The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-10
THE CALIFORNIA TRIP.
(From my Diary.)
ny MRS. W. W. PHELPS.

at I'D y. m, July 10TH travelled all night and
next day passing through Iowa. II was very
dry and dusty, and II seemed as though the i'm
mense corn fields were dying for want Of rain
We saw corn cribs hundreds of feet long, NIL
ed with old corn, AMI thousands Of cattle feed
Ing On the Draires. AT Council Bluffs we
stopped twenty minutes and then went on our
way again. When We got la ST. Joseph we
were shown tho house where Jesse James was
sho. by the Ford brothers. II IL situated upon
hill, back from tho depot, and has an under
ground passage for some distance, which af-
f"riod concealment many times. rhis city
has hiiiy situation, the better part being II
considerable distance from the depot, back on
the hills. We reached Kansas City AZ O'Clock
p IN ; the aist, and in the latter part oi the
~ cning took the cable cars and went four
miles, the whole length of that limo. There
are beautiful residences, situated high ou the
bluffs, and some of the streets are very steep.
| Taking the city as whole Il Is very imposing.
Our train stopped In the city all night on nc
| count of the report of u washout I'm Kansas.
The next morning, July ~, we took cable
| street car to broadway and visited several
stores. There are many Wholesale establish
ments here which supply many of the cities OF
| Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico.
Al 1910 n. m. We started On our way, reaching
| Topeka at l p. m. Hero the band Of Topeka
| furnished some very nice music AMI led the
way To II large pavilion, where banquet, Civ
en- 10y the q. A. x. and citizens of Topeka was
| awaiting us.
| The scenery, after leaving Kansas City, WAS
beautiful. The country looks prosperous;
| large orchards AMI immense corn fields greet
us ON either side. We passed over twenty
miles al the coal region, where We could see
many places where coal has been taken from
quite near the surface, ana also many places
where shafts have been sunk. Again MI along
| the way herds of cattle are grazing. On the
morning of the sird, when we awoke ut Kings
ley, we learned that we had stopped there ut =
o'clock ana that there had been washout on
our road ahead Of u.s. where the X. X. is near
the Arkansas river. For distance of ID miles
the track had been washed away in places by
the sudden rising of that river. AT Kingsley
where we took breakfast, we saw u tame ante
lope AMI found somo cactus and picked wild
flowers on the prairie. At 10 a. IN. we started
again, hut went only 36 miles To Dodge City,
passing Fl Dodge our left or miles be-
fore reaching there. We remained in Dodge
City two days and two nights. There are sew
cral hotels there and we were well provided
for 10y the X. Il. Co. who paid our bills while
we were detained. Just before reaching Dodge
: City we the great irrgating bitches which
the company have nearly completed.
No one on our car seemed inclined To grum-
bile AT the delay and singing, story telling,
reading and fancy work were engaged in Ia
pass away the time. also ball playing and drill
| ling with hath for guns. One evening while
there the city gave us an entertainment. Mn
| sic 10y the band, speaking by q. A. X. COM
} radcs, and after this some stayed to have II
| dance.
July 18th We starte ell again on our way and
passed over the plains of Kansas, where the
country is covered with sage brush, wild flow
ers, buffalo grass and prairie dog towns. We
saw the bones of hundreds of cattle that per-
ished in last winters severe weather. They
were driven 10y the snow and storm up To the
right-a-way fence and there died. Almost
every town out here has its band of cowboys,
ana loopcd up on their saddles are long ropes
used la picket out their ponies. We took din
ncr AT Goodbye and waited two hours, and
while there four excursion trains came and
stopped for dinner We passed on ana soon
| were in Colorado crossing the national cattle
trail which is five miles wide AMI extends
north To Montana. Here by the Arkansas riv-
or were ten thousand cattle waiting for the
| river To go down so they could cross it. IL was
| tine sight To see so many and the ponies
pickctcd here and there around them. At
| Granada Colorado we crossed the Arkansas
| river. When we got to Lamar We heard we
| were Ia stay alI night. This little town is only
| two months old and lots sell from $50 To $1,000
| they said. The cowboys stay out several
months herdng cattle, then come to the towns
| and gamble ull their money away. In the
| evening the cowboys came around the ears,
yelling and firing OH their guns for sport.
| They succeeded in frightening few In our
| ear. Unexpectedly Ia us we left Lamar at II
| p IN. and were soon crossing the repaired
| H., where we Travelled ut the rate OF three
| miles AN hour. At the worst places men were
| stationed with lanterns To watch rs we passed
| over. At q o'clock the morning Of the 10Th we
| reached La Junta, took breakfast anu staid
| two hours. Here we saw Pixies Peak 1875 miles
| away, also Twain Peaks This pace il 1900 n.
| above sea level. by the time We started, trains
had arrived from Iowa. Illinois and Ohio.
Leaving La Junta we soon came In sight of the
| foothills which are partly COVERED with a spe-
| Gle of pine, ami the hills themselves are amass
| of rock. We saw II cayote near the track ana
passed through many prairie dog towns, ana
ahead of us IN the distance were the noun
btns we were Ia cross Reaching Trinidad at
IL II. M, another engine is added To our train
To- push us up the mountains. Now commcnc-
ed n grand ride, passing through II tunnel one
third of mile long, the ascent Is Is? RI. To the
mile tor ii miles. The X. t. seems to follow
the old Santa Fc wagon trail for many miles
ON both sides of the mountain AT one place a
caravan was massacred years ago, and IL is
called wagon Mound, for the Indians took all
of the wagons and burned them on the noun
! tain. As we passed on we saw II house on the
old trail where they used to ask So toll, ana we
| learned that many man had been killed
there. As we stood on the platform of the ear
| we could II green valley below on one side
| and the other side was high ana rocky, with
| nm occasional flower ana evergreen. Reach
ing an elevation of 1900 feet, we begin to des-
cend. and nj Ration where we take dinner, we
are i'm New Mexico. We now pass through
village after village of adele houses, which are
built of bricks made from straw and clay,
pressed and dried i'm the sun. They are low
buildings, the color of the soil and whlic-waSh-
cd on the inside. We saw u good many Hooks
| Of sheep and goats and drovcs of burrows The
few patches of corn W. saw were poor, and on
iy Il few vegetables were raised. One hundred
miles from Ranton brings us to Las Vegas,
where. after supper, we took street car ana
went Ia the old part of the town and into the
yard of the old church AMI over the Gallinas
river. In the evening the citizens gave an en-
tcrtainmcnt To all those who wished To dance
In the night we were taken Ia the Hot Springs
where we were awakened at O'Clock in the
morning. This resort IL beautifully situated
in green valley, surrounded by mountains,
ana has fine plaza with beautiful walks, ana
beds of bright, colOrcd flowers. We visited
the hot and cold mineral springs, over twenty
in number, AMI many of our party availed
themselves Of the opportunity Ia bathc in the
mineral waters which the bath house IL sup
piled with. During our stay We visited the
bazaar of Indian and Mexican curiositics, saw
II den of black bears and yard In the plaza
containing tame deer. hired IL burro OF
Mexican who was going up the mountain for
wood ana had II ride around the plaza. The
burro had no brde but was guided by stick.
| could not pursuadc him to go faster than
walk, and II was amusing To me as well as the
lockers on. The attitude OF tho place caused
mady Ia feel giddy ana tired with little exer
ton. About 10 O'Clock n. IN. we returned 10
Las Vegas ana proceeded on our way ascend
ing the mountains, on whose sides grow sever
al species of cvergrccns, which added To the
beauty of the scenery. We find many beauti-
full flowers the mountains, but HI few can
stop To see them, II made me think of the
words:
Full many n Il over is born to blush unseen.
And waste its sweetness ON the mountain air.. |
We passed by a mountain. called Starvation |
Point, according to tho legend that a small |
party of Mexicans kept quite a large force of |
Spanar,ls there until they starved. AT Pecos |