News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-07-09
TERMS $I.5O.
From Chicago to Helena.
KETTLE FALLS. Wash 4
June Is. 1891. I
To the Editor

To the Editor:
In my last letter we we're lust leav-
ing Chicago on the Wisconsin Cen
trail Railroad. Wednesday morning
found us in country of pine forests,
intersected here and there by clear
lngs, where you would see small
frame houses. and barns constructed
by making a one rooted shed and
storing fodder on top of it and let
ting the stock run under the greater
part OF the hay and straw, being in
stacks. AT every town where we
stopped you would see large steam
saw mills surrounded by piles of
sawed lumber, ETC., on one side and
thousands of pine logs on the other.
The workmen's houses were nothing
more than shanty, and each town
would have general store and sew
eraf saloons. At noon we reached st.
Paul. The depot is in the suburbs,
and as we passed through the sub
urbs of both st. Paul and Minneap-
oils, we were not able to get an ex-
tended view of either place. st. Paul
is built ON bluffs, or hills, and looked
very ragged When we left Mime
apolis we entered the prairie coun-
try of the West. The land, slightly
rolling, looked highly productive.
The buildings were of a better de-
scrIption than any we had seen since
we left New York state. But none
were to be compared with those of
the Green Mountain state. Thurs
day morning we were in North Da-
kOta. 1t was showing there, there
being about a foot on the ground,
and the wind blew a gale. Not a
tree or q sign of water was to
be seen. The habitations were the
most primitive | ever saw, being
nothing more than a room cut in the
ground and covered with dirt, with
a door and window in front. They
are called dug-outs. We passed
through Bismarck, the town near
where the Indian outbreak was last
winter. On top of one of the hills
near here was seen a fort, put up by
the settlers to defend themselves in
case of attack. Here we entered the
Bad Lands. am afraid that shall
not be able to give the description of
these that they merit. Will the read
er imagine he is in a country where
on every side are hills conical in form
and varying in height from five to
hundred or more feet, and all spring
ing from a common level. The tops
are covered with a reddish sediment,
the sides are a clay color, with no
vegetation except at the bases, and
in the far distance we saw snow
capped peaks that loomed against
the clear blue sky. Biologists say
the formation of the land here is
caused by volcanic eruptions of ages
past. When we entered the Bad
Lands we left snow and rain behind.
The air was cool and exhilarating.
and so clear that objects miles away
seemed near by. Friday morning
we entered the Yellowstone valley in
Montana. The Northern Pacific r.
r. follows the Yellowstone river near
ly the length of the state. The val
ley where we entered it was narrow
with high bluffs on either side. butt ~
we advanced it broadened out to1
from twenty to forty miles The
sides were covered with bunch grass,
a grass peculiar to this country. 1t
grows green in the summer and rip
ems and cures standing, retaining all |
its nutritious qualities. Cattle live
on it the year round. From the car
windows we could see thousands of
head on either side and occasionally |
u band of horses. We saw few |
cowboys, but they didn't lookas ter
rible as they are pictured in yellow
covered novels. The towns were |
models of neatness, every house |
painted in variegated' colors and |
nearly all two stories. To look at |
them from the train they looked as
though they were dropped down and
left where they dropped, without any |
regard to the streets. \ fence around |
a house is a rare thing to be seen.
The men at the stations were great
strapping fellows. They looked as
though they never had an i'll in their
lives. At noon we reached Helena.
In my next letter will describe this
city and the trip across the Rocky
Mountains. II. G. WHITNEY.