Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-07-30

A Eurekan Trainps Through the
Outskirts Of M 0rm0ndOm.
PRESCOTT, A. T., July 20, 1884.

PRESCOTT, A. T., July 20, 1884.
II was during the latter part OF April
last, while on the way from Eureka to st.
George, that l had occasion TO put up at
the quiet little Mormon settlement Of
Hebron. l had devisted three or four
miles from the direct road in order TO
avoid q supperless night on the great
desert. After following for perhaps an
hour a trail which bore off to the right
among cedar hills 1 reached the above
named settlement, which consists Of per-
haps q dozen dwellings. costly constructed
brick houses, in a little valley by itself, at
the base Of lofty mountains, and just
within the rim OF the great Salt Lake
basin. The advent Of a stranger in this
retired little settlement is Of rare occur
renee. At the gate Of a residence, / was
accosted by a welI-dressed, well-mannered
man, who proved to be q Mormon, and
whom asked for supper and lodging for
the night. He babe me welcome to such
accommodations as he possessed. The
family consisted Of the man and his wife,
an intelligent, lady-like woman, and three
weli-behaved children. At the supper
table an air Of comfort and luxury. I was
not surprised when informed that the set
tlement possessed large herds of cattle,
which thrive in the Winter and Spring on
the various wild grasses that abound in
the broad desert extending from near
Hebron northward as far ~ the eye can
reach. During the Summer the herds
fatten on the slopes and mountain
meadows Of higher attitudes. The little
community th.iyes and seems to prosper,
Notwithstanding the annual tithing which
they contribute to the Mormon Church,
which, together with the regular taxes, ag-
gregates IL per cent Of their income.
There are no polygamists among them, as
each man seems perfectly contented with
one woman, and each oma happy in the
undivided affections Of one husband. They
are temperate and economical. though
often generous to g fault, and yet withal
shrewd enough in temporal affairs.
WILD CATTLE.
My host informed me that himself and
%neighbors were accustomed to make annual
hunting excursions over the rim Of
the mountains south and westerly, where
extends a scope OF several hundred
square miles Of uninhabited Territory,
mostly in Nevada, and noted for its rugged
and broken nature. Through this region
are dispersed hundreds of wild cattle
which have to be hunted like deer or any
other big game. They are the offspring Of
the domestic stock forming the Inflated
Montgomery train Of emigrants, which,
during the massacre escaped in the
mountains, and have since greatly in
creased, Notwithstanding the frequent
raids by the adjacent Mormon settlers to
supply their Winters beef, who sell for
cash to the GENTLE mining towns their
own fat beeyes.
H
In the morning my host hitched his
team to a wagon and ported me across a
swift flowing stream, which sweeps by the
little settlement around the hills in q
northeast direction and penetrates the
desert rs or 80 miles during the season Of
melting SHOWS. Pursuing my course in a
southeast direction for several miles, l
began the ascent Of q canyon that leads to
the meadows, the Mountain Meadows.
Through these meadows, as rapid as a
millrace, flows the swiftest stream in the
Territory, which, OF late years, has cut a
deep gorge through the green fields.
Near TO the crossing stands an artificial
monument, q stone wall, which Is said to
mark the spot where over a quarter of q
century & the Montgomery train OF i'm
migrants from the States we're massacred.
DROP OF SEVERAL THOUSAND Z Z
Pursuing my journey southwark. at
nightfall / encamped amid q cluster of pine
and cedar trees at the summit Of the di-
vide forming the rim of the Great Basin.
Acres OF snow yet lay drifted in great wind
rows by the beating storms Of Winter,
while in other places the snow had re-
Gently melted and the green grass began to
show itself. The air was quite frosty, yet,
by q comfortable fire, the night WAS passed.
In the morning l turned my face towards
the south, where early the next day /
reached the Mormon town OF st. George,
having made q descent of several thousand
feet, and was practically in an other eli
mate in the midst OF blooming orchards
encompsssed by rows Of stately cotton
woods pleasing spectacle to one like
myself, who was snow-housed in Eureka
for several weeks. Yours,