Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-03-17
little sum of more than 100000.

1
You have now arrived at Cheyenne,
$50 miles from Omaha, elevation over
5000 feet; the capital of Wyoming
territory and county seat of Laramie
county, and called the "Magic City of
the Plains" Here you take dinner in
one of the best kept hotels between the
Atlantic and Pacific. The city is said
to be building rapidly, and in proportion
to its population, which, nearly 5000
Cheyenne has more substantial business
houses than most any other Western
city. All the principal religious de-
nominations, such as Methodist, Congre-
gationalist, Presbyterian, Catholic and
Episcopalian, are represented by good,
comfortable church buildings. The town
has fine court house, Jail, a large pub
lie school building, a good city hall and
brick opera house. This is wonderful
change for place known few years
ago as being calling SO wicked as to dis
gust the devil, and by the fearful name
of "Hell on Wheels" Churches have
come up where gamblers once relgned
and as good society now exists as in any
Eastern city.
After satisfying your craving appetite
by the wild meats brought in from these
rocky hills and plains. you again enter
your palace car and are fast
ARoEND1NG THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS,
near Sherman. This is called the Back
Bone" of the continent The name is
very applicable. as it is the highest
point gained by railroad between the
two oceans. Its elevation is 8,242 feet
and has been reached by an ascent so
gradual that you have hardly noticed it.
You are now about 500 miles from
Omaha and 33 miles from Cheyenne,
and the difference in the elevation of
! of this place and Cheyenne is 2,200
feet, the maximum grade of any one
mile being 80 feet. AS you approach
Sherman, something like 200 feet to the
east of the station, on the north side of
the tract, is post bearing the announce
ment, "This is the summit of the Rocky
Mountains.
VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.
AS you stand on the car platform, or
the sterile earth beneath your feet, you
are struck with awe and amazement at the
wonderful scenery that presents itself to
view, and you think, What are the
works of man compared with the won-
derful works of the Almighty Z? You can
look for miles and miles away, in every
direction, over the wild, uninhabited
country on your way to Laramie plains,
witnessing the towering peaks of the
, Black Hills away in Dakota and north.
ern Wyoming; Pixies Peak in central
Colorado, Red Buttes of Laramie Plains,
Bear Lodge. Elkhorn. Iron Mountains,
the Medicine Bow Range, and Fremont
distant, towering peak of the Wind
River mountains-the Unita and Wa
satch and many more, too numerous tc
mention, which help to make up the
the grand total of what is called the
Rocky Mountain Range.
DOWN TO LARAMIE.
In your rapid descent from Sherman
(the summit,) you are soon on what is
called the great Laramie Plains, whose
eastern boundary is the western slope o.
the Black Hills, and whose western
boundary is the eastern base of the Med
icine Bow Mountains, running NORTH
. nearly to the north branch of the Platte
" river and tn to the Colorado Noun
Il tains. Neither can the stock interest be
Il said to be in its infancy here. for there
: are hundreds of thousands of cattle anC
:. sheep grazing on these plains. In cross
- ing these plains can be seen little tc
: the left the trim. conical and SHARP
Z pointed Diamond Peaks Of the Medicine
Bow Range, and away in the distance
in the south westerly direction, can b.
seen the towering peaks of perpetua
snow. The town of Laramie is situated
; on these plains on the Laramie river, i
u station on the line of the road and i
beautiful, thriving village of full,
c three thousand inhabitants and is tn
= the county seat of Albany county, Wy
> oming 1t is represented by goodl.
% number of churches, school buildings
e several public buildings, brick and ston
y blocks. with streets regularly laid out
81 and really looks like an eastern village
% Machine and repair shops and rolling
e mills of the Union Pacific are locatet
here.
1t will be we'll remembered that dur
ing the construction of the road thi
t. place, like that of Cheyenne, was anoth
r er wicked den of thieves, gamblers an
n murderers. But having the pleasure 0
,r meeting gentleman on the train, VIII
D, is a resident of Laramie and has bee
1t for number of years. learned that
Of was orderly and well governed and tn
7, rights of the people are as much respect
ed as in any eastern city saloons ar
le all closed on the Sabbath, the churche
le well attended and the schools we'll pat
= ronized This uGreen Citv of the monn