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Journal of the exploring tour beyond the Rocky Mountains
Journal of the exploring tour beyond the Rocky Mountains Author:Samuel Parker Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 42 BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. CHAPTER III. Continuance at Council Bluffs—interesting scenery—Indian cariosity —information obtained about several Indian tribes—Spa... more »smodic Cholera—an Indian chief killed—leave Bellevue for the Black Hills —storm of rain—heavy thunder storm—Elkhorn river, the country around—Loups fork of the Platte—manner of encamping—Big Ax, Pawnee chief—Indian feasting—fourth of July—Messrs. Dunbar and Allis—thunder storm—Indian Ornaments—effects of drunkenness—bite of a rattle-snake—buffalo seen—prairie horsefly—forks of the Platte—want of wood—swiftness of antelopes— climate—thousands of buffalo—badgers—prairie dog—interesting bluffs—old castle—the chimney, or beacon—an alarm—Ogallallah Indians, their lodges—Black Hills. Continued in this place three weeks, waiting the movements of the caravan, who made slow progress in preparing their packages for the mountains. During our continuance here, I frequently walked over the hills bordering upon the west of the valley of the Missouri, to enjoy the pure air of the rolling prairies, and to view the magnificent prospects unfolded in the vale below. From the summit of those prominences, the valley of the Missouri may be traced until lost in its winding course among the bluffs. Six miles be- low, is seen the Papillon, a considerable stream from the north-west, winding its way round to the east, and uniting with the Missouri, six miles above the confluence of the Platte, coming from the west. These flow through a rich alluvial plain, opening to the south and south-west as far as the eye can reach. Upon these meadows are seen feeding t some few hundreds of horses and mules, and a herd of cat. MISSIONARY PROSPECTS. / 48 tie; and some fields of corn diversify the scenery. The north is covered with woods, which are not le...« less