Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-08-19
From the Missouri to the Pacific.


Richardson, of the New York Tribune, sent the
following interesting letter to that paper from
Salt Lake City, June 18th:
Last Winter a United States Senator declared
in his place that the only hostile Indians on the
Plains were few kept by Ben. Holladay, ana
brought out whenever he needed new mall ap-
preparation excuse for non-performance ol
the service. Per contra, many people in Coiora-
do have said, . wish the Indians might catch
Colfax 5 party, for that would stimulate the Gov
crnment TO protect US.
The noble savage did not catch Us but he
came quite too for comfort, and compelled
US to spend eight days in accomplishing the CO.
miles from Denver here. The schedule time Is
five DAYS and half. We travelled sometimes
with escort, sometimes without. First we
learned that hundred miles in advance OF us
the savaees had driven off all the horses ana
mules from three stations. Two emigrants were
found dead upon the road-one scalped, tue
other with throat cut from ear TO ear and thlr-
teen arrows in his body. One of these, with the
iron point still bloody, was shown 70 us Inc
arrows were of several varieties, indicating that
the attack made by mixed body, and not
by any one tribe.
The Indians came down upon the Willow
Springs station aud stole all the stock haii an
hour after we left it. At North Platte Crossing,
the river, they made dash upon the horses OF
train of :. JosepEites" Mormons who oppose
polvgamy and follow Joseph Smith, Jr. instead
of Brigham Young), returning to the States
But the emigrants sturdily returned their fire
and drove them away. while our escort followed
two miles in unsuccessful chase. Seventy-hve
Indians attacked Sage Creek Station the day at
ter passed, killing the stock tenders and three
of the soldiers, and severely wounding two
others.
Many of the desert stations are substantial
stone buildings, with oop-hocs in the walls for
Indian fighting with shining rifles and we'll
polished reyolvers hanging ready to be graspcd
at any moment. Some of the women are comely
and lady-like, adapting themselves with grace
and heroism to the rude labors of cooking meals
for passengers and the present peril OF being
captured by the savages, which involves fate
worse than death. At station, by lurid
candle we saw the red-hot brand . B. H. pressed
on the lanks Of the shrieking mules. They had
Just been purchased to replace those taken by
the Indians. The next. day they too were stolen,
and others yet must be bought. | know not
which to admire the more-the promptness with
which the contractor supplies the places of stock
stolen, ferry boats sunk and bridges swept away
on these wastes, three hundred miles from set
Elements, or the courage of the drivers, who of
ten ride alone, by day and night, through regions
infested by the savages.
Our road leads through portions of Colorado,
Dacotah Montana and Utah. over endless deserts,
among or near the Black Hills, and the Rocky,
Wind River, Uintah and Wasatch Mountains.
We rode among clear, trout-haunted brooks :;
little lakes with ducks sailing upon their clear
depths, which mirror the neghboring rocks and
hills; hoary mountains, with delicious white
clouds robing their SUBMITS picturesque dales {;
terrible wastes. white with alkal dreary, ashen
hills of bare drab earth the parched ground,
deeply gashed and quilted the faint streams,
bitter and poisonous. binding dust filling the
air, with green thing to be seen, no vestige
Of vegetable life except the sage brush and the
cactus. This is indeed the deSert-the very
abomnation of desolatiOn.
One of our escort, with cavalry rifle at 400
yards brought down an antelope. 1t proved a
huge buck. with great branching horns, which
he fourished wickedly about our soldier who
boldly seized them and then cut his throat
Strapping the fallen chieftain to our coach, we
contributed him to the harder of the next station
keeper. Surly gray wolves gazed tiXedlv at us.
until Governor Bross fired at them with his shot
gun, then galloped lazily away. We sort
of travelling arsenal, with two or three weapons
to the man. Attacked, we should have been
dangerous indeed-if not to the Indians at least
to each other. That all escaped with
lives is due only to that overruling Providence
tourists and sets at naught the aims of amateur
sportsmen.
One night huge grizzly bear was seated right
in our road His education had been sadly neg
lected for. with the grosseSt disrespect to Ma
tional and State dignitaries. he refused to bulge
one inch. SO we even turned ont and gave him
a wide berth Like the man in the story. he was
larger than us and we forgave him. \ few days
before, old trapper had shown me the scars
III
him and shook him a dog shakes rabbit
and informed me that near Salt Lake, another
bear attacked by hunters killed five of them but
finally dispatched.
Brdeer's Pass is 1000 feet above sea level
4 tradition exists of California emigrant a hun
dred miles back, who sold his wagon at half its
worth to a ranch-keeper, on the assurance that
it was Just three inches too wide to 90 through
Bridgers Pass There is really no gorge or
canyon but vast desert expanse. nearly level
and one cannot tell when he crosses over the
summit Reaching il on Wednesday night we
found the air very crisp and light and about
midnight were on the Pacific slope.
If tlIou woul,l,t view fair Melrose Alright.
Go visit it by the pale moonlight"
On Friday evening. just the great fiery moon
rose mp from behind an eastern mountain, we
reached the Church Butte. 1t is a strange, r.
regular pile of bare gray earth, crowned on the
top with masses of red sandstone. worn by the
wind sand and water, into startling and fantastic
forms Half mile around and hundreds of feet
in hight. it is like vast ruined cathedral or
temple, with crumbling walls, broken arches
quaint turrets and inches with Sculptured figu6s
Wild and weird in the moonigh it required no
effort Of the imagination to see a huge fallen
sphinx with face TO the ground, long colonade
with half its noble pillars broken, great human
faces in bqs-relief, owls, eagles. centaurs, and
Two enormous lions couchant overlooking and
clouding the whole.
Fort Bridger, 5000 feet above the sea. with
gurglng little ris, threading its green parade
ground and supplying its neat log barracks, is a
beautiful spot. Here the road branches the
North Fork going to the rich Montana gold dig
gings. The post-sutler, whose great warehouse
is crowded with goods, does a business said to
net SIS, 600 per year. We did ample justice to
his hospitable breakfast. and listened wondering
ly while his pretty daughters and their govern
evoked music from their piano. The instru-
ment answered spirtly to their touch manifest
ing neither lonlineSs nor debility after its jour
ney of $500 miles from New York, one-half of
il in ox-wagon.
When we pressed on the day was charming
Coming from "A desert dreary Saharah. we