Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-09-10
WHAT A WOMAN SAW
Experiences of Trip From Hst Springs
To the Upper Hills and Back
Through Speartish CANYON.

1nrOuEn SnGAr11Sn CanyOn.
Leaving the Evans early one morn.
ing, while the guests were still sleep
ing, we went to Buffalo Gap, where we
took the Elkhorn trunk line for Stur.
gis. The Elkhorn skirts the eastern
side OF the Black Hills, leaving the
prairies of South Dakotas to the east.
Seen from these plains the mountains
look black and superstitious Indians
of the plains take the dark shadows
for holes in the ground which they
fear will swallow them if they go near.
Many little slips of green foliage run
down the slopes of the mountains,
showing the course of water seeking
its lower level and we wonder if it
may be possible that the prospector
missed one in his search for nuggets;
for it is up these water gulches he
searches for surface gold. Looking on
ahead, we see flocks of birds rising to
salute us, which in their flight onward,
apparently beckon us to follow; and
we learn they are sage grouse. Prairie
chickens are sen to the left, tame
enough to catch, if the train would
only wait for us. Long billed curlews,
like the snipe, stride along the edges
of the small streams where they seem
to be fishing; while the plover, too shy
to show his face, hides his head under
the tall grass, as we rush onward to
Sturgis. Here we leave the train to
meet gay officers who escort us to TT.
Meade. Imagine our surprise to hear
the army band, to see Scottish COM
pany dressed in skirt, scarf and hose
of plaid, with bare knees and a whole
troop of cavalry drawn up in line be-
side the little station. But alas for
the egotism of our thoughts! The
brass band and the Scots were bound
for the picnic grounds, while the cav
airy have come to escort the pay coach
to the fort.
Captain Gasron, who once sojourned
in Evansville, and Lieutenant Bigelow
cordially greeted us and drove us back
to Fd. Meade in a picturesque army
coach. Instead of finding a dingy
looking building with small windows
and port holes we were surprised to
find an oval enclosure, fenced by Of
ticers' cottages on one side and SOL
diers' quarters on Ithe other with the
stables in the rear. All the buildings
face the flagstaff in the center of the
enclosure, which consists of a grassy
lawn circled by boarded pavement.
The officers cottages have wide veran-
das screened by cinnamon and other
towering vines. The cottage placed at
our disposal consisted of wide en-
trance hall, having three rooms on
each side and kitchen across the
back, the dining hall porch being LAT
tice screened.
After lunching on speckled trout,
caught in a neighboring stream by one
off the officers, we drove up the side of
the mountain to view our surround
ings. Here resting on the eastern
slope and shaded by the tall pines
above us, we looked down the valley to
the great Bear Butte, so called from its
resemblance to crouching bear.
Thirty miles distant across the prairie
runs the Cheyenne river, which the
morning mirage frequently brings in
sight of the fort.
If the color of the surface is an in
dication of the color below, gold must
be abundant, for just as far as we can
see on the prairies they are covered
with yellow blossoms in several dis
tinct varieties Many wonderful
stories are told of its accidental dis
covery in the mountains, and leaving
our party l climbed still higher, hop
ing each moment to kick up nugget
with my heels, at the same time keep
ing my eyes stretched to their utmost
capacity expecting to encountera bear,
mountain lion, wolf or coyote. The
absence of human voices, the soughing
of the pines, and the dense under.
growth of pine shrubbery, narrowing
the range of vision, intensified the
loneliness of my situation and without
staying to enrich my pocket book 1
cowardly rushed through the shrubs.
which tried to grasp me as fled down
the slope to my companions. l re.
tarded my fight before them and they
neither missed me nor knew of my
frustrated hope. After an elegantly
served dinner of prairie chicken we re.
! ceived calls from the colonel, captains
and their wives. The ladies have leis-
ure time to keep up their studies and
dress elegantly without bothering
themselves about the fashions; that is
done for them by Redfern and more
distant costumers. Later in the even.
ing we drove past beautiful groves, q
rushing river and picturesque hills by
the light of the waning moon to the
county fair grounds to watch the dane.