Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1915-12-16
Cur Journey TO
The Pacific Coast
By Ms. w. Fl. Newell BaraboO, Wis.
By Ms w. Fl. Newell,

| Mr.. Newell and | left homs for
he west, on August via Chicago.
The crops were looking good, though
late, that we saw on the way, until
we neared Chicago. To much rain had
flooded the fields and many of the crops
were past saving. We found greater
devastation as we awakened in Iowa
the next morning. There seemed to be
lakes all over the country, we could now
and then see tops Of hay stacks or a
fence post above the water The
country looked like that, most of the
days travel. Now and then on farm
on higher ground farmers were cutting
grain or had cut it but it was too wet to
stack. We spent the next day in Chey-
enne, the capital of Wyoming. 1t is a
very pretty city with good3buildings
and fine hotels. We met some former
residents of Baraboo there, MIR. Jenkins,
brother-in-law Of Judge Marshall
has large shoe store there. We took
train from Cheyenne north.13 miles
to Casa, Wyoming, where we visited
our daughters, Marguerite and Marie,
and MIR. Dolph. They have very com
Portable homes on their claims of 800
acres each. Marguerite had one field of
40 acres of flax which will yield $500.
1t was pretty sight when
in bloom. The crops were good
there, just rain enough. The old Ore
gon trail, now state road, passes their
home and there is much travel from
Denver to Yellowstone State park. AS
Mr.. Dolph has garage and repair shop
he is kept pretty busy at his trade.
during the summer and fall. 1t is a
nice place for tourists to camp, where
there is plenty of good water. Some
times q dozen different parties are there
at time. While we were there three
families came from Missouri in autos
to take up claims. Mr.. Dolph helped
them locate and surveyed their lands
for them. The land is all taken for
many miles in the valley where Mr..
Dolph is located. They went up into the
mountains and took up tablelands
wheresthere are running springs. Mr..
Newell accompanied them and enjoyed
the many rides up and over the Rockies
where it was so steep it looked az if
a horse could hot climb up. Nothing
but a Ford could run against such rocks
and roll them down the mountains.
They had their guns with them and
shot coyotes and smaller game, went
fishing and camped on the ground after
hail storm. They had just blankets
between them and hail stones. Mr. Ne
we'll seemed to renew his age and was
10th at the end of two weeks to start
on our journey to the Pacific coast.
We stopped for a5short visit at Mr..
and Mrs. Tolliffs, my sisters home, in
Laramie, Wyoming. Laramie is the
third city in size in the state. The al
titude is about 5000 feet. From the
State mining building situated there
you can see mountains covered with
perpetual snow in the distance. At
Sherman pass, just before we reach
the city, the altitude is 10, 900.
Leaving Laramie in the evening we
reachedOgden the next morning and the
Great Salt Lake about two hours later.
We rode forty miles on the bridge or oss-
ing the lake. part of the bridge being
formed by rocks. Where the lake was
deeper long steel bridges spanned the
water. There was a white substance
like froth floating on the lake.
From there until after we passed
through Reno, Nevada, the ground was
covered with white alkali dust and sage
brush. Now and then little patch of
land with hut on it and perhaps
few acres of green land irrigated, l
suppose. There were only the noun
tains in the distance to break the mono
tony. That view became monotonous
before the long day ended. The car
windows must be mostly closed to keep
out the dust that caused the flesh to
prickle, lipsssto bleede and throats to
parch. 1t was hot day and the ice
and water gave out at noon, no more
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