Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-06-14
Mr.. Anton.Schmitt's Trip to Califor-
nia-The Country Passed Ov err
Prairie Dogs - Antelopes
Tramps and Free Rides.
Stockton, Cal.
MAY 80, 1877.
To the Editor of the HERALD

May ~, 1877.
To the Editor of the HERALD:
In order to comply with the
wishes of friends [ will give a brief
description of my journey to Califor-
MIA. At 5 o'clock, a. m, on the 18th
Of May, we started from Clinton,
Iowa, which is on the Mississippi if
ty-five miles below Dubuque. From
this point across Iowa, farm on farm
is joined and all in good condition.
Corn was mostly all planted and
there were ten fields TO one of small
grain. After passing Cedar Rapids
The first sign of grasshoppers appear
ed and we began to see open prairie
whore large droves of poor cattle
were herded. Vegetation was fully
as backward as in Grant County.
Newton, the present home of our
friend, Rev. Edward Eaton, seems to
be the most thriving place west of
Cedar Rapids. We could see there
more than dozen buildings erected
this Spring. We reached Council
Bluff, at 10 D. m Here trains from
all directions gather in and passen-
gers are transferred across the bridge
by the u. z. r. r. to Omaha. One
express and one emlgrant train
leaves Omaha daily. Emigrants
shouli not buy their outfits in Oma>
ha as they have to pay higher prices
than at any other place on the road
Leaving Omaha we pass through a
splendid country. The land is rich
and good for farming till we reach
the Platte valley. Should this coun-
try ever get rid of the grasshoppers
it would by far surpass the States
east of the Mississippi. In the valley
of the Platte River we saw countless
cattle and sheep grazing on the nu.
tricious bunch-grass. They were all
fat we never saw better looking
stock at this time of the year. Farm
ers, here is the place to raise stock
the pasture is free and almost end
less. You need not cut hay and feed
in the winter, but il you do it is all
the better. After crossing North
Platte river we stop 20 minutes at
North Platte City-a nice place.
The r. Il. Company has machine
shops, round-house, &c. established
here. Labor of all kinds demands
good price. From here we begin to
90 up grade and nothing is in sight
but the everlasting plains. AT Sid
ney, the next important station, our
passengers bound for the Black Hills
left our train. A number Of stages
were ready to take them to the new
EIdorado. Soon after leaving Sid
ney our boys had the pleasure of
shooting at antelopes, which they
did not hit. "Prairie dogs i"-shouted
the passengers As we passed Prai-
RE Dog City, we saw the cunniug
little fellows slip 10 their houses as
our train came near them. At Ante-
lope Station, Jim Evans, the famous
hunter, sold milk and his wife, a half
blood Indian, sold strong drink to
the passengers. Another Nimrod in
buckskin brought cooked antelope
into the cars and sold it to the pass
engers. Our train rolls along rather
slowly, as we are gaining altitude
rapidly, until we reach Cheyenne the
most important place west of Omaha.
A good deal of business is carried on
here and the place is improving rap
idly. To our surprise we here met
our former clerk, r. s. Proudft.
After hearty greeting he told US be
was going to Laramie after job of
work. The U. P. r. r Go. is view
ing different routes to build rail.
road to the Black Hills. 1t will
start from Cheyenne, Sidney or
North Platte. Which ever place it
starts from will be the place to do
business. Starting from Cheyenne
two monster locomotives with SIX
drive-wheels each, are hitched before
our train and up we go to Sherman,
the highest railroad station in the
world. Here the scenery is grand !:
the snow-capped Rocky Mountains
before us,to the right the Black Hills
and to the left we see Longs and
Pixies Peaks in the distance. From
Sherman we go down without steam.
The breaks are used TO keep our
train in check. W. PASSED the |
Laramie Plains and f lrt Laramie in
the night. Before w reach Fort |
Fred Steele the sc. merry becomes
such that | will not undertake to de- |
scribe it. Cur boys ia blue at Fort
Fred Steele looked as slick and neat
as if there was no such thing as
q yhting Indians. At Green River
some passengers discovered that we /
bad passengers under the cars as
well as in; two tramps had taken
free passage over the rear axle on