EARLY MORNING SCENE
era towns in the early days of their settlement.
The same class of human beings that had popu-
lated and depopulated North Platte, Julesburg,
Cheyenne, and other places, lived and flourished
here until the next move was made. They were
gamblers, thieves, prostitutes, murderers — bad
men and women of every calling and description
under the heavens, and from almost every nation-
ality on the globe — and when they could prey
upon no one else, would, as a matter of course,
prey upon each other. The worst that has ever
b3en written of these characters does not depict
the whole truth ; they were, in many cases, out-
laws from the East — fled to escape the conse-
quences of crimes committed there, and each
man was a law unto himself. Armed to the very
teeth, it was simply a word and a shot, and
many times the shot came first. Of course those
ON THE LARAMIE PLAINS.
where mentioned, Laramie has the location of
the territorial penitentiary, a small wing of
which is already constructed, and which is
plainly visible only a short distance west of the
railroad track. A good hotel is kept at the
old depot. For years it was a regular dining
station, and is still one of the most important
and interesting places on the Omaha route,
but the dining station has recently been trans-
ferred to Rock Creek, fifty-two miles farther
west, the better to accommodate the hour of din-
ing to the wants of travelers. A manufactory
for soda is talked of, and if the mines of this ar-
ticle are properly developed, Laramie will soon
supply the world with soda enough to raise, not
only biscuits and bread, but no small sum of
money as a return for the investment. The
rolling mills and machine and repair shops of
TME W£€IFIG F&mSl&F.-
87
the company are sources of perpetual trade and
income, and must of necessity increase with the
annually increasing business of the company. A
visit to the soda lakes, gold mines, Iron Mount-
ain, Red Buttes and other places of interest in
the vicinity, together with good hotel accommo-
dations, will sure- _ _
ly lure the trav- ^-—~
eler to spend a
few days in this
" Gem city of the
Mountains."
Z/ a r a >n i 6
Pe ah.— This is
the highest peak
of the Black Hills
Range in Wyom-
ing and Colorado,
north of Long's
Peak, and is about
10,000 feet high.
The Hayden ex-
p 1 o r i n g party,
who were en-
camped at its
base, describe wit-
nessing a sunset
scene of rare
beauty. The sun
passed down di-
rectly behind the
summit of Lara-
mie Peak. The
whole range of
mountains was
gilded, with a
golden light, and
the haziness of the
atmosphere gave
to the whole, scene
a deeper beauty.
The valleys at the
base of the Cotton-
wood and Laramie
Rivers are full of
pleasant little
streams and
grassy plains.
Sometimes these
valleys expand
out into beautiful
oval park-like
areas, which are
favorite resorts of
wild game, and
would be exceedingly desirable for settlements.
Emigrants would find here beautiful scenery,
pure air and water, and a mild and extremely
healthy climate. Cereals and roots could be easily
raised, and stock-raising could be made a source
of wealth to them and the whole community.
The Windmills of the Union Pacific
HUNTING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
liaitroail. — The traveler notices with interest
the ever frequent windmills which appear at
every station, and are such prominent objects
over the broad prairies. 1 They are used for sup-
plying the locomotives and station houses with
water. Probably no finer specimens exist in the
_^ United Statesthan
are found on the
lines of this road.
In these tanks
is a large hollow
globe floating in
the water. These
globes are so con-
nected with lev-
ers that when the
water has reached
a certain height,
the slats or fans
are thrown in line
with the wind, and
the machine stops.
As the water is
drawn off for sup-
plying the locomo-
tives, the ball falls,
and the machine
is again put in mo-
tion. They are
thus self-regula-
ting and self-act-
ing. The water is
thrown up by a
forcing pump. A
curious fact may
be here mention-
ed. These tanks,
when closely cov-
ered, have thus far
proved that there
is enough caloric
in the water to
prevent it from
freezing.
Mind River
Mount a i n s . —
These mountains,
seen on the map
and just north of
the railroad, are
destined soon to
celebrity, for their
mining value, al-
though as yet but
partially explored.
Two well-known peaks rise among them, Fre-
mont's Peak and Snow's Peak, the latter being the
highest; its elevation is given by Fremont as 13,570
feet. The mountains are filled with a dense
growth of a species of the nut pine, which fur-
nishes food for innumerable birds and squirrels,
and supplies the Indians with their favorite food.
88
Indian Jin rial Tree. — Among the Indian
tribes there are quite a number whose custom is
to honor their dead with burial places in the tops
of favored trees. The Comanch.es, Apaches,
Cheyennes, Arrapahoes and Kiowas all do this.
After an Indian is dead, his corpse is securely
wrapped like a mummy ; with it are put food,
arms, tobacco, etc., — which its spirit is supposed to
want in his trip to the happy hunting-ground, —
and the whole covered with an outer covering
made of willows. All the Indians of the tribe
celebrate mourning both before and after this is
done; then the body is placed upon a platform,
constructed in some old tree, usually a large cot-
ton-wood. The feet of the departed Indian are
turned with care to the southward, for thither
resides the Great Spirit, — so the Indians say —
and thither he is going. In some of their favor-
Wyoming. They are really the first range of
the liockies. The) begin at the vallej 01 the
North Platte River, directly south of Fort Fet-
terman, and unite with the Medicine Bow Range
in northern Colorado, south-west from Sherman.
Laramie Peak and Reed's Teak, north of the
Laramie Canon, are the highest peaks in this
range. The waters which flow from them ea si if
the Black Hills, and those which flow west from
the Medicine Bow Range, all unite in the North
Tiatte River, which describes a half circle around
their northern extremity, and then flows east-
ward to the Missouri River. This range of
mountains, as before stated, is crossed at Sher-
man. Tliey have not been prospected to any
great extent for the precious metals, but gold,
silver, copper, iron and other minerals are known
to exist. Iron is found in large quantities.
33yyptsijy@p
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INDIAN BURIAL TREE, NEAR FORT LARAMIE.
ite groves, as many as eight or ten bodies have
been found in a single tree. Another mode of
burial is to erect a scaffold on some prominent
knoll or bluff. These customs are prevalent
among those Indian tribes which are most rov-
ing, and live in the saddle. " Foot Indians."
those which inhabit the plains, and are peaceable,
most invariably bury their dead in the ground —
always, however, accompanied with such good
things as he will need in his trips thereafter in
the new hunting-grounds.
The Black Hills of Wyoming, and the
Medicine Hair Range. — In going west, the
first range of real mountains the traveler meets
with are what are called the Black Hills of
About 18 miles north-east from Laramie is Iron
Mountain, on the head of Chugwater Creek. It
is said to be nearly pure, and will some day be
developed. There has been talk of a railroad
from Cheyenne with a branch to this mountain,
but nothing has been done yet. In searching
for a route for the Union Pacific Railroad, a
survey of the Laramie Canon was made, but
it was found to be impracticable for a railroad.
It, however, has grand scenery, and will become
a place of resort, by tourists, as soon as the In-
dian question is settled. The Black Hills virtu-
ally connect with the Medicine Bow Range at
both extremities, bearing to the left around the
circle of the North Platte, and to the right south
THE &£€IFIG T@Wm§.T.
89
MEDICINE BOW MOUNTAINS, FROM MEDICINE BOW RIVER.
of Sherman. The canons of both the Laramie
and Platte Rivers are rugged and grand. Lara-
mie Peak has an elevation of 10,000 feet, and
lies in plain view off to the right from Lookout
to Medicine Bow Stations.
Crossing the Black Hills, the road strikes the
Laramie Plains, and then the Medicine Bow
Range rises grandly before you. At Laramie
City — the road running north — you look west
and behold Sheep Mountain in front, whose sum-
mit is 10.000 feet above the sea ; to the left of
this is Mt. Agassiz, so named in honor of the
distinguished scientist who gave his life to the
cause he loved so well. To the right of Sheep
Mountain, which is in the Medicine Bow Range,
you discover what seems to be a large depression
in the mountains. This is where the Little Lara-
mie River heads, and across it, to the right, still
other peaks of this range lift their snowy heads.
The range is now on your left until you pass
around its northern bend and into the North
Platte Valley again at Fort Steele. On the
northern extremity, Elk Mountain looms up, the
best view of which can be obtained as you pass
from Medicine Bow Station to Fort Steele, pro-
vided, of course, you look when the foot hills do
not obscure your vision. The Medicine Bow
Range is also full of the precious metals, mostly
90
TME H*m€IFI@ TQMM&IST.
gold, but has not been developed. The Centen-
nial Mine, located by a party of gentlemen from
Laramie, on the first day of January, 1875, is on
tie' mountain just north of one of the branches
of the Little Laramie River, and in a clear day,
with a good glass, can plainly be seen from Lara-
mie City. Nearly all the streams which head in
the Medicine Bow Mountains will show "color "
to the prospector, but the lodes are mostly
"blind,'' and can only be found by persistent
search. This range is also heavily timbered, and
abounds in game, and except the highest peaks,
is free from snow in the summer. The timber is
mostly pine, and immense quantities are annu-
ally cut for railroad ties, telegraph and fence
poles and wood. Nearly every ranche on the
Laramie Plains is supplied with poles tor corrals.
sheds and fences from the Black Hills or Medi-
cine Bow Range. The Laramie Plains is the
great basin between these two ranges, ami the
road has to pass northward a long distance in
order to find its way out. Leaving ;he grand
views ol these mountains, the traveler enters
upon a vast, dreary and unproductive waste —
fitly called c desert. .Still its rough and broken
appearance with rocks, hills, and mountains on
either side afford a strange and pleasant relief
from the dull monotony of the eastern plains.
Leaving Laramie City, the track passes close
to the company's rolling mills, from the tall
chimneys of which there are huge volumes of
black smoke and occasional flames, constantly
belching forth. We soon cross the Laramie
River on a wooden truss bridge, and run along
near its banks to
Howell, — which is a side track, eight miles
from Laramie, and 580.8 miles from Omaha ;
elevation, 7,090 feet. Passing over the plains,
walled in by mountains on either side, we reach
the next station,
Wyom hit/, — over fifteen miles from Laramie,
and 588.4 miles from Omaha; elevation, 7,068
feet. Having reached the highest altitude on
the line of the road between the two oceans, at
Sherman, you see we are now going down hill
a little, and from this time until we cross the
Sierras, there will be a constant succession of
" u]is and downs" in our journey. Wyoming is
on the Little Laramie River, which empties into
the Laramie River near the station. It is a tele-
graph station with a few houses in the vicinity
— in the midst of a fine grazing country, with
sheep and cattle ranches in sight. Leaving
Wyoming, the aspect of the country soon
changes. A bluff on the right lies near the
track, the country becomes more undulating as
we pass on, and the grass seems to grow thinner
except on the bottom near the stream. Sage
brush and greasewood, well known to all frontier
men, begin to appear. We have seen a little of
sage brush before in the vicinity of Julesburg,
and Sidney, and now strike it again.
Cooper's Lake, — 598.9 miles from Omaha,
with an elevation of 7,044 feet It is a telegraph
station with the usual side track and section-
houses. The station is named from the little
lake near by, which can best be seen from the
cars at the water tank, beyond the station. It
isn't much of a .ake, nor can much of it be seen
from the car windows. The water is said to
look very green in the summer, and to differ but
little in appearance from the green grass which
surrounds it. The lake itself is about half a
mile wide, and a mile and a half long, and about
two miles from the track, though it does not
seem half that distance. It is fed by Cooper and
Dutton Creeks, but has no visible outlet.
Lookout, — 007.6 miles from Omaha, and
about thirty-five miies trom Laramie ; elevation,
7,109 feet. The road left what may be called the
Laramie bottom at the last station, and now
winds through a rolling country, which soon be-
comes rough and broken, with the sage brush
constantly increasing. Notice the changes in
the elevation as you pass along.
Miser, — 615.9 miles from Omaha; elevation,
6,810 feet. Near here coal has been found.
It is in the vicinity of Rock Creek, which is
said to be the eastern rim of the coal fields
discovered on this elevated plateau, in the mid-
dle of the Continent. From the last station
to this, and beyond, you have fine and con-
stantly changing views from the moving train,
of Laramie Peak, away off to the right, and
of Elk Mountain to the left. Sage brush is
the only natural production of the soil in this
region, and is said to be eaten by antelope and
elk in the absence of grass or anything better.
It is also said that sheep will feed upon it,
and that wherever antelope live and flourish,
sheep will do likewise.
Hock ('reck, — so-called from a creek of the
same name, which the road here crosses ; 624.6
miles from Omaha ; elevation, 6.690 feet. This
is a regular eating station, instead of Laramie.
The dining-room is beautifully decorated with
flowers, vines and horns of game, a pretty
Bay window with blooming flowers and walls
covered with vines, and the display of hanging
baskets, making the meal one of the most agree-
able on the road. Hotel is kept by Thayer and
Hughes.
The government is surveying a new road to
Fort Fetterman, to start from Rock Creek, in-
stead of Medicine Bow.
Rock Creek rises in the north-eastern peaks of
the Medicine Bow Range, and runs in that
direction to this station, near which it turns to-
ward the west and unites with Medicine Bow
River, near Medicine Bow Station.
Wi/coT, — A side track for the passing of
trains, 632.3 miles from Omaha, and 7,033 feet
above the sea. The next station is
Conio, — named after Lake Como, which the
91
road here passes. One peculiarity of this lake
is that it is near Rock Creek — separated from it
by a ridge of hills estimated at 200 feet high, —
with no visible outlet. The station is 010.2
miles from Omaha, and 0,680 feet above the
sea. The lake has been estimated to be 200
feet above the surface of Rock Creek, from
which it is separated as above stated. It is
fed by warm springs, which also supply the
water tank of the company at the station. In a
cold day the steam from these springs can be
seen at some distance. It is also a great resort
for ducks, and sportsmen can obtain fine shooting
here in the proper season. If lizards are fish
with legs, then we have fish with legs abounding
in this lake and vicinity. These animals are from
6 to 18 inches in length, with a head a good deal
like that of a frog, and tufts or tassels where the
gills would be on a fish. They have four legs and
crawl around to a certain extent on the land.
There are two kinds of these lizards, one differ-
ing from the other in size and color more than
in shape, and either kind are devoured by the
ducks when they can be caught. The lake is
about one mile wide in the widest place, and two
and a half miles long.
Vail 'c ii of the Chugwater. — The Chug-
water Valley is about 100 miles long. It has
been for many years a favorite locality for winter-
ing stock, not only on account of the excellence of
the grass and water, but also from the fact that
the climate is mild throughout the winter. Cat-
tle and horses thrive well all winter without hay
or shelter. The broad valley is protected from
strong cold winds by high walls or bluffs. The
soil everywhere is fertile, and wherever the sur-
face can be irrigated, good crops of all kinds of
cereals and hardy vegetables can be raised with-
out difficulty.
In this valley and near the source of the
Chugwater, are thousands of tons of iron ore,
indicating deposits of vast extent and rich-
ness, which can be made easily accessible when-
ever desirable to construct a railroad to Mon-
tana.
Medicine Bow — is 647.3 miles from Omaha;
elevation, 6,550 feet. The river, from which the
station is named, was crossed a short distance
before we reached the station. It rises directly
south, in the Medicine Bow Mountains, and runs
nearly north to the place where it is crossed by
the railroad, after which it turns toward the
west and unites with the North Platte, below
Fort Steele.
There is a roundhouse of five stalls, in which
one or more engines are kept, to assist trains
up and down the steep grades between here
and Carbon. It is also a point from which
a large quantity of military supplies for Fort
Fetterman and other posts are distributed.
The government has a freight depot here.
There are one or two stores, with the inevitable
saloon and several dwellings, in the vicinity.
There is a good wagon road from this place to
Fort Fetterman, distance ninety miles, and it is
by far the nearest route to the gold fields in tin'
Black Hills of Dakota, for passengers and miners
from the West. The Indians were disinclined to
leave this region and even now hardly know how
to give it up. In the summer of 1875, they came
here and stole a herd of between three and four
hundred horses that were grazing on Rock Creek.
Sunn' of these horses have been seen and recog-
nized at the agencies of Red Cloud and Spotted
Tail ; and when demand was made for them, the
owners were quietly told by the Indian agents to
make out their claims and present them to the
proper authorities to be paid. But the cases of
their payment are like angels' visits, few and far
between. Some of the horses stolen belonged to
Judge Kelly, member of Congress, from Pennsyl-
vania. Medicine Bow is in the midst of a rough,
broken country, over which millions of antelope
and jack rabbits roam at pleasure. When the
road was built here immense quantities of ties
and wood were cut in the mountains south, and
delivered at this place.
Curiosities of Indian Life and Char-
acter. — The entire country, from North Platte
over as far as the western border of Laramie
Plains, has been for years the roving ground of
the Indians, of whom we could tell many inter-
esting facts respecting their life and the curious
interviews the overland scouts, trappers, etc.,
have had with them. To a man, every scout will
unite in denunciation of their treachery. Jim
Baker, — an old Rocky Mountain trapper, — once
told, in his characteristic manner the following,
to General Marcy :
" They are the most onsartainest varmints in
all creation, and I reckon thar not mor'n half
human ; for you never seed a human, arter you'd
fed and treated him to the best fixins in your
lodge, just turn round and steal all your horses,
or anything he could lay his hand on.
" No, not adzackly ! he would feel kinder grate-
ful, and ask you to spread a blanket in his lodge
if ever you passed that way. But the Indian,
he don't care shucks for you, and is ready to do
you a heap of mischief as soon as he quits your
feed. No, Cap'," he continued, "it's not the
right way to give 'um presents to buy peace ; but
ef I was governor of these yeer United States,
I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd invite 'um all to a
big feast, and make believe I wanted to have a
big talk, and as soon as I got 'um all together, I'd
pitch in and scalp half of 'um, and then t'other
half would be mighty glad to make a peace that
would stick. That's the way I'd make a treaty
with the dog-ond, red-bellied varmints ; and, as
sure as you're born, Cap., that's the only way.
" It ain' no use to talk about honor with them,
Cap. ; they hain't got no such thing in 'um ; and
they won't show fair fight, any way you can fix
92
TSE &&€IFI@ W@W ( SIEW.
it. Don't they kill and scalp a white man,
when'ar they get the better on him? The mean
varmints, they'll never behave themselves until
you give 'urn a clean out and out licking. They
can't onderstand white folks' ways, and they
won't learn 'urn, and ef you treat 'um decently,
they think you're afeard. You may depend on't,
Cap., the only way to treat Indians, is to thrash
them well at first, then the balance will sorter
take to you and behave themselves."
Indian observations on the character of the
American and English people, are often pretty
good. An Indian once describing to an English-
man the characteristics of the different people
he knew, said as follows, most naively:
"King George man, (English) very good;
Boston man, (American) good; John Chinaman,
not good ; but the black man, he no belter than a
dog."
They arc particularly curious about negroes,
as they do not feel certain whether the black
goes all through. Some years ago, a party of
negroes escaping from Texas, were captured by
some of the Comanches, who scraped their skin to
settle this question.
At the time of the presidency of Lincoln, an
Indian, while conversing with an English mis-
sionary, asked him who was the chief of the
English. lie was told. " Ah 1 Queen Victory,"
for I hey can't pronounce it. " Is she a woman V"
" Yes." " Who is the chief of the Boston men,
( American) ? " " Mr. Lincoln." " Ah ! I thought
so ; but another Indian once told me that il was
Mr. Washington. Are Mr. Lincoln and the
English woman-chief good friends?" "Yes,
excellent friends." He thought for a moment,
and, finally, said eagerly : " Then if they are so
good friends, why does not Mr. Lincoln take Queen
Via 'oly for his squaw? "
The Indians are very fond of card-playing,
and, perhaps in no other way can their natural
treachery be so well illustrated, and desire to
take advantage of others by cheating.
An Indian once, while at a wayside village,
near the mines, and withal a natural born swin-
dler, explained to his white hearers how he
could manage to cheat while dealing the cards.
While playing in the open air, in some valley,
near some rocks, with a young Indian, while
dealing the cards, he would shout out as if he
saw some lovely forest maid passing near or
ascending the rock or sides of the hill : " Aah,
nanich skok tenans klatchmann (Hallo! look at
that young woman !) " While the Indian looked
around, "old Buffalo" immediately took the
opportunity of dealing double to himself, or of
selecting an ace or two before his opponent
turned around.
A semi-civilized Indian, named Black Beaver,
once visited General Marey at St. Louis, and on
his return back to his native camp, he prided
himself not a little on his knowledge of cities and
men, white and civilized. Camping one night
with a Comanche guide, the General overheard
the two in an apparently earnest and amicable
talk. The General inquired of him afterward
what he had been saying.
" I've been telling the Comanche what I've
seen among the white folks. I tell him 'bout the
steamboats, and the railroads, and the heep o'
houses 1 see in St. Louis, but he say Ize-
fool. I tell him the world is round, but he keep
all o' time say, • Hush, you too], do you spose Tze
child? Haven't I got eyes? Can't I see the
prairie? You call him round ? Maybe so; I tell
you something you not know before. One time
my grandfather he made long journey that way
(West), when he got on big mountain, he see
heep water on t'other side, just so flat as he can