Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-04-07
OUT WEST.
From the Valley virginian.l

Cheyenne IN the Territory Of Wyomiag
-Chmches-Schools - BeetSteaks =
Mountains and Memoranda.
Cheyenne is known. far and wide, as
the Magic City of the Plains; yet tour
lists who only stop there for dinner, as
they 60 to and from the Pacific coast,
have very little idea why it is so called,
and are very apt to ridicule it, for the
railroad skirts one edge of the town and
gives the traveller no opportunity to see
to what size the place has grown.
felt, when l stepped from the cars,
as if 1 might be halting in a semi-bar-
borio region, for notwithstanding its eu-
phonious title, there fingered in my
memory the fact that had also heard
that it had been called "Hell on Wheels"
But it was the month of January, that
was in my favor, and l put on brave
face and let the train depart without
me.
Let us look at the geographical posi-
tion of this town for moment, that you
may the better understand the situation;
Don't get out the atlas your boy thumb
ed ten years ago, for if you do you
won't find the place. A modern rail-
road map is the best, and that will show
you that Cheyenne. the capital of the
Territory of Wyoming, is SIG miles
west from the Missouri river, and is
6,O41 feet above the level of the sea. No
reasonable idea of figures is ever attain
ed except by comparison, so let US look
at Mt. Washington, of the White Noun
tains in New Hampshire, from which
every human being makes hasty exit as
early as the Is of October That noun
tain is 6,293 feet above the sea level
only 252 feet higher than Cheyenne
and here. in January, l find hardly any
snow on the ground, and five thousand
people managing to get along very COM
fortably.
Then to bring the figures a little
nearer home, look at your own beautiful
Peaks of Otter, to the top of which peo-
pie make pilgrimages and come away
with feeling that they have been near
er Heaven than they may ever be again.
Those Peaks modestly lift their heads to
a height of 1898 feet, but out in the
far west, mountains. as we'll as men,
grow bold, and here we find Cheyenne,
not clinging to hill where people are
in danger of throwing dishwater down
their neighbor's chimnies as they are in
Lynchburg but sitting pleasantly on a
wide plateau, which is over two thous-
feet higher than the topmost peak of
Otter.
The cars reached Cheyenne in Novem-
ber, 1867, and Immediately there sprang
into existence town of several thou
sand inhabitants, largely made up from
the outlaws who follow in the wake of
large railroad enterprises, and their
shameless companions. The history of
the town for the first year or two would
blanch the cheek of one unaccustomed
to the wild tales of border life and is
better left untold. Like all similar
places, 1t grew like a mushroom, and
when its effervescent period was ended
it sank down as rapidly as it had grown.
Then came the time for men who
meant business to put their shoulders to
the wheel, and the result of their efforts
have been most gratifying.
A friend who visited there in 1871
tells me there were then only board
houses, scarcely more than shanties
dropped here, there or anywhere it seem.
ed convenient. To-day Cheyenne is q
handsome town, with broad, regular
streets, fine brick blocks, elegant resi-
dences and as peacable people as are t
be found in any western city.
The first question from any visitor
/ undoubtedly would be: What is there
to develop and make permanent such &
growth ? for the soil is hard and cold
water for irrigating purposes very scarce
and the altitude so great agriculture
pursuits would prove an utter failure i
undertaken. But, Notwithstanding al
| these drawbacks, the greatest promotes
of prosperity has been the boundles
tracts of land, over which roam tn,
thousands of cattle whose owners wealth
= has built handsome business blocks ant
4 elegant residences in Cheyenne. AL
7 the outlying country is occupied will
ranchmen who depend upon Cheyenn
r for supplies Added to this are the re
: pair shops of the railroad, and the small
army of men they employ must be fed
clothed and housed. The Denver 4
e Rio Grande road unites here with tn
5 Union Pacific and contributes her nigh
{ towards the prosperity of the city.
Another very important factor in tn
e development of Cheyenne is the Blacl
Hills excitement, for expeditions ar
G mainly fitted out from this point AM
II supplies purchased here, so that much O
. the Black Hill gold gets into the hand
of Cheyenne business men.
', was shown nuggets of the root of al
= evil at one of the Cheyenne banks. whic