The Awakening of the Desert
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Julius C. Birge. The Awakening of the Desert
CHAPTER I. A Call to the Wilderness
CHAPTER II "Roll Out"
CHAPTER III. The Advancing Wave of Civilization
CHAPTER IV. A River Town of the Day
CHAPTER V. Our Introduction to the Great Plains
CHAPTER VI. The Oregon Trail
CHAPTER VII. Society in the Wilderness
CHAPTER VIII. Jack Morrow's Ranch
CHAPTER IX. Men of the Western Twilight
CHAPTER X. Dan, The Doctor
CHAPTER XI. Fording the Platte in High Water
CHAPTER XII. The Phantom Liar of Grease Wood Desert
CHAPTER XIII. The Mystery of Scott's Bluffs
CHAPTER XIV. The Peace Pipe at Laramie
CHAPTER XV. Red Cloud on the War Path
CHAPTER XVI. The Mormon Trail
CHAPTER XVII. Wild Midnight Revelry in the Caspar Hills
CHAPTER XVIII. A Night at Red Buttes
CHAPTER XIX. Camp Fire Yarns at Three Crossings
CHAPTER XX. A Spectacular Buffalo Chase
CHAPTER XXI. The Parting of the Ways
CHAPTER XXII. The Banditti of Ham's Fork
CHAPTER XXIII. Through the Wasatch Mountains
CHAPTER XXIV. Why a Fair City Arose in a Desert
CHAPTER XXV. Some Inside Glimpses of Mormon Affairs
CHAPTER XXVI. Mormon Homes and Social Life
CHAPTER XXVII. The Boarding House Train
CHAPTER XXVIII. Some Episodes In Stock Hunting
CHAPTER XXIX. Adventures Of An Amateur Detective
CHAPTER XXX. The Overland Stage Line
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WHITMORE and Wilson, who were the leading spirits in our expedition, urged that twenty-five Henry repeating rifles (which had recently been invented) and thirty Colt's revolvers should be secured for our party; this in view of their experience on the plains in the preceding year and of recent reports from the West. If any trifling precaution of that nature would in any way contribute to the safety and comfort of those gentlemen, it would certainly meet with my approval. They were to leave families behind them and should go fully protected. In fact certain stories that had been related in my hearing had excited even within my breast a strong prejudice against the impolite and boorish manner in which Indians sometimes scalped their captives. Orders were accordingly transmitted for the arms to be shipped from Hartford. The sixty wagons were built specially for the purpose in question and thirty-six vigorous young men, the most of whom had seen service in the Civil War just ended, were secured to manage the teams.
Under the new white canvas cover of each wagon lay at least one rifle. The men had practiced more or less the use of the peculiar whip that seemed necessary for the long teams. It consisted of a very short stock and an exceedingly long lash, which the expert can throw to its utmost length so as to reach the flank of a leader with accuracy, and without injury to the beast, producing a report rivaling in sharpness the explosion of a firecracker. The loudness of its snap was the measure of the skill with which the whip had been wielded.
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Thus was announced the Captain's policy for our quasi weekly days of rest, and the affair was conducted accordingly.
As our train crawled across Rock River, whose banks were once the favorite hunting grounds of the Winnebagoes and Pottawattamies, I recalled a final gathering of the remnant of the latter tribe, which I witnessed, when, for the last time, they turned from their beautiful home and started in single file on their long, sad trail toward the setting sun, to the reservation set apart for them forever. We shall note more of this type of historical incident as we pass beyond the Missouri, for the white man was pushing the Indian year by year farther back into the wild and arid lands then supposed to be of no use for cultivation.
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