Middletown transcript., 1877-03-24

ing its construction that is, "a rapi
growth followed BY a more rapid decay.
Meving onward we soon reach serie
of sand bluffs, which extends severa
hundred miles north aad south Her
too, begins an alkali belt of sevent
miles, the soil is entirely white, an
the water is SO impregnated with thi
substance that it is often quite danger
Gus to drink. Hurrying through thi
belt it is not long before Antelope i
reached little place about 400 mile
from Smith-Town. This is said to b.
the finest grazing country in the world
owing to very nutritious bunch gras
that grows here. AS the train stopped
at Antelope about twenty minutes,
learned from an old hunter that tht
grazing belt, had an average width o.
200 miles, besides great area Of val.
leys in the mountain ranges. He said
there was room for millions of cattle
yet, and that the cost Of keeping them
was just what it cost to employ herders,
and no more. Is any agriculture car
ried on here / inquired 2 He answered
no, and declared that they would hang
the first man who undertook it, Our
conference ended BY his telling me,
that in the past six months thirty Of
| their best. citizens had been killed by
the Indians, and as many as seventy
fine bred horses stolen from one man
At this juncture 1 was restless and
anxious for the train to move on, which
it did, and We were soon gliding
through Wyoming Territory in sight Of
the Black Hills. Although to the
traveller, the verdant plains decked
here and there with beautiful flowers is
an interesting sight; and, although be
may have the best Of company, com
bined with a thousand other cireum-
stances to make bis trip pleasant one;
still, when he has travelled 500 miles
or more over prairie land, everything
begins to get monotonous and be longs
for a change He is glad to see nude
peak of the Black Hills looming up in
the distance as proof that the horizon
is not the girdle that enciroles the
sweeping plains. Before we get into
the rocky region | must not forget to
mention the most novel and grandest
sight on our trip, viz: the prairie on
fire at night. This sight from the car
window is rare, but / had the pleasure
Of Witnessing it two nights. I will not
undertake to describe it; l cannot
farther than it presents the appearances
Of vast, rolling ocean in blaze, the
heavens being its reflector It has
no comparison. The imagination will
make its own description, l imagined a
thousand and one things, all connected !
with the ideal phenomena of the judg-
ment day. But we are in Wyoming |
with the Black Hills 65 miles to the |
right. At the same time we catch the
first glimpse Of the Rocky Mountains
ahead Our attention is here
called to dark line, shadow appar-
emily, which we afteIward learn is the
Back Bone" of the American conti-
nent. Beyond this line a far of, is
Longs Peak To the left. capped in
snow is Pixies Peak, one Of the loftiest
mountains on the continent. This, on
a clear day can be seen at distance of
It's miles. In the mean time, while
we are gazing on the newly opening
scenes of mountain range and snowy
peaks, the cars have glided on their
way and we arrive at Cheyenne City,
distance Of SIC miles from Smith Town
and over 1900 miles from San Fran
cisco. Cheyenne is the city Of Wyom-
ing, it is quite pretty place, having
an elevation of 5931 feet above the
level of the sea, it is also the terminus
Of the Denver Pacific Railroad, and
hence is the great central distributing
point and depot for the freight and
travel destined for Colorado and Mex
100, and for passengers to the Black
Hills Leaving Cheyenne We begin to
rise still higher in the air at q maxium
grade Of 100 feet per mile, till the top
of Sherman is reached. This is the
highest point on the road, it having an
elevation Of nearly 5000 feet. From
his point the traveller can take per-
Ipective of the country of from one to
wo hundred miles around him. You
1t ence realize you are in a new world.
At first, one experiences a difficulty in
breathing on account of the lightness of |
he fair trying his lungs to their {
Utmost capacity" There are places :
where rocks are higher, mountains ]
OTTER, chasms deeper and torrents /
nightier in their course; but still they
viii not possess such power over the t
aind Of man as does the wild scenery E
round Sherman Itprssents kind Of J
N Gagf& grandeur, you feel completely t
solated from civilization, and left ut a
erly without nature. Fortunately, r
however, we are not long at Sherman, !
nd in few minutes we find ourselves
With brakes on, going down grade at n
tremendous velocity. We are flying r
,ast stations and small towns, and the i
Tatchful traveller will now see as be
ushes through gloomy canyons and /
,orges an occasional emigrant wagon, a '
7andering indian, or perhaps small b
Use in the ground indicating the grave !
+ some ambitious way-farer who died /
n his way. Interesting places about 4
laramie and Crystal Lake, with its :
lear, soft water glistening in the rays a
+ the sun are now left behind, and :
ihsep Mountain, another lofty peak Of h
he Rocky Mountain range rears its v
cad to the left. Utah is not far of, i
ut we pass many celebrated places be- !
ore we reach it. Black Buttes, Sweet Il
Water Mines, Rock Springs. Granger @
tation, Hams Fork, all of which o
laces have an interesting history Il
here is something in the very atmos- b
here and surroundings that tell you d
hen you strike Utah, know not why, t.
ut you feel different, you act different e,
on see different, in short, you are q