Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-12-10

oIOhSly.
Wedaesday, June Is Had good road
to-day. Passed Mormon train of 50
wagons, and camped on the Platt with 40
more. Drove 25 miles. Grass eair. Mos
quitoes bad. We have had plenty of good
cedar wood since we left Laramie.
Thursday, June 10 Warm day Road
up and down. Wood is getting scarce
We caught up and camped with a train
that passed by US while we were camped
where our horses stampeded, consisting of
John B. SCOTSMAN, captain of the train
and Robert Reed and Elias Thornton. of
Council Bluffs. George Wheeler, John
Symonds, Isaac French and Charley Ber-
ryman of Hazel Green, Sam Roberts, \.
Baily, Tommy Taylor, Dick Symonds z.
Curnow, Dick Dunstan and Dick Prideaux
OF Dodgeville, Bennett Osborne, Leonard
Walton, Tom. Ducey and VIM Rodgers of
Shullsburgh Francis Bourette of Potos
Moses Freshett of New California Isaac
Winn, James and VIM. Avery, T. Cham,
pion, VIM. Murrish and JOS Stude of Min
eral Point We joined them which makes
our train consist of 13 wagons and thirty
men. Drove about 90 miles and camped
near a fine spring. Grass fair. Had fine
shower this morning.
Friday, June 20. Road sandy and hill
ly-some places bad. In the afternoon it
rained hard all around US, but fortunate
ly we escaped it until just at dusk, when
we had a very slight hail storm We met
100 Mormon wagons. These wagons are
bound for the Missouri river, from whence
they will return with emigrants and with
freight. We camped on the Platt just
above the old ferry. Splendid grass on
the bluffs. Drove 20 miles
Saturday, June q. Fine, cool day
Heavy, sandy, and somewhat mountainous
road. Small hail storm in afternoon
Quite windy. Crossed the Platt on the
lower bridge, and camped Good grass
/ on the bluffs at the foot Of the Black Hills
Drove about twenty miles. Cool and win
dy this evening-looks like storm.
Sunday June % Warm. In the af-
ternoon we drove up the south side Of the
Platt FIVE miles and recrossed on the upper
bridge, after which we drove six miles un-
| til we struck the Platt again, when we
camped. Road, south side level and good,
north side good but hiIly. These two brid
ges are built to avoid a very hard and deep
sandy road on the north side 1t cost our
teams 90 cents per wagon to cross both
bridges, emigiants coming up the otherside
of the Platt have to pay So, 60 10 cross one
OF them. This is where the north and
south Plat roads unite Mosquitoes are
thicker tonight than fiddIers in the dew
lis parlor
Monday, June 23 Road splendid, but
ratherup and down. Left the Platt and
struck off towards the Sweetwater Good
by old sand puddle We had a fine view
from Prospect Hill Alkali country
Camped in a rain atorm on a fine spring
brook Drove about 20 miles.
Thursday, June "a Fine cool day for
driving Country, rough. Passed through
several large Alkali swamps Crossed the
| Sweetwater at Independence Rock Pass
/ ed the Devils Gate, wherc the Sweetwater
runs through a narrow channel in the
rocks, which tower above it perpendicu-
| larly some 400 feet 1t is grand natural
curiosity. Camped on a fine spring branch
five miles below Devils Gate Great indi-
cations of storm this evening, but turn
ed out mostly fuss and feathers, although
it kicked up an awful muss in camp
Drove some 20 miles. Grass poor.
Wednesday June 25. Old Roderick
was so lame this morning on account of
Alkali getting into cracked hoof, that
we were forced to leave him, (delays are
dangerous so we sold him to a rancho
man for $50 Poor old fellow, we hated
to leave him as he had become very kind
and gentle. Travelled up and camped on
the Sweet water. Scenery beautiful Al
kali plenty Grass poor Drove about Is
miles
Thursday, June 26. Very cold last
night. Road with the exception OF i've
miles tolerably good. That five miles was
awful sandy wagons would cut into the
sand to the depth often or twelve inches
/ The north bluffs Of the Sweet water are
composed, ofhard granite; the south bluffs
more sandy After noon we left the
Sweet water and had to travel until after
dark to find water which was very scarce
there, and no grass worth mentioning
Passed what are called Ice Springs, where
it is said ice can be found in low swan
py spot by digging down | ] or , feet be-
low the surface, at any time during tho
year We have seen snow on the bluffs
for several days, and to-day we caught a
glimpse of the snow capped peaks of the
Rocky Mountains This is very roman
tic, but forlorn looking country. Drove
% miles
Friday, June q. Drove fifteen miles
before diuner AID camped on fine stream
at Rock Ridge with about 80 men of the
9th Ohio Cavalry, the first battalion of