Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-17
MACHINE PLUNGE s
ACROSS DESERT
Party of Four Makes Trip from
Reno to Calgary and
Butte
CLIMBS CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
Leaves Beaten Paths and Makes
Its Way Through the
Sage Brush
CLIMBS CONTINENTAL DIVIDE

BUTTE, Mont, July 16.-Twenty-
blue canopy of heaven stretching over
them, spanning mountain miles and
long stretches of alkali fiat. has been
the delightful experience of Mr.. and
Mrs. e. ]. Williams and Mr.. and Mrs.
Richard McGrew of Reno, who have
just completed 25OO mile automobile
trip from Reno. New, to Calgary, Can
ada. and thence to Butte.
The party is now resting up in this
city and the big Studebaker 40" is
being given a rest in one of the Butte
garages. The party during the trip
encountered all kinds of weather, ala
kinds of roads, and evry variety of
scenery. from the winding road around
the lofty mountain side to the mushy
roadway of the meadow.
BAD WEATHER
The party left Reno on May and
reached Calgary on June 2, making
the total mileage of 1900. The trip
was actually accomplished in seven
teen days, as bad weather at different
points made it necessary for the party
TO make a number of stops of varying
duration. Equipped with a complete
camping outfit, the two men and the
two women loitered along the road,
hunted. fished and took life easy. but
with all covered more than 100 miles a
day while they We're travelling.
At night only the whispering from
the mountain pine or the howl of coy
ote and the hoot owl kept them com
pany. while during the day they passed
over roads which few automobiles had
ever been over, and during the entire
ri 81 turo Gif Of ~
consequence. In some of the districts
through which the Studebaker passed
the farmers were startled when they
saw the horseless wagon, despite the
impression to the contrary,tha the gas
wagon has invaded every section of
the country, both remote and well pop
ulated. Mr.. Williams says he met
many farmers whom he was satisfied
had not seen a machine before. Ger
tatinly the horses had not, for ii was
frequently necessary to pull up on the
side of the roadway to avert serious
smashup.
DESERTED TOWNS
The party crossed the continental di-
vide three times, and at Junction, a
point near Salmon City, an elevation
of $3.50 feet was attained. Starting
northwest from Reno over the north
ern area of the Ralston desert. the
trail near FairEiew, and by the ruins
of many of the old mining camps of
Nevada. relics of the days when the
sagebrush state was in the pristine
days of glory, when cities and hustling
little shack towns dotted the desert,
and when $40 gold pieces We're the
cheapest thing in the market. AT each
of these camps, Golconda, Tuscarora
and a score of others, the party found
only remains to mark the era of the
days which gave Nevada a silver pro-
duction of a billion dollars, tumbled
down buildings, inhabited by tarantu-
las and horned toads.
From the time the party left Tus-
carora until it reached the Mountain
Home ranch, near Salmon City, a dis
tance of 200 miles, the ranch houses
were few and far between and not a
settlement was passed during the en-
tire stretch of country. The party did
not for a moment feel the influence of
the solitude. Days were filled with a
rapidly unfolding panorama, and
changing scenes gave every minute a
zest and a new pleasure. Mrs. Nc
Grew and Mrs. Williams, after the
camp outfit was unpacked each night,
unfolded the well filled larder which
was strapped on the rear of the ma
chine and prepared supper for the