Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-22
THE GREAT WEST.
BY Railroad From Omaha TO
Denver:
Comfortable Traveling-Enomous Herds
fIowers-Cloud SceneY-The Reckless
Cow-Boy-Tuf Houses-Abundant
"Gin Mills"-Buffalo Bills
Residence.
INFORMAL, BUT INEXPENSIVE JUSTICE.
S,,ectal olyrespondence ofthe R-oistcr.

Special Correspondence Of the Register.
DENVER August live took The nigh
train from Omaha, with Denver ahead as
our first stopping place. At about six
o'clock next morning nature, in Boythor-
nish mood, aroused us with heavy rumb.
ling and pelting of thunderstorm COM
bined with the sweet singing of meadow
larks, orioles, bluebirds and robins, who,
perched upon Inc telegraph wires, enjoy
ing the ducking, saluted us as We passed.
A gentle pace is adopted by trains on the
Pacific railroads, and whereas you went to
Omaha on furious rush, you now swing
along Ut nineteen miles All hour (inCludiug
stops), and find railroad travel very easy,
restful and luxurious method of passing
the time. You cease to look at your watch,
you alight at every stopping place, you
draw forth your novels when you tire, for
time, of watching the plains, you chat with
easily formed and entertaining acquain-
tances on the car, your appetite is shar.
pened by the bracing air so that you do
fearful execution at the dining stations,
you take interest in a thousand trivial
things, seeing in them something strangely
new, you find that the whole trip is bound
to be succession Of pleasant surprises, and
you are Contcnted with yourself and the
world.
In the Morning
we tumble out, and while making our toll
cts the porter transforms our berths into a
pair Of luxuriously cushioned seats on
which we recline in state and survey the
scenery. Cool and fresh is the air blowing
in at our window; the thunder clouds are
breaking overhead, turning white, admit
ting streaks OF blue, then vanishing alto
gether, and around us green and bright,
stretch the bounding, boundless plains,
running in ocean-like swells and breaking
into foam of flowers at our feet Lonely
they are, but not desolate; in fact il is
rather a CHEEKY loneliness. Grass grows
more thinly than on the prairies, and
grows in clumps with silky tassels at the
tops. Flowers not exactly 10 be identified
with those of The east yet suggesting them,
swing in the breeze little buttercups and
daisies. clumpS OF lobelia-like blossoms,
great masses OF dwarf sunaower-the plains
in some places blazing with them, as il
enameled with gold; then there is another
yellow flower, cross between tulip and
buttercup, with thick, richly colored pet.
ais, and as the train reaches higher alti-
tude. the pin-cushion cactus dots the
ground. This cactus, which is extremely
prickly, has an almost globular form, like
q small melon set in the earth so as to ex
pose two-thrds of its surface, and upon its
top bloom flowers smaller but
Not Unlike HOlIyhOcks
in shape, colored delicate lemon yellow or
transcendently beautiful crimson. At
certain stops We got out to pick Z few Of
these, and nicely did We get our fingers
pricked by the operation. Thousands of
them are dug up, however, and sent east
where they will live if no care is taken OF
them, but watering and fertilizing in good
soil puts them to death. wild thyme
likewise grows here and the despised sage
brush begins to show itself, but when that
is seen OH the eastern plains in early sum-
mer putting forth slender shoots OF pale,
pleasant object To see II in its native ug.
illness, with bare, stiff, bristly stalks, and
tough. twisted cedar-like stem, you must
needs wait until dry weather sets i'll and
look for it few hundred miles westward.
Nothing but rolling plain. AS far as the
eve can reach, bright green and yellow
plains with nOta sign of life. Hold on,
though; what's yonder? Cattle, feeding
along the edge OF the Platte, which has
come into view from behind long swell
of land A thousand? Yes, at least And
now there are more in sight, five, ten, fit-
teen and twenty thousand cattle. What
think you of that, o. gentle granger? Some
COWS are not there?
Here Come the Cowboys.
Take oil your hats to them il you have
respect for physical manhood. They see
YOU. take the salute for challenge to show
off" so pointing their horses head to the
west they begin race with the locomotive.
Go it, you reckless dare-devils, Did you
ever sec better riding than that? What
would YOU not give to be a|saddle alongside,
with the cool, life-glving air blowing
hurricane through your locks? A plunge
into prairc dog hole would break horses
leg anG pitch his driver thirty feet over his
head perhaps atop OF rattlesnake. What's
the odds? Stand in your strrups swing
your big s0mbreros, yell in the jubil alton
of absolute liberty, ply spurs u your leap
ing Steeds; there's a free heaven over your
head, thousands Of miles OF free plains
around you-by the gods! there are worse
things than being cowboy. have heard
so much about the Platte river that have
mace up my mind not to like it. And don't
what i'm the World
is there in that puddle OF blue water, lying
between bare banks, to set all travellers
talking and admiring? Wait until you
reach the Platte" 'It'll be pleassnter
when you strike the Platte" Did you
ever see the Platte?" and the. guide boot;';
go or, "Yo" m"". ,c. come to the broad reaches
Of the Platte 1.-The beautiful Platte Is seen
upon the left" you are running through
the green depression in the plains that
marks the course OF the lovely Platte"
Oh, let up! Hang the Platte. It's the
stupidest stream / ever saw. Bring on
your woods and willows and houses and
churches and farms and bathers If you
want to make il interesting. When this
region is settled and planted it will become
a pleasant feature without doubt, but it
don't amount to sixpence now. Except
that the plains roll a little higher up as we
proceed westward, there is no variation in
the character of the scenery. Once in a
while there is house. and what wee bit
of house it seems, standing alone III this
vast expanse The lower portions of the
telegraph poles are smoOtbed TO the extent
OF being polished by cows, who use the
poles 10 scratch themselves with. Formerly
buffalo scratched so hard that, being OF
great bulk.
they Overturned Them nv Dozens,
while mentally calculating. dod bIess tne
memory of Oakes Ames," forgive Scottsl
necessitated much expenditure for repairs.
zThey no longer bother the plainsmen, Tor
+cpoor creatures, they are rapidly becoming
extinct. being killed by thousands for mere
sport. There was this summer an inroad
OF them into the Yellowstone region, but
they are never seen upon these plains now.
You might fancy that the herds OF cattle
shared nowadays the fate OF bos Ameri-
canus, for the ground is dotted with skele-
tons and carcases in all stages OF disinte::
grafton. some lying beside the track and
exhaling a fgtid odor, though less
of it than you would suppose,
since on this ground animal
matter dries up and crumbles rather than
rots. They freeze and starve during the
winter. To our right for long distance
runs the old emigrant road, still in use, and
still traversed by caravans OF prairie
schooners" belonging TO emigrants who
have not money enough to pay freight and
passase on the railways. At night these
caravans halt, and the glimmer OF their
camp-fires and thin waits OF smoke that
drift over the tops of their ''corraled was'
ons are pleasant little evidences OF human
o.,,;o,;fv Vast and lonely are the pldins