1st.--The morning was squally and cold; the sky scattered over with
clouds; and the night had been so uncomfortable, that we were not on
the road until eight o'clock. Traveling between Roseaux and Bear
rivers, we continued to descend the valley, which gradually expanded,
as we advanced, into a level plain, of good soil, about 25 miles in
breadth, between mountains 3,000 and 4,000 feet high, rising suddenly
to the clouds, which all day rested upon the peaks. These gleamed out
in the occasional sunlight, mantled with the snow, which had fallen
upon them, while it rained on us in the valley below, of which the
elevation here was 4,500 feet above the sea. The country before us
plainly indicated that we were approaching the lake, though, as the
ground we were traveling afforded no elevated point, nothing of it as
yet could be seen; and at a great distance ahead were several isolated
mountains resembling islands, which they were afterwards found to be.
On this upper plain, the grass was everywhere dead; and among the
shrubs with which it was almost exclusively occupied, (artemisia being
the most abundant,) frequently occurred handsome clusters of several
species of _dieteria_ in bloom. _Purshia tridentata_ was among the
frequent shrubs. Descending to the bottoms of Bear river, we found good
grass for the animals, and encamped about 300 yards above the mouth of
Roseaux, which here makes its junction, without communicating any of
its salty taste to the main stream, of which the water remains
perfectly pure. On the river are only willow thickets, (_salix
longifolia_,) and in the bottoms the abundant plants are canes,
soldiago, and helianthi, and along the banks of Roseaux are fields of
_malva rotundifolia_. At sunset the thermometer was at 54.5°, and the
evening clear and calm; but I deferred making any use of it until one
o'clock in the morning, when I endeavored to obtain an emersion of the
first satellite; but it was lost in a bank of clouds, which also
rendered our usual observations indifferent.
Among the useful things which formed a portion of our equipage, was an
India-rubber boat, 18 feet long, made somewhat in the form of a bark
canoe of the northern lakes. The sides were formed by two air-tight
cylinders, eighteen inches in diameter, connected with others forming
the bow and stern. To lessen the danger from accidents to the boat,
these were divided into four different compartments, and the interior
space was sufficiently large to contain five or six persons, and a
considerable weight of baggage. The Roseaux being too deep to be
forded, our boat was filled with air, and in about one hour all the
equipage of the camp, carriage and gun included, ferried across.
Thinking that perhaps in the course of the day we might reach the
outlet of the lake, I got into the boat with Basil Lajeunesse, and
paddled down Bear river, intending at night to rejoin the party, which
in the mean time proceeded on its way. The river was from sixty to one
hundred yards broad, and the water so deep, that even on the
comparatively shallow points we could not reach the bottom with 15
feet. On either side were alternately low bottoms and willow points,
with an occasional high prairie; and for five or six hours we followed
slowly the winding course of the river, which crept along with a
sluggish current among frequent _detours_ several miles around,
sometimes running for a considerable distance directly up the valley.
As we were stealing quietly down the stream, trying in vain to get a
shot at a strange large bird that was numerous among the willows, but
very shy, we came unexpectedly upon several families of _Root-Diggers_,
who were encamped among the rushes on the shore, and appeared very busy
about several weirs or nets which had been rudely made of canes and
rushes for the purpose of catching fish. They were very much startled
at our appearance, but we soon established an acquaintance; and finding
that they had some roots, I promised to send some men with goods to
trade with them. They had the usual very large heads, remarkable among
the Digger tribe, with matted hair, and were almost entirely naked:
looking very poor and miserable, as if their lives had been spent in
the rushes where they were, beyond which they seemed to have very
little knowledge of any thing. From the words we could comprehend,
their language was that of the Snake Indians.
Our boat moved so heavily, that we had made very little progress; and,
finding that it would be impossible to overtake the camp, as soon as we
were sufficiently far below the Indians, we put to the shore near a
high prairie bank, hauled up the boat, and _cached_ our effects in the
willows. Ascending the bank, we found that our desultory labor had
brought us only a few miles in a direct line; and, going out into the
prairie, after a search we found the trail of the camp, which was
nowhere in sight, but had followed the general course of the river in a
large circular sweep which it makes at this place. The sun was about
three hours high when we found the trail; and as our people had passed
early in the day, we had the prospect of a vigorous walk before us.
Immediately where we landed, the high arable plain on which we had been
traveling, for several days past, terminated in extensive low flats,
very generally occupied by salt marshes, or beds of shallow lakes,
whence the water had in most places evaporated, leaving their hard
surface incrusted with a shining white residuum; and absolutely covered
with very small _univalve_ shells. As we advanced, the whole country
around us assumed this appearance; and there was no other vegetation
than the shrubby chenopodiaceous and other apparently saline plants,
which were confined to the rising grounds. Here and there, on the river
bank, which was raised like a levee above the flats through which it
ran, was a narrow border of grass and short black-burnt willows; the
stream being very deep and sluggish, and sometimes six hundred to eight
hundred feet wide. After a rapid walk of about fifteen miles, we caught
sight of the camp-fires among clumps of willows, just as the sun had
sunk behind the mountains on the west side of the valley, filling the
clear sky with a golden yellow. These last rays, to us so precious,
could not have revealed a more welcome sight. To the traveler and the
hunter, a camp-fire in the lonely wilderness is always cheering; and to
ourselves, in our present situation, after a hard march in a region of
novelty, approaching the _debouches_ of a river, in a lake of almost
fabulous reputation, it was doubly so. A plentiful supper of aquatic
birds, and the interest of the scene, soon dissipated fatigue; and I
obtained during the night emersions of the second, third, and fourth
satellites of Jupiter, with observations for time and latitude.
3d.--The morning was clear, with a light air from the north, and the
thermometer at sunrise at 45.5°. At three in the morning, Basil was
sent back with several men and horses for the boat, which, in a direct
course across the flats, was not ten miles distant; and in the mean
time there was a pretty spot of grass here for the animals. The ground
was so low that we could not get high enough to see across the river,
on account of the willows; but we were evidently in the vicinity of the
lake, and the water-fowl made this morning a noise like thunder. A
pelican (_pelecanus onocrotalus_) was killed as he passed by, and many
geese and ducks flew over the camp. On the dry salt marsh here is
scarce any other plant than _salicornia herbacea_.
In the afternoon the men returned with the boat, bringing with them a
small quantity of roots and some meat, which the Indians had told them
was bear-meat.
Descending the river for about three miles, in the afternoon, we found
a bar to any further traveling in that direction--the stream being
spread out in several branches, and covering the low grounds with
water, where the miry nature of the bottom did not permit any further
advance. We were evidently on the border of the lake, although the
rushes and canes which covered the marshes prevented any view; and we
accordingly encamped at the little _delta_ which forms the mouth of
Bear river--a long arm of the lake stretching up to the north, between
us and the opposite mountains. The river was bordered with a fringe of
willows and canes, among which were interspersed a few plants; and
scattered about on the marsh was a species of _uniola_, closely allied
to _U. spicata_ of our sea-coast. The whole morass was animated with
multitudes of water-fowl, which appeared to be very wild--rising for
the space of a mile round about at the sound of a gun, with a noise
like distant thunder. Several of the people waded out into the marshes,
and we had to-night a delicious supper of ducks, geese, and plover.
Although the moon was bright, the night was otherwise favorable; and I
obtained this evening an emersion of the first satellite, with the
usual observations. A mean result, depending on various observations
made during our stay in the neighborhood, places the mouth of the river
in longitude 112° 19' 30" west from Greenwich; latitude 41° 30' 22";
and, according to the barometer, in elevation 4,200 feet above the Gulf
of Mexico. The night was clear, with considerable dew, which I had
remarked every night since the first of September. The next morning,
while we were preparing to start, Carson rode into the camp with flour
and a few other articles of light provision sufficient for two or three
days--a scanty but very acceptable supply. Mr. Fitzpatrick had not yet
arrived, and provisions were very scarce, and difficult to be had at
Fort Hall, which had been entirely exhausted by the necessities of the
emigrants. He brought me also a letter from Mr. Dwight, who, in company
with several emigrants, had reached that place in advance of Mr.
Fitzpatrick, and was about continuing his journey to Vancouver.
Returning about five miles up the river, we were occupied until nearly
sunset in crossing to the left bank--the stream, which in the last five
or six miles of its course is very much narrower than above, being very
deep immediately at the banks; and we had great difficulty in getting
our animals over. The people with the baggage were easily crossed in
the boat, and we encamped on the left bank where we crossed the river.
At sunset the thermometer was at 75°, and there was some rain during
the night, with a thunder-storm at a distance.
5th.--Before us was evidently the bed of the lake, being a great salt
marsh, perfectly level and bare, whitened in places by saline
efflorescences, with here and there a pool of water, and having the
appearance of a very level seashore at low tide. Immediately along the
river was a very narrow strip of vegetation, consisting of willows,
helianthi, roses, flowering vines, and grass; bordered on the verge of
the great marsh by a fringe of singular plants, which appear to be a
shrubby salicornia, or a genus allied to it.
About 12 miles to the southward was one of those isolated mountains,
now appearing to be a kind of peninsula; and towards this we
accordingly directed our course, as it probably afforded a good view of
the lake; but the deepening mud as we advanced forced us to return
towards the river, and gain the higher ground at the foot of the
eastern mountains. Here we halted for a few minutes at noon, on a
beautiful little stream of pure and remarkably clear water, with a bed
of rock _in situ_, on which was an abundant water-plant with a white
blossom. There was good grass in the bottoms; and, amidst a rather
luxuriant growth, its banks were bordered with a large showy plant,
(_eupatorium purpureum_,) which I here saw for the first time. We named
the stream _Clear creek_.
We continued our way along the mountain, having found here a broad
plainly-beaten trail, over what was apparently the shore of the lake in
the spring; the ground being high and firm, and the soil excellent, and
covered with vegetation, among which a leguminous plant (_glycyrrhiza
lepidota_) was a characteristic plant. The ridge here rises abruptly to
the height of about 4,000 feet, its face being very prominently marked
with a massive stratum of rose-colored granular quartz, which is
evidently an altered sedimentary rock, the lines of deposition being
very distinct. It is rocky and steep--divided into several
mountains--and the rain in the valley appears to be always snow on
their summits at this season. Near a remarkably rocky point of the
mountain, at a large spring of pure water, were several
hackberry-trees, (_celtis_,) probably a new species, the berries still
green; and a short distance farther, thickets of sumach, (_rhus_.)
On the plain here I noticed blackbirds and grouse. In about seven miles
from Clear creek, the trail brought us to a place at the foot of the
mountain where there issued, with considerable force, 10 or 12 hot
springs, highly impregnated with salt. In one of these the thermometer
stood at 136°, and in another at 132.5°, and the water, which was
spread in pools over the low ground, was colored red.
An analysis of the red earthy matter deposited in the bed of the stream
from the springs, gives the following result:
Peroxide of iron------- 33.50 Carbonate of magnesia-- 2.40 Carbonate
of lime------ 50.43 Sulphate of lime------- 2.00 Chloride of
sodium----- 3.45 Silica and alumina------ 3.00 Water and
loss---------- 5.22
------
100.00°
At this place the trail we had been following turned to the left,
apparently with a view of entering a gorge in the mountain, from which
issued the principal fork of a large and comparatively well-timbered
stream, called Weber's fork. We accordingly turned off towards the
lake, and encamped on this river, which was 100 to 150 feet wide, with
high banks, and very clear pure water, without the slightest indication
of salt.
6th.--Leaving the encampment early, we again directed our course for
the peninsular _butte_ across a low shrubby plain, crossing in the way
a slough-like creek with miry banks, and wooded with thickets of thorn,
(_crataegus_,) which were loaded with berries. This time we reached the
butte without any difficulty, and, ascending to the summit, immediately
at our feet beheld the object of our anxious search--the waters of the
Inland Sea, stretching in still and solitary grandeur far beyond the
limit of our vision. It was one of the great points of the exploration;
and as we looked eagerly over the lake in the first emotions of excited
pleasure, I am doubtful if the followers of Balboa felt more enthusiasm
when, from the heights of the Andes, they saw for the first time the
great Western ocean. It was certainly a magnificent object, and a noble
_terminus_ to this part of our expedition; and to travelers so long
shut up among mountain ranges, a sudden view over the expanse of silent
waters had in it something sublime. Several large islands raised their
high rocky heads out of the waves; but whether or not they were
timbered, was still left to our imagination, as the distance was too
great to determine if the dark hues upon them were woodland or naked
rock. During the day the clouds had been gathering black over the
mountains to the westward, and, while we were looking, a storm burst
down with sudden fury upon the lake, and entirely hid the inlands from
our view. So far as we could see, along the shores there was not a
solitary tree, and but little appearance of grass; and on Weber's fork,
a few miles below our last encampment, the timber was gathered into
groves, and then disappeared entirely. As this appeared to be the
nearest point to the lake, where a suitable camp could be found, we
directed our course to one of the groves, where we found a handsome
encampment, with good grass and an abundance of rushes, (_equisetum
hyemale_.) At sunset the thermometer was at 55°; the evening clear and
calm, with some cumuli.
7th.--The morning was calm and clear, with a temperature at sunrise of
39.5°. The day was spent in active preparation for our intended voyage
on the lake. On the edge of the stream a favorable spot was selected in
a grove, and, felling the timber, we made a strong _coral_, or
horse-pen, for the animals, and a little fort for the people who were
to remain. We were now probably in the country of the Utah Indians,
though none reside on the lake. The India-rubber boat was repaired with
prepared cloth and gum, and filled with air, in readiness for the next
day.
The provisions which Carson brought with him being now exhausted, and
our stock reduced to a small quantity of roots, I determined to retain
with me only a sufficient number of men for the execution of our
design; and accordingly seven were sent back to Fort Hall, under the
guidance of François Lajeunesse, who, having been for many years a
trapper in the country, was considered an experienced mountaineer.
Though they were provided with good horses, and the road was a
remarkably plain one of only four days' journey for a horse-man, they
became bewildered, (as we afterwards learned,) and, losing their way,
wandered about the country in parties of one or two, reaching the fort
about a week afterwards. Some straggled in of themselves, and the
others were brought in by Indians who had picked them up on Snake
river, about sixty miles below the fort, traveling along the emigrant
road in full march for the Lower Columbia. The leader of this
adventurous party was François.
Hourly barometrical observations were made during the day, and, after
the departure of the party for Fort Hall, we occupied ourselves in
continuing our little preparations, and in becoming acquainted with the
country in the vicinity. The bottoms along the river were timbered with
several kinds of willow, hawthorn, and fine cottonwood-trees (_populus
canadensis_) with remarkably large leaves, and sixty feet in height by
measurement.
We formed now but a small family. With Mr. Preuss and myself, Carson,
Bernier, and Basil Lajeunesse, had been selected for the boat
expedition--the first attempted on this interior sea; and Badeau, with
Derosier, and Jacob, (the colored man,) were to be left in charge of
the camp. We were favored with most delightful weather. To-night there
was a brilliant sunset of golden orange and green, which left the
western sky clear and beautifully pure; but clouds in the east made me
lose an occultation. The summer frogs were singing around us; and the
evening was very pleasant, with a temperature of 60°--a night of a more
southern autumn. For our supper we had _yampah_, the most agreeably
flavored of the roots, seasoned by a small fat duck, which had come in
the way of Jacob's rifle. Around our fire to-night were many
speculations on what to-morrow would bring forth, and in our busy
conjectures we fancied that we should find every one of the large
islands a tangled wilderness of trees and shrubbery, teeming with game
of every description that the neighboring region afforded, and which
the foot of a white man or Indian had never violated. Frequently,
during the day, clouds had rested on the summits of their lofty
mountains, and we believed that we should find clear streams and
springs of fresh water; and we indulged in anticipations of the
luxurious repasts with which we were to indemnify ourselves for past
privations. Neither, in our discussions, were the whirlpool and other
mysterious dangers forgotten, which Indian and hunters' stories
attributed to this unexplored lake. The men had found that, instead of
being strongly sewed, (like that of the preceding year, which had so
triumphantly rode the canons of the upper Great Platte,) our present
boat was only pasted together in a very insecure manner, the maker
having been allowed so little time in the construction, that he was
obliged to crowd the labor of two months into several days. The
insecurity of the boat was sensibly felt by us; and, mingled with the
enthusiasm and excitement that we all felt at the prospect of an
undertaking which had never before been accomplished, was a certain
impression of danger, sufficient to give a serious character to our
conversation. The momentary view which had been had of the lake the day
before, its great extent and rugged islands, dimly seen amidst the dark
waters in the obscurity of the sudden storm, were calculated to
heighten the idea of undefined danger with which the lake was generally
associated.
8th.--A calm, clear day, with a sunrise temperature of 41°. In view of
our present enterprise, a part of the equipment of the boat had been
made to consist in three air-tight bags, about three feet long, and
capable each of containing five gallons. These had been filled with
water the night before, and were now placed in the boat, with our
blankets and instruments, consisting of a sextant, telescope,
spy-glass, thermometer, and barometer.
We left the camp at sunrise, and had a very pleasant voyage down the
river, in which there was generally eight or ten feet of water,
deepening as we neared the mouth in the latter part of the day. In the
course of the morning we discovered that two of the cylinders leaked so
much as to require one man constantly at the bellows, to keep them
sufficiently full of air to support the boat. Although we had made a
very early start, we loitered so much on the way--stopping every now
and then, and floating silently along, to get a shot at a goose or
duck--that it was late in the day when we reached the outlet. The river
here divided into several branches, filled with fluvials, and so very
shallow that it was with difficulty we could get the boat along, being
obliged to get out and wade. We encamped on a low point among rushes
and young willows, where was a quantity of drift-wood, which served for
our fires. The evening was mild and clear; we made a pleasant bed of
young willows; and geese and ducks enough had been killed for an
abundant supper at night, and for breakfast the next morning. The
stillness of the night was enlivened by millions of water-fowl. Lat.
(by observation) 41° 11' 26"; and long. 112° 11' 30".
9th.--The day was clear and calm; the thermometer at sunrise at 49°. As
is usual with the trappers on the eve of any enterprise, our people had
made dreams, and theirs happened to be a bad one--one which always
preceded evil--and consequently they looked very gloomy this morning;
but we hurried through our breakfast, in order to made an early start,
and have all the day before us for our adventure. The channel in a
short distance became so shallow that our navigation was at an end,
being merely a sheet of soft mud, with a few inches of water, and
sometimes none at all, forming the low-water shore of the lake. All
this place was absolutely covered with flocks of screaming plover. We
took off our clothes, and, getting overboard, commenced dragging the
boat--making, by this operation, a very curious trail, and a very
disagreeable smell in stirring up the mud, as we sank above the knee at
every step. The water here was still fresh, with only an insipid and
disagreeable taste, probably derived from the bed of fetid mud. After
proceeding in this way about a mile, we came to a small black ridge on
the bottom, beyond which the water became suddenly salt, beginning
gradually to deepen, and the bottom was sandy and firm. It was a
remarkable division, separating the fresh waters of the rivers from the
briny water of the lake, which was entirely _saturated_ with common
salt. Pushing our little vessel across the narrow boundary, we sprang
on board, and at length were afloat on the waters of the unknown sea.
We did not steer for the mountainous islands, but directed our course
towards a lower one, which it had been decided we should first visit,
the summit of which was formed like the crater at the upper end of Bear
River valley. So long as we could touch the bottom with our paddles, we
were very gay; but gradually, as the water deepened, we became more
still in our frail batteau of gum-cloth distended with air, and with
pasted seams. Although the day was very calm, there was a considerable
swell on the lake; and there were white patches of foam on the surface,
which were slowly moving to the southward, indicating the set of a
current in that direction, and recalling the recollection of the
whirlpool stories. The water continued to deepen as we advanced--the
lake becoming almost transparently clear, of an extremely beautiful
bright-green color; and the spray, which was thrown into the boat and
over our clothes, was directly converted into a crust of common salt,
which covered also our hands and arms. "Captain," said Carson, who for
some time had been looking suspiciously at some whitening appearances
outside the nearest islands, "what are those yonder?--won't you just
take a look with the glass?" We ceased paddling for a moment, and found
them to be the caps of the waves that were beginning to break under the
force of a strong breeze that was coming up the lake.
The form of the boat seemed to be an admirable one, and it rode on the
waves like a water-bird; but, at the same time, it was extremely slow
in its progress. When we were a little more than half way across the
reach, two of the divisions between the cylinders gave way, and it
required the constant use of the bellows to keep in a sufficient
quantity of air. For a long time we scarcely seemed to approach our
island, but gradually we worked across the rougher sea of the open
channel, into the smoother water under the lee of the island, and began
to discover that what we took for a long row of pelicans, ranged on the
beach, were only low cliffs whitened with salt by the spray of the
waves; and about noon we reached the shore, the transparency of the
water enabling us to see the bottom at a considerable depth.
It was a handsome broad beach where we landed, behind which the hill,
into which the island was gathered, rose somewhat abruptly; and a point
of rock at one end enclosed it in a sheltering way; and as there was an
abundance of drift-wood along the shore, it offered us a pleasant
encampment. We did not suffer our frail boat to touch the sharp rocks,
but, getting overboard, discharged the baggage, and, lifting it gently
out of the water, carried it to the upper part of the beach, which was
composed of very small fragments of rock.
Among the successive banks of the beach, formed by the action of the
waves, our attention, as we approached the island, had been attracted
by one 10 to 20 feet in breadth, of a dark-brown color. Being more
closely examined, this was found to be composed, to the depth of seven
or eight and twelve inches, entirely of the _larvæ_ of insects, or, in
common language; of the skins of worms, about the size of a grain of
oats, which had been washed up by the waters of the lake.
Alluding to this subject some months afterwards, when traveling through
a more southern portion of this region, in company with Mr. Joseph
Walker, an old hunter, I was informed by him, that, wandering with a
party of men in a mountain country east of the great California range,
he surprised a party of several Indian families encamped near a small
salt lake, who abandoned their lodges at his approach, leaving every
thing behind them. Being in a starving condition, they were delighted
to find in the abandoned lodges a number of skin bags, containing a
quantity of what appeared to be fish, dried and pounded. On this they
made a hearty supper, and were gathering around an abundant breakfast
the next morning, when Mr. Walker discovered that it was with these, or
a similar worm, that the bags had been filled. The stomachs of the
stout trappers were not proof against their prejudices, and the
repulsive food was suddenly rejected. Mr. Walker had further
opportunities of seeing these worms used as an article of food; and I
am inclined to think they are the same as those we saw, and appear to
be a product of the salt lakes. It may be well to recall to your mind
that Mr. Walker was associated with Capt. Bonneville in his expedition
to the Rocky mountains, and has since that time remained in the
country, generally residing in some one of the Snake villages, when not
engaged in one of his numerous trapping expeditions, in which he is
celebrated as one of the best and bravest leaders who have ever been in
the country.
The cliffs and masses of rock along the shore were whitened by an
incrustation of salt where the waves dashed up against them; and the
evaporating water, which had been left in holes and hollows on the
surface of the rocks, was covered with a crust of salt about one-eighth
of an inch in thickness. It appeared strange that, in the midst of this
grand reservoir, one of our greatest wants lately had been salt.
Exposed to be more perfectly dried in the sun, this became very white
and fine, having the usual flavor of very excellent common salt,
without any foreign taste; but only a little was collected for present
use, as there was in it a number of small black insects.
Carrying with us the barometer and other instruments, in the afternoon
we ascended to the highest point of the island--a bare, rocky peak,
eight hundred feet above the lake. Standing on the summit, we enjoyed
an extended view of the lake, enclosed in a basin of rugged mountains,
which sometimes left marshy flats and extensive bottoms between them
and the shore, and in other places came directly down into the water
with bold and precipitous bluffs. Following with our glasses the
irregular shores, we searched for some indications of a communication
with other bodies of water, or the entrance of other rivers; but the
distance was so great that we could make out nothing with certainty. To
the southward, several peninsular mountains, 3,000 or 4,000 feet high,
entered the lake, appearing, so far as the distance and our position
enabled us to determine, to be connected by flats and low ridges with
the mountains in the rear. These are probably the islands usually
indicated on maps of this region as entirely detached from the shore.
The season of our operations was when the waters were at their lowest
stage. At the season of high waters in the spring, it is probable that
the marshes and low grounds are overflowed, and the surface of the lake
considerably greater. In several places the view was of unlimited
extent--here and there a rocky islet appearing above the waters, at a
great distance; and beyond, every thing was vague and undefined. As we
looked over the vast expanse of water spread out beneath us, and
strained our eyes along the silent shores over which hung so much doubt
and uncertainty, and which were so full of interest to us, I could
hardly repress the almost irresistible desire to continue our
explorations; but the lengthening snow on the mountains was a plain
indication of the advancing season, and our frail linen boat appeared
so insecure that I was unwilling to trust our lives to the
uncertainties of the lake. I therefore unwillingly resolved to
terminate our survey here, and remain satisfied for the present with
what we had been able to add to the unknown geography of the region. We
felt pleasure, also, in remembering that we were the first who, in the
traditionary annals of the country, had visited the islands, and
broken, with the cheerful sound of human voices, the long solitude of
the place. From the point where we were standing, the ground fell off
on every side to the water, giving us a perfect view of the island,
which is twelve or thirteen miles in circumference, being simply a
rocky hill, on which there is neither water nor trees of any kind;
although the _Fremontia vermicularis_, which was in great abundance,
might easily be taken for timber at a distance. The plant seemed here
to delight in a congenial air, growing in extraordinary luxuriance
seven to eight feet high, and was very abundant on the upper parts of
the island, where it was almost the only plant. This is eminently a
saline shrub; its leaves have a salt taste; and it luxuriates in saline
soils, where it is usually a characteristic. It is widely diffused over
all this country. A chenopodiaceous shrub, which is a new species of
OBIONE, (O. rigida, _Torr. and Frem_.,) was equally characteristic of
the lower parts of the island. These two are the striking plants on the
island, and belong to a class of plants which form a prominent feature
in the vegetation of this country. On the lower parts of the island,
also, a prickly pear of very large size was frequent. On the shore,
near the water, was a woolly species of _phaca_; and a new species of
umbelliferous plant (_leptotæmia_) was scattered about in very
considerable abundance. These constituted all the vegetation that now
appeared upon the island.
I accidentally left on the summit the brass cover to the object end of
my spy-glass: and as it will probably remain there undisturbed by
Indians, it will furnish matter of speculation to some future traveler.
In our excursions about the island, we did not meet with any kind of
animal; a magpie, and another larger bird, probably attracted by the
smoke of our fire, paid us a visit from the shore, and were the only
living things seen during our stay. The rock constituting the cliffs
along the shore, where we were encamped, is a talcous rock, or
steatite, with brown spar.
At sunset, the temperature was 70°. We had arrived just in time to
obtain a meridian altitude of the sun, and other observations were
obtained this evening, which placed our camp in latitude 41° 10' 42",
and longitude 112° 21' 05" from Greenwich. From a discussion of the
barometrical observations made during our stay on the shores of the
lake, we have adopted 4,200 feet for its elevation above the Gulf of
Mexico. In the first disappointment we felt from the dissipation of our
dream of the fertile islands, I called this _Disappointment island_.
Out of the drift-wood, we made ourselves pleasant little lodges, open
to the water; and, after having kindled large fires to excite the
wonder of any straggling savage on the lake shores, lay down, for the
first time in a long journey, in perfect security; no one thinking
about his arms. The evening was extremely bright and pleasant; but the
wind rose during the night, and the waves began to break heavily on the
shore, making our island tremble. I had not expected in our inland
journey to hear the roar of an ocean surf; and the strangeness of our
situation, and the excitement we felt in the associated interest of the
place, made this one of the most interesting nights I made during our
long expedition.
In the morning, the surf was breaking heavily on the shore, and we were
up early. The lake was dark and agitated, and we hurried through our
scanty breakfast, and embarked--having first filled one of the buckets
with water from the lake, of which it was intended to make salt. The
sun had risen by the time we were ready to start; and it was blowing a
strong gale of wind, almost directly off the shore, and raising a
considerable sea, in which our boat strained very much. It roughened as
we got away from the island, and it required all the efforts of the men
to make any head against the wind and sea, the gale rising with the
sun; and there was danger of being blown into one of the open reaches
beyond the island. At the distance of half a mile from the beach, the
depth of the water was 16 feet, with a clay bottom; but, as the working
of the boat was very severe labor, and during the operation of sounding
it was necessary to cease paddling, during which the boat lost
considerable way, I was unwilling to discourage the men, and
reluctantly gave up my intention of ascertaining the depth and the
character of the bed. There was a general shout in the boat when we
found ourselves in one fathom, and we soon after landed on a low point
of mud, immediately under the butte of the peninsula, where we unloaded
the boat, and carried the baggage about a quarter of a mile to firmer
ground. We arrived just in time for meridian observation, and carried
the barometer to the summit of the butte, which is 500 feet above the
lake. Mr. Preuss set off on foot for the camp, which was about nine
miles distant; Basil accompanying him, to bring back horses for the
boat and baggage.
The rude-looking shelter we raised on the shore, our scattered baggage
and boat lying on the beach, made quite a picture; and we called this
the _Fisherman's camp_. _Lynosiris graveolens_, and another new species
of OBIONE, (O. confertifolia--_Torr. & Frem_.,) were growing on the low
grounds, with interspersed spots of an unwholesome salt grass, on a
saline clay soil, with a few other plants.
The horses arrived late in the afternoon, by which time the gale had
increased to such a height that a man could scarcely stand before it;
and we were obliged to pack our baggage hastily, as the rising water of
the lake had already reached the point where we were halted. Looking
back as we rode off, we found the place of recent encampment entirely
covered. The low plain through which we rode to the camp was covered
with a compact growth of shrubs of extraordinary size and luxuriance.
The soil was sandy and saline; flat places, resembling the beds of
ponds, that were bare of vegetation, and covered with a powdery white
salt, being interspersed among the shrubs. Artemisia tridentata was
very abundant, but the plants were principally saline; a large and
vigorous chenopodiaceous shrub, five to eight feet high, being
characteristic, with Fremontia vermicularis, and a shrubby plant which
seems to be a new _salicornia_. We reached the camp in time to escape a
thunder-storm which blackened the sky, and were received with a
discharge of the howitzer by the people, who, having been unable to see
any thing of us on the lake, had begun to feel some uneasiness.
11th.--To-day we remained at this camp, in order to obtain some further
observations, and to boil down the water which had been brought from
the lake, for a supply of salt. Roughly evaporated over the fire, the
five gallons of water yielded fourteen pints of very fine-grained and
very white salt, of which the whole lake may be regarded as a saturated
solution. A portion of the salt thus obtained has been subjected to
analysis, giving, in 100 parts, the following proportions.
Analysis of the salt.
Chloride of sodium, (common salt,) --- 97.80 Chloride of calcium,
----------------- 0.61 Chloride of magnesium, --------------- 0.24
Sulphate of soda, -------------------- 0.23 Sulphate of lime,
-------------------- 1.12
______
100.00
Glancing your eye along the map, you will see a small stream entering
_Utah lake_, south of the Spanish fork, and the first waters of that
lake which our road of 1844 crosses in coming up from the southward.
When I was on this stream with Mr. Walker in that year, he informed me
that on the upper part of the river are immense beds of rock-salt of
very great thickness, which he had frequently visited. Farther to the
southward, the rivers which are affluent to the Colorado, such as the
Rio Virgen, and Gila river, near their mouths, are impregnated with
salt by the cliffs of rock-salt between which they pass. These mines
occur in the same ridge in which, about 120 miles to the northward, and
subsequently in their more immediate neighborhood, we discovered the
fossils belonging to the oolitic period, and they are probably
connected with that formation, and are the deposite from which the
Great Lake obtains its salt. Had we remained longer, we should have
found them in its bed, and in the mountains around its shores. By
observation the latitude of this camp is 41° 15' 50", and longitude
112° 06" 43".
The observations made during our stay give for the rate of the
chronometer 31.72", corresponding almost exactly with the rate obtained
at St. Vrain's fort. Barometrical observations were made almost hourly
during the day. This morning we breakfasted on yampah, and had only
kamas for supper; but a cup of good coffee still distinguished us from
our _Digger_ acquaintances.
12th.--The morning was clear and calm, with a temperature at sunrise of
32°. We resumed our journey late in the day, returning by nearly the
same route which we had traveled in coming to the lake; and, avoiding
the passage of Hawthorn creek, struck the hills a little below the hot
salt-springs. The flat plain we had here passed over consisted
alternately of tolerably good sandy soil and of saline plats. We
encamped early on Clear creek, at the foot of the high ridge; one of
the peaks of which we ascertained by measurement to be 4,210 feet above
the lake, or about 8,400 feet above the sea. Behind these front peaks
the ridge rises towards the Bear River mountains, which are probably as
high as the Wind River chain. This creek is here unusually well
timbered with a variety of trees. Among them were birch, (_betula_,)
the narrow-leaved poplar, (_populus angustifolia_,) several kinds of
willow, (_solix_,) hawthorn, (_cratægus_,) alder, (_alnus viridis_,)
and _cerasus_, with an oak allied to _quercus alba_, but very distinct
from that or any other species in the United States.
We had to-night a supper of sea-gulls, which Carson killed near the
lake. Although cool, the thermometer standing at 47°, musquitoes were
sufficiently numerous to be troublesome this evening.
13th.--Continuing up the river valley, we crossed several small
streams; the mountains on the right appearing to consist of the blue
limestone which we had observed in the same ridge to the northward,
alternating here with a granular quartz already mentioned. One of these
streams, which forms a smaller lake near the river, was broken up into
several channels; and the irrigated bottom of fertile soil was covered
with innumerable flowers, among which were purple fields of _eupatorium
purpureum_, with helianthi, a handsome solidago, (_S. canadensis_,) and
a variety of other plants in bloom. Continuing along the foot of the
hills, in the afternoon we found five or six hot-springs gushing out
together, beneath a conglomerate, consisting principally of fragments
of a grayish-blue limestone, efflorescing a salt upon the surface. The
temperature of these springs was 134°, and the rocks in the bed were
colored with a red deposite, and there was common salt crystallized on
the margin. There was also a white incrustation upon leaves and roots,
consisting principally of carbonate of lime. There were rushes seen
along the road this afternoon, and the soil under the hills was very
black, and apparently very good; but at this time the grass is entirely
dried up. We encamped on Bear river, immediately below a cut-off, the
canon by which the river enters this valley bearing north by compass.
The night was mild, with a very clear sky; and I obtained a very
excellent observation of an occultation of Tau. Arietis, with other
observations. Both immersion and emersion of the star were observed;
but, as our observations have shown, the phase at the bright limb
generally gives incorrect longitudes, and we have adopted the result
obtained from the emersion at the dark limb, without allowing any
weight to the immersion. According to these observations, the longitude
is 112° 05' 12", and the latitude 41° 42' 43". All the longitudes on
the line of our outward journey, between St. Vrain's fort and the
Dalles of the Columbia, which were not directly determined by
satellites, have been chronometrically referred to this place.
The people to-day were rather low-spirited, hunger making them very
quiet and peaceable; and there was rarely an oath to be heard in the
camp--not even a solitary _enfant de garce_. It was time for the men
with an expected supply of provisions from Mr. Fitzpatrick to be in the
neighborhood; and the gun was fired at evening, to give notice of our
locality, but met with no response.
14th.--About four miles from this encampment, the trail led us down to
the river, where we unexpectedly found an excellent ford--the stream
being widened by an island, and not yet disengaged from the hills at
the foot of the range. We encamped on a little creek where we had made
a noon halt in descending the river. The night was very clear and
pleasant, the sunset temperature being 67°.
The people this evening looked so forlorn, that I gave them permission
to kill a fat young horse which I had purchased with goods from the
Snake Indians, and they were very soon restored to gayety and good
humor. Mr. Preuss and myself could not yet overcome some remains of
civilized prejudices, and preferred to starve a little longer; feeling
as much saddened as if a crime had been committed.
The next day we continued up the valley, the soil being sometimes very
black and good, occasionally gravelly, and occasionally a kind of naked
salt plains. We found on the way this morning a small encampment of two
families of Snake Indians, from whom we purchased a small quantity of
_kooyah_. They had piles of seeds, of three different kinds, spread out
upon pieces of buffalo robe; and the squaws had just gathered about a
bushel of the root of a thistle, (_circium Virginianum_.) They were
about the ordinary size of carrots, and, as I have previously
mentioned, are sweet and well flavored, requiring only a long
preparation. They had a band of twelve or fifteen horses, and appeared
to be growing in the sunshine with about as little labor as the plants
they were eating.
Shortly afterwards we met an Indian on horseback who had killed an
antelope, which we purchased of him for a little powder and some balls.
We crossed the Roseaux, and encamped on the left bank; halting early
for the pleasure of enjoying a wholesome and abundant supper, and were
pleasantly engaged in protracting our unusual comfort, when Tabeau
galloped into the camp with news that Mr. Fitzpatrick was encamped
close by us, with a good supply of provisions--flour, rice, and dried
meat, and even a little butter. Excitement to-night made us all
wakeful; and after a breakfast before sunrise the next morning, we were
again on the road, and, continuing up the valley, crossed some high
points of hills, and halted to noon on the same stream, near several
lodges of Snake Indians, from whom we purchased about a bushel of
service-berries, partially dried. By the gift of a knife, I prevailed
upon a little boy to show me the _kooyah_ plant, which proved to be
_valeriana edulis_. The root which constitutes the _kooyah_, is large,
of a very bright yellow color, with the characteristic odor, but not so
fully developed as in the prepared substance. It loves the rich moist
soil of river bottoms, which was the locality in which I always
afterwards found it. It was now entirely out of bloom; according to my
observation, flowering in the months of May and June. In the afternoon
we entered a long ravine leading to a pass in the dividing ridge
between the waters of Bear river and the Snake river, or Lewis's fork
of the Columbia; our way being very much impeded, and almost entirely
blocked up, by compact fields of luxuriant artemisia. Taking leave at
this point of the waters of Bear river, and of the geographical basin
which encloses the system of rivers and creeks which belong to the
Great Salt Lake, and which so richly deserves a future detailed and
ample exploration, I can say of it, in general terms, that the bottoms
of this river, (Bear,) and of some of the creeks which I saw, form a
natural resting and recruiting station for travelers, now, and in all
time to come. The bottoms are extensive; water excellent; timber
sufficient; the soil good, and well adapted to grains and grasses
suited to such an elevated region. A military post, and a civilized
settlement, would be of great value here; grass and salt so much
abound. The lake will furnish exhaustless supplies of salt. All the
mountains here are covered with a valuable nutritious grass, called
bunch-grass, from the form in which it grows, which has a second growth
in the fall. The beasts of the Indians were fat upon it; our own found
it a good subsistence; and its quantity will sustain any amount of
cattle, and make this truly a bucolic region.
We met here an Indian family on horseback, which had been out to gather
service-berries, and were returning loaded. This tree was scattered
about on the hills; and the upper part of the pass was timbered with
aspen, (_populus trem._;) the common blue flowering-flax occurring
among the plants. The approach to the pass was very steep, and the
summit about 6,300 feet above the sea--probably only an uncertain
approximation, as at the time of observation it was blowing a violent
gale of wind from the northwest, with _cumuli_ scattered in masses over
the sky, the day otherwise bright and clear. We descended, by a steep
slope, into a broad open valley--good soil--from four to five miles
wide, coming down immediately upon one of the head-waters of the
Pannack river, which here loses itself in swampy ground. The appearance
of the country here is not very interesting. On either side is a
regular range of mountains of the usual character, with a little
timber, tolerably rocky on the right, and higher and more smooth on the
left, with still higher peaks looking out above the range. The valley
afforded a good level road, but it was late when it brought us to
water, and we encamped at dark. The north-west wind had blown up very
cold weather, and the artemisia, which was our firewood to-night, did
not happen to be very abundant. This plant loves a dry, sandy soil, and
cannot grow in the good bottoms where it is rich and moist, but on
every little eminence, where water does not rest long, it maintains
absolute possession. Elevation above the sea about 5,100 feet.
At night scattered fires glimmered along the mountains, pointing out
camps of the Indians; and we contrasted the comparative security in
which we traveled through this country with the guarded vigilance we
were compelled to exert among the Sioux and other Indians on the
eastern side of the Rocky mountains.
At sunset the thermometer was at 50°, and at midnight at 30°.
17th.--The morning sky was calm and clear, the temperature at daylight
being 25°, and at sunrise 20°. There is throughout this country a
remarkable difference between the morning and mid-day temperatures,
which at this season was very generally 40° or 50°, and occasionally
greater; and frequently, after a very frosty morning, the heat in a few
hours would render the thinnest clothing agreeable. About noon we
reached the main fork. The Pannack river was before us, the valley
being here 11/2 miles wide, fertile, and bordered by smooth hills, not
over 500 feet high, partly covered with cedar; a high ridge, in which
there is a prominent peak, rising behind those on the left. We
continued to descend this stream, and found on it at night a warm and
comfortable camp. Flax occurred so frequently during the day as to be
almost a characteristic, and the soil appeared excellent. The evening
was gusty, with a temperature at sunset of 59°. I obtained, about
midnight, an observation of an emersion of the first satellite, the
night being calm and very clear, the stars remarkably bright, and the
thermometer at 30°. Longitude, from mean of satellite and chronometer,
112° 29' 52", and latitude, by observation, 42° 44' 40".
18th.--The day clear and calm, with a temperature of 25° at sunrise.
After traveling seven or eight miles, we emerged on the plains of the
Columbia, in sight of the famous "_Three Buttes_," a well-known
landmark in the country, distant about 45 miles. The French word
_butte_, which so often occurs in this narrative, is retained from the
familiar language of the country, and identifies the objects to which
it refers. It is naturalized in the region of the Rocky mountains, and,
even if desirable to render it in English, I know of no word which
would be its precise equivalent. It is applied to the detached hills
and ridges which rise rapidly, and reach too high to be called hills or
ridges, and not high enough to be called mountains. _Knob_, as applied
in the western states, is their descriptive term in English. _Cerro_ is
the Spanish term; but no translation, or periphrasis, would preserve
the identity of these picturesque landmarks, familiar to the traveler,
and often seen at a great distance. Covered as far as could be seen
with artemisia, the dark and ugly appearance of this plain obtained for
it the name of _Sage Desert_; and we were agreeably surprised, on
reaching the Portneuf river, to see a beautiful green valley with
scattered timber spread out beneath us, on which, about four miles
distant, were glistening the white walls of the fort. The Portneuf runs
along the upland plain nearly to its mouth, and an abrupt descent of
perhaps two hundred feet brought us down immediately upon the stream,
which at the ford is one hundred yards wide, and three feet deep, with
clear water, a swift current, and gravelly bed; but a little higher up
the breadth was only about thirty-five yards, with apparently deep
water.
In the bottom I remarked a very great number of springs and sloughs,
with remarkably clear water and gravel beds. At sunset we encamped with
Mr. Talbot and our friends, who came on to Fort Hall when we went to
the lake, and whom we had the satisfaction to find all well, neither
party having met with any mischance in the interval of our separation.
They, too, had had their share of fatigue and scanty provisions, as
there had been very little game left on the trail of the populous
emigration; and Mr. Fitzpatrick had rigidly husbanded our stock of
flour and light provisions, in view of the approaching winter and the
long journey before us.
19th.--This morning the sky was very dark and gloomy, and at daylight
it began snowing thickly, and continued all day, with cold,
disagreeable weather. At sunrise the temperature was 43°. I rode up to
the fort, and purchased from Mr. Grant (the officer in charge of the
post) several very indifferent horses, and five oxen, in very fine
order, which were received at the camp with great satisfaction: and,
one being killed at evening, the usual gayety and good humor were at
once restored. Night came in stormy.
20th.--We had a night of snow and rain, and the thermometer at sunrise
was at 34°; the morning was dark, with a steady rain, and there was
still an inch of snow on the ground, with an abundance on the
neighboring hills and mountains. The sudden change in the weather was
hard for our animals, who trembled and shivered in the cold--sometimes
taking refuge in the timber, and now and then coming out and raking the
snow off the ground for a little grass, or eating the young willows.
21st.--Ice made tolerably thick during this night, and in the morning
the weather cleared up very bright, with a temperature at sunrise of
29°; and I obtained a meridian observation for latitude at the fort,
with observations for time. The sky was again covered in the afternoon,
and the thermometer at sunset 48°.
22d.--The morning was cloudy and unpleasant, and at sunrise a cold rain
commenced, with a temperature of 41°.
The early approach of winter, and the difficulty of supporting a large
party, determined me to send back a number of the men who had become
satisfied that they were not fitted for the laborious service and
frequent privation to which they were necessarily exposed, and which
there was reason to believe would become more severe in the further
extension of the voyage. I accordingly called them together, and,
informing them of my intention to continue our journey during the
ensuing winter, in the course of which they would probably be exposed
to considerable hardship, succeeded in prevailing on a number of them
to return voluntarily. These were: Charles de Forrest, Henry Lee, J.
Campbell, Wm. Creuss, A. Vasquez; A. Pera, Patrick White, B. Tesson, M.
Creely, François Lajeunesse, Basil Lajeunesse. Among these I regretted
very much to lose Basil Lajeunesse, one of the best men in my party,
who was obliged, by the condition of his family, to be at home in the
coming winter. Our preparations having been completed in the interval
of our stay here, both parties were ready this morning to resume their
respective routes.
Except that there is a greater quantity of wood used in its
construction, Fort Hall very much resembles the other trading posts
which have already been described to you, and would be another
excellent post of relief for the emigration. It is in the low rich
bottom of a valley, apparently 20 miles long, formed by the confluence
of Portneuf river with Lewis's fork of the Columbia, which it enters
about nine miles below the fort, and narrowing gradually to the mouth
of the Pannack river, where it has a breadth of only two or three
miles. Allowing 50 miles for the road from the _Beer springs_ of Bear
river to Fort Hall, its distance along the _traveled_ road from the
town of Westport, on the frontier of Missouri, by way of Fort Laramie
and the great South Pass, is 1,323 miles. Beyond this place, on the
line of road along the _barren_ valley of the Upper Columbia, there
does not occur, for a distance of nearly 300 miles to the westward, a
fertile spot of ground sufficiently large to produce the necessary
quantity of grain, or pasturage enough to allow even a temporary repose
to the emigrants. On their recent passage, they had been able to
obtain, at very high prices and in insufficient quantity, only such
assistance as could be afforded by a small and remote trading-post--and
that a foreign one--which, in the supply of its own wants, had
necessarily drawn around it some of the resources of civilization, but
which obtained nearly all its supplies from the distant depot of
Vancouver, by a difficult water-carriage of 250 miles up the Columbia
river, and a land-carriage by pack-horses of 600 miles. An American
military post, sufficiently strong to give to their road a perfect
security against the Indian tribes, who are unsettled in locality and
very _uncertain_ in their disposition, and which, with the necessary
facilities for the repair of their equipage, would be able to afford
them relief in stock and grain from the produce of the post, would be
of extraordinary value to the emigration. Such a post (and all others
which may be established on the line to Oregon) would naturally form
the _nucleus_ of a settlement, at which supplies and repose would be
obtained by the emigrant, or trading caravans, which may hereafter
traverse these elevated, and, in many places, desolate and inhospitable
regions.
I subjoin an analysis of the soil in the river bottom near Fort Hall,
which will be of assistance in enabling you to form some correct idea
of its general character in the neighboring country. I characterize it
as good land, but the analysis will show its precise properties.
_Analysis of the Soil_.
Silicina ----------------- 68.55 Alumina ------------------- 7.45
Carbonate of lime --------- 8.51 Carbonate of magnesia ----- 5.09 Oxide
of iron ------------- 1.40 Organic vegetable matter -- 4.74 Water and
loss ----------- 4.26
______
100.00
Our observations place this post in longitude 112° 29' 54", latitude
43° 01' 30", and the elevation above the sea, 4,500 feet.
Taking leave of the homeward party, we resumed our journey down the
valley, the weather being very cold, and the rain coming in hard gusts,
which the wind blew directly in our faces. We forded the Portneuf in a
storm of rain, the water in the river being frequently up to the axles,
and about 110 yards wide. After the gust, the weather improved a
little, and we encamped about three miles below, at the mouth of the
Pannack river, on Lewis's fork, which here has a breadth of about 120
yards. The temperature at sunset was 42°; the sky partially covered
with dark, rainy clouds.
23d.--The temperature at sunrise was 32°; the morning dark, and snow
falling steadily and thickly, with a light air from the southward.
Profited of being obliged to remain in camp, to take hourly
barometrical observations from sunrise to midnight. The wind at eleven
o'clock set in from the north-ward in heavy gusts, and the snow changed
into rain. In the afternoon, when the sky brightened, the rain had
washed all the snow from the bottoms; but the neighboring mountains,
from summit to foot, were luminously white--an inauspicious
commencement of the autumn, of which this was the first day.
24th.--The thermometer at sunrise was 35°, and a blue sky in the west
promised a fine day. The river bottoms here are narrow and swampy, with
frequent sloughs; and after crossing the Pannack, the road continued
along the uplands, rendered very slippery by the soil of wet clay, and
entirely covered with artemisia bushes, among which occur frequent
fragments of obsidian. At noon we encamped in a grove of willows, at
the upper end of a group of islands about half a mile above the
_American falls_ of Snake river. Among the willows here, were some
bushes of Lewis and Clarke's currant, (_ribes aureum_.) The river here
enters between low mural banks, which consist of a fine vesicular
trap-rock, the intermediate portions being compact and crystalline.
Gradually becoming higher in its downward course, these banks of
scoriated volcanic rock form, with occasional interruptions, its
characteristic feature along the whole line to the Dalles of the Lower
Columbia, resembling a chasm which had been rent through the country,
and which the river had afterwards taken for its bed. The immediate
valley of the river is a high plain covered with black rocks and
artemisias. In the south is a bordering range of mountains, which,
although not very high, are broken and covered with snow; and at a
great distance to the north is seen the high, snowy line of the Salmon
river mountains, in front of which stand out prominently in the plain
the three isolated rugged-looking mountains commonly known as the
_Three Buttes_. Between the river and the distant Salmon river range,
the plain is represented by Mr. Fitzpatrick as so entirely broken up
and rent into chasms as to be impracticable for a man even on foot. In
the sketch annexed, the point of view is low, but it conveys very well
some idea of the open character of the country, with the buttes rising
out above the general line. By measurement, the river above is 870 feet
wide, immediately contracted at the fall in the form of a lock, by
jutting piles of scoriaceous basalt, over which the foaming river must
present a grand appearance at the time of high water. The evening was
clear and pleasant, with dew; and at sunset the temperature was 54°. By
observation, the latitude is 42° 47' 05", and the longitude 112° 40'
13". A few hundred yards below the falls, and on the left bank of the
river is an escarpment from which we obtained some specimens.
25th.--Thermometer at sunrise 47°. The day came in clear, with a strong
gale from the south, which commenced at eleven of the last night. The
road to-day led along the river which is full of rapids and small
falls. Grass is very scanty and along the rugged banks are scattered
cedars, with an abundance of rocks and sage. We traveled fourteen
miles, and encamped in the afternoon near the river, on a rocky creek,
the bed of which was entirely occupied with boulders of a very large
size. For the last three or four miles the right bank of the river has
a palisaded appearance. One of the oxen was killed here for food. The
thermometer at evening was at 55°, the sky almost overcast, and the
barometer indicated an elevation of 4,400 feet.
26th.--Rain during the night, and the temperature at sunrise 42°.
Traveling along the river, in about four miles we reached a picturesque
stream, to which we gave the name of Fall creek. It is remarkable for
the many falls which occur in a short distance; and its bed is composed
of a calcareous tufa, or vegetable rock, composed principally of the
remains of reeds and mosses, resembling that at the _Basin spring_, on
Bear river.
The road along the river bluffs had been occasionally very bad; and
imagining that some rough obstacles rendered such a detour necessary,
we followed for several miles a plain wagon-road leading up this
stream, until we reached a point whence it could be seen making
directly towards a low place in the range on the south side of the
valley, and we became immediately aware that we were on a trail formed
by a party of wagons, in company with whom we had encamped at Elm
grove, near the frontier of Missouri, and which you will remember were
proceeding to Upper California under the direction of Mr. Jos. Chiles.
At the time of their departure, no practicable passes were known in the
southern Rocky mountains within the territory of the United States; and
the probable apprehension of difficulty in attempting to pass near the
settled frontier of New Mexico, together with the desert character of
the unexplored region beyond, had induced them to take a more northern
and circuitous route by way of the Sweet Water pass and Fort Hall. They
had still between them and the valley of the Sacramento a great mass of
mountains, forming the _Sierra Nevada_, here commonly known as the
_Great California mountain_, and which were at this time considered as
presenting an impracticable barrier to wheeled-carriages. Various
considerations had suggested to them a division of the party; and a
greater portion of the camp, including the wagons, with the mail and
other stores, were now proceeding under the guidance of Mr. Joseph
Walker, who had engaged to conduct them, by a long sweep to the
southward, around what is called the _point of the mountain_; and,
crossing through a pass known only to himself, gain the banks of the
Sacramento by the valley of the San Joaquin. It was a long and a
hazardous journey for a party in which there were women and children.
Sixty days was the shortest period of time in which they could reach
the point of the mountain, and their route lay through a country
inhabited by wild and badly-disposed Indians, and very poor in game;
but the leader was a man possessing great and intimate knowledge of the
Indians, with an extraordinary firmness and decision of character. In
the mean time, Mr. Chiles had passed down the Columbia with a party of
ten or twelve men, with the intention of reaching the settlements on
the Sacramento by a more direct course, which indefinite information
from hunters had indicated in the direction of the head-waters of the
_Rivière aux Malheurs_; and having obtained there a reinforcement of
animals, and a supply of provisions, meet the wagons before they should
have reached the point of the mountain, at a place which had been
previously agreed upon. In the course of our narrative, we shall be
able to give you some information of the fortunes which attended the
movements of these adventurous travelers.
Having discovered our error, we immediately regained the line along the
river, which the road quitted about noon, and encamped at five o'clock
on the stream called Raft river, (_Rivière aux Cajeux_,) having
traveled only 13 miles. In the north, the Salmon River mountains are
visible at a very far distance; and on the left, the ridge in which
Raft river heads is about 20 miles distant, rocky, and tolerably high.
Thermometer at sunset 44°, with a partially clouded sky, and a sharp
wind from the S.W.
27th.--It was now no longer possible, as in our previous journey, to
travel regularly every day, and find at any moment a convenient place
for repose at noon or a camp at night; but the halting-places were now
generally fixed along the road, by the nature of the country, at places
where, with water, there was a little scanty grass. Since leaving the
American falls, the road had frequently been very bad; the many short,
steep ascents, exhausting the strength of our worn-out animals,
requiring always at such places the assistance of the men to get up
each cart, one by one; and our progress with twelve or fourteen
wheeled-carriages, though light and made for the purpose, in such a
rocky country, was extremely slow; and I again determined to gain time
by a division of the camp. Accordingly, to-day, the parties again
separated, constituted very much as before--Mr. Fitzpatrick remaining
in charge of the heavier baggage.
The morning was calm and clear, with a white frost, and the temperature
at sunrise 24°.
To-day the country had a very forbidding appearance; and, after
traveling 20 miles over a slightly undulating plain, we encamped at a
considerable spring, called Swamp creek, rising in low grounds near the
point of a spur from the mountain. Returning with a small party in a
starving condition from the westward 12 or 14 years since, Carson had
met here three or four buffalo bulls, two of which were killed. They
were among the pioneers which had made the experiment of colonizing in
the valley of the Columbia, and which had failed, as heretofore stated.
At sunset the thermometer was at 46°, and the evening was overcast,
with a cool wind from the S.E., and to-night we had only sage for
firewood. Mingled with the artemisia was a shrubby and thorny
chenopodiaceous plant.
28th.-Thermometer at sunrise 40°. The wind rose early to a gale from
the west, with a very cold driving rain; and, after an uncomfortable
day's ride of 25 miles, we, were glad when at evening we found a
sheltered camp, where there was an abundance of wood, at some elevated
rocky islands covered with cedar, near the commencement of another long
canon of the river. With the exception of a short detention at a deep
little stream called Goose creek, and some occasional rocky places, we
had to-day a very good road; but the country has a barren appearance,
sandy, and densely covered with the artemisias from the banks of the
river to the foot of the mountains. Here I remarked, among the sage
bushes, green bunches of what is called the second growth of grass. The
river to-day has had a smooth appearance, free from rapids, with a low
sandy hill-slope bordering the bottoms, in which there is a little good
soil. Thermometer at sunset 45°, blowing a gale, and disagreeably cold.
29th.--The thermometer at sunrise 36°, with a bright sun, and
appearance of finer weather. The road for several miles was _extremely_
rocky, and consequently bad; but, entering after this a sandy country,
it became very good, with no other interruption than the sage bushes,
which covered the river plain as far as the eye could reach, and, with
their uniform tint of dark gray, gave to the country a gloomy and
sombre appearance. All the day the course of the river has been between
walls of the black volcanic rock, a dark line of the escarpment on the
opposite side pointing out its course, and sweeping along in foam at
places where the mountains which border the valley present always on
the left two ranges, the lower one a spur of the higher; and, on the
opposite side, the Salmon River mountains are visible at a great
distance. Having made 24 miles, we encamped about five o'clock on Rock
creek--a stream having considerable water, a swift current, and wooded
with willow.
30th.--Thermometer at sunrise 28°. In its progress towards the river,
this creek soon enters a chasm of the volcanic rock, which in places
along the wall presents a columnar appearance; and the road becomes
extremely rocky whenever it passes near its banks. It is only about
twenty feet wide where the road crosses it, with a deep bed, and steep
banks, covered with rocky fragments, with willows and a little grass on
its narrow bottom. The soil appears to be full of calcareous matter,
with which the rocks are incrusted. The fragments of rock which had
been removed by the emigrants in making a road, where we ascended from
the bed of this creek, were whitened with lime; and during the
afternoon's march I remarked in the soil a considerably quantity of
calcareous concretions. Towards evening the sages became more sparse,
and the clear spaces were occupied by tufts of green grass. The river
still continued its course through a trough, or open canon; and towards
sunset we followed the trail of several wagons which had turned in
towards Snake river, and encamped, as they had done, on the top of the
escarpment. There was no grass here, the soil among the sage being
entirely naked; but there is occasionally a little bottom along the
river, which a short ravine of rocks, at rare intervals, leaves
accessible; and by one of these we drove our animals down, and found
some tolerably good grass bordering the water.
Immediately opposite to us, a subterranean river bursts out directly
from the face of the escarpment, and falls in white foam to the river
below. The main river is enclosed with mural precipices, which form its
characteristic feature along a great portion of its course. A
melancholy and strange-looking country--one of fracture, and violence,
and fire.
We had brought with us, when we separated from the camp, a large gaunt
ox, in appearance very poor; but, being killed to-night, to the great
joy of the people, he was found to be remarkably fat. As usual at such
occurrences, the evening was devoted to gayety and feasting; abundant
fare now made an epoch among us; and in this laborious life, in such a
country as this, our men had but little else to enjoy. The temperature
at sunset was 65°, with a clear sky and a very high wind. By the
observation of the evening, the encampment was in longitude 114° 25'
04", and in latitude 42° 38' 44".