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24 chapters
DEDICATORY LETTER.
DEDICATORY LETTER.
I cannot but dedicate this little volume to you who have been my pleasant travelling companion for many thousands of miles in the great western world. But for you I should probably never have undertaken such a journey; and for how many acts of thoughtful kindness by the way am I not indebted to you? Can I forget that you always insisted on my taking the best bunk in the cabin, the best seat in stage-coaches, the best room in hotels, the best bed in sleeping cars? Can I forget that it was your wa
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LETTER No. I.
LETTER No. I.
My bright anticipations—Melancholy forebodings—Bound for the Rockies—Frank's start for the Far West—Farming in Minnesota—A new scheme—Starting a creamery—Glowing hopes—Failure and disappointment. Last year I spent a pleasant time in Dovedale, and "The Amateur Angler" told you all about it. This autumn I had looked forward to a holiday in some retired nook in leafy Herefordshire or Shropshire. I had my eye on an old farmhouse at which to make my headquarters for fishing in The Teme, or The Lugg,
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LETTER No. II.
LETTER No. II.
Frank's dearly-bought experience—A start for the Rockies—Magnificent scenery—Indian scouts and revolvers—Advice to parents—Frank's determination to "rough it." I have now given you a short account of how Frank managed to get through his two first years of farming life in Minnesota, and how he (or rather I) was worse off in the end than at the beginning. He had purchased experience at my expense; his money was nearly all gone, and with what remained he resolved to start off for the Rocky Mountain
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LETTER No. III.
LETTER No. III.
A hundred and twenty miles' walk—Axe, pick-axe, and shovel—A four-hundred-feet roll down the mountain—Rough living—An Indian scare—Deadly fumes—Working round a smelter—Fishing in Lake "Abundance"—Disturbed by a grizzly. I propose now to occupy a few pages with extracts from Frank's letters, which will give a fair notion of his progress up to the time of my sailing, and from that point I purpose to give you an account of my own adventures. In his next letter, which is dated Cook's City, July 6, 1
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LETTER No. IV.
LETTER No. IV.
Starting afresh on a new farm—Wheat forty to seventy-five bushels to the acre—Felling trees and fencing—"Life here is deuced hard"—Somewhat despondent—Forty below zero—Ink and bacon frozen—Anxiety for General Gordon—Working in snow up to the waist. In September, 1883, Frank worked his way back into the more civilized regions of Montana, and with his usual enthusiasm he wrote to me:— "This is the best country I have yet struck, and I am sure that I shall do well here. My idea now is to hack up 16
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LETTER No. V.
LETTER No. V.
Never had such a hard time—Camping out in the Rockies—Horses decamp—Left in the lurch—A terrible fright—Crossing a torrent—"Old Jim" taking a roll—Pack smashed—"Old Jim" in a snow-drift—Woke up by a grizzly—What the newspapers said of it—Cutting fencing poles in the snow—Christmas Day—Pickles and plum pudding—The consequences—A dance—Cowboys and farmers' daughters—"Shall I turn tail?"—A profitable old cow—The nicest little ranche in Montana—Start on a sheep drive 300 miles—"The healthiest place
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LETTER No. VI.
LETTER No. VI.
My last letter before leaving for the United States by the good ship "Cunardia." Frank is now about twenty-six years of age. He has had four years of hard and varied experience, and although fortune has not yet smiled upon him, he does not seem inclined, so far as I am able to form an opinion from his correspondence, to succumb. I gather from his letters, by which alone I can at present judge, that he is still prepared to rough it. He has youth, health, and strength on his side, and I imagine th
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LETTER No. VII.
LETTER No. VII.
On board the "Cunardia"—Small troubles—The Romance of a rickety old chair—Arrival at New York—First acquaintance with katydids. "In travelling by land," says Washington Irving, "there is a continuity of scene and a connected succession of persons and incidents that lessen the effect of absence and separation.... But a wide sea-voyage severs us at once. It makes us conscious of being cast loose from the secure anchorage of settled life, and sent adrift upon a doubtful world. It interposes a gulf
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LETTER No. VIII.
LETTER No. VIII.
Up the Hudson River—The Catskills—My first chipmunk—"The Rip Van Winkle"—"Sleepy Hollow"—The Mountain-House Hotel—Old Indian squaw-spirit—A snake in the grass—A painting by Holbein. After a short time in New York, agreeably spent in spite of the heat, we started early one bright morning on the splendid river steamer "Albany" up the noble Hudson River. It is no part of my plan or my duty to describe the innumerable objects, historical and picturesque, which command this wonderful river. Why shoul
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LETTER No. IX.
LETTER No. IX.
Arrival at Saratoga—Season over—Hotel crowded with Deputies for nomination of a State Governor—Mugwump—Arrival at Niagara—The Falls at midnight and by moonlight—No letter from Frank. We left the "Catskills" on a Monday morning for Saratoga; but the glory of Saratoga had departed; the season was all but over; only a few stragglers of the flock of the summer birds of fashion remained, the others had already migrated southward. The shopkeepers were packing up their goods and shutting up their shops
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LETTER No. X.
LETTER No. X.
Start for Chicago—"The Michigan Central"—Arrival at Chicago—Still no letter from Frank—Start for St. Paul—St. Paul and Minneapolis—Commodore Kitson's stables—Falls of St. Anthony—"The Granary of the World"—Falls of Minnehaha—Telegram to Frank. On the morning of our start for the West we were aroused before five o'clock to catch a train which did not reach our station till 8.30. The line over which we travelled to Chicago was "The Michigan Central," which runs along the north side of Lake Erie to
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LETTER No. XI.
LETTER No. XI.
The North Pacific Railway—Brainerd—Detroit—Massacre by Sioux—Indian Reservation—Fargo—Wheat-fields of Dakota—Bismarck—"Bad Lands"—The Rockies—Arrival at Livingston. We took our departure from St. Paul in a Pullman Sleeping Car at 4 p.m., and found ourselves very comfortably placed; a fortunate circumstance, seeing that this car had to be our home for fifty-eight hours over 1,032 miles from St. Paul to Livingston, with no opportunity of even stretching our legs outside the train. The North Pacifi
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LETTER No. XII.
LETTER No. XII.
The Yellowstone National Park—"The New Wonderland"—"The Devil's Slide"—The stage driver—Story of a corpse—Driving a circus coach—Circus Bill "appropriates" a coat—Stealing their own blankets—Start for the Park—Mammoth Springs—Forest of dead pines—The Lake of the Woods—Norris Hot Springs and Geysers—"Hell's Half-acre"—A perilous drive—Fire Hole River—Lower Geyser Springs—"Old Faithful"—"The Bee Hive"—The Grand Cañon—Rough roads—Return—"The Golden Gate"—"By Jove! it's Frank!" The Yellowstone Natio
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LETTER No. XIII.
LETTER No. XIII.
Livingston to Bozeman—Bozeman City—Arrival at Frank's ranche—Frank's progress—The shanty—Kitten and mice—Aroused by a ground squirrel—Variation of climate—A snowstorm—Our beds drenched—"Baching" it—Shaving under difficulties—Situation—Fertility of the soil—Cultivation of strawberries—Fine grazing district—Climate—Story of our holiday on the ranche—Fishing in West Gallatin river—New bridge and old canoe—"The coloured aristocracy"—Three bear stories. The railroad from Livingston to Bozeman runs th
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LETTER No. XIV.
LETTER No. XIV.
Saying "Goodbye"—Departure in a heavy snowstorm—Gallatin Valley—Helena—Garrison—Butte City—Salt Lake City—Polygamy—Articles of faith—Trial of a murderer—Trial of polygamists. On Saturday morning we found the ground covered with snow, and it was bitterly cold. It seemed as if this sudden change had come upon us opportunely to prevent our carrying away a too favourable impression of the climate. Truly, the day was a rough one, and we had to drive twelve miles across the prairie to Bozeman in a bli
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LETTER No. XV.
LETTER No. XV.
Leave for Cheyenne—"Rock Springs"—Murder of Chinese—Mr. Black's "Green Pastures" and bottle of champagne—"Hell upon Wheels"—Big Horn Cowboy and Milord. We left Salt Lake City by the Union Pacific Railway on Wednesday at 7.50 a.m., and we reached Cheyenne at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday. It is impossible for me to describe or even to mention the many objects of interest and points of beautiful scenery through which this line passes. How can one describe in a few hurried words such scenes as those to be
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LETTER No. XVI.
LETTER No. XVI.
We leave Cheyenne—Arrival at Omaha—The barber's shop—Narrow escape from having my head shaved—Arrival at Chicago—Niagara Falls. I have already told you that I am not writing a book of travels, but merely recording my impressions by the way; these have already occupied far more space than I had ever contemplated, and as we are now approaching the more beaten tracks of civilization, I will hasten on to a conclusion. We left Cheyenne on Friday morning at 10.30, and after a continuous run of 516 mil
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CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION.
There is no place like home, after all. On reaching Boston, I felt more like being at home than I had ever felt since I left my own country. Boston resembles an old English city more than any other town I have yet visited in America. It is, however, no part of my plan to describe the "Hub." I think it is Benjamin Disraeli who says somewhere that "description is always a bore both to the describer and the describee," and I have sinned enough in this direction already; nor have I any desire to mak
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How to obtain Government Land.
How to obtain Government Land.
There are over 40,000,000 acres of the best Government lands in America located in the extremely fertile regions of Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Northern Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, and traversed by the Northern Pacific Railroad, open for occupancy by actual settlers. The laws of the United States provide that citizens of the United States, or persons who have declared their intention to become such, can obtain lands as follows:...
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Pre-emptions.
Pre-emptions.
Heads of families, widows or single persons (male or female) over the age of twenty-one years, who are citizens of the United States, or who have declared their intention to become such under the naturalization laws, may enter upon any "offered" or "unoffered" lands belonging to the United States, or any unsurveyed lands to which the Indian title has been extinguished, outside of the limits of any land grant, and purchase not exceeding 160 acres under the pre-emption laws. If the tract is "offer
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Homesteads.
Homesteads.
Any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States, or has filed his declaration of intention to become such, is entitled to enter one-quarter section, or less quantity of unappropriated public land, under the homestead laws. The applicant must make affidavit that he is entitled to the privileges of the homestead act, and that the entry is made for his exclusive use and benefit, and for actual settlement and cultivatio
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Timber Culture Claims.
Timber Culture Claims.
Under the timber culture laws, public lands naturally devoid of timber may be acquired by planting trees thereon, and keeping the same in a healthy, growing condition for eight years. Not more than 160 acres in any one section can be entered, and no person can enter more than 160 acres or make more than one entry under these laws. An applicant must be the head of a family or twenty-one years of age, and a citizen of the United States, or he must have filed his declaration of intention to become
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Desert Land.
Desert Land.
Any person who is a citizen of the United States, or any person of requisite age who may be entitled to become a citizen, and who has filed his declaration to become such, may file his oath with the Registrar and Receiver of the Land Office in the district in which any desert land is located, that he intends to reclaim, not exceeding one section of said land, by conducting water upon it, within three years; and by paying to the Receiver twenty-five cents, per acre for all the land claimed, such
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GOVERNMENT LAND OFFICES
GOVERNMENT LAND OFFICES
The following diagram shows the difference of time on the American continent:— ☞ E before figures denotes time of Eastern trains W time of Western Trains. Giving Suggestions relating to Farming Implements, Fuel, Animals, Household Goods, Lumber, Breaking New Prairie, Location of Markets, and other valuable Information. The best time to come to the NORTHERN PACIFIC COUNTRY is in the spring, but farmers can come to this favoured region at any season, properly outfitted, and in a short time acquire
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