Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-07
ACROSS THE PLAINS.
Tennesseean on His Travels.

On BOARD THE STEAMER. ORR
ZABA, off Santa Barbara, California,
No.. IA, 1ST2.-I am now en- route for Los
Angeles, Cal. leave The ocean at San Pc
.dro and 60 thence by rsilroad to Los Ange-
les, twenty-five miles.
TEENEssEEANs IN KANSAS.
left the vicinity of Fayetteville, Arkan-
sas, on the ed Of Oct, and arrived at the
thriving little city of Parsons, Kansas, on
the 25th, when met two Of my friends,
the brothers, DR., w. E. and Harry Lee
Gosling, from Shelbyville, Tenn, who have
permanently located at Parsons, and hung
our their sbir giles for the practice of their
respective professions-the one for meGi-
ciue and the other for law.
DIR. Gosllng has purchased a nice
building lot upon which be designs imme-
diaiely erecting a neat residence, into
which, when complete, he will move his
family, low in Shelbyville. HsTy Gosling
has purchased half interest in the Parsons
Sun, and is to have entire charge Of its ed
itorlal department, which, In connection
with his law practice, which is already
opening brisk, will keep him very busy.
Parsons, though now place Of only six
teen hundred inhabitants by actual count,
is improving very rapidly, and what, with
her immense railroad interests, and the
superior character of The lands surrounding
her, together with the energy of her citi-
zens, already being exerted to the general
improvement of their little city, Parsons
vii become at no distant day q place CT
900 to 5000 inhabitants, with manufacto-
ries of every description. Of the many
Teneesseeans who are looking 10 Kansas as
their future home, some of them, besides
those already there, have made Parsons
thair choice of fscalion. IL | am not fully
satisfied with Southern California; | shall
probably return TO Parsons in the spring.
RIDING ON A RAIL.
Leaving Parsons at P. NJ, the 81 inst,
by the Junction CITY, branch Of Missouri,
Kansas and Texas Railroad, l arrived at
Junction City the next morning at O'Clock.
Taking the Kansas Pacific Railroad az s the
same morning. reached Denver, Colora-
do, the ensuing morning at O'Clock. Then
taking the Denver Pacific road, reached
Cheyenne at noon the same day; thence by
The Union Pacific Railroad to Ogden. Then
changing cars and taking the Central Paci-
fc road, l reached San Francisco at 81 p.
M, the 7th list, being five days and i've
hours out from Parsons. The San Diego
steamers leave "Frisco" every six
DAYS, and being too late for the steamer Of
the : b, l had 10 remain there till yesterday,
the 18Th, when / took my present COW ey-
ance, the elegant little steamer OriZaba, Of
the Pacific Mail Steamship line. The run
from "Frisco" to San Pedro is two days,
and l will probably reach there tomorrow
morning about O'Clock.
THE WEATHER.
We are having splendid weather. The
air is as soft aud bright to-day, as May
morning in my native Tennessee, and that
is as neat compliment as l can pay even
to this lovely climate.
THE SCENERY.
could take up whole page Of your pa
per in describing the trip, overland, and
then leave half unsaid. l must, therefore,
confue myself to hasty sketch Of some
of the most notable scenery. 1t showed
on the night Of the Sd, and Wheb
we arrived at Denver, the snow was about
four inches deep on level. The Rocky
Mountains lying eff about twelve miles west
of Denver, presented a mos. beautiful
sight to me, in their mantle Of snow. 1t
was my first sight CT them, and ! gszed en-
raDured, even till my eyes grew
weary. The evening beiug cloudy, was
prevented from seeing the famous Pixies
Peak, which lies to the south OF Denver,
about IS miles, and is, in clear weather,
distinctly visible, not only at Denver,
but at almost all points IN ColoTadJ. Tie
distance from Denver to Cheyenne is 106
miles, and along the entire linz the noun
tains rise up bold and grand, off to the left
| from l5 to 80 miles distant, whii9 to the
right as far as the eye can reach, is one VI
b,Vksn view of prairie.
GREELEY.
The town of Greeley, (nsmed for the
| founder of the New York Tribltne,) is halt
way between Denver and Cheyenne, and is
a thriving little town of 1900 or 1000 in
I haDitants.
COLORADO
! Is very pretty C un r., that IS, to those
! who like all prairie and no timber. IL is
| said 10 be- D -oducGIve in small grain. Corn
| does not d : well. I-riga ion has to be re-
! serted to throughout the entire Territory
/ The winters there are very long and snow
! falls ia great abundance, sometimes to a
depth of several fret.
CHEYENNE
/ is q town made up of foreigners, Yankees,
( machiae shops aud high prices, with a
/ sprinkling of the "heathen ChiEee" and
E'uCbs red man,
MORE GRAND SCENERY.
From Cheyenne We labored up a steep
grade, with two locomotives, to Summit, on
| the Rocky Mountains, which is said to be
/ the highest point on the road, being 1882
| feet above the level Of the sea. The scenery
4 through the Rocky Mountains is awe-in-
| spring, but looks barren and Gesola!e
/ enough. Immense mountains of huge rocks
of every conceivable shape piled up 10
the most reckless, careless confusion, as il
/ hurled up from the eaTth's centre by some
! terrible volcanic eruption. There were no
! trees aud bus little grass; 10 living
| thing TO be seen save sG the rail-
road stations, where could be seer
a few employees of the railroad, among then
ths inevitable "heathen Chinee."
Just before reaching Ogden, we passed
the "Devil's Slide" which seems to be two
| immense fat rocks planted on their edges
| or ends in the side of mountain, The
| two rocks are about three feet apart, and
| run parallel with the utmost precision from
/ the top of the mountain to its base, aud
/ both rise above the ground about ten feet.
The road at this point runs along Weber
river in the bottom of deep canon, and
! TIE "sliteD running down the mountain
ct right angles with the road, gives a splen-
| did vIe,y Of it from the cars; and as the be-
holder gazes up the long, smooth path rua-
ming between the two rocks, he is bound to
admit that it would make a most excellent
slide for the devil, 'ior any other man.
| Just af-er passing the ''slide" we passed TIE
g., 900 mile tree" which is merely large
| pine tree standing near the track, and j:
| Just 2 thousand miles distant from Omaha
as l was informed. We afterwards passed
! Devils Gate" q very romantic
spot, where the Weber river seem:
70 have cut its way through the
mountains in the shape of horseshoe
| Then comes the "Palissdes" and Salt Lake
which looked very interesting in the moon
light as We dashed along its upper or north
ern shore. At Truckee, on the Central
Pacific, We entered the famous Snow. shed
which is 30 miles in length. il short dis
tance from Truckee, | goo a glimpse through
All opening in the snow-shed of D0nner
Lake, which looked very pretty as it lay
81 eoing there in the early down
shut in by Sierra Nevada bills
Tire scenery of the Sierra Nevad1
| mountains, [ think is much mere gram
and beautiful than that Of The RCcky Noun
fa:as. l was little surprised a. this, as
had slvays been of the opinion that ID