The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-09-04


in good humor and high spirits for
the long ride for the far west.
1t was the writer's third trip over
the Union Pacific. The oftener one
goes over this splendidly equipped
ROAD the better one likes it, It is the
great through route to California and
carries large per centage of travel
to Washington and Oregon. Going
through Nebraska the road follows for
miles the original overland trail of the
forty miners and as such the tourist is
constantly reaching some point of
surprising interest connected with
those early and thrilling days which
bore such an important part in the
opening and building Of the great
west. The Union Paciic's overland
trains are as finely equipped as any
running across the continent, all of
them carrying the finest of Pulimans,
diners, library and buffet cars-not
forgetting the barber who will shave
you at fifty miles an hour and never
leave a mark. So perfect is the road
bed that the mighty locomotives pull
trains of ten to fifteen coaches and
Pullmans almost fifty miles an hour as
even as a swallows flight. The com
pany is now spending thousands of
dollars in reducing the curves and
grades in Wyoming, particularly a
short distance west Of Cheyenne
Since the writer went over the road
several years ago, a new line has
been opened from Buford to Laramie,
piercing the same mountains over
;; which the Union Pacific trains were
/ forced to climb since the road was
first opened. A tunnel nearly mile
long now lets the trains through and
greatly reducing the danger Of acci-
dents.
Leaving Omaha at midnight, break
fast time in the morning found us
three foufths of tie way across Ne
braska-at North Platte-the county
seat Of Lincoln county and headquart-
ers of the largest live stock interests
in the state. This is the end of the
first division Of the u. p. and located
here are the company's extensive re-
pair shops. The railroad was com
/ pleted to this point in the fall of 1866
and, incidently, the men who built
it-and to half way across the conti.
nent, where the golden spike which
united the west and east ends and
completed the road, was driven-were
the Easement Bros, of Painesville,
Ohio,-life-long acquaintances of the
writer's.
4 From Omaha to the mountains, all
the way across the plains of Nebraska,
4 it is a steady up hill pull. The eleva-
tion of Omaha is 1,O31 feet; at Kerney,
! 200 miles west, it is 2,146; at North
Platte, 300 miles away, it lis 2,796, and
at Kimball, way out on the extreme
end OF the state, the elevation is
!, 1851. The elevation increases steadi-
ly as the road finds its way across
7 Wyoming until the continental divide
r is reached 80 miles west of Rawlins,
r where the road crosses the mountains
e at an elevation Of 7,l00 feet.
The first interesting town after
! leaving North Platte is Julesburg. Ir
S 1865 the Overland Stage company
: maintained an important station al
s. this point. Troops were scattered all
J along the route, and frequently hae
It to escort stages from one station t,
u another, on account Of the hostile
= red men. Many conflicts were wage.
i between the whites and Indians il
e and about Julesburg. AS late as 1871
e the Sioux and Cheyennes numberin,
y 200 warriors attacked Fort Sedg
r wich, then occupied by a small fore
of fifty men, but were successfully re
"a pulsed. Later in the same year the
!. burned the station house of the stag
n company. The building of the Unio
" Pacific was accomplished only by cor
d stant fighting Of the reds all the wa
er west Of North Platte.
Ell Cheyenne, Wyo,, is the next town G
q Importance and is reached in th
al middle Of the afternoon. It is th
lg capital Of the state and a beautifr
er city in most God-forsaken lookin
u country. The beautiful static
n grounds-a lovely enclosed park (
n. lawn and trees and vines and ivy an
er flowers and the handsome ston
t. station building itself appears lik
40 an OASIS "a garden spot in a desert
r to the tourist after the long rid
TO across the dreary plains of wester
Nebraska and the first seyenty-fy
1g miles of Wyoming. The town is sitl
Sc ated on a broad plain and has a popl
Ae. lation Of about $4,000. 1t has man
IS elegant business houses and home
o. and is a thoroughly up to date cityi
n municipal improvements. Fol
'al Russell, one of the most importaf
Confined on eigth paga.l