Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-04-14

to mind that old saying that you are
generally safe from electricity on the
cars while in motion, for the light
ming was never known to strike a
moving train. The country west of
the Great Salt Lake is a salt plain
for many miles, known as Great Salt
Lake desert, and much of it has no
more vegetation than the load of gray
ell we haul out of pit. Odd to look
at, but an awful picture OF solitude.
Crossing Great Salt Lake by rail was
some what novel and it appears that
no obstacle is too great to overcome
today in the line of engineering. A
particular item of interest at the
present time is in connection with
Antelope island, the largest one of
the group located in the Great Salt
Lake, and about eighteen miles in
length. A fine herd of buffalo on this
island are being slaughtered-or may
have been before this date for aught
| know-for the work was to have
begun early in the winter. No real
reason can be given for this but it
is being done in the name of sport
and every humanitarian the country
over is indignant at this wanton and
cruel butchery of these noble ami
mails. Allow me to indulge in just
few words of railroad history at this
particular point. The Union Pacific
was built west over the mountains
and the Central Pacific was built east
from Sacramento, and these two
building crews met at Promontory
Point in Utah in May 1869, and thus
the Atlantic and Pacific were Joined
b. rail- The last tie was laurel wood
on which a silver plate was placed,
and the last spike was made of iron,
silver and gold Telegraph wires
were arranged TO send signals and as
the last blows were struck, bells were
rung in Washington on the east and
San Francisco on the west notifying
them of the completion of a trans
continental railroad. However, since
the. construction of Great Lake Cut
off, Promontory Point is missed and
this historic place is left by the way
side. There are many towns of in
terest in Wyoming among which is
Medicine Bow with the Medicine
Bow mountains to the southwest.
Around this old town is about as lone
some prairie as one ever sees. 1t
will be noticed that many towns in
wyoming get their names from some
natural condition existing or are of
Indian origin. Passing on to Laramie
we have the oldest white settlement
in the state, being established in 1884
and garrisoned as fort in 1S49. Ev-
cry reader of the early history of the
western states will remember that old
Fort Laramie is often mentioned and
that for years, prior to being aband-
oned, it was the scene of much Indian
warfare. Even as late as 1908 sew
eral people were killed in skirmishes
between the Whites and the Indians,
the trouble arising over the game
laws. AS we went through Laramie
on a quiet Sunday forenoon / could
not help but think of the days so very
long by when it was one of the cent
raj attractions of the wild and woody
west. The great stockyards at Lar
annie are an item of interest and it
goes to show that the ranges there af-
forded woderful pasturage for such
dry country. The name Laramie"
must be a favorite out there for they
have town, valley, a mountain
range, mountain peak, the plains,
and a fort, all honored by this his
toric old name. At Sherman, Wwom-
ing, we reached the highest point on
the route, being over a mile higher
than the main elevation in Iowa.
However, a little oddly lies in the
fact that the continental divide separ-
ating the waters flowing into the At
lantic and the Pacific oceans is not
at the highest point, but is at Cres-
ton III miles west of Sherman. Chey-
enne is city of much interest, it be-
ing the capital, and contains Ft. Rus
sell, a U. S. military post. Pine
Bluffs, on the state line between Wy
oming and Nebraska, is well named
from the bluffs and the pines grow
ing on them. At this place l again
noticed a huge saloon sign covering
the side of a building, placed in plain
view of the thousands who ride over
the Union Pacific, and while a very
poor advertisement, it looked like a
twin to the one / spoke of as seeing
in Humboldt, Nevada. The western
states hung onto the saloon with a
death grip, but it proved to be a
stranglehold. Arriving at North
Platte, Nebraska, we set our watches
ahead again to where they were last
fall, for while in California it will be
remembered our time was two hours
behind Iowa. At this place recalled
an item which was of interest to me
at least, for here on farm adjoin-
ing the town, Hon. w. f. Cody (Buf-
falo Bib erected a residence and
moved into it as his home in 1878. In
his STORY of the Wild West" he re-
fers to this delightful homeaof theirs
in the prairies of the far west. How
ever, he did not spend the remainder
of his life here, but moved on west
and was finally laid to rest on a
mountain in the Rockies. On Sunday
morning, March 9th the first town
recognized was Rawlins, Wyoming,
and the last one that evening about
dusk was North Platte, Nebraska. The
distance travelled was 400 miles and
practically all the way through
prairie country. What treat it
would have been to have gone over
that same route about the time the
Pacific railroads was completed. Buff
falo, prairie chickens, deer wild
game of all kinds in western para
disc; but now forever gone. Spend
ing Sunday crossing the Great Plains
is full of interest in a way, but is not
to my liking for / would rather be
where / could hear the church bells
ring. On this particular Sunday a
little incident occurred which was of
SDecial interest IN me- thouph sad
Many persons will doubtless recall
the song In the Baggage Coach
Ahead" sung by ]. w. Myers and
others. This was common on the
graphone records some fifteen or
twenty years ago. The song portray
ed a man and his little child on the