Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-10-01

&@~ bu { d e d In
moonlight. latter leaving station Agent
Vincent at McCracken) disclosed only
dreary wastes until we fell sound
asleep. nor did the face of nature i'm
prove any next morning, except around
Pueblo, where they farm some by iT-
rigation. In Denver we were received
with open arms by our daughter Katie
who was only too glad TO meet US; but
cur stay was not very long and after
looking over the nice mountain city we
again entered the Platt river country,
but were sorely disappointed at the
much lauded irrigation works. The
region is a Gesolate waste in compar
ison to Barton, and the poor farmers;
if you Gao call them so, are not able TO
raise enough to pay for the water; how
| they can live is miracle to me, but
| luckily they are thinly soWed in the
great waste. So you are sped on by
the iron monsters, one in front and one
right in the rear, it looks like it's COM
| ing through the car door all day long
| dDu III lilC II SOi hetPPCh ~ s<AiNS
up, it causes strange sensations. You
believe yourself about leaving this
world altogether and Old Harry COM
ing after you, as he giareS through the
back door near which our family had
its location. I never had an idea to
find all that country so desolate as it
is, no vegetation Of any kind except
short chapperall here and there and
coyotes without number showing their
tseth. Swan Lake, III Idaho, is Il
pleasant exception, for around the
beautiful little lake the hills are cover
ed with nice fir trees. From POcatello
to Huntington is the run of Conductor
Wilbur, from Barton county. former
Santa Fe conductor. He gave us all
l the comfort possible on the long tire
some ride.
AS soon as we struck Oregon the
scene favorably changed and to proper
ly describe the magnificent sights along
Snake and Columbia rivers would re-
quire filter pen and more space; many
d OOOh Oc HI1bGCu O1 tnC
eur Of this route.
!. From Portland we took the rraiI
south on South Pac. to Forest Grove
beautiful live town noted for it's edu
cational facilities; from here we left
!, special stage over the Cascade range tt
the coast. For Sc miles the road goe.
through a continuous forest indescriba
BILE in its magnitude;fo miles the road
ascends zig gag, perpendicular, upright
and while the stage flies along behind
four fleet footed mountain racers yOl
have to hold on for all you are worth
as there is hardly one level place tn
whole distance. So you speed alons
past Devils lake. over the river Jordan
tributary of Wilson river, along ant
D above which hundreds of feet tn
road is carved out of the mountains
vation of the road to see how my wifi
liked the journey. but she was as whit
as sheet. The horses were changes
several times and we used IA horses OF
, the trip; hundreds of bridges span th'
river and almost unfathomable chasm
and canyons. most of them very shak
o affairs; and ali this time you hardly ge
9 a glimpse of heaven, the trees are O
1 gigantic dimensions, and where the
T don't meet overhead the Oregon mis-
shuts off the view Of heaven
About 4 p. m. we struck, before W
knew it, new, sensation, forest fire
some one had set a whole lot of DIR
J, brush on both sides of the road on fir
S and the giant trees sent down thunder
0 ing showers of bark and limbs 200, 80
8 feet from their tops. After delay o
d one hour cleaning the road we passe
8 without damage except little scorct
o ing and smoke, at last reaching Tilla
g nook not much the worse for our har
q ride. Here We were received with jo
by Rev. Jos. Schell, who had made a