Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-01-27
A Trip Across the Plains.


: writer, we publish the following in
: teresting account of trip across the
: Plains, by former resident Of Brook.
field, this county:
About the 18th of May, 1867, three
of us, Anthony Rellett, J. /. Donel,
, and myself, started on trip across
the Plains. Our original intention
was TO cross the continent to the Pa
cific coast, and if not suited with the
/, country there, TO sell out our outfit and
embark for Chill, in South America
but as l proceed in my narrative you
will see why We did not carry out our
original plans.
We intended as we passed through
the country to investigate the differ
ent mines which lay on our route, and
if we found any paying mines to stop
and work them. So with these plans
for our future action, we bought us a
good span of mules and q wagon, and
started up the Rau river; staid few
days in Lawrence Ia very fast Yankee
town. and bought the most of our pro-
visions, and then moved slowly on
towards Junction city. We had a
great deal of rain, and terrible muddy
roads until we arrived at Fort Harker,
the then terminus of the U. P. r. r.,
E. D. Nothing of interest occurred,
but we had a very tedious time with
the muddy roads. 1t did seem to me
that in some places the bottom had
fallen out entirely, for our wagon
wheels would go down to the very
hub. Here we left civilization entire
ly and struck out across the bOundleSs
plains.
We took in with us two men, Hoff.
man and johnson, who were going to
Fort Dodge to work in government
employ. We found them very good
eomrades, one sailor, the other an
old miner who was quite intelligent,
| and no doubt had seen better days away
back in the Jerseys" We soon
overlook an outfit of mechanics and
| laborers who were also going to Fort
! Dodge. We were now about one hun
dTed strong, with a guard of ten col
ored soldiers, and we felt ourselves
| equal to all the red skins we should
be liable to meet. The second night
out from Harker we encamped on the
banks of Cow Creek, and encountered
a terrible rain storm, the hardest / be-
lieve | ever saw. The rain fell in tor
guard, declared the water was running
foot deep under the wagon, and we
were encamped on a high (but at that
time not very dry knoll. The next
day we saw a few Indian signs and
few buffalOs.
About this time company of col
Ored cavalry overlook US. They were
going to Fort lara to relieve COM
pany of infantry who were stationed
there. We made good time until we
arrived at Fort Dodge on the Arkansas
river. Here we were detained a few
days by the authorities, because we
were not sufficiently strong for pro-
lection, and they would not send
guard with us. However our mules
were resting, and we did not care so |
much. The officers were terribly
afraid of the Indians. They had driv-
en- off the whole cavalry herd that was !
grazing within three hundred yards !
of the fort, only few days before We |
arrived, and old Satantic, the council |
chief of the KiOwas, had sent in word |
that he was going to take the fort, and |
that they might look for him and his
warriors before another moon. While |
we were detained here the Cheyenes
and Kiowas attacked a Mexican train
at the Ciniaroon Crossing, about |
twenty miles above, killed several men,
shot nearly all their cattle, and drove
off the horses at the stage station. A !
party of soldiers went up, but the |
Indians had done their deyilment and |
skedaddled. / think We were lucky, |
for by being detained we escaped their /
massacre. In few days a train came |
along loaded with arms and amuni- |
ton.
AS we left Fort Dodge we fell in
company with an old man by the |
name of Porter, aod his son. They |
were from Nebraska, and drove before |
an old wagon yoke of very good cat
tie. The old man had been a freigh- /
er, and had broken up, was then 60
ing to the mines to make another |
raise. They travelled with us many
hundred miles, and we finally left !
them at Pinos Altos, New Mexico.
As we Travelled on up the Arkansas
we saw a few Indians occasionally,
but generally in small squads, and
getting out of our way as fast as their
ponies would carry them. Before we
reached Fort Lions we were Joined by
two men, Paxton and Carl. Carl
was mean, tyrannical, dOmineering
Maine Yankee. We allowed him TO
travel with us about two hundred
miles, and shipped him at MaXwells
ranch. Paxton was a good fellow,
who travelled with us until we got to
Pinos Altos. He had store house of
good stories, and never wearied of
telling them, and was the life of our
little party. We crossed the Arkan-
sas at the ferry, six miles above old
Fort Bent. Here we (Mr. Porter and
us) concluded to leave the train and
travel by ourselves, as they did not
drive TO suit US. We were now border
ing on the country of the lower Utah
tribes, and as they were friendly to
the whites we had not much to fear.
They are called "Utes" in the coun-
try. We allowed the train to pass us
and drove along at our leisure, sparing
our animals all we could.
On the third of July we reached
Trinidade, the first Mexican town on
the route, and situated on the Picket
wire river, at the foot of the Ratoon
mountains. We spent the fourth of
July here. and commenced the assent
of the RatoOn mountains on the fifth.
These are a spur of the Rocky noun
tains, and afford some of the most
beautiful mountain scenery ever
saw. l have no doubt but there is
plenty of gold quartz in these noun
tains, and that rich mines will yet be
discovered here, and the reason did
not prospect here was because / had
no knowledge of mining, and did not
know old bearing quartz when / saw
it From the top of these mountains
it is forty miles to Maxwell's ranch.
believe Maxwell is a German, has
Mexican woman, and holds a Spanish
grant of land forty miles square. He
has a fine dwelling, store, grist mill
and saw mill, and when we were there
he had about nine thousand head of
cattle, and about twenty-five thousand
head of sheep He is said to be worth
about three millions of dollars. He is
very rich, but 1 don't think he is
worth one half of that amount.
We stopped four or five days about
l five miles from Maxwell's and en-
camped on a beautiful mountain
stream, and caught all the fine speck-
/ led trout we could eat while We stayed