Omaha daily bee., 1885-08-01

hang around the old town. The picture
Of the FIRST settlement with the little
shanty Of Mrs. OHM In one corner,
Brother Egsn and his newspaper q mile
down the creek, and Judge Skeletons
general supply store forming the triangle,
with q blacksmith shop a halt a mile dis.
tant under the bluff and q few scattered
dug outs In the dim horizon Is one that
ought to be preserved in the county
records. DR.. Davidson was the first
physician, Waller & Lyman the first
druggists and @. r. Mccoy the frat hotel
keeper. 1t took q sustaining faith In the
future to locate on that little t~reeless
plain In those days with the railroad line
still undetermined and the nearest town
1877 miles distant at Valentine. But In
the light OF subsequent events probably
none of the parties interested are at all
regretful Of their move.
TO THE HILLS.
By August Oh through freight and
passengers for the Black Hills will be re-
ceived at all points on the Fremont, E k
hsrn and Missouri Valley railroad. So
reads q circular just issued which gives
the following distances In miles from
Valentine on the new line. Crookston,
IL; George, %; Cody, SO; Ell, 52; Merrl-
am, 60; Irwin, n; Gordon, 81; Rush'
Vile, 105; Hot Springs, III; Bordeax,
131; Chsdron, 1877. The portoffics de-
par,ment has already Issued orders that
all mail for the Hills shall 90 by way of
| Valentine and on August 1st the Wyom-
ing atage company will switch the Sidney
line OF daily coaches via Chadron to Buf.
falo Gap, Rapid City, Fort Meade and
Deadwood. To the traveller
from the east this means a saving
of t~wenty-four hours In stogipg
and ITO the people of the section
a saving of more than than that time on
the receipt of mail. But to tho great
Joy of the inhabitants Of the Hills,
Chadron will not long remain the point
of nearett railroad supply. Standing on
the banks of the White river and looking
to tho north the grade of the new branch
line towards Deadwood Is seen stretching
away into the distance. The contract
calls for the grading and Ironing of the
line to Cheyenne river, sixty miles
distant, by the END of September, aud
b. fore enow falls the people of the
Hills will reach railroad civilization
in a few hours of coaching. This
Is q contamination for which they have
been devoutly longing for years end the
change from 900 mileJ of teamlng and
coaching to less than a third of that dis
lance will at once be felt In a boom for
which that section has long been pre-
pared. The extension of the railroad to
the Cheyenne river will place the bsst
farming s%sctlon.. Of the Hills, land there
Is no batter in the entire wes,) within
easy distance of a market and the best
oat and wheat growing lands Of western
Dakota now largely handed over to the
cattle kings will give of their increase.
Six hundred men and teams are now
working on the railroad grade In mile
contracts and immigration is overlooking
from the White river valley along the
line of the grade towards the Cheyenne
river. 1t Is
A PRETTY VIEW,
which one secures from the old town of
Chardon. The most characteristic of
all the landmarks of the White river val
ley are In sight. To the south stretches
the pine clad bluffs of the Fine ridge,
which extend from the head of the White
river far over the Dakotaline. West ward,
distant twenty-three miles, Is old Crow
Buttes, a massive column of sand atone
Of clay, which towers above the neigh
boring foothills. Buttes and cliffa on
either aide, some barren of verdure, 9th
ers covered with evergreen pines and
rank vegetation, mark the course of the
White river toward Its source and n
close the fertile valley and Its little set
Elements. To the north, far In the dis
tahoe, the Black Hills peep from the
clouds, across bad land and gumbo and
stretches of fertile land. The beautiful
valley of the Chardon lies Immediately
before us, while behind the table lands
to the east lie the Bordeaux creeks and
the moss thickly settled section of the
country. Chadron isnow engaged In the
ususl county seat fight, her rival and
contestant belag the little settle
ment of Dawes City, ten miles to
the east. The facs Of the returns at the
last election gave Chsdron a heavy ma
jority but the western portion Of the
county propose q contest and the end has
not yet put In an appearance.
A LIVELY TOWN.
just at present the to wn is more than
usually lively owing to the Ground up"
season being In progress. Last Friday,
after midnight, the streets locked like
the advance skirmish line Of an army. |
counted aixty-four pistol shots within
two hours time. and several nervous ten.
derfeet doubled that number 10
their Imagination. To stand quietly
inside a tent while a couple of
frolicksoms cowboys are shooting off
their Colt's 40 cslibre at @ spot not two
feet where you stand, and while three
others are venting their feelings In q
qusrrel with demoniac yells and ak
shooters In the rear of the next bulldog
is not soothing to ones feelings. As we
ait In front of the Ctadron house, a
regular fusilsde is progressing in q burdy
gardy house down the street, and three
knights Of the trail come tearing down
the street on horseback waving their re.
volvers over their head and letting them
off promlscuou,ly. The click of the faro
chips sounds dreamily In the night
air from next door and there Ia evidently
a harmless quarrel of some kind between
two freighters In the back yard judging
from the racket and profanity. We climb
the stairs and retire while a cracked
fiddle In the next block walls out its