Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-03-20
FRONTIER SOLDIER LIFE.
A Terrible Night in the Snow.

letter written by Lieutenant Mct duicy,
Third Cavalry, TO his father, the Rev.
Dr. McCauley, of Reading, Pa, and
published in the DAILY Times of that
city, depicts the peculiar hardships and
dangers of frontier life
From the building Of the stations
was ordered north by General Crook to
survey new road from Fort Steele, six
teen miles east of Rawlins, on the
Union Pacific Railroad, TO cross Snake
River and connect with the new road
10 the south-the object being TO make
Steele, where are large Government
warehouses, the depot of supplies. in
stead of Rawlins, for White River.
Between Steele and Snake River lies
the continental divide of the Rocky
Mountains, the trend being here north
west and southeast, all water on the
eastern side going into the Platte and
the Missouri, while Snake River and its
tributaries belong to the waters Of the
Gulf of California. Ii was on this sur
vey that we encountered one of the
most terrible snow-storms l ever saw
in thousands of miles of travel in the
Rocky Mountains. During eight days
there was a daily storm, which was only
milder one day TO gather strength appar
emily for the next. One day we made but
three miles; and another, after going one
and a half miles, the storm broke upon
us and compelled us 10 return to the
camp we had left; and SO each day we
attempted progress, but with varying
success. About twenty miles up the
Platte to the south from Steele crosses
the old emigrant road, running east
ward, the great highway in early days of
the coaches and the celebrated Pony
Express, and still the route of emigrant
travel To the west and northwest. Hav
inc sent a courier back Ia Steele for
pack-;rain, all our wagons having brok
en- down, concluded, while awaiting
that and supplies, 10 90 westward from
the crossing of the emigrant road and
measure the distance by the Rawlins
road to Snake River, the junction of
which is at Sulphur Spring or Hum
phrey's Ranch, station on the courier
line.
With the odometers in the "buck-
board "a light vehicle for mountain
travel-in company with Judge Hugus,
a wealthy merchant at Fort Steele, in
terested in the new road, left camp on
horseback Saturday morning, and start
ed west over the emigrant road-which
is, BY the way, one of the finest natural
roads of the West We reached Pine
Grove, or Errett's Ranch, thirteen miles,
about one O'Clock in the afternoon, find
inc but little snow on the way. All the
bellows on the road and the banks of
dry streams had drifted full of snow
from two to four feet deep; and these
we passed by tramping way for the
mules. or, when that was futile, in get
ting them over, first drawing over the
blackboard with ropes fastened to the
double-tree on the opposite side. AT
Pine Gaove the road skirts the base of
the mountains, and thence the road
begins TO cross the Great Divide by the
Bridger Pass, so-called after Jim
Bridger, the celebrated Rocky Noun
tain scout of olden days. Six miles
from Errett's is the summit of the Pass,
which we reached at sunset-the tongue
of the blackboard breaking on the way
in getting il over one of the many drifts
that we encountered, deeper and deep
err as our ascent was greater. From the
summit the outlook was more gloomy
AS the snow was observed deeper to the
west. The road was covered from one
TO three feet, while here and there it
was bare from the winds that blow al
most necessarily at these high attitudes.
We had our bedding with us and a
lunch, as our cooking utensils We had
left behind in camp for the use of our
guide, who during our absence was to
hunt the easiest point of passage over
the range directly to the south in
direct line from Steele TO the other road
at Snake River. At Humphreys or
Sulphur Spring, fine ranch, was
sure Of a welcome, having always