The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1867-10-31
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
Editorial Excursion 10 Cheyenne
Editorial Correspondence Chicago Times.


In the meanwhile must be related the eX-
periences of those who made an appendix to
the editorial excursion. Starting from the
end of the track,-a score on the evening of
Saturday last, and some half dozen others on
the following morning,-the ambitious ones
arrived atthe two-months-o old village of Chey
ennc, 225 miles west of Julesburg, and about
33 miles west of the present terminus of the
track-the former portion in mule teams
this morning, and the latter half dozen in
government ambulances this afternoon Their
| extra exertions their roughing it, were
doubiy repaid by what they saw when they
arrived here.
On the 22d of July, Gen. j. D. Stevenson
arrived on the present site OF the city of
Cheyenne, and found not single inhabitant.
On the 5th of August following there was but
one building visible, and that not completed.
On the Sth OF last month, when the first elec.
ton for mayor was held Mr.. Hook was elect
ed the first mayor of Cheyenne by a vote of a
little over 1000; while to-day may be co Int.
ed over go well constructed buildings, sew
eral of which are of stone, and popula ion
of over 1000 people, two well-managed banks,
and very creditable semi-weckly newspa-
per, called the Cheyenne Leader. Thus is
seen city of over 1000 souls, the creation of
little over two mOnths-the most wonder
full example Of rapid growth that the history
of the world can show. But the Cheyenne
of to-day is but the infant of a great future.
What it now is will not be discoyerable in
| the Cheyenne of 1870. When so much has
been done in the space of two months, in
the middle of an uninhabitcd desert with no
railway passing it, what will there be on that
spot when it shall be the distributing point
of an imm me"se region of country, situated on
the largest railroad in the world, the empo-
rum and coll, citing ma caZine of the richest
mineral and farming regions on the Ameri-
can continent? For Cheyenne is to be the
possessor of all these advantages. The Tn
| ION Pacific Railroad company itself, il is esti-
mated will spend several millions of dollars
here in the construction of railroad works.
round d-hOuSes, machinc-shOps, and the other
| buildings apportaining to a great railroad
centre; for ii Is here that the character of the
rolling stock ofthe company will have to BE-
changed on account of the hcaviness of the
grading of the road to the west, viz thirty to
! fifty feet per mile, and the comparatively
| lightness of the grading to the cast viz; only
three or four feet to the milc-the one re-
Quring much heavier engines than the 9th
er. Then the freight that must be necessarily
received here and sent from this point east
and west will require not less than eight
| thousand wagons for the summer transporta-
tion. The minerals of various kinds, too,
thlt have, within comparatively short peri
oGS, been discovered, here, which must nee
essaiily find their distributing point at this
place, must result in making 1t IL great centre.
MINERALS.
| Within n few weeks, Gen. Stevenson the
commanding officer at Fort Russell, situated
about two and half miles from the town,
discovered from the base Ofthc Black hills,
spur of the Rocky Mountains, within dis
tance of 16 miles from Cheyenne IL coal-vein
nine feet in thickness, of pure Ignite, which
burns just like candle, and containing mass
es of pure rosin. The portion of this mine
so far opened contains a substance almost
equivalent TO coke. being apparently coal
that has undergone the process of combustion
The mine is being developed, and will un-
(oubtedly produce an excellent quality equal
to the best found in Illinois. Since this, an
other mine, producing coal of still better
quality has been discovered
About six miles north Of Cheyenne is TO be
found one of the greatest curiosities TO be
| found in the world-an immense mountain of
pure gypsum, both red and white, enough to
manure the whole continent. Between Chey-
enne ond Fort Casper, magnetic iron has been
found. On the Chug River, between this
point and Fort Laramie, copper also has been
discovered. The first vein discovered was a
xfoot one.
| WATER.
The water supplied to Cheyenne is of the
best quality, being brought by the Crow
Creek from the Rocky Mountains. 1t is in
tended, although the Crow Greek will long
give supply fully sufficient to the use of the
| Cheyennes, however rapid may be its growth
to turn the Pole Creek into Crow in order to
supply sufficient water or the irrigation of
the surrounding country, which at present
suffers somewhat from drOuth, though not ms
much as persons, when looking at the dried
up appearance of the grass, would ina CINE :;
for. though the grass appears more like hay
during the latter months of summer il is
much more nutriciOus than the general prai-
ric grass is; and the cows That Craze upon it,
all through winter and summer, produce
much richer milk than those that are fed up
on other grasses.
Stone of excellent quality was lately found
within distance Ofthree miles from the CITY
Gen. Stevenson, thinking that stone might
city than it had hitherto been brought from
| explored the neighborhood and found ten
buttcs. On the top of one of these buttes
was discovered the remains of ~ Indian for
tificaton, triangular in shape, and showing
considerable skill in construction. On inuui-
ry it was found to have been erected by the
Crow Indians. IL is situated on Grow Creek
| which was named after it,
| TIE CITY.
Now for brief sketch of this city, whose
his 0ry is more wonderful than even the his
tory of the construction Ofthe Union Pacific
railroad. Its first building was being CON
structcd on the 9th of August last. Its first
mayor was elected on the Sth of August It
now contains ver2,0OO people and $50 build
ngs One of these buildings is of stone, 80
feet in width by l20 feet in length, with n
basement "a feet by AZ feet, with two-feet
walls. This building is to be used for n gen
eral storage and commission business and is
only specimen of what the other buildings
are. Now, To show that the growth of the
town is not the result of mere speculation it
H.. 4 II.