The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-08-31
ORIGIN OF WHISKY GAP.
The Waters of Its Spring Produceo
IntOxtcatiOn Among Soldiers
Campcd There.

One of the historic pldceS III tHc "ese
il Whisky Gap, Wyo. The old-tlme
dwellers of mountain and plain, the
men who fought Indians and hunted
buffalo out west" during the overland
trail DAYS of the early COS, have
shrugged their shoulders with satisfac-
ton at the mention of Whisky Gap Tor
nearly 40 years. This is the place, ac-
cord;ng to their belief, where real fire
water" gushed up out of the rocks IN
a beautiful mountain spring to quencn
the thirst of whole company of Uncle
Sans trained Indian fighters. 1T was
nothing but pure spring water they
say. "A yeritable fountain of youth
Whisky Gap received its name in 1862,
during the building of the overland
stage route from Denver to Salt Lake
City and the Pacific coast.
1t happened in this way: The people
of Denver had long been working to Sc
cure the regular overland stage route,
then connecting the east and west. In
1862 Ben Holiday, a veteran stage
man, became the proprietor of the great
overland line, and he agreed upon
route running through Denver to the
west. He decided to discontinue that
part of the road running up the North
Platte and the Sweetwater rivers, and
across South Pass, Wyo. The many In
dian difficulties experienced on this
route was the inducement to abandon
it. The new trail led by way of Jules
burg, Col. to Denver, and on over the
established wagon road to Fort Lup-
ton and north across the Laramie
plains, then due west through Bridge
water Pass, Wyo., joining the old trail
leading across the country to the Pa
cific coast. The change was made dur
ing the summer of 1862. All the rolling
stock, horses and other property of
the company were gathered at the sta
ton just above Devils Gate, in central
Wyoming. Company a of the Eleventh
Ohio cavalry, with Maj. O'Farrell in
command, was the detailed escort at
the time.
During the first day the long train
| of coaches, wagons, horses and mules
made II miles from the station where
the property had been gathered. The
route chosen was directly south from
the Sweetwater river. The camp Sc
lected was in gap in the maintains,
where there was fine spring and plen-
| ty of wood for cooking purposes. Short
! ~ after going into camp the major dis
covered that quite number of his sol
i .l;orr xroro ;p<Cx;ca+od and he a% Cucc
sent for Lieut.. w. H. Brown, who was
officer of the day, and informed him OF
the condition of many of the men, and
gave it as his opinion that some one
was selling whisky in the camp. The
command was doing escort duty not
only for stage, stock and stores. but also
for number of emigrants who had
awaited themselves of the opportunity
for safe conduct over the plains.
| Lieut.. Brown received orders to
search all wagons, and if he should dis.
cover whisky to destroy it. Taking q
menced the search for the contraband
article, and found at least barrel Of
whisky in an emigrant wagon. The of.
ficer ordered his men to roll the barre
out of the wagon, knock in the hea6
and empty the contents on the ground
This was done, but it CHANGED that th.
spot where the whisky was emptied wa.
just above the spring, and the fer,
liquid went pousing down into the wa
ter supply of the camp. The soldier
saw what was going on and they rushed
forward with cups, canteens. bucket.
and camp kettles to save what they
could of the coveted Spirits" Many /;
man stopped over the spring and dranl
almost without breathing until he wa.
drunk. A half hour later the intoxi
cant was showing its effect pretty gen
orally around the camp, and soon bu
few sober men could be found. One sci
dier who had succeeded in getting
full canteen from the spring paid hi
respects to Maj. O'Farrell at the head
Quarters tent, assuring his command
ing officer, with maudlin mein ant
many "hic," that that was the fines
spring he had ever seen and the yer,
best water he had ever tasted.
Maj. O'Farren was apprehending a,
attack from the Indians that night, an,
the condition of his men fairly Gisheart
ened him. He saw at glance that evel
a small band of savages could max
a successful raid on his camp; conse
quently the sober and less intcxicate,
men were kept on the alert that night
Fortunately no Indians put in an ap
pearance, and by morning the de
bauched men had slept off their intoxi
cation.
| Thus the gap in the mountains wher
the camp was made received the nam
of Whisky Gap. For many years it wa
the favorite camping place for the NOR
credulous of the old freighters and emf
grants of the trail days" but the littl
spring was never a fountain of youth.
as it had been in the old DAYS. whe,
fire water gushed up out of the rock
to quench the thirst of company q
United States soldiers.-Ch chicago Times
Herald.