Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-02-21
FROM VERNON TO PACIFIC coAsr.
Miss Clara White. Former Teacher of
This County, Writes Thereof.

our journey across the continent start.
ing from MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota. Min
nesota is a rolling prairie covered with
grain and grass, while the prairies of
Dakota are level and seem to stretch for
miles and miles covered with fields of
yellow grain and here aud there house
set in to make the picture more com.
plete. At last one morning We awake
in Canada, at Portal, where as we are
in another country, our baggage is in
| spected by the custom house officers
They being satisfied with our goods the
train goes on, this time across the
prairies of Canada. The prairies of
| Assiniboia are fast coming into promi-
nence as a great wheat and oat raising
| country and settlers from the States, "
as the United States Is called, are rapid.
| iy coming here TO make homes for them
| selves. Now for long time rrairies
| prairies, as far az the eye Tan reach
Prairies covered with grass, grain. flax
| and dotted with great herds Of horses
and cattle. Houses ale very far apart
and reminded ms Of stories of early
settlements when one nearest ueighbor
was thirty miles away Here and there
| is seen the little red school house Of i'm
mortal fame, which reminds as that
even here education. the mistress of the
world, holds her sway We atOpped at
Moose Jaw, a place of . 100 inhabitants
and busy market town. The name is
taken from an Indian name meaning
THE creek where the white man mind
ed the cart with the moose law bone.
Specimens of the Indians may be seen
st all hours of the day, lounging about
the station.
From Moose Jaw the road leads us
through the basins of Old Wives Lakes,
which are alkaline and have no outlet.
Still we have the treeless plains like
those of the preceding days. They are
marked in every direction by old buiI alo
trails and SCARED and pitted by their
wallows. At Medicine Hat We encouu-
ter the proverbial hail storms Here the
road drops into the valley Of the river
Saskatchewan, in which are wells of
natural gas. From Medicine Hat we
pass through more prairie land dotted
with alkaline lakes End ponds At
Crowfoot we pass large reservation Of
Blsckfoot Indians. At last w reach
Langdon, where we get our first glimpse
of the white capped Rockies. What
reliet after nothing but prairies for 20
long! We soon cross the Bow river and
are among the foothills We stopped
few days at Calgary, Alberta, which is
the most important az we'll as the most
beautiful place between Brandon and
Vancouver. The population is B. 53s.
1t is in the center of the ranch and
and mining trade. Here We may see
the relocated officers Of Canadas
mounted police riding about on the
wiry western horses Men women and
children may be seen riding their bron-
chos at all hours of the day. We spend
delightful time here, then start for the
Rockies, whose snow-capped peaks can
be seen in the distance. A feeling OF
awe comes over us in anticipation Of the
wonders we are soon to behold. The
valleys by which the entrance to the
Rockies is made are the'grooved courses
of ancient glaciers. From Morely we
obtain fine view of the mountains from
the foothills rising tier on tier till their
snowy SUBMITS are seen against the SKY.
At Kananskis the mountains seem TO be
close st hand and to bar the path. Their
bases are of purDlish tint, farther mp
they look white and gold, while the
white peaks are dimly visible through
the mists. Here we hear the roar OF the
Kananaskis Falls on the Bow river.
This is q glacier fed river and Is Of
milky green color, while common
mountain stream may be foaming but
the water is clear. The mountains rise
abruptly here and a turn in the road
brings us between two almost verital
walls of rock. This is called The
Gap" It is through this gap that the
Bow river finds its outlet Here We see
the Three Sisters, Wind Mountain and
other prominent peaks The coIorlng
of these mountains is beautiful. It ills
one with awe to think of the power that
created these majestic heights and
painted them with the lovliest tints OF
nature. We see Hoodoos some ten
times the siz9 Of man and hard enough
to withstand the elements.
We stop at Banf few days to enjoy
the hot springs at this mountain resort.
II is situated among the mountains
whose peaks are not more than a quar-
ter Of mile away. The milky green
Bow comes lesping, tearing. tum6iink
before our door and not mile away are
hot sulphuA springs. This is an ideal
spot in which to spend summer Hne
park Is a national reservation with fine
| roads Here we see the buffalo and
other animals of the plains. The
AlE le GiGdE dtii tOAiAs <ApAAtfsAA4H +ASC
| on every side Here Swiss gnides lead
us to places of special interest. Sulphur
mountain Ia named from hot sulphur
spring which was discovered by some
railroad engineers They noticed smoke
coming from the side of the mountain
near the top and on investigating found
cave in which was large pool Of hot
water, emitting "a sulphurous odor
| From Banff, we take the train for Lag.
gan Now comes the most glorious
part OF our trip We now go steadily
up the mountain side up, up, till we
reach an elevation of five thousand feet.
The air grows colder End thinner At
Laggan we see the lakes above the
clouds, also famous glacier During
the season 1t is very difficult to gat good
or even poor accommodation AZ the
| hotels and boarding houses are un-
| able Ia care for the cores of people left
| bv each train. Here we change oar
| time from mountain 10 Pacific time,
This is the second time since starting
| that we have changed it. At Portal we
| char al for mountain time. Time ls
told a.fferently in Canada than in the
| United States p. III. is II o'clock,
| and 40 on till II =. II Ia reached winch
| Ia a o'clock. We now reached the val
lev of Ten Peaks, which are the highest
,,6int of the Rockies a trip through
| these is equal 10 q tour of the Alps. We
s,,on reach the summit, or as 1t ls some
times called The Great DIVIDE at an
elevation of $500 feet. The scenery
| A nyarkliuU atTpQm