Iron County register., 1898-11-24
From The West.

wrote to the REGISTER. I will make an
other attempt. Winter has begun. ant
the beautiful green grass and flowers
are brown and frost bitten; but we
cannot grieve for them long, as au
tumn and winter always bring about
our hunting season and sightseeing
parties, for, in this country, one car
scarcely go any where without seeing
some new curiosity. and t.seems the
country is noted for them. As the
weather was fine one day last week q
party of sight-seers (of which was one,
proposed a trip out to Red Butte. Sc
bright and early we started, every one
as merry as birds and our eyes wide
open to see what there was to be seen.
Our leader took US over roads we had
never been over before, and of course,
everything was new and interesting.
We had not gone far, however. till we
saw large cayote, and one of our
party fired at him, but his trotters were
too swift and he fed, very much
alarmed at his early visitor (the bullet).
Next we came to Plum Creek school
house. but nothing worthy of notice
here. But few hundred yards ahead
of us what lovely tract of timber, and
l noticed upon the side of the mountain
plenty of snow lying among the green
pines and makes a beautiful picture,
for down in the canon where we are
there is not a particle of snow, and
right on, few yards farther is an old
open field, there lies the wreck of an
old house. "Here," says our leader,
ssa man committed suicide some time
ago." Curiosity was aroused in the
party and we begged of him to tell US
all about it. "Well,n he said, s.the
man had nice little home here, and
some money, but it seemed that he did
not wish to live, and / know that few
weeks before we found him dead, that
he was at a neighboring house raising
and gave one of his neighbors his gold
watch, with the remark, that he
wouldn't need it much longer, and I
think this was about the last time he
was seen alive. So we found him ly
ing dead behind some sacks of oats
with a bullet in his brain. So this old
stovepipe, these old broken dishes,
these few old logs and rags, are all that
is left to tell the sad tale of once
young and prosperous man."
Next we came to the site of an old
time sawmill, lots of old planks and
boards lying scattered about, but |
learned from our leader that it has
been abandoned for many years, and
that ghosts and owls reign supreme
over the ruins.
Here we are at ''Old Castle Rock"
Standing out in all its glory, towering
hundreds of feet above our heads, and
looking like the ruins of some ancient
castle. In our Imagination we pic
tured the large windows, great airy
halls and antique porticoes, the old
tumbled down chimneys big wide door
ways, and. in our delight we imagined
great rock which old Father Time"
had placed there. Next we came to
the site of another old sawmill, but as
there is similarity in the sites of old
sawmills, and, in describing one, all
is described, will hasten on TO the
next point, which is called the ..North-
western Table," which Is very high
and as we descend we come to the
water line, which brings water from
the Sweet Water river. We travel by
the side of this for several miles and,
at last, it leaves our road to go over a
a mountain several hundred feet high
to make it's way into Cambria, for the
supply of water is used ir running the
works in the mines. .sBut how" we
ask. s'can the water climb that noun
tainp" And our leader said that up in
the Sweet Water country tits so much
higher than it is here, that by the
time it gets down here it has gathered
sufficient force to rush it over the
mountain into Cambria Next we
come to Salt Creek, of which / have
spoken before. There, on the right of
the stream, Is the old salt works, and
in the middle of the creek still stands
the old wooden water wheel, which
has been worn by time, but still there
is an air of antiquity about its old form
that makes the curiosity seeker feel
like he is living in the past ages as he
gazes on the ruins of the old water
wheel. Some of our party were anx-
ious to taste the water; it looked so
nice and clear. So out of the buggy
he scrambles, and hastily dips up cup
full of this deceitful water. He need
not tell US in words how it tastes for
we knew by the look of dismay that
came over his peaceful countenance
what was taking place. Before we got
to the end of our journey child in the
party became very thirsty. and says.
"Mamma I wish they would quit salt