THE CANYON OF LODORE.
JUNE 8.--We enter the canyon, and until noon find a succession of
rapids, over which, our boats have to be taken. Here I must explain our
method of proceeding at such places. The "Emma Dean "'goes in advance;
the other boats follow, in obedience to signals. When we approach a
rapid, or what on other rivers would often be called a fall, I stand
on deck to examine it, while the oarsmen back water, and we drift on as
slowly as possible. If I can see a clear chute between the rocks, away
we go; but if the channel is beset entirely across, we signal the other
boats, pull to land, and I walk along the shore for closer examination.
If this reveals no clear channel, hard work begins. We drop the boats to
the very head of the dangerous place and let them over by lines or make
a portage, frequently carrying both boats and cargoes over the rocks.
The waves caused by such falls in a river differ much from the waves
of the sea. The water of an ocean wave merely rises and falls; the form
only passes on, and form chases form unceasingly. A body floating on
such waves merely rises and sinks--does not progress unless impelled by
wind or some other power. But here the water of the wave passes on while
the form remains. The waters plunge down ten or twenty feet to the foot
of a fall, spring up again in a great wave, then down and up in a series
of billows that gradually disappear in the more quiet waters below; but
these waves are always there, and one can stand above and count them.
A boat riding such billows leaps and plunges along with great velocity.
Now, the difficulty in riding over these falls, when no rocks are in the
way, is with the first wave at the foot. This will sometimes gather for
a moment, heap up higher and higher, and then break back.
152 2 CANYONS OF THE COLORADO.
If the boat strikes it the instant after it breaks, she cuts through,
and the mad breaker dashes its spray over the boat and washes overboard
all who do not cling tightly. If the boat, in going over the falls,
chances to get caught in some side current and is turned from its
course, so as to strike the wave "broadside on," and the wave breaks at
the same instant, the boat is capsized; then we must cling to her, for
the water-tight compartments act as buoys and she cannot sink; and so we
go, dragged through the waves, until still waters are reached, when
we right the boat and climb aboard. We have several such experiences
to-day.
At night we camp on the right bank, on a little shelving rock between
the river and the foot of the cliff; and with night comes gloom into
these great depths. After supper we sit by our camp fire, made of
driftwood caught by the rocks, and tell stories of wild life; for
the men have seen such in the mountains or on the plains, and on the
battlefields of the South. It is late before we spread our blankets on
the beach.
Lying down, we look up through the canyon and see that only a little of
the blue heaven appears overhead--a crescent of blue sky, with two or
three constellations peering down upon us. I do not sleep for some time,
as the excitement of the day has not worn off. Soon I see a bright star
that appears to rest on the very verge of the cliff overhead to the
east. Slowly it seems to float from its resting place on the rock over
the canyon. At first it appears like a jewel set on the brink of the
cliff, but as it moves out from the rock I almost wonder that it does
not fall. In fact, it does seem to descend in a gentle curve, as though
the bright sky in which the stars are set were spread across the canyon,
resting on either wall, and swayed down by its own weight. The stars
appear to be in the canyon. I soon discover that it is the bright star
Vega; so it occurs to me to designate this part of the wall as the
"Cliff of the Harp."
June 9.--One of the party suggests that we call this the Canyon of
Lodore, and the name is adopted. Very slowly we make our way, often
climbing on the rocks at the edge of the water for a few hundred yards
to examine the channel before running it. During the afternoon we come
to a place where it is necessary to make a portage. The little boat is
landed and the others are signaled to come up.
THE CANYON OF LODOKE.
153
When these rapids or broken falls occur usually the channel is
suddenly narrowed by rocks which have been tumbled from the cliffs or
powell-canyons-105.jpg
GATE OF LODORE.
have been washed in by lateral streams. Immediately above the narrow,
rocky channel, on one or both sides, there is often a bay of quiet
water, in which a landing can be made with ease. Sometimes
154 4 CANYONS OF THE COLORADO.
the water descends with a smooth, unruffled surface from the
broad, quiet spread above into the narrow, angry channel below by a
semicircular sag. Great care must be taken not to pass over the brink
into this deceptive pit, but above it we can row with safety. I walk
along the bank to examine the ground, leaving one of my men with a flag
to guide the other boats to the landing-place. I soon see one of the
boats make shore all right, and feel no more concern; but a minute
after, I hear a shout, and, looking around, see one of the boats
shooting down the center of the sag. It is the "No Name," with Captain
Howland, his brother, and Goodman. I feel that its going over is
inevitable, and run to save the third boat. A minute more, and she turns
the point and heads for the shore. Then I turn down stream again and
scramble along to look for the boat that has gone over. The first fall
is not great, only 10 or 12 feet, and we often run such; but below, the
river tumbles down again for 40 or 50 feet, in a channel filled with
dangerous rocks that break the waves into whirlpools and beat them into
foam. I pass around a great crag just in time to see the boat strike
a rock and, rebounding from the shock, careen and fill its open
compartment with water. Two of the men lose their oars; she swings
around and is carried down at a rapid rate, broadside on, for a few
yards, when, striking amidships on another rock with great force, she
is broken quite in two and the men are thrown into the river. But the
larger part of the boat floats buoyantly, and they soon seize it, and
down the river they drift, past the rocks for a few hundred yards, to a
second rapid filled with huge boulders, where the boat strikes again and
is dashed to pieces, and the men and fragments are soon carried beyond
my sight. Running along, I turn a bend and see a man's head above the
water, washed about in a whirlpool below a great rock. It is Frank
Goodman, clinging to the rock with a grip upon which life depends.
Coming opposite, I see Howland trying to go to his aid from an island on
which he has been washed. Soon he comes near enough to reach Frank with
a pole, which he extends toward him. The latter lets go the rock, grasps
the pole, and is pulled ashore. Seneca Howland is washed farther down
the island and is caught by some rocks, and, though somewhat bruised,
manages to get ashore in safety. This seems a long time as I tell it,
but it is quickly done.
THE CANYON OF LODORE. 155
And now the three men are on an island, with a swift, dangerous river on
either side and a fall below. The "Emma Dean" is soon brought down, and
Sumner, starting above as far as possible, pushes powell-canyons-106.jpg
WRECK AT DISASTER FALLS.
out. Right skillfully he plies the oars, and a few strokes set him on
the island at the proper point. Then they all pull the boat up stream as
far as they are able, until they stand in water up to their necks. One
156 6 CANYONS OF THE COLORADO.
sits on a rock and holds the boat until the others are ready to pull,
then gives the boat a push, clings to it with his hands, and climbs in
as they pull for mainland, which they reach in safety. We are as glad
to shake hands with them as though they had been on a voyage around the
world and wrecked on a distant coast.
Down the river half a mile we find that the after cabin of the
powell-canyons-107.jpg
METALLIFEROUS VEINS EXPOSED TO VIEW.
wrecked boat, with a part of the bottom, ragged and splintered, has
floated against a rock and stranded. There are valuable articles in the
cabin; but, on examination, we determine that life should not
THE CANYON OF LODORE. 157
be risked to save them. Of course, the cargo of rations, instruments,
and clothing is gone.
We return to the boats and make camp for the night. No sleep comes to
me in all those dark hours. The rations, instruments, and clothing have
been divided among the boats, anticipating such an accident as this; and
we started with duplicates of everything that was deemed necessary
to success. But, in the distribution, there was one exception to this
precaution--the barometers were all placed in one boat, and they are
lost! There is a possibility that they are in the cabin lodged against
the rock, for that is where they were kept. But, then, how to reach
them? The river is rising. Will they be there to-morrow? Can I go out to
Salt Lake City and obtain barometers from New York?
June 10.--I have determined to get the barometers from the wreck, if
they are there. After breakfast, while the men make the portage, I go
down again for another examination, There the cabin lies, only carried
50 or 60 feet farther on. Carefully looking over the ground, I am
satisfied that it can be reached with safety, and return to tell the
men my conclusion. Sumner and Dunn volunteer to take the little boat and
make the attempt. They start, reach it, and out come the barometers!
The boys set up a shout, and I join them, pleased that they should be as
glad as myself to save the instruments. When the boat lands on our side,
I find that the only things saved from the wreck were the barometers, a
package of thermometers, and a three-gallon keg of whiskey. The last is
what the men were shouting about. They had taken it aboard unknown to
me, and now I am glad they did take it, for it will do them good, as
they are drenched every day by the melting snow which runs down from the
summits of the Rocky Mountains.
We come back to our work at the portage and find that it is necessary to
carry our rations over the rocks for nearly a mile and to let our
boats down with lines, except at a few points, where they also must be
carried. Between the river and the eastern wall of the canyon there
is an immense talus of broken rocks. These have tumbled down from the
cliffs above and constitute a vast pile of huge angular fragments. On
these we build a path for a quarter of a mile to a small sand-beach
covered with driftwood, through which we clear a way for several
158 8 CANYONS OF THE COLORADO.
hundred yards, then continue the trail over another pile of rocks nearly
half a mile farther down, to a little bay. The greater part of the day
is spent in this work. Then we carry our cargoes down to the beach and
camp for the night.
While the men are building the camp fire, we discover an iron bake-oven,
several tin plates, a part of a boat, and many other fragments, which
denote that this is the place where Ashley's party was wrecked.
June 11.--This day is spent in carrying our rations down to the bay--no
small task, climbing over the rocks with sacks of flour and bacon. We
carry them by stages of about 500 yards each, and when night comes and
the last sack is on the beach, we are tired, bruised, and glad to sleep.
June 12.--To-day we take the boats down to the bay. While at this work
we discover three sacks of flour from the wrecked boat that have lodged
in the rocks. We carry them above high-water mark and leave them, as
our cargoes are already too heavy for the three remaining boats. We also
find two or three oars, which we place with them.
As Ashley and his party were wrecked here and as we have lost one of our
boats at the same place, we adopt the name Disaster Falls for the scene
of so much peril and loss.
Though some of his companions were drowned, Ashley and one other
survived the wreck, climbed the canyon wall, and found their way across
the Wasatch Mountains to Salt Lake City, living chiefly on berries,
as they wandered through an unknown and difficult country. When they
arrived at Salt Lake they were almost destitute of clothing and nearly
starved. The Mormon people gave them food and clothing and employed them
to work on the foundation of the Temple until they had earned sufficient
to enable them to leave the country. Of their subsequent history, I have
no knowledge. It is possible they returned to the scene of the disaster,
as a little creek entering the river below is known as Ashley's Creek,
and it is reported that he built a cabin and trapped on this river for
one or two winters; but this may have been before the disaster.
June 13.--Rocks, rapids, and portages still. We camp to-night at
THE CANYON OF LODOEE.
159
the foot of the left fall, on a little patch of flood plain covered
with a dense growth of box-elders, stopping early in order to spread the
clothing and rations to dry. Everything is wet and spoiling.
June 14.--Howland and I climb the wall on the west side of the canyon
to an altitude of 2,000 feet. Standing above and looking to the west, we
discover a large park, five or six miles wide and twenty or thirty long.
The cliff we have climbed forms a wall between the canyon and the park,
for it is 800 feet down the western side to the valley. A creek comes
winding down 1,200 feet above the river, and, entering the intervening
wall by a canyon, plunges down more than 1,000 feet, by a broken
cascade, into the river below.
June 15.--To-day, while we make another portage, a peak, standing on the
east wall, is climbed by two of the men and found to be 2,700 feet above
the river. On the east side of the canyon a vast amphitheater has
been cut, with massive buttresses and deep, dark alcoves in which
powell-canyons-108.jpg
WINNIE'S GROTTO, A SIDE CANYON.
160 CANYONS OF THE COLORADO.
grow beautiful mosses and delicate ferns, while springs burst out from
the farther recesses and wind in silver threads over floors of sand
rock. Here we have three falls in close succession. At the first the
water is compressed into a very narrow channel against the right-hand
cliff, and falls 15 feet in 10 yards. At the second we have a broad
sheet of water tumbling down 20 feet over a group of rocks that thrust
their dark heads through the foam. The third is a broken fall, or short,
abrupt rapid, where the water makes a descent of more than 20 feet among
huge, fallen fragments of the cliff. We name the group Triplet Falls.
We make a portage around the first; past the second and the third we let
down with lines.
During the afternoon, Dunn and Howland having returned from their climb,
we run down three quarters of a mile on quiet waters and land at the
head of another fall. On examination, we find that there is an abrupt
plunge of a few feet and then the river tumbles for half a mile with a
descent of a hundred feet, in a channel beset with great numbers of
huge boulders. This stretch of the river is named Hell's Half-Mile. The
remaining portion of the day is occupied in making a trail among the
rocks at the foot of the rapid.
June 16.--Our first work this morning is to carry our cargoes to the
foot of the falls. Then we commence letting down the boats. We take two
of them down in safety, but not without great difficulty; for, where
such a vast body of water, rolling down an inclined plane, is broken
into eddies and cross-currents by rocks projecting from the cliffs and
piles of boulders in the channel, it requires excessive labor and
much care to prevent the boats from being dashed against the rocks or
breaking away. Sometimes we are compelled to hold the boat against a
rock above a chute until a second line, attached to the stem, is carried
to some point below, and when all is ready the first line is detached
and the boat given to the current, when she shoots down and the men
below swing her into some eddy.
At such a place we are letting down the last boat, and as she is set
free a wave turns her broadside down the stream, with the stem, to which
the line is attached, from shore and a little up. They haul on the line
to bring the boat in, but the power of the current, striking obliquely
against her, shoots her out into the middle of the river. The
THE CANYON OF LODORE.
161
men have their hands burned with the friction of the passing line; the
boat breaks away and speeds with great velocity down the stream.
The "Maid of the Canyon" is lost! So it seems; but she drifts
powell-canyons-109.jpg
ERODED TOWERS CAPPED WITH LARGE BLOCKS OF SANDSTONE.
some distance and swings into an eddy, in which she spins about until we
arrive with the small boat and rescue her.
Soon we are on our way again, and stop at the mouth of a little brook on
the right for a late dinner. This brook comes down from the distant
162
CANYONS OF THE COLORADO.
mountains in a deep side canyon. We set out to explore it, but are soon
cut off from farther progress up the gorge by a high rock, over which
the brook glides in a smooth sheet. The rock is not quite vertical, and
the water does not plunge over it in a fall.
Then we climb up to the left for an hour, and are 1,000 feet above the
river and 600 above the brook. Just before us the canyon divides, a
little stream coming down on the right and another on the left, and we
can look away up either of these canyons, through an ascending vista, to
cliffs and crags and towers a mile back and 2,000 feet overhead. To the
right a dozen gleaming cascades are seen. Pines and firs stand on the
rocks and aspens overhang the brooks. The rocks below are red and brown,
set in deep shadows, but above they are buff and vermilion and stand in
the sunshine. The light above, made more brilliant by the bright-tinted
rocks, and the shadows below, more gloomy powell-canyons-110.jpg
FIRE IN CAMP.
by reason of the somber hues of the brown walls, increase the apparent
depths of the canyons, and it seems a long way up to the world of
sunshine and open sky, and a long way down to the bottom of the
THE CANYON OF LODORE. 163
canyon glooms. Never before have I received such an impression of the
vast heights of these canyon walls, not even at the Cliff of the Harp,
where the very heavens seemed to rest on their summits. We sit on some
overhanging rocks and enjoy the scene for a time, listening to the music
of the falling waters away up the canyon. We name this Rippling Brook.
Late in the afternoon we make a short run to the mouth of another little
creek, coming down from the left into an alcove filled with luxuriant
vegetation. Here camp is made, with a group of cedars on one side and a
dense mass of box-elders and dead willows on the other.
I go up to explore the alcove. While away a whirlwind comes and scatters
the fire among the dead willows and cedar-spray, and soon there is
a conflagration. The men rush for the boats, leaving all they cannot
readily seize at the moment, and even then they have their clothing
burned and hair singed, and Bradley has his ears scorched. The cook
fills his arms with the mess-kit, and jumping into a boat, stumbles and
falls, and away go our cooking utensils into the river. Our plates are
gone; our spoons are gone; our knives and forks are gone. "Water catch
'em; h-e-a-p catch 'em."
When on the boats, the men are compelled to cut loose, as the flames,
running out on the overhanging willows, are scorching them. Loose on the
stream, they must go down, for the water is too swift to make headway
against it. Just below is a rapid, filled with rocks. On the shoot,
no channel explored, no signal to guide them! Just at this juncture
I chance to see them, but have not yet discovered the fire, and the
strange movements of the men fill me with astonishment. Down the rocks
I clamber, and run to the bank. When I arrive they have landed. Then
we all go back to the late camp to see if anything left behind can be
saved. Some of the clothing and bedding taken out of the boats is found,
also a few tin cups, basins, and a camp kettle; and this is all the
mess-kit we now have. Yet we do just as well as ever.
June 17.--We run down to the mouth of Yampa River. This has been a
chapter of disasters and toils, notwithstanding which the Canyon of
Lodore was not devoid of scenic interest, even beyond the power
164 powell-canyons-111.jpg
AN ISOLATED HOUSE AT ZUÑI.
THE CANYON OF LODOKE.
165
of pen to tell. The roar of its waters was heard unceasingly from the
hour we entered it until we landed here. No quiet in all that time.
But its walls and cliffs, its peaks and crags, its amphitheaters and
alcoves, tell a story of beauty and grandeur that I hear yet--and shall
hear.
The Canyon of Lodore is 20 3/4 miles in length. It starts abruptly at
what we have called the Gate of Lodore, with walls nearly 2,000 feet
high, and they are never lower than this until we reach Alcove Brook,
about three miles above the foot. They are very irregular, standing
in vertical or overhanging cliffs in places, terraced in others, or
receding in steep slopes, and are broken by many side gulches and
canyons. The highest point on the wall is at Dunn's Cliff, near Triplet
Falls, where the rocks reach an altitude of 2,700 feet, but the peaks a
little way back rise nearly 1,000 feet higher. Yellow pines, nut pines,
firs, and cedars stand in extensive forests on the Uinta Mountains, and,
clinging to the rocks and growing in the crevices, come down the walls
to the water's edge from Flaming Gorge to Echo Park. The red sandstones
are lichened. over; delicate mosses grow in the moist places, and ferns
festoon the walls. powell-canyons-112.jpg
166 powell-canyons-113.jpg
AN ORAIBE COURT.
167