National Republican., 1873-12-13
SyTSvyT
NOTES OF TRAVEL. anc
LETTER FRoM.wIscoNsIN.

Correspondence OF the Republican,
The Mecca Of our desires for some weeks past
has been o trip TO the "Dells" on tho Wisconsin
and tho Devils lake, In Sank county. Last Sat.
urday we returned from tho "Deiis." Tho Devils
lake is yet In prospective. We were Just ten
days In making the trip overland by carriage.
Leaving Oakland before day break on the morr-
| ing Of the 23i ultimo, We travelcd for some
distance along the town line between Christiana
and Dcerheld. Crossing Rca,hkapons and Lib
orty pra,ries, We come TO Buckeye poet ofaec
Tho day was tho b,desi Of tho ssasSn. The
| wind caho over the praifes Keen and sharp, and
although we were we'll provided with robes and
wraps NO suffered severely, and we're glad Of the
opportunity TO stop few minutes and get warmed.
From Buckeye to Arlington, a distance Of thirty
miles, the read. with the exception Of Ave or. SIX
of Token creek iay Entirely throu IS the prarics,
sss inner Ss Sssss SSsd ami nfrs sunny Sny
Tsh and SsImy SSs raised S, q sTsS aSan
considered to be ono % the beys gtaln.sgowlns
regions ID tho State; The farmers gSners,ly e,s
SSig a hSS.e hsssfS s &c G TS
lars, shielding It alike from the bleak winds o.
sumter boI snd the Sy Of hss prSsa
and fences scarce. The pastures are fenced In,
but the grain fields arc open TO the road, with no
i low wall Of earth Or sicnes., The iarlhs range
from forty to hfteen hundred ncres Tho No /.
SSFhan farm + easily di',ipggishsd from all others M
iartn.hou and It's surroundings. Bllndless, cur.
talnless and paintlcss II stands, while little, un
pancs with faces thai make m ' one wonder il IL"
word soap has ever had any existence IN their
and ns syf Ws fE Esd T. ,. Ss
Ing with their weight Of golden corn, but one
glance nt TIE house would make you fully indarse
the common saying hercabout, that what Nor
wsglan cannot sell he feeds to his CATTLE what the
cattle Will not eat he gives TO the pigs, what the
lI,gion, VIC stopped all night at farm house, re.
stunning onr lo.incy the noxt morning. Three
miles north oi Arlington is
THE VILLAGE or rArESETrE,
and here leaving the praries we came out into
a belt Of timber, we soon caught our nrst glimpse
q the Wisconsin, brightly vivid strip Of blue,
ored sand. we drove for some miles along the
| eastern bnnks, and had time to note the gradual
fofmati lon Of some OF those great sand-bars that
cult Of navigation. Leaving the woods at the
"old Pacific house. wide, roomy building once
popular tavern es. nov deserted In,G and
plank road. bordered with willow and
birch to Portage, m active business
lated on q ridge or portage" lying between the
Wisconsin aud the Fox rivers at their nearest np-
rroaeh, a. fort winnebago, 10 the immedIntc
vicinity OF the town, the depression In the dividing
ridge Is greatest, and here the distance between
the two streams Is only half a mile. Here, at
fruan one river TO the other. Just two hundred
years ago ueT3) Father Joseph Marquette, and
Joliet came down the Fox river from Green Bay,
consin TO tho MlssissppI. canal has been cut
through connecting the two streams, thus afford
ing means oi eomlnunieaiion and facilities for
the transportation OF goods by boat from the
lakes TO the Mississippi.
Passing through the portage, q drive oftwcnty
Two miles through heavy sand, brought us to;
hungry. q uuf
nt the Tanner house, q dismal apology for n hotel,
Tut the best the place afforded. kellbourn City
the Wisconsin, half encirclcd in tho winding
sweep OF It's waters with pretty white cottages
Iottlng the hills and nes,ling in the dales. She
Is yet young, scarcely out OF her "tcens" but can
buast of eonslie-able enterprise for so small a
place, and gives ample promise Of q prosperous
above Kcilbourn the river runs between
high perpendicular bluffs Of sandstone rock,
The average width across being about 10 feet and
called the "nsiis" The next day We went on
runs to the head Of the Teiis, and s were soon soon
stcaming up the river About milo above Keil.
hourn is the Dell house, and here u river takes
Ing perrcptibiy to what Il called lie Devils
Elbow, or Blaes Hawke leap, whcro tradition has
that hseE M l,aSs jumped Sno.n say
lad Axe. This is the narrowe,t point IN the
n
SstT-.sse ipasssss.ble cave high Up In the rocks
ls polluted !ogl es The p,..s Of --~>A.>A.
BLACK HAWKS c5ScEALNESr -
bcfoIe his capture by Dekors. Turning the
elbow TO the north again the next point Of interest
II Rood's dlcn, ck-walied rnvinc running back
some two or three hundred feet from the river
and rnrmIng dclciously cool retreat for . sum
1 The c
laGS:liEs irsseoss and pendant s,ys'ais coy.
green OF tho Imprisoned ferns lent u
fresh beauty. High up over head graceful hem.
locks and sturdy pines seemed to nod graelou,
It's gladfoine way to the mlghtier stream beyond.
Rut the air was too chilly to remain long In the
glen, and We were very glad to get back to the
Petrc Aqua springs, on the western bank, is q
myoritc picnic resort; On the opposite bank, and
a little TO the north, Ia the "wltehes' Gulch," a
series orcayerns, Communicating with each othcr
aud somewhat difficult Of access. The innermost
"phantony Chamber" is reached by swimming
| through an outer one some two hundred yards,
which fact Is enough to dampcn the ardor Of the
most enthusiastic explorer, and very few have
y cool draught at the sprinrs, and We sped on to
the head ofthc Dells. Hero the river attains Q
width Of about n mile and half and Is studded
with pretty wooded Islands. The bank for some
distance back Is low and marshy. On the western
border OF the marsh the land rises abruptly to n
eonsdernSls height ne nais or ra,hsr roUE No
Along th's Ridge there are several peculiar forina;
tlOns Of rock named, respectively, "yigor Ledge,
Rock"-naturai curiosliies which We were very
dcslrous Of seeing. The captain very kindly
offered tS p' " over and We GLADLY mS. Il
places, and there was q running brock to cross,
but We found plenty, Of driil.wgod lying about
an plank % 81 Al, f,Ss M anG No snapSs snd, wt gn,
wet t PLACES, and thu. building oufr9ed a Nc Seht
ssn cus r. sss SA A q s's Esr q LasSn %,
eiiii, to which d Is attached, some twenty feet,
and scvcnty.nve feet above tho creek. Hornets
Nest Is llttle further on. Imagine q mass o.
sandstone, rising layer upon layer, eight feet
wide nt the top, but tnpering as y desccnds to Q
slender column scarcely a foot In diameter, tn,
supcrinehmbcnt weight touching the blun at tn,
by this fragile pillar, which a few blows from
a hammer might demollsh. This q
LUNCHEON HALL.
The Hornets Nest is an open cavern or natura
capaeious, with high ceiling and smooth floor
and, with Its cream-colored walls, makes prctt!
door iunshr9S% ThsIs s,s. Is broad path 2
this i stand Rock, perpendicular pillar Of ston
he rees with III tSs
hill and renders II easy Of access, at least to an
{ one Of steady nerves. A missstep would probabi
result In u painful injury, to say the least,
Aiier rambling about an hour or 50 we returnc
to the steamer reaching Kellbourn about $50 p. n
! A square from tho Tanner House, and ON the oI
n postc side Of tho street, IL Mr.. Bennct's phot,
o graph gallery. Mr.. Bennett Is an enthusiast
lover Of nature and a considerations artist ail
there 10 scarcely nook In or about the Dcils thf
$ he has not reproduced In his stercoscopic view
y with the securaey and nnish Of q thorough artis
L We went over to sec his collection on our rcuri
and were only sorry thht We had not gone thei
n before starting outs there were so many interes
}. Ing nooks and coruers that wo had missed BY OF
r want of knowledge Of where TO look for then
" Leaving keilbUurn the following Mondny,we can
70 home by way Of Madison. A heavy snow stor
delayed us several days On the road, but happil
J. We met with no accident and felt well satisne
n with our Visit to tho "Dells." DoRA.
y PROVISIONS.