CURRECANTI NEEDLE, ON CURRECANTI RIVER, COLORADO.

[CHAPTER V.]
PAGE
Over the Heights and into the Deeps of Wonderland.—Through the portals of Black Cañon—Astounding views along Gunnison River—Chippeta Falls and Currecanti Needle—A sight of Fossil Ridge and the Cone of Ouray—The trip over Marshall Pass—The terrible mightiness of the Royal Gorge—Hanging Bridge—The tempestuously craggy route between Ironton and Ouray—Marvelous engineering skill—Weirdly savage Animas Cañon—A railroad balcony 1,500 feet above the river—A flight high as the eagle’s—Kit Carson’s Exploits in Cañon de Chelle—The awesomeness of Toltec Gorge—A parade-ground of Nature’s Idols—Looking down upon the world—Blooming flowerland of San Luis Park—Down through Comanche Cañon—A side trip to ruined pueblos and cliff dwellings in New Mexico—Something about an extinct race—The Grave of Kit Carson—Some history of remarkable interest—The ancient Pueblo Indians and their dwellings—Magnificent ruins of the Casa Grandes—Montezuma’s Palace—Evidences of a walled and towered city—Prehistoric man in New Mexico,113-152
[CHAPTER VI.]
Across the Cactus Desert into California’s Golden Land.—The Zuni plateau—Approach to the Grand Cañon of the Colorado—A scene of overpowering sublimity—A Mohave Village—Death Valley—From sterility to fertility—Monterey and its attractions—A visit to the Lick Observatory and the great telescope—In and around San Francisco—The Seals’ Sporting Grounds—The Mariposa grove of big trees—A trip through the wondrous valley of the Yosemite—A stage journey through a region of incomparable grandeur—Wonders and curiosities of the Yosemite—Falls of extraordinary beauty and peaks of amazing height—The Calaveras big trees—The journey from Ogden to California—Across the great American desert—Indian camps along the way—The Humboldt Palisades—Lake Tahoe—The sad story of the Donner party—Along the lofty crest of American Cañon—Giant’s Gap and Cape Horn—The beautiful Sacramento Valley,153-192
[CHAPTER VII.]
Our Journey Through Picturesque Regions of the Northwest.—Winter in vernal climes—A plunge into the Siskiyou Range—the light that crowns Shasta’s head—Soda Springs that titillate the palate like champagne—Exquisite Mossbrae Falls—A glorious sight from Portland’s heights—Lofty peaks of the Cascade Range—A trip up the Columbia—Pictorial shores that lend charm to interest—Its dales, palisades and waterfalls—A panorama of extraordinary grandeur—A side trip to Crater Lake—Traditions of the Klamath Indians—The most marvelous body of water on earth—Indian legend of creation, the flood and repeopling of the world—Wondrous visions on the lake—The core of a great volcano—A Siwash legend of the Saviour—A voyage to Alaska—First sight of the glaciers—In the land of icebergs—Description of Muir Glacier—Birth of icebergs—History of the glacial epoch—Facts and fancies about Alaskan natives—Their religion and mortuary customs—Oh, glorious night of the North!193-234
[CHAPTER VIII.]
Across the Mountains to Yellowstone Park.—A detour on the Canadian Pacific Railroad—Magnificent scenery along Fraser River—Green lakes on mountain brows—Canadian National Park—A glimpse of the Sandwich Islands through other eyes than ours—Down the Yakimer River—Spokane and Palouse Falls—Sights along Snake River—Pinnacle Rocks—Lost Falls—Lakes of marvelous beauty and rivers of torrential flow—A trip to the 12 falls of the Missouri—Our visit to Yellowstone Park—The wondrous gateway to Gardiner Cañon—Nesting place of the sentinel eagle—Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces—Remarkable formations more beautiful than the Cave of Stalacta—Springs glowing with brilliant coloring—Terraces of petrified rainbows—Through the Golden Gate, by deep cañon, lofty waterfall and far-soaring cliffs—In purgatorial regions—Growling caves and spouting Geysers—The Devil’s Kitchen and his Majesty’s Mush-pot—Along Firehole River and into the Lower Basin—The land of fearful surprises and volcanic energy—Yellowstone Lake and its game-abounding shores—Death Valley and Petrified Forest—Grand Cañon of the Yellowstone and its flowing beauties—Tower and Yellowstone Falls—A grave-yard of mammoth quadrupeds,235-288

CHIPPETA FALLS, IN BLACK CAÑON OF GUNNISON RIVER.

[CHAPTER IX.]
PAGE
Among the Wonders of the Black Hills.—Beautiful Dells of the St. Croix—Scenes of the last Indian uprising—The scenery about Deadwood—Tumultuous wonders of Custer Park—Marvels of Elk Creek Cañon—Harney’s Peak and Wedge Rock—Horseshoe Curve—Keith’s Crystal Cave—A trip to the Belle Fourche—Astounding wonder of the Devil’s Tower—A basaltic column higher than the Eiffel Tower—Speculations concerning its formation—Crow Butte and Signal Rock—A story of Indian heroism—St. Anthony’s Falls—Charming beauty of Minnehaha—Dells of the St. Croix—The Devil’s Fishing Place—Customs of the Wisconsin Indians—Making a Medicine Man—Witchery of the Wisconsin Dells—Cleavages of extraordinary curiosity—Funeral ceremonies of the Ojibways—Wonders of Devil’s Lake and Camp Douglas—Through the Straits of Mackinaw—Picturesqueness of Superior’s Shores—Pictured palisades and frozen waterfalls—Scenery along the north shore—A trip down the Mississippi,289-344
[CHAPTER X.]
Scenic Marvels of the Great Northeast.—Mountain scenes in the vicinity of Eureka Springs—Legend of the Starved Rock in Illinois—Sublime glories and immensity of Niagara Falls—Utilization of the waters—Some interesting scientific facts—The Mohawk Valley and Leather Stocking Stories—Magnificence of Watkin’s and Havana Glens—The poetry of idyllic retreats—Down through the Thousand Islands—Chateaugay Chasm—Cañons of the Ausable and bewildering glories of the Adirondacks—Hunting grounds of the great North wilderness—Scenes of incomparable grandeur—Story of our tramp through the Catskills—A trip down the Hudson—Places famous in American history—West Point and its noted surroundings,345-382
[CHAPTER XI.]
A Pictorial Tour of the Eastern States.—A trip through the scenic regions of Canada—Torrential mightiness of Chaudiere Falls—The falls of Montreal River—A trip through Lachine Rapids—Something about the early history of Quebec—Winter sports in Montreal—The home of Queen Victoria’s father—Beautiful scenery in the vicinity of Quebec—A journey through the New England States—The Green Mountains of Vermont—Description of the White Mountains—Singular examples of nature sculpturing—Ascension of the highest peaks and bewildering views therefrom—The cog-wheel railroad up Mount Washington—Sensations and charms of the ascent—A typical village in a New Hampshire valley—Vagaries and reveries of a poetaster—Wild grandeur of Wild-Cat River—Afloat on the pretty lakes of New Hampshire—From Maine to Boston—Historic places of Massachusetts, and the stories connected with them—Curiosities around Pittsfield and description of the Shaker settlement,383-414
[CHAPTER XII.]
On Historic Fields of Virginia and Pennsylvania.—From the Blue Grass Regions to the Shenandoah—Scenery of the Kanawha River and Blue Ridge Mountains—Marvelous Natural Bridge of Virginia—Some remarkable scenes in East Tennessee—Pen-pictures of some of the mountaineers—War memories that are fast fading—The Great Smoky Mountains—Portraitures of North Carolinians, and some typical farm scenes—Scenery about Asheville—A tragic story of the ascent of Mount Mitchell—A visit to Luray Caverns—Beauties of the Under-world that dazzle with their splendor—Descriptions of the subterranean chambers—Valley of the Shenandoah—Memorable battle-fields—Down the Juniata—Scenery of the Susquehanna—Visit to a land of waterfalls beyond the Water Gap,415-448
[CHAPTER XIII.]
Through Languorous Lands of the Sunny South.—A visit to the Gettysburg battle-field—Through the Wilderness of Virginia—Scene of the closing event of the war—From Fortress Monroe to the Dismal Swamp—Story of Nat Turner’s Insurrection—A Dream of the Old Cabin Home—From Georgia to the orange lands of Florida—Olden times in St. Augustine—A boat journey down Indian River, into a land of perpetual bloom—Visions of tropic beauty and luxuriance—A trip on St. John’s River, and on the Ocklawaha—Alligators, snakes, and other slimy things—Marvels of Silver Spring—’Way Down Upon the Suwanee River—From Mobile to New Orleans—A trip to Mammoth Cave—Descriptions of its subterranean wonders—A tour of Wyandotte Cave—Magnificence of its halls, in which the splendors of Aladdin’s Cavern are reproduced—Conclusion,449-503