Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-04-18
,,,,.,,lsht. isq.. BY American prccu Atsoeia
lsefs'' tl1u1

IN AZ -
oubsre on dirii hcp pou bcmgn
Tho old Santa rc Trail, the scen1 ofso
,,epy EXPLOITS Of dnring aud suffering,
4. NOW an ollitoratcd path. What we
ar,,.,,t to call "1'ho March Progress
81 ,trho sprend OF Civilization have
1i,rrol II INST following step by step
arcr ,,,o uriries ana mountains OF tho
,ye.t but the long tract; Is still blazcl
hero and there 10y prominent poini'-
bloody mnsncres and other historic iu-
cilent.-.o Tint OBJ, cannot dcyiato far
ifbo undertake 90 follow IT,
n vouli NOT bc wise, however, tosos
ont man this journey by any Of tho
,prtbnlsof travel TINT were iu use WHOM
the Santa 10 Trail was tho sccnc Of
,,rs,t tnflc-with OK team plolding
heayiiyaid slowly, by which thc piUnccr
,mi,rlnt moycd un; nor ON foot with
vnc', upin back. on jho f1riy.niners t-iiY-
rlpl. It would bo hard 20 follow tho
trail 90. The only highway that will
II. you over nearly tho samo route IS
the Atehson. Topeka aud Santa Fc rail
r1id. II u IS not convenient To buy a
ticket ou That lime and you have no pace,
then got map Of the region west of the
Mississippi dad put your index finger
down al what WAS onco WcHpgrt L1nd-
ing, now Kansas City, Missouri. Tint
Is tho starting point o. our story.
The old trading town oi Woatport was
for long ,imo Che cnstern limit Of tho
Santa Fc Trail, It lay high un tho blum,
Dix or seven miles from the sand lar
where st. LOFTS steamers landed their
carsocs. Beyond tho town, westward,
and over Tho Kansas line. tho United
States government had set apar.
stretch 81 country for tho use of Santa
Fr trains. ON which they cucampCi and
oorralcl their wuIu uut oxen. Hero the
poor bclFts rested, fed upon the rich
prairie grass and rccupoWirl strength
for the long r0'um journey over tho
plains 90 Slutg lie. Tho driver ul these
unw.Dldly oN teams wore mostly MpN-
cmls, .ptnkiug no language but thCir
own prltauo Spanish and looking ulleu-
Is out from uulcr thoir sombrarls and
their tangled blucs hn.r. They and the
wagon masters slept and axe In camp aud
drank at the iiading pot, whil1 the
head buyers went on TO 81. Louis 10 10y
IN a stock OF goods adapted to tho
matloia OF the mysterious country that
was long ago conquered By Spain and
;hcn forgotten Of mon. Sometimes theg
t=uiui had long time To wait for tho
Journey to st. Louis. and the return
voyage up the mud shifting Missouri
was tedious and Of uuccrtaia duration.
IN tho summon Of eighteen hundred
md hl'y-unc many corrals dotted the
uplnnds Of the prairie on the reserve
near We tport. aud the herds Of cat,lo
belonging to them gtaaod IN the val
leys lly on the sun slopes, and drank
nom tho half dry creeks that wound
through the hills toward tho Eily.
Thoy had grown slool, and fat, their
gauu'od sides were iillud out and their
appealing rbl wofo buried in flesh, ~
long had thcy wni,pd for cargo.
Even the lazy Transfers were growing
Restless, and the wagon mlstyra wcru
anxious 10 start westward while tho
grass was in good condition. All woro
listening for the -tcnmCr'a whistle that
could bc plainly heard nj tho post when
the wind was from the north, but they
did not trust TO tlut Tor information %
the bouts arrival. C1urors wero con.
ttautly going back aud forth to aud
from tho landing ON the hcct footed
Moyican ponies that accompanied all o,,
trains on tho Santa 70 Trad for the use
Of outrdors, scouts and messengers,
No boat was tho word they brought
blCl; day atlcr day, until one hot after,
noon when tho sunshine quiyurcl oycr
the prairie like the breath Of a furnace,
aud no brcozo 80 much rs stirred tho
long grass in tho sloughs. The cattle
lay painting on the uplnuds. and III,
McSicans waro stretched out in the
shade OF tho wagons.
Suddenly a grateful north wind cam,
swirlins among the grass, breaking the
siesta Of the summer day in an Instant
and almost upon its first wayo came The
sound oil tho boats whistle Tho cam
was alert ut once. Ponies were saddlcu
and mounted aud went dashing from
corral TO corral, and then away TO th,
town and the landing,
Wagon Master King was nm American
"stalcs' man, and spoke both Englisl
and Spanish. llo was of uncertain age
because of his brown, unkompt. from
hersmnnlilIo appearance, aud yet rnthC
young than Old. llo had bcon one o.
he most inpatient for the boat to come
md now no was among the first 20 catcl
pony nnd spur ii off down tho hillsid,
toward the river. just how he diilorot
from tho others OF this unimportnu
party IL would DO difficult to toll; por
hap5 most markedly ina slight aloof
mess, feeling that had led him {,
mako a bride path through tho wood
THAT lay between Wcstport town aud IN
landing, and 30 follow it whenever h
bad ridden down TO thoriyer rather than
the wagon road used by the trains
When 'ho boats whistle was heard h
started of In great haste, and "a usua
turned into tho hypath, whiio dozoi
or more men kept ON in the road. rhi
path had come 10 bo called in dcriaio
the Kings highway, " and as the WACO
master turned into 1t the other rider
called ont 10 him;
"Com2 on by the big road this tim
you eau 90 faster and will get thoi
sooner IL Il Is longer'
The trainmastcr hcsitated. Bus n
sdIanily upon second thought he kel
on in the "iiings highway" ard on
volley Of oalhs in MoNican-Spani.
aud western English followed him. III
bunch Of mottled and red aud olaybar
ponies rushed pollmull down tho wag,
road ihoir ilors clanEing heavy spun