Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-10-08
DEG CITY.

ty.nve miles square. The su oterranean houses
Of these dogs. Of which there are thousands,
are indicated on the surface by small mounds
OF sand about the size of the hills thrown MP
by the red ant In the centre Of these mounds
is the opening ty which the dog enters his
apartment. When we first entered upon the
settlement none of he animals made their
appearance, the weather being cool, but
later IN the day as the sun shone
out they came out by hundreds, seating
themselves after a comical fashion upon their
launches upon their mounds. and showing no
fear, whatever, of the passing train except
when a shot was fired at them by the passen.
gers, when those in the immediate vicinity
would make a sc n mersault and disappear
down their holes. They are called .sPrairie
Dogs" but this is a misnomer, as they have
none of the peculiar characteristics OF a dog
One naturalist says Of him =" He is Of the ro-
dentia family, has the head, Jaws and teeth,
nails and body of a squirrel; sits up on his
launches as the squirrel does, and handles
and nibbles his food the same manner. His
bark is not a bark, but more like the chirrup of
bird or the 'cheep," '.cheep," OF a ground
squirrel. In shape, form and action he more
nearly resembles the chipmunk or ground
squirrel, and is twice or thrice its size. HIS
color is light, dirty, reddish brown. All the
black naile, the thumb being armed with a
strong como nail, three-quarters OF an inch in
length" They are from II to Is inches in length.
They are harmless even in their wild state, and
when tanned are as domestic and playful as a
kitten. They burrow in the ground, never
rentuTing far from their habItatiOns. They
subsist upon grass and roots, and evidently
live without water, other than an occasional
rain may furnish; for they are always found
In the most sterile and barren sections, and in
some instances, whole towns Of them may be
seen forty miles from any water.
Cheyenne.
IL was rather a damper to the theory that 1t
never rains on the Plains that we found
Cheyenne pronounced .Sky-Ann) all under
water. Streets and foot-walks were alike
submerged, and our ride from the railread
station to the "Rollins House" was through
water twelve inches deep. This fall of rain
was said however to have been an excep-
tional one; the heaviest known for years
Cheyenners call this place the % Magic
CITY,; outsiders style it "Dog City" II
was laid out in July, 1867, and sprang up to
a population OF ten thousand during the flush
times, when it was the headquarters Of the
roughs, prostitutes, and gamblers, who have
composed a large portion Of the floating popu-
have in turn been the END of the Line" as the
road progressed. Cheyenne has now, probably
population OF 5000, population that will
be likely to stick, as the place has some advan.
tages OF position to save it from the ephemeral
fate OF most OF the railroad towns. Here is to
be the junction Of the Kansas Pacific Railroad
with the Union Pacific Railroad proper. This
calls for the erection here of extensive machine
shops and engine houses, the work on which
has already been commenced. Cheyenne has a
brisk trade with Colorado and Montana.
large portion OF which she will probably be
able TO retain even when the Kansas Pacific
railway has been completed to Denver. That
Cheyenne will be able to fill out her extensive
boundaries is doubtful. The streets run up IN
numbers as high as Twenty first street, at
least; how much higher did not learr
. The buildings are a curious medley frames
tent-structures, stone, adobes, and one or two
OF brick; very few Of more than one story. Our
hotel, the Rollins House, is the leading one in
Cheyenne 1t is rambling wooden building
OF the tumbled-together.in-a.h hurry style OF
ofmost Of these border edifices. The Office, bar,
barber-shop, and reading room, are in one
apartment. In the centre of this room is an
immense, upright stove, fenced in by a strong
iron railing. What this railing is for we can
not make out, unless to prevent dismal Chey-
enners from committing suicide by setting fire
to their coat-tails! All the stoves out here are
supplied with these suicide preventers. The
walls of our hotel we think must be of canv vass
Certainly they are very thin. We were kept
awake some time by a Misunderstanding some
rooms of between two or three young men
about the drawing of a watch in a rattle, and
there was some talk about shooting, which led
us to make some hasty estimates to the num-
Der of rooms lin our direction,) and more es
pecially the number of newspaper excursion.
ists-thick and thin-a stray pistol ball might
penetrate, son a string" And in the morning
we Were awakened by some person brushing
his hair in the next room. So we concluded
that the partitions must be thin.
Despite the primitive nature Of the hotel ar
rangements, the table Of the Rollins House is
an excellent one. 1t presents such luxuries as
buffalo meat, yenisOn, antelope steaks. of appe.
thing juicenese; and tenderer beef and better
cooked than we have tasted at the most preten-
uous hotels on our travels. The host of :he
Rollins House is most obliging and attentive to
his guests, and am glad to learn Is prosper
ing TO that extent that he is about to greatly en-
large and improve his establishment.
Cheyenne has been rather ramou for the
number Of Iynch-law executions Of gamblers
and cut-throats, within Its borders, by ITS ac-
tive Vigilance Committee. Not long ago two
highwaymen were found one morning hanging
by the neck to the telegraph posts. Our barber
at the Rollins House tells us that no one has
been hanged here for some days, but adds
perhaps lest we should get the idea that busi.
ness is dull here-that three men were found
dead in the street night before last, and 'one of
them was not quite cold" Cheyenne is, how.
ever, improving in character and population,
and it has the elements for respectable, enter.
prising community. 1t has three places of
worship, occupied respectively by the Cathe.
lies, and the Protestant Episcopal, and Netho.
dist Episcopal denominations. Also, three
daily papers, the Star and the Leader, Republ,
can and the Argus, Democratic. Mr.. O. T.B.
williams, the editor Of the Star, is talked Of
as the future Governor of Wyoming Ter.
ritory, and the appointment would apparently
give satisfaction here. Cheyenne, from its si "a
and posltion, will naturally be selected as the
capital of the new Territory.
We sailed ont last night, between the show.
ers, to see the "city." The most prominent
objects were the gambling establishments and
the dance-houses. These establishments ar,
open 10 the street so that the looker.on who
wishes TO inspect the elephant can do so at a
safe distance, without a personal Introdu q ction.
Whether because OF the rain or that the bulk
of the patrons of these institutions have moved
on TO the send of the line" business seemed -
be slack AT the dance halls, the bosses vvara
toudIx, prg,ng the spectators af tha -