126 Reminiscences of 



languished, and at least half of the miners who had 

 emigrated to the Territory in previous years left it for 

 the new mining regions still farther west, which had 

 their communications with the States of California and 

 Oregon, upon the Pacific Coast. 



But despite the high prices and Indian difficulties 

 which prevailed, a large emigration set in during the 

 summer of the year 1865, which was encouraged by 

 the protection afforded by the government in placing 

 ten thousand troops upon the route from the Missouri 

 River to Salt Lake. 



A large number of the emigrants who crossed the 

 plains in 1865 were en route for regions beyond; but 

 the amount of freight received in Colorado during that 

 year exceeded that of any previous one; and a large 

 ntimber of settlers were added to the population of the 

 Territory. The emigration over the plains during the 

 year 1865 was immense. The government alone paid 

 a sum exceeding $6,000,000 for freight across the 

 country to its various Western military stations. The 

 amount of freight which was carried over the plains in 

 1865 is estimated to have exceeded one hundred and 

 fifty million pounds. 



From fifteen to twenty thousand teams were em- 

 ployed in the passage, some of which made two trips 

 to the mountains during the summer, the average 

 amount of freight carried by the teams being five thou- 

 sand pounds, each team having four to six horses or 

 mules, or from six to twelve oxen. The writer, while 

 returning east over the plains by stage in 1865 counted 

 in three daj's 3384 teams of this description, all passing 

 westward ; the distance made by the stage during this 

 time being three hundred and twenty miles. At one 



