The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-08-14
By Martha Edgerton Plassmann

situated on the south side O.
the Platte river below Lar
annie, are Chimney Rock anc
SCOTS Bluff; the former on &C
count of its peculiar appearance
and the latter because of the story
that is attached to it. Both, not
withstanding the great width Of
the Platte, are plainly observable
from the north side of the river,
for a long time before being
abreast of them.
An uncle of mine, who made the
overland journey to California in
1850, charged IS to visit Chimney
Rock on our way across the Plains
in 1868, as he had inscribed his
name on this natural monument
and he was curious to learn if it
was still discernible. To carry out
his request would be no easy task
as it entailed fording the Platte,
and a long walk afterwards.
When we were opposite the
Rock, it was asked. "Who of us
will visit it?"
It was out of the question for
any one to care to cross the river
two days in succession, and my
father, then Judge Edgerton, said
said he did not care to visit CHM
ney Rock, but he was anxious to
say he had been to SCOTS Bluff.
1t was finally settled that Colonel
Sanders, his wife, and my cousin,
Lucia Darling, should be the ones
to look for the inscription, and the
rest of us would eserve our ex-
cursion for the following day.
Provided for an all-day trip, the
Sanders party set out the next
morning, taking an ample lunch-
con with them. They returned in
the evening, reporting they had
enjoyed the day, and met with no
adventures other than being
threatened by a rattlesnake, which
they killed. But they searched
in vain for the name of Benjamin
having been o%bliterated
by many seasons of snow, rain, and
wind, or lost under the countless
names more recently cut into the
The next morning early, my
father, mother, brother, Amoret
Geer, Henry Tilden, and I set out
for SCOTS Bluff. We were not
opposite it, and we realized that it
would require a short walk to
reach it, but all Of us had grown !
accustomed to walking. We had ,
With us II sturdy little Mexican !
pony, on which my little brother !
was mounted, when we tookthe !
initial step-or several of them
needed to cross the Platte. :
Of this river a writer has noted: :
The River Platte is a broad, but !
%uninviting stream, differing !.
rom a slough in having a swift $
:urrent, often a mile wide, but >
With no more water than would :
ill an ordinary canal three inches I
# fluid running on the top of sew
raj feet of moving quicksand
90 deep for safe fording; too
elbow to wash in; and too pale
0 paint with, it is the most USE
sss and Disappointing river I'M
america"
Such was the Platte when / first
aw it. Now it, together with its
tributaries, serves to make produc-
i've through irrigation about two
acres of land that were
ormerly a part of "The Great
Desert" as it was desig-
ated, when | first studied geog-
It was somewhat of an under
liking to ford this river, because
f its swift current, and the quick j
ands underlying it, but we made
lie crossing safely, and with
strength remaining to be-
in our walk in good spirits. Like
hicken Little" We gaed, and we
aed, and we gaed," without peri
lessening the distance be-
veen ourselves and our goal.
At noon we stopped for lunch,
encouraged by the thought
the miles we had already left
,hind us, and the few hat were
lead. After the needed rest, we
rain began our journey, it never
curing to us the wisdom of our
ldertaking it. We were in the
oux country, a man, a boy, a wo-
an, and three children separated
!, many miles and a wide river
ON camp; the country was unln-
.bited except by one fur trader
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