170 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



ing to the easiest grades. One can travel through the moun- 

 tains from east to west, or from south to north in some places 

 with a team,or can go in most places on horseback, or any- 

 where he pleases on foot. Altogether I consider it about 

 the most delightful camping grounds I have ever visited. 

 Firewood and shelter for the camp, grass for the horses, and 

 good water can be found everywhere after the mountains 

 are once entered. Some of the streams of the foothills, and 

 also a little way up in the mountains are impregnated with 

 gypsum or other minerals, making the water bad, but once 

 in the mountains the water is all pure and fine. Nearly or 

 quite all the streams are stocked with trout. These trout 

 were planted there within the last twenty years. Originally, 

 it is claimed, that there were no trout on the eastern slope 

 of the Rocky mountains, but they were abundant on the 

 western side. At any rate, this is in accordance with the 

 opinions of the first explorers, and of the early writers. I 

 also know for myself that when I followed the Overland 

 Trail across the plains in 1852, the fishermen in our party 

 caught no trout in the Sweet Water, nor in any other 

 branches of the Platte, but as soon as the creeks flowing into 

 Green and Snake rivers were reached they got trout in 

 plenty. 



The Black Hills region is a beautiful, romantic, attrac- 

 tive place we ought to get better acquainted with it. 



