The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-18
FROM WICHITA TO HELENA.
HELENA, MONT, April 10, 1890.

To the Editor OF the Eagle.
Denver Is big city, built out on the
dry plain, several miles from the foot
hills OF the mountains, at the junction OF
a broad, sandy coulee, called Cherry
creek, with the south Platte, a stream
about like the Minnesota at Kingman.
A little farming and gardening is done
| along the valley by irrigation, and there
are some fine hay ranches, but generally
the country surrounding Denver is an
uncultlvated waste, affording scant grass
or cattle and sheep. Yet here, with
its sterile surroundings, is builded great
and rich city, constantly increasing in
| population, wealth and manufactures.
There IS more agricultural land tributary
! to Wichita than in the entire state of Col
| orado.
| Denver is the child of the Pixies Peak
| stampede of 1859. The first gold was
| found In Cherry creek: there the thou
sands of adventures gathered, and some
| Kansas men laid out town and named
| the city and its streets for Kansas men.
Then came the discoveries of rich
| placer gold at Blackhawk and other
places near by in the mountains.
| Denver got the start and has kept it.
Whenever fortunate miner makes a
million or so in the mountains he straight
way proceeds to Denver to live and in
vest his money. Here reside the mil
hOnaires who control the cattle of the
plains, the products Of the mines and the
political affairs and offices of the state.
The wealth dug out of the hills of Lead
Vile found Its way to Denver and staid
there: so Of the millions of eastern money
seeking investment in Colorado mines
the banks of Denver handle it.
The trip from Denver north to Chey-
enne is dull and monOtOnOuS. The high
mountains to the west are covered with
snow, the foot hills and the plain are all
bare and bleak-no sign of grass or the
coming of spring. A short ride brought
Us to the town of Greedy, offspring of the
brain Of the great editor, who believed
an irrigating ditch, industry and temper
ance would build up and sustain a
community. The experiment proved a
success; the once barren plain is now a
busy line of industry, the home of a
prosperous, intelligent and contented
people, with brick blocks, groves
and shaded avenues surrounded
by productive fields and pastures.
from Greeley to Cheyenne are some bare
hills and prairie and few flocks of
sheep.
Cheyenne is the great metropolis and
capital city Of Wyoming. 1t is substan-
TALLY built of brick and stone, and evil
IDENTIFY intends to stay. 1t contains five
or six thousand people, | am told. Its
location has no natural advantages other
than being on the main line of the y. 2.
r. R., beside little spring branch of
good water, long way from anywhere
else, and convenient to the finest cattle
range on the continent. Here reside the
cattle kings of Wyoming quite mum.
Der of them are ex-kings now and the
inhabitants have very advanced ideas
the present and prospective
value of their town lots and adjoining
prairie.
After short came the regular through
passenger train of the u. P. road, from
Omaha, with ours making twelve coaches
all crowded, mostly with immigrants,
and laboring men going to Salt Lake,
Portland, Helena, everywhere, anywhere.
With two engines as motive power we
commenced the long gradual climb to
the elevated table lands which here con-
stitute the divide of the Rocky noun
tains-in reality there are no mountains
at all, and no more grading or engineer
ing problems than in building a road
across plains of Kansas, yet the y. p.
received bonus of $4,000 per mile and
a land grant through this so called
district. The vast Laramie
plain" lying beyond the pyramid of red
stone, which marks the summit are the |
finest grazing lands l have seen-level, |
well watered, covered with a rich coat |
of grass; they are all occupied by cattle |
ranches. The road winds around on these !
plains like the letter S anxious to Sc
cure as many miles of track as possible. |
the rising moon would be di- |
rectly ahead of us.
Early daylight found us at the cross
ne of Green river, which flows south |
trough the Grand Canon of the Colo !
ado. Here our train divided: |
ours taking the Oregon short line, turn
ng northwest up a branch of Green river
nto Idaho. This stream was lined with
lead cattle. the result of the unusual
NOW fall of the past winter. On the
lead OF this stream and over the divide,
ntO the waters of the Bear river, we
Ound ourselves back into the middle of
winter. The country was covered with
now, streams and ponds frozen over and
little bare ground to be seen. This upper
Bear river country Is almost uninhabited
md the mountains abound with deer,
antelope, elk and grizzly bear. Further
lown We're some fine valleys with hay
md cattle ranches. Here the snow was
netting and the valleys were flooded
with water while the surrodnuing mount
-ins are buried deep in snow.
In the afternoon we crossed over into
he valley of Snake river and onto the
}annOck Indian reservation. Here the
,reat flOcks of geese and ducks, the grass
.reen, sage brush out in leaf. Camped
long the river were the Bannock In
ians. living in their familiar skin lodges
imilar to those used by the plains In
ians. They are a harmless. inoffensive
'eople who hunt, trap and fish, and re-
eve beef and flour from the govern
nent. They formerly owned all of this
Ountrv and still have reservation here
n which is built the important railroad
JUNCTION and town of POcatella. The ,
abroad simply owns the right of way,
n which they have built a fine station {
nd hotel and quite town has grown up
round them. Here is a nice place to
pend a few davs-good hotels, fine
cenery, soda springs near by. fine eli
nate, good Indians, good fishing and
uniting. grizzly bear not far of. plenty ]
o eat and drink. What more would you
ave: J. X. VI.
4 n ~rT- = Z n m