The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-11-23
Leaves from Tent-Life II.

On the morning of the ninth of June, W;
bade-what promised to me to be an ever
lasting farewell to Platte river The day.
that had wound along its valley, or STOOD
upon it's shore, and the nights that | hac
slept, luled by the rush of its dusky tide
had so endeared it to me, that it seemed
like leaving familiar friend; aud never
can forget those master pieces, wrought
in natures own school of wild beauty, which
line its banks. Treasured are they among
the stores of memory. 1T
My heart leaped with delight when SIN
dependence Rock hove i'll sight, and the
clear waters of the Sweetwater glsteneC
near. The distance in crossing over from
Platte to the Sweetwater, is fifty miles, and
We strike the last named river at Independ.
ence Rock. | suppose this rock derives its
name from standing alone independent Of
all other rocks Although it stands near
and its valley, still there is wide space be
tween it and them 1t is nearly smooth
about quarter of mile long several hun
bred feet high and about forty rods through
it's center, narrowing down to point nearly
at both ends one lying on the river bank
almost to the waters edge, and the other
running back towards the mountains Its
sides as high as men can reach or climb, are
covered with names from every state in the
Union, and dates for twenty years back 1t
is strange what a passion people have, while
travelling on the plains, for carving their
names in rocks and mountains and every
stone surface that presents itself Some
times bit of whit stone or q bright looking
chip by the way side would be found covered
with the names of some company and the
date of passing the spot where we found
them
We forded the Sweetwater at Independ
ence Rock, and passing down the other side
six miles, came to The DeUqls Gate.'-
here we camped and went visiting A
mountain a mile in diameter has been rent
asunder, that the Sweetwater might flow
through and find its way to the Platte.
AS you pass along the road leading to it,
you see nothing but the high mountains OF
rock, but as VOC approach the river you find
that the waters seem to flow through or rn
der the mountains. Then you commence
to climb up their rocky sides with much
difficulty, for they are steep and rough, and
passing round to the south end if you climb
far enough, you will find yourself on large
projecting rock which reaches out about one.
third of the way across the chasm You look
from this downward about hundred feet,
and see the Sweetwater tangling it's waters
among the rocks in its rapid flow. Looking
up you see the summit three hundred feet
above, where trees look like bushes and men
look like small boys. On either side are
rough Jagged walls of stone four hundred
feet high and almost perpendicular Be-
meath the rock on which we stood grew a
tall pine tree, and we were above its TOP
most boughs, and had seemingly attained
the first step only, towards its summit
The bed Of the river through the Gate which
is slightly winding, is Tricky set with stones
and many have passed through it by STEP
ping from one to the other, One poor un-
fortunate man lost his life there 1t is very
perilous as the waters are very deep adj rap
id From this point our road for many days
lay mostly along the river, now and then
glanciug off but quickly returning 1t was
narrow valley most of the way fenced i'll by
towering stone walls, as it were, for on both
sides Of the river, sometimes coming close
down to the water were high mountains OF
solid rock Sometimes we seemed quite
near what looked to US like good sized
bush which in reality was large tree far
up the mountain side VIII ,ch had found root
in some dimpIe in the rock which the winds
had filled with earth How the germ of the
trees found its way there only the Great
Planter knows.
One noon we camped near an immense
pile OF stones, situated i'll the open valley.
They were fitted stone upon stone of every
conceivable shape, size and position. We
assembled as far as we could cIalnbering and
crawling over stone after stone until we stood
above the top of a medium sized pine that
grew twenty feet above the base Of the pile
Here we found delicate ! wers growing from
the cracks between the stones, and bea utifuI
little plants resembling ferns.
THISTLEDOWN.