Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-09-19
On the Way to California.
THROUGH COLORADO AND TO SALT LAKE
CIrY-FEATUREs OF THE COUNTRY PEssED
Observation-Disclosures DESCRIPTIONS.

the extraordinary ralroading to which we
were obliged to get accustomed. After lit
tie of this kind of travelling. entered the
grand canon of the Arkansas, and it well
justified its name. On both sides, walls of
rock rose hundreds CT feet into the air, al
most perpendcularly, with their faces scanned
and SCARED in every direction. The rocks
were of a reddish hue and in some places
looked almost like iron. On one side and
sometimes directly beneath us flowed brawl-
ing stream which took its rise high in the
mountains. In one or two places the canon
was so narrow that there was no room for the
track between the stream and the wall and in
these places arches had been thrown across
| from wall to wall and from them the track
was suspended. We rose steadily by quite
heavy grade, and the walls became lower.
finally spreading out into rounded hills, still
high above US however. We now entered a
quite broad, level valley in which lay the pic
turesque town of Salida. After short stop
here we started again with two engines for
our climb in the mountains, and climb it was.
The head engine was four or five feet higher
than the rear car and there were only five
cars in all. The first part of our way lay
hour we could look back down the gorge
upon the town below which, at best seemed
but mere speck. The track then began to
make most wonderful twists ndlturns until it
seemed as if the last car must be snapped
| off All this time the view was becoming
wilder and grander, the peaks which were all
about us were higher and sleeper. The higher
we climbed the more wonderful was the pro-
fusion of flowers. Up to this time we had
seen few but now the slopes were covered with
carpet of the most brilliant hues, patches
of yellow, red. pink, blue. and intermediate
shades. The eschscholtzia was very abundant,
rich, deep purple flower, with gaping, bell
shaped corolla growing in close racemes.
Then there were various flowers of the pea
tribe, blue and yellow predominatng. some
times growing 50 thickly as to cover the
ground from sight, several kinds of golden
rod, one with leaves resembling MULLEN
leaves.
About five o'clock in the afternoon, after
running through long lines of snow sheds we
| reached the highest point of our journey.
Marshall Pass, 10, 500 feet above the level of
the sea Here we found boys and girls selling
mountain flowers. We found among them
the great blue honeysuckle or columbine,
which II. H. declares to be the finest flower in
Colorado 1t certainly merits its high praise
both for its beauty and the sweetness of its
odor. Going down the mountain was just
the reverse of going up. but we went no
faster than in the ascent. in fact rather slow
er. Do not think we went at snail's pace,
however, for our rate through the mountains
was about "a miles an hour. In the morning
we found ourselves in a wholly different
kind of country, level, or slightly rolling,
and desert parched and cracked by the hot
sun. On our right the Roam or Book Mts.
soon appeared, and we entered the region of
buttes or mesas, where the country had been
cut into the most fantastic shapes by the
action of water in geologic times. One
distant mass was perfect imitation of the
capitol at Washington, another, the exact
counterpart of our State House. with dome
of dark color and the sides of white masonry
others initiated factories, dwelling houses
and public buildings, On one distant hill
lay whole city, with tall blocks of buildings
churches and streets complete, but when we
came near, all resemblance vanished, and we
saw only hill with patches and streaks of
white on its sides. For miles we rode BY
the side Of a ruined city wall, which rose
sixty to seventy feet in the air. In another
> place was fort with battlemented
walls perfect in every particular; in places
the imitation of masonry was complete,
! owing to the qualification of the rock About
noon we crossed Green river where the
largest washout had occurred, and could
still see pools of water far from the stream,
: where the torrent had taken its course. Then
: we followed the valley of the Price
$ river until we entered castle Canon" which
e differed wholly from the one we passed
e through the day before. We had, as then,
high walls on both sides of us, but instead
of being one grand mass carved and CHS
e elled, as in the Arkansas canon, they were
more like masonry, overhanging us part of
z the time. and crumblng as we passed under,
a showering down fine bits of lime upon
US. The qualification was as distinctly
marked as any we have yet seen. One mass
which gives the canon its name, was wholly
detached from the WALL and stood by itself,
bearing remarkable resemblance to the
tower of castle. At this time we had two
engines again and were climbing into the
: Wahsatch mountains. Again the slopes on
both sides of us were clothed with the most
lovely flowers. We did not ascend nearly
6 so high as before, but soon descended into
another barren plain on which we held our
course until we entered the Great Salt Lake
4 valley, where the country presented a re-
I markable contrast to the barren plains we
had just crossed. There were pleasant
green fields, and yellow fields of grain, and
water running in the streets of the village
through WHICH we Hau just passed Apples
and peach trees too, loaded with fruit were
plenty in these villages, and at the stations
we were beset by troops of girls wishing to
sell US cherries, apples, pears, raspberrips.
! etc. The air was delightful during this part
of our journey. and on our right were the
) snow capped peaks of the Wahsatch range,
which cooled the dry breeze that blew throu Oh
: the open windows of the car. On both sides
of us were green fields of the alfalfah,
! which serves out here for hay. Ii
= is q plant much like clover. but
: larger and more hardy and has long spikes OF
beautiful blue flowers (something like our
: sweet pea) which impart a most delightful
fragrance to the air.
! We passed Utah Lake, 8 beautiful clear
sheet of water. during the afternoon, and were
delighted with the beautiful villages on its
r shores as well as with the thrifty looking
crops. About four in the afternoon we drew
near to Salt Lake City, and a gentleman sit
ting beside me pointed out all the points of
! interest the principal buildings, including the
new tabernacle, not vet completed, the Nor
8 mon council buildings, the church buildings.
the U. 5. Fort Camp Douglass, away on the
mountain side. and told me that on a certain
street, which he pointed out, one could have
view in a straight line seventeen miles in
J length We would have liked to stop over a
| day as the morrow was the great Mormon