The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-06-10

grades over the bluffs back of the city
which would have been required had i
left the city directly west. Passin.
Papillion and Elkhorn, we arrived a
Fremont, 46 miles west of Omaha, a
6:15, taking supper there and leaving
at b:35 we passed North Bend, Shell
Greek, Columbus, Silver Creek, Woo
; River, and arrive at Kearney at 4:3C
a. M, Wednesday. just 19l miles west
of Omaha. Here you get the first
of the Platte River. From here tc
North Platte, distance of 100 miles
the road, the whole distance, is not
more than six or eight rods from the
river.
The road from Omaha to Fremont is
upgrade, and from Fremont to Kear-
ney, down grade all the way;-the land
from Omaha to Fremont is rolling and
wooded, but from there to Kearney it
is one wide bound ess stretch of prairie
as far as the eye can reach, a
shrub of any kind exists to break the
monotony. From Omaha to Kearney
the land is good for all farming pur-
poses, it being black loan, and high.
ly productive West of Kcarney the
country becomes more broken, and un-
productive. From the depot at Kear.
ney you can see old TT. Kearrey, 5
miles south, on the south side of the
Platte, (The road is built on tn North
side.) 1t is situated on the high bluffs
that skirt the river, al the way from
here to North Platte, and from Kear-
ney it makes very imposing appear
anee. In the early days Of the Califor-
MIA excitement Fit. Kearney was great
point for the weary and footsore emi-
grants that stopped here for rest and
provisions, it being the first point of
any Importance west of the Missouri
River. We leave Kearney at n. IN.
pass Elm Greek at els. Ten miles
east Of here the rail road strikes the
old California emigrant, stage and tele-
graph route the two run side by side,
from here, all the way 10 North Platte
The wires have been taken down from
the old poles and attached to the new
ones (Which belong to the Union Pa
cific Company and the road is grass
growa and deser:ed-both -emain there
monuments of the past II also of the
march of human progress. Little did
the weary and exhausted emigrants of
'49 and 30 think, that one day the To-
comotive's screech would resound over
those very plains they were toiling so
hard to cross. We pass Plum Greek
at 1870. Plum Creek was the terminus
Of the Union Pacific during tie wiB-
ter of 1867. 1t was here that whole
train of laborerS were attacked in the
summer of 1866 and part OF them kill
ed and scalped by rowing band of
Pawnees under "Spotted Tail" who
was last summer captured near the
Washita Mountains by Gen. Custer
We pass Willow Island at 900 a. m.
3 bridges were burnt here in '66 by the
"Pawnees" and "Cheyenncs," passing
Brady's Island and Mcpherson, we
cross the Platte just one mile below
where the North and South Platte meet
and form the Platte, and enter the
town of North Platte at 10, a. IN.
ednesday) Here are situated all
the car and repair shops of the Com
pany, for the Platte division, which
includes all the road from Omaha to
North Platte. The company have
about 25O men at work here, in the
shops, wood and stock yards, giving
the town quite business like appear
ancc and giving Irregular employment"
for about dozen whiskey shops, and
as many again gambling hclls. From
here to Julesburgh, Sc miles the road
is built along the north banks of the
South Platte.
That portion of the road lying be
tween North Platte and Cheyenne is
called the lodge Pole" division
Wood is used for al the engines east
o. Cheyenne. West Of there coal is
used. Extensive coal beds having been
found near Cheyenne in 1867. The
wood that is used is mostly fir and pine.
1t is found near the small streams. and
III the mountain canons; it never attains
aly great size here. The road east Of
Jule.burgh is laid with what is called
fish tied-iron, It consists of a small bar
of iron being boted to the end of