The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1868-01-04

drunk the day we left. Rumor has it that he
is about to apostatize. This is a mistake, as
nature hasn't given him sense enough, en-
dowing him with but two semi-intallecsuh
faculties, small combItiveness aud proligious
self-esteem.
hasty visit to the Jordan sluggish
little stream emptying into the Lake just west
of the city and baptis ell with this biblical name
by the Saints, and touer around +" the great
walP' that was designed by b. Y, as n bar
rier that should say unto General ohnson and
his army, 80 so far canst thou CO. but no far
ther," completed everything OF Interest To Is;
and on the morning of the 9TH INST, just AZ
the rising sun was glorifying the snowy crests
of the majestic Wasatch mountains, we
turned our backs upon the Mormon Zion and
headed for a Gentile Paradise. the States.
The road leading out Of the city, takes up
along the lake for about twenty miles, and
then enters Weber canyon, over Brigham's
toll road, along the ''ge of the swift little
Weber river which lashes itself into sheet Of
! foam against its rocky shores, thTJ the Dev-
! lis Gate where the walls OF tho canyon loom
up to the highth of several hundred feet,
dotted here and there with pine of dark
green and fir of purplish brown, blended with
the gray rock of the gorge, forming picture
which for sublImity and grandeur Is seldom
met with. Out of the gorge, the road leads
! into valley of unsurpassed loEelIness and
dotted with Mormon settlements, each house
encircled with just the amount of land the
proprietor can cultivate, no. osmore, a wise pro-
vision of Mormon law, then after some twelve
or fifteen miles, it again winds through Echo
canyon, where the Saints expected to serve
Johnsons army i'll 81, the Persians did the
poor Greeks under Xenophou, by rolling
huge boullers down upon them they at
tempted TO pass through their stronghold,
then out of the canyon, over an undulating
| Country for several miles till we strike the
head waters of the Bear River, and the last Of
the Mormon settl'm looking eastward.
Before leaving this place we shall make q
note of little anecdote of Pocotello, the
Indian Chief Pat Conner with his handful of
half frozen California and Nevada volunteers,
whipped near the crossing of this river be-
tween Virginia and Salt Lake. We found
him, with few of the remaining members OK
his tribe at some warm springs between Box
Elder and the bridge, and feeling some inter
est in the sad fate OF one who was once mon
arch of all he surveyed, we approached him
and after few moments conversation asked
him what tribe he belonged to. Ne no
longer Injun, once big Injun, many braves,
but Conner whip me, now me little, very lit
tie white man ~ he said with serious look
as if aware of the fact that the sun of his glo-
ry had set forever. After making him several
petty presents, which he accepted eargerly,
we babe our dearly made white brother fare
we'll, leaving him to reflect upon the serious
mutations of fortune In this terrestrial sphere.
At this station one of the three Mormon
wives of mine host, where we stopped for
breakfast, told Us a good little anecd0te of q
Gently and which illustrates what ideas may
frequently be conveyed by a name. Our hero
was amateur and had seen little of the
western world. When he arrived ut this sta
tion he inquired the name of the river and
, was Immediately informed that it was
: Bear" 50 Be-awhr wiver" said he " where
: are the Be-awhs 2" This is something like
: the English Cockney's first experience in q
hay field. " If this is 'ay" said he to one Of
the mowers, " show me the hay-conns !"
N
speed from the small rosy checked Mormon
esses) the road takes over exceedingly
mountainous country, with scarcely any
shrubbery to relieve the appearance of its balG
, head, occasionally here and there mountain
of cemented granite, few stunted frs or
i pines, stretching like Gordon of sentinels
around them, appeared in view, until about
, nightiaIl, when the forty substantial build-
! ings comprising all that Is known Fort
Bridger, hove in sight, now garrisoned by q
detachment of the 36th U. s. Infantry, num-
, berirg about 275 aggregate. The site of this
( fort was purchased by the Government of Jim
, Bridger, who had been using the same as an
Indian trading post, till 81, when Johnston
ouartered a portion of the army sent on the
: Utah expedition during that winter, since
: which il has been used as a regular post. AZ
ter a hasty supper at the Fort, we started for
: this place which we reached about daylight,
and finding the river partially frozen over,
we shall be detained for n couple of hours
mel cut through the ice. This delay enables
US to send you these hasty notes. Last night
/ was decidedly the best that we stall- expert
ence on our journey. The moon shone out
bold and clear, scarcely q cloud in the frms-
ment, to darken its disc, while the air appeared
, to Us, warmly clad as we were, delightfully."-
? bracing. We had a driver n jolly little Teu-
: ton, who like most of his profession, was an
q interesting character entertaining aud witty,
and took as much pride in Displaying hi
lsI,S ak ~, ha raiu nf
team as a monarch would In handling the
rein. of his Government. A friend of his had
staked some quartz for him at Pahranagat
u which he sold to some salt Lake merchant
for $4,000. This was too much money fol
: La Id stage driver" so he repaired to SAL
= | Lake and without resortinss TO the " sealing
process of Brigham, or the Christian modu
. operandi, he acted the Saint for the winte
i with Mexican mohara, and when spring
[ came armed again he was '' strapped" ant
: had to fall back on his profession which
: yields 500 per month currency. Il had
+ sholly coed time though" he said, with
: laugh seemingly as happy as though tn,
e whole amount was drawing five per cen
monthly, of the best of Montana security
+" and next spring will go to the Sweetwate
{ mines"
" And now let US say a word about this new
!, excitement We have refrained from doing
SO heretofore for the sole reason that W.
g wanted to lay before your readers something
!, strictly reliable, and to this end took consld
n erable pains to inform ourselves. After ;
: mature search for something tangible from
= this country, We reluctantly confess tnat W.
e were unable 60 find it. Fine pocket speci
e mems of quartz, few, were shown us, said tc
!. have come from quartz recently discovered
. there, but they were nothing more than car
> be seen almost any day in almost any distric
e in Montana. No placer diggings have beeI
q struck and the quartz has not been developer
= vet 70 satisfactorily test its value, yet owe
Il these surface Indications, an Excitement al
!, most equal to that of Salmon river of las
a season. has been created. We can see but on
indncemen., or bnt one good that can posi-