Ocean to Ocean on Horseback: Being the Story of a Tour in the Saddle from the Atlantic to the Pacific; with Especial Reference to the Early History and Development of Cities and Towns Along the Route; and Regions Traversed Beyond the Mississippi; Together with Incidents, Anecdotes and Adventures of the JourneyGlazier, Willard W.
History
Ocean to Ocean on Horseback: Being the Story of a Tour in the Saddle from the Atlantic to the Pacific; with Especial Reference to the Early History and Development of Cities and Towns Along the Route; and Regions Traversed Beyond the Mississippi; Together with Incidents, Anecdotes and Adventures of the Journey
Glazier, Willard W.
United States -- Description and travel
"O sweet are the moments when dreaming I roam
Through my loved haunts now mossy and gray;
And dearer than all is my childhood's hallowed home
That is crumbling now slowly away.
But sweeter, dearer, yes, dearer far than these, etc."
Reached this place at seven o'clock in the evening and will go on to
Little Falls after dinner to-morrow. In the morning I had an opportunity
to look about me and admire the unusually fine scenery whose romantic
aspect was heightened by a rugged tip of the Adirondacks which runs down
into the valley at that point. At the foot of the mountain lies the
brisk little town of Saint Johnsville, whose manufacturing interests
have given it a reputation for miles around.
Twentieth Day.
_Girvan House,_
LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK,
_May Twenty-eighth._
Rode to this place from Saint Johnsville after five o'clock in the
afternoon, taking the north bank of the river. The effect of the scene
in front of me as I traced my way along the valley was most striking.
Nearer the town my eye caught the picturesque masses of rock lifting
their rugged sides to a height of five hundred feet, the swift waters of
the Mohawk rushing along between them. The homes perched all along on
the steep hills suggested Swiss scenes and Alpine journeys, but the busy
hum and characteristic American push soon dissipated these fancies. The
rapid fall of the river here is of great benefit to the manufacturers
who are making good use of their excellent water-power in the paper and
woollen mills.
Soon after my arrival, several citizens came into the hotel to learn the
particulars of my journey, but before I had time to register, Postmaster
Stafford made himself known and introduced me to several of his friends
and acquaintances, among them General Curtis and Major Lintner. A
laughable story was related which afforded considerable amusement soon
after I rode into town. It seems that a credulous old lady from the
country had been led to believe that a cavalryman would ride through the
place that night on the horse which General Washington rode during the
Revolution. A story suggested, no doubt, by the subject of my lecture.
She had come in to sell her firkin of butter and had waited until long
after dark for the rider and his ancient steed, while the objects of her
misguided interest were resting in Saint Johnsville unconscious of the
disappointment they were causing.
Let us hope that she never discovered her mistake, for the old are often
sensitive on such points. It is better at times to suffer keen
disappointment than to find we have been too credulous.
[Illustration: VIEW IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY.]
Twenty-first Day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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