consequently, Of the actual
'sving to the Government. We will suppose
hat last season, there we're 90 trains sent out
II 70 wagons each ench wagon bearing 1000
This would give a total Of 1850, 900.
Al a saving Of SIS 90 on a hundred, the Gov.
srnment could retreneh its expenditures in a
season, $l04, 900.
Ssvsal parties who went from this upper
to the minos, last spring, took that
and reported plenty Of wood, water and
grass.