The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-02-02
RAILROAD TALK.
r,. cheyenne and Deadwood Kali
2 read.

In AnAhCI W $500
had appeared In that paper:
"In Thursdays Times the statemen
IA made that Cheyenne Is 800 mile
from Dead wood. You certainly die
not have a map Of your country befor'
YOU when that statement was written
Il Is not quite 200 miles distant. Thu
width of Wyoming Is 240 miles. Chey
snns is nine miles north Of the dividing
line between Colorado and Wyoming
The northwest corner Of Wyoming Il
about thirty, five miles north Of here,
which would make the distance les,
than 200 miles. See itr tA
But you will say this is on an air line.
Certainly On what kind OF a line dc
you imagine the railroad Of Enter
prisep would be built, except on an air
liner That is now the improved method,
am sure. It Is a great saving of ties
and rails In the construction and OF
expense in the operating. Hon. Fl. N.
Mcguire and associates have adopted
the air line system in their railroad
from Boxsman via Dead wood to Omaha,
and their splendid scheme Is now being
aired In the east by its air advocates
and promoters.
The distance from Cheyenne In TT
to Fort Laramie by the stage route was
called ninety-six miles-that WAS what
every one was charged for II they rode
over 1t In the stage. From Fort Lara
mic to Jenny's Stockade, ITO miles,
and from the stockade to Deadwood,
"a miles. The entire distance was
charged for as 280 miles. The route
which the stages passed over was not
exactly an air line route.
In 1878 q survey was made for a
road from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie,
by Col. Berthoud. under the Union
Pacific auspices, and a good practical
route was reported found In eighty
seven miles. 1t was subsequently ascer-
tanned that this line could, by a deep
cut and long all, be shortened about
three and a half miles. The distance
from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie Is
therefore "a miles.
Every one of the old residents Of the
Hills knows that Luke Voorhees, and
capt. Ward laid out a new road from
Fort Laramie to Hat Greek station
through the country drained by the
headwaters Of the Niobrara river that
shortened the route between those
points about a dozen miles, and which
country can be readily traversed by a
railroad.
No doubt should exist in any ones
mind who has travelled from Hat Creek
to the Stockade and observed the coun-
try between, that a line of railroad
from the latter to the former point
would also prove to be shorter than the
travelled stage road, and that a prac-
tical line of railroad from Cheyenne to
the Stockade need not be more than
1870 miles in length. From the Stock
ade Deadwood could be reached inside
Of so miles. So you see Enterprise"
has ten miles to spare
A word more After leaving the
Hills on what YOU term "a more feas-
ible route to the east" no such mag.
nifcent bonus is offered to aid the
building of a railroad as that made by
Laramie county, Wyoming, to wit:
$780, 900 in twenty year bonds; nor is
there such q desirable country to pass
through for stock raising and agricul
ture, coal and salt, petroleum and gyp-
sum, marble and timber. The copper
mines OF the Platte are not to be lost
sight of either. Neither Is the pro.
jected line of the Central Pacific down
the North Platte, where 1t DIVORCES to
the headwaters Of the Niobrara, and
thence eastwardly to the Missouri, tc
be forgotten. There will be no use
calling on John I. Blair. He won't
come.
Only q few weeks age the Converts
Cattle &C mpany bought and placed be
tween $4,000 and 0,U00 head Of cattle
and over AGO head of horses in thu
country southwest of Jenny's stockad,
on Old woman's Fork, at a cost o
$4,000. Perhaps as many more ar
In the Hat creek country, and a gentle
man who represents not less than 5,00t
head In that locality is nov in this cit,
-Chas. Hecht./
Messieur Editor, you are not &C
quainted fnlly with the country be
tween the Union Pacific railroad II
Wyoming and the country northward
towards the Black Hills, Or you woul,
presently see its Importance and value
and advocate with might and main tn
building Of a railroad In that as we'll a
In an eastern direction, so that whe
we may desire to visit the halls c
Montezuma we may do so without zig
rigging eastwardly out Of ones wa
into dominions dangerous alike I
health and pocket, and at great loss
time and possibly greater loss of rep
tation. Only disinterested politician
with half-fare tickets and a well pr,
Visioned commissary, and plenty
leisure on hand, can afford to visit Il
iand Of the Aztecs, or the once golds
shores Of the Pacific by the eastel
route. Let the Black Hills join han
with Laramie county and get a sout
ern railroad outlet-if it will not be
air line let 1t be as airy as you can.
R n.