The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1911-04-14
A DAY in THE =,
MOUNTAINS.

]
SER telling of day spent in the
mountains in Arkansas. -...
For years Arkansas has been spoken
Of by many people in a peculiar slight
ing vein, Influenced to do so largely
no doubt by having read certain lit
erature, the Arkansas Traveller among
the number. However this view does
not obtain in the minds of the great
majority who go and mingle with the
people; view its grand natural scene
ry, drink of its limpid streams of pure
soft water as it gurgles from its foun-
tains in these the Boston division of
the famous Ozarks.
1t is impossible for the writer, or
any pen to do justice in full to the
imprints of Providence accentuated
here to the view. We gaze South
from our viewpoint, we are on the
first bench or level fifty feet above
the swift surging purlid waters of the
White river, three quarters Of mile
away over gradual ascent punctured
here and there by precipices of vary
ing heights open another level, the
whole surface covered by dense growth
of forest trees of every variety known
to the north temperate zone, at an
altitude of nine hundred feet above
the bed of the river, our ewes meet
the sumit of the mountains. We fol-
low the road leading thereto later,
our object being to view one Of the
grand scenes of nature caused by
some vast sIbterranean upheaval of
natural forces, called the Chimney
Rock, huge pile of stone on the crest
of the mountain topped with diverse
stones resembling chimneys open to
the view from miles away. 1t was no
child's play making that ascent; but
in its accomplishment is added to my
experience one of the greatest tro-
phies of my career. We found that
thousands had been there before us,
the whole surface of the rocks being
covered with names and we added
ours. In the vicinity is a natural re-
cess in 6 towering rock used as rem
devious by bushwhacker band dur
ing the war. The remnants of breast
work are yet Observable. Still farther
away in a vast precipitous rock ma
ture has fashioned a perfect habitable
room proportionate and regular, lead
ing from the room directly back into
the heart of the rock is narrow way
just sufficient to admit passage of an
individual opening into another cham
ber not so large as the first. These are
truly remarkable freaks of nature.
On the return trip we came by and
examined remarkable object, a
huge stone, cylindrical cube stand
ing on one of it's cubic edges and
about Twelve feet high,-not another
stone near. This stone is on my bro
theirs farm and was used by an old
settler. who from its top would shoot
deer as they came to an adjacent
lick; hence it is called the Cotton
Tail Rock. a.
However, have omitted In its reg
ular order to mention an incident in
my experience attending the trip
which was far reaching. The road to
the Chimney Rock is winding and as
we came to the base of the mountain
and the chimneys appeared so near
that Notwithstanding the remon.
strances of my guides, resolved to
scale by what seemed to me was the
shortest distance and then trouble be-
gan. Were eyer you placed in such
predicament that you took two
steps forward and found Yourself
three steps backwards, or did you
ever have the earth to set itself ND
on edge right in front of you SO you
were compelled to get down cat fash
ion and crawl, or did you ever start
any where and realize before you got
there that it was half dozen times
farther than you thought? II you can
answer all these questions in the af.
firmative and realize what it is to
pass safely by a wild cats den you
may know the relief / felt when I
reached the summit. was pegged
out, worn ont and played out for
week afterwards.
Some of the people here are very
primitive but schools abound and the
next generation will be an improve
ment. Some housewives use the fire.
place to cook on as in the Colonial
days. They are generally hospitable,
kind and honest. rode on horse
back and visited great manv homes.
Homes are very poorly built. we
would freeze TO death il compelled to
live In them in Dakota. ] was always
invited to eat with them and one day
tried to do justice to the meal but ]
utterly failed, as the only kind of
bread was corn bread and so hard
could not bite it. So had to do like
Mother Hubbard's dog, do without
any.
Land here will produce as much to
the acre as Dakota but the area for