Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-11-04
HERE Is THE REAL OLD
MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.

MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.
Readers of the. Rod and Gun may re-
member having seen quaint and inter-
esting letters occasionally from Cabin
in the Rockies, Chico, Park County,
Mont" They were written by man
who has solved it, for surely man
who can say honestly that he has no
wants that are not satisfied and that ne
is wholly happy, may be said properly
to have reached the solution for which
we are all striving.
His name is B. p Van Horne, and he
has just sent The Sunday Press another
letter, in which he speaks for itself. 1t
is: I
Cabin in the Rockies,
Chico, Park County, Mont,
June %. 1900.
Thinking it might be interesting in
small way to you to know how man
lives and enjoys life back in the noun
tains and being only " years old and
being entirely alone. Well, the one
thing is. l have plenty to eat and Of
the best kind for me. l raise all the
vegetables l want, and more, too, and
for meat have all the wild game, such
as deer, elk and birds, grouse and
pheasant, to say nothing of the noun
tain trout which | have any time
want them. Can go out and in an
hour any time get enough for a good
meal, and good many people think
they are good eating; wild berries of
all kinds in abundance, and | have in
one of my two gardens a fine lot of
tame Strawberries. Last year | picked
over two bushels, and this year | shall
have moE, as I extended and set out
more plants. | have what I call my
house garden, which is 60x140 feet,
and the other garden, 120x150 feet, and
all done in way Of cultivating with
spading fork, with no help, and l en-
joy the work. | also have fine yari-
ETY. Of flowers, both wild and tame. |
have located 100 acres. being one mile
long and eighty rods wide, along the
stream Chill Creek, which has three
branches running up in the mountains,
each of them ten or fifteen miles, and
fine trout fishing all the way. l get
some trout that weigh over four
pounds each. In the sumner, by using
all day, | can get thirty to fifty pounds
of them. l have to go twelve miles for
my mail, and on foot, but | don't mind
it as a young man would. 1t does me
good to exercise. My wood is close by
the door, enough to last me for twenty
years, and | have water within two
rods of the door | bring my water fcr
irrigating my gardens about forty rods
in bitches, and have enough and to
spare. The water is cold at all times,
coming from up in the mountains,
xrybn tSo t.
thermometer has been at over 80 in
the shade for the past three days. Since
| have been here | have not seen it
below 30; but in the winter, which is
not what | call winter, only from De-
~cember till Mach, we have plenty of
what some one called the beautiful
snow, and for about ten months it lies
ON the ground to the depth of three
and four feet. So it necessitates at
Z that time snow shoes. | have good,
warm cabin and good cook stove, and
in the summer | have a good 10x14
tent for people that sometimes take the
pains to come and see me-
I have plenty of reading matter and
once in a while take my old violin. which
l bought in Philadelphia in 1S4s, and play
some of the old times, like money
Musk and "Arkansaw Traveller" l am
left handed and use the bow in my left
hand, and can play so that if a person is
not very particular he can tell the tune If
he ever heard it before. This is my fifth
year here, and | have had the best of
health. and regret that l did not begin
this kind of life before
There is no inducement on earth that
could make me change it-Vanderbilts and
Rockefellers have not got money enough
to buy my place and make me leave, so
you can see how 1 look upon the root of
evil. The fish and game and good health
is all / care for.
When l was young 1 was like all the
others-doing all l could to get pile, and
] made plenty of money, and in my life
have given away and lost in business over
$4,000, and now 1 am without any of it to
bother me and am really glad of it, for
am sure thas been the means of prolong-
ing my life, and If there ever was a man
who can say honestly that he is anywhere
near contented with his lot on earth, L am
I