thirtymilesout:

“’The Monuments” were reached this evening; near them is a camp of more than two hundred soldiers. A fort is to be built, also a station. These Monument rocks are considered the most remarkable on the plains. At a distance it is difficult to realize that they are not the handiwork of man, so perfectly do they resemble piles of masonry.

The wind that night was terrific. Two tents were blown away, and a wagon that was not brought into the corral overturned. The mules stood with their backs to the blast, that caused their hair to stand out like fur.

We left Monument early on the morning of the 25th, to continue our journey. An ambulance, containing a surgeon and four men, accompanied us as well as the escort of five cavalrymen. The next station was twenty-two miles distant.”   Theodore H. Davis-   1865

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