, 1886-06-25
THE WYOMING MOUNTAINS.
The story OF Their Name ana the Lee
gend of the ..Boiling Pot"

anu hoot picturesque vi tuiec Riahu
mountain chains looking down upon the
lovely valleys and gem like basins of the
Horse creek section, the location OF the
new Norman settlement near the head of
Green river, received their name long be-
fore the same appellation was thought OF
for the territory in which they stand, and
indeed before the present boundaries were
formulated. With their christening is
connected a pathetic incident of the days
of overland travel, when the white can
vass of the cmigrant wagon dotted the
width of the continent, and led the way
to Pacific's golden shore.
In the spring Of 1851 a dozen wagons,
equipped for the long overland Journey
left the banks of the Missouri. Five
families were in the party and they were
bound for the California lands. They
we're from Pennsylvania fair Wyoming
valley, and hoped to find where the west
ern sun lent his golden hue to the Pacific
waters, a even lovlier home than the one
they left behind them. All summer the
wagons creabed and rolled over the vast
plains, and with the las. days of summer
entered the Sweetwater valley. Rolling
on, the head of the valley was reached
and the South Pass of the Wind noun
tains entered and traversed. Here the party
struck the old Lander cutoff road. and
followed it to the banks of the Green river.
They found the river a wide and rushing
torrent, swollen by tho summer melting
Of the mountain SHOWS. Finding it i'm
possible to cross, the emigrants turned up
the stream in search of a wintering place.
This they found near the mouth of Horse
creek.
Passing the winter in the sheltered val
ley, in tie early spring, they succeeded in
crossing the river, and followed up the
Horse Creek valley in search of a pass
through the mountain range, which
loemed snow capped and grand in front
of them. Nearing the head ofthe stream
they were caught in a fearful snow storm,
which came sweeping down from the
mountain peaks. The storm was sudden.
and found the wagons strung along the
valley at considerable intervals. They all
succeeded in getting together but the two
lead wagons. In these were two families,
neighbors and life long friends in the
Pennsylvania valley. Drawing closer the
bonds of the old time friendship, the ED
est son of one house and the daughter of
the other, loved each other and they were
betrothed.
When the storm burst, the two wagons
drew together. While unhitching, one of
the horses, frightened by the fury of the
elements, broke away and DISAPPEARED
amid the whirling snow. The lover rashly
followed him. An hour passed without
his return, and his betrothed, unobserved,
went u to live or perish with him.
Neither ever came back. The snow
tempest endured for three days, and with
its first cessation the distracted relatives
began the search for the lost ones. Atthe
close Of a three days hunt the pair was
found locked in each others arms. The
instinct of love had drawn them to each
other through the whirling snow, and they
had died together.
They were buried on the slopes of the
lofty mountains in whose shadows they
had persisted. The grief stricken party
passed on, leaving as an epitaph eternally
written on the mighty mountains above
the lonely grave, the name of the lovely
eastern valley in which the ill-starred
lovers had played together in childhood
and plighted their youthful troth. =
At the mouth of Horse creek can still
be seen the remains ofold Fort Bonneville,
where Washington lrving's adventurous
hero and his party passed one of the win
tiers OF long ago. In the center of the
area occupied by the old fort there is a
deep circular hole in the ground. No
bottom to this hole has ever been found,
though it has been traced far down into
the bowels of the earth by means of lines
hundreds of feet in length. The sides of
this pit are smooth and wall like, and it
is known to tradition as the boiling
pot"
1t used to be filled with boiling water.
according to the mountain tale, and the
Indians of many tribes came during the
SHOWS to enjoy the warmth it gave forth,
and to cook their food in its boiling
waters. 1t was a veritable talisman of
peace among the savage red nomads, and
around it, the gift of the Great Spirit, there
gathered in amity and reverence, the wild
warriors of the Northwest. The deadly
flight OF the hostile arrow was unknown
here; the s~calping knife remained UNI
barred, and the warpath circled not around
the boiling pot.
Even as late as the days Of Bonneville,
the pit still threw up its useful waters and
diffused about its grateful warmth. But
it was only in lesser degree. The bub-
bling water had sunk far beneath the sur
face Of the ground and artificial means
were necessary to reach it. The red people
say that the boiling pot was one of the
many prophetic signs of the Great Spirit
relating to their race. Full and vigorous
with the fullness and vigor of Indian
power, it declined as the red men declined,
and now that the race is practically no
more, the Boiling Pot has passed from
existence.