Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-07-13
THE INDIAN WAR.

FORT FETTEnMAN,
Wy oMING TxRnlToRy, June 81, 1876
| have managed to get thus far safes
ly on my journey and am now await.
ing favorable opportunity to join the
Big Horn expedition IN the field.
This post, which was named in hon
or of Capt. Fetterman, who was killed
in the massacre of Fort Phil. Kearney
in the fall Of 1865, was established in
1867.
The fort IS situated about one hnn-
bred miles from Medicine Bow Station,
on the Union Pacific Railroad, and at
the junction OF the Riviere la Prele,
with the North Platte. The surround
ing country is desolate, barren ex-
panse of untimbered hills and plains.
THE ONLY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
Being sage brush and cactus, with a
few tufts OF parched buffalo grass. AS
far as appearances go, the land is utter
" worthless, there being nothing but
gravel, on which it is impossible to
raise anything 1t is true that along
the Valley Of the Platte and its numer.
GUS small tributaries there is quite a
growth Of cottonwood, and the alluvial
deposits in those valleys produces very
good grazing in the immediate vicinity
of the streams, which has resulted in
the establishment of few cattle ranch
es, but the area Of those valleys, as
compared with the remainder of the
country, is very small.
Agriculture, therefore, in this region
is not success, and never will he, the
supplies for the various posts having to
be brought by rail from some more
favored region. The ranchmen furnish
small amount of butter to the posts at
seventy five cents per pound.
GOING TWENTY FIVE MILES FOR FIRE.
WOOD.
All of the fire wood burned at this
post, aud it requires considerable in
winter, with the thermometer som, .
times at thilty~6ve degrees, has to he
hauled a distance of twenty-five miles
from the Laramie Black Hills, at con
tract price of about SIS per cord.
The altitude of the post is between
5000 and 5000 feet above the sea, and
of course, as a result, the temperature
from day to night changes very much.
To day at p. m. the thermometer
read ninety eight degrees and to night
blankets are very acceptable.
LARAMIE PEAK,
And the Laramie Black Hills (not the
New Eldorado), are just south of us,
and last week when crossing the latter
l had the delightful sensation of SHOW
banks OH every side of me at an altitude
Of 5000 feet, and within City feet of
the snow banks, flowers in full bloom.
LIFE AT A FRONTIER POST
is necessarily rather monotonous, and at
this post at present is not very cheerful
There are but two companies of infant
ry here, almost all of the military in this
region being in the field with General
Crook i'll pursuit of the noble red man,
the ''much abused aborigine.
There are here at present five ladies
whose husbands are in the field, and
they, of course, are not in very pleas
ant state of mind, being in daily expec
tation Of very unpleasant news from the
front in regard to their husbands. This
necessarily throws more Or less gloom
over the whole garrison.
The road by which the expedition
departed is watched throughout the day
with much anxiety, and every few days
the exciting information goes round
that courier is approaching. Then all
is excitement; every one is on the Qui
yare for news from the front.
THE SCOUTS.
The courlers or scouts, are fine spec
linens of the Western frontiersman.
For consideration OF from one to two
hundred dollars for the Tip they will
travel for days in the heart Of the 1n-