The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-06-30
FROM FORT APACHE.
NOTES OF THE JOURNEY FROM FORT
CROOK, NEBRASKA, TO ARIZONA.

IONA, and surrounded on all sides fol
many hundreds of miles by the Apache
Indian Reservation. The Indians and
their strange customs and habits are OF
daily interest to me, as they are great
novelty, the first had ever seen, aside
from half dozen or so of our Old Town
Indians on exhibit at the Maine Sports
mans Show in Boston several years
ago But before l tell you of these In
dams and Fort Apache l wish to GO
back in retrospect over the space inter.
venlng between my last letter and this;
that same space containing many incl
dents-both agreeable and otherwise
never to be forgotten.
We made short sojourn at Fort
Crook, Nebraska, going there in Sep
TENDER last, and have nothing but
pleasant memories to cherish, both of
the place and the people we met. 1t is
a new post: all buildings are of brick
grounds are well planned and laid out,
walks. After a few more years i'm
provements it may well rank among
the foremost of our military posts.
Seven years ago the Wild prairie land
was taken up some few miles outside
the city of Omaha, the old Fort Omaha
in the heart of the city having been
abandoned at that time Fort Crook
lies in fertile land sloping down to the
NJ va q o.lCt UnSf
both the Burlington and Missouri "a
clio roads run past, with tiny depots at
the gates OF the fort. Scattered round
about are some we'll titled farms, with
comfortable farm buildings; also nu-
merpUs sQuatters' cabins, people who
are redeeming portions of the wild land
to make home. 1t is a great corn
growing country and fields of it stretch
along the highways for miles without
break. In November the husking sea
son began. Large teams We're driven
through the fields, while men husked
the ears into the cart until it was filled.
It was well along into December before
tie last of the crop Was garnered
In November my brother came from
Boston to visit US, enticed here by the
fascinating tales OF snipe, grouse, wood
cock and wild ducks so plentiful about.
and the beautiful weather We mad no
snow i'll Nebraska, except TWO little
splts," which hardly made the ground
look white, and it rained only twice in
the five months we We're there. 1t GER
tainly was fine weather most of the
time: the only dlSagreeable feature was
the wind, which blows more or less
every day The 10th of November we
gathered the last full blown roses on
our lawn. Then some frosty nights
scared the buds. Except for those
frOStS it was no colder the goth of
January when we left there. Later we
received the Omaha papers which told
of heavy storm sweeping Nebraska
and the adjoining States. Really felt
quite disappointed in failing to expert
ence one sample of a stiff old Nebraska
From the 10Th we We're three days on
our sleeper, going through Nebraska
and Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New
Mexico and Arizona, and saw no snow
except when crossing the Rocky Noun
tains, which presented much grand
scenery to my inexperienced eyes.
From the rich and fertile corn lands of
the Missouri valley we turned abruptly
westward at Kansas City and crossed
the great plains which stretch from the
Missouri to the foothills of the Rockies.
fiat and unbroken This land is prob ]
ably the greatest pasture in the world. /
II is poorly adapted to agriculture, but !
affords rich pasturage to the countless !
herds that roam from Texas to the Ca
madam boundary
The country is novel to a clown east !
! ankee,' but one tires of the monotony !
of view, and eagerly anticipates the |
scenery of tomorrow, when the grand .
canyons and peaks of the Rocky Noun |
rains will present themselves. We !
found ourselves next morning climb |
ing the slopes of the much-longed-for i
in temperature that fore !
bly, reminded us that we were in a
higher altitude; and looking from our |
we could see the sun glinting
III snoW-capped peaks that tower above
is y short halt at Trinidad, and then,
lraWn by two monster locomotives that
Dutfed and painted as if they realized
,he mighty task before them, we whirl-
ed out from quaint Trinidad-which l
would like to see and describe more
,l0sely-and began the long journey up
he magnificent Ration Pass. Here |
;ouid only think, what if this train
should break i'll two, and | in the por-
ION that went dashlng to the bottom.
was told to look, but could see only
he black shadows of the mighty walls
hat rose around us, and feel the throb-
ping of those straining locomotives.
slowly we wound up the divide, until
1t last we gained the summit and pitch
I'd forward down the other side. Then
ny fear was that the slide-if we took
,ne-would result in complete annihi-
alton of everything, ourselves, train
md mountain.
While passing through New Mexico,
eagerly scanned the--to me-llew
ypes of humanity, Mexicans or Greas-
rs as they are often called, and In
lians, and the odd little adobe houses
which receive their name from the ma
eriaI of which they are built These
tdobes are made of mud and straw,
ashioned roughly in rude moulds and
Tried in the sun. The more pretentious
buildings, especially in the villages we
passed through, are handsomely model
ID, plastered smoothly both outside
md in with the clay, and resemble
ray stone. In the dry climate this
withstands the weather for
many years, and makes the most COM
ortable of homes, as they are warm in
winter and cool in summer At AL
we stopped for supper at
he Alyarado. 1t is the finest railway
lotel in the Southwest and cost $685.
100. 1t is built in the Old Mission
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