Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1903-12-04
CHAPTER III.

| can remember incidents, place
and things, but find that I canno
locate them. In attempting to d,
so, may be three hundred mile
of. Where was Chimney Rock
Somewhere on the plains.
The train had been moving west
ward across a level country, fo
days it may have been, where NJ
tree was to be seen; but, looking
ahead, far in the distance, saw {
bush, which, as we moved along
continued to grow until the shades
of evening began to darken intc
night and we went into camp. Ir
the morning about the first objecr
that attracted my attention wal
that bush, which now appeared tC
have grown to be quite sapling
By noon it had grown to be tree
and about sunset we were under itE
branches, and, | think, went into
camp near it. 1t was a very large
pine tree, the round, straight trunk
towering up like a great column
and supporting spreading top
This was the "Lone Pine" Fol
several years after / could hear oi
the "Lone Pine" from immigra nts
following our trail, but later was
told that it had been cut down fol-
firewood.
Another object that attracted my
attention was Chimney Rock. II
was near the line of our march
and we could see it for several days
before we passed near it. At first
we could see only pinnacle afar
off, looking much like a chimney
flue or church steeple; but, as we
travelled "a 4 appes red to be some
wbat digided into twp of thsse
PORTS 1 th ap sris %.
ING much higher than the others,
Nearer, we could see that the
chimney like pinnacles were on
the top of mountain or high hill,
and that beyond and not far from
it was an irregular range OF
mountains. l could not form an
opinion as to the height Of this
chimney rock, but it seemed to me
to touch the sky. Some of the
young men visited the rock that
evening, and returned late at night.
They declared it was ten miles
away. Immigrants afterwards told
me that Chimney Rock had con-
tinued to crumble and fall away
from year to year until it was about
all down, and that unique and far
famed landmark has about passed
away.
think it was in this part of the
country that we found the prairie
dog towns. The prairie dogs seemed
to prefer city life, for we always
found them living in towns or
cities. The population of some of
these cities was as great as that of
Greater New York. The dog is
about the size of young puppy.
As we would pass through or near
their towns, they would come out
OF their holes and sit up straight
on their hindquarters, always near
their burrow, and utter something
like yelp. On the slightest alarm,
they would drop into their holes. 1
saw owls sitting among them, and
it is said that dogs, owls and rattle
snakes lived together in the same
hole.
1t seems that matches were not
in use when we crossed the plains,
and to get fire, at times, a man
would rub cotton rag in powder
and shoot it out of a musket, or
put 1t in the pan of a fint-lock gun
and then explode the powder in
the pan. A flint, steel and punk
were often used in starting a fire.
Many of the guns were flint-locks,
but some were called percussion |
guns, with nipple and cap, and all
were muzzle leaders.
Antelopes and long-eared rabbits
we're everywhere. Father had two
black dogs called greyhounds. They
we're very fast runners. and could
soon pick up a rabbit, but when
they chased an antelopeit was quite
different. One day an antelope
had in some way been separated
EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST teacher.
Use Acker's English Remedy in any