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CROFUTT’S NEW OVERLAND TOURIST

the white Court-House Rock is seated, to

near a very large city, called

Prarrmi—E Dog Crry—one of the larg-
est cities on the whole line of the road.
At this point, and for several miles up
and down the valley, the dwellings of the
prairie dogs frequently occur, but three
miles west of the station they are found in
large numbers, and there the great prairie
dog city is situated. It occupies several
hundred acres on each side of the road,
where these sagacious little animals have
taken land and established their dwellings
without buying lots of the company. (We
do not know whether Mr. Landcommis-
sioner, intends to eject them or not.) Their
dwellings consist of a little mound, with a
hole in the top, from a foot to a foot and a
half high, raised by the dirt excavated from
their burrows. On the approach of a
train, these animals can be seen scamper-
ing for their houses; arrived there, they
squat on their hams or stand on their hind
feet, barking at the train as it passes.
Should any one venture too near, down they
go into their holes, and the city is silent as
the city of the dead.

It is said that the opening in the top
leads to a subterranean chamber, connect-
ing with the next dwelling, and so on
through the settlement; but this is a mis-
take, as in most cases a few buckets of

water will drown out any one of them.
The unimal is of a sandy-brown color, and
about the size of a large gray squirrel. In
their nest, living with the dog, may be found
the owl and rattlesnake, though whether
they are welcome visitors is quite uncertain.
The prairie dog lives on grasses and roots,
and is generally fat; and by many, espe-
cially the Mexicans, considered good eating,
the meat being sweet and tender, but rather
greasy, unless thoroughly  parboiled.
Wolves prey on the little fellows, and they
may often be seen sneaking and crawling
near a town, where they may, by chance,
pick up an unwary straggler. But the
dogs are not easily caught, for some one is
always looking out for danger, and on the
first intimation of trouble, the alarm is
given, and away they all scamper for their
holes.

Court-Hovusze Rock—About 40 miles
due north from this station is the noted
Court-House Rock, on the North Platte
River. It is plainly visible for 50 miles up
and down that stream. It has the appear-
ance of a tremendous capitol building,
seated on the apex of a pyramid. From
the base of the spur of the bluffs on which

the top of the rock, must be nearly 2,000
feet. Court-House Rock to its top is about
200 feet. Old California emigrants will re-
member the place and the many names,
carved by ambitious climbers, in the soft
sand-stone of which it is composed.

CHIMNEY Rook—is about 25 miles up |

the river from Court-House Rock. It is
about 500 feet high and has the appear-
ance of a tremendous, cone-shaped sand-

stone column, rising directly from the |

plain. The elements have worn away the
bluffs, leaving this harder portion standing.

The next station is nine miles distant,
called

Bemnett—named, possibly, after
James Gordon Bennett, of the New York
Herald, but more likely after the agent of
the Palace Car Co., on the Union Pacific
road; but neither are greatly honored, as
passenger trains never stop, but roll on 9
2-10 miles further where they do stop, at

Antelope—lIt is situated at the lower
end of the Pine Bluffs, which at this point
is near the station, on the left.

This station is in the center of what the
plains-men call ‘the best grass country in
the world,” as well as one of the best points
for antelope on the route. For article on
stock-raising, see ANNEX No. 29.

Six miles further and we come to

Adams—an unimportant sidetrack,
from which it is 5 9-10 miles to

Bushneli—tThis is another unimpor-
tant side-track, near the boundary line be-
tween Nebraska and Wyoming Territory.
Passenger trains do not stop, but pass on
ten miles further to

Pine Bluoffs—where cattle-shipping
is the principal business transacted at the
station.

During the building of the road, this
place was known as “ Rock Ranche ”—and
a tough ranche it was. Considerable pitch
pine wood was cut for the railroad in the
bluffs, a few miles to the southward, from
which the station derives its name. The
bluffs are on the left hand side of the road,
and at this point are quite high and rocky,
extending very near the track.

Fort Morcan—was established in May,
1865, abandoned in May. 1868, and its gar-
rison transferred to Laramie. It is
about 60 miles north of this station, on the
North Platte River, at the western base of
what is known as Scott’s Bluffs. Latitude
40 deg. 80 min.; longitude 27 deg.

Our course from this station 1s more to

 

 

 

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