The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-08-22

various routes leading to the Black
Hills, I will cheerfully add an unsoli-
cited account Of my experience on the
Cheyenne andsFort Pierre routes.
In February lastI determined to visit
the much talked of Black Hills, and,
accordingly, after selecting what I judg-
ed to be the best route.set out for Chey-
enne from Mississippi Arriving in your
town on the 10th Of February, l was 50
much pleased and grati6ed with the
life and vim exhibited in every line of
business that 1 remained there until the
9Th of March. Then I continued my
journey to the Hills, and farrived in
Custer City on the goth Of March, cons
Stunning only thirteen days in making
the trip, Notwithstanding the bad con-
dition of the roads, at that time, and
the many snow storms encountered on
the journey. Let it suffice to say that
we found this route all we expected, and
In many respects superior to the repre-
sensations concerning it.
In July last I found it necessary to
visit Sioux City on matters of business,
and was induced, onthe representation
of other parties, to go by the Fort Pierre
route. Thisisthe route on which freight
ers with oxen-accordingI to the Yank-
ton papers-haye made Crook City from
Pierre in five and six days, a distance,
those papers say, of only 1909 miles.
We found, however, that it was all that
mules in good condition could do to
make the trip from Crook City in eight
days. During this trip the mules
shrank more than they would to have
made double the distance per day over
a well watered route. From Rapid City
to the Missouri river there is not one
running stream Of tcdter, except the
Cheyenne river, which is crossed and
from which water is taken only once.
All the watertwe got on the trip was
taken from dirty, filthy pools, at some of
which the horses and mules refused to
drink when we knew they were nearly
perishing for the want of good water.
Many of these pools, when they were
quite large and had not been filled up
entirely by recent rains, were quite
strong of alkali, so much SO, in fact, that
nearly every manin the outft4of whom
there were twenty-two,A had such sore
mouths that they could hardly eat any
thing. =
Now In relation to the d~istance;d>I
have heard no one say,unless it be some
interested party, that it was less than
tso hundred and fifty miles from Crook
City,a town eight miles from Deadwood
City, to the Missouri river at Fort
Pierre, and some even place it as. high
as three hundred miles. 1 think, how
ever, that two hundred and fifty miles
will not more than cover the. distance
and would place the estimate higher
rather than lower, How oxzteams
could make this trip in five or six days
was q mystery to meSuntil L reached
Sioux City, whereyI was informed on
credible authority, that Mr.. Witcher, Of
Fort Pierre route notoriety, asserted
that he had inst got in from the Hills,
having made the trip with his train (his
train consisting of three common two
horse wagons with a trail wagon of like
size) to Fort Pierre in six days. Nov
to our own personal knowledge, Mr,
Witcher's teams left Crook City the daS
prior to the departure of our train, and
it took us eight days to make the trip,
and both Witcher's andour outfit reach.
ed the Missouri river on the anne day.
Just how Nj. witcher made out that he
consumed only six days in making
this trip from Crook City to Pierre with
his ox-teams will remain a mystery to
all truthful people. I don't suppose any
one not ACQUAINTED with Mr. Witchei
would accuse him of lying, but simply
an attempt to advertise the Pierre
route.a snsvs6sa ISL. Qa9e ~ ~
Jno. Gordon, Esq, OF Sioux City, who
is well known throughout the west as
the man who took the first train Into
the Hills, and had it burned at the Mob
- Ill HNAEA ~ e ~ VI