Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-09-06
TEN THOUSAND NILES
IN FORTY-SIX DAYS
LAMBERT GRONIER RETURNED
SATURDAY FROM TRIP TO THE
COAST AND ALASKA.

Ten thousand miles in forty-SiX days
IS the record set by Lambert Groenier
who left Lancaster on July 18th and
returned home again last Saturday,
September 2. During that time Mr..
Groenier saw many wonderful things
some of which will be set down here.
Mr.. Groenier left home via Potosi
and journeyed first to Galesburg, Ill,
where he boarded the Santa Fe route.
The first point of interest was Santa
Fe, N. M, where the oldest church and
mission in the United States is still
standing. There is also a large mus
cum devoted to the ethnology of old
Spanish America.
The Grand Canyon Of Arizona and
Bright Angel trail were next visited,
Mr.. GrOenier leaving the train at Will
liams and going for eighty miles to
the brink of 'the biggest and deepest
rip in Old Mother Earth" The Grand
Canyon is aptly named and deserves
a capital letter, for it is 100 miles
long, from Is to 20 miles across and
a mile deep. The wonderful colOring
of the rock strata makes it a trip we'll
worth while.
Mr.. Groenier went through Needles,
California, where on July % the Their
mometer registered at 1T degrees in
the shade but he did not tarry long.
The fruitful region of southern Cal
ifOrnia and the wide-awake Mexican
town of Tia Juanan was next visited.
Tia Juanan is all gambling and horse
racing, being the mecca of Americans
who like that sort Of thing which is
barred in the United States 1t is To-
Gated just south of San Diego about
twenty miles.
A California trip would not be COM
plete without a visit to Mariposa
Grove, where the big trees flourish
grandly. Mr.. Gronier walked around
the "GriZzly Giant" which is 108 feet
in circumference, but he didn't climb
to the top-a distance of 300 feet. The
Yosemite, twenty miles further into
the mountains, is considered the most
wonderful valley in America. 1t is one
mile wide, one mile deep and six
miles long The Bridal Veil and the
Yosemite Falls are the SWunder~
Schonn" of this valley and worth go
ing all the way to see. lei Camille
Real or the Kings Highway, is the
automobile route through California,
a strip as even as Michigan boulevard
and hundreds of miles in length. Mr..
Groenier travelled over this road going
into the valley, but returned to Mer-
ced by rail, paying ten cents a mile
for 100 miles-ten dollars.
The water route from San Francisco
to Portland is made in two days and
and night The Great Northern
Steamship line boat leaves San Fran
cisco at 10 p. III. and reaches Astoria
at 3 the second afternoon. Thence by
rail to Portland, which is SO dead now
that thousands of people have left
there in the last few years, it is said.
Seattle via the Columbia river boat
and rail, was reached few days lat
er, and the really interesting part of
the trip to Vancouver, Victoria Prince
Rupert, the terminus of the Grand
Trunk railway and thence to Ketchi-
can. The three British towns are dead
but Ketchican, which is the first
American town in Alaska, is a -four
ishing place, Mr. Groenier says. Lum-
bering and fishing are the Industries
which makes this thoroughly Ameri-
can town in the Alaskan panhandle,
very prosperous.
Juneau, the capital of Alaska, was
the next point visited. This is a thriv-
ing city of 10000 inhabitants which
owes much of it's prosperity to the i'm
mense mines. The largest, the Tread
we'll mine, has a mill with 1000 stamps
grinding away on the low grade quartz
at an immense profit to the owners
Skaguay is the end of the "inside
passage" which extends 1000 miles
along the coast. The trip from Seat
is made entirely by water, with high
mountains on one side and tree-clad
islands on the other. For only six
hours, at DiXOn's Inlet, is the steam
er washed by the waves from the Pa
cific ocean. The rest Of the journey
is between the islands and through
calm and peaceful waters.
From Skaguay Mr.. Groenier took
the White Pass & Yukon railway
through Dead Horse Gulch and up to
White Pass. Then over White Pass to
Lake Bennett, distance of 100 miles,
where the steamers leave for Dawson
City. Mr. Groenier did not go to
Dawson, but he stood at the head
waters Of the Yukon and also saw the
great Denver glacier which is a
pocket of ice, miles long, towering
over a mile high and thousands of
feet deep below the surface. From the
base Of this body of ice spring the
waters of the great Alaskan river
which flows away 2,4OO miles to the
Arctic ocean.
Spokane, Washington, and Butte
Montana, are greatly fourishing these
days of high metal prices. Both are
the distributing points for valuable
zinc and copper mines. Butte is