the whole family of mules and their offspring, now, henceforth and forever. The mules and carriage, unimpaired, were soon brought back, however, by an intrepid horseman who had stopped them in their mad career; and the last I saw of our outfit, it was going at double-quick toward the stable, the head of the driver surging above and below the top of the carriage, as he administered to the refractory mules such merited punishment as his remaining strength enabled him to do. Thus ended our trip to Berthoud Pass, and the Snowy Range of the Rocky Mountains. IV. COLORADO AGRICULTURAL FAIR-TRIP FROM DENVER TO LAPORTELAPORTE TO VIRGINIA DALE-STONEWALL CAÑON-STEAMBOAT BUTTE, ANTELOPE PASS AND THE LARAMIE PLAINS-ARRIVAL AT FORT JOHN BUFORD, LARAMIE PLAINS, D. T., The first Agricultural Fair of Colorado had been advertised to come off on Thursday, September 20, and be continued on Friday and Saturday; but the severe storm of the preceding Wednesday had made the travelling so bad, that the Committee determined to postpone the commencement till Friday, and continue the exhibition till the following Tuesday. On Friday morning Mr. Williams and myself were invited to visit the grounds by General Pierce, the Surveyor-General of the Territory, and General Hughes, the general agent and attorney for Holladay's Overland Stage and Express Company. We found that the grounds, which are situated about one and a half miles to the northeast of Denver City, consisted of forty acres of most beautiful plain in the form of a parallelogram, inclosed by a tight wall, composed of concrete, about two feet thick and eight feet high. Upon one side of the rectangle was an elliptical track one half mile in length, for the trial of the speed of horses and mules; and upon the other side were innumerable stalls for the exhibition of domestic animals. In the centre was a large covered amphitheatre, in which were exhibited the products of the soil, and such. articles of trade and commerce as the mechanical skill of the Territory could produce. The whole affair, both in its inception and execution, would have done credit to any State east of the Missouri River. The articles which most attracted our attention were the mammoth specimens of vegetables on exhibition. Such cabbages, beets, turnips, tomatoes and potatoes I have seldom seen at any State or county exhibition in New York, and they were all produced by irrigation. The farmers with whom we conversed informed us, that they much preferred this sure method of raising a crop, to the uncertainty attending all farming operations in the Eastern States where they had resided; the expense was comparatively trifling, and their preparations for irrigation had now become so far advanced, that they felt sure of being able to supply the entire demand hereafter, and at moderate prices. The knowledge of this fact has changed my whole former theory on this subject. I had supposed that the immense population which is settling in the mountains, would have to be supplied with agricultural products, for all time, from the productive regions of the lower Platte, and the States of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. But now I see that all these lands, lying along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, and susceptible of being irrigated by the mountain streams, whose sources are the eternal snows upon their summits, will sooner or later be made to produce all that will be required for the millions of hardy mountaineers, whose thirst and search for gold and the other precious metals preclude them from devoting their time to agricultural pursuits, even though the climate and soil of the mountain regions should warrant it. The specimens of jewelry, saddlery, needle-work and other varieties of mechanical skill too numerous to mention, were remarkable for their ingenuity and perfection. And we came away from the fair grounds, after witnessing one or two trials of speed between a lot of second or third class trotting horses, impressed with the idea that this young and unfledged State was bound soon to take higher rank in the confederacy than some of the "Old Thirteen." Under the new programme, the trial of the fastest horses, and riding by the ladies, which we would like much to have seen, had been postponed to the following week. FROM DENVER TO LAPORTE. On the afternoon of Saturday, September 22, we again left Denver, by Holladay's Overland Stage Line, for the scene of our future explorations in the Black Hills, north and west of Laporte. The light from the stars and waning moon was barely sufficient to reveal the dim outline of the ragged sides and crest of the mountain ranges as we passed within a few miles of their base, and across Clear, Coal, Boulder, St. Vrain, Little and Big Thomson and Cache la Poudre Creeks, that flow from the huge gorges in their sides. We reached Laporte, a distance of sixty-seven miles by stage road from Denver, at daybreak on Sunday morning, and found most comfortable quarters at the stage-station, kept by Mr. Taylor; and were joined, in the evening, by General G. M. Dodge, Chief Engineer, and Mr. James A. Evans, Division Engineer, of the Union Pacific Railroad. We were now about to enter in real earnest upon the rough and adventurous features of our excursion. General Dodge commenced our education by intimating in the most gentle manner, that we would be expected to feed, water and clean our saddle-horses during the trip. Our host of the Ranch also informed us, that he had no sleeping accommodations for us, and that we had better look around for lodgings. In view of such an emergency, Mr. Williams and myself had fortunately provided ourselves with plenty of buffalo skins, blankets and ponchos. We therefore intimated to the landlord, that one of us would occupy the lounge in the corner of the dining-room, and the other would sleep on the floor by the stove. Upon this the cook, a buxom middle-aged woman, with a sucking child, called out from the kitchen, in not very gentle tones, that that lounge was her bed. Mr. Chamberlain, an enterprising merchant in the vicinity, here came to our relief, and kindly offered us the use of the floor in the back room of his log-store, which we were very glad to accept. The following day was spent in making preparations for our intended reconnoissance on horseback, of the Black Hills and Laramie Plains. An easy-going black saddlehorse was procured of Mr. Chamberlain, for the use of Mr. Williams. A chestnut cavalry horse, procured by General Dodge from Fort Collins, was allotted to me. He had previously selected a fine roan from the same place for himself. And Mr. Evans adhered to a large black mule which he had been riding for some days previously. He very kindly offered this mule to Mr. Williams, with the quiet remark, however, that he was apt to buck once in a while, which meant, as he afterward explained, that he would occasionally stick his head down between his fore legs, kick up behind, and throw his rider over his head. Mr. Williams having had some experience with mules, on our trip to Berthoud Pass, very promptly declined the offer. Hon. Green Clay Smith, Governor of Montana, breakfasted with us as he was passing through with his suite, by stage, on his way to the scene of his future labors. |