The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-05-23
"REMINISCENCES OF COLORADO.

hEMINlSCENCES OF CULORADO,
One day while in North Park Mr..
Fred. Mathyas, Eug'r in Charge, came
to visit us and see how we were Citing
along. and see, also, what was needed
for our comfort. Expressing himself
well satisfied with what We had done,
be said to me: LET the boys go on
with the work for week and you and
| will take ride over the Medicine
Bow Mountains, and also over the
Great American Flats; there are some
things | want to show you, and a
couple of Passes want you to exam.
ine." had been at work very hard
for ten weeks and was glad to get
chance for little recreation and lay.
off from work, for it must be remem.
be-ed that l had all the calculating,
and in reality all the hard things and
knotty problems to solve, and in a
rough country like that every curve
we run in was a different problem;
had enough to do to wear me down.
In half an hour after Mr.. Mathyas
spoke, the teamster had my pony all
saddled and ready; the cook had put
US up lots of provisions, and the boys
packed my blankets, and Mr.. Ma.
thyas' with them. 1t was about eight
o'clock when we started and ride of
an hour and half brought us to the
foot of Pinkham Pass, from where I
subsequently wrote the REPUBLICAN,.
At the foot of the Pass is Pinkham's
Ranch, mile further up is Berry's
Ranch. We were now out of North
Park, and were rapidly ascending to
the top of the Pass, in the heart of
the Medicine Bow Ranges. At the
extreme TOP of the Pass Samuel
Haynes had cabin and relay stage
stable; here we got dinner. This was
the first meal we had eaten under a
roof for eleven weeks. After dinner
we rode over the crest of the range in
search of low pass whereby to get
line through to the Laramie Plains, on
the other side of the Range. We rode
down Douglass Creek several miles
until we approached very close to the
Long Canon of the Platte. Along
this stream is some of the finest spruce
timber that l saw while in the west.
We saw evidences of game-bear,
dear, elk, antelope, beaver, mink and
martin in abundance. We retraced
our steps to Haynes and remained
over night. The next day we went
down the other side of the range, ex-
amining the steep hillsdes for several
miles, and at noon reached Cummins.
Cummins is mining town in Wyo-
ming Territory, and some good leads
exist here. We got several specimens
of quartz and other mineral bearing
rocks, and huge piece of pyrites of
iron which looked like free gold. That
afternoon we examined the Canon of
Big Laramie River, but as l afterward
run line through it will speak of
that again. The next day we rode
across the Laramie Plains, thirty.two
miles, to Laramie City, where we ar
rived at noon.
The plains are dry and sandy, and
but little grass grows on them. They
are nearly level and the Big Laramie
River runs through them something
similar to that presented by a big
crooked ditch running through bare
field. That afternoon l spent 10 look
ing through the town. Laramie has
about 5000 inhabitants. Some large
manufacturing establishments are To-
Gated here, and it is one of the princi-
pal stations on the u. p. Road.
visited the schools for an hour and a
half or so, but cannot speak very high.
ly of their system. The teachers
seemed to be well educated but there