The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-11-11

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seemed as yet too arid for farming
successfully.
The next morning we were delay
ed several hours at Mandan, there
being a washout ahead. We, how
ever, made good use of the time by
celebrating wedding before sun
rise that morning. There was on
the train gallant lover 62 years
old, from the back woods of Wiscon
sin-a veritable Rip Wrinkle
and his prospective spouse, raven
haired Dutch maiden less than one
third his age. 1t seemed that they
had intended getting married be
fore leaving ST. Paul, but had not
been able to find the proper author
tiles or secure a license. So, out OF
pure charity towards them, as well
as the treasury Of North Dakota we
took the initiative in finding a justice
in finding a justice of the peace and
thus helping the couple out of their
predicament. AS an adv. to Man
dan we asked the couple to pose be-
| fore what we called the editor S
camera and sought an interview for
writeup in the morning paper, to
which they somewhat reluctantly
consented Then we secured from
the porter OF the dining car an old
cake, had it refrosted and shaped
into wedding cake, and presented
it to the lucky bride. The fun
reached its climax when, an hour
later, the bride attempted to make
an impression upon it and discover
ed that it was nearly as ancient as
her husband.
AS we approached the western
part OF the state we approached the
so-called bad lands name truly APP
propriate. We were told that the
Creator left that part Of the earth
to complete on the sixth day, and
was caught by the approach of
night. Hence this part was left I'M
finished, and it certainly looks IN
finished The soft stratifed rocks
of this vast plain have been worn
down in places, leaving patches of
the strata standing, but Jagged and
contorted in every imaginable way.
In many places layers Of Ignite
we're observed in the eroded rocks.
This country presents very pecul
lar appearance, and quite different
from the impression usually gained
from our school Biographies.
In the midst of these bad lands
we came to small town named Me-
dora, where we we're told President
Roosevelt used to be a cowboy
Here he grazed his herds; here he
pursued the buffalo and the leopard;
and here as county sheriff he obey
ed the mandates of his superiors and
brought the criminal to justice.
We reached the Yellowsso tone river
at Glendive and from this point the
road runs parallel with the river to
distance of over 800
miles. At Livingston a spur of the
railroad runs south TO the Yellow
stone National park, and you may
be sure we were tempted to 90
down there. The traveller in Mon
tana will not see much attraction on
the first view, and to me the Vel
lowstone valley seemed a worthless
desert. But on my return trip, af-
ter having seen how irrigation had
made worthless desert lands in the
Yakima and Bitter Root valleys
worth several hundred dollars per
acre, there seemed to be fortunes in
that land, and when your Uncle
Sam once gets the Yellowstone riv-
err bridled and sent over that desert
you will see the Minnesota farmer
get the Montana fever, and Canada
will be dead and forgotten.
Day was just breaking over the
mountains as we passed Whitehall
and began the steep climb of the
main divide of the Rockies. Two
powerful locomotives were hitched
to the train and yet they were over
taxed. The road was cut into the
side of the mountain, and often so
curved that both ends of the train