Show CROSSED DIVIDE WITH AN OX TRAIN Trip From Froni New York to Oregon In 1853 Under Great Difficulties PIONEER LEAVES LETTERS MUt lI roIe Vividly of Continent As Ls lie Ic ed It Half Century III J The rite third of oC the brilliant letters lettel'S written by 11 thc lie lato Into Rev Ho HoDI Dr DI Hines nines pioneer missionary while crossing by 11 byox byox ox train from Crom New York to Oregon in iii Is given herewith The Thc de ions lons of oC scenery alon doug along tho the road load have havo havea a novel no freshness and brightness In that thatIs Is most attractive while the lie authors author's comments on oil current incidents are arc of exceptional interest viewed from flOm rota the lie standpoint of or half hair a century later Intel DI Dr Hines lines wrote It was vas a glad JIul hour homo to our PUIt arty when we e stood on the summit oCth of oC th he ho great dividing ridge between the waters raters of the Atlan Atlantic e and Pacific oceans ceans Of gladness because we were henceforth to descend the lic great cat western west west- em ern rn slope of oC the American continent and nd yet ret of oC sorrow because this mighty ridge was hereafter to be between us usand antI and nd our out friends and country But Dut we found Cound but little time to sentimentalize and anil sr so a n hasty survey of ot the lie surround surrounding mug cou country countr we commenced the last and largest part palt of oC our jour jour- no ney From the thc south pa pass s to the lie Green or Colorado rivet river Is another er very natural stage of or the route The Thc distance Is about ninety miles The road crosses two considerable streams called Little and amI Rig Big Sandy both of oC which issue from the snow show mountains north of the south pass and finally contribute their thell waters to swell the tide of the Colorado Colorado Colo Cole rado ratio of the west rest The country Is one extended desert ert affording nothing to sustain man maii an and very little to sustain beasts beast It teems seems a bed bcd of sand and ashes intermixed and auth gives I es undoubted evidence of having sustained the thc shocks of volcanic convulsions and rev rev- The Tho main road leads the thc traveler tray trav eler eier for Cor the last fifty miles before reaching Green Grcen River flyer over o a waterless waste which however we avol avoided ell by turning along the western hank batik of ot Big Sandy and aud then wc west vest t an easy eay drive of oC sixteen miles to the tho former for for- mer iner stream Km Yet Yel rL Truly Grand A As barren and desolate as this part Palt of ot th the journey journe I Is yet the scenery Is t. t truly ti ly grand For to the north ing after peak the sno snowy tops of or the Rock Rocky mountains are wreathed with fleecy clouds while In the dl distant tant south the stupendous glaciers of Wind river were gleaming In their cold In sublime contrast to 10 the widespread and ancl sandy plain before nl an aim f around us On Frida Friday the tho da of Jul July just before the sun had dl disappeared PI carell for tor the thc night we came In sight of or Green river riv riv- er ci and on arriving upon Its bank round found that thai our OUI stock must go hungry as It flowed through a grassless gi plain thickly Incrusted In man many places with witha a soda o a which on being mixed with water forms the alkali spoken of In Ina Ina ina a previous re letter The river rl Itself Is large larse deep and rapid yet crossing Is made malic ea cas easy y as a good ferry Coro has been established establish ell b by the tho Mormons over which we passed at an expense of oC 6 per wagon wason Dear Bear cl Ki The next large stream west of Green GreenIs Is Rear near river seventy miles from flum the former For the greater part of the Wa way tho the county affords good sool grass grasps which has come to be the great gleat object ob- ob of oC Inquiry The rho rhe road Is really mountainous none that lint I now ber bel er to have traveled in New York or oren orven even ven in V Vermont among the Green Olcen mountains being equal to It U. The rite ascent ascent as- as cent ent of or the eastern slope of the mountains moun- moun tabs ains was vas generally an easy cosy grade rade but bul buthe the he descent was tru truly frightful for tor its st etlI Sg bel being ng after acter an angle anglo ot f 45 5 degrees After toiling tolling for wear veary hours up a hill of miles In length to find Ind ourselves no sooner at the top tOil than obliged to commence the descent of one olle of ef these precipices and that too with the most unmanageable of oe all cams t a a team of ot live JIve or 01 si six i yoke of WiN was sometimes a little litHe trying but we were bound lound for Oregon and ando to o get Jet there lIch Mich obstacles must be he ow overcome So Si rou rough lough h locking the hind wheels o of the tho wagons wagon which was done by hy winding a log chain around the lie oily fully ell and tire tiro so o as to scrape on the ground lOund WH 1 would begin the lie descent descent- hiding It much easIer to go JO down than to prevent It It after we wo had halt once start start- t- t ed rd Some of oC the mountains arc nrc six miles over er The They are arc the lie dividing dl ridge between the Waters which now How to 0 the thc Pacific to the Colorado river and the Gulf of California and those I which empty Into tho the great Icat Salt Lake the receptacle of the lie waters of oC the lie great internal basin of oC North America Beauteous Valley of oC if the lie Hem Bear About noon of or the da day of July we tt were on the summit of or that ridge and anti saw miles from us though apparently apparently ap ap- p- p at nt our feet the deep mountain moun moun- mountain tam tain locked valley of or Bear Dear river and the tho sliver silver line of that stream as It wound gracefully 1 through h the lIw meadow mead mead- ow plains which stretch back bade from Cro Its Its' ls' ls either shore hore Before Defore thc he Mm un was down oui JUl wa wagons stood in iii a u. semicircle semicircle semi semi- circle cla upon us our ur white tents were pitched hItched anti and out our cattle quietly cropping cropping- tho the It luxuriant gra grass of that almost valley The Tho keen C HLO of or a N NOw New V York have H to Ja Jay the dC i I swath wath of or beautiful gra grass which bowed down clown the rank field flold that no hand ever e nap napped pod d A Continent Within a u Continent From Its location as ag well veil a a aj con connection con with the Mormon on territory tei of It f Utah Ulah the thc Bear Beal River 1 valle valley demands more move than 11 a L passing notice The river riv nv- nv er el- itself is a very eny flue fine one about one about th hi width but probably deeper than the Genesco e above Mount Morris Morri New York and and Is abundantly supplied with CI fish h. h It empties Into Salt Sail lake about the tho place Illace where the lie Mormon city IK hit located d The nic soil boll of the time theal valley val vai- alIcy Icy ley is very vary rich and thuu though h now ly ly- ly lug ing in a u. perfectly natural state tate yields some ome of ot the finest t sn grass g I have ever el seen Been no meadow can surpass It Though varying it ana may be regarded as about six miles wide WilO If anything 1 Is Mounting l lug to make I this his a 1 shot of ur ran Lare beauty and adaptation ion to III I he lit want a pC of if ifan an all 1 agricultural II Ui rat 1 and ire I i iou tion i It Is a little more moro timber which I want I Is however howe partially supplied I by the he quite abundant forests of oC the tho I mountains There Is no spot perhaps where lh the lie will 11 bo he moro more impressed im irn- irn pressed with ili the lie le of oC th the continent than lieu when in tho tue great Internal in In- In basin of ot which Bear Dear river i ithe is time the chief enter artery artery- lIe He Is 11 by hun hundreds and reds reds-antl and on three sides b hy by thou thousands thousands thousands-of ot of miles Julies of DC uninhabited territory and here her he has hns found a continent within a a. continent with It lis is own systems of oC rivers ri and lakes Inkes o of oC valleys valleys larger larger than the tho realms o of some seine mighty empires With no outlet outlet out out- let this valley lies In Iii the deep ac lug IllS bosom of everlasting lasting mountains and IN is rapidly rapid I being being- filled with a pop pop- the the deluded followers of an ai ani i imposter and votaries of or a 0 sin licensed 11 li- li censed ceased relIgion We c deeply regret that thal it has not fallen under better auspices i Among the ilie Sho or ot Snake A paragraph in regard to to the lie Indians In In- In- In dialls along tIme the latter late part parl o or of the hc route lOUt as ms now no described may suffice for Cor the lie pl present sent communication Since leaving lea the he hunting grounds of or the I Sioux we have been in the he territory of the Shoshone or ot Snake tribe This I tribe occupies a ft largo laigo extent of country coun coun- lr try lying on both sides of or the Rocky mountains and extending several se hundred hun tired dred miles north and anti south For FUI in th inmost most part pait their thell term ten Is of or such sucha a character char as not to present ent great temptation to the lie grasping desires of oC the he white man maim timid and consequently they will i without doubt be he permitted to occupy it for rol a long time lime perhaps cent cen cen- t tunes b The Thc GIn Gra c cof coC of oC the lie Heel Alan J If tho the Indian race In Noih America finds a grave C as aH has been predicted of or them It will doubtless be at nt the base of the Rocky y mountains which III s ill II stand solitary monuments erected erect erect- ed b by Gods God's own hand over O the chel of or a n noble though abused and degraded people The fhe Shoshone nation na tin- tion iou will for all mourn its fellow nations na na- lions Ions and at last unwept and amid unlamented unla unla- in a cold colel oblivious grave du dub dug b by the hand of the he white man niami There arc among them at al the ent time many fine CIne specimens of oC the physical man and anti much of that Chat shrewdness i popular among Indians Indian Is exhibited by them thew We Ve saw sa no ito disposition manifested man man- I bv by ban an of thorn them hem to tn molest tho tb emigrants and th though ui l- l lc wo we c were often ci surrounded b by them and they hey were ere In the constant habit of ot visiting our camp amp yet et we can laid find no cause for Cor complaint a against them but rather rathel of oC wonder that thol after atter the thC c examples so often otten set ct them by various white while men traders and trappers among them they the they n l so much munch honesty and Si so good a sen sense Hense e of oC propriety ty Personally Per Per- I can but reprobate the he too common course of emigrants in the abuse e given them and the lie utter want vant of ot confidence exhibited lIe He that would have ha friends must show himself friendly even evell among amons Indians Yet It is quite n n. common custom to send them hem away from flom emigrant camps with stripes and cursing and It Is no wonder vonder won von der del If thus 01 provoked cd thc they mn may occasionally occasionally occa occa- sra gratify tI C the thc Indians Indian's favorite passion passion revenge Yours Yom's truly H. H K HInes From From the Spokane Spokesman Spokesman- Review |