The Columbus journal., 1879-07-23
WESTWARD BOUND.
Journey by Wagon from Columbus, Nebraska, to
Washington Territory--Jottings by the Way.
SODA SPRINGS, IDAHO TERRIToRY,)
,July 9Th. 1879.


July 9Th, 1879.
EDITOR JOURNAL: This is n of
the principal points on Bear river
valley. | have never seen anything
in the way of a spring which equals
ii in the amount of water, and |
have heard several who had trav-
eled extensively say the same. Ii
gives forth three times as much
water as the Hot Springs of the
Middle Park, Colorado, but this wa
ter cold although il is marked Hot
Springs on some of the maps.
There are several people here from
Utah and other places TO get cured
of their infirmities; il is said to be
excellent for the cure of rheuma-
tism. Most of the train folks use
no other wafer for drink since
they first came here. Ii is also
used for bathing purposes; and for
mixing up the dough with this wa
ter, no soda or baking powder is
needed in making bread ; the cooks
have all been trying it and after
holding a sort of judiciary council
on the water have decided that il is
a little deficient in some points. 1t
tastes very strong of soda and a
little of iron. This spring is about
one and a half miles from the town
of Soda Springs, but right at the
town is another soda spring, but
not near so good as this one. The
water bubbles up in the springs and
foams continually like soda water
in a glass. The water of both
springs is free TO every one TO drink
all they want, but at the spring in
town is a bathing house attached
where the charge is so cents, but at
this spring there is a tent fixed Just
below the spring where all a have
a free bath, a sort of rival affair, you
see.
The nights continue cool it froze
ice thicker than window glass last
night, the days are quite warm : but
the beauty of il is that the farmer as
he wipes the perspiration off his
face on the hot days can look up
and see the snow on the mountain
tops. Farmers told us that they get
from 20 TO 40 bu. of wheat to the
acre; we bought potatoes at % cts.
per blu. and -four at $3.50 per loo.
After making a stay of tw days
at Soda Springs, recruiting up our
teams and waiting for others that
r behind watching the invalids
drinking soda water. Those who
r weak and poor, drinking that
they may become fat, and ont old
gentleman who would weigh prob
ably 800 pounds was drinking more
than any II else that he might be-
come poor.
AS l said, after waiting two days
at Soda Springs, we again bear
westward, and after going about six
miles west of Soda, there are three
roads here and our train gets divid-
ed up, some going n~ortherly by way
of Fort Hall and Tayloris bridge
u party going west 81 miles to
Oneida, a station on the Utah North
ern, La miles from Ogden, and so
miles from the present terminus
which is at Eagle Rock. Difference |
of opinion as TO the advantages and
disadvantages of the different routes
was the cause of the parties divid-
ing. Heretofore it has, to some ex-
tent, been the same. Men whom
we parted company with at Chey-
enne travelled the Sweetwater route,
others went by way of Evanston, in
route to Ogden and Keltou "a route
which we at first intended to take),
and we all met again at Soda
Springs. The S~weetwater route
connected with ours away back on
the Muddy, and those who started
to 90 by way of Ogden and Kelton
left that road at Evanston on account
of scarcity of grass, and travelled
down Bear river to Soda Springs,
where We all met again. None OF
the country from Soda to Oneida is
fit for farming purposes. yet the
mountains are smoother and the
general appearance of the country is
better.
Oneida is a small place, two stores
and one hotel this road is operated
in connection with the u. z. r.. r.
and is said to belong to that COM
pany. JAMES SCULLY.
The Ohio Democracy has met