The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-05-13
Communicated.
KELToN, UTAH, April "a.
Mn. FnITf

hELlON, Claii, ~ pm IL
Mr.. EnIToR:
Thinking few words from this part OF
the world might be interesting to some OF
your readers, will try to give as well as
can short sketch of it, as am block
AIDED here by the food. Travel has been
suspended in these parts, rs East OF og-
den the Union p: citc II. r., has been
Washed away for over forty miles, and
West, all the bridges are gone between
here and Reno, Nevada.
Kelton is small town, has only $50 in
habitants, and there is not much business
done here with the exception of freighting
which is carried on on an extensive scale.
Ii is a curious sight to those who have
never witnessed anything of the kind.
Six freight trains of from 100 to 200
wagons. and twenty mules to each wagon,
start overland every week, from this place
for Boise City and Silver City, Idaho, up
to Montana and Oregon.
While being blockadtd here, your cor
respondent became acquainted with Mr.,
Wilson, formerly of Ohio, who is stage
driver from here to Idaho City, Idaho,
and went one trip with him to the telml-
nus of his re ute in Idaho. From there
we went to the Yellowstone Park, on the
Yellowstone River, on the boundary line
between Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.
1t would take an ADLER pen than mine TO
do Justice TO the scenery | saw there.
We started from lake Sublct, at the foot
of the Sulphur Mountains, and went up
the river. Nothing worthy of note was
to be seen until we reached Blacks Can
Won, where the cliffs on either side of the
river tower up to an immense height. So
high are they at Harvey Peak, that at
the top they look as though child might
step across them, though in reality, they
are Gig; ty feet across. The next is the
Yellowstone Canyon, it is not as dark CT
as high as Blacks but its waters rush
down through the pass with a velocity
that is astonishing and will make ones
hair stand on END at the bare thought of
going down. The Indians have Il legend
respecting this Canyon, that is told to
every stranger that makes his appearance
in that place. The story goes on to say
that many years before the foot of a
white man had touched this land power
| full tribe of Indians dwclt upon the banks
of the Yellowstone. They had lived in
peace and happiness until one day a
white man came with u key Of black
water (whiskcy). After trading with them
| for several moons, one day he called the
| chief into the back room, and on the
promise of secrecy, gave him cup full
of the water. The chief started to go
! home, and on his way the water so be-
witChed him that he danced and sang on
the streets of the village, and kissed the
souaws on his way to his lodge. The
warriors did not know what to make of
the conduct of the chief, as he was one
! of the wisest men of the tribe, was well
| beloved by all his braves. Every day
the chief went and drank a cup full Of the
! black water until one day the trader said
/ the black water is now very near all gone
| cannot give you any more, unless you
give me a buffalo robe for every cup full.
| The chief on hearing this got angry and
attempted to kill the trader who hid HIM
self. One night the chief was going past
| the traders tent, when the white man
stepped up behind him and killed him
with knife. The GREAT Spirit became
angry at the white man for killing Che
| chief and he and all his black water was
thrown into the river, and the roaring
and dashing of the water as they dash
against the rocks in the canyon. are said
to be the cries of the white man who is
compelled to stay there in misery until
he atoncs for the death Of the chief.
Just before a storm the noise is almost
dcafening. Then they say the spirit of
rocks is angry and wants another victim.
From the Yellowstone we crossed over
into the Black Hills Of so much gold no.
toriety. There are about six hundred mi
ncrs in camp here, toiling for pay dirt,
but of all the placer washings, and quartz
mills, there has none of them yet made
a dollar and fifty cents day, and his ex-
penscs. Your correspondent has several
pieces of rock of gold, silver, quicksilver,
and asphaltum that he picked up on the
Black Hills, and on my return to Toledo
if | can keep them that long, | shall bring
/ I'll 1,a wi nl 10 ntt tor in
to consideration 1t is no place for man
to go for the purpose of earning an hon
est living While there we fell in with
old California Joe, who furnished US with
a horse and rifle, and wanted us to take
a trip with him across the plains. From
there we took the old emigrant trail down
through Wyoming and Utah for Salt Lake
City. Passing down through the Sanpete
Valley, everywhere we met settlers fleeing
to Camp Douglass and Salt Lake City fol
protection Old Indian Joe and his Bat
tie AK Indians were on the point of rising
up and driving the settlers out of the val
ley. After hearing all the excited storie:
of the different settlers, Joe and myself
concluded that we had better go into
Camp Douglass, but on arriving there We
were informed by General Smith, the
commanding officer we had nothing to
fear as the Indians were only having
their periodical drunk from the use of toe
much Valley Tan or Mormon Whiskey
We spent three days in the city looking
around and viewing the sights. The frs
object of curiosity of note was the En-
dowment House of the Mormon Church
While there we saw thrce-hundred ant
fifty Indian braves and squaws adopted
into the Mormon Church, or as Eide
Wells has it, becoming Injun Saints, ant
twenty minutes after the ceremony wa.
performed, they went down to Gentle
Pawn Brokers Shop and pawned thei
endowment blanket for whiskey and SOU
biscuits. The next in order came the
new Mormon Tabernacle that is now il
process of erection. 1t is and will bt
when finished, undoubtedly the fines
building on the Pacific Coast. We mex
went up to the City Hall and listened t.
the inaugural address of the new Govern
OF of Utah In the course of the evenin.
he said that he would be bound to Meth
er the Mormon or Gentle population o
Utah, but would perform his duty indie
pendent of politics, and without fear o
favor and within forty eight hours, hat
Judge Nc Kean removed from the oflic,