1st.--The morning clear, with wind from the west, and the thermometer
at 55°. We descended to the bottoms, taking with us the boat, for the
purpose of visiting the fall in the opposite cliffs; and while it was
being filled with air, we occupied ourselves in measuring the river,
which is 1,786 feet in breadth, with banks 200 feet high. We were
surprised, on our arrival at the opposite side, to find a beautiful
basin of clear water, formed by the falling river, around which the
rocks were whitened by some saline incrustation. Here the Indians had
constructed wicker dams, although I was informed that the salmon do not
ascend the river so far; and its character below would apparently
render it impracticable.
The ascent of the steep hill-side was rendered a little difficult by a
dense growth of shrubs and fields of cane; and there were frequent
hidden crevices among the rocks, where the water was heard rushing
below; but we succeeded in reaching the main stream, which, issuing
from between strata of the trap-rock in two principal branches,
produced almost immediately a torrent, 22 feet wide, and white with
foam. It is a picturesque spot of singular beauty, overshadowed by
bushes, from under which the torrent glances, tumbling into the white
basin below, where the clear water contrasted beautifully with the
muddy stream of the river. Its outlet was covered with a rank growth of
canes, and a variety of unusual plants, and nettles, (_urtica
canabina_,) which, before they were noticed, had set our hands and arms
on fire. The temperature of the spring was 58°, while that of the river
was 51°. The perpendicular height of the place at which this stream
issues is 45 feet above the river, and 162 feet below the summit of the
precipice--making nearly 200 feet for the height of the wall. On the
hill-side here was obtained a specimen consisting principally of
fragments of the shells of small crustacea, and which was probably
formed by deposition from these springs, proceeding from some lake or
river in the highlands above.
We resumed our journey at noon, the day being hot and bright; and,
after a march of 17 miles, encamped at sunset on the river, near
several lodges of Snake Indians.
Our encampment was about one mile below the _Fishing falls_--a series
of cataracts with very inclined planes, which are probably so named
because they form a barrier to the ascent of the salmon; and the great
fisheries, from which the inhabitants of this barren region almost
entirely derive a subsistence, commence at this place. These appeared
to be unusually gay savages, fond of loud laughter; and, in their
apparent good nature and merry character, struck me as being entirely
different from the Indians we had been accustomed to see. From several
who visited our camp in the evening, we purchased, in exchange for
goods, dried salmon. At this season they are not very fat, but we were
easily pleased. The Indians made us comprehend, that when the salmon
came up the river in the spring, they are so abundant that they merely
throw in their spears at random, certain of bringing out a fish.
These poor people are but slightly provided with winter clothing; there
is but little game to furnish skins for the purpose; and of a little
animal which seemed to be the most numerous, it required 20 skins to
make a covering to the knees. But they are still a joyous, talkative
race, who grow fat and become poor with the salmon, which at least
never fail them--the dried being used in the absence of the fresh. We
are encamped immediately on the river bank, and with the salmon jumping
up out of the water, and Indians paddling about in boats made of
rushes, or laughing around the fires, the camp to-night has quite a
lively appearance.
The river at this place is more open than for some distance above, and,
for the time, the black precipices have disappeared, and no calcareous
matter is visible in the soil. The thermometer at sunset 74°, clear and
calm.
2d.--The sunrise temperature was 48°; the weather clear and calm.
Shortly after leaving the encampment, we crossed a stream of clear
water, with a variable breadth of 10 to 25 yards, broken by rapids, and
lightly wooded with willow, and having a little grass on its small
bottom-land. The barrenness of the country is in fine contrast to-day
with the mingled beauty and grandeur of the river, which is more open
than hitherto, with a constant succession of falls and rapids. Over the
edge of the black cliffs, and out from their faces, are falling
numberless streams and springs; and all the line of the river is in
motion with the play of the water. In about seven miles we reached the
most beautiful and picturesque fall I had seen on the river.
On the opposite side, the vertical fall is perhaps 18 feet high; and
nearer, the sheet of foaming water is divided and broken into
cataracts, where several little islands on the brink and in the river
above, give it much picturesque beauty, and make it one of those places
the traveler turns again and again to fix in his memory. There were
several lodges of Indians here, from whom we traded salmon. Below this
place the river makes a remarkable bend; and the road, ascending the
ridge, gave us a fine view of the river below, intersected at many
places by numerous fish dams. In the north, about 50 miles distant,
were some high snowy peaks of the Salmon River mountains; and in the
northeast, the last peak of the range was visible at the distance of
perhaps 100 miles or more. The river hills consist of very broken
masses of sand, covered everywhere with the same interminable fields of
sage, and occasionally the road is very heavy. We now frequently saw
Indians, who were strung along the river at every little rapid where
fish are to be caught, and the cry _haggai, haggai_, (fish,) was
constantly heard whenever we passed near their huts, or met them in the
road. Very many of them were oddly and partially dressed in overcoat,
shirt, waistcoat, or pantaloons, or whatever article of clothing they
had been able to procure in trade from the emigrants; for we had now
entirely quitted the country where hawks' bells, beads, and vermilion
were the current coin, and found that here only useful articles, and
chiefly clothing, were in great request. These, however, are eagerly
sought after; and for a few trifling pieces of clothing, travelers may
procure food sufficient to carry them to the Columbia.
We made a long stretch across the upper plain, and encamped on the
bluff, where the grass was very green and good, the soil of the upper
plains containing a considerable proportion of calcareous matter. This
green freshness of the grass was very remarkable for the season of the
year. Again we heard the roar of the fall in the river below, where the
water in an unbroken volume goes over a descent of several feet. The
night is clear, and the weather continues very warm and pleasant, with
a sunset temperature of 70°.
3d.--The morning was pleasant, with a temperature at sunrise of 42°.
The road was broken by ravines among the hills, and in one of these,
which made the bed of a dry creek, I found a fragmentary stratum, or
brecciated conglomerate, consisting of flinty slate pebbles, with
fragments of limestone containing fossil shells.
On the left, the mountains are visible at the distance of 20 or 30
miles, appearing smooth and rather low; but at intervals higher peaks
look out from beyond, and indicate that the main ridge, which we are
leaving with the course of the river, and which forms the northern
boundary of the Great Basin, still maintains its elevation. About two
o'clock we arrived at the ford where the road crosses to the right bank
of Snake river. An Indian was hired to conduct us through the ford,
which proved impracticable for us, the water sweeping away the howitzer
and nearly drowning the mules, which we were obliged to extricate by
cutting them out of the harness. The river here is expanded into a
little bay, in which there are two islands, across which is the road of
the ford; and the emigrants had passed by placing two of their heavy
wagons abreast of each other, so as to oppose a considerable mass
against the body of water. The Indians informed us that one of the men,
in attempting to turn some cattle which had taken a wrong direction,
was carried off by the current and drowned. Since their passage, the
water had risen considerably; but, fortunately, we had a resource in a
boat, which was filled with air and launched; and at seven o'clock we
were safely encamped on the opposite bank, the animals swimming across,
and the carriage, howitzer, and baggage of the camp, being carried over
in the boat. At the place where we crossed, above the islands, the
river had narrowed to a breadth of 1,049 feet by measurement, the
greater portion of which was from six to eight feet deep. We were
obliged to make our camp where we landed, among the Indian lodges,
which are semicircular huts made of willow, thatched over with straw,
and open to the sunny south. By observation, the latitude of our
encampment on the right bank of the river was 42° 55' 58"; chronometric
longitude 115° 04' 46", and the traveled distance from Fort Hall 208
miles.
4th.--Calm, pleasant day, with the thermometer at sunrise at 47°.
Leaving the river at a considerable distance to the left, and following
up the bed of a rocky creek, with occasional holes of water, in about
six miles we ascended, by a long and rather steep hill, to a plain 600
feet above the river, over which we continued to travel during the day,
having a broken ridge 2,000 or 3,000 feet high on the right. The plain
terminates, where we ascended, in an escarpment of vesicular trap-rock,
which supplies the fragments of the creek below. The sky clouded over
with a strong wind from the northwest, with a few drops of rain and
occasional sunlight, threatening a change.
Artemisia still covers the plain, but _Purshia tridentata_ makes its
appearance here on the hill-sides and on bottoms of the creeks--quite a
tree in size, larger than the artemisia. We crossed several hollows
with a little water in them, and improved grass; and, turning off from
the road in the afternoon in search of water, traveled about three
miles up the bed of a willow creek, towards the mountain, and found a
good encampment, with wood and grass, and little ponds of water in the
bed of the creek; which must be of more importance at other seasons, as
we found there several old fixtures for fishing. There were many holes
on the creek prairie, which had been made by the Diggers in search of
roots.
Wind increased to a violent gale from the N.W., with a temperature at
sunset of 57°.
5th..--The morning was calm and clear, and at sunrise the thermometer
was at 32°. The road to-day was occasionally extremely rocky, with hard
volcanic fragments, and our traveling very slow. In about nine miles
the road brought us to a group of smoking hot springs, with a
temperature of 164°. There were a few helianthi in bloom, with some
other low plants, and the place was green round about; the ground warm
and the air pleasant, with a summer atmosphere that was very grateful
in a day of high and cold, searching wind. The rocks were covered with
a white and red incrustation; and the water has on the tongue the same
unpleasant effect as that of the Basin spring on Bear river. They form
several branches, and bubble up with force enough to raise the small
pebbles several inches. The following is an analysis of the deposite
with which the rocks are incrusted:
Silica------------------------ 72.55 Carbonate of lime-------------
14.60 Carbonate of magnesia -------- 1.20 Oxide of
iron----------------- 4.65 Alumina----------------------- 0.70
Chloride of sodium, &c.-- } Sulphate of soda--------- }---- 1.10
Sulphate of lime, &c.---- }
Organic vegetable matter- }---- 5.20 Water and loss----------- }
______
100.00
These springs are near the foot of the ridge, (a dark and
rugged-looking mountain,) in which some of the nearer rocks have a
reddish appearance, and probably consist of a reddish-brown trap,
fragments of which were scattered along the road after leaving the
spring. The road was now about to cross the point of this mountain,
which we judged to be a spur from the Salmon River range. We crossed a
small creek, and encamped about sunset on a stream, which is probably
Lake river. This is a small stream, some five or six feet broad, with a
swift current, timbered principally with willows and some few
cottonwoods. Along the banks were canes, rosebushes, and clematis, with
Purshia tridentata and artemisias on the upper bottom. The sombre
appearance of the country is somewhat relieved in coming unexpectedly
from the dark rocks upon these green and wooded water-courses, sunk in
chasms; and, in the spring, the contrasted effect must make them
beautiful.
The thermometer at sunset 47°, and the night threatening snow.
6th.--The morning warm, the thermometer 46° at sunrise, and sky
entirely clouded. After traveling about three miles over an extremely
rocky road, the volcanic fragments began to disappear; and, entering
among the hills at the point of the mountain, we found ourselves
suddenly in a granite country. Here, the character of the vegetation
was very much changed; the artemisia disappeared almost entirely,
showing only at intervals towards the close of the day, and was
replaced by Purshia tridentata, with flowering shrubs, and small fields
of _dieteria divaricata,_ which gave bloom and gayety to the hills.
These were everywhere covered with a fresh and green short grass, like
that of the early spring. This is the fall or second growth, the dried
grass having been burnt off by the Indians; and wherever the fire has
passed, the bright, green color is universal. The soil among the hills
is altogether different from that of the river plain, being in many
places black, in others sandy and gravelly, but of a firm and good
character, appearing to result from the decomposition of the granite
rocks, which is proceeding rapidly.
In quitting for a time the artemisia (sage) through which we had been
so long voyaging, and the sombre appearance of which is so
discouraging, I have to remark, that I have been informed that in
Mexico wheat is grown upon the ground which produces this shrub; which,
if true, relieves the soil from the character of sterility imputed to
it. Be this as it may, there is no dispute about the grass, which is
almost universal on the hills and mountains, and always nutritious,
even in its dry state. We passed on the way masses of granite on the
slope of the spur, which was very much weathered and abraded. This is a
white feldspathic granite, with small scales of black mica; smoky
quartz and garnets appear to constitute this portion of the mountain.
The road at noon reached a broken ridge, on which were scattered many
boulders or blocks of granite; and, passing very small streams, where,
with a little more than the usual timber, was sometimes gathered a
little wilderness of plants, we encamped on a small stream, after a
march of 22 miles, in company with a few Indians. Temperature at sunset
51°; and the night was partially clear, with a few stars visible
through drifting white clouds. The Indians made an unsuccessful attempt
to steal a few horses from us--a thing of course with them, and to
prevent which the traveler is on perpetual watch.
7th.--The day was bright, clear, pleasant, with a temperature of 45°;
and we breakfasted at sunrise, the birds singing in the trees as
merrily as if we were in the midst of summer. On the upper edge of the
hills on the opposite side of the creek, the black volcanic rock
appears; and ascending these, the road passed through a basin, around
which the hills swept in such a manner as to give it the appearance of
an old crater. Here were strata and broken beds of black scoriated
rock, and hills composed of the same, on the summit of one of which
there was an opening resembling a rent. We traveled to-day through a
country resembling that of yesterday, where, although the surface was
hilly, the road was good, being firm, and entirely free from rocks and
artemisia. To our left, below, was the great sage plain; and on the
right were the near mountains, which presented a smoothly-broken
character, or rather a surface waved into numberless hills. The road
was occasionally enlivened by meeting Indians, and the day was
extremely beautiful and pleasant; and we were pleased to be free from
the sage, even for a day. When we had traveled about eight miles, we
were nearly opposite to the highest portion of the mountains on the
left side of the Smoke River valley; and, continuing on a few miles
beyond, we came suddenly in sight of the broad green line of the valley
of the _Rivière Boisée_, (wooded river,) black near the gorge where it
debouches into the plains, with high precipices of basalt, between
walls of which it passes, on emerging from the mountains. Following
with the eye its upward course, it appears to be shut in among lofty
mountains, confining its valley in a very rugged country.
Descending the hills, after traveling a few miles along the high plain,
the road brought us down upon the bottoms of the river, which is a
beautiful, rapid stream, with clear mountain water; and, as the name
indicates, well wooded with some varieties of timber--among which are
handsome cottonwoods. Such a stream had become quite a novelty in this
country, and we were delighted this afternoon to make a pleasant camp
under fine old trees again. There were several Indian encampments
scattered along the river; and a number of their inhabitants, in the
course of the evening, came to the camp on horseback with dried and
fresh fish, to trade. The evening was clear, and the temperature at
sunset 57°.
At the time of the first occupation of this region by parties engaged
in the fur-trade, a small party of men, under the command of -----
Reid, constituting all the garrison of a small fort on this river, were
surprised and massacred by the Indians; and to this event the stream
owes its occasional name of _Reid's river_. On the 8th we traveled
about 26 miles, the ridge on the right having scattered pines on the
upper parts; and, continuing the next day our road along the river
bottom, after a day's travel of 24 miles, we encamped in the evening on
the right bank of the river, a mile above the mouth, and early the next
morning arrived at Fort _Boise_. This is a simple dwelling-house on the
right bank of Snake river, about a mile below the mouth of Rivière
Boisée; and on our arrival we were received with an agreeable
hospitality by Mr. Payette, an officer of the Hudson's Bay Company, in
charge of the fort, all of whose garrison consisted in a Canadian
_engagé_.
Here the road recrosses the river, which is broad and deep; but, with
our good boat, aided by two canoes, which were found at the place, the
camp was very soon transferred to the left bank. Here we found
ourselves again surrounded by the sage; artemisia tridentata, and the
different shrubs which during our voyage had always made their
appearance abundantly on saline soils, being here the prevailing and
almost the only plants. Among them the surface was covered with the
usual saline efflorescences, which here consist almost entirely of
carbonate of soda, with a small portion of chloride of sodium. Mr.
Payette had made but slight attempts at cultivation, his efforts being
limited to raising a few vegetables, in which he succeeded tolerably
well; the post being principally supported by salmon. He was very
hospitable and kind to us, and we made a sensible impression upon all
his comestibles; but our principal inroad was into the dairy, which was
abundantly supplied, stock appearing to thrive extremely well; and we
had an unusual luxury in a present of fresh butter, which was, however,
by no means equal to that of Fort Hall--probably from some accidental
cause. During the day we remained here, there were considerable numbers
of miserable, half-naked Indians around the fort, who had arrived from
the neighboring mountains. During the summer, the only subsistence of
these people is derived from the salmon, of which they are not
provident enough to lay up a sufficient store for the winter, during
which many of them die from absolute starvation.
Many little accounts and scattered histories, together with an
acquaintance which I gradually acquired of their modes of life, had
left the aboriginal inhabitants of this vast region pictured in my mind
as a race of people whose great and constant occupation was the means
of procuring a subsistence; and though want of space and other reasons
will prevent me from detailing the many incidents which made this
familiar to me, this great feature among the characteristics of the
country will gradually be forced upon your mind.
Pointing to the group of Indians who had just arrived from the
mountains on the left side of the valley, and who were regarding our
usual appliances of civilization with an air of bewildered curiosity,
Mr. Payette informed me that, every year since his arrival at this
post, he had unsuccessfully endeavored to induce these people to lay up
a store of salmon for their winter provision. While the summer weather
and the salmon lasted, they lived contentedly and happily, scattered
along the different streams where fish are to be found; and as soon as
the winter snows began to, fall, little smokes would be seen rising
among the mountains, where they would be found in miserable groups,
starving out the winter; and sometimes, according to the general
belief, reduced to the horror of cannibalism--the strong, of course,
preying on the weak. Certain it is they are driven to any extremity for
food, and eat every insect, and every creeping thing, however loathsome
and repulsive. Snails, lizards, ants--all are devoured with the
readiness and greediness of mere animals.
In common with all the other Indians we had encountered since reaching
the Pacific waters, these people use the Shoshonee or Snake language,
which you will have occasion to remark, in the course of the narrative,
is the universal language over a very extensive region.
On the evening of the 10th, I obtained, with the usual observations, a
very excellent emersion of the first satellite, agreeing very nearly
with the chronometer. From these observations, the longitude of the
fort is 116° 47' 00", latitude 43° 49' 22", and elevation above the sea
2,100 feet.
Sitting by the fire on the river bank, and waiting for the immersion of
the satellite, which did not take place until after midnight, we heard
the monotonous song of the Indians, with which they accompany a certain
game of which they are very fond. Of the poetry we could not judge, but
the music was miserable.
11th.--The morning was clear, with a light breeze from the east, and a
temperature at sunrise of 33°. A part of a bullock purchased at the
fort, together with the boat, to assist him in crossing, was left here
for Mr. Fitzpatrick, and at 11 o'clock we resumed our journey; and
directly leaving the river, and crossing the artemisia plain, in
several ascents we reached the foot of a ridge, where the road entered
a dry sandy hollow, up which it continued to the head; and, crossing a
dividing ridge, entered a similar one. We met here two poor emigrants,
(Irishmen,) who had lost their horses two days since--probably stolen
by the Indians; and were returning to the fort, in hopes to hear
something of them there. They had recently had nothing to eat; and I
halted to unpack an animal, and gave them meat for their dinner. In
this hollow, the artemisia is partially displaced on the hill-sides by
grass; and descending it -- miles, about sunset we reached the _Rivière
aux Malheurs_, (the unfortunate or unlucky river,)--a considerable
stream, with an average breadth of 50 feet, and, at this time, 18
inches' depth of water.
The bottom lands were generally one and a half mile broad, covered
principally with long dry grass; and we had difficulty to find
sufficient good grass for the camp. With the exception of a bad place
of a few hundred yards long, which occurred in rounding a point of hill
to reach the ford of the river, the road during the day had been very
good.
12th.--The morning was clear and calm, and the thermometer at sunrise
23°. My attention was attracted by a smoke on the right side of the
river, a little below the ford, where I found, on the low banks near
the water, a considerable number of hot springs, in which the
temperature of the water was 193°. The ground, which was too hot for
the naked foot, was covered above and below the springs with an
incrustation of common salt, very white and good, and fine-grained.
Leading for five miles up a broad dry branch of the Malheurs river, the
road entered a sandy hollow, where the surface was rendered firm by the
admixture of other rock; being good and level until arriving near the
head of the ravine, where it became a little rocky, and we met with a
number of sharp ascents over an undulating surface. Crossing here a
dividing ridge, it becomes an excellent road of gradual descent down a
very marked hollow; in which, after ten miles, willows began to appear
in the dry bed of a head of the _Rivière aux Bouleaux_, (Birch river;)
and descending seven miles, we found, at its junction with another
branch, a little water, not very good or abundant, but sufficient, in
case of necessity, for a camp. Crossing Birch river, we continued for
about four miles across a point of hill; the country on the left being
entirely mountainous, with no level spot to be seen; whence we
descended to Snake river--here a fine-looking stream, with a large body
of water and a smooth current; although we hear the roar, and see below
us the commencement of rapids, where it enters among the hills. It
forms here a deep bay, with a low sand island in the midst; and its
course among the mountains is agreeably exchanged for the black
volcanic rock. The weather during the day had been very bright and
extremely hot; but, as usual, so soon as the sun went down, it was
necessary to put on overcoats.
I obtained this evening an observation of an emersion of the first
satellite, and our observations of the evening place this encampment in
latitude 44° 17' 36", and longitude 116° 56' 45", which is the mean of
the results from the satellite and chronometer. The elevation above the
sea is 1,880 feet. At this encampment, the grass is scanty and poor.
13th.--The morning was bright, with the temperature at sunrise 28°. The
horses had strayed off during the night, probably in search of grass;
and, after a considerable delay, we had succeeded in finding all but
two, when, about nine o'clock, we heard the sound of an Indian song and
drum approaching; and shortly after, three Cayuse Indians appeared in
sight, bringing with them the two animals. They belonged to a party
which had been on a buffalo-hunt in the neighborhood of the Rocky
mountains, and were hurrying home in advance. We presented them with
some tobacco and other things, with which they appeared well satisfied,
and, moderating their pace, traveled in company with us.
We were now about to leave the valley of the great southern branch of
the Columbia river, to which the absence of timber, and the scarcity of
water, give the appearance of a desert, to enter a mountainous region,
where the soil is good, and in which the face of the country is covered
with nutritious grasses and dense forest--land embracing many varieties
of trees peculiar to the country, and on which the timber exhibits a
luxuriance of growth unknown to the eastern part of the continent and
to Europe. This mountainous region connects itself in the southward and
westward with the elevated country belonging to the Cascade or
California range; and, as will be remarked in the course of the
narrative, forms the eastern limit of the fertile and timbered lands
along the desert and mountainous region included within the Great
Basin--a term which I apply to the intermediate region between the
Rocky mountains and the next range, containing many lakes, with their
own system of rivers and creeks, (of which the Great Salt is the
principal,) and which have no connection with the ocean, or the great
rivers which flow into it. This Great Basin is yet to be adequately
explored. And here, on quitting the banks of a sterile river, to enter
on arable mountains, the remark may be made, that, on this western
slope of our continent, the usual order or distribution of good and bad
soil is often reversed; the river and creek bottoms being often
sterile, and darkened with the gloomy and barren artemisia; while the
mountain is often fertile, and covered with rich grass, pleasant to the
eye, and good for flocks and herds.
Leaving entirely the Snake river, which is said henceforth to pursue
its way through canons, amidst rocky and impracticable mountains, where
there is no possibility of traveling with animals, we ascended a long
and steep hill; and crossing the dividing ridge, came down into the
valley of _Burnt_ river, which here looks like a hole among the hills.
The average breadth of the stream here is thirty feet; it is well
fringed with the usual small timber; and the soil in the bottoms is
good, with better grass than we had lately been accustomed to see.
We now traveled through a very mountainous country; the stream running
rather in a ravine than a valley, and the road is decidedly bad and
dangerous for single wagons, frequently crossing the stream where the
water is sometimes deep; and all the day the animals were fatigued in
climbing up and descending a succession of steep ascents, to avoid the
precipitous hill-sides; and the common trail, which leads along the
mountain-side at places where the river strikes the base, is sometimes
bad even for a horseman. The mountains along this day's journey were
composed, near the river, of a slaty calcareous rock in a metamorphic
condition. It appears originally to have been a slaty sedimentary
limestone, but its present condition indicates that it has been
altered, and has become partially crystalline--probably from the
proximity of volcanic rocks. But though traveling was slow and
fatiguing to the animals, we were delighted with the appearance of the
country, which was green and refreshing after our tedious journey down
the parched valley of Snake river. The mountains were covered with good
bunch-grass, (_festuca_;) the water of the streams was cold and pure;
their bottoms were handsomely wooded with various kinds of trees; and
huge and lofty picturesque precipices where the river cut through the
mountain.
We found in the evening some good grass and rushes; and encamped among
large timber, principally birch, which had been recently burnt, and
blackened, and almost destroyed by fire. The night was calm and
tolerably clear, with the thermometer at sunset at 59°. Our journey
to-day was about twenty miles.
14th.--The day was clear and calm, with a temperature at sunrise of
46°. After traveling about three miles up the valley, we found the
river shut up by precipices in a kind of canon, and the road makes a
circuit over the mountains. In the afternoon we reached the river
again, by another little ravine; and, after traveling along it for a
few miles, left it enclosed among rude mountains; and, ascending a
smaller branch; encamped on it about five o'clock, very much elevated
above the valley. The view was everywhere limited by mountains, on
which were no longer seen the black and barren rocks, but a fertile
soil, with excellent grass, and partly well covered with pine. I have
never seen a wagon-road equally bad in the same space, as this of
yesterday and to-day. I noticed where one wagon had been overturned
twice, in a very short distance; and it was surprising to me that those
wagons which were in the rear, and could not have had much assistance,
got through at all. Still, there is no mud; and the road has one
advantage, in being perfectly firm. The day had been warm and very
pleasant, and the night was perfectly clear.
15th.--The thermometer at daylight was 42°, and at sunrise 40°; clouds,
which were scattered over all the sky, disappeared with the rising sun.
The trail did not much improve until we had crossed the dividing-ground
between the _Brûlée_ (Burnt) and Powder rivers. The rock displayed on
the mountains, as we approached the summit, was a compact trap,
decomposed on the exposed surfaces, and apparently an altered
argillaceous sandstone, containing small crystalline nodules of
anolcime, apparently filling cavities originally existing. From the
summit here, the whole horizon shows high mountains; no high plain or
level is to be seen; and on the left, from south around by the west to
north, the mountains are black with pines; while, through the remaining
space to the eastward, they are bald, with the exception of some
scattered pines. You will remark that we are now entering a region
where all the elevated parts are covered with dense and heavy forests.
From the dividing grounds we descended by a mountain road to Powder
river, on an old bed of which we encamped. Descending from the summit,
we enjoyed a picturesque view of high rocky mountains on the right,
illuminated by the setting sun.
From the heights we had looked in vain for a well known landmark on
Powder river, which had been described to me by Mr. Payette as _l'arbre
seul_, (the lone tree;) and, on arriving at the river, we found a fine
tall pine stretched on the ground, which had been felled by some
inconsiderate emigrant axe. It had been a beacon on the road for many
years past. Our Cayuses had become impatient to reach their homes, and
traveled on ahead to day; and this afternoon we were visited by several
Indians who belonged to the tribes on the Columbia. They were on
horseback, and were out on a hunting excursion, but had obtained no
better game than a large gray hare, of which each had some six or seven
hanging to his saddle. We were also visited by an Indian who had his
lodge and family in the mountain to the left. He was in want of
ammunition, and brought with him a beaver-skin to exchange, and which
he valued at six charges of powder and ball. I learned from him that
there are very few of these animals remaining in this part of the
country.
The temperature at sunset was 61°, and the evening clear. I obtained,
with other observations, an immersion and emersion of the third
satellite. Elevation 3,100 feet.
16th.--For several weeks the weather in the daytime has been very
beautiful, clear, and warm; but the nights, in comparison, are very
cold. During the night there was ice a quarter of an inch thick in the
lodge; and at daylight the thermometer was at 16°, and the same at
sunrise, the weather being calm and clear. The annual vegetation now is
nearly gone, almost all the plants being out of bloom.
Last night two of our horses had run off again, which delayed us until
noon, and we made to-day but a short journey of 13 miles, the road
being very good, and encamped in a fine bottom of Powder river.
The thermometer at sunset was at 61°, with an easterly wind, and
partially clear sky; and the day has been quite pleasant and warm,
though more cloudy than yesterday; and the sun was frequently faint,
but it grew finer and clearer towards evening.
17th.--Thermometer at sunrise 25°. The weather at daylight was fine,
and the sky without a cloud; but these came up, or were formed by the
sun, and at seven were thick over all the sky. Just now, this appears
to be the regular course--clear and brilliant during the night, and
cloudy during the day. There is snow yet visible in the neighboring
mountains, which yesterday extended along our route to the left, in a
lofty and dark-blue range, having much the appearance of the Wind River
mountains. It is probable that they have received their name of the
_Blue mountains_ from the dark-blue appearance given to them by the
pines. We traveled this morning across the affluents to Powder river,
the road being good, firm, and level, and the country became constantly
more pleasant and interesting. The soil appeared to be very deep, and
is black and extremely good, as well among the hollows of the hills on
the elevated plats, as on the river bottoms, the vegetation being such
as is usually found in good ground. The following analytical result
shows the precise qualities of this soil, and will justify to science
the character of fertility which the eye attributes to it:
_Analysis of Powder river soil._
Silica ----------------- 72.30 Alumina ---------------- 6.25 Carbonate
of lime ------ 6.86 Carbonate of magnesia -- 4.62 Oxide of iron
---------- 1.20 Organic matter --------- 4.50 Water and loss
--------- 4.27
______
100.00
From the waters of this stream, the road ascended by a good and
moderate ascent to a dividing ridge, but immediately entered upon
ground covered with fragments of an altered silicious slate, which are
in many places large, and render the road racking to a carriage. In
this rock the planes of deposition are distinctly preserved, and the
metamorphism is evidently due to the proximity of volcanic rocks. On
either side, the mountains here are densely covered with tall and
handsome trees; and, mingled with the green of a variety of pines, is
the yellow of the European larch, (_pinus larix_,) which loses its
leaves in the fall. From its present color, we were enabled to see that
it forms a large proportion of the forests on the mountains, and is
here a magnificent tree, attaining sometimes the height of 200 feet,
which I believe is elsewhere unknown. About two in the afternoon we
reached a high point of the dividing ridge, from which we obtained a
good view of the _Grand Rond_--a beautiful level basin, or mountain
valley, covered with good grass, on a rich soil, abundantly watered,
and surrounded by high and well-timbered mountains--and its name
descriptive of its form--the great circle. It is a place--one of the
few we have seen on our journey so far--where a farmer would delight to
establish himself, if he were content to live in the seclusion which it
imposes. It is about 20 miles in diameter, and may, in time, form a
superb county. Probably with the view of avoiding a circuit, the wagons
had directly descended into the _Rond_ by the face of a hill so very
rocky and continuously steep as to be apparently impracticable, and,
following down on their trail, we encamped on one of the branches of
the Grand Rond river, immediately at the foot of the hill. I had
remarked, in descending, some very white spots glistening on the plain,
and, going out in that direction after we had encamped, I found them to
be the bed of a dry salt lake, or marsh, very firm and bare, which was
covered thickly with a fine white powder, containing a large quantity
of carbonate of soda, (thirty-three in one hundred parts.)
The old grass had been lately burnt off from the surrounding hills,
and, wherever the fire had passed, there was a recent growth of strong,
green, and vigorous grass; and the soil of the level prairie, which
sweeps directly up to the foot of the surrounding mountains, appears to
be very rich, producing flax spontaneously and luxuriantly in various
places.
_Analysis of Grand Rond soil._
Silica,---------------------------------- 70.81
Alumina,--------------------------------- 10.97 Lime and
magnesia,----------------------- 1.38 Oxide of
iron,--------------------------- 2.21 Vegetable matter, partly
decomposed,---- 8.16 Water and loss,-------------------------- 5.46
Phosphate of lime,----------------------- 1.01
______
100.00
The elevation of this encampment is 2,940 feet above the sea.
18th.--It began to rain an hour before sunrise, and continued until ten
o'clock; the sky entirely overcast, and the temperature at sunrise 48°.
We resumed our journey somewhat later than usual, travelling in a
nearly north direction across the beautiful valley; and about noon
reached a place on one of the principal streams, where I had determined
to leave the emigrant trail, in the expectation of finding a more
direct and better road across the Blue mountains. At this place the
emigrants appeared to have held some consultation as to their further
route, and finally turned directly off to the left; reaching the foot
of the mountain in about three miles, which they ascended by a hill as
steep and difficult as that by which we had yesterday descended to the
Rond. Quitting, therefore, this road, which, after a very rough
crossing, issues from the mountains by the heads of the _Umatilah_
river, we continued our northern course across the valley, following an
Indian trail which had been indicated to me by Mr. Payette, and
encamped at the northern extremity of the Grand Rond, on a slough-like
stream of very deep water, without any apparent current. There are some
pines here on the low hills at the creek; and in the northwest corner
of the Rond is a very heavy body of timber, which descends into the
plain. The clouds, which had rested very low along the mountain sides
during the day, rose gradually up in the afternoon; and in the evening
the sky was almost entirely clear, with a temperature at sunset of 47°.
Some indifferent observations placed the camp in longitude 117° 28'
26", latitude 45° 26' 47"; and the elevation was 2,600 feet above the
sea.
19th.--This morning the mountains were hidden by fog; there was a heavy
dew during the night, in which the exposed thermometer at daylight
stood at 32°, and at sunrise the temperature was 35°.
We passed out of the Grand Rond by a fine road along the creek, which,
for a short distance, runs in a kind of rocky chasm. Crossing a low
point, which was a little rocky, the trail conducted into the open
valley of the stream--a handsome place for farms; the soil, even of the
hills, being rich and black. Passing through a point of pines, which
bore evidences of being very much frequented by the Indians, and in
which the trees were sometimes apparently 200 feet high, and three to
seven feet in diameter, we halted for a few minutes in the afternoon at
the foot of the Blue mountains, on a branch of the Grand Rond river, at
an elevation of 2,700 feet. Resuming our journey, we commenced the
ascent of the mountains through an open pine forest of large and
stately trees, among which the balsam pine made its appearance; the
road being good, with the exception of one steep ascent, with a
corresponding descent, which might both have been easily avoided by
opening the way for a short distance through the timber. It would have
been well had we encamped on the stream where we had halted below, as
the night overtook us on the mountain, and we were obliged to encamp
without water, and tie up the animals to the trees for the night. We
halted on a smooth open place of a narrow ridge, which descended very
rapidly to a ravine or piny hollow, at a considerable distance below;
and it was quite a pretty spot, had there been water near. But the
fires at night look very cheerless after a day's march, when there is
no preparation for supper going on; and, after sitting some time around
the blazing logs, Mr. Preuss and Carson, with several others,
volunteered to take the India-rubber buckets and go down into the
ravine in search of water. It was a very difficult way in the darkness
down the slippery side of the steep mountain, and harder still to climb
about half a mile up again; but they found the water, and the cup of
coffee (which it enabled us to make) and bread were only enjoyed with
greater pleasure.
At sunset the temperature was 46°; the evening remarkably clear; and I
obtained an emersion of the first satellite, which does not give a good
result, although the observation was a very good one. The chronometric
longitude was 117° 28' 34", latitude 45° 38' 07", and we had ascended
to an elevation of 3,830 feet. It appeared to have snowed yesterday on
the mountains, their summits showing very white to-day.
20th.--There was a heavy white frost during the night, and at sunrise
the temperature was 37°.
The animals had eaten nothing during the night; and we made an early
start, continuing our route among the pines, which were more dense than
yesterday, and still retained their magnificent size. The larches
cluster together in masses on the side of the mountains, and their
yellow foliage contrasts handsomely with the green of the balsam and
other pines. After a few miles we ceased to see any pines, and the
timber consisted of several varieties of spruce, larch, and balsam
pine, which have a regularly conical figure. These trees appeared from
60 to nearly 200 feet in height; the usual circumference being 10 to 12
feet, and in the pines sometimes 21 feet. In open places near the
summit, these trees became less high and more branching, the conical
form having a greater base. The instrument carriage occasioned much
delay, it being frequently necessary to fell trees and remove the
fallen timber. The trail we were following led up a long spur, with a
very gradual and gentle rise. At the end of three miles, we halted at
an open place near the summit, from which we enjoyed a fine view over
the mountainous country where we had lately traveled, to take a
barometrical observation at the height of 4,460 feet.
After traveling occasionally through open places in the forest, we were
obliged to cut a way through a dense body of timber, from which we
emerged on an open mountain-side, where we found a number of small
springs, and encamped after a day's journey of ten miles. Our elevation
here was 5,000 feet.
21st.--There was a very heavy white frost during the night, and the
thermometer at sunrise was 30°.
We continued to travel through the forest, in which the road was
rendered difficult by fallen trunks, and obstructed by many small
trees, which it was necessary to cut down. But these are only
accidental difficulties, which could easily be removed, and a very
excellent road may be had through this pass, with no other than very
moderate ascents or declivities. A laborious day, which had advanced us
only six miles on the road, brought us in the afternoon to an opening
in the forest, in which there was a fine mountain meadow, with good
grass, and a large clear-water stream--one of the head branches of the
_Umatilah_ river. During this day's journey, the barometer was broken;
and the elevations above the sea, hereafter given, depend upon the
temperature of boiling water. Some of the white spruces which I
measured to-day were twelve feet in circumference, and one of the
larches ten; but eight feet was the average circumference of those
measured along the road. I held in my hand a tape line as I walked
along, in order to form some correct idea of the size of the timber.
Their height appeared to be from 100 to 180, and perhaps 200 feet, and
the trunks of the larches were sometimes 100 feet without a limb; but
the white spruces were generally covered with branches nearly to the
root. All these trees have their branches, particularly the lower ones,
declining.
22d.--The white frost this morning was like snow on the ground; the ice
was a quarter of an inch thick on the creek, and the thermometer at
sunrise was at 20°. But, in a few hours, the day became warm and
pleasant, and our road over the mountains was delightful and full of
enjoyment.
The trail passed sometimes through very thick young timber, in which
there was much cutting to be done; but, after traveling a few miles,
the mountains became more bald, and we reached a point from which there
was a very extensive view in the northwest. We were on the western
verge of the Blue mountains, long spurs of which, very precipitous on
either side extended down into the valley, the waters of the mountain
roaring between them. On our right was a mountain plateau, covered with
a dense forest; and to the westward, immediately below us, was the
great _Nez Perce_ (pierced nose) prairie, in which dark lines of timber
indicated the course of many affluents to a considerable stream that
was pursuing its way across the plain towards what appeared to be the
Columbia river. This I knew to be the Walahwalah river, and occasional
spots along its banks, which resembled clearings, were supposed to be
the mission or Indian settlements; but the weather was smoky and
unfavorable to far views with the glass. The rock displayed here in the
escarpments is a compact amorphous trap, which appears to constitute
the mass of the Blue mountains in this latitude; and all the region of
country through which we have traveled since leaving the Snake river
has been the seat of violent and extensive igneous action. Along the
Burnt River valley, the strata are evidently sedimentary rocks, altered
by the intrusion of volcanic products, which in some instances have
penetrated and essentially changed their original condition. Along our
line of route from this point to the California mountains, there seems
but little essential change. All our specimens of sedimentary rocks
show them much altered, and volcanic productions appear to prevail
throughout the whole intervening distance.
The road now led along the mountain side, around heads of the
precipitous ravines; and keeping men ahead to clear the road, we passed
alternately through bodies of timber and small open prairies, and
encamped in a large meadow, in view of the great prairie below.
At sunset the thermometer was at 40°, and the night was very clear and
bright. Water was only to be had here by descending a bad ravine, into
which we drove our animals, and had much trouble with them in a very
close growth of small pines. Mr. Preuss had walked ahead and did not
get into the camp this evening. The trees here maintained their size,
and one of the black spruces measured 15 feet in circumference. In the
neighborhood of the camp, pines have reappeared here among the timber.
23d.--The morning was very clear; there had been a heavy white frost
during the night, and at sunrise the thermometer was at 31°.
After cutting through two thick bodies of timber, in which I noticed
some small trees of _hemlock_ spruce, (_perusse_) the forest became
more open, and we had no longer any trouble to clear a way. The pines
here were 11 or 12 feet in circumference, and about 110 feet high, and
appeared to love the open grounds. The trail now led along one of the
long spurs of the mountain, descending gradually towards the plain; and
after a few miles traveling, we emerged finally from the forest, in
full view of the plain below, and saw the snowy mass of Mount Hood,
standing high out above the surrounding country at the distance of 180
miles. The road along the ridge was excellent, and the grass very green
and good; the old grass having been burnt off early in the autumn.
About 4 o'clock in the afternoon we reached a little bottom of the
Walahwalah river, where we found Mr. Preuss, who yesterday had reached
this place, and found himself too far in advance of the camp to return.
The stream here has just issued from the narrow ravines, which are
walled with precipices, in which the rock has a brown and more burnt
appearance than above.
At sunset the thermometer was at 48°, and our position was in longitude
118° 00' 39", and in latitude 45° 53' 35".
The morning was clear, with a temperature at sunrise of 24°. Crossing
the river, we traveled over a hilly country with a good bunch-grass;
the river bottom, which generally contains the best soil in other
countries, being here a sterile level of rocks and pebbles. We had
found the soil in the Blue mountains to be of excellent quality, and it
appeared also to be good here among the lower hills. Reaching a little
eminence over which the trail passed, we had an extensive view along
the course of the river, which was divided and spread over its bottom
in a network of water, receiving several other tributaries from the
mountains. There was a band of several hundred horses grazing on the
hills about two miles ahead; and as we advanced on the road we met
other bands, which Indians were driving out to pasture also on the
hills. True to its general character, the reverse of other countries,
the hills and mountains here were rich in grass, the bottoms barren and
sterile.
In six miles we crossed a principal fork, below which the scattered
waters of the river were gathered into one channel; and, passing on the
way several unfinished houses; and some cleared patches, where corn and
potatoes were cultivated, we reached, in about eight miles further, the
missionary establishment of Dr. Whitman, which consisted at this time
of one _adobe_ house--_i.e._, built of unburnt bricks as in Mexico.
I found Dr. Whitman absent on a visit to the _Dalles_ of the Columbia;
but had the pleasure to see a fine-looking family of emigrants, men,
women, and children, in robust health, all indemnifying themselves for
previous scanty fare, in a hearty consumption of potatoes, which are
produced here of a remarkably good quality. We were disappointed in our
expectation of obtaining corn-meal or flour at this station, the mill
belonging to the mission having been lately burned down; but an
abundant supply of excellent potatoes banished regrets, and furnished a
grateful substitute for bread. A small town of Nez Perce Indians gave
an inhabited and even a populous appearance to the station; and, after
remaining about an hour, we continued our route and encamped on the
river about four miles below, passing on the way an emigrant encampment.
Temperature at sunset, 49°.
25th..--The weather was pleasant, with a sunrise temperature of 36°.
Our road to-day had nothing in it of interest; and the country offered
to the eye only a sandy, undulating plain, through which a
scantily-timbered river takes its course. We halted about three miles
above the mouth, on account of grass; and the next morning arrived at
the Nez Perce fort, one of the trading establishments of the Hudson Bay
Company, a few hundred yards above the junction of the Walahwalah with
the Columbia river. Here we had the first view of this river, and found
it about 1,200 yards wide, and presenting the appearance of a fine,
navigable stream. We made our camp in a little grove of willows on the
Walahwalah, which are the only trees to be seen in the neighborhood;
but were obliged to send the animals back to the encampment we had
left, as there was scarcely a blade of grass to be found. The post is
on the bank of the Columbia, on a plain of bare sands, from which the
air was literally filled with clouds of dust and sand, during one of
the few days we remained here; this place being one of the several
points on the river which are distinguished for prevailing high winds,
that come from the sea. The appearance of the post and country was
without interest, except that we here saw, for the first time, the
great river on which the course of events for the last half century has
been directing attention and conferring historical fame. The river is,
indeed, a noble object, and has here attained its full magnitude. About
nine miles above, and in sight from the heights about this post, is the
junction of the two great forks which constitute the main stream--that
on which we had been traveling from Fort Hall, and known by the names
of Lewis's fork, Shoshonee, and Snake river; and the North fork, which
has retained the name of Columbia, as being the main stream.
We did not go up to the junction, being pressed for time; but the union
of two large streams, coming one from the southeast, and the other from
the northeast, and meeting in what may be treated as the geographical
centre of the Oregon valley, thence doubling the volume of water to the
ocean, while opening two great lines of communication with the interior
continent, constitutes a feature in the map of the country which cannot
be overlooked; and it was probably in reference to this junction of
waters, and these lines of communication, that this post was
established. They are important lines, and, from the structure of the
country, must forever remain so,--one of them leading to the South Pass
and to the valley of the Mississippi, the other to the pass at the head
of the Athabasca river, and to the countries drained by the waters of
the Hudson Bay. The British fur companies now use both lines; the
Americans, in their emigration to Oregon, have begun to follow the one
which leads towards the United States. Bateaux from tide-water ascend
to the junction, and thence high up the North fork, or Columbia. Land
conveyance only is used upon the line of Lewis's fork. To the emigrants
to Oregon, the Nez Perce is a point of great interest, as being, to
those who choose it, the termination of their overland journey. The
broad expanse of the river here invites them to embark on its bosom;
and the lofty trees of the forest furnish the means of doing so.
From the South Pass to this place is about 1,000 miles; and as it is
about the same distance from that pass to the Missouri river at the
mouth of the Kansas, it may be assumed that 2,000 miles is the
_necessary_ land travel in crossing from the United States to the
Pacific ocean on this line. From the mouth of the Great Platte it would
be about 100 miles less.
Mr. McKinley, the commander of the post, received us with great
civility; and both to myself, and the heads of the emigrants who were
there at the time, extended the rights of hospitality in a comfortable
dinner to which he invited us.
By a meridional altitude of the sun, the only observation that the
weather permitted us to obtain, the mouth of the Walahwalah river is in
latitude 46° 03' 46"; and, by the road we had traveled, 612 miles from
Fort Hall. At the time of our arrival, a considerable body of
emigrants, under the direction of Mr. Applegate, a man of considerable
resolution and energy, had nearly completed the building of a number of
Mackinaw boats, in which they proposed to continue their further voyage
down the Columbia. I had seen, in descending the Walahwalah river, a
fine drove of several hundred cattle, which they had exchanged for
California cattle, to be received at Vancouver, and which are
considered a very inferior breed. The other portion of the emigration
had preferred to complete their journey by land along the banks of the
Columbia, taking their stock and wagons with them.
Having reinforced our animals with eight fresh horses, hired from the
post, and increased our stock of provisions with dried salmon,
potatoes, and a little beef, we resumed our journey down the left bank
of the Columbia, being guided on our road by an intelligent Indian boy,
whom I had engaged to accompany us as far as the Dalles.
From an elevated point over which the road led, we obtained another far
view of Mount Hood, 150 miles distant. We obtained on the river bank an
observation of the sun at noon, which gave for the latitude 45° 58'
08". The country to-day was very unprepossessing, and our road bad; and
as we toiled slowly along through deep loose sands, and over fragments
of black volcanic rock, our laborious traveling was strongly contrasted
with the rapid progress of Mr. Applegate's fleet of boats, which
suddenly came gliding swiftly down the broad river, which here chanced
to be tranquil and smooth. At evening we encamped on the river bank,
where there was very little grass, and less timber. We frequently met
Indians on the road, and they were collected at every favorable spot
along the river.
29th.--The road continued along the river, and in the course of the day
Mount St. Helens, another snowy peak of the Cascade range, was visible.
We crossed the Umatilah river at a fall near its mouth. This stream is
of the same class as the Walahwalah river, with a bed of volcanic rock,
in places split into fissures. Our encampment was similar to that of
yesterday; there was very little grass, and no wood. The Indians
brought us some pieces for sale, which were purchased to make our fires.
31st.--By observation, our camp is in latitude 45° 50' 05", and
longitude 119° 22' 18". The night has been cold, and we have white
frost this morning, with a temperature at daylight of 25°, and at
sunrise of 24°. The early morning was very clear, and the stars bright;
but, as usual, since we are on the Columbia, clouds formed immediately
with the rising sun. The day continued fine, the east being covered
with scattered clouds, but the west remaining clear, showing the
remarkable cone-like peak of Mount Hood brightly drawn against the sky.
This was in view all day in the southwest, but no other peaks of the
range were visible. Our road was a bad one, of very loose, deep sand.
We met on the way a party of Indians unusually well-dressed. They
appeared intelligent, and, in our slight intercourse, impressed me with
the belief that they possessed some aptitude for acquiring languages.
We continued to travel along the river, the stream being interspersed
with many sand-bars (it being the season of low water) and with many
islands, and an apparently good navigation. Small willows were the only
wood; rock and sand the prominent geological feature. The rock of this
section is a very compact and tough basalt, occurring in strata which
have the appearance of being broken into fragments, assuming the form
of columnar hills, and appearing always in escarpments, with the broken
fragments strewed at the base and over the adjoining country.
We made a late encampment on the river, and used to-night the _purshia
tridentata_ for firewood. Among the rocks which formed the bank, was
very good green grass. Latitude 45° 44' 23", longitude 119° 45' 09".