Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Reminiscences of a trip to Pike’s Peak and down the Rio Grande in the year 1859, at the time of the Pikes Peak gold craze (Peter Westerlund)
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
Its sides around the top were cut full of names.
Every person that passed by would chisel his name
there, if he had tools with which to do it. I was told
that the Mormons celebrated the 4th of July here
when they migrated to Salt Lake City; hence the
name Independence Rock. 13e ’that as it may, 1
rather think it. was Gen, Fremont or some expedition
who named this rock.
Here the Platte River turns to the south and
Sweet Water River comes from the west and empties
into the Platte. After leaving Independence Rock,
we soon reached Sweet Water River and crossing it
we continued four or five miles and came to the
place called the Devil’s Gap. This is another of the
wonders of nature. This gap must be 209 to 300 feet
from top to bottom and is not very wide. The walls
are perpendicular and so shaped as to fit snugly
together if they were to be joined. This plainly
indicates that they once were together. A high
ridge extends from the northwest to this gap and
from there south gradually descending to the level
of the river bottoms at a distance of less than
one-half mile from the river or gap. The natural course
of the river would have been around the end of this
ridge, had the opening not been there.
Here we were at the place so long hoped for—
Sweet Water River. It certainly was properly
named, for the water was good, clear and pure,
although several small ponds or basins contained
alkali. When the water in these small basins would
m
evaporate it would leave a white crust a quarter of
an inch thick on the bottom. The land in this valley
was fine, and no doubt the government will, if it 1ms
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
