The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-05-29
acknowledgement
Letter rom DnkOta'

o..,,n, an occasional communication 1!ll 1!U1E
Petas Ssm Sr resident Of your city, ron IN
tom = I wcstsra country might DC OF In. ln
this .. 3 " nv numerous readers Of YOU
'io % lscts Iof publication, II you taln y,
sleS ,TTortbyoi q place in your column !,
them AZ, TT nISbIISh them, If NOT, consign then
~ be waste basket, +. n.to,s
r! I'M on the west bank Of lhe Ms
. ls riysr, about six hundred and se ,,',a
~ miles above YanktOn City, the ca Csp "Hv
S[bakots, and the nearest i0 Si6,T u civ nv
imDortance between here and oLoIo I'm. I'M
IoSS The climate here i very ne = my
fctly level with the exception y. = i ;n'
,nUsSIn warm during the summer, ahC
" sGIsS cold in the winter. l - nave
saoS ,5S thermometer last winter So DE-
S cree below zero. Soyou may imaglne j
Z pretty cold up here. o,,ho ,7u
TSiS h tho headquarters Of tue l,Ii
r,egiTIent OF U. s. Infantry, commanded
NV Colonel T. L. Crittenden, formerly .
TsIor General in the volunteer ser
U U' and son Of John ]. Crittenden
,bs author Of the famous CrittendeLL
COMPROMISE. The Colonel is wei
tSopgbt Of by those under his command
and & highly esteemed, both as a gentle
man and sn officer. There arc four com
pGnies stationed at this post, Companies
sD""G" app and AZ" the other com
psniOs Of the regiment being stationed re,
sDectiyely at Fort Stevenson, cheyenne
agency aud Grand River agency, oil In
t6is Territory. Some parts oil this cotln'
i nv arc very wild and dreary, and many
Are animals abound in proiusion. Herds
Of elk proudly stand with erect antlers, as
ifcbarned with the music OF the guard
n,rsle, or as il curious 10 understand the
strange inroad upon their long secluded
Dsrks Of pleasure. The mountain sheep
look down from the beetllng crags Of tue
bllls and yield to no rival their claims TO
excellence for food. The black tailed
deer and the antelope arc ever present,
while the hare and the rabbit, the sage
hen and prairie chicken, are nearly trod-
len down before they yield 10 the intru.
Zion ofthe stranger. Wild geese and ducks
multiply and people the waters Of the
Missouri, and are found in nearly the same
profision all along the streams to the Vel.
iowstonc River In Montana, while the
grizzly and cinnamon bear not unseldom
i've up their lives and their rich material
Hior The table, while in pursuit Of wild
plums and other iruit they arc crossed
BY the hunter and are dropped by
bis rifle. Last and largest and
numberlesS, the buffalo, with hundreds
and thousands in u herd, sweep back and
forth, filling the land so far as the eye can
reach and adding their weight and num-
bers 10 the other substantial claims OF the
red man to entitle him to this territory,
their last and best hunting grounds"
The rivers and creeks are plentiful with
trout and catfish, and thus complete tho
of supplies with which this
country is SO generously provided.
lnnumerable wolves do indeed pierce
The night air with their howls, but like
The beaver, whose dams cucumber all the
smaller streams, and the otter, they are
orCed TO yield their winter covering for
hose Capes and coats, those mits and
blankets aud leggings which make men
dad when zero Is often reached and mer-
curry Congeals in the bulb.
This country is almost entirely inhab.
lied by hostile Indians Of different tribes,
among which are the Sioux, Rees, Man.
lannes, the Gros Ventres and the Crows,
all deadly enemies to each other, but the
presence Of the soldiers keeps them from
making any outbreaks OF u serious char
icter.
1t will be found that no portion of the
public domain heretofore almost terra in.
'gRi'd willChsllenge agreater public favor
when its elements Of value are known.
Notlhat it will prove paradise for more
who aspire after good and
inddel riches at the expense Of the sub.
'lantial developments OF the land they
.aVese and prospect, but this idea IS
IOlBded on the basis Of actual settlement
aud the ultimate adoption OF Dakota into
Ihe sisterhOOd Of American States, and
yGt it is true that even the Adventures
will find field Of promise. Almost
every creek gives gold color, and there is
no doubt that patient, well directed labor
will realize fair returns. Certain it is
that but for the Indian hostilities, engen.
leFed partly by faith exercised toward
'0me Of their bands, partly by excessive
intimacy, degrading to both white and red
man, and resulting in the ultimate ven.
SeAnce Of the latter when they learn the
lrlIt Of such intimacy, partly by failure
% support the Indians who deserve sup.
,ortr and especially by failure to punish
hose who are incorriglbly wicked and
lgIy. this country, SO fruitful in supplies
or the emigrant, would become iavorite
with oil travellers to Montana.
The soldiers of this post have a very
onely time of it, With the same routine
u duty over and over again, one
Ses tired of II and longs for some
hI31g more varied and active than a
oldlers life. OF course there are at
INES many pleasant thoughts connected
WIN the life of a soldier. We have
'mpIe time TO think Of friends and home
md we have plenty OF time to read the
ohg looked for epistles from home, the
'efIlsal Of which makes us joyful and
laI. There is nothing more anxiously
ooEed forward TO than mail day when
acn expects a letter from friends at home,
.nlle some who are of more senti.
rental turn Of mind look anxiously for
o ~ loving epistle from some loved one
steamboat arrivals are of rare occur.
eace on this river. Now and then an
steamboats, seen vending Rs
Isy up the noble Missouri, the sight of
,aiea makes the soldiers mind revert
a . 10 the scenes Of civilization and re.
nst. and which makes glad the
I1e water here is not very good for
tnElng purposes, being that taken from
ie Missouri river, aud Is generally yery
iaddy. However, there is no other
Tentative but touse it. But as nv let.
Z Is getting more lengthy than I in.
,nded, / will close for the prespn, Inv,