The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-08-14
By Martha Edgerton Plassmann
1.-TWO points of unusual interest
Situated on the sO11th side of

LIN l. - INA
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 il
1850, charged us 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 d~iscernible. 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,"
1t 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 vas 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 reserve Our ex-
cursion for the following day.
Provided for an all-day trip, the
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 obliterated
by many seasons of snow, rain, and
wind, or lost under the countless
names more recently cut into the
The next morning early, my
mother. brother, Amoret
.eer, Henry Tilden, and l set out
for SCOTS Bluff. We were not
opposite it, and we realized that it
require a short walk to
each it, but all of us had grown
accustomed to walking. We had
With us our sturdy little Mexican
,ony, on which my little brother
was mounted, when we tookthe
initial step-or several of them
to cross the Platte.
Of this river a writer has noted:
The River Platte is broad, but
uninviting stream, differing
rom a slough in having a swift
urrent, often a mile wide, but
With no more water than would
i'll an ordinary canal; three inches
f fluid running on the top of sew
raj feet of moving quicksand
DO deep for safe fording; too
elbow to wash in; and too pale
> paint with, it is the most use
ess and disappointing river in
America."
Such was the Platte when | first
aw it. Now it, together with its
obituaries, serves to make produc-
We through irrigation about two
acres of land that were
ormerly a part of "The Great
Desert" as it was desig-
ated, when I first studied geog-
Apply.
1t was somewhat of an under
liking to ford this river, because
{ its swift current, and the quick
underlying it, but we made
lie crossing safely, and with
lough strength remaining to be-
in our walk in good spirits. Like
hicken Little" We gaed, and we
aed, and we gaed," without per-
lessening the distance bel
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 that were
lead. After the needed rest, we
rain began our journey, it never
:curring 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-
lbited except by n fur trader
ar Fl. Laramie; we could be cap
red or killed and M one the