Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1918-01-23
WILBUR S|MONS
DESCRIBES DUCKHORN
TEXAS EXHIBIT
HOPES TO GET JOB IN FORESTRY
SERVICE. SENT TO NORTH
WEST WITH TROOP TRAIN

SERVICE. SENT TO NORTH
WEST WITH TROOP TRAIN
January 3, 1918.
Dear Mother and All:
1t is now $3.50 and / am in the
kitchen car of troop train. There
are 500 fellows on here and all going
to Vancouver, Washington. Maybe
can't write straight, but will do the
best | can. We have provisions for
the five hundred here for ten days, but
don't think we will be very long on
onions now, and / am the private here
three colored cooks that stay right
with this car all the time and say,
they sure do fix up the grub. We had
the best coffee tonight we have had in
long time.
| didn't get the box of the ninteenth
so | guess | never will. / wrote to
DR.. Wilton and Lawrence Green. Now
if you can tell them not to write un-
til they sere from me for they won't
know my address. There are twelve
Pullman coaches, one baggage car,
one kitchen car and a caboose on our
train.
| am glad we are leaving Texas be-
cause the sand and dust is sure a
fright.
| wrote Harold a long letter and so
l will have to let him know of my
change. | thought ! would see all
the United StateS II could so / -ign-
ed for Washington. wei, 1 cart
think of any more TO write now so
will finish in the morning.
We have had breakfast consisting
of bacon, rice, jam, gravy and bread
and lots of it. These chefs are some
class.
We are going through the scenic
part Of Texas now and say the hills
are very pretty. You can see the
long-horned Texas steers and lot of
burrows grazing near the foothills,
but the hills themselves are just bar
rem masses of rock, like you see in
moving pictures.
Friday night went downtown with
fellow named Reed, who | met at
Columbus, and we saw the famous
Buckhorn saloon. They have the
greatest collection of horns in the
world. There is a steers head with
horns on it IL feet and inches from
tip to tip. following the curve of the
horns. There was also a deer head
with rs points. There are deer heads
with the horns locked together and
there was one where the horns of one
deer were stuck right into the other
animals eye, and that is the way
they found them. They have the
largest buffalo head in the world, and
the rattlers of some 10000 snakes all
made up in pictures and signs. One
sign read: Remember the Alamo and
the Buckhorn," and | always will for
it was some sight.
We are right along side of a hill
now that is better than $50 feet high.
We are not travelling very fast for it
seems to be mostly upgrade and the
tracks are as crooked as the Pere
Marquette.
We saw fight downtown the other
night between a Mexican and an
American soldier and the "Mex" bit
the soldiers ear and made it bleed,
but the American got the MEX" by
the throat and against wall and just
beat his face all in. Then he knocked
him down and beat his face some
more and choked him until you would
hardly know that the MEX" was a
human being.
| just saw a Ford up here in the
hills and its 500 miles from civilization
Have Dad tell Harley c., in the Ford
garage that they sure are some cars,
because they are the only ones you
see out on the desert trails, and the
trails are rough too.
hope | get good job in the woods
and if | can | am going to try and
get transferred to the Frestry Ser
vice.
All you see is hills and valleys and
more hills. Some of the boys are par
ing spuds for dinner, but / worked
later than they did so I am not going
to work very hard today. am sit
ting on the same bag of onions was
last night.
Tell Pat that the army is no place
for fat men because they only get fat
ter, but it don't come from eating
candy, but the candy is help.
They say it rains all the time in
Vancouver now, but that will be bet
ter than Texas sandstorms.
There is a fellow sick in the first
coach but we have no doctor on hand
so / guess he will be all right. Well,
my paper is running low, and | will
have to say goodbye for this time.
Ever your loving son and brother,
Wilbur.
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