AND PACIFIC COAST GUIDE.

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| Mountains, juts the Rattlesnake Range, ex-

tending north to the North Platte, carrying
an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet.

Through the western range, the North
Platte canyons, and. on the east, the Medi-
cine Bow River cuts through the eastern

| range, separating it from the foot-hills of

the northerly range of the Black Hills.
Through the plains flow the Big and Little
Laramie Rivers, which, as we before stated,
rise in the mountains which border the
western rim of the plains. These streams
canyon through the Black Hills north of
Laramie Peak, and enter the North Platte

| near Fort Laramie.

Rock Creek rises east of Medicine Bow,
and after flowing north to about latitude
42 degs. flows west and empties into the
Medicine Bow. This river rises in Medi-
cine Bow Mountains, and flows north to
about the same latitude as Rock Creek,
thence west, and canyons through the Rat-
tlesnake range of hills, entering the North
Platte about 150 miles northwest of Lara-
mie City, in latitude 42 deg. 3 min.

By this showing it will be observed that
the immense park, or Laramie Plains, is
well watered—sufficienjly for grazing and
irrigation. We have been more explicit,
have dwelt longer on these points than we
should have done, did we not feel a desire
to show to the emigrant, or to those who
are seeking good locations for grazing
lands, that the Laramie Plains possess
these advantages in an eminent degree.
We have wandered far away from the
plains in our descriptions, but the grazing
lands end not with the plains. The moun-
tain sides, until the timber belt is reached,
the valleys, bluffs, and foot-hills, all pre-
sent the same feature in point of luxuriant
crops of grass. The valleys of the streams
mentioned also contain thousands of acres
of meadow land, where hay can be cut in
abundance, and, if the season will permit,
wheat, barley and rye might be grown to
advantage, the soil being a black loam,
and sufficiently moist to insure good crops
without irrigation.

Fish anp GamME—Trout—the finest in
the world—can be found in every moun-
tain stream, while every variety of game
ranges over the mountains, hills’ valleys
and plains in countless numbers.

With these general remarks, we will re-
turn to Laramie, and proceed on our jour-
ney. Soon after leaving the city, we cross
the Laramie River, and eight miles brings
us to

Howell’s—an Sen station,
where passenger trains seldom stop. It is
then 7 6-10 miles to

Wyoming—on the Little Laramie
River. During the building of the road
large quantities of ties were received at
this point, which were cut at the head of
the river and floated down the stream in
high water. The country is a broad prai-
rie. At the station we crossed Little Lara—
mie, a small stream which rises in the
mountains to the westward and empties
into Laramie River. The same might be
said of Whiskey Creek, a small stream
which is crossed next. To the next station
itis 8 7-10 miles.

Cooper Lake—Near the station, to
the westward, lies a beautiful sheet of wa-
ter, about two miles long by half-a-mile
wide, called Cooper's Lake.

Lookout—a station with an altitude
of 7,169 feet—is 8 7-10 miles from Cooper
Lake. We are now entering the rolling
prairie country, where, for 25 miles either
way along the road, vast herds of elk,
deer and antelope are found at different
seasons of the year—the elk being mostly
found in the winter, when the snow drives
them from the mountains. We also begin
to find occasional bunches of sage-brush,
which tell us that we have entered the
country where this more useful than orna-
mental shrub abounds. Occasionally we
pass through cuts and over low fills, by
snow-fences, and through snow-sheds, the
country growing rougher as we pass along
8 3-10 miles to

Miser Station—Sage-brush is the
rule. Just before reaching the station, we
pass through a very deep cut—one of the
deepest on the road—where a little spur of
the bluffs rises abruptly from the plains,
right in the way of the road. Just before
reaching the next station, we cross Rock
Creek, towards the head of which is good
trout fishing. It is 9 7-10 miles to

Rock Creek—a small station, situ-
ated on asmall creek of the same name.
[See description of Rock Creek on preceed-
ing pages.| This is a regular eating sta-
tion; trains from the East stop for supper,
from the West for breakfast—30 minutes
are allowed. The company have erected a
very commodious house here, on the right
hand side of the track, and those who fur-
nish meals to the passengers have reached

avery high point of excellence in the art, |

and appear attentive to the wants of their
guests. The dining room is very tastefully