Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-19

your ideas and impressions of mountain
scenery, but it can nowhere be found equal
to that Of the land through which pass
ed There were mountains of immense
height, covered with rocks of every shape
imaginable. No trees or vegetation of
any description were to be SEEN saw
one mountain, side of which from some
great CONFUSION had been thrown off. the
other side was left standing and lowered
to an immense height, with all the colors
Of the rainbow depicted upon it. Some
of the valleys were white with alkali
A PREHISTORIC MOUND.
'1n one I saw a mound of imm ense
height and size. 1t was near the middle
of the valley, and had been constructed
by taking earth from the adjacent hills
It must have taken an immense amount of
labor and time to build it. That country
was once settled and. doubtless, was very
productive. and the mound may have been
built before Moses stood upon Pisgah
and viewed the land of fruits and flowers.
I saw beautiful groves Of aspen trees.
where some one had certainly lived, but
not trace remained of house or other
evidences of former human existence.
after travelling thrugh a country $50
miles, not an Indian had been seen, as
there was nothing for the aborigines to
subsist on. Through this long stretch of
living thing upon the earth, except oc-
casonal raven, which, from its great al
titude, seemed to be trying to get the de-
vastated country beneath him beyond his
scope of vision.
UP THE SNOWY MOUNTAIN.
''Now we come to the great Wahsatch
mountains covered with snow from base
to base. We camped in the edge of the
snow and started up the mountain long
~ -.
lofty top stood upon the snow OF cen
turtles. AS the air was clear and pure
could see an immense distance. but could
behold nothing but land resting under
terrible curse. No tree or living thing
was visible-no stream watered the thirsty
land! It was too cold to look long over
the desolation. We unhitched the oxen
from the wagons, rough locked and let
them go. They went laundering down the
mountain and ran some distance into the
valley below. One was torn to pieces We
were then near the spot where Gunnison
was killed. We had somewhat better
country on to the Sierra Nevada We were
now in the Digger Indian country. These
people lived upon lizards. but so far as I
could see there was nothing to be found
for the lizards to live on. The snow of the
Sierra Nevada met US three miles in adj
vance of the mountain. We started to as
cend it at 1 o'clock in the morning, and
were across it after u o'clock the follow
ing night. When daylight came we found
that we were on the head waters of the
San Gabriel, and in California. It was
not an unusual occurrence for US to travel
at night, especially when the moon was
shining. We generally travelled until ma
ture forced US to rest.
A GREAT SHEEP COUNTRY.
IT Travelled from Southern California to
the upper country on horseback. a dis
lance of 500 miles. saw all Of the best
portions Of the State. believed then what
has since been proven-that California is
the greatest sheep raising country in the
world. Australia not excepted. The fly.
which is so annoying to the sheep west
of the Rockies, is not known on the Paci-
f1c slope. If the first settlers had gone
into the sheep business. in twenty years
the wool crop of the State would have
been worth more than all the gold that
has been dug from it's hills, and all the
pearls that have been gathered on her
shores.
.sIn 1853 I stood upon the heights Of the
Golden Gate. near San Francisco. with
the great ocean on one side and the fer
tile land of Contracosta on the other
Little did dream then OF what I would
live to see. The waves that rolled upon
that silent shore seemed to say. $50 far
shalt thou go. but hero shalt thy proud
march be stayed We have mounted the
| waves and sped 5000 miles across the
mighty deep, and unfurled the Stars and
/ Stripes upon the high mountains of the
Philippines and other isles OF the Pact
fc!'
KANSAS CITY THEN.
Mr. Crockett. in reply to question. said
THAT Kansas City was the larges. as well
las the last town that he passed through
after getting on the plains. It was Their