Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1867-03-01
Over the Plains.


a resident Of this plsoe. 6tted out a train
for Montana They offered me the privi-
iege q ftiing up wagon and gong -iih
The" 'raia. Accordingly. Mr.. Beattie. a
young man ~bo has read law With as. and
srbs queutly been in the army for three
years. and myseh fitted up one eight OK
wagon. loaded Il wiih groceries. and join-
ed the train
/ About t-e hrsi of May. VITA an outfit OF
nearly forty wagons. altogether. ne pulled
cut from Nebraska City. on the Mi..oy-;
river Il yoa have recent map Of the
Cniied States. by reference 70 the places
shah mention you can follow. in imseina-
ton. our footsteps. From there Il vas to
Dc he oct door.-no shelter nor subsist-
ence. eNcvpt ubaf NJ took uiih us. It-a.
10 b. new Kind Of liie % me. until that
time think bal never lodged in the open
ar. or even lived In tented feid
Bat. 80 far a. my companion and myself
verc concerned. We were letter provided
than tie most oi the Plairs men; vour
true '' Plains Man % cooks BIS own grub.
and rolls up in his simple blanket: bot We
had oar tent. and a woman 20 cook for
us
Then eommenred routine a dutie.,
~htch continued through. Having started
ou'. ~c nus, make A. good a drive a. 80
car. and reach some place that ~ili Afford
water. grass and wood iu such 4 place the
corrall is formed. thc oxen invoked. and
preparations made for food and lodrin-
tents mus; D. pitched. Wool and -a,er
brought Sometimes wood and waier-viH
be found handily. a. other times they viii
have 20 be brought = long distance. an4
sometimes no wood vii be found az sH:
when no wool j. found - aust resort 10
% bifalO-cbPs. which Gow simply ,neans
dry ox-nanurc- supper over. We turn in
for The nighi.-som into tents. some into
the wagons. and some on the ground. in
The open ar. Ia the morning Ne turn oat
from three TO four O'Clock. get breakfast.
drive IN and woke Up fhe cattle. and .tart
out drive four or Eve hour. corram. and
turn cut iLe catiie again, lay over tLr,e
or four hours. through the heat Of the asv.
On The mean time getting our dinners. AMI
then yoke up and drive till night; and 20
on from DAY 20 aay. That j. abosl the
programme. when circumstauces vii allow
Of %. Bot % sometimes happens that grass
and water can not Le found. and ue must
th~u make longer or shorter drives. f,r tl,.
best possible care must be taken Of The
cattle Al one place ~e had % drive near
j. Forty mites without grass or uater. dris-
Ing. from about four O'Clock in the morning
tiil three O'Clock tie next morning. anI IL
other times driving through ihc day with
out water
leaving Ncbraska City. 80. Of course.
vent westerly. Scattering settlements are
O. o. ioaal for distance q 7j or SD miles
OFT. The first important point on The
route b. Port Kearney. on the Platte river
We struck the Platte about 40 miles this
siie II Kesrney Prom Nebraska CT. to
The Platte VALLEY. fhe country - rolling
prairie. q succession of % land s-cIIs. un-
broken. save by here and there a snail
stream oi water. tbiniy skirted With trees.
Along these streams the few settlers are %
De-. f,..-4 w.. - .t---
q. q, 49, a.. - -
- -.
-. - a., -P'
reached The Platte valley. the arr.carance
oi the country changed. Tb- valley varies
to-. b., 80 g..
!, -,l,b !. .,-,..,-,..,.,, -, .,.-..t.
-,,.- AL ,.,. go. "a -.f-,-t
Ar. b,-b ,-.i o..re.,,f, 49,. &C.,
~. ~. fs.,.- ,-,