The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-05-16

hVe WVtth Cout5 tueIe - 10 LlmDel
to speak of, and caunot see what
there is in It to 50 highly recommend
it. consider it practically worthless.
From the Grand River gradually as.
cended the Continental Divide and at
noon of the eighth day out from Ko-
komo we reached the top of Muddy
Pass We we're now two hundred
miles from Kokomo and fifty miles
from habitation, All around US
we're the remains of deserted Indian
villages, and before us was piece of
country rough and broken and seemed
almost impossible to locate a railroad
over. Taking it all in all the pros
pect was anything but encouraging.
Muddy Pass is about II 900 feet above
ocean level, and at the source of mud
dy creek and the North Platte River.
Our course lay down the Platte Piver
through North Park. At the heads of
the creeks that flow down from Cont.
mental Divide the country descends
very rapidly, and it was with much
difficulty that we succeeded in getting
line run along the steep hillside but,
after three weeks of hard work we got
down, and before US was the open val.
ley of the Platte. We now had it
comparatively easy, and l had time to
60 hunting some. The first day or
two, as l did not understand the ma.
ture of the game | was hunting, 1 had
very poor luck and aside from some
sage hens, OF. which there were thous.
ands, l did not get any thing. Ante.
lope and elk we're plenty, and a good
hunter would have killed more than
a two-mule team conld have hauled
After we had been out there about
four or FIVE weeks l Caught on"
and the noble game "came down" to
the tune which my Winchester
whistlsd. The novelty soon wore off
and it did not seem to be sport to 90
hunting any more. We used to work
throughout the week and have "round.
up.hunt" on Sundays and rainy or
snowy days, l helped to kill several
bears, but noHe ever happened to be
the old grizzly" whom l always
by the advice OF our old timers, gave
the right of-way.
North Park is wide valley about
thirty miles wide, filled, however, with
sand hills and low ranges of mountains
On the west is the great Continental
Divide, and on the east is the Medi.
cine Bow Ranges, which meet and
leave the valley or basin about forty
five miles long. The Park is filled
up with drift and float" Float is
loose disintegrated rock, which has
broken loose and rolled down the
steep hillside. There is very little
soil except alung the beds of the creeks
and river; the rest is a gravely stoney
ground upon which grows the noun.
tain sage bush and but very little grass.
AT the time We were there, there were
only three ranches in the Park-Jas
P. Pinkham, F. H. Berry and, Jas d.
Hunter. Plnkhamton's ranch was a
stage station and U. S. Post office.
Hunters ranch was at the head of the
Long Canon Of the Platte. Here we
bought the first milk We had since we
left Leadville, we had now been out
nine weeks, and with the exception of
the mail carrier and an occasional
ow'boy we had not seen human face
aside from our own party. There is
very little timber in North Park, and
we hauled our stake timber about
thirty miles. There is an abundance
of good semi.bituminous coal in the
North Park which will some day come
into market. The Union Pacific has
large claims here; also the Greeley,
Salt Lake and Pacific r. r. company.
North Park will some day be of some
note.
Indian villages were scattered all
over the Park, the ruins of which are
still visible. The Government had
removed poor "Lo" the year before,
and hence he did not trouble us any,
| will again speak of North Park, the
Laramie plains, the Long Canon of
the Platte,and the Big Laramie Canon,
etc, etc.
F. F. WHITTEKIN.
LTO BE CoNTINuEnl