Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-06-12
v, MO-, THURSDAY, JUNE II, 191
From Thomas B. Polk.

neglected writing so long but will
write you few lines. The REGISTER
seems like Misso uri visitor every
week. We have failed to get two or
three copies for some reason.
have been thinking of writing
few lines to tell you what I have done
through the winter, and will write
you soon and tell it.
Well, am working on a ranch for
man by the name of j. L. Hainey.
don't believe I ever worked for q
better man in my life. He was born
in Kentucky.
Well, to give you an outline of my
story. My nephew, John Ashlock
and wife, from Silver Mines, Mo-, ar
rived in Colorado the 18th of April,
and they are we'll pleased with the
country.
To-day, the 25th of May, Mr..
Hainey and family, with Mr.. Ashlock
and wife, and my wife and l this
morning at eight O'Clock, IL of US in
all, started for the mountains. We
/ passed through some noted towns,
Fort Collins which has a population
of 15,000 and Fort Loarmier. The
drive was fine. We started out up
the Poudre River and to see the fine
farms on the route was amazing. The
alfalfa from six inches to waist high,
and to see the water running in the
irrigating bitches was fine. With the
fine fresh air, which we have all the
time. The distance was about 35
miles. When we got in about four
miles of the foot hills a man would
swear he was going down hill and the
water in the bitches was running up
hill. Where we struck the foot hills
1 they we're covered with brush that
look something like the Missouri
huckleberry but has no fruit. No
timber at all, only few scrubby pines,
Then we struck the Poudre Canyon
which we followed up about eight
miles. The roads. were fine. The
river is beautiful stream. The road
has been built with convict labor.
Along the side of the mountain some
places the road is 25 or 80 feet above
the water and a mountain of rock
| probably 300 or 400 feet high on the
other. We passed several dams in the
river, where there was cut out for
irrigating. All the water is drawn
out for that purpose.
| We went up the Poudre to the first
filtering plant of the Fort Collins
water works. Got there at 1O:3O A.
NJ. My nephew and I crossed the
river on cable stretched across with
car swung on it for about four to ride
in. Then we started up mountain
which was about thousand feet. 1t
was hard climbing but as we had a
| field glass with us we stopped once in
while to see how far we had got.
When we reached the top we could
look down in the canyon and the peo-
pie looked like real small children
walking around.
| There were lots Of people up there
fishing that day as that was the first
day of the fishing season. While ON
this mountain you could look up the
canyon and see the river winding
through with the high mountains on
each side. The river made bend the
shape of a horseshoe, where we drove
our cars up, and to 60 around here it
was mile or SO, and right straight
through it was not more than 400 feet.
There are wire fences built across
these mountains and it doesn't look
like a man could climb it himself.
The cattle range all over the noun
tains; itlooks like COW would starve
to death. They feed on little blue
looking grass. They say that quart
of this grass is equal to feed of oats
for stock.
The mountains are covered with
prickley pears. 1t is no wonder the
red man thought SO much of the
western country. To gaze upon those
high peaks is one of the greatest
scenes 1 have ever seen. One man
told me when I went the first trip
called for another one, and I want to
go worse now than ever
We lacked twenty miles of going to
the end of the road. 1t is fine fishing
: up there for mountain trout. l saw a
doctor by the name of Haskell from
} Windsor that went up on Saturday
and came back Monday. He and
, three other men caught over 300
! mountain trouts from seven to nine
J inches long You can't catch any
+ thing under seven inches long.
They haven't got any ticks or
chigers here at all, but some Of the
} largest mosquitoes / ever saw.
: WeTate our dinner about P. M.
/, and started homeward at 8. On our