The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-01-22
Interesting from the Geld Mines.
LETTER FROM SAM. S. CURTIS
Letter from John Graves.


gone to Salt Lake and back. Though they
were written two months ago, they are
interesting, as corroborative evidence OF
later information. Quere-does the Utah
mail trains usually make such quick tiips?]
Correspondence Of the Nonrsreil
WINTrR QUARTERS 90 miles below
Cherry Greek Nov a. 1858. )
Mr.. EplToE-We are at length comforta-
bly, housed for the winter, and have been for
the last few days engaged in looking over
the country in this vicinity.
Ny last letter having been written in haste,
will now say few words relative to the
road from the crossing r: the South Platte
to this place. For the .rst hundred miles
above the crossing, there is no timber, and
but little drift wood and few Buffalo chips.
Some small willow bushes may be obtained
on the islands, sufficient to make coffee,
but it is difficult Of access. Grass Is plenty
! all the way from Council Bluffs. There is
about forty miles Of sand road on this side
of the crossing, but the balance OF the road
! is good. Our estimate of the distance from
the Bluffs to Cherry Greek, is FIVE hundred
and sixty-fye miles. Some have made the
distance nearly six hundred. 1t cannot be
! over that. On the Southern road, the dis
lance is between seven hundred and fifty
and eight hundred miles, and a great deal
Of the road is hilly and without timber
The Northern road can be shortened be-
tween sixty and one hundred miles by a
road from Beaver or BijVa creek to the
mouth Of Cherry Greek, avoiding the large
bend of the Platte to the North.
TT. St. Vrain is about fifty miles below
here. 1t is we'll built adobe fort, about
one hundred feet square, with buttresscs on
the South East and North West corners.
About seven miles South Of it, there s an
other fort, and one about six miles this side
of that. They are al! about the same size,
and appear to have been abandoned at
about the same time. Sanders Ranch, was
the next object Of interest, as there we first
reached the Cherry Creek settlements. The
bottom is quite wide here, forming large
island which is covered with good grass and
! yOung cottonwood.
| SANDERS has been Mounainccr since
| forty four, and has hcrdcl cattle at this
place for five winters. There are several
persons connected with him in the business,
ong whom found Il nephew Of our friend
Col. COCHRAN. They start an express to
| by it this letter goes to the Post Office. All
/ letters to this vicinity should be directed to
Fl. Laramie, care Of Sanders & COS Ex-
press to Cherry Creek. The express will
run every month, aud SANDERS is the man
to put it through.
. Towns are springins up all round U.s.
Three are already started, and three more
arc, ojccted, Montana, Auraria and Denver
City are already i'll operation. Denver is
the County Scat. We have full set of
County Officers, appointed by the Governor
Of Kansas.
There has been hut little done, as yet in
the mines. y company has been formed to
dig ditch, for the purpose Of turning the
waters Of a SINAI! stream near here. The
bdnLs Of The stream PAY, FOR HALF \
MILE BACK, AND FOR SEVEN MILES
IN Length, FROM FIVE To THIRTY
FIVE CENTS TO TIE PAN, FROM TIE
81 Nt ACE DOW y 10 BED ROtk. All
. the gold that has been found. is float gold.
krpor;S are IN circulation, Of discovery Of
both shot, or lump gold, and gold IHartz.-
have seen mono Of either, although think
it is here. Those who have kecn here all
summer, are not experienced miners, and
may not have found it; if they have, they
do not tell where it is. All Of the Old
miners, have talked with, are satisfied that
there is gold here in Sufficient quantities to
Hy.ior naming.
Since writing the above, have been to
til" Mountains, and, in the first pan full in
which obtained the ''co.or," | got about
three and il hat cents worth Of gold
Fur,h'r examination, showed still! better re-
suits, and now there is quite number of
claims taken there. The bed rock is about
fifteen feet below the surface Of the ground,
and aJout the same distance above the
creek. The surface pays about one cent to
the nan; next to the bed rock. about five.
and the bed Of the stream, in some places,
as high as thirty.
The place speak Of, is where Ralston's
creek leaves the Mountains.
Yesterday, the twcnty-sixth. train came
in from Sioux City, Smthlanl and that
vicinity. They are all in good health and
still on the increase in the States. THINK
THAT ALL REASONABLE REPORTS