Cy — "5 tS es et Kyl

THE ROUTE BEYOND KANSAS, 77 Le 67

- California.’ “The one will. render Utah. and | N evada’ ‘accessible, “and “
oH probably be the means of rooting out the gocial. abominations exist-
ing in the former territory; the other: will bring the beautiful plains»
» and valleys, and the innumerable mines of gold, silver and copper of.
_ the more southern range of States and territories within’ easy reach
. of the great body of the American people. And whatever may be the |
~ amount and value of the through trade of the latter; whether more or
“ less, its way business cannot fail to be enormous,: “Although but little
» more than halfway through Kansas; it is ‘already profitable; as I have
“ heretofore shown, both. to the Government and the ‘Company; ; and I:
- now intend to show. that there. is not likely to be a section of a hun-
dred miles on the entire route but will contribute handsemely i in some
shape to its reveriue ‘and: support. a now propose to speak 3 more ° par.
ticularly of - yh. ANGE iM elaine lt Wopk GUS Te noob add Fire hs
“Hidsigebda dir 9 ‘THE ROUTE® BEYOND: KANSAS." Seth STE
Pond Creek; ‘the point to which’ a number of thé gentlemen of our.
; party’ extended ‘their: excursion,’ ‘is two. hundred ‘miles’ west of Fort -
- Harker, up the valley of the Smoky: ‘Hill,‘and four hundred and twen-
ty-five miles west of the Missouri river at Kansas City. : It is one
hundred’ and eighty- seven miles’ southeast of Denver, ‘and four’ hin- |.
dred ‘and. two! miles’ northeast of ’ Santa Fé." It is'to this point that ©
- the Government subsidy of bonds to this road, ‘granted by Act of Con-
gress, extends.” It -is ‘within’ some ‘six’ or’ eight miles' of" the’ eastern |
line!of Colorado, anda ‘ttle 3 nearer to’ ‘the southern line” ‘of Kansis |
than the place of beginning: PUAN key FO Meade yea OF 22
. i: Of the country through which thé road passes in the State ‘of ‘Kan- a
~ gas; I have already spoken 60 ‘fully’ that I need ‘not’ advert to it here,
~ At Pond Creek; or somewhere in that Vicinity;‘the southwéstern line
leaves thé line to: ‘Denver —now' being: located ’ (and which és by no
means: abandoned) — and passes’ ‘over''a “rolling buffalo-grass prairie |.
_ “divide” to Fort} Lyon,‘on' the“ Arkansas, ‘a distaned of about’ sixty- —
~ five miles.: An extensive district of very good agricultural land lies: 2
around. Fort Lyon.’ Leaving Fort Lyon, the line follows the valley of «. .
the Pur gatoire* river, in a southwest direction, over one hundred and :
_twenty milés — still’ ‘through’ a buffalo-grass region —to, the eastern Se
base of the ‘Raton. mountain, which is covered with, a heavy growth ©
of valuable timber, and. abounds in, coal of superior, quality, 5 some of, ae
the: veins being from eleven to thirteen fect i in thickness. TS Ae gee
/-# This name is is generally, ‘but incorrectly,. written ‘Purgatory on our maps: i Out on PS
the plains some of our fellows have corrupted it into ¢ Picket-wire.? tei 03/- :

. ¢ Since my return home I received a letter from 2 gentleman in St. Louis: stating Hs
* that Mr. Sanderson, proprietor of the Santa Fé 6 stages, had brought to that ony § some ©.