, 1923-02-01

the road when the first 40 miles
were completed. Upon this occasion
Thomas c. Durant, general manager,
George Francis Train, promoter. the
chief engineer of the road in connec-
ton with Col. Simpson. corps Of en-
gineers, U. 8. A., and invited guests.
were passengers.
IA large body of Indians came
down to see the first train. Their
village was on the bottoms up
against the bluff. not very far from
the site of the old fair grounds on
the north limits OF the city. The
locomotive wheels were painted a
bright red, with lavish brass trim
mings, there being wide brass bands
around the boiler at intervals OF
FURNISHED and the locomotive looked
splendid. 1t attracted the Indians
who came with their sQuaws; and
papooses and were mounted on
ponies. Upon a given signal the
engineer blew a few loud blasts of
the whistle, and elected long spurts
of steam from the cylinders at either
side of the iron horse. The din was
%deafening. The Indians took fright
and ran off in every direction. But
in time the redskins got used to the
iron horse. 1t was a common thing
to see races every day along the
track, the Indians whipping their
fle%et-footed ponies to their utmost
speed in trying to out-run the To-
connective.
"In 1867 the Indians became more
aggressive toward the railroad. A
body of Sioux Indians made an at
tack upon a train and tore up some
three miles of rails and scalped the
engineer of a work train, who, how
ever, survived and is living to this
day.
- Beginning Of Cheyenne --
I'm the early part Of 1867, under
Mr.. Evans. I had charge Of an or
iginal exploration in the Rocky
Mountain section to see IL possible
whether a better route than the one
we had previously surveyed could
be discovered. The western termin-
al at that time was at North Platte,
900 miles west OF Omaha. AS 1t was
very important to determine the
crossing before the road reached the
foot of the Black Hills we started
in March. The weather was very
nice. We left the train at North
Platte and took our wagons. making
fairly good progress. We had travel
ed Just one day when a fearful snow
storm set in, covering thu entire
country with one foot of snow. The
weather became intensely cold. our
thermometer indicating 28 degrees
below. We therefore had to travel
afoot at the rate of 20 to Is miles
a day, wading In snow all the way
to the Black Hills. When we reach
ed the foot Of the Hills the snow
was 30 deep we could not cross. and
in order to utilize the time We de-
termined to lay out a townsite which
we called Cheyenne. We formed a
town-and-lot-company under a gen.
eral law. taking up q government
claim Of $50 acres within a town
site area. We elected a mayor and
clerk In due form. There was no
habitation within 60 miles of this
point. Three weeks later we crossed
the Black Hills over the snow and
commenced a survey to the north
west under personal charge OF
Percy T. Brown, graduate OF the
Troy Technical school. a very prom
OF Mr.. Van Buren,. en.eg engineer,
Brooklyn, New York.
Rctiskin Ruthlcssncss
I'VE did not get very far before
We were annoyed by Indians. and
when we reached Rick Lake some
OF our men were cut off from the
main party by Indians who succeeded
in scalping n young man. Stephen
Clarke. Of Albany. New York. They
cut off another nan who accom-
panied Clarke but he was rescued
before the Indians got . chance to