Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-12-01
TRIP TO CALIFORNIA.


which will be of general interest:
We left St. Johnsbury, Sept. %, via.
P. & O. r. r. and went to Montreal,
crossing the Victoria bridge. The coun-
try through which the railroad passes
in Canada is low and level-so level
that the land is thrown up in ridges,
leaving drains or bitches every few rods
for the water to settle into or run away.
The farmers were very busy in this sec.
tion. AS We skirted along Ontario We
caught occasional glimpses of that beau
On its shores rSaassfhgy yeSf af6ah8 84r thga hgaWRes Res
end Of that lake, we flew over one of the
great railroads of Canada West at very
rapid rate, and soon reached Detroit and
Michigan. This is level and appar-
emily very fertile state, with broad farms
and large orchards. At Michigan City
We got the first sight of Lake Michigan.
Here is a sandy section, where the winds
pile up huge drifts or hills of sand as
they heap up snow in Vermont. But
the train is whirling US on to Chicago,
where we find wonderfully enterprising
and growing city. such as cannot be
found in America or on the globe. We
left the city on the Burlington & Quincy
road for Council Bluffs. Let me stop
long enough to speak of the elegant cars
and gentIemanly conductors on this road
the best we saw on the whole trip.
Through Illinois and Iowa the country,
right and left, was almost one unbroken
corn field. What an immense amount
of corn must be produced in Illinois
alone This state with its extremely fer
tile soil its beautiful towns and villages,
its orchards and groves, and general ap-
pearance of wealth and thrift, struck me
as being the best of any We passed in
coming to the Pacific. In three days
and half we made Council Bluffs on
the Missouri river. Here we were COM
PEELED to make the change to another
great railroad, the Union Pacific. We
Immediately crossed the Missouri on an
immense bridge, and arrived at Omaha,
one of the smartest and prettiest places
in the West We left Omaha near
nightfall and are whirled away over the
level regions of Nebraska at a swift rate.
About sunrise, next morning, we reached
Lone Tree, and passed over stretch of
road forty miles long, as straight as the
engineer could set his stakes. The next
station of Importance is Grand Isle.
where we stopped for breakfast. For
"four bits" everything is reckoned by
"bits' here, we got good breakfast. [
cannot say that Nebraska at this time
of the year looks inviting. The prairie
fires have run over the country, destroy
ing the grass and leaving the surface as
black and as drear as possible. The rich
verdure of the prairie states had given
place to the desert of the-far West, and
there is a wildness and loneliness not
particularly inviting. But it seems that
it must be pretty good country for
some sorts of grass, as there are count
less herds Of cattle roaming on the plains
and among the rocks, We caught sight
of an occasional deer, antelope, cyotee,
and saw hundreds of prairie dogs. We
leave Nebraska at Pine Bluffs and pass
into Wyoming. The land in this section
is about such as we saw In the western
part of Nebraska. Cheyenne is the
capital of the Territory and largest toWr
in this section. We stopped here to get
breakfast. This is a desolate looking
country, only little sage brush to furn.
ish food for cattle: and little or nothing
to encourage agriculture. We reacl
Utah territory. We have passed The
prairies and climbed over the high sum
nit or ridge of the Rocky Mountains
and are descending into the valley of th,
great Salt Lake. Our route has led u
through deep canyons, where the perpen
dicular rocks tower up on either side
almost as far as the eye can see: W
have skirted along on the edges o
mountains with vast chasms below us
, and huge rocks hanging above us
5 threatening to lose their hold and com
3 crashing down upon US. But | canno
tell you of the wonders of this mos
wonderful section of America. | vii
mention, however, one place where W
saw huge rocks piled out on the precipic
above which were said to have been pH
there by the Mormons in 1857, whe
they feared the United States troop
: would be sent to drive them from thei
home at Salt Lake City. 1t was neces
sary for the army to pass through thi
defle, and they thought to drive ther
), back or overpower them by rolling thes
rocks down the precipices upon then
: In going through Webber's canyon "
= pass forty miles between massive walls
: some new scene of wonder bursting upo
: the gaze at every turn. A few mile
' distant we pass the 1000 mile tree, an
= have made that distance from Oman;
: Soon we arrive at Ogden, the junctio
!, of the Union and the Central Pacif
. 10 ;Irnnas W. nro r,n1r nnar Salt IaL