Bent County register. (Lamar, Colo.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-12

the snow middle deep and discovered
no sign of beast or bird habitating
this region. The thermometer which
stood at nine degrees above zero, at
the foot of the mountain here fell to
four degrees below. The summit of
the Grand Peak, which was entirely
bare of vegetation, and covered with
snow, now appeared at the distance
of fifteen or sixteen miles, and az
high again as that We had ascended;
it would have taken a whole day to
arrive at Its base, when I believed no
human being could have ascended TO
its summit.
FINDING THE PLATTE.
saturday, December Is, 1906
After marching about two miles
north from our camp this morning
We came across river. forty yards
wide, frozen over. which after some
Investigation found ran northeast.
This was the occasion of much sur
p:ise, as we were taught to expect to
meet with the branches oe the Red
river, which should have run south
east Query: must it not be the bead
of the river Platte? If so, the MI.-
souri, must run much more to the
vest than is generally represented
For the Platte is 4 small river by no
means calculated to excite any ex.
pectatiop of so extensive a course.
OF striking a left hand fork of the
river We found it to be main branch,
and ascending it for some distance
and encamped on its banks for the
purpose of benef.ting from its wa.
ters.
"wednesday, December 81, 1906.
Dad frequently to cross river on
the ice during our march. The horses
falling down, We were obliged to
pull them over on the ice. The riv-
er turned 80 much to the north as al
most to induce US to believe that it
was the Arkansaw.
"Monday. January 5, ls07.-About
10 o'clock rose the highest summit
of the mountain, when the unbound
ed expanse of the prairies again pre-
-ented itself to my view, and, from
some distant peaks, 1 Immediately
recognized our situation to be one
outlet of the Arkansaw, which we
had left nearly one month since.
This was a great modification, but
at the same time l consoled my.clf
with the knowledge l had acquired
of the source of the Platte and Ar
kansaw rivers"
WAS 1T CHERRY CREEK?
Saturday, January II, 1907
Marched up creek all day. En-
canped early. II was showing. /
went out to hunt, but killed nothing.
Deer on the hills and mountains less
ening. Marched about four miles
when the great white mountain pre-
sented itself before us, in sight of
which We had been for more than a
month. and through which we sup
posed lay the long sought Red River,
and bore away more east to a low
place in the mountains. About sun
set we came to the edge of a prairie
which bounded the foot of the noun
tain and there was NO wood or water
where we were, and a. the woods on
the skirts of the mountain appeared
at no great distance, | thought prop
er to march to it. In the middle of
the prairie crossed the creek, which
now bore almost east. Here we all
got our feet wet. The night com
menced extremely cold. and when we
halted at the woods at s o'clock for
encampment, after getting fires made,
We discovered that the feet of nine
of our men were frozen. This night
We had no provIsion. The thermom-
eter stood at eighteen or twenty be-
low zero"
Looking over the locality to-day.
after an interval OF eighty years. the
strange experience of Major Pike
read like chspters in romance. The
wild, rugged and cherries West.
now blooming in glorious splender,