Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-07-15
: N-e- -A-1 go - -
June ,, l. 80.

Il is Just one month to-day since ou
train, en- route for Pixies Peak, crosse
the Missouri River We are now campe
twenty miles below Fort Laramie, but 10
moIrow's sun shall fad Us again rJil.r,
on toward, the Rocky Mountains. "
always start early, let our cattle rest f.
an hour a, noon, and generally camp q
atou. iye o'clock in the evening We ar.
always bu.y when travelling; and til. b
ing the first pleasant day wo laid Oyei
since we started, | hope will be ezcu,,
enough fer the lopg interval between my
letters.
Our camp today is pitched on til
banks Of Platte River, By the side Of 8
fountain Of pure water, which dances msr.
rily by our tent, and falls uuruuIiug :
over tie bank. into the Plates turtld
bosom. The country surrounding Us Is q
level and barren sandy PLAIN, destitute o:
timber, (,sve few islands in the Platte,
and but little grass. Six miles south
ward, ths land Is very troken, and even
more sandy; the same toosris the uor:b
Those high, delightful plains, dceked with
Natures green velvet robe, and sPang,e ed
with rich and fragrant flowers | have
not yet beheld however, they may be On
ahead, in the Black Hills, or III the less,
an: valleys Of the Rocky Mountains, or,
perhaps, in the land Of latter dag saiuis-
tie Grea, Sal; Lake Basin. Wherever
they be, long to behold them. B4,
here, upon these no, and burning SANDS,
l can lo: imagine how flower cyu.d pos
sb.y bud and t.1ou.
i.a,te River is ever rolling is sand
bars down towards the Missouri, through
the middle Of the broad valley, aud Is as
ugiu,eT7s,ipe IS tie valley iiss.t; i,takss
a s,raigLt-:yrwari course, and seems 70 be
LurryiEg on out Of this f,f,lken region Of
Friek,y pears and .aui hills as fast as j.
possibly can. 1t f-rms itself into SIX or
seven channels, and each Of them seems
to be trying to make the vies, track. and
is iaarino ---- g.. ~ - - az ~-'''
mined to take all the sand possible along
down TO the Biz Muddy. To sum uP, |
can 10, better describe it than by ealing
it great, long watering trough, f,F tie
buffalo aud elk, and | dout, whether i,
was ever intended for any other purpose
Such Is the scenery around here, and such
il las been, witt few exceptions, which
I Will mention.
F-g: KeaE1ey, 800 miles east cf III,
j. cluster Of wooden buildings, erected
around large square, and Is occupied ty
about l-0 rufs--ap o-assr., and t5 n
Yates, al O. pay, AID having good ;.ue
generally.
The t9riiDg Of the South Platte is tie
re1t object Of interest, and ot.en one Of
great anxiety to tie emigrant. After
raising their wagon bed say eight inches,
and securing all provisions from getting
vet, they hook on from ten 10 sixteen yoke
Of cattle, and star, in; from fou. TO six
men accompany each team, well provided
with whips and clubs, AID each trying
who can yell and whooF Tie .yuisst. Often
from two to eight teams are crossing 4:
time, all rolling slowly and steadily TO
wards the other shore Il is az exciting
aud spirited scene...Tbe next is Ash llo.-
low, the place where, few years ago, Ger.
kearuey whipped the Sioux Indians 50
badly. Here the euisrant, after travel
ing 20 miles without a lrop Of water, be-
holds once more the strait eastward course
of the North Platte, while Immediately =
below him, bemuei IL By almost PtTpcn-
dicu!ar walls, 200 feet in height, Is a mar
row valley, (Ash Hol!ow,) into which he
must now descend. Rough and yeEy steep
is that road, and ever turning and twisting
around tie cracks and peaks, until al
last /, strikes the sandy bottom below; a
shor, drive around point Of rock, then
down the narrow valley a half mile iuE.
iher, and be Is mo.t agreeat!y surprised
in behol3ing the clean, cool waters Of
beautiful spEiug c.o.e by ths road SIDE.
Here, tso, lie finds plenty Of wood aad
grass, and the most beautiful camping
ground be could wish TO behold. Court
House Rock, 50 miles east Of this, is auo-
ther object Of Interest, a. e, ct dis
tapce) 1t stands independent and alone
among the sand hills, and resembles an
immense baildlug, Of seven stories high,
each story being smaller and allowing
platform on the one below, until 1t taPers
out into a curious and antique cuPola. 1t
appears to be about two miles distant
from the road Mr.. David Allen, (for-
nerly from Dauyille, Pa, and myself, be-
ing few miles in advance Of our train,
concluded to take Z stroll thiiheT, and
oyertsks the train before camping tine.
We left the road at two o'clock, 7. NJ,
and reached our destination after fast
,h,.a bours' walk We calculated the