up the Platte the plains began to spread out and were very 
fertile in appearance, Pillages of prairie dogs became 
frequent and antelopes were occasionally seen. On Monday 
the country became barren looking, the towns on the plains 
having a sickly, uninviting look. At Sidney we stopped for 
a while and I gathered many new varieties of flowers and help- 
ed to kill a rattlesnake. Got supper at Cheyenne on Monday 
evening and reached the summit of the first range of mountains 
at Sherman by sunset. Cool showers were sweeping across the 
range and a superb rainbow was seen. The effect on the 
mountains to the west was novel to me and exceedingly splendid 
On Tuesday we passed through hundreds of miles of the most 
desolate country I have ever seen — plains bare or covered 
with sage, and here and there barren rocks and castellated 
cliffs varying the monotony. Occasionally a creek of bitter 
muddy water wound through its deep and dreary channel. The 
bones of many cattle were seen and we wonder that either man 
or beast should have succeeded in crossing such a desert. 
The valley of the Green River and its canyon afforded 
many curious and interesting scenes, the scenery in Weber 
Canyon as we approached Salt Lake defying description. We 
reached Ogden at about 7:00 o T clock on Tuesday evening, June 
4, having been on the cars almost every hour for five days. 
I was scarcely more tired than when I left Washington six days 
before. At the depot we met Stevenson, Administrative Assist 
ant, and took supper at the Ogden House, after which most of 
