The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1892-02-13
His Experience.

Many of our readers will remember
! tho vinlt 70 this valley in October last
Of a rather dignitied, gentlemanly per-
sonage. 1t WAS John j. Streb. u retired
| raDchman Tor, as they call them back
sast, farmerl OF Canal Dover, Ohio. who
visited his brother, Conrad. on North
Fork. A couple OF months after return
Ing TO his native heath he WAS inter.
viewed by the editor Of one Of his home
payers, and every week for the last
mouth newsy article has appeared.
Following are excerpts from them, and
they will be found interesting to peo-
pie Of this section:
You Sec. my brother Conrad had
gone out west twenty-five wears ago,
and made up my mind would sur.
prise him. But the Reporter got hold
Of my intended trip, and knocked all
the wind out Of the surprise. for II got
there week ahead OF me and pot him
on his guard. But II didn't do any
harm. for he went and bought another
| Winchester rife for my uss. fixed up
the pony's extra saddle, iiied the dogs
teeth, and got things ready for good
hsnt.
Conrad was In Leadville when the
mining craze was on. mined number
OF years, and when the Ute Indian res
ervstion WAS thrown on the market him
and his boy hitehed up n team. loaded
their goods and drove over into the
North Fork valley and settled down on
y i60-acre strip Of land between the
fiAt-Top mountains. II Is In Rio
Bianco county. = new county cut on tho
north part Of Garfield county.
"It was long trip for any one that
doeant travel more than ]. but ex.
pectrd 10 have nice time and went on
In good spirits"
Then follows his experiences on tho
various railroads u iiihc. and thsn the
stage trip Is given.
1T II bright October morning. and
- sm the only passenger get up on
tho high srAt with tho driver Ia - the
landscape and have somebody To talk 10.
You folks down east have nearly for
gotten tho s,agc.caarh DAYS, when Sol
Myers and Others usr,i to carry the
mails 10 Massiiion. Wooster and In
other directions. I WAS only n boy
then. and can barely remember how
they looked. - The driver cracks
hi, whip and away W. .o. The toai is
the old government, highway. IL hard.
and. although not u, level ~ pike.
makes good riding. There arc four
ponic, In the team and ,hcy arc hurried
along al a good Jog. The, arr not little
Indian or Texan ponies. and ihosr In
Ohio they would hardly br called ponies.
They are about like the horses iincskcl
drives In his leo wagon. and weigh ten
or sirven hundred without Any fAl On
them. Although . gradual stss stss
drive II not srry rough. hat sotnc places
Il makes y 'lrndrsfnot's - hair stand on
end the way our driver Rura whisiina
around y sharp curve right on the edge
of . psrcipicr. Tho last fifteen miles
we came nyinR down tho mountain.
Folks In our country with wheels lockci
would make their hor~-s walk slow a.
possible. but i,err they ~ II oa = uol
aud sometimes IN full run. '''
"lt-arhing M-ckrr i-,w--n four and
i've o'clock. stop a, n hotel tia; used
to tr = government; fof.
"whiic washing at ~ hotel some.
body behind me safe 'iir,.S. sir-bv and
~ looked around lie excused himself.
saying he thought ! was Conrad Stfcb,
tod him th-tr was no harm done. for
let,tr q sr.,t. ,