Omaha daily bee., 1882-12-07

The Natural Bridge in the Northern
Part OF Albany County.

fhrU Oh AlOhuy CouuVy
Prof. Gilbert e. Bailey, writing to
the Boomerang, thus describes q nat
ursl bridge in the Canyon Of L, Prele
creek, near Fort Fetterman:
Few of your readers, perhaps, are
aware that there is hid away In one Of
Wyoming's mountain hooks o natural
bridge that is probably the only rival
of tho famous one In Virginia. My
last trip into the northern part of the
territory enabled me to visit this
freak of that festive maiden, Dame
Nature; hence thess words. The
bridge is in the canyon of the L.
Prele creek, about nine miles south Of
Fort Fettermsn, and only u few min
utes walk from the stage road. The
canyon has been formed by the passage
of a creek through long, irregular
ridge that extends east and west from
La Bonte to Red Buttes. We ride
frat up the long slope of this ''hog-
back until within u few feet of tho
narrow gorge. and take IA good look
around us. There is nothing eugges.
tive of moro than the usual scenery
for this part OF the country. TO tho
north lays the beautiful but PREACHER.
qua Platte river, twisting its way
through a country that is by no means
fat and u~naccented; for it is not even
and level like the Illinois prairie, nor
has 1t the monotonous, sea-sick roll Of
Iowa. The swells vary greatly Id
height and shape, and the ''draws"
wind about with pleasing irregultrity.
In the distance 10 old Fort Fetter-
man, nowbnt a reminiscence of the
high old days when the boys in blue
were there. Uncle Sam has deserted
the camp, and the hangers-on cho
gave the cemetery the appropriate
name Of "Boot Hill" have gone; and
the community, changing from the
transition state, is fast being built up
by men and womsn who have come to
stay.
To the south the hills that gradual
ly rise to form the Laramie range are
cut up in all directions by DEEP twist.
ing ravines, displaying on the precipi.
tous sides monumental qusrries of
massive rock, and Offering new phases
of Fantastic nskedness at every turn.
The scant aud ragged verdure that
strageles through the ragine only
serves to accent the barren look OF
things. When the ricic stiGset. Ugh.
pours on the white and bright red
masses of rock Thanksgiving tlnts, The
splendor of savagery finds full express.
zion, and as We cit ct the brink Of the
precipice We feel q thrill OF sympathy
with yonder eagle fl batting in fierce de-
light above it's chosen home. A few
steps forward end We look down one
hundred and fifty feet into the gorge
the little stream has carved through
the limestone and rod t~riasaic sand-
stones.
Ninety feet below is the bridge, a
band Of soil-covered rock, fifty feet
| wide, hiding the water from our Wow,
as it spans the chasm from the faco of
the precipice 10 the level of the lower
bank on the eastern side. A short
ride down hill, a haBty scramble down
a steep bluff, and we reach the level
of the creek, and after a few minutes
ride come directly in front of and be-
low the massive bridge. The banks
on the east side are sixty feet high,
and n could ride from them directly
on to the bridge.
sOn the west, the tall wall of rock,
gorgeous in its red and white coloring,
toners high above the bridge. AT
some time in the past the little creek
changed it's course 80 that its waters
wero brought directly against this
wall, and finding q Tissue, it com.
menSed the work that ended in this
grand tribute to it's power.
1t is certainly IA perfect a bridge as
could be desired. Its width is about
90 fess, 100 foot span. with the top of
the low arch about 30 feet above the
bed OF the creek, The sharp inclina.
ton of Its carboniferous limestone, and
the massive character of the work
guarantees its stability. The noun.
tain towering above the bridge to the
south, ths view of the canyon through
the arch, the glinpses of tho water
through Ike Willow as the whole il lit
up by the rich colors of evening, tho
mUgmur of the water, and the evening
carol of featEered songsters made the
scene perfect and ono long to be re-
membered with pleasure. The canyon
is full of interest to the geologist, as
all of the rocks from the Laramie TO
the Carboniferous are exposed, as II
follows the creek from tho ford MP the
canyon. The old bed of the creek,
now oyergrown with brush, is about
three hundred feet to the northwest.
1t is evident, too, that the waters at one
period flowed oYer the top OF the
bridge, rivaling Minrehaha, SO that
we have here the story of the stream
as 1t cut its own path through this
fraction Of the world. The gathering
shades make us hasten to Che stage
road and the house Of our genial host;