The Osceola times., 1884-09-06

| "iy 'ohuuC', anu discovered tnat M
had run against the perpendicular bluf
Of a crystal mountain. Itwas as trans
parent as the surrounding atmosphere
The mule had not seen il until his head
came in contact with It. So perfectly
transparent was the mountain that deer
and elk grazing on the opposite side, a
mile or two distant, could be seen as
distinctly as though the atmosphere
alone intervened. Bridger explained
why others had not seen it by saying
that it was ten days travel from wood,
water, and grass
Referring to the wonderful changes in
the topography of the country within
the last fifty years, he said that there
was hole in the ground were the
large flat butte stands short distance
west of Fort Bridger, when he first
came to the country.
Bridger told wonderful tales of his
prewess as an Indian fighter. On one
occasion he was attacked by an incred-
ible number Of Sioux, and had only a
dog as a companion. The two fought
their dusky enemies for long time. At
the end of the conflict several dead
braves lay around. One Of them had
been killed by the dog, which ran about
so full of Indian arrows as TO look like
a fretful porcupine. Although Jim
would slightly prevaricate and exagger-
ate for the amusement and astonish-
ment of the curious, he was careful nev-
er to misre present anything to his COM
manding officer when giving information
officially as guide.
Two amusing anecdotes used to be
told OF Bridger by Uncle Jack Robinson.
MountaineeS in that section OF country
wore huckskin clothes, not because OF
their durability and warmth, but fifty
yearsRgo 1t was difficult to obtain Others
even il desired. Bridger wore buck.
skin clothes and moccasins Of the same
material. The prickly pear easily pen.
etrated the soles of his mocsssins, and
many time his feet had been badly
pricked and inflamed by a careless step.
When he had spent twenty-five years in
the mountains, somebody gave him a
pair OF shoes. 1t was the first pair that
he had worn snce he left the State.
Putting them on, he went some distance
from the road, and, seeing a growth Of
cactus, he began to jump and STAMP on
it as though he had encountered dead
ly enemy. Uncle Jack and others went
to the spot, thinking that he was either
killing a rattlesnake or that he had
gone crazy. They were not q little
amused to hear him cursing the blasted
prickly pears, and saying that he was
having his revenge at last.
When Bridger went East In 1858 he
visited st. Louis. After his return he
was narrating his adventures in civili-
zation TO Uncle Jack. st Louis he pro-
nounced, with sundry oaths, to be the
meanest place he ever saw. Uncle Jack
wished to know why he thought 80.
why, stayed there two days and
nearly starved to DEATH" he replied.
How was that? Didn't you have
money!"
Money what had that TO do with it.
And had money, too-$500 in my pock-
ct. Crowds of people were passing me
all the time, going up one canon and
down another and not a man asked me
to eat mouthful. If / hadn't met one
might have starved TO death Don't
talk to me any more about st. Louis
being a great city. It's the mean
est place i ever saw"
As much as Bridger had travelled and
as familiar as he was with the great
West from the Mississippi to the Pacific,
and from Mexico to the British possess
sions, he had little idea of distances as
We measure them. II asked how far it
was to certain locality, he would tell
you it was so many camps" but he had
no idea of the number of miles. When
guiding Col. Carrington's command into
the Powder River country in 1855, the
Colonel asked him the distance from
Fort Laramie to Fort Reno. "Six
camps" he promptly replied but could
give no idea of the distance from camp
to camp.
The first days march was, say, ten
miles, but he made no distinction of the
distances-ten miles was to a camp, AMI
so was twenty and thirty miles. When
they were to march in day, he said
about tn .rty, and he was perfectly a.
miliar With the country. The march
proved to be about twelve.
Bridger and Uncle Jack Robinson
were born in the same year. Once they
quarreled. Brdger struck Uncle Jack
with stick. The latter, being better
man ply sically caught his adversary
by the throat and choked him gently
by way of admonition. Upon being re-
leased Jim upbraidcd Uncle Jack by
saying: you ought to be ashamed of
yourself to treat a man old enough to be
your father in that way"
He must have regarded himself as a
rather prccocious infant, az the two were
said to have seen the light within six
weeks of each other.
Bridger has become a historical char
acter. His name is sinseparably connec-
ted with the early history OF the far
West, and will live to remote ages At
sociated with mary of its prominent
features "Brideer's Pass" in the Rocky
Mountains will be known as long as the
mountains stand. "Bridger's Butte"
will also defy the winds and rains of
many centuries. The name Fort Bridg
er" will bring pleasant memories to