The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-09-30

peaks of the Rabbit-ear hills, the dark red mas
ses OF the Roam mountains and the towering PIN
nacles oil the Cathedral bluffs 10 the blue dis
tance, all testified TO the careful passage through
these fastnesses long since of a man whose cor
RICHNESS and fidelity are, TO this day, more de-
pended on by the miners vi Colorado than those
OF any who have followed him. s..,t.
A ride OF twelve miles down the Greek brought
as 10 the cabins of the ranch which Ifouad sh-
uated at a point where west Douglas Greek came
into the main stream, presenting view Of q
valley OF similar features trending a6eto4.the
southwest - -
It was up this valley that we rode ON the next
day. All the original loveliness Of Naltfe lay
before US here, with scarcely . sign Of mans
presence. Beaver dams obstructed the stream
every few miles, aocks OF mountain grouse ran
through the grass Jus. ahead a our rhWsessapd as
we sat under the shadow Of a great rock at
noon, halt dozen deer walked down to the
stream u hundred yards away, and after doubt
ful inspection Of us drank tor q moment, and
then leaping lightly across proceeded toward
the hills. Although had my Winchester with
in reach could not abuse the confidence of the
pretty creatures by firing on them; besides
which 1 knew there was plenty OF venisOn st
the cabin. / ss
The summer grass, which it was Smiths OBJ
ject to examine, was in its perfection. Broad
fields OF wild oats and wheat were there In which
the heads of grain would brush our waists as we
rode through on horseback Into one beautiful
meadow VIC penetrated. lying aside from the val
ley and entered through narrow defile. where
there lay before us level stretch Of Ave hundred
acres or more, covered with heavy grow th of
gramma grass nearly three feet in height. Here
we found traces OF an old Indian race track. and
an ice-cold spring which had been carefully
walled in by the aborigines. We were probably
the first white men who ever drank from it.
A day or two after this we rode down the val
ley towards White river which runs westward
some twenty-five miles farther on. Grassy mead.
Ows lined the bank OF the Creek, as everywhere
else we had ridden, and could not but notice
how wonderfully adapted TO cattle the country
was. In the Box canon we had passed two
year old steers which would weigh over thous
and pounds each and on this side of the divide
grass and water were both better
AS we rode, my attention was called to the
seams of coal cropping on the hlsides to the
east and west. For six or seven miles these
could be traced, the veins being five to fifteen
feet thick and in places two or three lying one
above another. There lay the black diamond
waiting for some one to come and say "This is
mine" and take possession
Ten miles below the cabins the end of Smiths
range was marked by stone barrier which
in some prehistoric age had by some vast
upheaval of nature been thrown across the
valley. Through it, however, the tiny stream
had by persistent effort burst its way, and
a gap a hundred feet in width was now open
strewn with fallen masses OF rock. Here Smith,
in order to close the gateway against ,respassers
had claimed twenty acres ot the gravelly bed up
the elk rs placer and the tremendous pillars
on both sides bore his notice TO the world to
that effect. Here. with p,rdonabe pride, he in
viicd me to dismount, and dipping up handful
Of the gravel in the tin cup which he carried at
his belt, he showed me at the bottom, within a
RIENyI1JE