The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-08-02
GASKILL'S LETTERS.
Interesting Pen Pictures of
Western Travel,

Roseburg Oregon, July 80. Il started
from Oskaloosa for Roseburg via the
Iowa Central to St. Paul, Mimi, and
from there via 500 Line and Canadian
Pacific to Vancouver, b. O. Between
Oskaloosa and st. Paul is fine coun-
try with good crops of all kinds. In
Minnesota the crops are light. / ar
rived at st. Paul Tuesday and
rambled over the city until SCOOP. NJ.
At 300 P. NJ. there was reception
for Governor Teddy Roosevelt, of
New York, at the Ryan Hotel. at
tended the reception and was in a
very great jam, but finally was ushered
in and introduced to Teddy Roose-
welt. He is pleasant gentleman to
meet; not stuck up. was also in
troduced to Governor Stone, of Min
nesota, who takes a great interest in
all soldiers. left st, Paul at 600 P.
NJ The corn crop in Minnesota is
light and late. The wheat and oats
crops are thin on the ground and
very short.
North Dakota is fine level coun-
try with good soil except in the
northern limit which Ia used for
grazing. No grain is raised there 1t
is very dry, grass short, country roll
ing and very thinly settled. Arrived
at the line between the United States
and Canada at 1850 p. M, where the
Custom House officials examine our
baggage. 1t is small town called
Portal which don't amount to much.
AS had no diamonds nor opium l
passed. My trunk was branded and
passed through all right. II they had
opened it had some goods which
would have cost me duty. All trunks
and valises passing from the United
States checked through Canada and
British Columbia back into the
United States are branded and can
not be opened in Canada. The land
in first part of Canada is mostly level,
sandy and gravel. Portal is in the
Province of Assinibaid, Canada. AT
this point / met Mr.. and Mrs. Payton
! Reeves, of Muchakinock. They were
going to Neomia, B. O. and we trav-
I eled in the same train to Vancouver,
! B. O. At Moose we stopped for
. supper. We are now in the mountains
| and the ladies wearing their winter
wraps. 1t is very cold and SO dry
there that crops are a failure. The
, country from Portal to the mountains
Is very level, soil sandy and grass
} short. There are very few houses.
, The 500 & Canadian Pacific r. r. is
) new road and the country thinly
| settled on account OF the soil; but
} level pretty country 1t is-cool and
no dust. Thursday morningwe woke
/ up in the Province of Alberta. The
} nights are very cool, slept under two
heavy blankets to keep warm. They
| don't farm any here, herding cattle
! being the chief industry. The coun-
| try is level for hundreds of miles,
very few towns and poor soil. You
can see the snow capped mountains
miles away. 1t is beautiful sight to
see in summer, and so cool you have
to wear your overcoat while in Oska-
loosa you are sweltering with the
heat. The country gets more broken
as we near the mountains. We stop
ped 20 minutes at Calgary. 1t is quite
nice city of 5000 inhabitants and
quite a railroad center. Here we
saw our first Indian teepees. For the
next 600 miles up the beautiful river
Bow with its beautiful valley between
the foot hills is beautiful to see after
travelling so far over the level plains.
Such pretty lakes between the noun
tains. From the gap the mountains
suddenly appear close at hand and
seemingly an impenetrable barrier.
Here we cross the Kananaskis River
on high iron bridge at the Great
Falls of the Kananaskis River. This
is the gap of the Rocky Mountains,
altitude 400 #. Canmore is a small
station, altitude 1920 TT. Anthracite,
where the Mcneil coal mines are.
situated is $50 #. altitude with beau
tiful mountain scenery. Next is
Banff, altitude $500, one of the
beautiful summer resorts. Board is
cheap from $500 per day as high as
you want to pay. All the summer
resorts in the mountains are the same
price. All are aristocratic, and plenty
of the English and Canadian aris-
tocracy here. Castle Mountain alti-
tude 1870 TT, no stop here. Laggan,
change time here one hour slower,
altitude 1880 IT. Hector 500 #. alti-
tude. We pass many of these sights
at night. Glacier House, altitude
1922 TT, station and hotel within 80
minutes walk of the Great Glacier
covered with snow and ice the year
round. Mt. Baker, so miles from
Harrison Springs, altitude 1900, is
always covered with snow. We ar
rive at Vancouver, b. O., city of
900 inhabitants and from here we
take steamship. ] passed over
bridges over rivers and deep canons
far above the tall prairie trees, SO
high it makes one dizzy to look down
at the water which runs SO swift over
the rocks that 1t looks like milk.
Any one fond of high, rough, snow
capped mountains and glaciers, fine
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