Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-03-10
A Letter from Wyoming.
ALvA, CROOK Co., WYo;.

Mr.. EpIToR-Thinking perhaps some
of your readers would be pleased to near
from this part of the world, will send a
few lines to the REGISTER, which reaches
us each week from six 10 eight days al
ter it is mailed. But no matter about
that, we get the news from 'hOme" all
the same. The old REGISTER Is an ever
welcome visitor in our western home.
This part of Wyoming is very billy, with
a great many nice streams of water run
ming through it. Bear Lodge mountain
is three miles from my farm. 1t has a
large amount Of very fine timber on IT..
1t is mostly pine, some oak, but not a
great deal Our canyons are generally
well filed with fine timber-pine, oak,
cottonwood and birch. a great amount
of timber through this section was de-
stroyed by fire few years ago. The
Indians fred the timber to spite the
whites. However, we have enough left
TO last the settlers many years The
table-land and valleys are both very pro-
.ductive. The largest vegetables we ever
saw were raised along Beaver Creek in
the valley. All kinds do well except
sweet potatoes. Seasons are too short
=
successful corn country, but all kinds OF
small grains do very well.
We harvested one thousand bushels
wheat and oats from fifty acres Of land.
Some Of our oats, called 1.-The Silver
Mine" are the finest we ever harvested.
Fruit of all kinds is fine. Even peaches
are successfully grown. The country is
settling up pretty fast A score of peo-
pie from Missouri and Ohio have taken
homes near us this winter, and many
more are to follow soon.
A friend and neighbor Of ours owns a
herd of horses over in South Dakota
near an Indian reservation (the Chey-
ennes). 1t was nearly two hundred miles
from where we live. He took notion
to go and get five or six and bring them
home to break and work them He
asked me to 90 with him. | concluded
to go and see if it was as good country
as our own. Accordingly, on the morn
ing of the 10th of February, we mounted
our ponies and started. We made the
trip in five days. On the third day we
rode fortv-five miles to reach habita-
ton where we could get something to
eat and a bed for the night. We were
both very tired, but good nights rest
put us in a condition To make hard
ride to find house to stop at the next
night. What few people there are on
the road between here and the reserva-
ton are always glad TO see any white
people, and welcome awaited us every
where we went. We stopped for week
with man by the name of Daniel
House. Found him and his family to
be quite clever and accommodating.
Did not charge a cent and insisted on us
staying longer. One morning we rode
over to see family of Indians by the
name of Knife, consisting of man and
his Suuaw (whO is an INVALID, two daugh-
tiers. daughter-in- law and her little
'.pappOose. who was about a year old.
Babv's father had gone to the "happy
hunting ground" by the suicide route,
having been arrested for stealing cattle.
He was sent to Jail over in Deadwood,
where he ended his life rather than be
sent to the penitentiary. His name
was Charles Knife. The Indians were
very clever. All shook hands with us
when we went in. They say "howdy, -
and that is about all the English you get
them to say. although they are educated
in English q mean the younger onesG
Very soon after our arrival at the rancho
dinner was announced, which consisted
of fried beef, boiled potatoes, biscuits
and coffee. We found out soon that
nothing had particle of salt in it, so
asked for some salt They replied that
it was all used up. So we made pre-
tence of eating, just TO please them.
The invalid took her plate Of food and
ate it while sitting on lot of blankets
and rugs. She amused herself part Of
the time by sorting porcupine quilts to
make ornaments They have quite a
good-sized log house which is furnished
fairly well.
We left the reservation on the 23d,
arriving home on the evening of the
Goth. On our way home we stopped at
wealthy Germans by the name Of
Moss. AS no one was home, put our
horses in the stable, fed them, then went
TO hunting for something TO eat. We
found plenty to eat, and about nine
o'clock retired. Still no one came. In
the morning we got some breakfast, and
i'm addition to that we found barrel in
the cellar with apples in. Oh. no! We
didn't eat any Of them. They were
about the first ones we had this winter
Just as we were going to start away the
family drove up TO the door. OF course
we apologiZed, after we had told them
how we had taken possession and made
ourselves at home, but they insisted on
us STAYING and eating another breakfast,
which we declined with thanks. We
didn't think it necessary to tell them our
nockets were stuffed with apples for
lunch They had gone to IA dance fifteen
miles from where they lived and as
everybody dances all night in the wild
and woollv west. - Of course il was late in
the morning before they returned home
We saw one antelope and several large
lack rabbits on our trip, but as we were
armed with nothing more dangerous
than a riding-whip and pocket-knife we
lust let them 90. Heard wolves howl at
night. The country we passed over is
good grazing land. 1t is prairie land,
and the wind just blew a gale and filed
our ewes with sand. ! like Wyoming a
great deal better than South Dakota
Horses and cattle live all winter in both
States without bite of grain. Stock Is
looking well. This has been the finest
winter ever saw. Some of the farmers
have sown their wheat this spring. 1t
rained slowly for about two hours one
dav this winter-that is the amount we
have had since September.
Will close my letter, as | am afraid it
is getting quite lengthy
Benz. F. EYGLE.