The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-06-01
MANKATo FREE PRESS,
FRIDAY, JUNE I. 1888.
Notes by the Way.
PENpLKrON. OREGON, May 1st, 1888.

Notes by the Way.
PENpLKTON. OREGON, May 1st, 1888.
Editor Free Press
This morning copy of The FREE
PRKss dated April Goth arrived at this
place, and was welcome visitor Mt my
office. | have just opened up and got
out my single and am ready for bust
ness when it comes. AS l told You in
my last would go back to Council
Bluffs to commence this time | will do
so. BY the time we were Ia start from
Council Bluffs the number of cmigrants
had swelled to nearly eight hundred,
and with the exception of about one
carload that were going to Montana
and Idaho, they were all going to Ore
gon and Washington Territory. At
precisely SEQ p. NJ. the train backed
in on the side track for its burden Of
human flesh and the necessary accom-
paniments for the journey which was
about TO be undertaken consisting, Of
lunch. baskets and bedding, for each
passenger upon the emigrant tram has
to furnish his own bed and cushion to
his car seat and if he does not want to
have his board bill run up he had bet.
ter lay in good supply Of eatables for
he is soon going to enter community
in which money is reckoned 10y bits and
dollars, and the purchaser feels every
time as ii the more bits an article is the
oitencr he has been bit. A Lit is I2k
cents, but if any thing is three bits it is
nearly forty cents, there being no
smaller change used than dimes.
Omaha is beautiful place, and has
many fine buildings. was not able
to find the Rev. &. w. Savidgc during
my short stay in that place. A few
minutes before seven Z. NJ. our train
was provided with two locomotives
with which To climb the Missouri River
bluffs, and by the time We had reached
Summit. Siding the shades Of night had
become 80 dense that ii was impossible
to discern objects any longer and we
only knew that We were rapidly de-
scending to the Platte River Valley,
and in the morning We were ascending
the great valley of the Platte River.
We were still In we'll settled district,
and the comfortable farm houses gave
evidence Of the fertility OF the soil in
the valley and the general prosperity
of its inhabitants. The valley is gener-
ally fifteen to twenty miles in width on
either side OF the river, and very level.
Most of the stations seem to have quite
business appearance. The first one
that we came to in the morning Of any
importance was Grand Island. There
is nothing in the appearance OF the
country here that would suggest itself
any more than any other spot upou this
vast prairie or city, and after Yam
kee has exhorted his guessing powers,
he makes up his mind that the locomo-
tive has tired out and they have stop
ped to change the old one for the new,
and while he is thus bordering the
brakeman comes to the car door and
sings out twenty minutes for break
fast; breakfast only six bits" Grand
Island is named from All island in the
Platte River by the same name being
over twenty miles in length and vary
ing from one to four in width, and COW
cred with cottonwood which is really
grand in this prairie country.
After leaving TINS place the villages
began to grow smaller, many of the
stoppages being at merely widIng. The
engineer being able to see tibet rain com
ing towards us for miles ahead would
stop occasionally, and soon another
train would pass. do not suppose this
is the exact way they manage, but
sometimes We would stop even If it had
been full hour since we had passed a
telegraph office. The farms had nearly
all disappeared and the only signs of
civilization was now and then carvel
and low hut that marked the existance
of some stock rancho. From all ap-
pearances but little feeding is done
here, and not being far enough west
for bunch-grass, it generally takes two
cows for one shadow, and then it is not
trst.class Sheep however seem to do
better. We reached North Platte lit.
tie before sunset and in time for supper. :,
This is lively little place and another
end. At this point we crossed
the Platte at place where it is nearly
a half mile in width and from six
inches to foot in depth with rolling
quick sand bottom in many places. This
stream nearly loses itself in the sands
that form its bottom. After leaving
North Platte City, all eyes were turned
to the left side of the railroad track to
see the residence and herd of buffalo
owned by the famous scout, Buffalo Bill
which is about mile from the city.
lie has fine large frame house, and
hisherd of buffalo consisting of about fit.
teen in number are pastured in large
Enclosure. These were the only bufia.
10 we saw during the whole journey.
The next morning found us in a higher,
so much so, that the ground
was covered with snow and the air was
quite sharp, but we were In the midst
of dog towns, and by the time the sun
was up nearly everybody had his car
p,n,lnku roieo2 and ravnlvar in hand