Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-04-17
Letter From Washington Territory.

The writer Of the following letter is a
native of this place, and lis numerous rel
aiiyeS and friends will no doubt he pleas
cd 10 hear from him.
SNAKE RIVER, Washington Terri.
tory, Jan. Dist, 1861.
Mr.. 0. B. WEIGH
Dear cousin 1T is with great
pleasure take this opportunity to pen u
few lines, and at the same time ask to be
excused for not doing so long ago. be-
lieye it is the first ! have written to you
since left Clearheld. am confident that
have yet the first to receive from you. 1t
is a great wrong that friendS-cspccially
relatives do not correspond more ire-
quently.
Tgavel is very slack here, times dull,
and | am very lonesome, being alone in an
Indian country. | suppose you would
like to know where ! am, what | am do
ing, and what brought me here. ! will
give you short sketch Of my wanderngs.
Though old to me, it may be new to you.
When left Clearlield l intended TO visit
some of the Western States and cities,
and then 60 down the Mississippi TO New
Orleans, and thence take sea voyage, as
had great inclination to see the world.
left Clearfeld in the fail of 1858, went
to topittsOurgh, Erie, Buffalo, Niagara Falls,
Suspension Bridge, Canada, Detroit and
Chicago, and many other places, and at
lat reached the Missh s:ppi river at Rock
Island. But, alas. the great Father of
Waters was covered from shore to shore
with ice for miles and miles above and be.
low. This put me all aback. knew not
what to do. But my business here lat
Rock lsland) was TO look up an uncle, my
fathers brother, Hugh Fullerton. in~
qulred of many, but no one could give me
any information. In stro!ling about to
relieve my mind fetched up at the river
aud concluded to step over to Davenport.
In stopping at halfway station, or sa-
looE on the ice, (aplace where passengers
who choose can step in and leave their
quarters | learned that my uncle lived
Mllamplon, ten miles above Rock Island,
which place reached next day, and re-
NAMED there till Spring-giving up my
@a-yoyage. Two years later ! left llamp~
ion for Oglc county, on the arrival of my
brother Camden. stopped in Oglc and
De kalb counties almost two years, when
the Pixies Peak Gold excitement broke
out. Like thousands Of others, ! started
Tor the new Eldorado ] can only give
you, at present, a very short sketch OF my
travels on the Plains. twas II very rainy
DAY IN April. 1859, when took leave of
my friends in Ogle county. spent week
IN Hampton, wh5n my partner and wag-
on arrived. Though the roads were bad,
We made our way through to Council
blui, on the Missouri river, in three
weeks. Here We bought six months supo
pyof provisions, and CLOSED over into
Nebraska. We got along very well until
sebegan TO meet the emigration pouring
back the other way, with these beaut fully
Illustrated notices painted upon their
wagon covers, "Pike's Peak Il humbug,"
Home, sweet home,"
ats homo you ought to bo--
Home, dearest home,
In your own county,
Sc, &c, This rather lowered our sails a
nile; but concluding to go and see for
ourselves, we kept mp the north OF the
fiatle river to Fort kcarney, intending TO
.'oss over, meeting every day from seven
y'hve TO one hundred wagons on the
Jack track. Every camping-plOce was q
Nene OF destruction. Provisions and mi-
alng tools were dunped opt and left at
Oe mercy of the wild beasts, rather than
IN Permitted to obstruct their hopieward
There WAS no ferry on tho Platte, and
uewater had raised so that we could not
!, Eola II with safety, and we travelled up to
y ,O'' Larrimi', The last crossin & on the
y eN 70 the new gold fields, and only sew
\ MY miles distant, or 500 miles from the
,tS SsCprl river. The golden news being
4 4l below par, we concluded to lie over
u susy or two ana take tuffalo hunt and
!, saAe up our minds as to what we had
" 10 This great metropolis, or Can
!, city, was in uproar from end to end. !
,rS She great starting point East, West
s south parties Gividing-some going
/. CMe- CsS some to the Peak, and Others TO
1ai0 1@''0rn'a and Oregon partners dividing
y. a teams-making carts out of their |!
%s.some throwing out--others loads
SUP Tor long journeys. Auctioneers'