The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-27
JOYS OF A Journey WEST
DESCRIPTION OF A TOURIST
PARTY,S TRIP FROM KANSAS
TO CALIFORNIA
MANY INTERESTING SIGHTS
Some OF the Peculiar Points Passed
in Southern Colorado and
Through the Rocky
Mountains.
.neciaI Corresnondence of the Glnhe

Special Correspondence of the Globe.
THE NEEDLES, Cal, Feb. 13.-The
trip from Kansas City to this point has
proved one of enjoyment to the tourist
party that left St Paul few days ago,
st. Paul is represented by Col w. H.
H. Johnston DR.. H. c. Johnston and wife
and little daughter Marie. Mrs. John
Thayer, T. Bowman and wife, of Merriam
Park, Rev. Thomas Hambly, Mrs. Laura
O'Connell and Irene Donnelly. Init
mately associated with the above are
George c. Thorpe, of Hancock, and Will
liam Wickham and wife, of Mortified,
MINI.
A run through Kansas is sufficient to
convince a person that the SunfioWer
State is a mighty important patch on
the dress of Young Columbia. Her whole
area lies under from eighteen inches to
three feet of snow on the level. 1nnu-
merable towns of fair size, larger and
commanding cities, at short distances
all across the state, indicates the equa-
BILE distribution of population, feature
of great strength always. Large houses
almost palatial in their appearance stand
out in extraordinary prominence all
through the country region. hese are
all surrounded by large outbuildings,
barns, stables, granaries, drive houses,
orchards with countless numbers OF
frult trees. Fat STOCK, Hne1y DISu
horses and swarms of hogs make up the
complete evidence of success that the
farmer of Kansas presents to the eye OF
the always curious gazer as he travels
through this state of cold water and rig
id morals
A sudden and extreme change is no
ticeable in passing from Kansas across
the southeastern part Of Colorado. Wild
and brushy are perhaps the best terms
to apply to the parts of the great mining
state through which we passed. Every
acre was a pasture of the most barren
appearance, and yet the natives and set
tiers all claim that stock grows fast and
remain fat the year around on the food
these niggard plains seem to deny. We
approach our first sight of the Rocky
mountains as we approach La Junta,
pronounced La Hunta. The passengers
saw a couple of snow-capped, formidable
looking hills in the distance. The novice
in mountain travel guessed that they
were possibly two miles away. You can
imagine their surprise when the porter
came along and called out: 1--WE are now
in sight of the Spanish Peak, eighty-five
miles away We skirted along the
foot hills for hours. The first point Of
interest we reached to stop any length of
time was Trinidad. 1t is town of 1000
population and is built principally of
adobe huts. Its inhabitants are mostly
Mexican "greasers,'' and of all the peo-
pie that ever were born the most repu!-
sive is the poor dirty, black, unwashed,
unintelligent. slouchy, misshaped, impen-
etrably ignorant dirt-caloused white
toothed pile, known as the Mexican
''greaser." They literally know nothing
Right here at Trinidad is a great, high
hill in the rear of the town known as
Simpsons Rest. The history of the title
h. EI-t
white settler in the place, committed sui
eide He was a good all-round man in
the estimation of the people of that wild
settlement Shortly after his arrival in
the place other whites came, among them
g white woman. Simpson and she fell in
love with each other. After short
courtship they decided to marry. The
barrier in the way was that she had a
husband and family in the East; he a
wife and family in another part of the
! world AS they We're just about to Join
for life the thought of duty toward
others simultaneously dawned upon
! them.
! Seeing no escape from divine justice
nor 10Y beyond their natural hope both
| decided to end what seemed to them a
| gloomy life The line of escape they de-
cided upon was to climb the steep heights
| of the mountain back of the trading post
| and leap from the cliff 800 feet from the
base and 200 feet from the first projec-
| ton below. They sprang into the air,
! Simpson was Immediately killed, his lover
| escaped unframed. The citizens erected
| a monument to his memory, and the
eyes of every traveller over the Santa Fe
are directed to the spot
The next point of interest was the ter
minaI of Ration. 1t is about one mile
long and stands 1900 feet above sea level.
1t is near the height of the Spanish
peaks and looks like a gimlet hoe
through the mountain. We descended
/ $50 feet from there in the space Of TWEEN
ty-five minutes. The railroad here is
precfpitous in its descent. Its gradients
are 1856 feet to the mile At our next
stop, little town called Waterous, N.
M, we net by surprise old Mrs. E. M.
Woodbury., of East Congress street, st.
Paul, MINI. She is past eighty years of
age, and was there visiting her son. She
heard that a party from our city was
coming through and she was out to meet
them.
[ conld exhaust several communica-
ticns describing the country. l think
I shall devote the balance of the letter
giving the result Of a conversation with
an old Mexican trader. He was sixty
four years old, born at Caliento, n. NJ.
He was a scout in the American service.
Great wealth is attributed to him III
these parts. l found however, that he
owned $50 head of cattle and 100 head OF
horses. His appearance led me to be-
| lieve that / could learn something from
him respecting the early experiences of
the whites IN this country. The old man
! proved good-natured but dreadfulIy
ignorant He told me of how he was
| herdnIg his cattle along in the sixties
and for years they would hide their
families in the canyons at night and
| fight in bloody contact the Indians who
| tried to rob them of their cattle. ]
&, could not learn of anything save his own
| limited experience. He was oblivious of
| such a man as Kit Carson, the greatest
| of American scouts vino lies buried with
! in sixteen miles of his own home. l dis
| missed OLD Cassirir Valderey as useless
to %rne or the reading public and talked
| to my interpreter. a young Minneapolis
! man. about the town of Wagon Mound
1t contains 1000 people; does all the
trade of radius of sixty miles. Within
! that limit 800 families dwell. All are
ranchcrs. They furnish a trade of $3.50, OOG
| annually This business is transacted
| by three stores. To give you an idea.
one rancher owns 70 600 sheep, and pas
| tures the same on GO,G00 acres of his
own holding. My young friend, Brookes,
! from Minneapolis, who performed the
! good office of interpreter, is the book
! keeper and cashier tor the firm of Bond
Bros. of that town, who do three,
! fifths of all the trade of the place.