Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-08-23
~'
IDAHO.
SILVER CRY, Idaho .
ANKEE.

SILVER CITY, luahO.
DEAR CHRONICLE - After spending
some portion of time at Fremont, we are
once more On the train with our faces
turned westward. Our journey now, for
about four hundred miles, is along the val
ley of the Platte, which is very beautiful,
especially at this time of the year. The
valley should judge, is from fifteen to
twenty miles wide, and wholly destitute
of wood, excepting along tho banks of the
! river. and grows scarcer the farther west
| or up the river one travels, until it is fin
ally lost and nothing is left but the naked
stream, winding line snake through the
comparatively barren country.
The land in the western part Of Nebras-
ka presents quite contrast to the eastern
part. In the eastern the soil is rich
black loan, bearing grass in abundance
while the western consists Of sand and
alkai, bearing different species Of cactus,
with here and there some bunch grass,
while spots are entirely bare. Thus it is,
until we reach the Black Hills; but here
still we find nothin. like fertility.
On the top of these "hills" we fnd
Sherman Station, the highest point on the
Union Pacific Il. r., and so named in hon
or Of General Sherman, he being the tall
est General in the army. Here VIC had
some cold weather, though it was the 25th
of June. Here the snowy summit of the
Rocky Mountains first presented them.
selves to our view on the south, and to
the north could bc seen, though indis-
tinc,ly, the Laramie Peaks, while at our
feet some snow was yet to be found in
snowsheds and other sheltered places.
Thus we travelled on until we came to
the highest bridge on the road. Crossing
this bridge was grand scene. Above,
lowered the massive rocks, bearing their
snowy white robes and beneath trickled
the little mountain stream, clear as crys-
tai, now bounding and splashing Ger huge
gray boulders of granite, again gliding
swiftly Ger it's pebbly bed, and finally dis
appearing into some of the canons below.
Immediately after passing this, we com
menced going down hill. The scenes now
were alternately deep cuts, high embank-
ments, extensive snowsheds, long hedges
of stone and temporary fences of boards,
for the protection of the road from the
driving snow storms in winter.
Forward and downward we still 60, un-
til we reach the foot of the Black Hills,
and we find ourselves on level tract of
land, called the Laramie Plains. These
plains present view thatis quite pleas
ing to the eye after crossing the cold and
rugged Black Hills. Toward the middle
of these plains, and near branch of the
Laramie river, is Laramie City. place of
some eight or nine hundred inhabitants.
Laramis is lively little place. Nearly all
kinds of business are well represented
large machine shops, round house, and |
hospital belonging to the Railroad Compa- |
nv. To the southeast of the place, about |
three miles, is Fort Sanders, garrisoned by |
some three or four hundred men.
Westward of Laramie we still proceed |
ed with nothing to interest or draw our
attention. save some herders with their
cattle, and once in while few antelope. |
After passing these plains. there was still |
less worthy of notice until we arrived at |
Weber canon. Then there were some
things. such as.the Thousand mile tree"
marking the thousandth mile west of Om-
aha: the devils slide," strip of land |
about twelve feet wide, fenced on both |
sides by solid walls of rock, reaching from |
the top of the mountain to the banks of the
river, hight of about thousand feet
the devils gate" narrow place between |
the mountains, through which the Weber