The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-08-18
SOME THOUGHTS.
lLaran,le Roen,eranc. ]

Some writer has said that no portion of the globe is at this time so full of mighty possibilities, or SO rich in prom lses for ihe future as the broad stretch of rich territory lying west of the MssisSippi, and this assertion comes as near the ruth as newspaper man dare get. Bu,a few years ago this portion of the union was. very appropriately, termed wilderness. The coyote squat,!ng in the shelter of the umbrageous sage tree, sang his tuneful lay, and the cactus stood sadly in the midst of the wide expanse of country known as the Laramie plains, with no human being 10 love 1t, and cherish it. and sit down on Il. The very thought of an orphan cactus being doomed to si, in eternal silence, with no kind word or look for centuries, and with no picnic party and no sof-eyed young man with ice cream pants on 10 come and nestle low ingly down upon is fuzzy bosom, is sad enough to draw tears from the eyes of Bob Ingersoll himself-a, the usual star route price. Un,illateiy, too. the wes,erner who ventured across the Missouri river was looked upon as curiosity, and the people watched him with apprehension for fear he might be loaded. Within the last hali score of years, however, the west particularly this portion of II, has waltzcd 10 the front and demanded recognition among the countries of the world. and 50, Il, too. The changes ,ha, have taken place during that tune have been rapid and marvellous. Agriculture is sprinsins up on the bare sides of the Rocky noun talns and the countless streams that flow down their gulohes and eanons are made to lrrigaie the lands once supposed ,o be barren and worthless. Capitalists are now running canals which will irrisa,e over 5000 acres of the finest land he sun ever shown on. within forty miles oi Lar annie, and another scheme for linn. the Laramie river with farm Is on the string. Rich mines, also, have been found on the very trail where, thirty years ago and more. the adventurers of l9 passed on their way 10 California. Millions of dollars are made every year by the men of Mon- tana, Wyoming and Colorado. who raise cattle for the Chicago market. Farming IS yet Tn i,s infancy. however. but we are offering odds that within hve years we will stand beside Colorado in ;he proGge- ton oi certain kinds ef ,rain and vese;a- bies. The granger 9l.i i3oufsh on he Laramie plains as wei Is dow. e.s:, and the wal oi ihe coyote V Ab.era with the hum of inc reaper. The an.y objection ;o farming on these u.aius .s hat ihe land comes pretty nigh =abog. o,oco feet. The assertion. hea ever, .ha. there Is always sea breeze blowing ai that elevation. }ast moving the leaves or the trees and blowing the cellars ou: from under the houses occasionally, Is ftise
 True. sometimes whisper ofWna springs up on the starboard ib and blows aboa; due west by galleywest for m hour or with big mortgages on them have been blown away that we ever heard of.
 Raising cattle Is Wyomins's chief ln- dus,ry al this writing. With a good branding iron the humble ranchman can get up pretty nice little herd in a few years. One man who went into the ca:- tie business up in the Sweetwaier four or five years ago with an l. (. mule and | healthy branding iron is now worth I mil lion. He carried a charcoal furnace with him, and had the brand tied to rope. He kept the iron hot. and could throw !: SO as to leave his brand on every mayer.ck he saw. If he could se, within twenty yards oft. He us, branded all the cattle he could md every spring and le, nature take her course.
 T tell you. pard. said old Jimmy Cannon, the guide, to the writer recently. the west has lost is romance. only I little while ago. |, seems to me, where once there was nothing bu, the whoop of the Indian and the song oi the siN.shoo,er. now there are railroads and churches. and commercial men. and high schools, and thtee-card monte men. and lecturers. and daily newspapers, and every little while. Il natural death. Why. within ,he pas, two months. if the blasted papers tell the truth. several men have died in Wyoming of disease. l tell you. il looks IS though us old-,imers would have to move away. When we have to wait for lingering disease 10 snuff us out. it's time to light ou, for the frontier