, 1883-11-01
Weekly Argus.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER !. 1>~a.
From Puget Sound 10 Indiana

''-'- 4i'f.a' al L ~ t.- l-..Hd..Es,
TINS writes to the .Sr.f,p,L # that
place:
We left Port Townsend September
2"th. and reached Portland. Oregon.
Il distance of two hundred and nifty
Iuilc-, via kalaUa and Columbia
river, on the 21-t. We then took the
Northern Express Tor ST Paul. dis
tancc nineteen hundred and sixteen
miles. The railroad ran along the
Columbia river for two hundred and
fourteen miles TO WalIula junction,
where the railroad branches, and runs
down fort. miles TO Walla Walla,
whcr" Moses Killing now resides.
The scenery along the Columbia is
L. 1iur a. can bc seen on the Cont
ueLt. The mountains near two thou
sand feet high towering abruptly
over your heads while on the train.
lIk" an ayenging Nemesis. Project
ing and ovcrhanging rocks. that ap-
pear as though they are going to
leap forth and crush everything be
meath them. while here and there
most beautiful. deep chasms break
through, leading up between the
mountains where, like some fairy
scene, can be seen the dense foliage
OF the dark green cedar and pine,
preventing the sun from penetrating,
and forming beautiful and delight
ful retreat for the weary, dust-cover-
ed traveller, while the cheering sound
Of the mountain brooks as they dance
down the ragged sleeps, greet you
and make merry music to the ear,
and then rush into the mighty Column
bia where it dashes on over the grand
Cascades. like some pent up torrent,
and winds its way down through the
mountains, with its still grander
scenery, until it reaches the Pacific,
where it commingles with the salt
water and forever loses itself in that
mighty ocean.
Next comes Idaho with its rugged
mountains and wild scenery, and
then Montana with its towering
mountains and beautiful pines, and
half dressed and half civilized In
dams, ON foot and ON horseback.
wandering listlessly around; and then
the plains, where can be seen thou
sands of cattle grazing on the bunch
grass land, where they 'hustle" for
themselves through the winter. com
ing out as sleek and fat as when they
weHt in, and the merry, rollicking
COW boy" as he cracks his whip or
throws his lasso around the stubborn
steer, with his disdainful, scornful
look he gives you as the cars whirl
past him, which are encroaching upon
his prerogatives, while he has small
arsenal strapped around him. with
which he amuses himself by shooting
the switch targets full of holes, and
anything else that may suit his
fancy.
Before reaching Helena we crossed
the Rocky Mountains, 5000 feet high,
and pass down a grade of 252 feet to
the mile, where we strike the waters
running east instead of west. and
thence along the beautiful Missouri
near its source, which is as clear and
cool as the mountain streams from
whence it comes, Understanding the
dark, muddy stream we saw at Omaha
on going out, and from this point to
st. Paul, towns have sprung up from
six to ten miles apart, where passen
gers get on and off just about like
they would going from here to La
porte, towns of 200 to 1,500 inhabit-
ants having sprnng up within five or
six months, and everything indicates
an early settlement of the country
along the railroad. We followed the
Yellowstone river 800 miles and pass
ed over one of the battle fields of
General Custer. The valley is most
ly very gravelly, and unfit for any
thing but grazing.
Montana is Il cattle or grazing, but
not an agricultural country.
We passed across the Territory of
Dakota, 800 miles wide, which is a
beautiful farming country, with rich
alluvial soil, adapted to wheat, oats
and the grasses. The towns through
Dakota are being built up with sub
stantial brick buildings of the most
modern styles of architecture, and
present very citified appearance
indeed. Thence across Minnesota to
st. Paul, five days from Portland,
getting meals part of the time at the
stations and the balance in the DIN
ing cars, the uniform price being IS
cents per meal
The track of the Northern Pacific
Is as well ballasted and as smooth as
the best roads in the country, and
they have all the convenierces of
travel of the best-equipped roads in
the United States, with palace sleep
ing cars and alatial dining cars at
tached, and persons desiring to visit
the Pacific Slope will find this a
delightful route, with ever-varying
changes of scenery, and no alkali
deserts to fill your eyes with its
smating dust, but the most beautiful
plains, and aboundins with the grand
stand widest scenery in the world.
To sum it up, Dakota for agricul-
lure, Montana for grazing lands and