The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-07-29
Rocky Mountain Flowers.

& correspondent Of the Chicago
Times writes from Sherman, Wyom-
ing Territory:
Whatever may be said Of the i'm
praeticabilIty of the route of the
Union Pacific Railroad over the Black
Hills during the three months of Jan
uary, FEBRUARY and March, this much
will be conceded by every visitor:
that, for rine months In the year, the
sides and summit of these everlasting
hills are bedecked and adorned with
the greatest variety and grandest dis
play of flowers and wild fruits that
ever grew from the soil of Gods own
country. Every hillside, nook, val
ley, lawn, plain and peak, from early
April until late December, is gorge
ously arrayed IN countless thousand
of flowers of every color, form and
size, applicable to. the season, and
wearing a smiling be- uty to welcome
each dawning day and shining sun.
The higher the peak the brighter and
more delicate the fora, and upon the
ioftiest SUBMITS We gather the Pal
nleLlG NiUGils, or snow plant, and its
fiery red brand, the scarlet cockade,
the mountain lily, red, blue, white,
yellow ard violet moss flowers; the
purple aud white plume; the large
white tulip, yellow cactus, prickIy
pear, with its large bell flower Of deli
cate yellow leaf and purple base: and
the ever present, always blooming
wild parsnip and carrot with their
purple and yellow clusters On the
plateau and In the dells we gather
the yellow pea blossoms; the yellow
fax, purple and blue larkspur, blue
bells, poney, poppy, hyacinth, yellow,
red, white, and trieolored rose, straw
berry, sunfower, the white and purple
sweet pea, johnny jump up, blue pur-
pie, white, and yellow flag, sweet
williams, pinks, and a hundred other
varieties peculiar only to this elevated
floral garden of Wyoming, which now
reposes so grandly and charmingly in
its cool aud refreshing altitude Of
1892 feet above the sea level.
/ have now on my table bouquet
of wild flowers made In the shape of
a pineapple, out Of nearly seventy
varieties, comprising every known
color and hue, some of the most deli
cate formation, aud the whole forming
a cluster of floral beauty that I.never
have seen equaled by like collection
Of cultivated flowers in the beautiful
State of louisiana These flowers
will retain their freshness of color and
sweet fragrance for two weeks, If kept
standing In vase filed with the pure,
soft spring water of the mountains,
and a majority of them, IN their native
soil, bud, blossom and bloom all sum-
mer. L therefore claim that here at
Sherman, the highest point that is
crossed by marvellous continental
high way from the Missouri to the
Pacific; the highest elevation In the
world where a town Is rapidly build
ing: where the thermometer in the
coolest days of winter never reached
ten degrees below zero, and in the
Warmest days of summer never mark
ed eighty degrees above; where there
is a perpetualls light and pure air:
where decayed matter emits no stencil :;
where dead animals dry up without a
sickening odor, and every wind that
sweeps from the snowy range is cool,
healthy and invigorating; where
horses can be worked all summer
without sweating, and all winter with
out blanketing; where the soil is al
rich decomposed granite, the rocks,
beautiful in their towering gran
deur, all ORNATE, gueiss, and lime
stone, interspersed with precious
stones of silica, ehalcedoy, quartz,
felspar. topaz, agate, mica, tale, horn
blende and serpentine; where the
springs boil upon the purest, softest,
coolest water; where scattered over
the surface, but in plain view, are
numerous lodges Of quartz. which
time and capital will soon develop
into rich leads of gold, silver, tin, an
timony, iron, and, copper. and where
everything that grows, lives or laws,
assumes a grandeur not attained BY
any like species in lower latitude,
is, I claim, the Eden of the new
northwest, and the on ~ pleasant
abiding place for the city invalid dur
ing the sickly dog-days In your little
sun-scorched world eight thousand
feet below US.