Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-08-19
dQortestrr Daily Spg.
GREELEYs OVERLAND JOURNEY.
FROM BRIDGER TO SALT LAKE.

be regarded as the terminus in this direction
oil the Great American Desert. Not that the
intervening country is fertile or productive
for it is neither; but at Bridger its character
visibly changes. The hills we here approach
are thinly covered with struggling growth of
low, scraggy cedar; the sage bush continues
even INTO this valley, but 1t is no longer uni
versal and almost alone; grass is more fire.
quent and far more abundant Blacks Fork
which, few miles below, runs whitish with
the clay-wash OF the desert, is here clear,
sparkling mountain torrent, divided into halt
dozen streams by the fiat, pebbly Islets on
which the little village-0r rather posts To-
Gated while, twelve miles up its course, an
improvement OF 500 acres begun some years
since by the Mornons, has this season been
put under cultivation, with fiattering prospects.
Oats, barley, potatoes, peas, &C., are the crops
sought; and the enterprising growers have
contracts for the supply of Fort Bridger at
prices which will ensure them liberal return
in case they realize even moderate yield.
This may seem a small matter but doubt
that there are, in all, 500 acres more under
cultivation in the 250, 900 square miles or more
lying between the forks of the Platte on the
east, the Salt Lake Basin on the west, the set
Elements of New Mexico on the SOUTH and the
Yellow Stone on the north. Yet in this radius
are included several military posts at which
every bushel of grain consumed costs an aver
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 head of cattle, but who
hardly know the taste of potato or turnip,
who have never planted nor sowed an acre,
and never contemplated the possibility of
growing an apple or cherry, though they ex-
pect to live and die in this region. trust,
therefore, that the Fort Bridger enterprise will
md hat = twill Elro
ments in the vicinity of each wilderness post.
The present enormous cost of our military SER
vice in this immense desert may thus be
slightly compensated by proving the great de-
sert not absolutely worthless, and creating a
basis of civilization for its rude, nomadic, law
less, but hardy, bold, and energetic pioneers.
From Fort Bridger manned after an Indian
trader who first settled here then settled as
an outpost and relief station by the Mormons
when they began to people this valley, but
abandoned by them on the approach, late in
'57 of the army, by which it has since been
heidi the Salt Lake trail rises over high,
broad ridge, then descends very steep, rocky,
difficult hill to Big Muddy, a branch OF Blacks
Fork, where-12 miles from Bridger-is the
Mail Company's station, at which we had ex-
pected to spend the night. But the next drive
is 70 miles, and our new conductor wisely de-
cided to cut piece off of it that evening, as
the road at the other end was hazardous in
dark night. So we moved on little after
shutdown, rising over another broad ridge, and,
after narrowly escaping an upset in gully dug
in the trail by that days violent shower,
camped Is miles on, little after IL P. NJ.
The sky was densely clouded; the moon
nearly down; it was raining little and blow
ing more, as we lay down to rest most of us
under the sullen sky. An hour or more there
after, our mules (which were simply tied in
pairs by long ropes and thus turned out to
grace were somehow disturbed and our stage
men challenged and stood ready to repel the
supposed depredator He proved, however
to be a friend travelling on mule-back from
Bridger to this place, who had wandered off
the trail in the deep darkness, perhaps been
carried among our animals by the tondness of
his own for congenial society so all was soon
right, and the new conner unsaddIed, pulled OH
his blankets and was soon couched among us.
AT daylight, we were all astir, and drove down
to Bear River only three or four miles dis
tant for breakfast.
We halted before crossing, beside what is
here called grocery, the only other structure
on that side Of the river being a blacksmith's
shop consisting, believe, Of bellows and
anvil under the open sky, to which some
part of our rigging was sent for repair, while
we prepared and ate breakfast. There We're
two or three men sleeping in wet blankets on
the grass, who rose and made a fire on our ap-
pearance. The grocery was irregularly con.
structed of boxes which had once contained
goods, but, having fulfilled that end, were
thus made useful afresh l suppose it was
six feet high, and five by eight i'll diameter,
though no two of its sides were of the same
height An old tent cloth for covering COM
pleted the edifice, from which we obtained
sardines, canned lobster, and prepared coffee
which was said to contain sugar and cream,
but which was voted by our drinkers swnd-
ling humbug. l believe these articles ex-
hausted the capabilities of the concern; but,
as we had Bread we needed no more. Some
of our party thought otherwise, however; they
called for whiskey or some kindred beverage,
and were Indignantly disguised at its non
production. They had become Injured to
groceries containing nothing that could by
possibility be eaten, but grocery devoid OF
some kind of "rot" as the fiery beverage was
currently designated, was to them novel and
most distasteful experience. However, a man
was at once dispatched across the creek to
similar establishment, but more happily fur
nished whence he soon returned with the IN
dispensable fluid lprice So for flask contain
ing perhaps pint and half of some diabolic
alcoholic connection, wherein the small modi-
cum of genuine whiskey had taken to itself
seven other devils worse than the first, and
our breakfast was finished to general satistac-
ton.
A word here in the liquor traffic throughout
this region. A mercantile firm in this city, in
order to close out promptly its extra stock OF
liquors, offers to sell whiskey at the extraor-
binary low price of $3.50 per gallon. be-
lieve the common price from Laramie west-
ward to the Sierra Nevada is So per gallon;
but it is usually sold to consumers by the
bottle, holding less than quart, for which the
charge is 81 up to SO 30, but seldom below
So 80. And such liquor! True, have not
tasted it, but the smell | could not escape, and
am sure a more wholesome potable might
be compounded of spirits of turpentlne, aqua
forts, and stepped tobacco. Its look alone
would condemn it--soapy, ropy, turbd, it is
within bounds to say that every pint OF it con
tains as much deadly poison as gallon OF
pure whiskey And yet fully half the earn
ings of the working men mot including the
Mormons, of whom / have yet seen little) OF
this whole region are fooled away on this
abominable witchbroth and its foster brother
tobacco, for which they pay 81 to S2s pei
pound The trader at Weber, of whom oul
mail-boys bought their next supply of rot
apologetically observed, "There amt nothing
bad about this whiskey; the only fault is, II
isn't good" back that last assertion with
my whole heart
Fording Bear River-here a swift, rocky
bottomed creek, now perhaps forty yard
wide, but hardly three feet deep-we ros'
gradually through a grassy valley, partially
inclosed by high, perpendicular stone Buttes
especially on the right. The stone (evidently
once clay) outposts of one of the Buttes ar
known as "The Needles" We thence de
seconded a long, steep hill into the valley Q
81 ,ost Greek, "-,uhy Cost" l could not di