The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1866-11-03
OUR TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT.
San FRANc1sco oct. Q. 1s66,

miles of weary travel-by cayuse, stage,
steamboat and rails accomplished,
and rough roads, mountains, rivers,
bucking horses, rickety coaches, poor
fare, and the like, are forgotten amidst
the busy, bustling scenes of this great
city, and the realization that the sur
roundings are those of civilization But
l believe my last left me amidst the
rocks and boulders of Rock Creek, down
the valley of which we travelled forty
miles, thence diverging to the left and
striking the Palouse, beautiful stream
OF clear, cold water, at Doolittle's, y
where we had been told an excellent
meal could be obtained. Dismounting
at the door of the house, and turning
our horses out, we were soon summoned
to supper. You may imagine that our
appetites were sharpened by the hard
ride of the day, and we felt like doing
justice to the hosts viands; but an in
PRODUCTION to the hostess and the table
the former great, over-grown, blear-
eyed squaw, whose gait was not inn
proved by one foot wearing huge boot
and the other pedal extremity being
minus any covering, while the latter
was quite an improvised institution of
sticks and poles, and everything wear
ing filthy appearance-was sufficient
to destroy any previous desire for food.
If our landlady had only awaited the
completion of our meal to go off into
reveries, during which her hands would
wander to the matted covering of her
head, and had kept the chickens from
the milk-pans, we probably would have
got value received for our dollar. But
there was no use complaining, she might
give you reply, but usually gave some.
thing Of a more solid nature Break OF
day on the following morning found us
following the limpid Palouse to it's con.
huence with Snake River, which we
crossed at "Taksas Ferry" and where
fine meal was had. The country now
appeared to be of very hilly nature
and continued of this character to Walla
Walla, which we reached that evening
passing en- route Tu-canyon and Touchet
rivers, tributaries of Snake River, both
flowing through lovely and fertile val
leys. AT Waites' Mills, on ToRchet
River, our party halted to enjoy /. feast o.
melonsand apples at the store of a brother
of Bruce, the whilom local of the PosT
A few hours ride, and we entered eye
city of the 2-wallas," as Y. has it, which
is very pleasantly located town, and
of considerable enterprise, bur at this
season very dull, large number of the
houses being vacant. Here ended the
first chapter, and the hardest of oul
journey, for henceforth cayuses are tt
be ignored and the more modern ant
rapid methods of travel adopted.
From Walla Walla to Wallula, the
head of navigation on the Columbia
thirty miles, the traveller takes the
coach at p. m, and is set down at the
latter place in four hours. Your cor
respondent, however, was fortunate il
meeting Montana friend-E. L. Bon
ner, ESQ, of Bonner & Welsh, of Mis-
soula and Beartown, who resides here
abouts, and kindly invited him to sea
in his private carriage behind superb
pair of horses; and, bidding adieu t.
Mr.. -, the genial and able editor o
the Statesman, (who pronounced tn,
POST the gem of the mountains, ant
the neatest and liveliest sheet in th
mountains or on the Pacific coast, w
were soon whirling rapidly down th
valley, thickly studded with fine farm
houses, betokening prosperity dowl
past the scene of the terrible massacr
of the Whitman family; on, by tn
grave of the Terror of the Valley.
| the great chieftain of the tribe afte
whom the valley and town of Wall
Walla was named and still on until W
come into more sandy, broken an,
forbidding region, in great and marke
contrast to that we have Just passes
through, which continues far beyon
Wallula, which point We reached in th
early evening. and for the first time il
my life, looked upon the Columbi
River, which is at this point about hal
a mile in width, and rolling along bt
tween banks presenting a rather unprt
possessing appearance. Wallula is bu
q small place, being but depot for tn
goods designed for the upper country.
At : q. m. of the following morning,
was aroused by the shrill whistle of tn
little steamer Yakima" as she rounde
to and came up to the dock, which sh
was to leave in half an hour. A hui
ried breakfast, and shout of ca
aboard" from the jovial Captain, an
the long-anticipated pleasure of a rid
on the Columbia was being realized
At p. m, the whistle again sounded
and the first part of the trip via th
river was accomplished, and hundre
and twenty miles of scenery devoid I
interest was passed, and Celtic, the VI
per terminus of the portage. railroad
was reached. In five minutes the loo,
motive was drawing us down by th
bank of the river, close by the rapid
where the water was transformed ini
spray and foam as it rushed madly ov,
the huge boulders filling the bed of til
stream; through the great drifts of san
piled along the track by the unceasin
winds, and towering far above the toI
I of the carriages; over trestle-wor
which ,creaked and groaned under i