Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-03
ALONG THE OLD TRAIL
Days When Fort Laramie Was
the Metropolis.
MORMON ROUTE TO UTAH
Rebellion Against Brigham Young
and How He Crushed It.
BEN HALLIDAY'S PONY EXPRESS
Got Million a Year for Carrying
Mails From the Missouri
to the Pacific.
BEN HALLIDAY's PONY EXPRESS
RY WILLIAM +. CURTIS.
,ecial Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

| RY WILLIAM +. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
| Chicago Record Herald.
/ LISk. Wyo.. July 2a. 1909
\ shor, distance below I.usk is Raw
/ Thorpe who ran the stage coaches be-
tween Cheyenne and Deadwood in early
times, had his headquarters. and
La ranch whose hospitality was
known TO every army officer and from
| tiersman in this part of the world. Mr.
Thorpe was typical pioneer and ms
son and namesake, Russell Thorpe, lr.'
i is fine type of the "westerner of the
present generation. He owns the ola
4 ranch with a big herd of sheep and is
| interested in several important enter
prises in Minnesota and Wyoming. He
! is manager of the asphalt works on the
Washable reservation which promises to
| be an important development
| The genuine DeadWood coach with all
its appurtenances, including steel treas
ure chest in which gold used to be
| brought out of the Black Hills, the
harness worn by the horses. and even
the buffalo robes in which the winter
passengers wrapped themselves. are
| preserved in Mr. Thorpes stable here at
| Lusk; probably the only complete stage
outfit of the oldtime transportation In
| existence. 1t ought TO go to the Ma
| tional Museum at Washington ana
| hope Mr. Thorpe will send it there as
| loan il not as a gift The so-called
/ Deadwood coach. used in the thrilling
| episode in the Wild West show, so IA
| miliar to everybody. is also genuine ana
is one of several coaches used by Nlr
Thorpe on his several lines, but the
outfit preserved by his son is more COM
plete.
Mr.. Thorpe is one of the commissioners
| of the state fair. which is held annually
at Douglas, forty miles west of TINS
place. the last week in September. and
| this year will he an unusually interest
| ing exhibition of the resources of Wyo-
ming as we'll as a reunion of the early
| settlers.
Route of the Trail.
The old Mormon trail from Council
Bluffs to Salt Lake City passed through
this way following the North Platte river
via Grand Island, kearney, Guernsey,
Fort Laramie, Douglas and Glen Rock,
where Brigham Young made his first win
ter camp. then westward, following the
North Platte river via Caspar 10 the
mouth Of the Sweetwater and following
that stream through the South Pass OF
the Continental Divide into Green river
valley. There are traces of Mormon oc-
cupatton all tho way along.
The stages to the Black Hills followed
very closely the present line of the COL
Chugwater. and then turned off to tine
east, crossing the North Platte at old
Fort Laramie. and proceeding northward
| via Rawhide Buttes to Deadwood
Fort Laramie was the first garrisOned
military post in the west, and is associat-
| ed with more historic events and Incl
dents than any other. From first to last
its history is full of tragedy and would
| fill a volume of the most thrilling stories
| of the frontier. 1t was originally ranch
and trading store belonging to Jacques
Laramie, French-Canadian who had a
| band Of trappers of his own race work
ing the streams in the foothills Of fhe
Rocky mountains for furs and buying
skins of the Indians in trade. The furs
were packed on horses and mules to
Grand Island on the Platte river, where
they were f1oated down to st. Louis via
the Platte and Missouri. The trappers
who conveyed the furs to that city would
bring back caravans of merchandise
which was used for trading.
Killed by the Indians.
Although Laramie was lover of peace
and a friend of the Indians, he was the
victim of a cowardly assassination by the
Arapahoes about 1890. His ranch and
| fort were taken over by the American Fur
company, but always bore his name Gen.
Fremont, who visited the fort in 1912,
gives description of the place in his re-
port: Francis Parkwam the author was
| there I'm 1S46 and remainded several
months. lie met three grandsons OF
| Daniel Boone. At that time and for forty
years Fort Laramie controlled the fur
business and was the principal trading
post in the west. with a patronage OF
many thousand of Indians.
| Upon Fremonts recommendation an
appropria ton was made by Congress in
| 1916 for the establishment of three mill
| tary posts along the trail to protect the
| tide of immigrants that was flowing to-
ward Oregon. The first was Fort Lara
| mie; the other two We're Fort kearney
near Grand Island. Neb and Fort Hall. on
| the upper waters of the Columbia river
| in eastern Oregon.
] The trails to California and Oregon both
passed through Fort Laramie. and the re-
cords Of the post show that within a
year after the famous journey of Dr.
| Marcus Whitman TO Washington to save
| Oregon in the winter 1S42-3 more than
1000 persons passed over TINS ,rall shout-
! ing Fifty -four-Forty or Fight" which
| meant that the people of the United
States insisted that the British should
respect that parallel of latitude as the
| boundary between the United States and
! Canada If YOU want to know the IN
| side political history of that movement
| read Emerson Hough's recent novel of
/ that title.
Or. Whitman. the missionary that saved
/ Oregon and Washington to the United
| States bv making a winter journey over
| the mountains and the plains of Washing
!, tom went back through Fort Laramie
| ACCOMPANIED by escort OF 1.Uo lmmi-
| grants with 300 wagons and $50 horses
/ in the summer of 1S43. passing along this
| trail Gen. Fremont followed him and
| confirmed DR.. Whitman's stories concern
ing the value of the country
Ion to Oregon"
| ION to Oregon was the cry until lS49,
| ION to California. the cry from
| 1s3a to 1888 and then Pixies Peak or
/ Bust" Between May and October. 1919.
| more than 5000 immigrants passed
| Through Fort Laramie to the gold fields
| of California and many more went by
! the other trails. while others took ship
around the Horn via the Isthmus of Pan
| anna
| The Mormon migration was in 1S4i. and
the first section of that great train passed
| Fort Laramie in May of that wear. Ii
| consisted of a party of 40 men and wom-
!. en-. with seventy-tWo wagons. and, &C
cording to history. they had the best outfit
that ever passed that place. II was there
that the greatest crisis in the history OF
| Mormanism and the life of Brigham
Young occurred, and he met il in man
ner that proved his courage and ability
as leader. The scouts he had sent
on TO spy out the land Joined him at