Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-12-31

Il
places. They intend to cover this
with gravel which Is handy most any
| place through the woods Here is as
fine fir timber as can be found in the
state, large and towering as much as
thirty feet high and straight as can be,
fine cedars which are used for making
shingles, hazel brush as high as an
ordinary house and pretty curly ma
pie. The wood are covered with green
moss and where the woods have not
been touched by fire or saw it is so
thick the sun never shines through in
places. The streams are very clear,
being dark colored from the woods. |
stayed around Lynden ten days and
went hunting in the woods with the
boys and had good time.
On the It'll of December | left the
Nooksac valley, took stage to What
comb, went by boat to Seattle, stopped
in the city for breakfast and at two
o'clock p. m. was on my way to Port
land, Oregon. Arrived there the even
ming of the 9th and stopped only few
hours. II is large city and rains
there all winter. heard lady say
she was gathering up relics to take to
her home at Kansas City, Mo-, and
that she was going to take home an
Oregon cat but the thing had been out
in the rain so much its tail growed
straight up. So she left the cat to die
or live in Portland.
From this place ! went down the
coast to Sacramento, California. II
is q fine city being built on the banks
OF the Sacramento river. The valley
is fine but has to be irrigated to raise
late crops, such as fruit and truck.
The wheat is sowed In the fall so that
it is ripe before it gets so dry in the
summer. That is the place | saw the
oranges and lemons hanging on the
trees. They get ripe about Christmas.
The grass Is green all winter and
flowers bloom in the open yard in
January. 1t is u fine place TO live il
money is plenty. i got shaved and
what was the bill? 60 cents. So il
any of my readers wish to get shaved
take along your tools when you go
west. thought when ] got To Cali
fornia would find fruit cheap. Well,
two apples for nick, that's the price.
! can beat that in Iowa. When | got
to Sacramento | went out after dinner
and took the Oak Park cars for spin
across the city. Oak Park is fine even
at this time of the year, December 10,
fine trees and flowers that could not
be seen in Iowa. There wasn't any
thing going on in particular, but there
is all kinds of things there for amuse-
ment on certain days. went across
the city to the draw bridge across the
Sacramento river. This bridge was
quite sight to me, trains running be-
low and wagon and foot travel over
head. This stream is navigable for
good sized steam boats.
AT 10 p. m. on Dec 10th took the
cars for Ogden and arrived there at
500 on the morning of the second day
This is nice Utah town. There are
plenty of mountains and plenty Of
snow ut this place. Not great way
east of Ogden the Devils Gate" is
passed, the Devils Slide" an echo
Canyon" There is all kinds of seen
cry through these mountains, red
steam boat rock, color of brick, sew
eral hundred feet high, DEVILS looking
glass, natural tunnel, several small
tunnels on down the line to tunnel
one and one eighth mile long, the
longest on the road. Close to Evans
ton between here and Granger across
the alfalfa plains the ground is as
white as dirty snow and nothing
grows, not even sage brush. Water
is very scarce and it don't look as
though it ever rained. Don't see
much farming until the Platte Valley
is reached. Here are hay stacks with
out number. Got into Omaha in the
dark evening Of the 18th and on to
Madrid the same night.
Yours Truly,
FRANK w. SMITH.