THE ROCK ¥., MOUNTAINS

IN THE YEAR 1842,

OREGON AND NORTH CALIFORNIA ,

- IN THE YEARS 1843-44.

>
ae

ED.

Perna Ss oe yu Petar SEE oa
a ee ae see ener eis

BY
BREVET CAPTAIN J. C. FREMONT,
paee. OF THE TOPOGRAPHICAL, ENGINEERS, ;

L. J. J. ABERT, CHIEF OF THE TOPOGRAPHICAL BUREAD

REPRINTED FROM THE OFFICIAL copy.

NEW YORK:

D. APPLETON & CO., 200 BROADWAY.
PHILADELPHIA:

Gs APPLETON, 148 wargmietee |
m Dece XLVI.

PREFATORY NOTICE

se. \
Tue immense region west of the Rocky Mountains, extending to the
- Pacific ocean, and bounded by the Russian frontier on the north, and Cali-
fornia on the south, now attracts so much of popular regard, and is com-
mingled with so many important national interests, that an accurate and
minute acquaintance with the general topic is essential to every American
citizen.

Several exploring tours of the western portion of our continent, within the
geographical boundaries of the wilds now commonly known by the title, ‘
Orecon, have taken place during the present century. President Jefferson, /
in 1804, directed the first scrutiny in that country under the superintendence

_ ~of Messrs. Lewis and Clarke, who devoted the larger part of three years to
| the examination of those trackless forests, and who were the pioneers of
\ the movements which are now extending the limits of civilization, where
| _Andians, or deer, bears, or buffaloes only roamed. The second expedition by
Major Pike to survey the West, forty years ago, was restricted to the eastern
side of the Rocky Mountains, an( consequently communicated little direct
intelligence concerning the lands, the possession of which is now the subject
of controversy between the United States and Britain.

The other subsequent travellers in the western territory confined their
researches within the country through which the Upper Mississippi and
Missouri flow; and therefore imparted no information of any importance
concerning the Oregon lands, rivers, and other topics of public interest.

Daring several years, however, from 1833 to 1838, Mr. Nicollet, a scien
tific tourist, explored a very extensive portion of the western country beyond
the northern branches of the Mississippi. At the close of his amateur travels, _
the government of the United States engaged him to repeat his journey in
ancther region; and Captain Fremont was united with him to assist his Mg
efloris. After an absence of two seasons, they returned and exhibited |

%

ee ee

eh gt eet ee Cee Ae ae

wer ee are et ee
oe

*

iv . PREFATORY NOTICE.

result of their discoveries: and astronomical observations and topographical

admeasurements to the government at Washington.

It being desirable for the Federal authorities to become fully acquainted
with the state of the territory between the southern geographical boundary
of the United States and the Rocky Mountains, around the head-waters of
the Missouri, Captain Fremont was appointed to superintend that exploring
tour. That enterprising and scientific traveller is now absent on his third
expedition to enlarge our acquaintance with the western uninhabited distriets.

The ensuing narratives include the Rerorts of the two tours which have
already been made by Captain Fremont, as they were e presented to the Con
gress of the United States, and originally publish ed.
cluding only the portions which’ are altogether astronomical, scientific, and
philosophical, and therefore not adapted for general utility. Captain Fremont
states that the whole of the delineations both “in the narrative and in the
maps,” which constitute the official publication, are “the result of positive
observation.” From a survey of the researches thus presented, it appears,

_ that the entire map of Oregon has been amply drawn out, so far as at present

is requisite for all the purposes of geographical inquiry and national arrange-
ment. With these claims on public attention, and the deep interest which
the subject itself now offers, this authentic edition of Captain Fremont’s
extensive and protracted researches in the western dominions of the United

_ States, is confidently recommended to the perusal of our fellow-citizens.

_ New Youx, November 11, 1845. ——

A REPORT

AN EXPLORATION

OF THE COUNTRY

LYING BETWEEN THE

MISSOURI RIVER AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS,

ON THE LINE OF

THE KANSAS AND GREAT PLATTE RIVERS

Was 7 March 1, 1843.
To Colonel J. J. Azer
Chief

TR :
and report upon the ntry between the
frontiers of Missouri and th uth Pass i
the Rocky mountains, an on the line of the

ea) t
from Washington city on the 2d day of May,
1842, and arrived at St. Louis, by way of
New York, the 22d of May, w e ne-
pecpneations were iaenieen: and the

be cn enced. I proceeded in
steamboat ’s landing,
indr Sale by water from St. I
mony Wen mouth nsas river,

steamboat

e proceeded twi
Ghoatean's trading ho
Hotes our final Petit for the expedi-

m-

Bad weather, which interfered with astro- | Daniel Si

esos ta comer’ ta foe
ata d for
i men,
into its
pcs ae

about four

twelve _— to Mr. "Cyprian

, however, every- |
rake TY- | prov.

part ; but, before we mount our ste vs will
party with

give a short description - can
which I performed this se

I ged collected in the neighborhood of St.
Louis hack nem pally Creole and
Canad oyageurs, d become fami-

wh
liar with. praiele life in the service of the fur
companies in

survey. L. Maxwell, of
been engaged as hunter, a
Carson (more familiarly known, for his ex- _
ploits , as Kit ) was
| Louis :

‘Clément Lam bert, J. B. L’ nike
B. Lefévre, Benjamin Potra, Louis Gouin,

la

‘J. B. Dumés, Basi} Lajeunesse, Frangois
Tessier, Benjamin Cadotte, Joseph Clé i

Benoit, Michel
Ayot, Fran-

“Handeipb,

ninetee:

-jof n
7”. | lively boy of ert ge son rat the Hon, Thomas.

ur th ee
and which were each wn hs

™ two nines. A few loose horses, and four

oxen, which had been

! 6 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. (1842.

the hardshi,
_ journey. r. Cyprian Chouteau, to whose

to conduct us on the
s

consign us to the ocean of prairie, which, we
were told, oy withon interruption al-
t to he

From the belt of wood “which borders the
s, in which we had passed several

oO
eighty yards in diameter. The tents were
king and hey horses hobbled and —

a few minu

ce “but
lapsed eore von cooks of t the messes, te stream, to s

hich there were on were busily engaged
ing meal}

and vexations of the ee

red by a halter,

own one end wa s tied m a small steel-
: ie ei and iver into the ground ;

__ halter being twenty or thirty feet long, which

enabled them to obtain a li ood durin

‘ ing the ev . At night-
é ane horses, mules, ape —— were driven | wi
t is,

n hea-
vily, and, as our tents were of light ahd thin
cloth, they offered but little obstruction to

in ;_we were al] well soaked, and glad when

day advanced. We encamped in aremarka-
bly tera situation on es Kansas blufis,
which commanded a fine view of the river

entral portion was occupied by a broad
belt of heavy timber, and nearer the hills the
prairies were of the r ric pea Sep is
of the oxen was killed here for food.
We reached the ford of ‘ie Kansas late
in the afternoon of the 14th, where the river

crossing. expected to find the river
fordable : but it had cn swollen by the late
rains, and was swee by with an ang

ing ary
-| current, yellow and turbid as the Missouri.

Up to this point, the road we had travelled

was a remarkably fine one, ~~ aten, a

level—the usual road of a rie country.
our route, the on was pit hund.

miles from the mouth of the Kansas river.

some distance down the river, and, img
to the right ae ere not got over until
the next morning. In the Sesatiina the
carts hi ad been unloaded and dismantled, and

food g | an r boat, whic! ght
reached a part of | with me for the survey of e river,
i me | placed in the water. The boat was twenty
1 ged ng five broad, and on it were

y along the Santa
Perea, which we left in 4 the afternoon, and

He had lost his way

: dnight, with the exception of one
roger: ke ode amy: amet |

long and b
placed the body and wheels of a cart, with
the load belonging to it, and three men with
ddles.
The velocity of the current, and the incon-
venient “treight, rendering it difficult to be

g jeunesse, one of our
swimmers, took in his teeth a line attached
to t and swam ah order. to

panying man at the helm w

| timid on water, and, in his oo, capsized :
ves | the boat. Carts, es, and

barrels, box

a moment floating down the ease

were In S
but all the men who were on the shore
jumped into the water, without s'

1842.)

ee ne and almost eve
toe ey such as guns

who could

viest loss was
iaied nearly all our prov
which none bat a rab ei ina Papen
and apse vse fr appreciate ; and
often afterw en exc alive toil and lon
had ween us with fatigue and
remembered and mourn
Carson and
n the water zor
terday, and both, in etinserjuenee, “hen or
ill. The former Ceara so, In ined
in camp. umbe Kansas Tohons
visited us to-da Going up to one of the
aps who were scattered among the trees,
found one sitting o

B

izing well with their appearance. I listened
some time with feelings of strange

curiosity and interest. He was now 60
rently thirty-five years of age; and,
quiry, I lea at he had been at at St Lous
hen a boy, and t
/ French language. From one of te Tole
women I ned a fine and calf in ex-
change for a yoke of oxen. Several of them

brought us He pages pumpkins, onions,
beans, and let One of them brought
ma _ f-breed near the river
to obtain some twenty

. The dense tim-
ber in which we had encamped interfi
with astronomical observations, and our wet

res required exposure to the
sun. Accordingly,the tents were struck early
the next morning, and, leaving camp at six
o'clock, about seven miles up
Tiver, : n prairie, som
twenty feet above the water, where the fine

asduxurious repast to

During the day we occupied ourselves in | ter
astronomical obse:

rvations, in order | miles to the left, by
to lay down the country to this place; it | of a cluster of huts near the
being our custom to keep up our map regu- | Vermillion. It was a large but

et de in the field, which we found
advan The

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

not swim, | had n

, &;
to be time to for sie chances of :
os toe weridleeeae, ati

Friday, June 17.—The w
ot permitted us to m
tions I was des pathy obtain here, and I |

erefore did not move to-day.
continued ng target ches In the steep
ba er here, w ts of innu-

and w

to dr oO shot wounded him,

being killed, he was cut o n, an ei. :

young swallows were eee in his body. A
sudden storm, that upon us in the af —

rt lgraits to the Columbia |
river, under the charge of Dr. White, an;
a f the Government i Or Te }

ey consisted of men, women, and —
There were sixty-four men, and
ixteen or seventeen families. They had a
poole ble number o tle, and were —
transporting their household furniture in
1s. lunderstood that there —

our camp this 8 evening, we ayailed ou
of 7 miioks to the States to write to our
frienc

T - morning of the 18th was very unplea-

sant. fine rain was falleet. with cold |

ind from the north, a '
met 8 hills ens mea. and goon.

mp a n, journeyi

of ‘the hills ‘which border the

_ tion appeared alre

*

. CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. |

«
the Vermillion river, I reached the ford in
time to meet the carts, and, crossing, en-

rly
ine ue Dai was “coh the eseyptern om
~ being at 45>, Quitting the rbot
the road ran along tie. plied, on over a roll

ing country, oo in view of the Kan-
sas from "eight to twelve miles distant.
ery compact

4 ‘0 ons in weight, were scat-
/ tered along the hills; and many beautif
plants in flower, among which the cn

heads “of the

0
miles, and pitched oie ‘tents a

waters of a small = he now nearly
a but having in ei els veral fine spr ~—

The barometer indicated a iPsonsilcrable ris
in the country— inne about pet hun dred
feet above the sea—and the increased eleva-
eady to have some slight
influence upon the vegetation. The night
was cold, with a heavy dew ;
B

evening on

the thermome-

ter at 10 p. m. standi t 46°, baromete:
.483. Our position was in ~~ 96°
14’ 49’, and latitude 39° 30
‘he morning of the 20th was
southerly breeze and a bright sky; and at
seven o'clock we w

to-day was rather more broken, ri Tis-

| ene and covered everywhere with frag-

s limestone, particularly on
small, t

of si
“the summits, where they were

r | have their i insect

(1842,
_ current, through a well-timbered val-

To-day antelope were seen running
over the hills, and at Srening iawn sonia 3
us deer. Longitude of the camp

w ’, latitude 39° 45° 08.” rmome-

imag clear for astronomical at sunset 75°. A arate southerly

_ tions, which placed us in longitude 96° 04’ | breeze and fine morning given place to
OR; ey Tatitade 39° 15/ 19”. At sunset,|a gale, with indications of bad weather;
- the barometer was at 28.845, thermometer | when, after rch of ten miles, we halted
on a small creek, where the water

We serge ex ig morning at half | stood in deep pool - the bank of thi
opment creek limestone made its appearance in a

stratum about one foot thiek. In the after:
hei Arm tn aaacned to suffer for an
The road led along a high dry
k lines of timber indicated the
n the plains below; but
r near, and the day was
hot wind, and the

1 | amorpha hi
riable bloom—in some places bending be-

neath the weight of purple clusters; in oth-
ers without a flow t seems to love best
si sunny slopes, w

— of the prairie flowe
ahbsin eri or prairie sage, as it is va-

rio aly y called, is increasing in size, and glit-
ters like silvers as pr ae outhern breeze turns
up its leaves to sie sun. All these plants
abitants, sot: the howe?

° arlemisia

small accompan ‘it aed h ev

7 elevation char latitude ; and wens

have seen s

have always remarked, too, on tbe. flower a

large b resembling it in
at a little dis-

aoe

md-day halt was at Wyeth’s creek, in
the bed of ies were numerous boulders
of dark proginons Sen on mingled with
others of the red sandstone already men-
tioned. sa ’ pack of Site lying loose
ked an

at 10 a. m., a very bea wooded stream,
about thirty-tiv ve feet wile called Sandy
ereek, and so’ : Ottoe

sandy, and the
, plants less va abundant, "with the
- exception of the amorphe, w ich rivals ie
in quantity, though we so forward a:
it has been found to the eastward.
ye agg a Sina eres we had intended
was to be found. The bed
of the ‘hittle es was perfectly dry, ands on
the adjacent pati bottom, cacti, for t
time, made their

after a hard day’ f twenty-eight
miles, encamped, at - o'clock, on the Little
Blue, where our arri of the
Arabian desert. As fs as they arrived, men
-and horses rushe the stream, where
pets bathed and recy tom in common
en et ike now in the range of

pik ey 0 : infest

ing and Bane lh rea and aes
them to various kinds of insu! or the
Srst snarefore, guard was mounted to-
night. next m g lay up

rs oa sd
the Eg which, bordered “ hills ‘with
ed onl

a erase
bout fifty
; feet wide, and three or four deep, fringed ringed by

of oak tenanted by Books of sacks op cma
a too, made i r

sand now and antelo

in
anges prairies, several miles fro
sunset on ini of
abundance of

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. :

t} wil
e | the valley. iA wimg were

in greate:
Elk were _renenty seen on the |

incessantly, aad en
abe with ees ngs ee om and then iltumine
ated by a binding re be en Fe
darkness watch from ten

to midnight <4 he aly had been assigned

of desperate and bl Indian te
rife in the ca

su
hollows, and occupyi

ec

some imaginary alarm; ‘but they it
ont and took their turn regularly after-
ard.

Se

The xt morning we had a
the false gore to which all
regions are yang

specimen of
quan in these
eeding up

en on the oppo-
site hills, which een red before a glass
uld bi ug ace

co broug r upon them. A

m O was a Te distance in the rear,

came spurring up in t ing |
Indians! Indians! e been near

enough to see and count them, according to |
his rt, a) made out twenty-seven.

Ti iately 3 arms were

and put in order; the usual

made ; and Kit Carso:

rson. springing upon one
e hunting horses, ¢ ¢ rossed the river, and
galloped off into the o opposite prairies, to ob-
tain some certain intelligence of their move-
ments,

Mounted on a fine nate without a saddle,
and scouring barehi r the prairies,

Kit was one of the finest pictures of ‘horse.

man A short ti

who had been panei Si. = 6 snag
Van as it. pases by, and were now scamper-
off at full speed. This was’ our. fivet

-

i fod salle plant (asclepias seg ME

Ss.
ee been twenty OB

' mical observ:
3 & us se maonaiowr am fay erty of 98° 2 297
_ and latitud le 409 2 were
t seven in tis — and
in about five aes reached a

short repose. e ed
and level prairie ridge, where
and those ses Ore eS es —
graphus), and a kind of d -
a were ae frequent ‘daring
morning, very.

Were around us in eve
} e

orith, ae usu
fi mais, and anlanl
the ridge on a breadth of about two miles.
Change of soil and country appeared here
tohave produced some change in the vege-

of the , according to our reck-
‘ning, we had travelled three hundred and

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

which
| Squalls of rain, with thunder, a ght
and | t

| make as prospe yage to
ugh | Louis; but, after a cohe of forty a foand
ves 01 hundred a a thug

[1842.

consisted of lime and sandstone, covered by
the same i

met with no foss T

tion of the a Valles above the sea is
ere about two thousand feet. The astro-
nomical chirielite of the night placed us

in longitude 98° 45’ 49”, latitude 400 41’

~The animals es som

te miles alon

soil here was light but so though in
some cplioes rather san sith the ex-

onsisting Eecasipsliy of poplar |
(po sesh a), and hackbe
echis crassifolia), is ¢ ectile ‘adiaod entirely
to so islands,

ne 28.—We halted to noon at an o
ver, which o

about fo ] d been
ree aon ith the usual ion, the
hors: sy at a little Apnes. attended

h
at our .) ae on the
we se the startling ni “du soot :
an instar weapon was in his
hand, the horses were driven i in, hobbled and
picketed, and horseme

ard, and we were al] sitting quicty
hen suddenly

rawing but nine inches water, figiad to
TOUS VOY:

Vv re
miles from their vit of var rn
pe cae far as Scott’

1842.]

to drag their

ouly two or three miles in as many days.
8 they would ae a arm of the

river, where there appe

and

sandbat raged, at

ence ae Md finding th e Plat ph ing eve
ay more rae these discharged the prin-
cipal part of their cargoes one hundred and

gua , attem con-
tinue their voyage, eed with some light
furs an r personal baggage. After fif-

the

ey made but one hun-

aed and forty eae they sunk their barges,
he of thei

made a cac ir remaining furs and
property, in pee on the bank eae peticag
on his back what an man co rry, had

mmences befo one we enconatered
them, their j lata on foo - Loui
We lan Aas en at their forlorn and vag-
abond appeara: and, in our turn, a month
or two of A ae hed the same occa-
sion for afta a Even their
stock of tobacco, ine qué non of a voy-
iad withoat wi which the eae fire is Sea
was rely wever, we
aera their bones: journey by a at
supply from our own provision. gave
us the welcome Sat bags that the buffalo
were abundant so rch in ad

Ss
<

k. In the interchange of
* the renewal of old ° poner
wise we found wherewith 1a busy
e unt ges and
re

h rt m
found an old ¢ companion on the northern

ee a whet and hardly served seeree a
the been as much

ns, who had

old moust is

_ He flourished in
« and hi

CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
hens thepoah thecane, making | bo

coats ve:
of

if
which |

our lasses made out to tai Pad am
spend to be | ~ qui

atthe

y of thirteen. About a month since,
had left their people on the south fork

retur They were miser-
Title is ounted on wild horses from the Ark-
nsas plains, and had no r Weapons than
s and long spears they been

discovered by wnees, could not, by
any possibility, have esca y were
ortified by their ill success, and sai
awnees were cowards, nie: ‘shut up their
horses in their lodges a t night. Tin
them to supper

sat dow

rty,

ment at the der of whites, hastened to

join company. Latitude of the camp
o.51 >,

amorpha. uring the |
morning "had Aaa. 9 toa vioest gale from
the no rthwest, whic h made o ate es

Pe ee ee eae eee Ge ee

er was rol in the ieee and
n the a
ae

s and

and life of the prairie,
camp was full ~ mio! popes In | soi
quiet mo the march, relie “So

sted by the making ‘ the wh ip, and a
-sgaeetyat ! enfant eer eR
sounded die every part of the

he

4

cat teke
bread or they were enjoying g the
oasis of a nace life. Three co
killed to-day. Kit Carson had hata one, and
was continuing the chase in the midst of
nerd, when his horse fell eg
ing band.

somely mount-
e found that his
ie wit ith him. Ani-
mals are frecjnitatly lost i in this et ; and it

to keep close over them,

of

point o ti
he ‘on of his idle ‘ hand
ed Spanish one), w

horse w:

is necessary to
in the vicinity of the bu in the midst
which they scour off to the plains, and
retaken. our mules took a
joined a

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
feeding ; and every- |
be: Hines add ens |e

and cg together.

tia. bere in the dust.
t

[1842,

pte cent yap gave us a fine opportunity to

nk was they — oe among the
river hil It was too fine t for a
chase a, halting for a fev mo-
ments, the hunters were brought up and sad-
dled, and Kit agent Maxwell, and I, started
now somewha
th mile distant, and we rode
along inti within about

e sta gethe p, riding
steadily abreast of each other, and ‘here the
interest of the chase became so en ingly
i thing else

movement had communicated itself to the
whole herd.

A crowd of bulls, as usual, oe up the
rear, and every now a oa then e of them
faced about, and then ished 6 ei ‘afta? the
band a short distance, Sere turned a ked
again, as if more than half inclined to s
and fight. In a few moments, however, du-
ring og we had been quickening our pace,
the rout was universal, and we were going
over the Eaton like : arith cane. Whenat

about thirty yards, we gave the usual shout
(the inter s pas de aherigey: am Lee e into
the herd. We entered on the the mass
giving way in every direction in : their heed-
less course. Many of the bulls, less active
than the cows, paying no at-

tention to the ground, and occupied solely

orce, rolling over and over with
shock, gir hardly ste
’e separal

with great for
us violence of the

1842.] a

of the herd, ; giving my horse tlie ae eal 5 —
td ofthe hed, nd after them. thick cloud dedolsesbty will tiabereah @ pass-
of dust pon their rear, which filled od mi an encampment of the Oregon emi-
my mouth and eyes, and nearly smothe grants, where they red to have reposed
me. I t of this I could see nothing, | several days. A variety of household arti+
and -he buffalo were not distinguishable a cles were s and they had pro-

Saas

h hey crowded toge
more densely still as I came upon them oie
rushed along in sucha compact body, that I
could not obtain an entrance—the “0h al-
most leaping upon them. In afew
divided to the ci and ‘left, tho
horns clattering with a noise heard a
everything else, ‘ores od in
e opening. Five or six bulls charged on
us as we dashed eae the line, but were left

far behind ; and, singling out a cow, I gave
her my‘ t struck too high. the gave
a treme p, and scou n swifter

dog-vil-

or four holes i in e

the hie dark line caravan © wling
along, three or miles distant. After a
march of a Ba miles, we encamped at
fall, one m a half above the lower
dof Brady’s The breadth of this
arm of the river was eight hundred and
eighty yards, and the water re twi
feet in depth. The itis bea we the name of
a man killed on this spot go

ears a.
party had encamped bate, three in com-
pasif, and one of the number went off to hunt,
leavin mee Brad is companion together.
These two had aa pot qparrelled, and on
the heater’ s return he sa Brady dead, and

d himself accident-

His

Te
wolves, tary Poeged were hanging on the skirts of

oO rac the

reid
during heen night, venturing almost i into camp.

suet sort were sitting at a short
pg Be Herron — and lunar di:

distance, barking, and

vance to recon , marched dirty io for
hie mouth of the "Sou h fork. On our

val, the ee were sent in and scattered
river to search the
places, and the carts followed immediatel
The s

wo thousand twa
ree Arti hat
deeper, having dioqantaly three feet water in
the numerous small channels, with a bed of
ue gravel. e whole breadth of the
ebraska, reget wrth below abies junction, is

| five thousand three hundred and - feet.
in ;

All our equipage had reuahed
a ely hones amit, HP

eighteen miles westwardly to the bordering
chills, where iis five and a half m miles wide.

it Is Cuvee
and along the banks is a slight tt scattered
in ‘ott and willow. In the.
saline

cal

*

ye telly to conceal su proceeding from
vy ed eyes of our Cheyenne oe
I therefore

and see
They woul eouni< oie
urn and destro

fork, the prairie bo rding us a fair
road ; but in the long grass we y

f ui and. flies, from which our
a suffered erely. T

and the plains on the opposite side were co-
vered with buffalo. Having travelled twenty-.
ve mi m 6 in the evening ;

f the buffalo,

ves in num urrounded us | ca
during the night, crossing and recrossing
it an

the opposite s to our camp,
howling and trotting about in the river unti:
men
—The morning was very smoky,
the sun shining — and red, as in a thick
sed with a salute at

Whi
- reakfast, a buffalo ik broke
ugh the camp, followed by a couple of
wolves. In its fright, it had
taken us for a oO.
to make a circuit

a

The wolves

the eat _ ~— wpe start,
herd atthe fost

the ‘hills, caters foes miles

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

around the,| 5)

friends at pro
oe supply of excellent preserves and rich
off | fi ; and when these were added to

[1842.

Apacs is morning nume-
small creeks which, in the

rou of
time of rains asl me snow, pour down
from the ridge, ng down with th

ays great quantities of sand 1,

the surrounding prairie, without any
the long yellow and winding line of their
s resembles a causeway from t

ri any. mi
grt with sunflow

ew minutes column a:
are ffalo neues . galloping eth
making directly to the r By
ing herds had reached the ent tha

ing the eo
feet sai, tag cals = ina ine, jess were
already eleven thous m

ea sie eye coul >
Yottiarge tebetry ee as we advanced, an te
pace of only two or three hundred yards.
This movement of By buffalo indicated to

the presence of Indians on the north

fork.

6

Ited earlier than usual, about forty

I
is | miles from the junction, and ee sy were

soon busily engaged in to
celebrate the day. The bind kindness of our
E iouis had provided us with a

_ fs a ain in sharp pa end coe,
Tevel region, something of a picturesque ap-

ee She errs | re

the Roman epicure at his perfumed f
But most of all it “d to our In-
dian friends, who, in the unrestrained enjoy-
ment of the ed to know if
our “ ine days came often.” No re-
aaah coal di tint hoapitadbe be

1842. |

Our encampment was within a few miles
Satie leg, anil vesigna season lod to the

north fork, a led me tod

with a view of obtaini
positions, and determini the mouths of its
tributaries as far as St. Vrain’s fort, estimat-
ed to be some rt hundred miles further up
the river, and nea ’s peak. There
{ hoped to obtain sone mules, which I found
would be necessary

oO
— me by way of the Arkansas
and Laramie forks of the

mined to set out the next morning, accompa-
by Mr. Preuss and four men, Maxwell,
ronal Boe ee and Basil Lajeunesse. Our

es, whose village lay up this river,
also ‘Hecided to pet goat! us. ial arty I
left in charge t Lambert,

rom this point, using
mos caution in his march
through the country, he was to proceed to
the Amer roms a any’s fort at the mouth
of the Lara sek; and await my arrival,
which prenkrry re ‘ora to the deg. as on that
the following night w occur some
oceu ms which I was radios to obtain
at that st oyse-
July 5 —Before breakfast all was ready.
one led horse in addition to th

arcoatl with ies o du double ian

~e ance
July 6 + Ping that our present excur-
tended with considerable

sion would be

— : and cowl toe
ian noceseary determined to send
Ag oT "back to e party. His horse,
skin appe: in no condition to para the
journey; and giana fe: after breakfast,
he took the road across the hills, ae

by one of my most trusty Pa Bernier.
des betwee: about fifteen

tect ae es em
miles expected he w
bly strike the fork near their evening
we all events he would so fail to fn to find
rail, and rejoin a oe

inued ou nea se in num-
ber, oe the tes Cheyenn Our

ene was southwest, up the valley
of the river, , which wes ‘
the

ri :

Jenved willow, standing; and
pales of large trees were scattered about
the In many similar places I

16 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. {1842.
reek, a clear handsome m, a mained up to take herpes
ning through a broad valley. In its course | cal asec te which made our position

— the ome ae it has a —— breadth | in — 40° 51717", and: nogbate 103°

-two feet, and six inches
A few wilowe on the abies ati pleasant-
ly om the eye, by their so in the

warm colors seem most
of n sands
We turned in towards the river at noon,
and gave our horses two hours for food and
had no r the cep than the
d to barometer, which stood
o, the height of the clan in the ba-
pi being 26.235 at meridian. The sky
was clear, with a high wi i from the south

ly. In f the afternoon, the wind
rose s lew hard from th-
west, with > ade and lightning, and squalls | proa
of rain; were blown against us with
violence by the wind; a alting, we
turned our bac. the storm until it blew
over. ntelo: = tol cine:
prey: sade

akg. edt omy latter hardly worth ake delay of

them ; so, as the evening

mg near, we again had ree
bull, and encamped
the

t sunset on an island in

7.—At our camp this a eenines at 6
0" ey the barometer was at 26. 183, ther-
mometer 69°, and clear, with a light wind
from the southwest.

morn ame dre:
except that rd marly clay
the sandy soil. Buffalo absolutely covered the
plain on both sides the river, and whenever
we ascended the hills, scattered herds gave
life to the view in every direction. Asm
drove of es made their appearance

e ma

of the hoveesy’i in e si —ap-

ching within a hundred yards without

boing discovered. The chase — few

minutes was interesting. My hun tor nally

e hindmost * the wild

ich the Indian did not
or’

capture of the
the horse, weaken
ishment of grass, failed in a es stig * the
fils escaped. We halted at noon
bank of the river, the aig at dint time
and the t

We ate onr meat with - bac ine boing. 26.192, nee, 103°,
health th a light air from the south, and clear
had ric all of a long summ pas
Ly, wi cheng In the course of the afternoon, dust ris
sands. slept rolled up in ng hills at a particular place, at-
their ted to Tadans lay inthe | ted our ion; an ing up, w
grass near the fire ; ones my sleeping place | found a band of eighteen or twenty
— had an of more pretension. | bulls engaged in a despe t.
rifles were ti nea’ muz- | butting and gori ere bestowed liberally,
ale, the resting ‘the ground, and a | and without distinction, y i
knife laid on , to cut away in case | evidently d. ne—a huge gaunt
of an Over this, which a kind | old bull, very ~~ while his adversaries
of | y wn a large India, rubber | were all fat a r. He appeared
cloth, which we ee very weak, a y received some
made a tent sudieianthy large to receive unds, and, while we were looking on, was
seats onc taaden place of | several times ked and badly hurt
I a very few moments would have put ar
him. Of course, we took the side of
the weaker party, > aipeaeaggpening bus
¥_ were so blind with rage, that they
fought on, utterly regardless of our presence,
on foot and on horseback o were
in open view within twenty yards of
But this did not last long. Ina vony
few seconds, we ¢ 10ti
One or two, w.

hich were
sled ean rn |

>
1842.5
along a broad ravine to the river, fighting
furiously as they went, By the tim
had reached the bottom, we had vane wal
dispersed them, and the old bull hobbled off
Ws lie down somewhere. One of his
on the ground — we had
fired upon them, and we s
short time to cut from him oo meat for our
me We had igiagaes to sec

it into his reels to st

tunately, rea was well secure
that nothing, not even the barometer, was in

the least i —_
The ing low, and so
row lince of i timber ae or me sor tage distant
a pleasa’ mp, where, with

ity of stood for 2 sa comfortable shel-
ur animals, we pecan
th

ed feet wide, sunk some thirty feet below
the level of the prairie, with perpendicular
ks, bordered by a fringe of green cotton-

the

ith the the

tte bottom, the country seemed to be of a

c , dry, and id of

y moisture,
Teming off towards the river, we reach
bank in about a mile, a were de lighted to
find an old tree, with

wind eine

wa
ometer 81°, adele a strong
20° E., and the sky i

CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

overed with | d

17
fe aap g 2 and ig agus, the i onedions
bafiele, too, cagnrtp the day fons had been so

ef

w vith the glass, but no living object was to be

For pert als Se ae wo, the ground

was me ith b carcasses, which

showed that the at idey had madea ren. We
force.

here, and ick in pang =
went on quickly and cautio
river bottom, ee carotuly voing ne hills;
o grow apc Aas alread:
lost one of our ae and ok Pacis i
wed sympto: giving < out, and finally

8

met with n
sho’

refused to mh ead ae at the Canadians
call resié. He. therefore dismounted, and
Sor per along aie him; but this was.
ve y way of t velling.
verte got ives g half a mile in advarice,

but our Cheyennes, who were
mile or. two in the rea r; a remainel with sect

and un dulati n

mated and disen-
nstruments, we might have set
m at ane = as it was, we
fairly caught. it

friends, and we to gain a clump

red to
of timber aint half a on 3 ahead. but the
ti

sufficiently clear for onom: obserya- |
sane a —— i ltitade 40°93 26", up da
wu

‘37,

8.—The mo ee ng was very pleasant.
“Fhe breeze was fresh from S. 50° E. with
few clouds; praca eease 6 o’clock stand-

rene oae. reer ha

at 25.970, and the thermometer at 70°.
Since leaving the forks, our route had passed
“@ country alternately clay and sand,
— g the same waste. On
leaving camp this Ty SAB

peared somew!

which wend ebored forthe at fw day
and on the ite side of the river were
groves of timber.

é

”

a cool & ene.

seemed disappointed to know
Cheyen nnes, for they h had fully anticipated a | of

hey were

ef showed us _ clan ata grove
pointed out

n the morning from their
village, and had teen nein a large circuit,
to avoid giving them the wind, when they
iiscovere us. Ina few minutes the wome
me galloping up, : eet ide on their horses,
ad naked from thei

‘we were for ber ta in order to avoi
the herd. unsaddled our sre

wired i looking like
having, i in a bon non ittle of the dog in

of them remained

—_ us, and -F checked one of the men, whom
which he was ebolie to
become v

clear,
breeze ; 3 and now, at 12 o’elock, while the ba-

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

wild
4 Soaee which had just
oe

side of the | to

very | his Jo or
with a very slight | a ared
| lence, and the diml

[1842.

horses, to which the crowd of ss
had recalled
of her existence among the wild
rairie, suddenly dashed =

r sp he

u | the hills at ths top of her
hei

horse, and had on her back al ohn
h

me had gi ihe
loss whic y seemed to regret most w 2re
their spears and era and some tobacco

ey appeared, however, a little mortified at

ry | the thought of returning to the village in —_

S
across the irie, towards the hills, in an
extended line, while the other went up the
instantly as they had given the

nd to the herd, the chase commenced. The
buffalo started for the hills, but were inter
cepted and driven back toward the river,
broken and running in every ge xt The
clouds of — soon covered the

eventing
sional viveus

EVIL ildy

ft had a

‘meter was at 108°, Gur Choyemaee had learn-
~ ned that with the Ara)
“twenty

dian came dr
and by the time we

es pe:
hen the cerne i ebes

the backward road was covered with the re- the mouth of
t horsemen. It was a pleasant con- | one of the most considerable afiluents of the
trast with the dese: we had been trav- South fork, la Fourche aux Castors eee
elling. Several had join ampeny with ly ot eee in the ridge to
us, ne of the chiefs invited us to eas
lodge. The village’ consisted of about on —This morning we caught the
hundred and twenty-five » of which | first feist ‘glimpse of the y ntains,
twenty were Cheyennes; the latter pitched | about sixty miles distant. ugh a
a a the They | ably bright day, there ue a slight
wee nar jeg te ina on ps we were ‘geal able rn the snowy : sum-
f a broad eameie street, about one | mit of ‘ ak
Gavdred and _ fifty am fase and ranning of the Cont ians), showing like a) Sol

mers the river. ong, I re

m near some of he 3 a kind "of

tip pea —— of three slender poles of
ped very clean, to which were

ing impulse, and tou
shields with the muzzle of m

upon,
wookin ‘dish of buffalo,

menced our din-
iced. 5 smoke. Grad-
wid five or six other chiefs came in, and

ir seats in silence. When we had

e the

paral apg to the establishment of
tary posts on the way to the mountains.

‘Althouse an was information of the high-

Ro interest eS them, and by no means caleu-
to cited

e them, it expres-
Pe of spi and in no were altnEes the
grave court tia their deme:
others li

pi with some i was

Ss me mi
Cha tonard

cloud near = horizon. I found it

eee there being a perceptible
$ appearance from the w
‘clouds. ay sea! foating: bes the
leased to fin

PFE

in towards the river, an

rode
ut eight miles
ra our sleeping place we reached Bijou’s
uent of the right bank.. Where

miles abeve, in the spring,

fining t jetinesible to poe had taken

up his summer’s residence this island,
whi med St. He na.
river hills appeared. to rely

ably clear. From the mouth of the South
fork, I had found it occasionally broken up
by small islands; and at the time of our
journey, which was at year
when the were ata favorable stag
it was not navigable for welded See Se
inc water. e cu ve
rift—the bed of the stream Pr revels
“opr the ae at which we had encoun-
he Arapahoes, the Platte had been
saneiy well fringed with timber, and the
island | e grove of very large
cotton-w: , under whose broad shade the
tents we itched. There was a large

drove of horses in se cy ar mee bot-
was the

were soon set before us They peop ple in "hig
employ were gene rally Spaniards, an

among them I saw a young Spanish woman
from Taos, whom I found to be Beckwith’s

10.—We gees with our hospitable | 1
=) breakfast the next morning, and

reached St. Vrain’s Fort, about eat
iles from St. Hi , late

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

The fs)

sou
cattered

aes seebebiosh my seeing

i

[1842

n search of employment ; ten

ene tn

come over i
several

to me. The | elevation of the Platte here is
_ thousand four hundred feet above the
The ring mountains did not
appear to enter oo aa region of perpetual
rally confined to the

northern side of as ther
remarked very little. re it appea:

are o far as I could judge in the distance,
to reewend but a few hundred feet below the

summits
I regre etted that ot did not permit me to
visit them ; proper object of my sur-
vey lay among the Rishen abi r north ;
and I looked forward to an exploration of

a

several months,

ke’s peak is ota to be visible from this

pace about one hundred miles to the south-
ard ; but the amity state of the atmosphere

position of the 12th, enabled me to obtain,
ra tolerably correct longitude, 105° 12’

’
Sub 12.—The kindness of Mr. St. Vrain
had enabled me to obtain a couple of horses
; and, with a further

An expected supply from Taos had not yet
few pounds of was

that could be spared to us. In addition to
ied m

Laramie’s our next
of destination, was nearly due north.
distant about one hundred twenty-five

, our road lay down

| distance,
the valley of the Platte, which resembled o
ai oe os ‘the splendor of fields of varied

1842.]

ing less than three miles, we crossed

Thompuee creek, one of the fthatiiea tothe |

left bank of the Sou th fork—a fine stream

about sixty-five feet wide, and three feet
the low

mountains to eit, ten miles
from the fort, we reached C ala Poudre,
where we halted to n err is a very
beautiful mountain stream, ut one. hun-

dred feet wide, flowing with a full swift cur-
rent over a rocky bed. e halted under

the shade of some ccton-woods with which

n

rosie ar runs sot the

and, breaking

through the Black hills, f falls Site the Platte

this place.

apon her ;
‘not be dismounted, a zing the acco
given of Mexican s and horetenanship '
and we continisad our route in the eget’
noon

2
northeasterly co we scien a —
shin. broken into Beal
la

summits Iders were
ou tic direction gutored the vidoe

sout the
white of its precipitous sides making it visible
for wr miles to the south. It i a posed
of a soft earthy limestone and marls, resem-
bling that, hereafter described, in ¢ ri neigh-

rhood of the Chimney rock, on the North
fork of the Platte, easily worked by the winds
and rains, and sometimes mou
At the foot ‘of

high per-
pendicular banks, in which aie strata of

gion is one of remarkable aridity, and perfect
freedom from moisture. In about whe 5
the bed of another dry cre
a high ay prairie,

pleasant contrast of the deep verdure of its
wi » parched desert we had passed.

- eveni ng, we encamped on Crow (? h : men and
creek, having travelled about at ie a horses, for want of pane having met with
4 of wer it but once in our uninterru
quainted with the country, and L bed ae ted miles, oa an rw hh meat diet cre-
difficulty in ascertainiyg what were the
— is we cross : sili iain hambre,” said
t forks of the 3 raed ~eraint , iInqui 3 “ylagente
This I su to be Crow creek. It i the young Span or ingleogy ety
salt stream, and the water | A stream of good and clear water ran wind-

what i: is called a
stands in pools, having no aa sae course.
A fine-grained sandstone made
erm n the banks. The obs
i seaes us in ee 400 42', lo
a 104° 57! 4g hers rometer at oe,
ttached “thenmoineter.

Jul ‘There g no wood here, we
used last night the bois de vache, which is
very a At our camp this morning,
the was at 25.235; the attached

say ean

i- | radise ;

ough the little valley, and a
uffalo were quietly feeding a little
piel below. as quite a hunter’s pa-

ae will bs seen, by creer remarks. ig

the ogic: that the cageese
ents of the soil in these regions are
and every day served
ion in my mince

quent observation, tha
of the country i

e
base of a | breeze
sy iehich the for- 1

ae for the camp a longitude of 104° 39°
and latitude 41° 08° 31°

ly 14.—The pia continued fresh from

; the day

streams, n miles from
our Sicaiioeent of the past night, we reach-
ed a hi ok ridge, composed entirely of
rthy limestone and mar! previ-
I er never seen eee
which impre essed 80 8
feeling of desolat

which ra

was high and ble
arid country seemed as if j nad been swept
res, and in every rseihoe the same dull
d hue, deri tdi aoe the si tes
mmits w ome
stunted pines, ene of then dead, ‘al wear-
ing the same ashen hue of desolat ee vane
lett the Bac with pleasure ; and, a
had descended several hundred feet, Mahe
in one of the ravines, yieh, at the dist: ance
of every mile or two, c the flan
ridge Pa little roshing cise, Wilco 4
ng of a mountain chara We

and « iste Abi pea eet “ahh opt
qaanitee of seated and currant bushes
coo se the

greater part.
reek w was three or four feet broad,
with a ptt cur-

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

| @ solitary hou: any
| into which tee drive theis horses at ni

to
it} 1
k| of

‘[1842.

ay of wooded streams, affinents of ee
that flowed so far as we could see alo:
ks We

in

miles from our n halt, th

of Horse c et Be encamped at on
e ara

erly.
he fork o on which we encamped ap
to have followed an » eaaer ly faboog a to
tia place ; bet malian oy 8 rig to
d

ae pass een
ranges 0 7, precipitous hills, on as aon
informed, Goshen’s hol

ere is some-

where in or cory this losalisg- . wae so call-

ed, but Ia ertain that it was the place
f enc ent. Looki ae back upon

our

the spot, at che distance of a few miles to the

rthward, the hills appear to shut in the

pare through ak runs the creek, with
emi-circular sw eep, which might very na-

bonally: be called a inole in the hills.

geological composition of the ridge

The

oO
ame which constitutes the rock of the Court-
house and ne he North fork, which
ppeared to me a continuation of this ridge.
he nd rains ation into
variety of singular f ss into
Goshen’s hole is about two miles wide, and
the hill on "the western side imitates, in an
extraorc massi fort tied
place, wire remarkable fulness of detail.

The rock is a and earthy limestone, yen
without ent appearance of vegetation,
and much r sage: hs masonry at a little dis-
Aa and “iy it sweeps around a level
area two or ines hundred yards in di
and i in the form of a half 000, tena ati
ormous_ basti

perfe ctly lu
sive appearance of a large city, with a

which ie Canadians never fail to : see dee
cabaret ; and rag es te takes the form of
e, wi large chambers,

Th
of the Platte.

Se jie

1842.]
mercurial column was 25.500, the attached

erme wind moderate from
8. 38° E. Clouds covered the sky with the
rise of the , but I in obtain-
ing the ronomical ations,
which placed « od ~ pig 41° 40° 13", and
longitude 104

July 15. ar’ 6 this morning, the barome-
was at 25.515, ometer 72° ; the

We found come in ae jour-
ney across the country w

iach vs to j thie 6a stward. This metaing, secon
ingly, we travelled by com some 1

20 to the itor of north, and struck the

ian een miles below Fort Lara-
was extremely hot, and
pa the hills the wind seemed to have
just issued from an oven ho were
uch dist , as we had travell ard ;
and it was with some difficulty that they
were all brought to the Platte; which
rig a at 1 o’clock. In riding in towards

t, we found the trail of our: carts,
whieh appeared to have passed a day or two

After having allowed our animals two

had
on the South fo rk, it was built of earth, and
still unfinished, pn Bt cmp: with walls
(or rather houses) on of the sides, and
= ie nee yh

e left bank,
Seaieptivs feet above the wa
in walls, wear aee indi ick th

be Fo lh chine diy sige Hh cegoohem it _—
ligt imposing pp Ach cl ape ‘of lige which
told us belonged to Sioux Indi

alt was pitched poten the walls, and, with
oa fine back ecard Spee of the Black sili and

t peak of Laramie mountain,
rag dw drawn in the clear light of tl the a
rn SKY, where the _ had al

whole "formed at the
ees
Louis

ae moment a sig
hae From the com aap
had letters for ia

during my stay

CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE,

was invaluable to | he

le encamped on the bark, a short
dietenee above the fort. All wer

Ju uly 16.—I found that. d
= situation of rs had undergone some
; and the anual quiet and somewhat

~

ace to excitement and alarm. The cir-

sanieilias whi

will be found narrated in the following ex-
of Mr. uss.

tract from
the day of our separation

commences with
on the South fork of the Platte.

Extract from the journal of Mr. Preuss.
“July 6.—We crossed the plateau or high-

land between the two forks in about six
hours. I let my horse

pine tree:

every eme:
down, and let my thoughts wander tothe fr
t. It was not minutes after 1
I on ze a ye oe and my

at

ois. 7.—At about 10 o’clock, the .
and we continued our jour ney
Seccenie a country which offered but little to
mre the eee. The soil was much
re sandy than valley below the con-
yous of the forks, Ae the face of the
try no longer presented the refreshing

which had hitherto «Lael

d it.
The rich grass was now found only in dis- |
unds, and the | mous

rsed meri on low gro
So itcon Is the streams. A long drought,
so parched up

2.
&
3%

grass en
nders it cic a Pa
tible to the peat of the clim:

2S.
tic sandstone. h a formation cannot give
rise to a sterile soil; and, on our n in
September, when the count wa-
tered by frequent rains, Vv of the

tree or 2s xa stand-
r bank,
there is none whate

‘uly 8.—Our ud to-day was abedy | 9

stray antelope; and
nothing occu to break the monotony
until about 5 o’cleck, when the carav
made a sudden There was a gallo
from.
nois

own . country.

As the sun was low, was a fine
grass patch not far aly agg

i for the night e

with us. M
meg 2 st supper ; and, afte the
mov me liste ned with

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE,

of their adven-
be

disposed, had broken out into .
eli and in the preceding autumn
a severe en-

mate “knowledge of the coun
reach

throu,
the Back hills, and avoided coming into
ith tte ies.

were
their pipes, and listening with pe ee
rated details of Indian

rhess to exagger
hostilities ; and in the ing I found the
comp dispirited, and agitated by a variety of

icting opinions. A majority of the peo-
ple were strongly dis to return; but
Clément Lambert, with some five or six oth-
ers, professed their determination to follow
Mr. Fremont to the utterm i

and,
ted, | their pages ps nate to advance at
lez far Laramie fork, eastward of
rT

ast so as

[184a.

valley. Availing himself of his inti- —

ais = gla lad demaarai taal Slahilian tninibinats

1842.) CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. PY)
eelebrated. Chimney rock. It looks, at thir | is « “poor food. The marl and
distance of about thirty miles, like what i i | earthy limestone, which c ed the
ealled—the long chimney of a steam fo for days had changed
establishment, or a shot tower in during the day intoa compact white or ene
Nothing oceurred to interrupt of | ish white limestone, sometimes containing
the day, and we encamped on the river, after | hornstone; and at the sre of our encamp-

eaten we twenty-four miles. Buffalo
ry scarce, and but one cow had
been ti killed, of whi : the meat had been cut
a slices, and we: around the carts
r

Travellers who visited it some years since
te - peat at nivale of 500 feet.
The valley of the North fork

a con-
siderable circuit over the uplands. This
nine pre: yards in _Jength, and is fami-

ly er as Scott’s bluffs. We had
of thirty miles before we

baigvana but it w ne, and

the animals could not profit by
it, and we therefore halted nly about s
utes, ing place ten miles
farther on. The plain between Scott’s bluffs
and Chi rock almost entirely mad
vered with dri consisting principally
of cedar, which we were informed, had

k hills, in a flood

d | which is a quadrangular st
. ;

ft
Tl he walls are about fifteen feet hic

i ee
“ce
-

mst sandstone ; one of the strate alc
rs gneiss.
13.—To-day, about 4 o’clock, we

Fi

mie oes in which the pure and clear water
of the mountain stream looked refreshingly
cool, ind made a pleasant contrast to the
muddy, yellow waters of the Platte.’

I walked up to visit our friends at the fort,

e generally employed in building
mounted with a wooden palisade
portion of ranges of houses, which entirely
surround a yard of about one hundred and
thirty feet s oe apartment has its
door and windov ourse rot a
sabi inside. There are

of which i isa pl and public e sane rape :

iat smaller a rivate—a
er the great

square with loopholes, and, ie tthe

rest of dee elke: built of earth. At wo of

Sy our ort. In addition to this, traders, with a
ment o crossed Horse creek, | small are constantly kept
a shallow stream of clear water, the = les of ae —
venty yards wide, falling into the Platte on | one side, almost. entirely alo robes;
‘the right bank. It oe lightly timbered, | and, on the of blankets, calicoes,
and great quantities of drift wood were piled | guns, powder and lead, with such cheap or-
“Bp on the banks, i be supplied | naments as glass eo ing-glasses,
a 44 j rings, vermilion for

painting, tobacco,
rich | principally, and in spite of the prohibition, of

i | into the ee Sena
| of oe ae te ‘and diluted with dame pero
. While mentioning this fact, it

justice to the American Fur =
state, that, ty throughout th the country, 3

always found them strenuously opposed to
ion of spirituous liquors. But,

pect to the sale

nent suc-
ios Kae oO

doing a ng.
The fort had a very cool and clean appear-

oo The great entrance, in — I found
en er aon assembl ich was
and about fifteen ‘feet long ma made a
seat, through w
swept const

- | Indian

Pande

hich the | posed that their

antly ; for this country is

famous for high sce In the course Le
learned

(1842.
people. course of the
ree call_ ps esti ior boa been cut off

their return from the C
nation, and oe other among the Black hills.
‘on and Mr. Bridger’s

be setae i able to travel.

= situation, they w i to

ror akee eer in ert ‘hostile oe of the

and the cted diffi-

esaltiod which spra
d co

swept of gras
were to be fount oe their line of route ; and,

ors

nde
hey disposed of their wagons
and cattle ae a forts; selling them at the

in exchange coffee and sugar at one dol-
lar a pound, and miserable w ut horses
— died before _ reached the moun-

a me that he
had purchased shirts e lower fort

eighty faites anes

who interest a peete in the
this country, had reached — in com-
pany with Mr. Bridger; ; and the emigran

were fortunate e nough to obtain: ‘ie services

tent themselves
iting o off

but a few w days previous to our
The effect of the

Pod gpoomneties oe
immedi

dians had united with the Ogls :3
yennes, the In great i
—so far as I could ascertain, to the ©
| amount of eight hundred lo : pesos
| sere ke an auch Sa

two |
the

ee
ee

engagement mt wits Mr. :

abou ; one hundred whites, who had made a | ju nection of Laramie river with the Nebraska,
here in Green river | Here I heard a confirmation

valley, or Swi ter. After! ments giv w

spending some time in buffalo hunting in thé | which had started a few days since on the

neighborhood of the Medicine Bow moun- | trail of the emigrants, was expected back in

tain, they w = over e ourteen days, to join the — with which

river waters, and return to mer e by way | their families ‘and the ol had remained.

et Water val-

Spacileis,
S Wiker: ; but his
from sur-

pepe
anae
=]
Ԥ

I

these t. hey met a a dona reception.
Long residence d familiar oe ce
had given to ar. "Fitzpatrick grea

t personal | s
influence among them, anda portion of the
were dispose to let him pass quietly; but
d

ng the ertion of saps.

Ethie: path was no longer open, and
whites wiiek should here-
atv meet with cer-
at I have been
rn, I have ac taiie that the emi-
grants owe their er’ to Mr. Fitzpatrick

Thus it appear that we ment te
Was swarming red w

and when I heard, during the lets the vari-
cont ty and exagge

"ig ne ’

full ted the. by Bridget
HY § ed the ‘siniae | given by Bridger
of ite clea sta he country, and

les above. issonette,
raders belonging to Fort Platte,
rged the propriety of Wi with ni an in-
three ol the

Fh ee and two or f
village ; in which case, ta “te th
would be little or no hazard in encounterin
ny of the war parties. The siinsiiah

anger was in —_e attacked before they

e
should know who
They ha

bring upon
the United States. This gen
poke the | ene fluently, fred his ser-
vices to accompany me so as the
a Bag as desirous to pi the large
arty on its return, fer purposes of trade, and

oO prevail on
ioux to venture, on account a their fear io
m Fo

the Crows. Fro rt Larami e
ttes, by the peer en road, is one hundred
and thirty-five = 7 h

uent faces ption

hol
fying me sand to trade. Occasionally a
stalk in with an invitation to

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE, [1842
d found that I had taken my seat among a had taken, in the circumstan. pos
of fat young puppies. Had I been m insure our safety. In the ru
nice in such matters, the prejudices of civi- mors we had he I believed there was
lisation might have interfered with my tran- | much exaggeration, and then they were men
quillity ; but, fortunately, I am of deli- | accusto this kind of life and to the
cat aban and continued quietly to empty | country ; at were the d; of
my platte every day occurrence, and to in
The weather was seme, . perenne, with | the ordinary e serv y
south wind, an he thermometer had heard of the unsettled condition of the

uis, and

at 64°,

€ on, accompanied

bout an hour, During’ e day the expected
village arrived, consisting eringipally of ol
men, women, and childre ey had a

Their lodges were pitched
mea and our camp was constantly
F erarded wiih pee ae of all sizes, from morn-
of the
os ae nerally came to drive them all off
to the vi

con wy eps ion
instrament gn to stil ahieaer uses,
excited awe a
and those hi ic

os oe stars

ein ee
had page = me ye far successfully,
out of o}

t found that rder, and spent
the greater pe of the is in repairing
difficulty in

them—an operation of no
‘ the midst ‘of the the icone te terruptions to
which I was ag eh We had the mis-
‘ fortune to a large thermometer,
ache poapodars i fifths of a at tage “3 hich
used to ascertain the temperature of boil-
ing water, and w:th which I had pies

None cag, pt beast —

*s.
~~.

- fore could not make it a

on
servations = that the chrotwme

country before leaving St.

it to

to come forward and avail himself of the per-
mission. I ask

e d let him go y aiter our
departu re, he engaged h f f
the forts, and set off wi

party to the Up-
per Missouri. I did not think that the situ-
ation of the country justi

ing him at en apapealors

| mi ht eos the lies of sme ofthe en in

g
fight with the India

our oy BOE: and observations, and several
i ments, were left at the fort. One of
the gentlemen, Mr. Galpin, took charge of a
barometer, which he engaged to observe
during my absence ; oe T entrusted to Ran
dolph, way of occupa lar
winding up of two a my chronometers,which

were amon instruments eft. Our cb

to

which the ter
high ; and this was too small for exact ob-| which I retained for the continuation of our
ervations. During our stay here, the men vo eenival its rate in sa-
had been engaged in making numerous re- ner. As deduced t, the
pairs, ing pack-saddles, and otherwise Gases of Fort Laramie is Th. 01/21" —
_ preparing for the chances of a rough road | and from thas distance 7k 01’ 29’'; giving |
an in travel. All things of this na-| for the ad mit ay” 43"
ture being ready, I gathered them around i )
_ , Me im the evening, and told them that “I had ‘made during our sta here, italy 6 0
“ determined to proceed the next day. They Ss ‘we find for the ele —

the vation of the fort above the Gulf
4,470 feet. ‘The winter winter climate hore fr

—A paste of our baggage, with

i ek ee ae

sett

'y mild for the latitude 5 bu aang
wae is frequent, and the

re

for
is west.
south wind in gst are said to be always
accompani

e were ready to oan epart ; the tents
penal the mules geared up, and our Sate
saduled, and we walked up to the fort to take
the stirrup sae with our friends in an excel-
lent ae ee ti While thus
a ly pe ier sap in one of the little
ool chambers, at the door hic
geocscrcigae 3 tg reed

‘oom in spite of

— a is te folowing letter,
they took their seats in si!

th ns,
of them cig
were sala Fone

pee and w

you, they will believe that you are carrying
s and ammunition om eir enemies,
will fire upon u have told us that
this ake e know that our
great father hae sea soldier and big guns,
we are a r lives. We

e
Thinking - * these

oe you here until our warriors
“Port Piatre, Juillet 1, 1842. retur we are glad to see you among us.
‘ Mr. F Les chefs s’étant a - | Our father is rich, and wn Sapper that you
blés présentement me disent de vous avertir | would have nee p ts to us—h
de ne point vous mettre en route, av e | guns, and blankets Bat Be are glad to
on your coming as the light

soient de reto De ils me disent

le parti de =e gens, si est e
plu
quwils sont ne certain sap ils oe feu @ la

prcnicre. ren té Re de re-
tour dan signe a hut t jours. si je
vous fais ces obse ervations, mais il me oot

e plus, x) — sont les por-
s defendent de

“ Les noms de que .—Le Chapeau
de Loutre, le Casseur de’ Fléches, la Nuit
Noir, la Queue de Beeuf.”

[ Translation. |
“Fort Ph LATTE, July 1, L 1842,

'y you. They are

in seven or eight days.
these observations, but it seems my
ime. the

am your obedient servant, .
re ee Bs Le B CHARTRAIN

zh the Bull’s Tail.”

expe
Excuse -_ for
$

ce Waa eae ara od
‘Hat, the if Black | oaks

an
us all th

oo the inferpretation of Me Boldeas,
to select two o i

ee we beac

le, and ceased to be his children ; but w

lies, a and th that

w, and you are many, 2 and
may iil us all; ae there will - much cry-
ing | in your villa ages, for many of your young
will stay behi nd, jor forget to return

our warriors from the m

uld
and, ing ‘eahioed
s scene eo as tg be gained by de
— by our hom natle friends,
had mounte

been exchanged, when chie

Bull’s Tail) ag to on me that they had
determined t n with us ;
and if I oad poiit out the place of our eve-

ng 7
and expects you to give him one.” I|f
where I i in

described to him the place

fight, and Laramie river on the left. At the
distance of ten miles from the fort, we en-

the west imi of tha for

we
fossils of an
we

r selves. and

d nee India

«The | of t

[1842.
this point I met with no

y denctipeion,
was maa ye . visit the Platte near the
es the Black Senay and
follo vary por stream, f
three miles, to the mouth ; where " encamp-
ird on a s aud
|préle ee re our animals.
having been fo oo thin to deetads our-
‘ibd instr aia from the rains,
which in this acre country are attend
with cold an wrens weather, I had _
cured from the Indian Lara lera-
bly large os a8 about e eighteen feet in diame-
feet in_ height. or! "
y pitched, is, from

r tents

in an India wn odge. While we were engaged
unskilfull oe erecting this, the inter
ae rs Bisso ch ette, serivenenea capella
aie — wife. She awpued at our
ae 8S, a red her assistance, of
risers were frequent worded obliged
to avail ours elve lira acquired
sufficient expertnes viteh it t without diffi-
cu mf From this sate we had a fine
e gorge where the Platte issues wo the
Black hills, changing i oe character
into a vie of the

rom a mountain stre

plains. Immediately scan us 2 valley ot
the stream w e pers at the
distance of a few miles, river had
cut its way through the hills, was ike narrow

u | cleft, on one side of which a oo precipice

of bright red reek ro:
low hills eae lay bectioe
—In the eubai, while breakfast
was bei th "prepared, I visit ace with
my my favorite man, Basil Lajeu men, Enter-
ing so far as there was footing for the mules,

at oat beat above the

we Ruadiounted, and, tying our animals, con-
soar our way on foot.

‘Like the whole

cS acs formed of

Pin

oA,

scenery
ic beauty,

of being able at that — to give to them a
w dwell somuch

— “ae in — are
bea mbedded large pebbles.

ness. Theu
eonsinte of vi
oe seen
Be

below this place, on

which would be a good locality for a military

post. a some open groves of cotton-

wood on the Plat

wae “= at this ert: is we

pine, and good building rock is abun
If it i is in contemplation to aserok open the

a wit a.

show ilitary ash in this

absolutely ura : a combination of

en dee neighborhood o

suitable place, on “0 line
a mill-

ner

ce. h

would not in any way interfere with a range

the buffalo, on which the oni ate. In-
mainly depend for s would

. Awa to give sees ante to -

h pent caarhagel

pa
Spanish country, w
portion of tk their provisions to
mentioned above.
ust as we were

ai
already oneal a
to the trading posts

ive him. felt wig Pi

pains ap-

oS
him out. of the ca

——— thought it absolutely necessary.
therefore obliged to do what. be te
Sito and point
which he seemed satisfi

ur journe
“sonette’s long residence

ain ith the country, and, a to

is advice, proceeded directly Sonere. with-
out attempting to regain the usual road. He

afterward informed me that he had rarely

ever rot sight of ~ bn but the effect of
the volve us for a day or
. oe where, aiboealt we
lost no time, we sagt an exceedingly
rough roa

To the south, along our line of march to-
day, the main sign fer of the Black or Laramie
hills rises tga ape y- a did not permit
me to visit them ; m comparative in-
formation spo the coarse
hereafter —

pos Ita “iia. to enter the
—— which are riage in wtise re
lie in masses mits. An
inverted cone of black clend deviibess rest-
ed dur peak

air, sand, springs
will eS erpuaed in she waa ile ses
rative. serch for plant, Las well /

ace
With the change in the geological forma-
leaving Fort Laramie, the whole face

ge andthe *

32 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 1842,
po mann tie lager ricesin f think it necessary to” this fact, be-
‘Eastward of that meridian. oe cause to the rapid» ion in such an

Tr “objects which strike the eye of a | elevated region, nearly thousand feet
are the absence mt timber, and the above the sea, almost y unprotected by

Sean expanse of prairie, covered with | timber, should be attributed much of the
the verdure of rich drideeneiih highly mrad sterile ap nce - bey country, in the de-
ed for pasturage. Wherever ‘sy are nares 38 of vegeta’ and the numerous
disturbed . oH vicinity of set large om saline efflores sacideie shale covered the
of buffalo animati this country. be the

on
Westward 4 tamil abe: the region is

- sandy, and apparently sterile ; and the place
of the grass — the ariemisia =
other lants, to

SP whose growt
and vat fen air of this saan
rable.

abundance of the ariemisias. The yg

everywhere—on the hills, and over the nver
bottoms, in mete semen wiry clumps ; -
wherever the beaten track w
e carts

w
ti saturated with
phor pirits of turpentine which be-
longs to this plant. This climate has been
found very favorable to the restoration of

health, particularly i
and a the respiration of air so highly
with aromatic plants may have
some neetion
Our dried meat had given out, and we be-
to bé in want of food; but one of the
set seer! an antelope this ev ening, which

relief, a ss it id not go

ea many hungry m £8

locke at night, after te march of. twenty
- mailes, posed en

grass,
with a great arom of of pre which fur-
nished ee tired animals. ‘This

tim!

creek is insted, principally with
diard , with the exception of Deer
«reek which we had yet re ;

sinking ;
wv | they pe haar to oct very much.

as left, they ren-| cotton-w

gronnd Such | afterward found to
ca

~ was informed ao the ge villages of
r met witn

patch of Sines mois ce to keep them from
urse of a day or two
found

e
none to-day at noon; and, in the course of
our search on the Platte, came toa os of
re — Indian
rat m2 encam s of the cotton-
ood yet green scutes the ground, which
ine Indians had ¢ ut do wn to feed their horses

of the state he country.
lowed their example, and turned our
Nee into a grove of young poplars. This
began to present gin as a very serious evil,
for on our an —— nde . — gether the
not our jot
after we had le t thie ‘place, the
scouts came pout i Sa n with the alarm of
Indians. We din immediately towa
the _ whieh here ci a steep high bank,
where we formed w

ed, orward, under cover
Pe the bank, in the direction by which the
Indians were ex] interpreter,

who he) Sas

pet

| came in, in

n about ten , accompanied
is the | by two Sioux. They lo ‘oked shanies and we

ing dome ate Plate, in ponerec Se scsersree]

1842.]
—— and those whom we had

little or no grass to be fou ere
been no age = innumerable — of
pee the The
umerous since leaving
‘ort Laramie "that the ro nd ed
with them; and in oe a little mov
nes aa ee our This was ing
No grass, o—food for ws

ther: horse nor man. I gave them
plugs of tobacco, and they went off, aia
rently — satisfied to be clear of us; for
my me upon sae very lovi
ly, and they glanced suspiciously at our war-
a reparations, and the litle ring

hich surrounded them were evi-

humor, and shot one of their | visi
dis- | i

dentlyiin a bad
horses when they had left us a short

We continued our march, and, after a

of rifles’

meat, to
a tg tended duri

ad | object of

a3
to the drying o: which the guard ate
uring the pagar am people had
recovered their gaiety, and the busy figures

pti intended them er for mountain

, | had used them as seldom as pos-
sibte’ taking them always dow down at night,
and on the occurren: in order to

a
a construction. This I determin-
to preserve, if posible The latitude is
42° 51' 35’, and by a mean of
from chronometer lunar distances, the
—_ longitude of shies camp is 105° 50¢

26.—Early this morning we were
i We had a stock of pro-

journey of about twenty-one miles, encam te r
on the Platte. During the day, I had occa-| in any way possible. In the m buf-
sionally remarked among the hills the psora- ome were a In six miles from our
esculenta, the bread of the I mpment (which, by eat of distinction,
The Sioux use this root very eget "oy? and | we shail se gees Meat we crosseq
I have frequently met with it amo em, han Fourche
cut into thin ‘slices and dried he Boisée. it is “aa iGedorels and, among the
of the evening we were visited by six in bloom on its banks, I remarked
Indians, who told us that a large party was | several aséers. ,
encam . miles above. Astronomi Five miles — we made our noon halt
cal observations placed us in ‘longitude 104° on the banks of spay ar seria the shade of
59° 59”, nd latitude 42° 39° 25”. some cotton oma The ere here, as

We made
and encamped on sei

the next day hace phe te miles,

the hun!
iéstiy after we had encamped with three
fine cows. The t was fine, and obser-
gave for the latitude of the camp,
42° 47! 40",

25.—We made but thirteen miles

bank of the
sales

the mo
. | the stream a Sone F458 of 106° 08’ 24'’, and
itude 42° 52

ae

generally now a the seats thi
ns de beuf of the coun-
inds—one

berry s \ entia
par the other a cep a
which the Tartars are said to make a

nomical observations gave for

24!
aa as — of mention oc
day ; we travelled later than

“i.

crossing, we h

serve that the river pe _ too deep

to be forded, songs we al ucceede
in finding a ae Neate did not

carts.
clear, with two or thrée hundred fee: any ii

summits were

July 28. 29 two miles from our encamp-
ment, we reached the place where the regu-
lar road crosses the Platte. ere was two

feet breadth of water at this time in

the which has a variable width of eight
to fifteen hundred feet. The chan were
rally three feet deep, and there were
an, r rocks on the bottom, which

made the — “ — — a little diffi-
cult. Even ts low s, this river
cannot be alone at tite hg and this has
alwa: s e best The

.

its course, where access could be
For the satisfaction of travellers, I will
to give some description of the 2%
ture of the road from Laramie to this poi

ayer leg re ne segs, be inferred fs from ,
The limesto:

Ceerarins oo

< rie saber sandstones are grey, yell tg and | had
ry c The

d | break down the oH ie roots of the e inn

“The at chase continued very | senc

year, which is by no means sufficient te

region, may
avoid the greater pa
now presents.
From go mouth of the Kansas to the

as a mountain
road on the line of communicati

We c ued our way, me an miles
beyond the ford Indians were disco

sent
who they were. In .

psi time they returned, accompanied b
nw * es ~_— of the Ogiallah ban of
Sioux. m we received some inter-

ing Nebeahn They had formed part

of p a village: _ ey pug us
had broken up, and w

The sm part of the elon “iniliee the

ahs, had

below

carcasses of the
which they had eaten, or which had perished
starvation. Such was the prospect be-

11 is to turn back at once.”

ae

e had now reached
oes ota 8 which b mba an to attend
me. In n reply, I I called up my men, and
municated

com-
em ful e information I

J just the ssed to them
my fixed determination to proceed to the end
of the enterprise on wh :

ut as the situatio
er reason to appre

ttended with an unfortuna’

of us, I would leave it optional with them to | ba

continue with me or to

bi gee

er

offered a in
view.

The carts having been discharged, the
covers and wheels were faker oe and, with

frames, carried into some low p
among the willows, and concealed in the
dense foliage in such

CAPT. FREMONT’S SighRA TE

n | Cac
Nowe: as 50’ 5
‘Ju

uly 2
- | been completed Pit left the pe seagate
this vi

eRe
any Warning
ep ainers a

with itself, but the thermometer was broken.

— ares to this place, which we named
mp, @ Jone tude of 106° 38) 26",

—All ‘oat arrangements et
7 o'clock t inity the

nary road leaves Se Platte, an crosses
the Sweet Water river, which it
Instead

ordina

ter of the iron work might not attract the ob- | es
TV

stone and p
The river uts y a
ridge; on the eastern side of it are the lofty
scarp e illaceous sandstone,
i ed Buttes. In this

35.

Hl } thickets of willow, acd having rane pa
| to ;

red _ sandsto
vs us throigh the
ridge, in which hy course of the

feet in height, and sometimes eight inches
in diameter. Two or three miles abeve this
ie we Bro our enca

the water, is a conglomerate of coarse peb- | t

bles abou ize of ostrich eggs, and

which I remarked in the banks of the Lara-

mie fork. It is overlaid by a soil of mixed

clay and sand 7 feet thick. By astrono-
ical observatio

tude a0 gl 54’ 32”, "and latitude
After travelling about twelve

as
our position is in longi-
42° 38°

Mr. C;

n higher up than this
int on the river, phieh has the charact ter
of being exceedingly eget, and walled in
precipic ou t advisable to
camp near this place, where’ we were certain
of obtaining grass, and to-morrow make our
crossing among the rugged hills to the Sweet

Water river. Accordi
and descended the river to an island near by,
which was about twenty pe

ed with a luxuriant

aeote, cover-

ot prin ot
Siege river banks with
traveller.

._ The island lies be-

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

(1843.

the meridian of Fort feed apd to Riven’;

bag Sh chain of the
fronts mountain ia composed of this rock ;
nd in a number of gpa I found isolated
hills, which served to mark a yer. vel,
which had been bal oe swept a
These conglomerates are pie ab, ee
easily dec I am inclined t
think this forinution | is the Bow! trol w hich
was etn Bie oh great gir of sand and
which

pe lane the little prairie which lies to the
southward of it, we made in the afternoon an
eitndgil toa place which di have called
the Hot A Gate. This place has much.
the appearance of a gate, by iv the
Platte passes thes a ridge co

white and calcareous sandstone. "Phe

1 itono

saw tors Hitinerotls herds of mountaia

d bua heard the volley of
which pile amen their rapid

descent down the steep hills. ‘l his was

first place at which we had killed any of

these anim: ae and, in consequence ig

circumstance and of the abundance of these

hor
seventeen inches
Sano ne at the , Weighing eleven.
pounds. o or tl ese were

Ww ft

killed by our party 3 oe place, and of

the horns were sm The use
orns seéms

~~

1842.] CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 37
distances, and an occultation of Arietis, is tom, the longitude of the place is 107° 2S
107° 13° 29", and the latitude 42°33’ 27/7, | 23", latitude 42° 29° 56”. 3
e of our horses, which had given @ut, we | August 2.—Five miles above Rock Inde-

ing to take her, m. Devil’s Gate, where the Sweet Water cuts
July 31.—This morning we left the course | through the point of a grani

of the Platte, to cross over to the Sweet Wa- | length of th is about three hundred

ter. Our way, for a few m the | yards, and the width thirty- 3

sand creek, in which I found | walls of rock a ical, about four

several interesting plants. L g this, we | hundred feet in height; and the in

wound our way to the summit of the hills, | the gate is almost entirely choked up by

te
of which the peaks are here eight hundred | masses which have fallen frat above. Inthe
feet above the Platte, bare and rocky. A | wall,on the right bank, is a dike of trap rock, ©
long and al led f i i ined grey granite.
ear the point of this ridge crop out some
fifteen miles t Island. I € an) strata of the valley formation, consisting of a
j i ish mi } ist and fi ined

necora?l

witha very moderate current. We had to-night no shelter from the rain,
The adjoining prairies are sandy, but the | which commenced with squalls of wind about
immediate river bottom is a good soil, which | sunset. The country here is exceedingly
afforded an abundance of sott green grass to | picturesque. On either side of the valley,
rses, and where I found a variety of | which is four or five miles broad, the moan-

ance for t in to-night | hundred or two thou the south
it unpleasantly cold; an s no | side, the e ep be timbered, and

tree here. us to pitch our single | to-night is luminous with fi ba’ \
poles of which had been left at | work of the Indians, who have just passed
Cache 5 e refore, no shel hrough the valle en
except what was to be found under cover of | and granite rise abruptly from the
the ushes, which grew in many sward of , terminating in a
thick patches, one or two and line of opeoge summits. Except in the cre-
t ices 0 ona

v rock,
August 1 —The hunters went ahead this | ledge or bench of the mountain, where a few;
morning, as buffalo appeared tolerably abun- | hardy pines have clustered together, these \
dant, and I was desirous to secure a small | are perfectly bare and destitute of vegetation. '

k of provisions; and we moved about mong these masses, where there are

sss da yas hg a igh ako ae Sa Witt eter oa

©. Alpe
: 0 of re glittering peaks w

Say; suite mceherdest autelope and a grizzly
only one we encountered during

the | > soa as seen scrambling up emong
the rocks. we passed over a slight rise
near the riv e caught the first view of

distance o ut seventy a, to be a low
and dark Ge Ghininace sri

majesty amidst the eternal nen nine

or ten thousand feet into = region of eter- | c

of the river was
relied by groves
camped at night, ati a march of twenty-six

79
©

was
unable to travel; and eunie the night a dog
came into the cam

August 4.—Our camp was at the foot of
the granite mountains, which we climbed
ta e barometrical

the south, and traversing
an undulating country, nagar yy of a grey-
ish micaceous stone and fine-grained

it again, sik cneamp: and five hundred feet, te:

ed, after a journey of Swen oe: miles.
plac mgt
42° 32 30”, and longitude 108° 3 30! 13!"
+5.—Th i

eid

{1842

calcareous — and coarse sandstone.
or pudding sto
ugust 6. as 7 tinued steadily raining

all the day ; but, xen ithendelions we left our
encampment in the afternoon. Our animals
ad been much refreshed by their =

open valley we had pai
Immediately at the entrance, and su--
ite, are

the line of our route we entered

bade

nt, three ur feet
ote "yards br broad. The val-
the breadth of the stream,

and gene
ley was se

spen.
out with aspen, eye:

granite, were ties I noticed.
Here were many old traces of beaver on the
tream ; remnants of dams, near

1842.] CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 39
ee and two and a half miles to the south of the point
some large es lying about afforded the | where the trail

means neared a tent, and making other miles from our encampment

Our to-night were | brought us to the summit. The ascent had

made jrineipilly ‘of the dry branches of the n so ual, with all the intimate
artemisia, whic covet: the slopes. It} knowledge posses who

~ made oa for his for seventeen

isan

a
burns quickly, with a clear oily so
makes a hot fire.

hills here
posed of hard, compact mica slate, with veins
of —

st 7.—We left our ease with

on rising sun. bed
the creek, the snow line 6f the receited
ndly before us, the white peaks
been hid-

swi a more open
valley, timbered with sisoek and cotton wood.
It now n to lose itself in the many small

forks which satis its head ;

w.
not previously seen.
The afternoon was a with ee of
rain; but beca

ists principally of the
compact mica slate, which crops out on all
S, i se mot: — rocky an
slaty. In the ¢ as | border the
ks, i

at 10 Pcleck, being at ’36°,
a heavy dew.

thermometer,
and the grass wet with a

328i

and we conti-| the b
, | the foot of the Wind river chain, the view

obliged to ap ee very ¢
ng | Ip to: to find the chin at which w A
e culminatin is aa peta
two low hills, rising on 1 either hand
sixty feet. When I looked back at

western plain, their summits ap
about one hu and twenty feet above.
From the im ind

mounted immediatel to

cent of the Capitol hill from the avenue, at
Washington. It is difficult for me to fix
positively the breailth of From

broken ground where it commences, at

@ compara’
its pete the ridge recovering its
d ter with the Table rock. It

40

hills I noticed cnet of
granite containing magnetic iron fir.
tude of the pane was 109° 37° 59", , and lati-
tude 42° 273
19.-We made our noon

The ~~
of a bro
in detritus Of tien nei ng
Strata of the milky quartz Copuaed

nine were scattered about, con-

n Sandy

yg parti-colored sand, exhibit-

irpments fifty to eighty feet high.
had a severe st

of the country traversed
sand

a
-e
a

oo

which are displayed consist of decomposing

granites: which awe the brown sand of
ich the face untry i

sp considerable “depth

ir ats
and pure, and the morning e
but beautiful.

CAPT. FREMONT’S yay

alt thi
on Big Sandy, another tributary of Green

rose: before pile upon
-|in the bright light sa ve August
mediatel y the

unrise is clear | ¢

[1842.
find bold, broad streams, with three or four
feet — and a rapid current. The fork

on which we are encam
un

way upa unexpected-

ly in view of a most beautiful lake, set like
a gem in the mountains. sheet of

ter lay transversely across rec

n_ pursuing ; oe oe the

ridge, w essary to

- | steep, rocky ri wher
lead our horses, we followed | its ‘aadie to the

re a view of the ut~

moun-
pile, glowing
a Im-
tely below them lake, between

two ridges, ans aie per k i
main chain to the s

well
*“ Never before,” reuss, “in this
b ]

e a or in Europe, have I se ~ suc

nificent, gran much
aon, with the beauty of the eosin that I
determi ke camp here,
dled our animals would
explore the wit
party of men. agate a little further,
we came sudd pon the outlet of the

at
fifty feet wide, and aimee

with difficulty we were able to ford it. Its
ulation _ bo

1842.)
object of my anxious solicitude by ni

a e had b on
barometer in and

a thousand
broke it cai xinong the snow of the
as felt by the whole

iscussion —e

rward with plea

viel lake i is about three miles long, and of
width, and apparently great
depeh; ed thiehesd water of the third ‘ew

Fork, a tribu Green river, the Colo-

rado w n the narrative, I have

led it Mountain lake. I encamped on the
e,

zomical per by which this place,
galled Bernie ment, is made in

110° 08° 03” weet longitude from Greenwich,

and latitude he mountain

peaks, as laid dows, were fixed by bearings

from this and ot nm points.

n the small ones

used in sketching the soni ; but from
azimuth, in which one | used, the
var of the is cme east. a
se a made in ou ork by the

ae
=3
a
4
wn

As I have rahe said,
i baromete

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

new tnier enchants Aaraceetrreners air had
found its way into the tube, the end of which |
remained Thad wi

it seg thin, in order to eran. to the ut-
ts transparency. I then secured: it
firmly i in its place on the instrument, with
strong glue made from a buffalo, and filled it
with mercury, properly heated. A piece
skin, which had covered one of th
furnished a good
cured with strong thread and glue,
ss cover was screwed to its place.
The instrument was left some time to
and when J reversed it, a few hours after, i
had the satisfaction to find itin perfect order;
same as on

immediate
for ascending the mountains.
_ As wil be seen on reference toa map, on

r preparations

of four great riv - it the continent; namely,
_ , Missouri, and Platte
tt bad bee my desi ign, a after hav ving
ascended the sialon to continue our route

f the chain, about preset mil
present a return along tl
across the heads of vee Yellowstone river,
and join on ~ line pts: oo proton ee
7, immediately at — on

me, very reluctantly, to abandon this plan.
mn pa se to 8st pact within the
scope of ns; and it would have
required an or fie sition je for the
| accomplishment of
ry pare worn out w

had entirely disappeared ;
Baile that we stl fan with them
we returned to the Sweet

“of this

a i heakataihd five feet in height. A gap was

left for a gate on the innerside, by which the | grew

animals were to be secured,

ed of dried meat for two days, with our little
stock of coffee and some maccaroni. In ad-
reg to the barometer and a thermometer, I
ith m extant and spy-glass, and

* had of pero re compasses. In sais
left Bernier, one of my most

seat worth men, who possessed the most

t é- 12.—Ealy in the morning we left
-
wer ell armed,
siiahei

animal ca
metic

cups. Every ae eunurn bd
over his sade, 40 serve fr his body and. the
instrume

our en shag a

ig in our way oh fine streams,

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

and it was nore

e | manifested by our

best | us feel as if we

of
A

ewes
in about two pba Sm err we | Er

[1s4a.

the balsam pine, relieved on the border of the
lake with the light foliage of the aspen.
"howe

s y all

the green of the waters, common to mountel
lakes of great mone showed that it would be
impossible to cro m. The surprise

s when these impas-

hill, we proceeded to
dom. the margin to the southern sinubeiiey.
rrow strip of angular ents of rock
sometimes afforded a “rough pathway for our
but heroes we rode along the shelv-
ing side, occasionally scrambling up, at a
— risk of tumbling back into the
ake
The ome was frequently 60°; the pines
densely together, and the ground was
covered with the branches — ome of
The air w wit

sae
of the hunter’s praise, and which now made
had a been a ing some
hilarating gas. of this unex- \

- | plored forest were a aie = delight the heart
‘Oa boven tanist. There Was ar 7]

shea ‘the outlet at
eon nee some freshly barked willows
that lay in the — ee that beaver had
been recently at w

small brown squires jumping about in the
of large mallard ducks

ond Ww ere low,
ooked like a mimic sea, as the
waves broke on athe sandy beach in the force
of a strong breeze. There was

.

1842.] CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 43
where we rode among the open bolls of the tions were rare, and wi Y pies on in the’
pines, over a oo of bed grass, having | sweet morning air, delighted at eh ur good for-
strikingly the air of eam grounds. | tune in having found such 2 _deautifal i
This led us, set a thin mites re of | trance to the mountains
which had no vegstiBie earth but in | uéd for about three miles, whe we sudd

hollows and she ae though still the pine | reached its termination in the gran
forest contin ‘0 evening, w which, at meet the travel-
reached a d ‘ile, or rather a hole in the | ler in this magnificent os Her the de-
mountains, entirely shut in by dark pine- hich we had travelled opened out
covered rocks. into a small bso hao in a little lake, the

A small stream, with a scarcely percepti-
ble current, ei hro

men.
/ and ravines u
/ walk by a rion pericsh of ats, many of
them in full bloo Ascending a peak t
find the place of our camp, we saw that the
little defile in which we lay, communicated

its upward course, it seem-

ed to conduct, a smooth peuprow Mee
direetly toward > pak; which, from
consultation as we a
eci

we ha own. to
the camp where w iied just in time for
supper. Our table service was rather sca
and ld the t in our hands, and clean

we
rocks made good — on which we §

our macearoni. Among all the strange pla-
ces on which we had comets to encamp
during our | left so
Vivid an on my mind as the camp

sa
pines where we slept ; nae the rocks lit up

Tiesagveahreryi isl peewee made a night |

| red
{ erer with groupe of flowers of which yellow |
» was the e
\ Dar emer occasional difficult pass,

quently tn: thir. knees ; but»

- ie ‘bate vo geo the
view.

a precipice, and sa
by throwing h himeclf oe cn eget

‘our way on a narrow ledge along the
defile, and the mules were fre- | about Saceioa. nat
these- -obstruc-

stream had its s
h Sind asters in bloom, but \

all the dev tin | plait Soaps to seek the |
shelter of the rocks, and to be of |

of the winds. Immediate
ey ee descent led toa gies
and bef 8 Tose on

n “the
It is not by the splendor of far-off

Ww

iews which he "tent such a glory to the
Alps, that these imp he mind; but by a
gigantic disorder of enormou and a

of a rich floral beauty, shut up in their stern \
om esses. Their wildness seems well suited

o the Pen mytns of the people w
edt

I ieeonned to leave our animals here,
and

precip ring

oade: praan rising fait aie

hid a succession of others ;
fatigue and

erry ig that co eh a
of ‘the peaks, and i
out, we wre reached the thro ise ri

me

difficult and dangerous, as the
innumerable springs made rey ps slip-

pe

By the time we had reached. the pather
ae” of the lake, we found ourselves all ex
ceedingly fatigu ued, and, much to the eatis-
faction of the whole Bay, we encainped.
The spot w a broad flat
Seca from. the

n
°
&
3
o
Q
ona
5
$4]
=]
7

everywhere around us
ocks

the. fe

The flora of the region we had

as: which we were encamped, was
sa a profusion of alpine plants in brilliant
aap aia observations,

e days’ sojourn at this
Gulf of Mexico

su
iy
ty, and found to pro-
animal of a grey color,
tail y the

a oF
ith ile

Siberian squirrel.

number of pee and, with the exce
a small b ke a nario #4 is the os
Sabian of ‘te elevated part of the

r han now only that at-
he barometer. J was taken ill
we had encamped, and continu-
| late in the. night, with v
vomiting. This was probably
the excessive fatigue I had under-
ant of food, and perhaps, a
asure by thes rarity of the air.
ad spr “up at sunset, which

ned swirly blew away the heat at the fires.

no
We saw a considerable romete:

moun- | of the
this

| as

f1842,

The cold, ee een not baa

into the mou

all dispersed, seeking
Mr.

e edge of one

way at.an angle of about twenty degrees ,

but his feet slipped from aga him, and he
e pla

e bottom, were

somersets, jane received no injury be-
da few brui Two of the

yon men, Cle-
ent mbert and Descoteaux, had been

taken se and a down on the rocks a short
distance below; and at this point I was at-
tacked with headache and giddiness, accom
panied by vomiting, as on the day before.
Finding wits; pias to proceed, I eons om
reuss, vhs

ts had been pe one “—

. or ten hondred feet into

a gem rm
the camp, at which we all-arrived safeiys

1842. } CAP’r. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 4S
the other. I the eye than an: of the neighboring sum-
ted ding epee a became | se iareadioes : small tohes of a
poms when my recove ma color, ue a
was eccuee. by the appearance of Basil | 4 in diameter, and apparently very deep.
and four men, all mounted. The _ who a ri in a kind of chasm; ac
had gone with him had been t uch fa- | ing to met had attained but a

00
return, and were relieved is wa
in charge of the horses; but in his
mbled a mo
They brought blan-
s and pee tenes: and we enjoyed well our
dried meat and ac coffee. We

rolled ourselves all our blaiete, and,

with our feet — toa blazing fire, slept
soundly _
Augu beens supposed that we

~ fnished with vid siaciintzine and the
ening before. e tha

Croan should eon out at daylight, and re-
turn to breakfast at the Camp of the Mules,

taking with him all but four or five men,

"who — to stay — an ~~ bring back
the m and instru Accordingly,
at tha break of day jd at fuk With Mr.

myself remaine

ux. n had secured strength for
the day by a hearty breakfast, we covered
what ained, which was en

meal, with rocks, in order that it might be

e from any ‘eaten ng bird; and, saddling
our mules, t our faces once more
wards the pea! is time we determined

were within pass o

We were of opinion that a len defile covlliek

lay to the left of yf yesteiay route would

anther tet ot of the k. Ou
es had been refreshed by: the fine grass

in the little ravine at the Island camp, and

we j to ride up the defile as far as

possible, in becler to husband our strength

for the main ascent. Though this was aj}
still it was a defile of the

y passages
mules very insecure, vt the
ground were moist with the trick-
tiene: in this spring of a a rivers.
pres scons viding: ‘eit sati isfaction

eS

our- | OV

few at se feet above the Island lake. The
barometer here stood at 20.450, attached
thermometer 70°.

et our mules u

ring our rough ride to
exhibited a wonderful surefootedness
of the defile were filled with angular, sharp

ragments of rock, three or fcur and eight or
ti ten feet cube ; among these sem had

worked their ~ leaping from one narrow
point to another, rarely making a fila ps
and giving occasion to dismo
Having divested ourselves of every unneces-
sary encumbrance, we comme ed the as-

“This time, oo sam ae piste a
rselves, but —

cent.

climbin

use of our ecessary toa
further advance. oF avai ‘led myself of a sort
of comb of the mountain, which stood against
the wall like a buttress, and which the wind
solar radiation, joi
the smooth rock, had kept almost en-
s I ee

Te Wi
ulty than by passing 2

it, | the difficu
side of it, which oth peace oF a vectcat

preci of several
Patting hands and feet in the crevices be-
succeeded in
hen I reach ad theta found
valle

my companions in a small below.
Descending to them, we continued Cats.
and in a short: = reached rest. [

ummit, and ihother step

pon
g | sprang ep precipitated me into an immense
snow field five Ww.

Id ed feet below To the
pe, ine this phe was a sheer icy precip
then, with a gradual
‘iol

T stood on : in @ narrow

I had ) em d the fi se li if

as ed the rt - 1 of curi-
osity, I descended, and e ling 9 cended
in his turn; for I would = sates ses
time to mount the unstable and precario’
da breath would Sad
into the abyss be We mounted the “4
rometer i

g our
sign of a

except spurte ike bind on
: mentioned, JA stillness the most profound

stantly on i mind as the-great features of
the e. Here, on the summit, where the
stillness was absolute, unbro ken a ny

sound, and the solitude eee te, hs ssa
ourselves beyond the region of ani
while we were sitt ao ont he ae a soli-

oe a toe
293, the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

TOmMUs, i“ humble bee) came | T

[sa

sources of the Missouri and ger yA rivers}
thern of the ridge,

According to the

- | columns.
little crest of the wall. on which we

seven hundred and eig

lakes at the bottom, immediately at our feet.

amp at the ls (an astronomical

outh . on ; — with a
i

bearing of th T
west, and the direction of the central ridge
of t

sienitic gneiss. Si
ceeded in our descent to the

mec and sone the strict order of our
ad climbed the |

y sun.
the:day was drawing to a
Tt. would have: been
here and

part:
hecideat the next hour might bring forth.
e reached o posit of provisions at
Ww

rejoining our friends, and: la: adam.
Tock, and, in spite of ii ‘cold, slept

we

the daylight. We saw on our wa
elt gg mountain 4
down on
a rifle, they
ira rance
some hundred aaa ou-

, dells and ravines
| Ps amet beauty, all kept ge and fresh h by
e

isture in the air, a

' brilliant flowers, and

/ around all ey ‘glory of most magnificent
‘scenes: these constitute the features of the
place, and impress themselves vividly on

mi . It was joo aca

ached the place where our

animals had Keer left, when we fst at ttempt-

s on foot of the

scanty toakia
= and reache a our camp on
at dusk. We found all well

ani-

water had done mu
mals. All

heard ak ie delight the order | rubber
ward; and toward

to turn our faces home
sundown of the 17th, we encamped ats at
the Two Buttes.

In the course of this afternoon’s march,

the barometer was broken past remedy. i
regretted it, as I was desirous to Prenat it | ing, an it
again with Dr. Engleman’s — at St. | whe cked
Louis ich mine were referred; but it | and at 9 o'clock were =
had done its = well, and ay sine were | on our land journey.
mainly cece the
August 19 —We ae our camp on Little | Water, where
Ps river about 7 in the morning, and tra- scribed, oon ofa gy

CAPT. FREMONT’S iii

AT

August 23,—Yesterday evening we reach-
| ed our encampmen ok Independence,
where I t ons

Here, not namin of the custom of e
travelers an 's in our country, I en-
on Gaertn eee y
bol of the es faith. g the thickly
inscribed names, [ made on the i

granite
the impr Bessie of a large cross, which I co-
vered with a black preparation of India rubber,
well calculated to resist the influence of wind
and rain. It stands amidst the of
many who have long since found their wy
to the grave, and for whom the huge roc
a ee ravestone.
outh was sent out to \
Maine by the Earl of Southampton, Lord
Arundel, and others ; and in the narrative of

we ascen e J

on g never omitted by
which we erected
at the ultimate end of 0 our ur route.” is was
in the year 1 nd in 1842 I obeyed Hrd
feeling of early travellers, eo ae
stirs of cross deepl
tock one thousand sailes beyond the
2 | Mississippi to which discoverers have given
the — name of Rock Independence.
e to my instructions to survey
the river Platte, if possible, I had determined
make an attempt at this place. The India
in

ing Sait us @ crosi

“te

| es, &

“noaitra the

Faye wn was spent in getting our
ot spay stg Sas adlen the ne Sis rie

receiving this tie cram, they were to con
tinne their route, passing by certain places
eee had been designated. r, Preuss ac-
Hier! Be and with us ieee five of m
sil Tiawbutiied,
cotea

best mbert,
Honoré Ageh, Benoist, ‘and Descoteaux.
sc

Here red no scarcity of water, cc we
took oe board, with ie cosh: = 0 ey
baggage, provisions for r twelve day
We paddled down ~ river rapidly, for a
little craft was sd uck o Sard wa oe ;
and the sun had be me time

we heard before hatte w Seif Ae a
i gh ipl hes that of a fall, of which we

had he ue rumor, but whose exact

= at ae no one ae been able to describe to

us. We She: 5 Mena a ndge, ype
which the + river scr ott a pla

called

* cation ” (pronou kanyon), a oath
word, signifying a Piece of artillery, the ay
rel of a gun, or any ki of tube; and which,

in this country, has adopted to describe

the m, which

foams aloud below, half hibkeed ie by fallen

nts. tween the mouth of the
is

Li Water and
of 3 ~~

, and vo the
passaze pelielk to bea
foar.ing over many Sbetitic
by a number of small falis.

‘a ac

Beek described to
she still ‘coeladed ‘this
estion, n th re floods, the rush
of the river er agaist th the “wall would Seately
a great rise, and the waters, reflect uarely
off, ae descend through the resect ina
sheet of foam, having

ere above
with a valuable
rgo ver. Un: ened with the
stream, which he believed would conduct
him safely to the Missouri, ite came unex-
‘ctedly into this cafion, where ne was
wrecked, with the yell loss of his fur
would have been of great baie and

ped being swamped, and
were pias o Jet her go in the ae force of
the cu rent, and boa ai the ski
en. The s places in ‘this fion
were > where =F ge erocks had fallen from rang
already narrow pass of
ce of three or four
aeatine raised the
w sie: ebneeuiy cabeite
Reo, precipitated over in a fall
a ac
through the contracted openin. a tremen-
meh Had oar feat been

sally wi dous violence. made of
out wood, in pass narrows she would have
smooth. — oars staved ; a her or aad preserved her
‘made it froth“ k, and she seemed
cra fairly t to leap cae ree falls.
a great joey pe so secp a pa descent ‘that In this way we d three
; d, to the ee, the ap an in- succession, rhinos ae 100 fet of prt 5
‘elined plane. When we sitiehel into this, | water interv: finally, with a showt
the men jumped over to check the ve- | of ene ae ur success, issued from our
locity of the boat, but were soon in water up | tunnel into the open day beyond. We Bed
nd ; but we | so delighted with the performance of our
bring mall point of and so confident in her powers, that we
call d not have hesitated to leap a fall of ten
beach, not | feet with her. We put to shore for bre
by the rocks, at lows on the right bank, im-
ight | mediately below the mouth of the cafion ; for

4 ted on jutting | it 5
20 or 30 feet above, a other marks, | i
that the water ntl

OS es oan s still the | about twelve fe i down the boatshet
granite, with great quantities | like an following us in the rapid
of mica, which made a very glittering sand. | current, and his strength to ke
We re-embarked at 90 bere iyi = in about | in mid channei—his only seen
ee reached the t cafion. | sionally like a black s a the white foam.
a rocky shore at ine 6 pa mence- | How far we went, exactly know;

penite we pack nded the ridge to reconnoitre.

the course of the cafion, on a win
of seven or eight miles. “Tt was one a nar-
rock re the

iether down, as i
rtained, five hundred feet in

shore disappeare the vertical wall
H

came squarely down into the water. He
therefore unti

we came u

waited

but we peanagp ot in incoming th the boat into an
belo La-

te a

e him and the
two others on board, and trust to skill and
fortune to reach the other end in safety. We
placed ourselves on our knees, with the short

paddles in our hands, the most skilful boat-
man being at the bow; and again we com-
menced id descent clea

red
rock after rock, and shot past fall after fall,
se little boat — ng to play with the cata-
e flushed with success, and
Setiar with the ean aw yielding te
nt of = occa: —
together into a Canadian
or rather shouting we -dash ne eae
were, I believe, in the midst of the cho-
rus, when the boat Pisa a conceal
of a fall, which

wb

as well as possible by
sige eetaoledi we tnardes a =
tent a commenced our ope’
Of n board, the only anidte tie that
had been mes i a double barrelled
which Descotea he men and
le

clung to
a drowning fenaicy

n continu-
M

Vv
In a short time he was joined by
and the search was continued for
about a csc and a many ing os cane s far as
procee
os the’ walls sil "abont five aera

tely, o
other journals contained duplicates of the
im

s | lorn condition

(1842.

rose in a wall of five Irina foe t, pices
by a stratum of white sandstone ; and in
an a ravine a column of red san ndst tone

n
id ed feet high. The sc enery wase

ly pict sedeine _ notwithstanding ee “gre
e were frequently c er to

stop and admire veh r pro;
very rapid. We had — from ase ty aa
half nak d, on arriving at the top of the

ns I found m myself “ss ith only one moc-
casin. T f rock made wal

3.
me

into 2 smiling prairie, and, descending to the
bank joi noist.

our Pesca
ed this pass

ing, Mr. Preus
advance. Heated wit at the |}

Seon: Angele te deat

sand- | ri
, Nails tp of the ridge, responded te

Lid -
—"

et,

nd
2 ~
J hemes

om shelter we could , where we slept

soundly, after one zt the most fatiguing days

I have ever eng
A 25. Early this morning Lajeu

nesse was sent to the wreck a op articles

which had been saved, and a noon we

The mare ‘hich we had

ate

panse of sands, with. some occasional stunted
rees on the eof te ie it the air of the sea-
bed of ver being merely a

succession among which the
channel was tise peo tan a few —_—

eep.
carts sepriaiedty and os oer np snd,
aoe aes, an obstru way, in
e shape of eanipieed us biufls th that came
upon the river, we turned directly into

no othe

isinterrin

dition, and served us well again for some | which had been made byour party when they
time, but was finally abandoned at a subse- | ascended the river, we ed without ac-
uent part of the journey. At 10 in the | cident, on the evening of the 12th of Sep-
mornin 26th we reached C. ember, our old encampment of the 2d of July,
mp, where we found everything undis- | at the junction of the forks. Our of
turbed. We — our deposit, ar-| the 1 rk was found undi
ged our cai nich had been left here on | and proved a seasonable addition to our stock
= ee a out, and, | Gevlling a few miles in| of provisions. At this place I
fternoon, encamped for the night at the om her attempt to descend the

po of aoe “see
—At midday we halted at the

place ne we had taken dinner on the 27th | we

of July. The country which, when we pass-
ed up, looked as if the hard winter frosts
over it, had now assumed a ne
, SO much of ve freshness had

rnal
given to it by the laterains. The Platte was
ingly low—a mere line of wateramong
hed e fort on

pe of its single piece, w
h scattered volleys of our ——

conesen felt the joy of a home recep
back to this remote station,

seemed so far off as we

whi
went o

bade adieu

The water
bs capeauaal tn sad pln, ae

g
On the parame ge the 3d of September we
kind friends at fort,

;| beaten road.
aa

Platte by water, and accord
days in the construction of a bul:

strong.
bow, W aacigt feet lon,

drew with four men about four inches wa’

On the morning of the 15th we e embarked i a

our pari boat, Mr. Pre

two me We

for Fe or four miles, and then left her on
ned entirely ale

On the 18th we reached Grand Island,
which is fifty-two miles long, with
breadth of one mile t

t 1 ae

52

4 foe ae The
Ss position

on on the Lower Platte
the 22d w Pace at the village of

and P: ances, o oe the right bank of the

river, pace thirt above the mouth of

the ing in

m avery

welcome supply of vegetables.

The morning : the 24th we reached the

Loup fork of the Platte. At the place where
we forded it, this stream was four hundre
and thirt rds broad, wi swift curre
of clear water ; in this respect, differing from

€ opposite b
agate peer pc and descending
e bed he river in order to avail our-

sun, which gave for the latitude of the mouth

Loup tork, 41° 22’ 11”

ive or six days previously x had sent
forward ©. Lambert, with two m

vue, with directions to ask fro om

Sarpy, the gentleman i in charge of the ve

rican |

miles, according to our rp we
from the junction of the forks, and five
dred and twenty from Fort Laramie

From the ju netion we had fouritl the bed

— oWfthe Diait tele nea.

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

are a

oursel
dictebiag the Missouri, n
ve | cal observations

_ ‘many of them very large, and all well tim-

[1842

bered ; possessing, as. well as: the bottom
lands of the river, a very excellent soil,
With th SC

ber.
of low grounds, covered with a profveien of
fine grasses, and are ndated in
e spring ; the re maining par ni is “high river
prairie, entirely bevond the influence o
ds. The b

floo the river is usually
three-quarters of a wie except where it is
enlarged by is - yoo That portion of i

course which is occupied by Grand island

has an average breadth, Lain shore to shore,
of two aS a half m
Ociober 1.—I rose this morning long be-
fore daylight, t, and heard with a feeling of
pleasure the tinkling of cow-bells at the set-

Early in the day y arpy’s

residence ; and, in urity and comfort

a his hospitable mansion, felt the pleasure

of being again wit om of civilisa-

n. We wer at on the stocks;

a few days sufficed to complete her ; and, in

the afternoon of the 4th, we barked on
the Missouri. All our equipa rse
arts, an materiel of the camp—ha

ansas, exactly four months since we
had ie ee trading post
houte: n the
re ni
ves in meena and

regularly at “tight and at
midday, whenever the oe r = permite,
ions on

our
These

operat
nued until our ge na tthe ro igeie
“Loni the

m-
Missouri, on the i

ery respectfully, sir,
; ient servant,
r& me she pas
2d Lieut. Corps of T: ‘opog’| Engineers,

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

The longitudes given in the subjoined table are referred to the wiriatee of Greenwick,

For ng determination of astrono:

An a
rd were provided with the Borwnie ne in- -| the neighbor of the Ka
bal

strum
Guo | te casa pe, magnifyin

power 120.
One orale by Gambey, 7 Pa
ne sexta v Gambey, Paris.

One pete by Troughton.

ne box chronometer, No. 7,810, by French.
One Brockbank ocket chronomete er.
One small! watch ter t

ance, No. 4 Id &-Den

4,632, ty Arno
he rate of the ee ante 7,810, is reitih t-
ed in the crete oe
Ney ew Y acy, May 5, 1842.
iS naeeneing No. 7,810, by French, is this

« Slow vor Greendich mean time
“"Fast of New Ae rk mean time 4h. a ry
** Loses per a"
« "ARTHUR STEWA ART

} ie _
T Dai-

“© 74 Merchants’ Exchange. 8

dent among some —_— proms in

rained

the e of this chro neste ‘No. 7 Lay 3
and rende “a it useless during the remainder of

August, inciusively, ae eae
| pend upon the Brockbank chronometer
the rate of which, on wilson uis, was
fou e rate Siigaiad a obser-

14".05, has been used
in-calculation.

’ From the 24th of August until the termina-
tion of the ter Ae a 4,632 (of which the
rate was 35'.79) was used for the

joses.

and I

longitdes whie de a upon it, th
e have a ade: ans of judging, they appear

tbhira bly corr

Table of latitudes and longitudes, deduced from observations made during
: the journey.

1842. Deg. min. sec. | Deg. min. sec.
May 27 Louis, nce of Colonel Brant - > a ae ae ee
8 | Chouteau’s haved trading post, Kansas ri 39 05 57 | 94 25 46
16 | Left of the Kansas ri oe seven miles es abore the
-{ 39 40 95 38 05
18 Verwitibas cf pokes - woo Te 19 96 04 OT.
19 | Cold Springs: near ah ‘oad to Latins’ - ~ |. 39 30° 40 96 14 49
20 | Big Blue - = : -| 39 45 08 96 32 35
25 | Little Blue river ee Se ee et en a ee OO, Lee a
96 | Right bank of Platteriver - - - - -| 40 41 06 | 98 45 49
27 | Right bank of Pate fiver = « =< <<, <| 40 3°32 7 Oo me
28 Right bank of Platte river - + - ~ ot AO 30 on a
Inly *2 of Plate te 1 forks of th Nebraska, oO Nees
2 | Junction of nen south fe of the me pao) ;
oi argh - : 41 05 05 | 100 49 43
4 | South for sheies lal bank. * aes dese
6 | South = ot Platte river, island - eS e «|: 2 oe 7 13 OT.
7 | South fork atte river, left ba «5 Sep ge oes 1 103 30: OT
ll — Ser of Platt river, St. Vrain’s fort - -| 40 2°35 | 105 12 2
12 wu é a ap 41 59 104 57 49
3 i obi ok - = - ota) 08 30 | 104 39 37
14 | Horse creek, Goshen’s hole? eo eee 40 «13. 7 204 Se SG
16 Laramie, near the h of Laramie’s fork -| 42 12 10 | 104 47 43
23 | North fork of Platte riv: oe SS Sa eed 99. SS ae. 5D Sp
24 | North fork of Platte. ‘ -| 42 47 40 .
25 | N fork of Platte river, Dried Meat camp - -| 42 51 35° | 105 50 45
26 | North fork of Platte river, noon halt - - -| 42 50 08
26 | North fork of Platte r mouth of Deercreek -| 42 52 24 | 106 08 24
28 | North fork of Platte river, Cache camp - - -| 42 50 53 | 106 a
North fork of Platte river, left bank - ae 42 38 O1 | 106 54 32

‘

Lo CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. [1842.
Table of latitudes and longitudes—Continued.

Date. Station. Latitude. Longitude.
1842. | Deg. min. sec. | Deg min. sec.
July 30 | North fork of Platte river, Goat is 42 33 27 | 107 13 29
Aug. 1} Swe UE ater river, one ne blow Bock Indopen-
as 42. .29.-56- | 107 25 93
4 Siect. Water oe er - . - = |. 42.32.94 108 30 13
7 | Sweet Water riv: 42 27 15 |109 921 32
8 | Little ay tracks: tributary to the Colrado of the
- 42 27 09 37 59
9 | New fork, teibutary to the Colorado - -| 42 42 46 | 109 58 12
——> 10 | Mountain - 42 49 49 110 08 03
15 | Highest core ‘of the Wind river mingitalas
19 | Sweet Wate, noon halt - wf}, 4a. 24-32
19 | Sweet Water river - - - - . ~+ 1423. 22.99
20 | Sweet Waterriver - - - - oe Ook AG
22 | Sweet Water river, n - =}: 42..96.. 10
22 weet Water river, at R . -| 42 29 36
23 | North fork of a es mouth of Sweet sate -| 42.27 18
30 orse-shoe cree -| 42 24 %
Sept. 3 | North fork of F latte Ti ves, right ten k - -| 42 01. 40
4 | North fork of Platte e river, near Scott’s bluffs - 41. 54 38
5 | North fork of Platte —_ — bank, six miles above
imney Al 43
8 | North fork of Platte river, mouth of Ash Ceeck rt ee 2 ee ge
9 | North fork of Platte river, right b - -| 41 14 30
10 | North fork of Platte river, Cedar iene - - -| 41° 10 16
16 | Platte river, noon hal Sie ed ee ae
16 e river, left bank - * - - - -{| 40 52 34
17 | Platte river, left bank - - - - - -| 40 42 38
18 latte river, left bank - - - - - -| 40 40 21.
19 | Platte river, left bank - a - - - -| 40 39 44
20 | Platte river, noon halt, left bank - . - -| 40 48 19
20 | Platte river, left bank - - - . - -{| 40 54 02
21 | Platte river, left bank - - - ~ 1° | 41 05.37
23 | Platte river, noon h » left eee ra a - « 41 290 20
23 | Platte river, left ban “s fies phicien Se Go } Bua ae
25 j Pla e ont mouth af Laup Sak ef i ae 41 39 at
. ' Platte river, mouth of Elk Hom river - = -| 41 09 34
- 99} Platte river, - - - - <' 46 02 35
Oct. 2/} Bell dee lpg age haatiemenngy teh ag
right bank of M i river 41 08 24 95 20
4 | Left bank of the nr, opposite to the right bank
of the mouth of the Platte - =) AL Oe IF
a iriver - - - -| 40 34 08
6 | Bertholet’s island, noon hake? ng 4 =| 40 97° 08
6 i river, mouth of Nishnabatona river - -| 40 16.409
~ 8 | Missouri river, left bank - - =< - “=| 39 36
10 i river, mouth of the Kansasriver - -j| 39 06 03

©

A REPORT
THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION

OREGON AND NORTH CALIFORNIA

IN THE YEARS 1843—44

INGTON OT, March 1, 1845. — and China, by way of Fort Van-
Colonel J is J. Apert, Chief of the

‘orps 0 Topographical Engineers : The he men caipnieedd for the service were:
1g :—In pursuance of your instructions, | Alexis Ayot, Louis Ménard,
to connect the reconnoissance of 1842, which | Francois Badeau, tidaie Montreuil,
I had the honor to con , with the surveys | Oliver Beaulieu,
f Comma il on the coast of the | Baptiste Bernier,
Pacific ocean, so as to give a connected sur- } John A. Campbell, Frangois Pera,

vey of the interior of our continent, I pro- | John G. Campbell, James Power,
an,

ceeded to the Great West early in the spring | Manuel oe Raphael Proue,

of 1843, and arr 0 May, | Ra lar scar Sarpy,

at the little town of Kansas, on the Mis- | Philibert Cita: Baptiste Tabeau,

souri frontier, near the junction of the Kan- | Michel Crélis, harles Taplin,

with th uri river, where I iliam Creuss, ptiste Tesson,

was detained near two weeks in completing | Clinton Deforest, Auguste Pent
€ necessary preparations for the extended | Baptiste sang Joseph Verrot,

exploits which my instructions contem- | Basil Lajeunesse, k White,

plated. vs es Lajeunese, Tiery Wri right,
My party aR s ssogin oye nit a Henry I Louis Zindel, and

nadian French, and Am ns, | Jacob Dedasti a fie young colored man of

an
smoanting in all to 39 men ; ‘iteny ‘hide ashington city, who volunteered to ac-
rforme

oO company the :
were with me in my first expedition, and | duty manfully throughout the voyage. Two
vee have been ev orally brought to your laware Indians—a fine-looking old man

Mr. Thomas ar

in a former report. the his tim hi tg oe
Fitspatrick, _—_ = al years of hiaidahip the wt) = ition as hunters, through
and western territories, had of Major Cu cue eae

adel eauttas With 5. portioned the Gade: dias agent. L. Maxwell, who had
try it was designed to explore, had been se- | panied the expedition as one of the hunters
lected as our guide; and Mr. Charles | in 1842, being on his way to Taos, in New

wit armed
me in the same capacity on the present ex- | Hall’ ines, which, with a brass 12-Db.
it a ; i howitzer, (= ever spe one

enal at St.

a | of Springfield, agement of this piece under the
5 noite himself of our | Louis Zindel, a native of Germany, who had
, to visit the Sandwich | been 19 years a nop-commissioned officer

of in the Prussian ys epliogey | farmi
larly instructed in the dake of his profes- | thi

sion.
wert t

e camp e and isions
carts, draw

wagon, mounte good springs, had been
provided for thie: sar carriage of instru-
ments. These we

One refracting celindeii by Frauenho-

One + mtben’ circle, by Gambey.
Two sextants, by Trought
ne
—— Fohwacile
pocket chronometer, No.
Brovkl bank
One sypho n barometer, by Bunten, Paris.
nage an cistern barometer, by Frye & Shaw,
ew
ne iene: and a number of ema
asses.
To make the exploration as useful as pos-
» | determ ined, in conformi

i te now | On

rinine: ‘Was up the i of ‘ke
Kansas river, and to the head of the Ar-
kansas river, and to

some pass in

oun-

ie em
tains, if ay could be found, at the sources | mad

of that riv

sm
By inaking this etgge hn! from the former
road t

n the ver of the great prairies
Veal roe yon the 3ist, after
Saarapte

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

on t
case iautaaacier, No. 837, by

wa.
739, by g

ets,
Th

[1843.

ing among other
set of machinery for a mill
which Mr. Chi sas de re 3 ere on the
waters of the Sacramento riv ptying
ci

were collected at th
ing, ve Already 0 on their march bay nd “this
river.

Leaving | at ia onl the usual emigrant
road to

a
Ned by the Indians Ot-
ter creek, about 130 feet wide, where a flat

stratum df limestone, which forms he bed,

of fairs
party of Osa, Todi with y red b
and hea as shaved to 4 sealp

Rani pie to wie

ay
had returned in sear

belonging to Mr. i Doig which ch iad ee Roy
the ped da ryl

2, omeany very etna te

“on

and self-de
required, and who

which is es bf

weather, detai

urred to vary
ene which one day on the — here
bears to another, and which scarcely re

us, and then sco

hy and wild. The oms whi
form the meaner as as wit the main riv-
er were general miles wide;
having a rich soil of eBack: feet mould,
and, for a prairie ae well ee
with wood. The country was everywher

covered with a mene ble variety of
ionally poor and thin, but far
nt. ch. We

marc y five
Finding thae'as such 3 a rate of travel it
would be er gar

divide ape sg Sek, nving' Mr Fitzpat-
fou wate onareeee men in charge of the

pendence on |

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

- | Amo
- | the characteristic plant of the country, and

ne
ich | which were ol timbe

peuntons ns and heavier baggage of the

to proceed cahowt in advance, with a
party of fifteen me g with me the
howitzer _ the lig light wagon which carried
the instrume

Accordin; or on the morning of the 16th,
the parties separated ; and, bearing a little
out from the _- with a view of heading
some of the uents, after a few
hours’ scare] te omaueal brok macmets
we entered upon an peep = high level
prairie, on which w par towards
evening at a little re a single
dry cotton-wood afforded thea necessary fuel
for eo supper. Among a re of
grasses which to-day made their first
=] pearanes, "T noticed ee, ( festuea)
and buffalo-grass, - (sesleria
canescens (lead plant) continued

row-leay

cinea en ip i ay with a psoralia
near pso a, and a ber of

t the Sm kp. river, along

whose trib-
aries we continued to. travel for several.
tos
The geno d afforded me an excellent
e being generally over high
ee and we met. with
being frequently

cottonwood, —
ter oe oc

coccinea is very fre

red patches on the high an
and igh emarked thas: it eae
pe

The wild sensitive plant (schrantioraam

On the Toth, in the afternoon, we crossed

ed ie Deena oe 7 aepaadmeoeiaege

ex
io eae
al

ae an el bythe

_sicmmtaiytlieanaipioaian
——_

53° CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. >

— abundant on the higher parts of the

une 21.—During the forenoon a trav-
elled up a Asmat of ~~ reek on which

ed, in ical ‘eenierss

, we had encampe
whete, howerer the dividing xi ridges aa i

road, ; were fe
and with the set sward | of the buffalo
grass, hegre now
0 the prairies a smooth and mos

t a solitary cotton-
hollow, near which was killed the
buffalo, a large old bull.

red = bands during the
the affluents of the

ac

g, and thunder ; eae

in hiaboniees: According to a:
vation 2,130 fee

the gulf.
At noon, on the 23d, we descended into
of of the Re-

e notes

foliaged ash,
a and siecad maple. With these

were
long- owen willow, We gave asthe decece

a of Prairie

very where, | tached

iver, stru
‘owe denaiite ae the treeless

Ls

[1843.

soil made their appearance in abundance. .
A few miles rhea pee we entered the valley
of a large m, afterwards ears to be

the it ag fork of the Kansas,

features of ~ country
i e

sees in keeping. On the opposite sey
the broken ridges assumed almost a moun-
— = aera ce ; and fording the
ued on our course among thes
‘ga ms ried re-set late in the evening at
a = lise pond of v

running st an y
constantly Galton on account of the uncertainty
of water, which was only to be (found in

e hills. The oe - a
maths: pleasure to the
them were gene: pen is, w
forded abundant pasturage fo nim
re were usually satlected herds of the
buffalo, which now were —— over all
the country in mber

The soil of baer: and hot sande Praia
varied and exuberant a of \

which were much

we found ourselves overlooking a broad
misty valley, where, —
and 1,000 feet below

&
oF

our tents on the shore of the

Tray p the valley ¢ pi
river, here Sy 4.00 eta e the
afternoon Pegg

we ;
had previously found them, sua whose showy [
| general sterility. Cr rps

a

1843.} PT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 52

luminously phi, c covered to their bases | after we also had recommenced our j ourpey,

with glittering sn up the Piatt, which was continuously tim-
On the evening « of the 3d, as w re | bered with cotton-wood and willow, on a

journeying Aes aah overflowed | generally fy soil. Passing on t

bottoms of the. where our passage | the remains of two abandoned forts, (one
irred up s ees osqui ¢ teh, however was still in good condition,)

i miles, Fort

movements o

S| we r

ached,
the tading establishment of Mr. Lupton.
vie pe ost W 0 assume the ap-

ity of the pre: and cattle, were ranging about on the prai-
ceding winter, an Bs eir way | rie ; there were differen kinds of poultry ;
up the Bijou fork to beg horses from the and there was the wreck of a a pro
Arapahoes, who were hunting buffalo at the | garden, in which a cohaidevatle variety
head of that river. Several came into our vegetables had been in urishing condi-
camp at noon ; and, as they were hungry, as | tion, but it had been almost entirely ruined
usual, they were provided with buffalo meat, | by the recent high waters. I remained to
of which’ the hunters had brought in an | spend with Sox yar hour, and set
abundant supply. off i col of rain, which -
A no bet, on the rea of July, we ar- | companie d with "sole thunder and light -
rived at the fort, where Mr. St. Vrain re- | ning. camped immedia ely on the
ceived us with his customary kindness, and river, 16 ‘fflon from St. Vrain Several
invited us to join him i east pahoes, their way to village
en prepared in honor of the da ich was encamped a few miles above us,
u ty ,| passed by the an of the
k of provisions entirel

ope of o
relief, as st found ie n a very impoverished

condition; and we were able to procure on-

ly a little unbolted ach oe dhe some

salt, ie a few pou: wder and lead.

led irdvialiis, i did not much
where

ing the Jouihity y beyeind the 4 moun-
ins ne elief.

en i informed that a large number
of mules had ree ed

U per Califo: fea

of | were gathere

Nig rmy and cold
with heavy and iheeiBarker rain, which lasted
until morn

July 7. We made Ser morning an early
start, continuing to tra

village, which in

tiful about 160

on 8. d extremely populous, |
a greal pie Hi3 of child '

the means of Te ence.” e chie
sage at the farther end of
the village, received us (as probably stran-

m | arms around our gtd

SMG Y Uv

to show respect or og bata by throwing ra
mbracing |
vhs

It required som

y | keep the saddle daring the ‘permanee ,

ea

a little con T left
tinving on up the river, halte d t0

took our
the bluff, as the herons are almost outils:

ted ; voreigawdh in the a

misty, and hide ded—threatening a

the snow peaks sometimes littering Rigas

the tame beyond the first ridge
We surp

ge.
ised a grizzly bear rahi
~ imselfu

and he mbled into the river and swam
to the opposite side. We halted for the
night a little above cue i creek ; the eve
ing clo y mosquitoes om

ing with m Some

indifferent ebservations placed the camp in

latitude 39° 43’ 53”, and chronometric lon-
rt

so to-day to travel
with a

stone Laramie fork. On i
and rently very near, but deobably 80
10. les rae arse Ns or hia thousand
feet of the

mountains, like a yet eiraned fay, in clear

nd, rose en ttering five

nd feet above them eanght this
morning a view of Pike’s seilk but it ap-
peared for a moment only, as Saitioa rose
early | over the Jasper and shrouded them
in mist ;

visible, as sd ahi

alee rbly at evening we more

of. a thunder storm. At n recy son and at
St. Vrain’s fort, w

ah on southern fork of the he Plt,

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

oute } ban
quaking

beautiful natelne which we had not
met, Amo

polas of fi

n all the day. In the firet beet
Red hina

- beau
one of these remarkably shaped hills, The
. flat rock two.

‘which it has ps

[sas

On the easternmost branch, up bin we
Ww we ame among the
pines growing on the top of a v ts igh
, an we bi it to noon; |
asp (populus tremuloides) was
xed with the cotton-wood, and there were
Secell tic grass and rushes for the animals.
During the increta there occurred many
hitherto
ng them, the common blue Rower-/
ing its firs st appearance ; anda
and handsome species of gilia, w

with slendef

as very frequent ore
aad very little game s

leaving the fort, and tw wat began tb Ne et
tly had h

sleep anothe

pies" had the g

dee whi ch he found fee
”b nd

rta 3
To-night ben Beit i'w girdled with ap-
et d cheerful in
spite of the went iy ¥ we:

July 9.—On seat OF The low state of
our provisions and the scarcity of game,
determined
severa
of falling in i A yd buffalo.
along g grounds between =
South soot of the ‘Platte and the Arkan

o afford some additional yoogtatie
ical information.
we

iant grass, flowers
er of different apron itn oh
o give it a varied beauty, except gam

ing on the summit a cir
or tee hundred pm
ne gave the name of .

\

rs es

; — as to the past
—

tothe high» ridges, which are generally |

UATE. ee ee

6F
ee, A te nde

display yed in masses, and covered with pin
This rock i is very friable, and it is undoubt- | ce
edly from t the prairies

cor n built in the

sping, and halted a on the principal
bra of the diver, During morning
vel, the ae te

istic ee being esparceite, (onobrychis
va,) a species of clover which is

in to

s
quiring only a mie ae of t
once in fifteen years. Its abundance here
joan value of this re-
Ss of antennaria in flower
very ©¢ on re

the line of road;
herr the erage were mbere d wit th willow

ascending direction to the next nearest hole

— no doubt that all their —_ habita-

h o The

greater seer of the people were s ok: to-day,

lw eet to attribute their indis-
Paitin eatles meat of the
illed the previous da

much mc amon

isoaily

y-
e were no indications of |

a large bear, so busily en-

grizaly
es. gaged i in digging roots that: he did not pers!

us until we were galloping down a
ards from him, when ns!

im. The
blocked up with fallen
timber ; and we kept — ru — fight for

oO by the charging
He did ne fall until
received six rifle balls. e
added nothing to

llowed a3 pei

broken ridge, — ae
ter, was about 7,500 fee

sea. This is a sion anak into which

es _— are — and from whieh

almost every direction,

to its head in a
to the ba-~
above the

o

y forms
pesirie <r games sw
e had an e: diana vie
soe sare eae a the
tain = yyw
a ti x the plains,
to its ba

very strong contrast with the black masse’

of timber, and the glittering snow above .

them. With occasional exceptions, com-

paratively so v Be | as not to require
tion

fined to the n the tern half, |'ter at sunrise at 46°. There were no cloude:
where the soil is a pag ea wentaliag along the mountains, and the morning sun
mould, retentive of rain = on sture, it is} showed very clearly their rugged charac-
of vigorous differ ent

kinds ; and | ughout the veep half it journey very early down

consists en fealy of various rng eng of cot-
ton-wood, which deserves c the
tree of the desert—gro wy i

xistence of water, and furnishing tothe | the road was
his animals. A

the e
Sovalics fuel, and food for

We resumed our
the “ihe flowing a an extremely good lodge

» which i — by the head of this ‘ined
from the bayou Salade, a — oe eer
valley onto g Pike $ peak. on

sandy and eat, vad the
We halted t

dd | river well timbered. noon
to this, the rn border of the plain | under the shade of some fine ] saute
is oceupied by the Sioux, Arapaho, and | woods, our animals luxuriating on rushes,
Cheyenne nations, — Pawnees and | (eguisetum hyemale,) which, along this riv-
other half-civili its eastern | er, were remarkably abundant. A vari

: for whom the saineruudiae country | of cactus made its — e, and amo:
is a war-ground, you will have a tolerably | several strange plan = a and
idea of the appearance and condition | beautiful clusters of a ne oe i

eorrect
f the

ively, from experiments on myse
that their illness was caused by the eee
of the buffalo bull.

of the ridge, near the

pe
atne-qui-bouit (or Boiling

(or
pgs river, — it was 50 feet wide,
‘current, I afterwards fo

4

cold. a
rs gaa of gilia, with a slender | c
characteristic ; and, in

e|I had n

sepsnmas
several ple Bn forts, which | Arkansas

, | desulto

a of the y called the

a Spanioh Yates he Maxweh } bed no knowl-

the — of their being i
crossed the

x | was very deubetal ; but I
eleva- |

rabilis ni 0 with a soee ome 0 conan 2

m were several
ticut fen: a portion of Wyeth’s party, ea

e year before, and others were
men fom the western states:

Continuing down the river, we
at Sa on the 14th at its mouth, on the
river. A short = above
our encampment, on the left bank of the
Arkansas, is a pueblo, (as the Mexicans call
|their civilize es,) where 2
umber of had married

n| Spanish women in the valley of Taos, had
collected together,

* occupied themselves
in farming, earryi

ng on at the same time a
ry Indian trade.

earned here
y ag gs Pevicery

for ie rning va ts 9th, but

that age would probly fal in fall me the hands.

in oer when he

of escape
| not entertain
much apprehension or his ie having great
confidence in courage.
was further jaSormed Utd Bona

»- | popular tumult among the ; uebil

ndians, pope — Taos,
at place, in whieh
ill-

property en des was Mr.
bien, father-in-law of Maxwell, from ae about sunset, and w

had expected to obtain supplies, and pe
had — obliged to make his escape t
Santa

By t thie position 0: € sllaixe; our ne
sion of obtaining supplies from Taos
cut off. I had here the satisfaction to poi
our good buffalo hunter of 1842, Christo-
pher Carson, whose services I T eons red
myself fortunate to secure again as
reinforcement of mules was Peettubely ne-
cessa

ee
oe

immediat

> country, and meet wi hat
mals he should - able to obtain at St.
t admitted into the party
Charles Towns, a aes of St

serviceable man, with many of the qualities |

of a good geur. According to our
servations, the latitude of the mouth of th
river is 23”; its longitude 104° 58’
ig and its elevation above the sea 4,880
2

On.the ppomning of the 16th, the time for
Maxwell’s arrival having expired, we re-
sumed our jones g for him a note,

1 which it t I would wait for
at St. Vrain’s fort vatil the morning of

the 26th, in joe —— that he should suc-
ceed in his Our dire
up the Boiling ' te river, it t being my in-
tention to visit the celebrated bie from
ay the river takes its name, and whieh
are on its upper waters, at the foot of Pike’s
peak. Our animals fared we we
Were on this stream, there being ahaal
ag ce of préle.

®

abundant, and among the ea which ¢ cov-

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE:

e — weret bu als

ction was | ated immediat

63
er the mountains, began to roll down¢heir
ane and a storm so violent burst upon

however, to ride along up the river until
as beginning to be doubt-

hog ate _ upon a huge white cadens at
which the river, already become

a mint ee Pp along, broken - a small
fall. A deer which been drinking at
the spring w ed by my approach,
and, springing across the river, bounded off
up the mountain. In the upper part of the
rock, which had apparently been formed by
deposition was a white basin, over-

g by eurrant bushes, in which the cold ,
up, kept in constant
motion by the escaping gas, and overflow-
ing the rock, ‘hick it had a were entirely -
naa with a smooth crust of glistening

white. I had all day refrained from drink-
ing, reserving myself for the spring; and
Ag is re wet than the
rain al e, I lay down by

y made
the side of the bain, and drank he artily of

the delightful water. The g is situ-
ely e the foot af lofty geese
pene beautiful liy timbere weep

closely round, sag up the little valley
in a kind of co it was begi

grow dark, I sare quickly down the river,
on which I found the camp a a few

ped immediately Pn 1

: thaee a very pleasant

i oo side of the river is another locality

oe soinge, which are "entirely of the same
The water has a very agreeable

taste, ro, whi Mr. Preuss found very much

f the famous Selter springs:

Wao @ ¥CLy

ef chenopodiaceous shrubs, four to six feet
1

On the afternoon of the 17th we entered | is
among the broken ri at the foot oe
mountains,

— the river made several

the camp to follow slowly, |
og neha search of alysis of an

megan pf a country
mous for wine and mineral waters 5 aid it

inerastation ak the wa-
ape of wood ing om

had covered a
rock :

age poorte

Carbonate of lime Setgins 25
~ Carbonate of BAIR Olt. A te LBA
- Sulphate of lime
_ Chloride of calcium 23

‘Chloride of mage esia

Silica ai TE Ce 1.50

Fegetahle matter. ree ats Fe 20

Moisture and loss sia 1 commeéh

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

[1843

ood, ( populus —sns) called by the
Tainadiane hard amére. Ona ro near a

is very destructible >

Ati1l peg a lineata fodha the | weather, and the hill, which they for-

air was 73°, that of the water in this was | merly constituted sone is ae sama
60.5; exh Lge of the upper sr which} A shaft of the gun ear
issued from t rock, more exposed | in the nsdn ; and we ~aaiied an cae
to the sun, was se t sunset, when the rae the stre am being from twelve to twen-
temperature of the air was 66°, that of | ty feet wide, with clear water.
the lower springs was 58°, and that of the the clouds a gathered to a oe 8 over

°,
July 19.—A beautiful and clear merning,
with a oy ight breeze from the northwest ; ~~

At this time temperature of the fates
Terre ° 57.89, 5c; und that of the upper 54.39.
_ ‘The trees in the neighborhood were birch,

s,and we had a show en-
es set the deahiatianert stood at
62°, and 0% he mero fen above the sea was
30 fe

20.—This morning (as we generally
morn

right-loo

_ feet high, con very great num
shoe univalve retells which appears to be-

occasionally four feet in “Inight;:
a luxuriance of growth es he saw
sateen universal plant attain t
mney. Continuing downs branch of
and

1843.]
common plants d
journey, oceu

the — of

af the aren near the coast of the Pacific,
and nea among mountains |

vada.
During this excursion, we had surve

o th
rtion of the river which
belongs to the plains, and heads in th
ken hills of the Arkansas dividing ridge, at
the foot of the ‘mountains. ‘hat portion of

+}

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

| near this
very varie iy wa:
of situation. I noticed it on ‘the lowlands |

their were out

ome been nearly a years in the co
pe’ oe rena as nee had

grown gray am ang th :
Through this potion of the mountains,
re the custo oads of the war
parties going out agains the Utah and
Shoshonee Indians; and ooeasionaly par-

tie Ss from the Crow nation make ‘thei —

mountains jit was hoped to explore on our

—
Reacisae St. Vrain’s fort on the ne 1
found Mr. Fitz

tzpatrick and

with the ssary pack-saddles. Mr.
Bitxpatrick, ahs = often — every
i urse of his
and ner
soars in tis country, ha be d watched over
tock with jealous vigilance, and there
oO”

a week, during which time

been occupied in esa the camp; and
the repose had been very beneficial to his
animals,

which sees now in tolerably good — of

dition
had been able to obtain no certain

order and excellent health, |

e | though better kno
of the Columbia.

expectation 0 of par hiro Far andy
es oftheir enemies. Shortly before our
ttacked

hot pursuit, in which the

-pelled to abandon the animals they had dds

and escape eir war horses.
Into this uncertain and dangerous regi
three or four trappers, wno

s part
now could collect ne rarely ventured ;
and consequently it seldom visited and
little known. stim try
the passage by a pass through a spur of the
made by the Cache-d-la- Poudre

The latter name is there
reigsiic: grand”

one ef the

river.

POG OD
to return to their homes, it became necessa-
ry to provide this party with a good hunter ;
i in that capacity
Alexander _ Godey, a young man about 25
years of age, who who had been in
race | six or seven years, all of which
been m actively employed * hunting
of the posts, or

this country
which time had
for the

«“

m_ Powers, 0
ing to. 0 Fitapatriok’s
, was discharged at this

incaleulable ¥
ef the men belon:

party s plac
y. A French engagé, at Lapton’s fort, had
_ been shot in the back on the 4th o July, m

gS
2S
ct
oO

ned permission to pe
with my party to i neighborhood of Bea
Ww she expected

river, where to’ meet wi
some of their Happier than the
Jewish widow, she carried with h 0
children, ag little half-breeds, who added
much to the liveliness of the cam er
or ack | y

o
oS

ing men m old associations
aaadeeireny

Charles Pi = Preuss, Christopher Carson, Ba-
sil Lajeu i . Ber-

e from Kansas landing, by

c
the road we travelled, cele it will be ee de
¥

was along th
lower Kansas river,) was "750 miles. The

used in referring to St.
longitu me between that
the Fontaine-gui-| re

one FREMONT'S NARRATIVE,

| ing 0.

>| running with gr

[1843

e| about four miles, we encamped in the even-
n Thompson’s creek, where we were
very oak disturbed b by mosquitoes.

westwa: c
and, fording the Cache-a-la-Pou

m the 28th, entered the Black t Bg
and nooned on this stream am in the mountains

h and, ascending " i ea TICUS

er remove. this diff
culty, and render the road to this point a
very excellent one. The e evening cl

in dark with rain, and the mountains looked
d} glo

99,—T
July 29.

7 in the morning, we travelled until 3 in =
afternoon along the ri

ch, for this

runs directly
untains,

by the nature of the

ind ¥. cross the river eight or nine times,
t, deep, and rocky fords, the stream

scanty
Semerul with a wilderness of flowers, their
heads

-| tall spikes sometimes rising above our

as we rode am a them. fusion of
blossoms on a white flowering vine, (clema- |
tts lasranthi,) whisk was abundant along the

a
+h in some places a

granite, w
to be in a state op Sean ition, making a

_ .

stream was wooded with cotton- ;
wood box-eler, wn cherry, with ipoon
bushes. After a

e, for | shat lab rear day, during whik it t had |
30 | rained in ly, we ae

a|end of the at the mouth of a small !
less liable to dera rangement. : Se in sight of the great ie plains.
two days, which was allow- It co nued to rain heavily, and at evening
for ary i id in mists ; but there

Se ae a ne a a TN

x: aad AD

dearer lane ctye oo yee

camp 5,540 feet,
Vrain’s fort 56 miles.

ing country e the
Black hills, Parcs wtih mm aie as
mountains around ae
By the great gq ayo
among them, it had } dotably pln low’ ily
re the previous ms while it had rained
=

oon on a small bran ch;

range of duttes, or high hills covered with
at which forms the dividing ridge be-
ween the waters we had left ind those of
pee river
Late in the ev ening we encamped at
spring of cold water, near the summit of ‘hie
ridg increased our elevation to

“merging from the mountains, we a

ed a region ot bright, fair weather.
‘gers ora was bral

i with the different character of
on opposite sides of the Rocky
he vast prairie plain on
the ocean; the rain and

re | region, w
-{the La

se
visible
]

| fo:

ramie
principal stream, the flora
| magnificent we

wound our way, 5 a singular and

massive wall Of dark col = nite. The
rmation of th sac core isa red feldspathic
granite, oveslyiany a _ decomposin ng mass of
the same rock, — — ee. of all this

which e grav-

elly, and ade a re ofa somes floral fer-
tility

> we emerged on a small tributary of
river, coming in sight of its ~
ra became perfectly

lated

meridian observation of the sun ——

us in a st 04’ 06". In the
amped on the’ Laramie riv os which
is hes very thinly timbered with scattered
groups of teagact at considerable inter-
ajvals. From our camp, we are to dis-
a gre the gorges, in Ati are the sources

of

y color. ning
5 temperature nee sunset 64°. The
sy. 8 = was 30 miles
August 1.—The morning was calm and

67

)

ua /

68 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE, [1843

Li ape in was made extremely rough by the ~~
cert TT tough i of artemisia tridertata,*
with the brighter — of aspens, and | this;country commonly called.sage. >

i ts like lawns between ane; evplizab now began to make its ap-
patches among the pines, and here mpa ids; and we were,
and agp ppd a haiganns Our route sialeen! sheut to quit for a long time this try of |
lay ov excellent pasturage and brilliant flowers.|

e plain, covered with
the ine beiiest pai and the da
}

rage. These were tim
willow ane aria cotton-wood, mi
as we approached the

nearly towards n S-
parcette a nigag se flax. oc-
eurred _ Shae in bloo e halted at

on the most tay oy or ea : i
river—a han stream about sixty feet
eep, with gions water

airs: pg the

e| The
sionally places

old aequaintance, with a
ings as much awakened — we had come in

sight of an old farm hou He proba-
bly his: escape from some y of
2 ts on Greenriver; and, witha vivid
jremembrance of some old green field, he

ad scape

t Elm grove, near a fasten, hav
ing Acom in that

ey were on their way fire and saw occa-
ween re e had eaten and Tain
own to rest; but d ace see him for about
oe rave oe: ee to the fort, having
untably e d Indians and eve ry

mischane

sian ening on the princi-
pal fork "of Medicine Bow river, near “sing

easure in offering to

Ss
te flavor soup. It grows more
abundantly, and in greater luxuriance, on
Bebe SG. Bee eighboring tributaries of t

acl on
iting the country,

he | and red willo ow; and
species. onion was very abundant }
e e an immersion of the first satel. |

night ; os morning is clear

* The greater portion of our submequentjour-
region whero tnis shrub cop~—

which appeared to be about 1,800 feet 5a
ys

ny beat: quantity of sno

timbered w
the afternoon a
I ob-

16”; ; elevation

part ee ee ven ot last
and cool. We

streams were |
h the long-leavnd itemdceod |

BE latitude, oe

1843.)

were cat 8 icy aving breakfasted | c
paces 2 eon a few — travel

tered the pass of the Medic te,
rhenmagh which led a broad trail, which had
cr sees indie nth by a very large par-

the pass, the road was | t

and we were obliged to

SS made their appearanc e
hed eksvated regions. ceeacetion: to the

recent this was 8,300 feet ; w!

were detained in openi

tained a meridional observatio
which gave 41° 35' 48” for the latitude of
the pass. The Medicine Butte is isolat
by a small tributary of the North fork of the
Platte, but the mountains approach each
other he stream running at
their feet. On the south they are smooth

with occasional streaks of ; but the

butte itself is ragged, with
d feldspathic granite, 8 dark with pines ;
the snow reaching from

we came e
brought into the cam p aco e
fat on the fleece inches thick. Even
in this country of rich pasturage and abun
dant game, it is rare ‘that — hunter dhanees

led to-day 26 m

t 4. —The ae was clear and
calm ; wach lea reek, we travelled
pterr4

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

summit to within |

as river, we
cam

eg hills closing in

ng the
the North fork “of the few: over |
rou

amps, broken a thermome-
vas ar several — articles, when, rom
o lose something of more impo:

L halted for in night at 10 o’clock. Our
re turned down towards th

ed up the ra
sen bran sat down hich

ungry eough to mm delight
alehouigh the buffalo meat was crusted
wi Bias with oak

a,
the | hunters occupied until ae, id they sage

out, but rejoined us at d sréale, ibe

finding oarsetvel only shout & a mile from the

followed the and

ina age a on a beauti-
ul grassy bottom, where pai distri

Ere themasivées oe the scanty fare of

he past night. It was quite a pretty and

the upper end by a igo of low ro!
hills,
In the precipitous peat wae Breeton
of

a plain which h and | table remains, and several vera bed of coal, i
broken by ravines. With the oa tees of | so the beds the

| ee ne meine ing in es.
ts and broad : or 600°

!
}

the meat cut n slices to be dried;

and all were busily occ sem ns mp |

was thrown into a sudden tumult, by a
om t 70 mounted Indians, over

d
himself in his stirrups to look over the hill,
a moment before he made charge ; and

ceceeded in turning the nto the camp,
the Indians charged

occupied r people, and
pes = a sudden ah, with they made
selves
effective

tee, in such a co
in

e only at the a of the atta
—an excuse which pol

them from a howitzer |}
ose Vosld undoubtedly have been | in

[1s43..

ighbo of our uncertain visiters.
lat noon the thermometer was at eae
sunset 70°, and the e ere clear

tion above the sea 6,820 f pies “41°

pretty si stream of c
en banks Piboked, refreshing am
e

ian rine

vorable fies int the Bras cer-
aly saved a horses, “vt probably our-
tag gah marauding intentions.
n a war pa and had
been Paeaied, rand were oasadents in the
state of mind which aggravates their innate
thirst for ener an 2; by od. Their excuse,
was taken in good part, and the
neces sof fiendehip intere
rovisions pps

customary presents, they look
for even from waders, Ais Beet oper from
government authoriti
They were fereraing 1 from an expedition
he S| Indians, one of whose

ae
o

village su d, ridger’s
fort, on Ham’s fork pt eibseca are (in the
absence o en

engaged in
an antelope Feat aie ‘aneopedel in

and, in the running fight
had lost salad goes
a number manaied, who

e slow!
early ail the We horses" Spey in had brovght off
os Pages of the whites at
€ nearly

ral | siderable

day there

side of the South Pass
up into rugged and rocky hills of a dry and
barren nature, it has

mou
tainous chara eter the ams which
occasionally occur belonging neither to the
Platte nor the Soleuslies “es lounge them-
selves either in in small lakes
From an eminence, a oon, a
mountainous range became visible in the
north, in which were re i some
rocky longing to the range of te,
weet Water valley; and, determining to
abandon any further attempt e
throngh this almost impraet ;

we arma ee course direct
a Bean)

x she gun-carriage was.
beckon during the neous a: a con-

delay ; and it was late in an un-

pleasant evening lana we poetic ve in

finding a very poor encampm: where

;| there was a little water in a deep trench of

creek, and some scant) ta
shrubs. All game here

consisted in
ew straggling buffalo bulls, aed during the,
been but very little grass,
except in some gree where it had.
ng bray around springs or shallow i
an, Sty miles of the Sweet Watarel thes
anged into a vast saline plain,

evel,

1843.

y growth, among ae were several
varieties or chenopodia ae ae
er ma pre shea
smaller saline neseree

ing with ‘einipala’ luxuriance, and in
many places holding exclusive possession
of the ground..
On the evening of the 8th, we encamped
en one of these fi resh-water lakes, which
the traveller considers himself meets to
find; and the next day, in latitude
servation 490 20’ 06”, halted to noon im-
mediately at the foot ‘of the southern side

ng i eet
Water valley, on the head of a small tribu-

to that river.

Continuing in the afternoon our cou
down the stream, w prom von cuts directly
through the ridge, a very practica-
ble pass, we entered ihe? valleys and, after
a march of about t nine aaa oe on
ya preva ga ogame s by the

of t i shetioes * expedition
thect night ha having already ras ais parm :

in-sto

= reget

twenty ‘miles above the Devil's gate, which wher

we had” been able to see in comi

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
| further south than the one ro had followed

mil
the Baar g tod sae the valle

on our return in 1842.
near the table mountain,
extremity of the

near twent

mF apo very

out 7,000 feet; a pes
good barometer enables
more precision.

recise notice of its loc and di
from leading points, in addition to this
statement of v A in
the report of 1842, its latitude at the point,

e crossed is 42° 24’ 32”; its a
tude 109° 26’ 00”; its distance from t
mouth ns rae esate by the common trav-

elling ro ag om the sare of

bead lane ates to.
an

asses the egon ;
the broad smooth higeoay: “white the a nu-
-merous heavy w

tion, which the barometer here

placed at at 7,220 feet; and during the night

s}un
- | assumed a be about half wa

range of the Ore egon is about 1,400
b common travelling route ; : so that,
general polit of view, it may be
+ honstiae the
acifie ocean, on efor:
Followi

ithe a

ee and the
mmon travelling a
ht and

tl

the
days over el
plains ; to which a aes rating

uniform

growth of

sots lee

ahi Pas ety : ‘ ,
Waters, and crossed it by a road some mi

a rr yer
t, | bank

and on the ae of the 15th we en-
xica) oe on the ee
of Green shiny, OD es from t

latitude 41° 53’ 54”, 1,031 miles
from the mouth of the Kansas. we
headin road to Oregon, which bears:
— to avoid adeae

72

tains about the western heads a Green
viserircthe Rio Werte of the Span
ing the cp “here

mely timbere
the ‘road river, pate: bered shores

ie 8, in > care to its
obta ined = bs ane

eipices of red rock

wilder tribes who inhabit

course, I have heard it calle

refugees from a Californian —
io Colorade. We halted t on at

-eertain a prospect of

\2 =. Indians have strange = pee of bese:

th beaver, shut up
rock in the lower

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

refieshing appearance "of w.

even amo
that portion of its | in
by Indian |i

here leaves the river, which

— current, about
incipally with ie and

he re of sal
r observations.

wagons my a - completely aeacery the
soil, that clouds of fine light dust are raised
aking the road

e
ng our encampmenx
DANG we tavelled along they
mil

ater

myers ss of a willow, = in Sn ee is

oe —— growth of gra

road her averse — twelve miles

across a te of pte river. Passing in the
a two ne crores

3 hundred feet high, with frequent and nearly
pme n

ridge o
tains, plants have been very on in variety,

alls | the eR a being covered principally with
i

river, a short distance above

ic oshonee woman took leave of us
here ecting to er relations
at Bridger’s _ which is only a mile or
two ‘of thi am. In
{tho evening wo encam encamped on a salt creek,
about fifteen feet wide, having ——

a and flocks of sheep,
© pasture in perfect security.

ay postr: ang a

1843.]
One of our mules died here, and in

animals.
country had had neigh aforded was very poor
and insufficient ; nimals nich Bae
been Sommttane becom
weak and unable nS ‘lee when reduced to to
han grass.

those are pealy

ed which are brought to this country
from the States) are not of any rerviceahle

winte » and ac-
omens to live entirely on grass.
Au, .—Desirous to avoid Foray de-

lay not apeokate Usceenery, I se

CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

‘several miles

4

a fine cow, with her calf, which had stare
off from some emigrant party, were found
from the cat and broaglt
into camp; and as she gave an abun
« milk, we enjoyed fa A an ex sath
cup offee

of ¢ We travelled to-day 28
miles, an as been usual since crossing
the Gaee river, road has been very
dusty, and the weather smoky oppres-
sively hot. rtemisia was characteristic

among ihe Ftd lant:
August 20.—We continued to travel up

Jed ty a very gradual ascent and a

son in advance to Fort Hall t nts of arti olneie and ae. clay
to make ngements fe a small supply | rocks, purple, dark red, and yello on-
of provisions A fi from our en-| taining strata of sandstone and lim
campment, road idge, aa shells, with.a bed of cemented

which the trappers called the “little moun- whole overlaid by beds of limestone.
tain,” connecting t tah with the Wi The alternation of red and ow gives a
river chain; and in one of the hills near | bright appearance to the hills, one of which
which we passed I remarked strata s called by our people the Rainbow hill;
conglomerate formation, he oe ts of icine and the character of the ntry became
Were scattered over the We s-|more agreeable, and travelling far more
ed_a ridge of this Potala the rel pleasant, as now we found timber and ve

all

having an oolitic BARS hee which, in
nection we the i
yize us T hele th
side of ie

Rocky i

peated the modern formations of tat Bri

tain and Europe, which Bers hitherto been

Wanting to c pepe the system. of North
American

geology.
In the afternoon we continued our road,

not poner to re
in the vicinity ; but I could not ad
aa delays to which ie be exposed
—or, rather, I
and inev:

ane

lee tiisead an tee

- | good grass.

itable ; mountainous |
r pevionyesiinins 0
speci- |

ieee altasan: hove. 6 |

radu
ed the low er ‘evel of a bed of w

at
by observation, 41° 39’ 45”; and
tinu same baer gros

ie i ciggeg placed
This is “> connecting ridge b
poacteg ‘the Utah
and the Wind ast chain ah the ily
the wal e

mountains, separating
oa California on the east, and those on
ied te
ce fi whose 1
- collected into
outlet
of this yore the highest which iow 2 road
crosses
porno sy ou iow as ore oa
ee appear-
d by the smoky
saa: ahek th a broken ridges
dimly seen. ascent to

found but very poor grass, In the evening

el

‘a camp at our usual hour at the foot

s travel this morn-
ing os oat us into ae: fertile and pictu-|s
resque valley of ‘Bear river, the principal
tributary to the Ph Salt lake. The
stream is eet wide, fringed with
willows and ccasional groups s of a

nt

We
famous ‘lake whith Soot sa
mong the remarkable geographical features
of the country, and around which the vague

gination.

e wandering through =

country in search of ne w beaver stream

caring very little for Ponders ; its is sands
visited ; and none were

be found who had entirely: made the eisanat|
and no instrumental obse:

of its shores ;
tions or

- eaighinring region

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

in; but we found them with-

ed wera

t point|n

sak limit oe the Uni

been seen only by | at

[1843.

grants—two and several chil
dren—who sfeehiek tock to be bringing up the
rear of the great fc I - struck
with the fine appea: cattle,
some six or eight vohskl of 0 oxen, ‘chick really
looked as well as if they a ess as the
at work on som It
was strange to see one sil Bocily fave
ling oie gs such a ty so remote
from civiliza e years sice;
such a securi ty y might bets ‘a a i = one
but since their disastrous defea

low~

abitin ng. at

ecording to baro pivot observation at
oon, the pi tion of the valley was 6,400
feet above the sea; and our enc ampment at

ned Ss ray ei 42° 03' 47”,

b Sieaitvition-the

journey “having been 26 miles, This en-

as therefore within the territo-
v

having been to the Sheth of the 42d degr
of north latitude, oe Baggage 5 seri on Mexi-
can territory ; an the route all the

and
a distant m shed
storm, with a light breexe ge the north.
Antelope and elk w een during the
a on a. oe prairie mere there were
en and geese in the river.

The next morning, in about three miles
from our encam i

It was genera illow es a
‘supposed that it had no o visibla “tear ws debouchement: throug pass about 600
among the trappers, including those in my | yards wide, ih intain ©
own camp, were many who 0 beloved that | hills, rising abruptly on either side, and fe
somewhere on its surface a terrible | ing ig columns to the gate by which it
Berton: rect which nate lashes: — enters Bear valley ’
their way to the o e sub H $uene below § Smith's fork had been two
communication. All these Pag wide, narrowed, as we aces toa
made a frequen of discussion in our | gap 500 ee aes aan during the greater
con ons around the at | part of the ee we a winding route,
t; and my own mind had become toler- river making ve on nonce
| ir indefi i ky, and the val-
i hth ley era so narrow as only to leave
ea? for a passage through.
We made ou our halt at noon in a fertile bot|
"Ito om, where th blue flax was grow-

with a family of

ed our voaddewa: the river,

tiful | ing abundantly, a few miles below the mouth
of Thomas’s of one of the larger tribu-

us | taries of the rive
nly

Crossing, in the afternoon, the road of 2
‘narrow spur, We descended inte a beautiful

1843.]

went directly to our hearts.

The edge
the wood, for several miles along the river,

amps, where the
lazily from eh: fies, Seas which the wo-

g n this
sam —— in order to re 5 vet

imals on its luxuriant ner ater their
lei} journey, std hard

men were pied in preparing the evening
meal, and the children playing in me me ;|u

and herds of cattle, grazing about in the bot-

ada of quie poor, bs aa civil-

ized comfort, that made a rare sight for the
traveller in such a remote wilderne

In common with all the rea gc temas ey
ma At

of the ower end
of this extensive bottom, the rive

through a

oping t ain before night,
we continued our march mie the valley,
10 , until we

So very ea —_ difficult for the gun and
saa e did not reach the summit
ant
_ ‘oosi ‘absolutely es to descend
o the valley for water and grass ; and we

e
weak being PSR Bh left to pass or night
= the ip. ith n

supper. ‘ road, in the ‘monn
ing, presented an mee ted appearance. We
found that we had e ed near ot large

party of

anether party
the valley had resumed its
and the tar jigs off along the mountains

rie obtag side, the road continuing di-
e
ibaa 6c bs hour’s travel we met séveral | m
Shoshonee

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

mokes were rising | forem

‘bows and arrows,—

pre the
travel along the comparatively aes cota Sioux
olu At the <2

s|w
body of th

e ie
hor oa a

n to a}.

g poisonous
ing| whieh i derired by peculiar

f | denly a single horseman emerged from it at
| full speed, followed by another, and another,

and warriors caret dressed for war, with the

long red stre s of their

a
een paren into a sudden satel
arance of our flag, which, among
these people, is as an emblem of
e

few
the . quieted aie excitement
whole band, increasing e

€ gave
blankets, red ae blue cloth, fie ‘kni ves,
and tobacco, and “ee usual other articles of
Indian t hem a
a considerable iatiety of of differ-
ent among legis service-berries
dant

were the most d: several kts

seeds, which meoant eat with
pleasure, as any kind a: cogendie food was
Ila e, for the first

gratifying to us. e her
5

He ngage ‘he Indi to
un — an e ian
= ig ‘olsen, a

wagons,) we continued on
down the valley of the aes. bordered by
high mountainous hills, on which fires

[eller for the first time in a

ar as we could ascertain, were entirely
confined to that foealiag 3 in the botto In
the of the river, in front, for a cede of
several hundred yards, they were very

rain. a the effervescing gas rising up

8
o
i=}
4
e,
&
o
gg
® 3
ol
3
rc)
rs)
oo
rs)
i=]
i
-
a
oe
E

as ina — field. We had travelled —_
the day 22 miles, ree bed in latitude (by

gitude 111° 42’ 05”.

In = meer ects the mountains oy.
peare: mely rugged, giving sk Same
er ab ‘ this > oeagea ural p:

August 2. was a onlin but
smoky ata cag with a cold se
% a tem

"Oo
ee
@
A”
&,
Sonal
>

our encampme

interest—

towards
Lake. A prety little

stream of clear water enters t

of the ba

, and
the course tes! a few

a
| a

observation) 42° 36’ 56”, chronometric lon- t
is

cou.
bing columns. In the vicinity round about
e

re numerous springs of an — differ-
en ~ equally marked mineral character.

i
though it vs maintained in a constant supply,
its greatest height is jog only at regu-

lar a according to the action of the
orce below. It is pacientes
erranean noise, which, er with the

a motion of the water, makes very much the

impression of a steamboat in motion; and,
without knowing that it had been already
: ile :

-| of the Steamboat spring. The rock a
— it is peechearg is slightly raise
e| vex man a

ne:
into an eatin ed form, and is a ca
formed by continued dencnitees: from the

in| water, and colored bright red by oxide of
of this deposited rock.

z
ny
Hak

and, pass ing through the dey at inch in diame

tains,
_eharges into Bear river. Crossin

g this| interval
| stream, we descended a mile below, and| lig
of ceda

taste, have received their name from the
trappers of fa country, who,
in the midst of their rude and hard lives,
are fond of some noe resem-
to the Haman thoy rarely have the

us,
several years since passed by this is place, and
who Beane with very nice observation,

sent eee ae and it was not, there:
fore, taken into consideration. ‘
“Jn the afternoon I wasdered about among \

hich the ’

Mr. Preuss and se
d we observation, and were so well | the cedars

satisfied with its correctness, that w ng
not it pleasant to ¢ ontinue the
ment, as the sensation of giddiness which i

produe ced — — strong and decide
agon, wit

A huge em 4 a large and
pak eran ‘amily, had overtaken us and
halte ted t on at our encampme nd,/s

,

e open grounds are cov-
— Meas an py scences, and there

are ber of regularly-shaped and very
remarkable hills, Ftp ormed of a

cession of con strata “ied ate been

Seas sited by ee waters ns extinct spring?

the orifices o e found o

en up, 0 hom I asked to | summits, some ra them davind the rth ot
and smell the gas, desirous to | funnel-shaped con Othe hese

satisfy myself further of its effects. But | markably-shaped hills re of a red-colored
hi ural caution n awakened by ae entirely bare, and com prinei-
the singular and suspicious features of the of carbonate of lime, with oxide of
place, and he declined my proposal decided- | iron, formed in the ner. Walking
ly, and with a few indistinct remarks ab ear one of them, on the summ which
. dir ag whom he seemed to consider the hate at were dry, 7 at ee n was at-
Th less m — and the around

pay « of the ‘fountain, the red roc
trees near, make this a fe se:

A short distance above the soprings 8
near the foot of the same ery re

ructure,

e and o
pehieds 4 is rere 8 a fossil coral. The rocky
bank

under
e ed I cele repestedly, reir T found e

ich and,
ving thes oe ea ‘ak. et set a hidden
ames which was boiling up from below,

with the same e metallic taste as

re and —

“Spring and our sere rome" alo:
dispersed the r from the hi
‘posed
‘with the remains of moss
-grasses, which is eitakied the devi
Beer or Soda springs, which
to this locality, agree-
‘able, but less highly flavored than the B
ing springs at the foot of Pike’s an which
same c

vee is |

of strata ofa caleareous tufa, | ti
reed-like | cessi

ts, orifices
a velo totkaeel were
“nt itiay ie miniature crat shes: being
eral fe

in di
b
are of the ter. They are very | @ former time, when these dried-up foun-
rous, half hidden by tufts of , | tains were all in ion, they must

which we am ourselves in removing | made a beautiful display on a | scale;
and searching about for more Regi yeam preg- -and nearly all this appears to me to
mated springs. are have been formed under their action, and
deep, and of various eae gael mes seve- | d be ealled the place of. ns. A
ral yards in di r, and kept in constant | the foot of one of these hills, or rather on its
Motion by columns of myn ie gas. By | side the , oP se S
analysis, one quart of water contains as | small limestone columns, about one foot in
follows: — eter base, and tapering upwards
is to a height of three or four feet ; gether
Sulphate of magnesia =. . . ~ 12.10) summit the water is boiling

Sulphate of lime " "> | 2.12 | over, constantly adding to the height oe the
Carbonate of lime oe 3.86 | little obelisks. In some, the only
Carbonate of magnesia. . - 3.22 | boils up, no longer overflowing, and has here
Chloride of calcium Ae 1.33 | the taste as . the Steamboat K
Chloride of Magnesium . 1.12 | The observer ° emark a gradual subsi-
Chloride of sodiam : . 2.24| dence in the pes whisk formerly: lat

egetable extractive matter, c. 0.85-| the fountains all the summits of
26.84 |

i gece ea sis einen eaten

she water had mainly eseaped before it was

formed strata of a very heavy and hard

2 , having a pis ong

lustre when bro keh. The over-

looking the plain are of an entirely diferent
Con

ular quartz.

ing from
pact rock of a dark bei: olor a great
ber of springs having agent ‘and
disagreeably

the w: at a considerably | a
lower level, is Sans lig pat or basin of very
elear water, and apparently of Be groan
dept ia bottom of which the gas
was escaping
places. This water was anes ed ir
small stream, which, in a few hundred putts.
sank under ground, iwaee among the

rocks between the two great springs near
the river, whic it entered by a little fall.
_ Late i afternoon I

mns at on

etric observation gave 5,840 feet for
the gulf, being about
ec "Boi oiling springs,
nature, at the foot of
mical

“he morning of the 26th was calm, and
— clouds, but smoky ; an

3 sunrise 28,59, Atanas
ure of the large Beer

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

n, I} aga

[1843.

that of the Steamboat s; spring 87°; and that
of the steam hole, hear it, 81.59. In

Remaining in camp oath ove i o’clock,
we acted « short distance down the riv-
k a

ays’ eee for
n examination of — at lake
ich is the outlet of this iver, = the
Casio ea ips of geographical interest in
the _ sin, was one of the nue cts c

re ently at Fort Hall.

ock of provis ion zs had again become ex-

low ; we had only qed meat sufi.

ient for one meal, and o
t

any claim to them; and on

I mainly rates for support during our cir-

1y cuit to the

tain which runs me
river here passes.

tion, from the ri ™m
curs, and its pa distinctness

surrounding rocks
ace

seen on the cragey poin
As we we

Toney enderal bytobsn

to
tI

on its way
the lake. |
the »

wil

of e
whites

1843.) CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. — 0

the river walls; and when I reached the |ter at sunrise at 29°. Making an unusually
neighborhood of the hill, the surface of the | early start, we crossed the river at a gooc

plain was rent into frequent fissures and | ford; and, following for about three hours
ehasms of the chong engi volcanic rock, a trail which led along the bottom, we en-

there was not enteiaut light to sdivateate | ridge, and halted to-noon in the ravine of a
fermen and which I had not time to de-| pretty sd stream, timbered with cotton-
end. Arrived at the summit of the hill,} wood o arge size, ash-leaved maple, |

0 cu a
paces in jeer rt oa 60 feet at| very extended views pre
the faqs depth. The walls, whi Green river Mood = ba no
perfectly e bae, and Siniacd lke erties There was a slight rain in thd ypeersst o> r part
_ ry in a very regular manner, we mpos- | of the day, and at noon, when the thermo-
ed of a brown-colereh scores hs evi- | meter had risen to 79.5°, we had a brighs
a moder i li.

3
®
Lax 3
o

fire,
whith gee left noe contorted and twisted | emerged on an open green flat among the
by its violent ac hills, timbered with groves, and bordered |
Our route firing the afternoon was a lit-| with cane thickets, but without water. A |
tle rough, being (in the direction we had| pretty little rivulet, coming out of the hil!)
* taken) over a volcanic plain, where our aa side, and overhung by tall flowering plants |

gress was sometimes obstructed by fissures, | of a species I had not hitherto seen, fur- ‘

and black beds com sa of fragments of ished us with a good camping plac @
e rock. On both sides, the mountains ap-| evening was cloudy, the temperature at

peared very eat but pervert well tim-| sunset 69°, and the elevation 5,140 feet

bered. mong the plants occurring along the line
August 26.—Crossing a point of ridge of road during the day, émnettes des ee

which makes in to the river, we fell upon | ries (grindelia squarrosa) was in consid

it again b encamped on the ble abu , and is among the very few

right bank, opposite e encampment of | plants aren le

three lodges o 2 5 s. They visit-

Snake Indian try havin umnal appearance,
ed us during the evening, and we obtained | in the crepe and yellow Lome, and dried-
from them a small quantity of roots of dif-| up gra: n dur-
ferent kinds, in exchange for goods. Among | ing the cn wiih a vine naan, 4 sary shy
the: a sweet root of very pleasant fla- | and wild.
yor, having somewhat the taste of preserved} August t 28. Raina the “ we had a

ince. endeavors to become acquaint- | thunder storm, with moderate rain,
| ed with the plants which furnish to the In-| has made the air this morning ve
- dians a portion of their support were only | pre thermometer an at 559. rin}
gradually successful, and after long and per-| our encampment a e Cane > and
severing attention; and even after obtain- per Praes the trail on which we had been
ing, I did not succeed in preserving them | prvhendny tse and which ait fe Sobabipave
ye : ed

root cut up into su sich small pieces, | about an hour’s travelling, again
be dhe Mthags entified by its taste, | the river. We were now in a valley five
when the bulb was met with in ee form|or six miles wide, between mountain

i,
y afer “ slow and winding day’s march of 27
_| encamped at a slough on the river.

were of and,
ig = PE Pig the
ians having robablyn adet wild.
teesioe in fishing,
A skunk, (mephitis

t
an in-
app sieeiNes a lake country.
e had frequent showers of rain during the
with puniet

rainy clouds m e horizon; ; rain

ad n
squalls and ce sunshine by i intervals. I) these
h Basil to explo -

rode ahead w

ree marked gaps in the bor-

| range, where the untains. ap-

wate cut through to to their yee towards

clnaper the river plain rose gradually. Put-

go wines into a gallop on some fresh

a. whic shamed. rae pa in the
wet path, we cam enly upon

mall | reac
of Sho souce indians, who had fallen

into the trail fi the ‘nort e could

only commun ce signs; but they

made ws understand that the road through

the chain was a very e excellent one, ged
y ch ran

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

e thermometer at sunrise | ed

shelving point, to pace: the shru

were obliged in es

road for the dere e oe thee h the wo
ua

and so wii of the Gre

and such s animals as chance and great

good fortune sometimes bring within their
are miserably

We halted to noon i th are gathered together in
what may be called the guia of the mes villages. ‘Those who live together in vil-

on either aide of which w uge lages, ai Seem d by association, are
tains of rock, sila ‘ebich ae a “pita exclusive possession t ore genial
pure water str with a margin just suf- | and sie parts of the country; while the
passage. <From the | others are driven to the ruder mountains,

gradually risen to an|and to the more inhospitable
and, by meridian | country. y acrate observing, in ac-
obs latitude of the entrance | companying us along our road, you -
was 420, come better with these Ah se
In the interval of our usual halt, several | than we could make you in any other

of us wandered along up the stream to ex-
amine more at

leaving a very narrow, but most
valley, thro which the little stream

wound its way, hidden by different kinds of |

re s spen, willow,
cherry, and elder ; a fine verdure of smooth
short read over th

ould
a very ee berpickirc and you will find

imal thing,
Nearly sptenchiag to the lower ani-
mal creation, their sole e eg tebe is to
obtain fe and t eS iy

Standing reik: which has fallen from
the cliffs adore, 2 nd s' standing ndic ularly
near the of the ey 1 agestinnyi it-
+ | self like h pass. It
will give you a tolerably sete "jie of be
character of the sce. in this count

a

1843.)

of foliage, and a. yards wide,
trasts with n: crags that spire up into a
blue line a pinnacles 3,000 feet. above, |
meets rested with cedar and pine,
some

Namek oa bare.
The J detention that we met with in open-
ing the Linh pa perhaps a willingness to
linger on

travel a ae abo

=
&
3
3
5,
a

r gate,
and e pedo t the junction
of a little fork pistes < wi Sat around
hich the mountains a ners gently
down, forming a small open
As it was still early in ey afternoon,
Basil and epnlgoe in one direction, and

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

sun, T obtained here,
gave 42° 14’ 22” for our latitude, and |
barometer indicated a of 5,170 feet.
. number of Indi
ver to visit us, py several men were sent
tc the village with goods, , knives,
cloth, vermilion, and the trinkets, to
eg for provisions. But they had no.
game of any kind; and it was ult to

obtain ~ roots from ses as they were
miserably poor, and i but ai. hi

from hao winter s stock of pro Sey-

eral of the Indians drew aside ‘hee banks,

showing me their lean and bony figures ;

and I would not avis Coder tempt them with
a display of our merchandise to part with

Eres n another, set out to explore me ian wretched gs nance, wie they gave
untry, aa ascended different perenporing as a reason that d expose > to

Sais n the hope of seeing s indica- | temporary starv wise a pia t portion of
tions of the lake; but though our ya Resa the region inhabited by this wens pate
orded. magnificent views, the eye rang- aboun ded in game ; the buffalo ranging about
ing over along e of Bear river, with | in herds, as we had fou nd het et n the east-

the broad and sigh ane ge ~ ce
tere

rection 0

n a bed of poh hk, pd
mountains. mong the oats the trail we
been following turne

y to the no ar

had | that n

now, as we journeyed along, an occa-

sional buff lo skull a a few mi antelope

were all rated remained of t undance
which had covered ye country Ee animal

with some lightning and thunder. :

ugust 30.— had constant thunder

during the night, but in the morn-

ing the clouds were sinking to the horizon,

and the air was clear ae cold, psa re
Elev

pass withou
“The bil hills on. the right grew

entering a more open coun-

> Ww | Maicost..2 Shoshonee village ; | mense
desirous to oo oe i

eA OLOL Een

Californ:
| Lewis’s fork of the Columbia river; the
| meridian of Fort en forming the

ife \
The extraordinary rapidity with which
the buffalo is disappearing from our territo-

Freaks a n

hk tak rag spr 1824, at

Bear river valleys, and through all the

country tween the or

Green river of the gulf br ia, and
Hall th

a ten moved dei the alley

and >
sie Columbia, on both sides of the river
ing falls. Below this
i numbers

Savcuey vs

diminish very rapidly, and continue

crease until 1838 or 1840, when, with the
country we just desc - en
tirely aban e Pa-

at.
the habit of finding their buffalo o
heads of S: mon river, and other tent of

of ee ~ seemgp or the plains of the Yellow-
pe Sones

ta enue of our journey it will be re-
Bint “that the buffalo have not so Se atk
aband e waters of the n the

ocky-mountain ce south of se Sw eet

Water, as in the oothieey Wor f the oo

ass. This partial distribution can onl
accounted for in the great nieestin ‘beauty
arks

been one of fa eerste haunts,

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
a we

[1s43..

dians, more particu larly those low down up-
on Lewis cuietah oe en

erevenal vs to trappers teh the

great kindne ess oa oe freduenty
|) wt Mage cpr we to them, in driving: the
n the Co

aaity abundance of the buf
the Rocky m

di seinutieny
°

rom an
Rocky mountain ages journeying by the
most direct route the Missouri river ;

t|and, during the ha ri distance,
would be alw ays among noe bands of vm
falo, which would never be of his view

until he arrived ee within sight of the
abodes of civilizatio
t this time, t are ffalo occupy but a
very limited space, % peieipally along the

0 a co
between the Platte sas rivers,
nd along the gente ‘eontie of ae Mex-
ico as far south a
The te satemndnt which I owe to
oe f Mr. Sa nf

oa traders, oe
u y years pas

and from that ~tirrely ‘slo! the greater met

tion of the ane and oe furs were taken

aa ness rd, a partner in
Am oer Company, will further

ns ees “this. subject, by extensive now
ledge acquired during several years of travel
through oa region inhabite d by the buffalo;
ve The tal amount of robes sms
traded a aecnil and others t be

although always the most dangerous as s well | will ni
as the most ble eet ground. ound to differ much from the following
In that region lying ween the Green| statent
poder Noto, am rose - an Fur Company, 70 008
: aes:
yah, White, ; ond whee ‘whi Hudson's Bay Srp ae - + 10,000 ,
are the waters of the Colorado—the buffalo| All other companies, 10,000
‘so far to the westw
they did on the waters of the Columbia; and —— atotalof . . . 90,000
only in one or two instances have they been erage annual return tie the last
n escend as far west as the mouth eight i iin years.
of White river. In travelling through t “In the northwest, the Hudson’s Bay
country west of the Rocky mo ns, ob- | Company purchase from the Indians but a
servation readily led me to the oe ion a rege: ounbenciaiiel no me a
that the buffalo had, for tl o which the cost
ed that range to the waters of the Pacific near iy pei the produce or _ furs; ail
a fe’ ~ is only within a very recent period that
they have receiv in trade ;
and out of the great number of buffalo an-
nually killed throughout the extensive re-
gions inhabited by the Camanches and other
kind. tribes, no robes w er are fur-
for trade. Durin our months
of the year, (from November until March,)
the skins are good for dressing; those ob-
‘tained in the remaining eight months being
| ess to traders ; and the hides of bulls

retainer

5 oc

yet at this time askin i is never taken for
purpose of trade.”

which are certainly
t to draw

seader is lefi own inference of
illed.

o
Be

pidly Fini
failure ate ee principal cas thei

only m of subsist
saan

as the
Btate of affairs, tag oie that they are per-
fectly prepared. These a

probable that

tend itself to Aa Utabs, who a ser sen
he Sioux. It is in

try that rvation

oan led me to recommend the estab-

Tee of a mil ciacy: rae:

r narrative
falls and ib dened acai
t dis position f the buffalo in

pa! d _ I
inguish only five or six di a
Minds and the supply of the Indians

ttle-

they no
would pr rtaly be be a war of extermigation, |
of this

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

imals | dians inf

dat:
ited, oa decidedly within bounds, the | the

stele:

e} encampment to its junc
R

ally miry, =
w Ww

us that we sh

here k i
ereasing in height to the Lori On

D;
here, the yor which
leaving the — plains.

night had such a hungry pol , that
suffered the iit e cow to be killed, and di-
vided the roots and berries among ‘the
A aes of Indians from the village
edn

Our cam)

sails the next ss wy clear,
the nae * su
continue down the sais 3 in meal five
miles we followed the — ereek of our |
with a larger
stream, called Roseauz, or inal river. Im-
mediately 0 a gang on the right, the range
hi sloping
se oaile enacts et eee
some miles below.
Betw cents (no coe tale sre
and 9p foot of the ourneyed
along a handsome egies Geek? which _
quent eyeing from the hills made

oe

alted to noon at on woe
e good

spring, e there were and
abunda ere ver was forty
feet wide, with a considerable current; and

wit at 71° By
tion, our latitude was “a0 59’ 31, cat the
elevation above the sea 4,670 _ On. our

left, this afternoon, the at long inter-
vals for itself into peaks, ap

pe, about forty miles below, in a
rocky ca which, several others
were faintly i ; and we were disap-

to make their ir appear- \

\
water of which had acquired a a decidedly
pm

te moun

, betwee

and 4 high, ris noes nen
< eme clouds, tek ‘il day rested upon
gleamed out in the occa-

while it rained on
in the valley below, of which the elovation
here was about 4,500 feet above the
The country before us plainly es that
we were a a’ the ae
the ground wher ing af.
forded ved elevated 1 pint nahin of it as yet

]

see t distane
ahead were Sch —_* Seuaen re
sembling islands, which they were after
wards found 2. upper plain the
grass er ; and among
the shrubs with eens i ie almost exclu-

ae’ the ~—s
t,) freque sites ence om
clusters of several specie

- bloom

frequent shrubs. Descending
of Bear river, we found good grass for
eé animals, encamped about yards |
above the mouth of hich here
pe — without communicating
aay
- — armas water remains ations pure
are only willow shicketestoidig
por Temp and in the bottoms the abun
plants are canes, and helianthi,
the

our | the Indians, we put to

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

: ee large b

aie ce , and the

mom “sce five
or aa persons “_ a considerable — of
seaux being too

bite ITiage
across. Thinking tut ——

of t ght reach the ae at the
lake, I got into the ea with Basil Lajeu-
| nesse, e n Bear river, intend+

cused to one _—— yards
water so de

e 5 fee
ouhas sie were alternately low bottoms
and willow points, Asay an occasional high

prairie ; and for five six hours we fol-
lowed slowly the mating course of the
river, which crept gene with a sluggish
current g freque ssn “ava several
es d, ee g for a con-
oe distance direc ce a the Same
t | As were seahing quietly d the

mi tr ob in
ows, ver
gers, wh
on the shore

several w raind ct

of eatchin

put to the shore near a high
prairie bank, hauled up me bot and cached
ndi

aot

f atel

where we landed, the high arable cae tly |
which we sn been t ravelling for several
days past term nated in extensive low yc
iow Saale occupied by salt marshes, 0:
s shallow 1

d
sho t ack-barn willows ; the stream being | m
and sluggish, a and sometimes 600

d the
west side of the sie filling the clear sky
ai a —— ellen; These last rays, to
0 prec.

ne, soon diss
and I obtained during the night emersions
of the second, third, and fourth satellites of
Jupiter, with ‘observations for time and lati-

.

—The morning was clear, |

Sep. 3
with a light air from the north, and the
ther eter at sunrise a i

‘O58

distant; and in the meant time there
was a a spot of grass
animals.

ound was so pa that we

e gr
could not ae high enough to see across tlie |

d
On the dey salt marsh ducks flew over the camp. |

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

not baae revealed a} was

re/forcthe | rran

marsh here, is scaree any}

great
| over. The para: with ‘the ©
crossed in the boat, and

Descending the river for about three miles

in the afternoon, we fo
farther 4 travelling in
stream being sprea

evidently o oreo lake, me

t
though the odin and ganae = tail covered

er was ered with 2 |
a of willows and canes, among which ©
were : _ —_ ae w wth va scat-

tered a marsh was
se “closely allied “ U. spicata of our
Phe

Although the m
semen rte ble ; and
ning an oer: of the fir
lite, ith the usu ore — ations: A
neseiaatr observ

; and, according to the
| barometer, in elevation mai 100 feet above the
e;| gulf of

Mexico. Then s clear,
considerable — whic oe “had remarked
nee the ‘first of Septem

hs: Deigte: who, in company wi
,» had

emigran
vance of ‘Mr. Fitzpatri trick, and was about
a his journey to Vancouver.

about five miles up the seserd

=e othe al
pe stam difficulty in gettin,

ed son: the Tefe-bank where 5

anatere oe

esalaie Wathen spring of pure
eral

night, with a thunder vers ata dist:
September 5.—Before us was evidently
the bed of — rs being a great salt marsh,
ectly level and bare, whitened in places
saline pt amiemete with here and there
nd having the a

jeter
great
psimert = a _ a a plants, which
appear to rubby salicornia, or a

dt
Abo mile es sto se southward was one
of ewe clased i

abundant water plant with a white blossom.
There was good

-(e jij purcum) which I here sa
for the fi oer time.
Clear creek.

We “continued our er soit the moun-

y mark-
rose-colore:

granular stig: is evidently. an al-

; the lines of de-
It is rock
moun

Were sev ey nese — prob-
species, the still green ;
thickets of

anew

miry
; —- wane which were

We named the sciitin gre

86 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. [ 1843.
At sae the ee t| In one of these, the thermometer stood” at
350, and there was some rain daring ths 136°, and in another. a t 1329.5

and the
water, which spread in pools over the low
ground, was color as

At —
in,
view rs enteri

= om trail we had been follow-
me oo with

a. Weber’s fo
red off towards the lake, and en-

amen on this a Sasori as 100 to 150
feet wide, with hi and vei

pure water, Suan o- slightest i indication
of s

alt.

Rarer mtr ite the encampment
early, we n directed our weer the
peninsular aie abr a low s hrubby plain,
crossing ze the w with
8, vies Stone d ain civic aia of

e loaded with |

This time we reached the butte

withihet any difficulty, and, ascending to the

slough

| summit, a at our feet beheld the

object of © xious search—the waters o!
the Inland Sea, sivetchaae’ in still and soli-
ur far beyond the om of our
of the
erm over
emotions of en plea-
sure, | am doubtful if the followers of Balboa
felt ee vege. = ree "the heights
of the r the first time the

were looking, a storm burst do

den fury ge npeirsclt a Es
ialaade froun ulti viaw e could
see, along Seen aca

analysis of the red earthy matter de-

*
ns posited inthe bed ofthe ream fom the springy

gives the following rest
eta ba iron —
C. cae

chert tir a ba
Sulphate of

) evening clear and | calm,

1843,]

and on = seers mrs ws smd
the thered

arest point to
ake where a — camp could be

found, we ction our course to one of

groves, re ith handsome en-

ee some cumuli.

ber '7.—TI calm and
clear, _ a temperature at sunrise ser 399.5.
The day rie ei in active preparation for
our intended on the lake. On the
of the sectanin a favorable spot was se-
lected: - a grove, and, felling the timber, we
made ng coral, or horse pen, for
shined and ~ little ‘fort for a , who
were bably in
the country of ‘the — ieddinclad ys none
reside upon the la The India-rubber boat
was repaired with feepured cloth and gum,
ie filled with air, in readiness for the ail

The provisions — Carson had brought
with him being xhausted,

pews reduced to a st deaieg of —_ I
—— to retain with me only a

men for the exccation of

idan and ga a were

ache back to Fort Hall, und rede

of Frangois Lajeunesse.

y
ies

¢wo, reaching the fort about a week after-

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, travelling
ong the emigrant road in full march
the er Columbia. The leader of this

and our | find

undefined
| generally associated.

antes first ever at~

ennai this interior sea; and
with Derosier, Jacob (the colored man),

eo eee eee We: ~

were favored with most = weather.

Tonight there was a lant sunset of

den which left the

range green,

western aky clear and beautifully pure; but —
— in the a made me lose an occulta-

mmer frogs were i
soma us, aad the exaning. was very
pone emperature of 600—a ni
a m For our
we ieadiigiiia yampah, the most agreea ably flavored _
of the roots, seasoned by a small rat duck,
which had come in the way of Jacob's rifle.
Around our fire

on :

we should find every ee of ge islands

a tang sass of tre shru y

teeming with game of every description that
r a

Neither, in our discussions,
and other mysterious en,
h Indian hunter’s stories
to this unexplored lake. The men had dis-
ered that, instead of being strongly
(like that of the preceding year, which had
so triumph e the cations of p-

se- | per Great t Platte), so — boat was —

— together in a very insecure mi
e maker hav ving con ween so little time
cons that he i to

before , Was a cer
ee ee pa SON se aR
Cl 4

September 8.—A calm, clear day, with a
ri i - In view of our

and were now placed in the boat, with our | division, waters of the’
b and instruments, consisting of «| rivers from the y water of the lake,
sextant, telescope, spy-glass, thermometer, | which was urated with common’
=e : i Pushing our little vessel across the
ee a8 suantipob ot a w boundary, we sprang on board,
very, pleas age down in | at ah: ldbegh were afloat on the waters of the’
wich. there ons coanaia eight or ‘ten ‘fect unknown sea
of ing as we e did not steer for the pneen
in the latter part of the day. In the cane islands, but dir mee our course towards a
lower. one, which it had been decided we

require

constantly at the bellows, to keep them
pee Rone full of air to eg the boat
Although had made a very oe start,
ch on the way—stopping
and nee silently
Bose et a shot at # goose
that it was Sista in the sg aed we reached
the outlet. Th

—

g obliged to om
en tei on a
s and young ie:

3 evening
3; we made a sire

next
was enlivened by millio

—e (by ebservation) 410 1l* 26’; and h

longitude 112° 1
ember 9. The day was. me and
thermometer at sunrise at 49°

to make
the day i us for our adventure. The
distance became so shal-

pet

Satsang ed

Bear river va
touch the bottom with our paddles, we were
very: gay 5
om we became mo ba
u of gum cloth distended with a
with pasted seams. ug was
very calm, there was a considerable wesiine
the Jake; and there w
foam e surface, whi

moving to the southward, indicating the set
18)

hat are those yonder ?—won't
you just take a look with the glass?” We
ceased paddling for'a moment, and fo
hem caps 0}

the eyl-
inders cane way, and: it — the con- _
stant use of the bellows to keep in a suffi-
cient ute of air. ia a long time we
1 to approach our island, but
rougher

4

us to see the bottom ats considerable

Tt was a handsome sir
landed, behind which the hill, into which
| the island was gathered, rose somewhat ab-

rock.
the successive banks of the beach,
formed by the action of os waves, our atten-
tion, as we a and, had been
attracted by one 10 to 20 feat i in breadth, of

m)
to the depth of seven or eight and twelve
th

inches, entirely e larve of insects, or,
in common |:

e

uding to subject some months af-
aes when t thevalling thro wi m

™m oe of this na ag

witht Mr. Joseph Walker, 2

an old hunt I

a

of the eat € Californian range, he
@ party of ral Indian families encampe
near a small salt lake, who abandoned their

5

the next morning, ae
Mr. Walker
these, or a similar worm, that chi ‘bags had
been filled.

trap- | ing
pers were not proof against 2 prejudices,
ct- | As we loo

_ the re Mr Walker food was y reje
alker had fu rther ¢ opportunities 0 of

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

any -vihers

d | to determin ne, to be connected

sansb am inclined to think pom arnrsme same

88
lately had been salt. Exposed to be more
perfectly ried in the sun, this became ve

white and fine, |

the lake,

as the distance and

low ri e mou
These are probably the islands stro indi-
of this region er Fe de-

tached from the shore ie catuaeh
operations was when waters ~tertynl at
their | stage. 1¢ season of hi
‘waters in the spring, it is ble that
low grounds are overflowed, and
the surface of the lake i greater.
1 places w of unlimited

ore unwillingly re-
solved to terminate our cares here, and

what we

—
add to the unknown geogra-
phy of the region. We felt pleasure also in
mbering we were the first who, in
the country, had

were
i every side to. the water, giving us a perfee
wants | view of the island, which is twelve or thir

simply a

| light in a congenial air, growi
dinary “wer wee to eight ‘feet high,
— was very t of
island, where it was almost the only
is eminentl ne shrub; its
ves have a very salt taste ; peat it luxuri-
ates in saline soils, where it is usually a cha-
. It is widely diffused over all this
Psat Ac
species of oprone (O. rigida,
rem.) was Spey characteristic of the
| rts of the island. These two are
jg co plants on — island, and belong
_ toa alaes of plants orm

very large si the

shore, near the water, was a woolly species
of phaca ; a new epecies “of emabeBuleneeb
plant (leptotemia) was tered about in

very considerable abu: laine These con-
parca the vegetation that now appeared
e accidentally Jeft-on the summit the brass
cover to the object end ies aya spy-glass ; and
as it will “sp age
by Indians, it w
ietvtoipense fotu re tra’ aes ur excur-
sions setae the island, we did not pret with
any k animal; a magpie, and another
larger bird, probably a by the smoke
of our a paid us a visit
the only li

evening, which place our
in latitude 41° 10” 43", and oat Sotate | hors
1122 ay 05'' from From a
cussion of the

clin
Hah

if Tn
e felt from the dieaipas

tion of our dream of the f fertile islands, I | growing on the lo
island.

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

ia energie s shrub, which | i
ida, T

other
| OnE (O. confertifolia— Torr. §

heavily on the shore, making our island
tremble. I had not expected in ma inland
ocean ;

of the place, made this one of the most in-
pitt a I remember during our —
expeditio

- | men, and Teluctantly g gave up my intention of

bed. There wasa : general shout in the boat
when we found ourselves in one fatho! — and
we soon after landed on a oe point of
immediately u butie peninesls,

he

the ~— which was
; Basilaccom oo hit to to bring back
horses for the boat and
he rude-l

eee

ee with inte

1843.] CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. or
_ entirely covered. low plain soem — t Lake obtains its salt.
| which we rode to a mp was ed longer, we shtedd i have nm we in its
, compact growth of shrubs of sueatinary bed, and in the
size and Juxuriance. The soil was sandy| By rvation, the latitude of this camp
_ and saline; flat places, resembling beds | is 41° 15’ 50"’, and longitude 112° 06’ 43".
of ponds, that were bare of vegetation, and| The o s made duri ur stay
covered with a powdery white salt, being give for the rate of the chronometer 31”. bi
in ed among th bs. Artemisia

tridentata was very but the plants
= cen saline

people, who, having been unable to see any-
ake, had begun to feel

supply of ong vaporated o
the fire, the five gallons of water yi
fourteen pints of very fine-grained and.

ite salt, of which the whole lake may be
Yehanie ; ;
of the salt thus obtaine has been subjected | ri
to analysis, giving, in 100 parts, the following
proportions

Analysis of the salt.
Chloride of Soi t aro ary ae

97.80

Chloride of calcium . 0.61
Chloride of magnesium. . . . . 0.2

mere of dia ee ee a eee
Sulphate of lime . ee a ee

100.00

std apaall: ate

hward. mountai
sist of the blue rieesdee
the | served in

rresponding almost eam with the rate
s fort. Ba iead:

Badia a t St. Vra

‘ort. rometri
r- | ob venient were mary hourly during the
d n yam-

bien ne
supper; but @
ill distinguished us pipe
our Digger acq es.
tember 12. The morni
and calm, with a temperature m4 sunrise of
— med our Fig late in the
day, returning by nearly the Ae route
tere ch we had travelled in to the
lake ; and, avoiding th vine awthorn:
uck the hills a little below the acd
salt springs.

amped early o
of the’ high ridge ; one of =
we ascertained by measurement to be 4,210
feet above the lake, or Goien 8,400 feet above
ors sea. Behind these fro the ridge
rds the r . river mountains,
lank are rag as — ror oma
river arm

| well tim
them were re birch ( » (etula), the ——4

r¢

of willow (sal ii), catgut) a

der (alnus viridis), and kal

me to quercus alba, but very distinct from
that or any other species in the United

S

tes
We had to-ni, siseeieedahe: Anil

atc Carson killed near
ool, the thermometer

lohowes badd ols
to the northward,

the same ridge
| alternating here with a arc oa gat
mentioned. One of

ee eee |

'| was broken up into several channels ;

iy Deh hills Nagar black, ‘and apparent-

.

encamped on Bea
river, ne at below a cut-off, the cafion
by wh

Valivy Beals

ae gives incorrect h
the res ult obtained from ‘the ceenton

a4

~ sengten ccording to
he longitude i ed 112° 05’ 12”, and
» the latitude “41° 42” 43'S, All the |

a de garce. It was n
an epoca: supply of provisions from | parti
be in the neighborhood; an

the gun was fired at
aes our locality, but met with no re-

“September 14.—About four miles from
the trail led us down to

v:
evening, to give ies
L

a kind of naked

pi of buffalo robe >. |
the squaws had just gathered about a/

gin nreuen)
bat ay pis time the grass is | size

carrots, as I hare wo io8
oe are cam not Il flavored, re=)
quiring only a long p tar hey had |

— Ss twelve or fifteen ap-

growing in the sunshine with
nso as s little labor as the plants they were
eating.

Shortly afterwards we met an Indian on
horseback who had killed an anclaen which
we ge from him for a little powder
d some balls. We cross ed

e

encamped close by us, us, with a good Se gio of
provisions—fiour, rice, and dried

even a little butter. Excitement os
e wakef an a sa a breakfast
— sunrise the es o we

n the road, up the
d aes, pee some ‘high point of hills, and |

halted = noon on the samestream, near seve~ /

es of Snake Teens, from whom
w me tb
w ich eter ol xo fon el

he kooyah,
is large, soak a 7 bright _— my with
the chara ully de-

am |

The bottoms
are extensive ; comaeamiale timber suffi-
cient; the soil aa, and well to the

Ss: s suited to such an —
military post,

ed region
settlement, kre be of great ales aaa I
er

fow

ita Aste subsistence; eet its quantity will
sustain any amount of cattle, and make this

: — a = colic region.

et here an Indian family on horse-

sea—probably only an uncertain approxima-

tion, as at the time of rr. it was

blowing a violent gale d from’ the

northwest, wvith cumuli peastanes in masses
ay ot

over the sky, bright
ar. We descended, bya steep slope, into
a broad ; from fou
to five sntlonteiaet coming down immediate-
ly upon one of the Pan-
k river, which i
ground. The appearan the ry

t
generally

being calm

a tempera
velling seven or

reach
ot pl not high

ably bright, and

Longitude, from mean of satellite and chro-
112° 297 527";

io 44? 40)

r é 3 we emerged’
Cyn lumbia, i in ight of the
wn land-

occa
a| er; and Ateeueatiy after a very frosty morn-

w hours would render

o

+

=

, a

a-*
rE
3

-

boa

e left.
rs found on itat night a warm and

comfort- ,
frequently du-

and latitude,

cough wheel

the western "Bates,
et

tan‘, were the white walls of the
fort. The Portneuf runs along the upland
- oaapbngge nearly to its mouth, and an abrupt
nt of — 200 feet brought us down
immediately upon the stream, which a

wide, hree feet ns tone
‘clear water, a swift current, a
Meg higher up the breadth

the bottom
number of a ve ie ih remark-
ably clear water and

who came on oe os Hall when we went to | P.

the lak we had the erage:
to find al well, neither party havin ith
Cc

i
any mis in Fon our sepa
ration. They, t had their share of
fatigue and scanty provisions, as there had

igration It
hdl rigidly b hu sbanded oa stink of flour and
poe provisions, in view i the approaching
j

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

t the | wou

eore with comma deep _
ry great | ble hard

beds. At) sunset
d Ca

esson, M. Creely, Fran-
gois Lajeunesse, Basil unesse. Among
se, I tted very pai —— Basil .
sacha one of the best my party,
win was obli ged, by the condi of his
family, to be at home in the coming winter
r preparations having been oe om

bin Pants of <n usd here, both part

re ready this
et reg

orning to resume their

before us. genet ene there is a greater quantity of
—This ‘morn ing et wood n its construction, Fort Hall very

very dark sia F aapsee at day i it yee ig posts whic
orld thickly, and coninved coe day, rg been sole desoribed to you, oar
with cold, disagreeable weather. sunrise | would be another excellent post of relief for
the temperature was I a to emi, It is i low, rich bottom
fort, and pure Mr. Grant (the | ofa sie apparently 20 miles long, formed
officer in charge of the post) several ve uence 0 river with

necal.
once Night came in

whic
great iatisfertion:; =e one being killed at 2
evening, gaiet) humor

e at pact

t ut nine miles below the fort, and
narrowing gra dual to the pats of the
nack river, where i

t has a breadth of

Allowing 50 miles
ngs 0

» its along the

from the town of West wtt, on

/
CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

1843.] 95
the Indian who are unsettled in local- foot, were luminously white—an in-
ity and very uncertain in their di pi commencement of the autumn,
and which, with the necessary facilities for of which this was the first day.
the repair of their equipage, wou able ember 24.—The thermometer at sun-
afford them relief in stock and e was 35°, a blue sky in the west
the produce of the post, would be of extraor- promod a fine day. The river bottoms
dinary value to the emigration. . Such ere are narro swampy, with frequent
t (and all fet which may be establish- sOnEne; rossing the Facls
Oregon) would naturall e Toad pana alon

in many , desolate and inhospitable of willows, at the upper end of a group up of )
regions. race: about half a mile above the American
I subjoin an analysis of the soil in the | falls of Snake river. ig {
river bottom near Fort Hall, which will be here, some. bushes of Levis and
of assistance in ann you to form some Clarke's currant (rides aureum). The
correct idea of its gen = Geaates in the | river here enters between i mural gen
neighboring county. I characterize it as | which consist of a fine ig pe
good land, but the analysis will show its | the intermediate portion Rp |
precise properties. crystalline. Gradually becoming thor in
its downw , these of se
spines of soil. ated volcanic rete form, with pas ascigs =
terruptions, characteristic feature
+ ie nl mf ES hiss Fk | "e os the whole line to the Dalles of - Lower
eeu Bac: a! bia, resembling a chasm whic
Carbonate of lime + nee. &. 51 ¢ :
rent through the ntry, and which
ae pthed — et eae, pea ies ne river had afi rwards eee for its pe
q : e immediate valley of the river is a igh
Organic vegetable m matter wae pass abi rat covered with rd te cks and arte:
ss : : In uth is a Luma range oy
paniiatan which, altho not very high, |
100.00 | are broken ¢ i WS anf
a great distance to the north is seen the hi
observations place this post in longi- | snowy line e Salmon river yo

r
tude 112° 29° BA", i tiade 43° 01°. 30’!, and
in elevation above t
= leave of the hom pa , Ww
resum: own is valley, the
weather being very cold, and th
n hard which the wind blew di-
orde

gf hehe
the wate

river being een up to the oa and | sk
After the e gust, the i
d

about 110 yards wi

ing en a a ee
ily y, with a light air
peg southward Profited bein,

e | li mountain known

rain com- | di

gf eagiat

h pate very apts by the soil _— wet ‘ae
vered with artemisia bushes,

ame entirely co

Be ang At noon we encam

of
in front of which stand out prominently ig
the ~ the mig — ragged looking
onl as the
Three "Buttes.

us 54°.
A few hundred y.
the left bank of the river, is an
which we obtained some

‘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
are scattered cedars, with an
rocks and sage. We travelled
14 miles, and encamped in afternoon
iver, on a rocky cree
which was entirely mt os with boulders
or

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

at | ma
evening was at 55°, the sky almost wie
and

[1843,

— could r

their route lay through a country a ab-
ited by wild and badly dis Indians, and
in game; but the “on Ww

cast, the barometer indicated an e eleva- ness and decisi

tion of 4,400 feet. meantime, Mr. Chiles had passed a en the
Se er 26.—Rain ee soot night, Columbia with a of ten or twelve men,
nie ‘temperature at sunri with the intention of reac’ the settle-
‘elling along the sae: in near 4 pore. at me: Sac direct
a picture nate to which we | course, which indefinite information from
gave the name of “Fall reek. It is - ters had indicated in th on of the
able for the many falls which occur in a | head waters of the Riviér heurs
posed of a | and having obtained there a reinforcement

ealeareous tal, -~i le rock, composed | of animals, and a supply of provisions, meet
principally of remains reeds the wagons before they should h hed

om resembling that at the Basin spring
€ soadal along the river — had been

e rection
At the time of their

ing to Upper California ander: the
: oe

the Sacramento a great
mass of mountains, eg 85g Sierra Ne-
vada, here ri

as the Great
Californie mouhiain, wiser were at this
ting

t| give you e information of the
which stesdal sae nodule of these ad-
a | venturous traveller:

upon.
ur — we mel be es. to
fortune

course 0!

Having discove ire Tror, we imm
diately regained the the ‘sae the Geen
which the pe quitted about noon, and en-
camped at 5 o’clock on a stream ca
river (Riviere aux a ne having travelled
nly 13 miles. In t orth, the Salmo:

aft river
rocky, and tolerably
sunset 44°, with a a clwudadsaky a vo
ovat wind from the SW.
ember 27.—It was now no — pos-
to travel

1843.]

The morning was calm and clear, with a
white frost, and the temperature at sunrise

24°.
To-day the country ee a fit forbidding

appearance; and, after travelling 20 miles
_— a slightly “indulating plain, we en-
camped a nsiderable ing, call
Swamp c k, pen in low unds near
the point of a spur from the mountain. Re-
turning with a small party in a starving con
dition from the ward 12 or 14 years
since, C. here three or four
buffalo t which we ee

ull
They i among the pioneers which h
e experiment of colonizing in the
of the Columbia, and which had

vercast,
SE, aad night we we had only sage for fire
wood. the artemisia was a

goa an thorny scbadipidiaasots plant.
ome is

/ 40°. BE reas early to a from
the west, raed cold driving rain ; and,
after an uncomfortable day’s ride of 25 miles
we were glad when ~ eons g we fd nda

sheltered camp, where there was an abun-

e moun-
marked, among the sage
bushes, green bunches = what is called the
~eigerlh insted of gra e river

a rare free from
rapids, with a low, sandy hill slope ele gies

ed bottoms, in which there is a little
ermome

a atl and dinagroeaby co
So biter pt at sun-

rise 36°, sae a bri and a

of finer weather:

td Hn several miles

e,
ae
i

pointing out

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

|—as

side, the Salmon river mountains are visible
at a great distance. Having made 24 miles,
we encamped about 5 o’clock on Rock creek

tream having considerable ete swift
current, mpage wooded ee mae

presen
‘in foam at paces where the | the

28°, In its progress towards the re rive, is

bed, and steep banks, ‘oieted with tocky |

e soil a

rll of f' calcareous poms with whieh. the
ocks are incrusted. ments of rock

whieh had been retved bars i

ze

ples ee tened —

lime ; and during the afternoon h
marked in the eo a considerable quantity iat,
calcareous concre' wards evening |
ae clear

the sa

, | Spaces were occupied by tu

The river still eae ie course wpe: ough
nd towards sunset

a trou cafion; an
we followed the ‘trail of several wagons w which
had turned in towards Snake river, and en-
amped, as had done, on the top of the
e was no here, the
il a being ly naked ;
but there is occasionally a little bottom along
he river, which a short ravine of rocks,

at
rare intervals, leaves accessible ; and by one
of these we drove our animals down, and

found i tolerably good grass
the w
“immedi
r bursts o

tely opposite to us, a subterranean
J ut directly from the face of the

sunset 45°, blowing | teristic

oT

Se ipa with willows and a little grass on \
bo to be

i
J

We taking with us
the boat, for ai purpose of ‘visitin ing the fall
in the opposite cliffs ; - while it was being
Ds air. ves in

00 fe

Seal on our Cat t the opposite

pe i find a beautiful basin of clear water,
formed by the falling river, around which
the rocks were whitened by saline in-
tation. re the I truct-

ed wicker sap although I was verte
that n do not paeend the river so

render it a ticable.
The ascent of the ‘yay hill side was ren-
| dered a Tittle difficul

Pack a dense growth of
| shrubs and fields of cane; a were
| frequent hidden pam raped the rocks,

rushing below ;
the main

feet wide, and white ; a : Ae
\ turesq t of singular auty ; overshaded | ni
age ng which the torrent

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE,

[1342.
chased, in exchange for aol, dried salmon.

At this season they are not very fat, but we
ta easily pleased. The Indians made us
prehend, tha n the on came up
the river in the spring, they are so abundant

that they me matey throw in ip oper at rane
dom, certain of bringing o
‘Fhese poor people are ae slightly pro-
vided with brad clothing ; there is but lit-
ish skins for the purpose ;
‘the
most numerous, it required 20 skins to make
cing to thi es. But they are still
a joyous talkative race, who grow fat and be-
ith the salmon, which at least

salmon jumping up o
dians ek soos. in boats made of rushes,

this ie Bg is mor Bich ti
ve ; and, for the dase.
red.

peas thermometer at Bae hg 74°; clear and

“aot ober 2.—The sunrise temperature w
°; the we pee lea and calm. Shortly ‘a
ie leaving caf
stream of clear y
0

| play of the water.

.

springs p or river | reached the most beautiful and picturesque

indie. i ove. fall I had seen on the river.
resumed our journey at noon, the day op the vertical fall is
frees =, =e after a march of perhaps 18 feet high; and nearer, the sheet
a encamped at of foaming water is divided and broken into
several lodges of Snake Sake tation aracts, where several little islands on the
pment was about one mile be- | brink and in the riv give it much

uty,

of Indians here, from whom we tra-
salmon. ow this place the river
the road,

, gave us a fine view of

Ieee lat pe

Eee he deta

1843.]
miles or more. The river hills consist of |
very broken masses of ate

, covered every
./ where with the same ‘nitoraitsable fields of
, and occasionally the road i

ery m
them oddly and par itially isla in
overcoat, shirt, waistcoat, or pantaloons, or
whatever article of clothing they had been

rocure in trade from th

se, however, are
edgerty sought ‘atten’ ‘and "or ‘a few trifling
pieces of clothing, travellers may procure

a
food sufficient to carry them to the Colum-
s

ade a long stretch across the upper

plain, asia encamped on the bluff, where the
grass was ve nd good ; the soil of
the e upper plains containing a considerable
proportion of caleareous matter. This green
freshness of the gr

sant, with a sunset temperature of

.—The morning was pleasant,
srature at sunrise of 42°. The | te

are leaving with
which forms ve northern
Great

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

e | Since

fishing.
on sage creek a whieh had
by

| gons abreast of row other, 8o as rch:
a considerable mass against
water. Th ri target informed us pg ao
n attempting to turn some

cattle which had taken a wrong
as reget o — and drowned. .

passage,
odasidensly ; but, fortunate ly,
ich was filled with air

f | and launched ; and at oo ° "clock we were

safely enca mped on

of our aches: on
the river was 42° 55’ 58"

elled
ctober. 4.

a ng
the river at a considerable distance to the
i e me

tes, we asce eae
carpment of cular trap roc’ sup-
plies the igh of the por below. The
sky clouded « ~~. — se strong wind from
the northwest, wi wiiger' # rain and

e- nenmaiona sunli reht, pee e
ure |

_ Artemi a still covers the plain, but

the bill sides

ree
ward: ntain, and found a good
encampment, with wood and grass, and little.
s of water in the bed of the creek;

Thich must be of mote ins importance at

seasons, as ee Sail a old fix-
tures for re many

been

| clear, and a7 sunrise the thermometer was

\

poe
- ite a tree in size, é n the \ .

at 32°.. T -day was occasionally
extremely rocky, with leanic
and our travelling very slow.

group of apaning hot merings with a
perature of The

grou

summer atmosphere that
in a day of high and cold ‘sea
The rocks were covered

ey to
several 7 yee and bubble up with fore
the small pebbles pho

~The following is mee wares of the depo-
sit with which the rocks are incrusted :

Analysis.

Silica - - - - 72.55
Ca te of lime - - - 14.6
Carbonate of - - 1.20
Oxide of iron - * = - 4.65

lumi “ - mise - 0.70
Chloride of sodium, &c.
Sulphate of soda : 1.10
Sulphate of lime, &c.
Organic vegetable r x 5.20
Water and loss ;

100.00

ese springs are near the foot of the ridge | w:

. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

tem- | cou
a few heli-

. 3 ¥
] ering shrubs, d ll field

roc
e miles ' ete ee

ais
ts began to di psoas - 3 a
isappear ; nteri
among the hills at “the point of the aspen id

we found = aie prenanig. Je
e chara

over an Sapa A

tridentata. with fow-
?
hie Re SD A MR 1, “4

cata, which gave bloom and gaiety to the hills.
These were everywhere covered with a fresh

I ,
ne ra iy olor - universal. The soil

e rocks,

ing for a time the pag isia (sage)
through which w e had been so long voyag-
and

this as it may, beside is no ite abou

25
=
ie)
_
5.3
* $9
ma
rv)

(a ton and looking mountain), in | ed This a wiie feldspathic granite, with
which some of nearer mabe have rege A small scales of black mica; smoky cy a
ish eppearance, and consist of a | and garnets appear to constitute this
poe 6 Nc papererss of which were | of the mou ne ga’
scattered along road after leaving the 2 at noon reached © broken ridge,
road was now about to cross which were scattered many boulders
point of this mountain, which we judged blocks of granite ; pi very eral
to be a spur from the Salm mon riverrange. We Ss, where, with a little more than t
crossed a small and mped about | usual timber, was imes a
sunset on a stream, which is probably wilderness _ of =e wh a amped on
river. This isa Il st some five or | small stream, ee tilde, in
six feet broad. with a.swift current, timbe ts with a he \aten: Tempe
pane es with willows and some few cot- | at sunset 51 1°; and night was
Ani with a few stars visible through drift-
ing white clouds. The Indians made an un-
successful attempt to a few horses from
us—a thing of course with them, and to pre-
vent which the traveller is on perpetual

—The day was bright, clear,
tha temperature of 42 and we

ed at sun the bir singing in
the trees as as if we were in the
nit of summer. the upper edge of

1843.)

around which the hills oe 4 ares a man-
e. Pe to give it the a of an old

Cc Here were strata a rcke
of f black éorkited rock, and ‘ils composed | Ri
f the sam

e summit of one of which

We travelled to-day thr a country re-
ges pe the that hes Bean wh where, ee

hilly, the road was good, be-
a Mhevi"® np entity ree from rocks and
artemisia. ‘T’o our left, below, was the t
sage plain; a on the right we Ne near
mountains, nted oothly

broken sheittter: or rather a fariaae wave
into numberless hills. bi road was occa-
sionally enli vened Be
ies extremely beat fa 1] and pleas-
we were set fe to be free from
When we had tray-
es, we were nearly opposite
the highest porand' of the mountains bi
the left side of po Smoke river reget

prtdactd Boisée

ear the e where it de-
bouches into the plains, with high i ene
of basalt, between walls a which it pass
ountains.

pea

confining its valley in a very ru country.
endin ng the hills, after travelling a few

miles along ug

®
aS
ce)
3
€
n

rnoon to tosmneke a pleasant camp under
here were several Indian

‘On the 8th we ee 26 miles, the | m
t having

scattered pines on

the upper ; and, continuing the next
Se net cratere
day’s travel of 24 intel

CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE,

ing Indians, and | our vo

101
arrived at Fort This is a simple

Boisé.
rer, alt | on the right bank of Snake
ut a mile below the mouth of
uu

again surrounded by the sage; artem
dentata, and the different shrubs which ‘ai |

raisin

oo d

which was abundantly supplied, come appear-
in rive ; and we had an

ve extremely “tind
i of fresh butter,

During the soaps: the only “rong
is deri

ved frou the

Printiag? tie group of Indians who tad
the mountains on the left

just arrived
‘side of the valley, and who were regarding

of civilisation with an

: a or tomiinel eam

| formed me that, every year since bi arena,

venient emgerancmet Ee
no aes
. ee

mE

102

at this post, he had unsuccessflly endeavor-

ed to induce to |

of salmon for their winter provision.

the summer w e salmon. lasted,

ao lived Bentontedly raed happily, pibcgacin
rent streams whe re the fish wi

WAtilLOd Sil

found ;
et to fall, ‘ttle smokes would. be seen

rising oO _ y
would be found in miserable groups, starving
out the winter ; metimes, according t
the general belief, reduced to the ho f
canni he strong, of course, preying
on the Certain it is, pd sph rive:
to any extremity for food, and. eat every in-
sect, every creeping thin ~ howeve
I and. repulsive. Snails, ems
nts—all are rome Reais = readiness

greediness
~ In conimon ete 9 ia ‘other Indians we
the Pacific

co
tive, is the universal eaies over @ very
a ae re

On

10! ps .
ongitude® of the fort is

6° latitude 43° 49! 22'', and
elevatio above the sea 2,100 fee
Sitti the fire ie ae ips vat d

ting vy '
waiting for the immers tellite,
aig ae did not take cee alg Pa ssavight

wi e ca gy RO song of the In- em

dians, with
ae week, they are

y accompany a certain
Of th

are very

poetry we could not judge, but the music was |
Cie!
yi 11.—The morning was clear, with | ing
breeze :

at 11 cs ea we re-
sumed our journey ; - and ttivectiy, oe the
river, and crossing the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

to lay upa store Matheurs
While

[1843. -
about pagent we reached the Riviér
unfortunate or att Ae, 4
a pate ale stream, with an average
breadth re 50 bie and, at this time, 18 inches
depth of
The ands were generally one and
a half mile ‘broad, covered principally with
is dry grass; and we had difficulty to find
sufficient s for the camp. it

ct
point of "ha to gts the ford
the road during the day had been very good.
ctober 12. was clear and
calm, and the thermometer at sunrise 23°.

mil e mornin

My at
right side of the ie a little below ye ford,
ank, nea

- | white = oe," nd fine-grain

r5 miles up a bro; road dry branch
the road ente ‘ge a
urface was ren-
ixture of i a tek:
near the

es ho

of ls cheat aig aux Bo airs aux

level spot to be seen ; e we descended
to Snake river-—hei looking stream,
with a large body of water and a smooth
pbe ced although we hear the roar, and see
be t of rapids where

ement
it enters among the hills. It forms here a
sand island in the

the day
nam fine hot;

had-
‘oat as usual, £0 soon as the sun went down,

| was necessary to overcoats.
T obtained this evening an ems

| servations of the evening place
i coe freamrremtrels 17 2, a and

of non

1843.]

The elevation above the sea 1,880 feet. At
this encampment, the gra8s is scanty and

bright,

3.—The morning was
The

90 clock, we re we

coaching; and shortly after, three or
appeared in sight, acing with

them the two animals. They belonged to a

party which had been on a Y puffalo hunt in

pres
things, with which they appeared well satis-
fied, and, moderating their pace, trave’ Hed in

ut to leave the valley of
the olumbia
river, to which the absence of timber, and
the scarcity of water, give the appearance of

| southwa
\ —_ belonging to the Cascade or C
nd, as will be remarked in the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NAREATIVE. ©

iadvothier

o | tains; peo er gat

the dividing ridge, came down into

ley of Burnt river, which here sirens liken al

hole among the hi = ave breadth |

of the stream here is

fri with the covalent; ext da
soil in the bottoms is good, w

horsem:
day’ 's journey were com
of a slaty ialedtoons rock in a
ars originally to have:
imestone, but its’
as been

ut though travelling was slow and

fatiguing to the animals, we were delighted
a the mi onres ot of the 7 which
as green and refreshing ur tedious
journey down the a valley: of: Snake |
mou ere covered with

We a
and r large
timber, anil bre, ertngmic ad bon r=

wiles.
"Ooo 14,—The nee wratclene ad Seay
unrise-of 46°. After

vine; and,
few miles, leit it ac oe among

cmatie atanah oil en-
uw

‘never seen a wagon

same space, as this of yesterday and to-day.
I noticed where one wagon had been over-

Btill, there is _ one and the road has so
advan!

was 42°, aadad at sie 40°; ¢ —— whic
were red ov ~ Sgr sappeared
trail did not much

nodules "

ties: originally existing.
here, the whole horiz ws high moun-
tains ; no high plain or — is to be seen;
— — the left, from south around by the

ac
pear 3 while, through the remaining space
to the e

ay are bald with the ex-
ception of some scattered pines. You will
remark that we are now entering a _—
where all the elevated sre are covered w
dense and heavy forests. From “the dividing |
grounds we descended mountain ro;
which “é

to Powder river, on an old bed of
encamped ending from the summit,
we enjoyed a petoresane — of high ma
mountains on the right, illuminated by the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

The temperatu “ at sunset was'61°
the evening clear. I obtained, with ‘0

weather in the Hi ainaco has been v
tiful, clear, 3; but the wea in

there was ice a quarter of an inch t
t and at daylight the a
was at 168, and the same at sunrise ;

eing calm and clear. The mumek
nearly gone most
the saa being out of bloo
t two of had run off

the road being very 2 ag
tom of Powder ri

and warm, though mo:
day; and the sun was cauees tly faint, but
it grew finer and clearer towards evening.

October 17 jeg we mometer at sunrise 25°,
The weather ai the

setting sun name of the Blue mountains from the dark-
From the heights we had looked in vain | blue appearance given to them by the pines.
for a well-known landmark on eneg river, | We travelled this morning across the afflu-
which had been di ents to P. er, the road being good,
Payette as l’arbre seul (the lone weit and, | firm, and level; and the country mg
on arriving at _ ees we found a fine tall | c tly more pleasant and interesti
— ground, which Lar queen tbe very deep
felled by caied black and extremely good, as a.

axe.

It had been a beacon on the road for

the hollows of the hills on tu elevated Aaa

such as is usually found in

The ie neal analyti ng Sa the

to ise ees a this se and will justify

| to serve pre c of fertility which the.

Sey

Analysis of Powder river soil.

Bienes: a Be basse cin | BOD

2 ef lime . . . es ae . 6.86

Carbonate of 0. ke Haseeee

7 Oxide of iron 2 * . ° * . ° . ie

| Water and loss ote ie cage, Se

1843.)

ascended by a good
a dividing meen but re * ree
rie covered with of an

ceous s which eg in ren
places lrg and na the road racking to
a carria In this rock the wens of depo-
sition are distinctly he and the meta-

ith un.
‘tains here are densely covered with tall and
| handsome trees d with the
| green of a variety of pines, is the yellow of
us

From the waters of rh yp 84 a worn | Lime

j
i men _ 138
Oxide o!

2.21
nema ep matter, partly decomposed 8.16

.

Water and loss . : 5.46
Phosphate of lime . 1.01
100.00

he. elevation % ae encampment iz
2,940 rae eens the
8.—It te in an hour be~
fore asm eee per i § until 10 o’clock:

; the: European larch ), which | the sky ep overcast, an
» loses its leaves in the fall. From its present | ture at s
color, we we bled to see that it forms oe Phnlpont our journey somewhat fie
ge proportion of the forests on the moun- | than usual, travellin; ng in a nearly north
tains, and is here a magnificent tree, attain- rection ae this beautiful valley ; 28

ing —— the height of 200 feet, _—

1 belie

in aes monn we reached a high sates of

the Liesing ridge, from which we obtained
good view of the Grand Rond—a beauti-

ful Jevel basin, or mountain

would de-

ke, or marsh, very
which was covered sah with a fine white

Peat aia “ives in one hundred

bode hectares in one hi
PT old old grass had been lately burnt off
from the surrounding ante, pep eri at
passed, there

eS eer ne

i
fe
3
S
4
g
2,

ave seen in our | a

recent growth
ean d

ley of the
710.81 |

ut noon reached a place on one of
principal streams, where T be determined te
leave the emigrant trail, in t

2)

nally turned directly off to the left;
e mountain in shout

day een to oe ee
fore, t after a very ro
crossing, issues Lage mountains by the
hea the Umatilah river, we continued
_ valley, fol-
been indi-
y Mr. Payette, and encai
at the northern pecan of the Grand cat eet:
on a aa; ae _ of very deep —_
— any a urrent,
e pines heros “a ie low hills at the creek} ;
pare in the northwest corner of the is a
very heavy body of timber, which dese:
to the plain. ‘The clouds, which had rested
sides during

- low along
pd day, rose gradually up in Se. peti wy

in the eveni

clear, with a temperature at coment
So

uring h the e: expoeed ther-
— sedi Sead ss 32°, and at sun-

10.97 ' and

106

which bore evidences of being much

ted by the

egreey fee
7 feet in diameter, we halted

and. 3
‘for a few . in " foot
the Blue mou on a branch o

t
Ottes were

tately trees, iy
which the balsam pine m made its appeara

‘the road with thd smaebeite of
one steep ascent, with a corresponding de-
scent, which might both have been
avoided by opening a wa’

below, as the night
ae > acaba and we were

obli

3 the ieitats in which Gero was

fe I —
3,830 eet. Ita to have snowed on
“terday on the mountains, their naan
Caaiwing v ae white to-day.

Oxtober 2

ere was a ‘heavy white
ft rng the nig wage and at sunrise the

animals had —
nigh acer -contim

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

— and in which the ———

a z

_ 1843.

cal figure.

appeared from o hanate 200
in heiglit the usual speincaierben be-
to 12 feet, and i

pine, which. have a | regularly coni

v e
Ty ad lately travelled,
take a pananait observation at the height
of 4,460 fee
After travelling semua through a
a in con fores' obliged toc
th 0 aly of ti imber, cm
open mountain
we ‘a und a paanie of small
mped after a day’s journey
Our elevation here was 5,000

b —Ther very heavy
white = a the night, ei the ther-
tometer at sunrise was 30°

We continued to travel through the forest,
in which the was rendered difficult by
fallen trunks, ad sctarta ym _ small
trees, which it was necess own.
But these are only perce ditinles,
which could easily be r
excellent road may be had chvoids this side,

with no other than very moderate ascents or

ot
a

declivities. A laborious day, which had ad-
vanced us only six — ur road, brought
us in the

Ses
, With good grass, and a large feds
stream—one of the head branches of

the Umatilah river. During this day’s jour-
y> ter was broken; and the.
vations above , hereafter given, depend
upon the temperature of boiling water. Some
of spruces measured to-
ts | day were twelve feet in circumference, and
one of the Jescicn ten ; bas eight feet was the
Se hs - measured

along the ares I in my hand a
line as I walked along, in order to Sens some
of the timber.

} Correct idea of the size

All these trees have their branches, particu-
larly the lower ones, declining.

October 22. —The white frost this pent
was like snow. on n the ground ; the ice

in the

tape °

——

(2 eee on meet

sunrise was at 20°. But,in

road over the
deightfal at be of cheng
sed Some through very
thick young timber in w t as muc
cutting don ; bat, after travelling a

ee stre
way a ‘ihe ye n towards what appeared
to be the ie Coltribia river. This I knew tobe
the Walahwalah river, and occasional spots
along its banks, which resehien ee
were supposed to sion or India
. Set Seta ; but the w eather was Sa
rable to far views with the glass

compact amorphous trap, which appears ‘to
constitute ass of the Blue mountains in
this latitude ; and all the region a count
through which we have trave ce leav-
ing the Snake river has ar
violent and extensive 5g powe
the Burnt river valley, the

nta

e California mountains,
there seems tei httle essential change. All

ig Aion throughout
— ery ening distanc

The road now led along | on
around heads of
ree men ahead toc

alternately

mountain side,
f the Span ge ravines ;
eara road, we passed

rairies, and Toukal in a large
irie below.

mu trouble with them, as a very close
growth of es. Mr. d walk
ed ahead, a ‘not a into the camp this
evening. tha frees s here maintained their
15 feet

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

- | the distance of

: The here

1s
: October 23.—' cary wh
there had been a ye white wi oo daring
the night, and at sunrise the

was at

er cu iting through two thick bodies of

timber, in which I noticed some
of hemlock spruce
e

an
trouble to clear a way. wthe pines here
ll or 12 2 feet in circumference, a and about.110

elling, ue emerged finally from the —
Be in full view of the plain bel
snowy ak o
high out above the surrounding country, at
es. road

the ridge was pyres and t
; the old grass

euss, ye yesterday
n und himself too far in

are W

and our positi in longitude 118° 00",
39/!, and in latitude de 45° 53’ 35”.
The rning was c clear, with a te
Bop be rise © . Crossing the river,
we travelled over a hilly country with good
bunch grass ; the river bottom, which

pebbles. e had found the
mountains to be of excellent quality, and. ns

| lore also to here among ies

lower hills, Reaching a little e

over which the trail passed, we had an ex-

of the river,

tri :
as a band ef se hundred s grazing.
Ble sbont lorecintion ahead ; and as’

re driving out to pasture
has to its general cha-
rse of other countries, the
grass,

ne.
a principal fork,

eight miles farther,

al

108
ment of Dr. Whitman, which consisted, a
this vine pot one adobe sever e., built of

ee ati to see a fine-looking large family of
emigrants. women c n, i

bust ‘health, all indemnifying ca as for
oe scanty var in a hearty consump-
are produ and | here of
sect . We were dis-

in our expecta of obtaining
corn or flour at this- station, the mill
belonging to the having been lately
burnt down ; but _ erga supply of ex-
cellent toes regrets, . fu
nished a ful anbstitute for bread. Asmall
town of ez Percé ndians gave an inhabited

and, after remaining about an hour, we c
ned our route, and a on the riv net
about ow, passing on the way

La

of grass
morning arri the Nez’ Peres fort, one
of the trading establishments of the Hudson
ya a few hundred yards above
of the Walahwalah with the
we had first

Bay ©
the Laces

somites
ec , and has” oe nied its fall

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

| shonee, and S
m a visit to
ad th

; sion the Ame

rance | forest furnish the means of do
From

100. miles less
of

[1843.

had been travelling from aes Hall, and
of s fork, Sho-

e of. Columbia,

votes

o the junction, being
pre e union of two large
strea ng 0 e southeast, and
the other from 7 ‘northeast and meeting in
what may be treated as the geographic
centre of the Oeenon vay, thence doubling
the volume of water to t an, while
pening two great lines of communication

with the interior eamtineee constitutes a

in rene to this junc
these lines of Soaitinnieation; that this t
was establish They are important peer?
m the structure of the country, m

f
raine
The British fur companies
mericans, in their emigration
n, have ee to follow the one which
| ea es ee the United States. Bateans
from tide water soe to the junction, and
Sverre high up the North fork, or Columbia.
porte ai only is used upon the line
oka? s fork. = the ry ela
gon, t the "Nez Percé is a point o stor as
being, to those who choot e it, the term
of their overland jou
the river sie ihe them to em-
bark on its eel ; and the lofty trees of the
oing so.
ass to this place is about!
it i the same

ox

i
whet the Great Platte it woud be about

r. McKinley, the comm2 of the post,
Teeth us with great ity ; ‘and both to
—, Soe a grants whe

arnt Pocnthin e rights
of h “resp tality in — comfortable wanar to
the invited
By a sedate altitude of the sun, the
rvation that the wea
i uth

mitted

: we
A . the tim
in | siderable body of the
which we! completed

1843:],

Mackina

continue their er voyage down the
Columbia. I ha aa in ti the
Walahwalah r a fine drove of severa
hundred eatiio, ‘which they had exchanged
for Californian. cattle, to be received at Van-
considered a ve
r portion of the

journey

Hav ving mains oo) our animals itis tk
fresh horses, hired from the t, and i
creased our stock of provisions ‘with dried
salmon
sumed our journey dow
J being guid ided om our road by a
intelligent aces — whom I i ster i
re as the Dal

From an Pt int over sears the

road led, we asined another far view of

vation
at whicl? gave for the latitude
Se: tion country to-day was very
unprepossessing, and our road bad; and a
we toiled slowly along through Seeiiln loose

sands, and over fragments of black ‘olen
rock, our laborious thielling was st.
contrasted wi pi a ia of Bs.
Applegate’s fleet of boats,

requently met cians

road, and they “iat * er at every
tavorale is, along
9.—The

sax Noutinved Pi
the — ey in the course 0 day Mou

St. sme sisi another snowy peak of the Cas.

range, was visible. We crossed the

Uni r river at a fall near its mouth.

stream is of the same c as the

river, with a bed of volcanic

west remaining.

clear; showing ped cule cone-like
brightly drawn against ' a

- peak of Mount Hood

a ee they proposed to | the sky.

o
aris:

pisja
and a

109

| pies

for cpanel Jangua
ae nued to ‘evel along the river,

a w ken fragments strew=

at the base and over the adjoining coun-

We made a late encampment on the river,
and vse re purshia tridentata for fire -
ood. the — which Pai the
bank, w pene ood green grass. i
45° ri 23/7, fompiide 119° 45' 09",

ember 1.—Mount Hood is glowing in
the sunlight this morning, and the air
leasant, with a tem ite. of 38°, We
eee 2

ne = 1 valley, bounded by

ee the right shore, ee banks of the Co-
— are very high and steep; the river is
1,690 feet broad, and dark bulls of rock give
ita picturesque 9 a
November 2 e

= 'h : a
among blu leah no onger room for a
Pa et we accord ingly lett it, and took a.

iss

on _ uncommonly
crossed John Da

BA beautiful compo with 4 sappie t current
bed of rolled st ina
ies valley, which is characteristieo of al the
streams in this region; and rt e de-
scended to reach it well dese

an
night a few miles beyond, are amas

slept without oe We :
grassy hollow without water ; but as we

110 — CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. [18438..
had been forewarned of thin grnstion by the | stream, where, as usual, the Indians imme-
ide, the had a watered at ly gathered
river, and we had vai with us a suf- | was a very old man, almost blind from age,
ficient quantity for the nig’ with long one very white hair. I happen
November 3.—After two hours’ ride through | of my own accord to give e this old man a pre-

a — sage country, covered as all th
land here appears to be with good green

grass, we desc cae 8 again into the river bot- | o

gg our sterile
r miles. reached the

. & "considerable one to the Columbia.

Ain. ah +1

petted character of the Columbia tao at

the present time ; and to our little party they
had at various points a not v
friendly disposition, in sever tempts to
steal our horses. ace I expecte
to find a badly disposed band, who had plun-
dered a party of 14 emigrant mena few da
befo taken away their horses; and

ingly we e the necessary prepara
tions te our secant; but happily met with

the Fall river (Rivigre aux Chutes), | trade

i need e

sent of tbacen, and w with the im-

ing, one of them spoke a few
words co his pieples « and, telling me tha t be
tertain no uneasiness in regard to ou
u

he camp, I e
ressed to them raion we Boe at
pone ener accdeet: making them a pre-
ent of some large knives and a few pos. xs

|

rticles
emai 4.—The road continued among
the hills, and, we an eminence, we saw
before wi, wal a clear stream, a

3 tolerably large eelies, pi which the:
no d il pass
as high, divided into several} In comparison with the Indians of ae
atsieith * toaky island at its outlet into} Rocky mountains and eat eas
the Columbia, which at this ange it ey plain, these are disagreea irty in t their
in size, ans rentl habi eir huts were crow ith half

but they scarcely paid any attention to us.
bay oe very roe at thi

opportuni: carry
tm ut 5 gen ope into the river,

above. ‘guide was well ac-
eninted with the ford, and we ed i

us; | common with t

to us as t missionary st

a few tiles we descended to the sical

the Dalles of the

beeeting features, known as
mbi whole volume of the river at
Ww

Colu: ia. The

cea

1843,] CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. am

‘was worn over a large portion of its surface | and stores for our winter journey. Three
into circular holes and well-like cavities, by | Indians, from the family to whom the canoe
the abrasion of the river, which, at the sea- belonged, were to assist in working
son of hich rom is spread out over the | her during the voyage, and, with them, our
adjoining sta water party cdnaiated of Mr. Preuss and my-
ct paailagd through this coat self, with Bernier and Jacob Dodson. |
an me he event had occurred to Mr. Ap- | charge of the party which was to remain at
plegate’s party, in the loss of one of their | the Dalles I left Carson, with instructions te
boats, whieks had been carried under water in | occupy the people in making pack
the midst of the Dalles, and two of Mr. a and refitting their equipage. The village
i i i th was

re e
misfortune was attributed only to want of | on the right bank of the river, about ten
- skill in the pont os at this season there | miles below, at the ‘uth me 8 Tinanens
is no impediment to navigation; although | creek ; hil s proceeded
the place is vinirely hinipedeabie at high wa- | down the river with the instruments, ina
ter, when boats pass safely over the great | little canoe paddled by two cain, Mr. Per-
falls above, in the eee —_ state in which | kins accompanied me with the remainder of
the emigran

se
The basalt her pon recisely the same as | had just left the Dalles at the time of our ar-
that which bates the rock of the valley | rival, travelling’some by water and
He up the cabaaee: hese very compact, | land, making ark-like rafts, on which
te few round c had embarked their families and household,
e passed nid iy shee or four miles | with their large wagons and other furniture,
down the level valley, mee encamped near | while their stock were driven along the
the mission. haracter of the forest | shore.
‘growth here changed, and we found our-| For about five miles below the Dalles, the
selves, with pleasure, again among oaks and | river is narrow, and probably very — ; but
other forest trees of the east, to which we | during this distance it is somewhat open,
ad long been strangers; and the hospitable | with grassy bottoms on the left. Entering,
and kind reception with which we were wel- | then, among the lower mountains o

comed among our count ple at the mis- | Cascade range, it assumes a general chara
sion aided the momentary illusion of home ter, and high and steep rocky hills shut it in
on either side, rising abruptly in 5
a a large school house, with stables, barn, | the height of My = feet above the water, and

ee and large cleared fields between | gradually acquiring @ more
ses and the river bank, on which | character as the river approaches the Can
were scattered the wooden huts of an Indian | cades.
@, gave to the valley the ees nd| After an — travel, when the sun was
oto air of civilisation, and had in our eyes | nearly down, we searched along the shore
an appearance of abundant and ei inie com- | for a bron place, and | to prepare
supper. . We had been well pe by our
Our land journey found here its western | friends at the mission with de
termination. The delay involved in getting | salmon, which had been taken at the fattest
os camp to the right bank of t sep teint eget: — +2
in retin a road t continu- | and sugar. We were. ed at
ous forest to Vancou a journey | in our mode of travel and living.
* i oe cre sadist

em mi eatifal 1 ara ‘comt bl

preity animals, there plentiful mae y comfortable provisions
interval of three days in which seat 2 supplied the first of wants. We enjoyed the
; no food therefore contrast which i

‘Tequired, meet me at the Dalles, from whic a German ; Bernier, creole ew ds and e
int I proposed to en ward f.

ae
iey. The day arrival being| Being now upon the ground explored by | ae
“Sunday, no business could be done at the| the South Sea expedition under Capt
os 3 but on Monday Mr. Perkins assist- hese and moving see ee the §}
ed me in procurin: the Indians a large | of uniting my survey with his, us pre-~S/
a i to ir | senti connected exploration from the \

in:
¢anoe, in which I designed to complete our a conn
journey to Vancouver, where I expected to | Mississippi to the Pacific, and

‘

acl

- ty here, to maar the high wee
which rise with he morning,, and decli
‘with the day.
Accordingly, after an hour’s halt, we again
embarked, and resumed our sere voyeue
The wind ros

among : e nae ya ch were in

and interesting. About midnight we put to

shore on a rocky beach, behind which
was a dark-looking pine — We built up
large

masses round a arranging
our blankets on t the most str places we
could find, passed a delightfu
After an early breakfast, at daylight we
resu' eather being

and still.

marked
Maca ee the
with a series of

n either side of the
e. main ahaa of the Sacra-
mento river, and the Tlamath, issue in cas-

as great pillars of snow

mize time by voyaging in the night, as ‘is | th

oe | rocks, and boiling into a

.| curre
aes of broken w

were carried through (a distance of about
mile) to the bank below the main

h
water being white w
pools. The boat passed with caus rapidity,

crossing and recrossing in the eddies. of =
er _— through about

we ran some wild
ooking rapids, Shah are called the Lower
Rapids being the last on the river, which

below i 3

the right bank of the river, at the lower eud
of these rapids, were ny tents of
hi

pr hie ons bers: we ae expected from Van-
ver. e down the rails I
had sintiaeit thelr pone Song es * zi
tr Pole copie eir goods across the ite
his portage makes ead
ascending the river.
in length ;
miles of smooth
Ve

ee

between very rocky an a 8

i along the river valley at

a little distance, covered ‘with forests of piney

and s = cretemgget sid ecereens

of red rock, Nearer, the shore is bordered

apie escarped hills ee sabres vertical
which th

of cascades to the ais, from which the waters of | ne
range ; name of Cas- | tain reach the river in a variety of beautiful
“CADE Raxce, which it bears, and distin- fails, etimes seve: ndred feet im
vn. | height. Occasionally the river occur-

In mal making a short turn to ae south, the | red pretty bottoms, covered with the
river forms the cascades in es in breaking over a | est verdure of the spring. To a profession-
point of of rock, leay- | al farmer, however, it does no r many
a handsome hay to Gaervi right, with seve- | places of sufficient extent to be val for
rocky pine-covered islands, and the ture; and after passing a few miles

ountains at i a | below the Dalles, [ had

we passed a

cascades,
lated hill and'in the-course.of ri gey

’

of pavigntion, :

=

eT

nt ble violence. It form a

serious obstacle to ca trave [

was informed by Mr. Perkins, that in a voy-
had been ined tw:

age up the river
weeks - big planted ae was finally obliged
to return to Van

The eens of “this. 8 deserve a par-

ed
laws; and it is a problem how far they ma
come —< the mountains, or from the open
é@ mountains w

"ag
The hills here had lost aypetnine of their
rocky appeara: y begun to
decline,
ed along the river for an inviting spot; and,
finding a clean rock
large ae trees were lying on the ground,
our boat to shore 5 ea after an-

on,
covered the Ta this evening; oe ie, aa

i ong she trees, as
a

y Wi
vanced, the hills o ew con-

stantly lower ; onthe right, retreating from
the shore, an nd form ming: a somewhat

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

As a. sun went 8 n, we search- | de

ach, _— some | e

Fort Vancouver.

its” north fork wit the overland mail from
Canada and Hudson’s bay, which had oe

impression
from the ane wilderness from which we

as inpnadiateny supplied by him
with the anes stores and provisions to
refit and support my ee in one eanienpine-

- | ed winter journey to the States; and a

n Bay Compan
et ir we si iis be driven by unex-

: pected misfr ie talus stoplion deniammae
Of course, ne stpplion my
were paid for, bills on the Go rament of the

Uni .

of
. Others were daily arri and all
as Ee with Soaheaew

buildings
Neoessa

~

4

‘game time that they were in want of all the
common necessaries of life. Those who

‘taken a water conveyance at the Nez Percé
fort continued to arrive safely, with no other

‘eade mountains —_ reported to have lost a
number of their animals ; and those who h:
‘driven their sai. down the Columbia had
brought them safely in, and found for “ase a
ready and very profitable market, and w
already proposing to sete to the States. in
the spring “ eeotoar upply.

In of two ‘days our ge “9
had been eted, and we were re

out on our i tetarn. It would

very gratifying to have gone down
cific, and, solely in the interest oats in the love
of geo graphy, to to have seen t an on the
weste

seas now regularly set
was filled with fogs and rain, whi ich left no

\ momical obse
tions, I was not, for such a reason, justified | r
make a delay i

elay in waiting for favorable

Near sunset of the 10th, cee boats left the

making only a few | ca
miles. Our flotilla Sonabted of a Mackinaw | iml
‘canoes—one

ee

party in all of twenty men.

in
the river; and a

©

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

([1843.

at the lower end of Ca; pear On the
poe rato said to be a singular hole in
the mou , from which the Indians s8:
hve: da poe me wind producing these gales.
It is called the Devil’s hole ; and the Indians,
I

sult of which, being an absolute observation,
I have udopted for the longitude of the place.

Novem 2.—The wind eine the night
had Sacral to so much violence, that the
broad river this morning res:
white ; th ves breaking with considera-

e boa nd th as not dis-
posed to hazard the stores of our voyage for
the delay of a day. F r observations

the day, giving for the
latitude of the place 45° 33’09''; and the .
ee obtained from the satellite; | is 122 +

Now ember 13.—We hada mate
ble and cold rain; and, late in in

to be i

imbe between strata of altered

conta: ins of veget: ;

leaves of which indicate that the plants were

dicotyledonous. n ; of
of i

1843.]

left shore, where the bank was — with
masses of rocks. Night ove us

at the upper end of the peers a sett st is-

tance below the cascades e halted o

night ‘without shelter,
ring down all the time. _ The

until morning.
her miserable

cessant rain extinguish
were glad when at last daylight amas
and we again embarked.

Crossing to the right hoiye we facets
the boat along the shore, there bein
’ Jonger any use for the cation and put int
a little bay below the ids

mon, bread,
rovisions. e fores
figh bluff overloo
vi

of many skeletons. Th bs oe
made of boards, which were ornamented with
many _— of men and animals of the
Natural size—from their appearance, consti-
Tale, the armorial device by which, oe
Indians. chiefs are usually kno

learly v ie products.

masses oo
Liiders bay consist of a poro’
_basalt—a iene — a4 a cr tbe

The rocks belon
Masses,

ong to agglomerat
which form the sesiaciligie ground of
the cascades, have been already

abed of cemented con-

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

ians, had the

r | tude. he Cascade ra
{distance of about
coast. It

of } was ochbgioa/aiee by emi

re ¢
is sa fehieds oe sullen Grave- |

| preparation of what was indi
A

men- jo

convulsion, | to meet it

1S

which forms the impressive and prominent
feature of th the river at this place.
Wherever we came in

its ashes, like a » Hight fall of snow, over t

Dalles of the cage 50 miles distant.

A specimen of these ashes was given to me

by Mr. sated one of the clergymen at the
alles

"The lofty range of the eee mountains
forms a distinct boundary between the oppo-
site climates of the regions sic its western

mbia the rainy season is

unknown, the brief meee! rom £ se to “
riod ut two months, d

the earth is ered with the slight. snows mt i

a climate remarkably mild for so high a lati-

Tver, positi
the lofty voleanic peaks nega tise out of ‘fi
dw are visible to dis-

8 e

Durin ing several days of Same sn it

kept our whole force laboriously ates

pa gone Sega. 8 our si and canoes tothe
f the

€

gran
thin and insufficient clothing, bare-

entleman named Liders, ao meeehit |
ity of Satablieg wives at the bay
by his name while we were

ith Hiancid a place a man

delight ed
in rsuits; but we had only the ede

é

nan &

scot ronda
an he buried arn by aa
at the Grave-yard ba’ 5 es

4

sf

\
occupied in bringing up the boats. I was cV

116

was scarcely out of sight, when, by the care-
ager of the Indians, the boat was d

No
work at the
About noon, the two barges of the express
from Mon at the upperportage
landing, which, for large boats, is on the
right bank of the river. They were a fine
looking crew, and among them I remarked
a fresh-look oman and her daughter.
anada, It was satisfactory | a
and speed wi hich thes
experienced watermen effected the portage,
nd ir boats over the cascade

us
communication is kept up between
ints.

The Cxnadian cr emigrant were

clim:

much cha-
ate, and in-

— wit!
it continu

beh:
tinctly is climate here marked
tain

ary.

November 17
tunity
tion of the

—We had to-day an oppor-
to vanibe the sketch of that por-
river down which we had come

ks | conve

CAPT. FREMONT’S: NARRATIVE. |

e | curred to me one
‘beautiful illustration to the e

(1843,

these trees under water and destroyed them.
But I venture to presume that the

are older than the trees; and as these sub.
merged for i

along the river, I opportunity to sa-
tisfy sen that hr - sive been formed by
immense land s

which ‘ack ate ‘hint in the river, and

which brought down with them into the

river the pines of t ountai one
t

anted itself, nom all ng ever-;

ed
green egetation of the!

» | neighboring hil, directly amidst the falling

nd ye s of the river trees. It oc

t this ‘tsa 3 ve been a

ellow le:

srown into a confusion of in-

yrs 40 — the afternoon we pass-
ed a sandy bar in the river, whence we had

e day again was pleas-
At 10 o'clock we passed @

ut a

‘arson removed the camp up the river
a little nearer to the hills, where the animals
ad better grass.

0 6
rmation of ba _Walahmette settlements j
and he had reac i

with invigora
health. On the following day he continles
his ene in our returning boats, to Van-

parations for our homew
journey, ma A Soak homeward, conten®
route, a t circuit,
the

The cam oa now occ vied in ma : |
the P tp) =|

this route; the character

1843.]

istence of which I wished to agneacns and
which I assumed as marks, ing
points, on the projected sad of an ord The
first of these points was the Tlamath lake,
on the table-land tesla the head of Fall
river, which comes to the Columbia, and the

ramento, w which goes to ay of San
ages 0; and from which Jake a river of

often calle

5
a
Ss
eo. B
ir)
a
°
|
ot
of

reported lake called Mary’s, at
s’ journey in the Great Basin; and
ane still on southeast, to the reputed Bue-
naventura river, which ad a place
60 many maps, and countenanced the belief
of the existence ofa a grea
gr to the bay of San
e Buenaventura the
in that section

m
next point was phidek to

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

n directionss-anee-w

- — to this, I had purehased a

T
in | In

1

plete execution of this plan, after ha
i pon it, a’ and bog

along the western base of the
da; where, indeed, a new and eo field of.
tplpation opened itself before For
the present, we must follow the sniedins;
which will first lead us sonth along the val-
ley of Fall isa srs the eastern base of the.
Cascade range e Tlamath lake, from
which, or its m sain, or rivers go in three
o the ocean; another’

north, 7 the Columbias the third south, to
Californ

_For she support of the party, I had pro-

m
principally of flour, _ and tallo’
latter being used in cooking; and, in addi-

at the

some California cattle, which were to
faaed on the hoof. We had

a _ was to be substit ead -

t
porous tain
when there
r. Fitapatrick, ith Mr. Talbot and the
remand f the

oes on the 21st;

ne o
he mar
and i

{the subject of reports in relation to lakes, | Indians in ~ neighborhood ; and t
y , deserts, and savages above the | went along for company. In order to ena-

- Condition of mere wild animals, which in-| ble us to obtain horses, pate
_ flame ire to know wha terra in-| sengets to the various Indian villages in the
x _—_ really amine eighborhood, in orming them that we were
it was a se enterprise, at the com- | desirous to — = appointing aay
mencement of winter, to undertake the tra- | for s : to bring i eee?
ch a party ae made, in wees al time, sé eral
consisting only of twenty-five persons, and | excursions in the yicinity. me Perkins
they of many nations—Ameri French, veiiki d with Mr. ae and myself to the

e miles

with the sextant,
com-! from which they could be seen.

118.

- The Indians A hg in big horses at
the appointed tim pages

obtaining a nu 5 gs teen Meee nin goods ;
but nif were relatively per higher here,
where e ple

ave occasion

our jonsney you w
Paalic. for hardihood aL peo

partelg

Wieaber rae ahs this place one of the
men was gg

r. Perkins
spoke a few words of the English lan-

—We were al up sanyoin in |
rds

the eeatag “a a Spr hom

_ CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE,

ceeded in| mained

; | Cam

f | ciduow

(1843.

| accompanied us so far on our wea and re
with us during the n

ing, were tied and laid before the fire, and

| guard mounted over them during the night.

he Saseeap was cold, and na a clear.
7 26.—The

at 10 o’clock, the road leading ‘along:
tributaries ot ‘the Tinan ing, 80
very good. We turned to the "right at
=| the fork of the trail, caoeiding steep
ascent along a spur to the dividing ro
etween this ~— gos the w are
river. e had pis nea
ers rinepally with oak and sy ber
e here

5

{

Regnier the latter a
m, and very lofty, leading the eye far up
sre the sky. bered

mmenced our jour
ney. ie little Lb whie

This is a large branch of the’
Fall river. There 7° a broad of
thiek ice some fifteen feet wide on either
» and the nd

river po is swift a
bold. The night was cold and elear, and °
we made our astronomic ee oe

evening with the thermometer :

gre We travelled
Over y land, and encamped on
| branch of ‘ama Ema enere there

In anticipation of coming i alship, and? :
to spare our horses, there much walk-
t .

mewhere near the mouth of this stream
en the falls from which the river takes its

e.
November 27.—A fine sess “ee Mount
co

w - trees and bushes
a| glittering white, and the rapid stream filled \
with floating ice.

Stiletsi agd the ee —— two Indian
chiefs. who had ompanied us thus far,

1843.]

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. Bet
to a voleanic plain, around which lofty hills| of quartz and reddish-colored _ silicioun
sweep gular form. masses. i
gullies of basaltic rock, escarpments of | November 29.—We emerged from the

h ap eryw ills, | basin, by a narrow pass, a considerabla
This plain is called the Taih prairie, and is | branch of Fall river, oaths to _ east-
sprinkled with some scatter The oan se ugh a narrow
country is ar more interesting to a| descending bo s stream, peers us ro a lo-
traveller than the per ng t ake springs, which were on

/ wa: ountains, fii ths

whose dark pine forests the isolated ay

peaks were looking out like Jes They
rved us for grand beacons

unt Hoo
dicots and,
prairie, we obtain gas a oe fe Mount Jef-
erson, o The I superstition
has peopled these lofty sake with evil spir-
the

wy
almost Abobstble to climb ion: but al a
trial would have its attractions for the ad-
eelitnt duit tra veller A small trail takes off
in

n early encampment.
mili; and rahe et wale
e for che animals to

hi
blesome to ate, was killed here rm

The e evening was fine, the ve roi a very
of the

Es: s ives for ite: e login 1 121° 02’ 43”; the

psa set , being 45° 06’ 45”.
The wight. was vox Ooms enn ee dur-

Roe the nae wenn tn
November 28.—The sky wa

samenett but suddenly cundoa ve a and at

"i ae eatin, snow, with the thermome-

ter at

‘covered
_ ten miles, to the foot of the Cascade moun-

rks ie ba aoe bank

ee ENE Pe:

with bisa, rege hr about | pi

se being at 89°. mg se were ‘others, on

ns tomes i at the

ent, in w
34°.

the spring a breeciated ma

par ~ seen much of it of a reddish color.
We crossed the stream and ascend-
- agit to a high pliin, cae an elevated

which we obtained a vitw of

of
eP, of the great pe caks—Moun Jerson, sented
of t

ed to the southw: eee 9
same class ; and s
er distance to the southwa: re
other lower peaks, clustering Soest ina
branch ridge. soe e, like ae eat peaks,
e — secondary only to
e best examtiotiboeil our
ne

the range to pee they belon
m the great chain which here
trail d

of the day followed near to
e large serial on the left, which was con-
tinuously walled in between high rocky
ban We halted for the night on a little
nysatibaia:
November 30.—Our journey to-day was
short. Poisiny over a high yet on which beds |
were eet cedars, with frequent
voleanic rock in

rosie

remark that
moony is abundantly wa watered with large
h pout down from the neigh-

vertical preci-
and sehich leave only
casual places at which they can be ent
road across the c

04 by horses. The country,

At evening we encamped in a -| which would otherwise be very - a

wly surrounded by rocky hills, after a| rendered i ticable for wagons by these

day’s journey of 21 miles. The 'streams. There is another trail among the

ay dndabiyeras yoleanie products, or | mountains, usually followed in the summer,
-y alte xd by ‘ Sa dines - ee tT ee

120
son to believe that this, pass- |
ing nearer the ieals of cae streams,
would afford a much better road.
At such places, the gun carriage w ——

CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE,

(1843.

ever, good ; and give for the letitnge of the
place 44° 35’ 23”, and for the longituds
from the mente 121° 10’ ty

December 1.—A short soennne: abors our

limbered, and separately descended by hand. | encam cats d this r, which
Continuing a swt pe up the left cae of | was thickly lined along its ay math ice
the: Bes we arly in an open} In common with all these mountain stre
bottom among the the: bison haheni ieaee nce be- | the water was very clear, and the current
Jow a lodge of Indians. ere, along nae swift. It not. everywhere fordable,
river the bluffs present escarpments se and the water was bus a sont Jeet deep at
or eight — feet in height, saacaae our crossing, and

strata of a very fine porcelain clay, —
at the height of about five hundred fee

chalk, ery fine. grained. Specimens

soa Take these Rave been aA Goh to

opical examination
oin

ng them
agg beyond a doubt.
qually certain that they lived and died a
the Gsisnion where they were found, as ne
sya a

sicidlen bg

are dh re
fresh-water ori

y Soe

s | into molas

ously de- | the
tected by Mr. sit Bailey in specimens rere sy
D from

es got

shir this was a m :
t several seen scree
ong Pp

22
-O

the bottom I saw a

twelve feet in diameter.

fom the heat ope es Reare®
by the

a

she
ved bad too
much to part The se Ror attach
great value ‘6 gules with which they are

endiceraring ie supply them
a mber

selve
the first rays of the sum,
this epee presented
e sn

Dec —In
mountain Bas
au pe

might belong to extinct
red them also as afford

in the Ghaacok
of fres

all river.
ing to a more es

have been. in

nsils
off among the pines anpeseae tes and
several men w were sent back to arch for it.

{Tily slowe

ew men, in exes. to, gain: SR
as our propane with the gun was. necessa-
The country continued

the
ant
snow,

sn

1843)]

mpment, the mountain trail from the
Dalles joined that on which we were travel-
ling. After or several miles over |

an artemisia plain, the trail entered a beauti-

el

ne
Saterally 200 fee
rowed fe ani
ee eiiven, whi deep.

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

—The mornin

was

warm sunshine made the day pleasant.
To-day we h

December 7.— ad good trav-
elling ground ; the trail leading someti
over fathet sandy soils in the pine forest,

land along the

stream

ood e
an open bottom, whieh h had been
camping ground « of the Cayuse Indians. A

indicating game in the — thood.
onc te uniformly large ;

pines ring 22 feet in
the ‘ground, and 12 to 13 feet at six feet

In al our api ne we had never tray-

elled through a ntry where the rivers

were - abounding in falls; and the nam
singular] ee

of the | li
pifeeaitéretice at

~~

dai ily surveys wit agree
ably well. fertine® vee mutually pri
ngthen each Sor The lati-

of this st tude of the camp is 43° ’; and <<.
At every snes kate re we — - the - | tude, ed from the fin diese 1219
borhood of the river, is raring of | 33’ 50°
rock: alo of the| December 8.—To-day we crossed the last
stream, and the ledge over which it falls, is | branch of the Fall river, issuing, like all the
ed basalt, with t lic | others we ‘had crossed, in a mgr tg ad
The stream goes over in one| direction from the mountains. Our

pitch, succeeded by a foaming | tion was a little east of south, the trail lead~

of several hundred yards. In the little 7 ing mame pine fo

rests.
bare tere in great-

es erga

a

122 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE, [1843..

kable for their large diameter | the neighboring mountains; but this prob-
an their hei erages ably soon runs off, and leaves for the re-.
only about 120 feet. The leaflets are short| mainder of the ear a green savannah,
mly two or three inches long, and five in through the midst of which the river Ta-
a sheath; the bark of a red color. math, which flows to the ocean, winds its
ember 9.—The trail leads always | way to the outlet on the southwestern side.

i

yesterday ; and on surface of a hill, of our guides had reviously visited. It

near our encampment, were displayed beds | could not be directly approached, as a large

of pumice stone ; but the soil produced no part of the lake appeared a matsh
and again i

improve ; abo oting
a spring of cold water on the edge of a| fora considerable distance along the forest ;

=|
5
ia
e
@
eo
5
a
eo
o
4
oO
an
=e
a
=
~~ OO
olf
4
is)
®
i=]
i
>
i=
+
Bd
°
i]
a
=
oO
onal
(=)
SS
77]
=
=
—4
Q
a
|
o
bon
ie)
2
°
=
Q

h our
tray: through pine forests, so much
needed ; but the broad sheet of water which | one of them a woman, ha
constitutes a lake was not to be seen. Over-| known a Squaw to take any part in the busi-
of war.

a singularly
0 remarkable as

Ne
ia)
=]
5
oO
f°)
S
thy
s
“Cy
fee
g
a
ga
ok
&
|
[om
m
[ae)
=
8
“
i]
po}
a

| the open meadow. he ¢ ter of cou-| to attract general notice.
e and hostility attributed to the Indians} The huts were grouped together on the

of this quarter induced more than usual pre-| bank of the river, which, from bei
; and, seeing smokes rising from the | out in a shallow marsh a:

oe
&
&
4
o
=
&
&
®
a.
©
5
x
:
>
g
I

narrow neck, connec the b of the |lodge. Heaps of straw were lying around ;

lake with a deep r es | thei idence in the midst of grass
princip “nt stream, and over the|and rushes had taught them iar ski

Steater part of which the water (or rather in converting ie paleo: one ra

ice) was at this time dispersed ow | poses. Their shoes were made of straw _

. Pools, ong te grass, and scattered | or grass, which seemed well adapted for a

F ane prairie |; la wy country ; women wore on.

basin, | their head a closely woven basket, which —

be
“ounes ~

1843.]
feet square, which we purchased to hos on
b

i

the snow under our blankets, and to
table cloths.
Numbers o lar-loo! dogs, re-

Ts; he
northward, pas which present no
other obstacle than in the almost impene
trable fores 29a ke any Indians we had

eviously seen, these wore shells in their
om = ow our camp, after re

r two, acco ompanied

our siitenln ome acquaintance
with ss lobeling, we italien here for the
the da yo

‘par = found in

timbered a repr sno si moun
‘fertility characterizes i

heads of e rivers, and en the line of ‘in-

military oc-

lamath lake, the further continua-
tion of our voyage assumed a character of

‘discovery sy pom mace —— — the
‘Thdians he could obtain

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

a ily, as

t
er to reer a ite the strength of
o

ht | unexpected arr arrival sede Viemath chief,
He seemed to

193

sheltered me rigors of winter and from
inhospitable desert. The guides who
had conducted us thus far o:

ains across
would woreda us, and the pts of his | fam-
asons for refusin

B
S

dians south of the Columbia, the camp was
kept constantly on its gua I was not
-unmindful of the disasters whieh Smith and

try, an refore was
- | guarding eas treachery and violenc
Accordin the best ieforcistion T had
been - ab veny ti) ‘tain from t lans,
few days’ travelling mie should reach ano-
ther large water, bly a lake, which
he

a ssed the lake
nearly set iene: where it has the least
extension—the bre = - of the arm

here only about a mile and a half. There
ice, with but little grass, for

f.

The morning
very unpleasant, snow coat at iaecivade' in
large flakes, and the sky dark: In about
two hours we succeeded in a ting the ani-
mals over travelling anot ther

g
who had acco:
their rillage a

gay the pines here I noticed some five

r six feet in diame!

"December 13. The night has been cold ;

the peaks around the lake gleam out bright-
sun, and-

the thermom-

6 era a small affluent to the lake,
immediately entered an open pine forest
on the mountain. The way he: me-

ecnemseunearenenne

194

in letting the |

s d pcan a suid through |
the snow, an with a few others, |
to pilot us a day or pati on the way. r
travelling in an easterly direction through
the wach it on prise four Dan we reached

eam, with a f good
ae oe ee the abe of our guides,
we encamped. I t thirty feet wide,

1843; ao which place, the line of our
survey gives s an agg of thirteen miles.
The day’s Linear miles,

es — was over a

was grass. oe

ground, s Jie the high swamp grass ap-
peared a The Indians were thinly
clad, a nd = remarked rian, g the day that

This eve

e

they told me that the snow was getting to
deep eé mountain, ould not gn-
duce to.go any farther. The,str

me

pon at
comprehend that it pursued its way for a
long distance in direction, uniting wi
— other u becom-

CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
found his conduct inhospitable

e|est were profoundly still; an

eam | would be bed tc

eams,
a great river. Without the subsequent |
information, which confirmed the

imm

opinion, | try, in

pee Seated found. Travelling i

rectio:

but gradually as
cending a mountain ; cae after a hard jour-
ney of seven hours, we

ing | places aes the timber, ee a few tufts

of gras wed above the snow, on the

,| side of 2 a go> peg and go ~ Ae.

ur cow, which every day got poorer, was
killed here, but the meat was rather tough.
morn-

t of our

are ually rose veral spring |

heads covered pity aaaking asp; otherwise ise |
orest. e air was dark |

everywhere weigh-

The depths of the for-

scarcely a breath

of
stan adhe sie coursé
through the woods, when we were uncertaip
how far the forest siinaie, or what lay
beyond ; and, on ace s,

clear ahead, appearing suddenly to termi-
e€ ond a ce poin could
see no trees. Riding rapidly ahead to this
spot, we found ourselves on the verge of 4
vertical and rocky wall of the mountaia-
At our feet—more than a thousand feet be-
low—we looked into a gr oun-
, in which a beautiful lake, some t
miles in length, was spread along the foot
of th hile s| bordered with
green en the sun broke out
- | among the A Bb tag and illu d the
try below, as around us the storm F
fiercely. Not e was to be

seen on the lake, or snow on itn, hore

1843.]

be applied to these two
-such sudden and iitiotes

proximate places of
ntrast.

as i
We were now munbdatly on the verge |

of the forest land, in which we had been
travelling so many days; ani, L soaking for-
ward to the east, s o be

seen. Viewed fr rom our r eloration gn face
of the. country te ks and
ted agin in which the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
| the grass was.

certainly as

mee Pi but the mu

from a hing amped n

the eastern point of the lake, where there
ween the hills a

,
all game which minis- | the bed of
ters to their hunger and nakedness. Broad-| nected the lake with other waters in the
ly marked by the boundary of the mountain | spring.
wall, and immediately below us, were the| The observed latitude of this encampment
first waters of that Great Interior Basin | is 42° 42’ 37”.
which he Wahsate d Bear t| December 19.—After two sie ride in

edge
of which w ered upwards oe three
tale betes, at he. Great Salt lake

Wh ciently admired the
o think about

ways along the roc
on for four o or five miles, making ineffectual
attempts several places; and at |

ct
eho

Hohe fires to ight on
r and over two

obgervation, the latitude of this eneampm ment

ntil near | a

rsh, or dry
| panding waters of the stream.

an easterly direction country, |
the van aaige with pine a ‘til to our)
right; @ a rocky and bald but lower one |
n the left, we moe a pepe egy fresh-

aise stream s from
mountains.
judge, betw
had Sree sie
did appear

nnection, as

any < ©

no ays 2 ys
might e sd Fo the i ements condition
h| of the lake water

The rapia stream of pure water, roaring
along between banks overhung with aspens
d og was a refreshing and unex-
pected sight; and we

ered with high reeds and rus!

every thing in order; e only | here. It was evident that, in other seasons,
2 short camp along the western shore of the | this place was a sheet of eons

e, which, in the summer tempe we | this een * t the eastern hills, an
—— to-day, Sussiest had ng over a bordering “plain of Seery |
give urse wou! n us| sands, i? with artemisia, we encamped |
to Ti yee shat iets over the highlands | before sundown on the son which here |
beyond ; but I distr e of | was ve aving lost its water in the
the country, and decided to follow a plainly | marshy We found here tolerably
beaten Indian trail is side | good wind to-night was high,
of the lake. digs w ina and we h our huge pine fires,
where. t water and of grass | but were driven to our old resource of small

here
mare mals erous, and great cau-} dried ws and artemisia. About twelve
Fae ling fin iles ahead, the ord appears to be
ae jer 18.—We continued on the tal in by a high, dark-looking ridge.
eee ogy gale anh Ares the ember 20.—Travelling forafew hours
sane ae and the lod dwn , from which pons stream this morning, we. a
We had ro _ before. Al-| point of the hill on our left, and came sud-
we crossed a little | denly in sight of another and

omen erery dat, of pure cold wacer ; and and |lake,

which, along its eastern

126
closely bordered by the ee black ridge

which walled it in by a precipitous face on |
this side. Throughout ore ‘region the face
of the country is character e-

cipices of black volcanic apes
enc

encamp at this place. The miry ground in
the neighborhood of ‘de be did not allow | t

tinued on, trusting either
would be drinkable, or that we should find
ing from the hill side. We

er.

snow, and the < doabrecute odor r which filled

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

ould | dry

é seeinkled with the same white pow
was ni to obtain a
wesc to go on, or | lake

bidding Mie

cordingly bore off towa rds the

(1843,
with grass, which, although of a salt and
unwholesome quality, an and mixed with saline

sete wrote was still abu

a good halt

an
remainder of th

miles to ascertain if there was any appear-
djance of a watercourse entering t fh of
but found none, the hills

preserving their
la

eter, ‘and the shore of the

and frequent ce me Indians along the

shore, where s had been recently
burnt by pitty

We ascended the bordering ese in
more perfect view of the
n sketching os he. . hills sweep em en-
n|tirely around its bas , from which the

ers have no aa

December 22.—To-day we left this for-
Impassable rocky ridges ae
red our progress to the eastward, and Ia

an extensive

n the summit of the ridge, snow w

visible ghar there being nie i indication of
stream at its base, until after

ast, but were unable to poet it and halted

: ec bushes on the open plain,
in : e continued until late in or . The two
the evening to oak ong the roc bags been filled with water
but, as often ar the dry inhospita- | in the morning, which afforded pe eee for
ble rock deceived us halting on the |the camp; and rain in the nig ed
lake, we inied . Brest guide those who | pools, whic relieved the reid of the ani-
behind. We mals. e€ we encam th
sandy ain, the Indians had sss huts oF,
n | cireular enclosures, about four feet high
lve feet broad, isia bush
Whether these had houses, oF

forts or
shore, | what they had at threo in such a desert
red, | place. Tain.

; we could
sembey 9B

eather is mild; the

The w
taste. | permeate at daylight 38° ; the wind hav-

made | and

ing pa ein for several ways
The country he

very forbidding
ance, yretenting to the eye pane. but sage
We

|
many py ays. Our el
* good view over the county, but we dis- thoug

rey

am

r grass than we aw: found for
evated position gave us

ove net very e outh-

slong the ridge ; ; and this

to continue our Jowmers in that direction.
December 24.—We
ine lake tolerably pa and encam a at the
farther end. There were some grass | a
0 a As ong la mahi and ve vegeta-
s place consisted principally o

a intense: shrubs.
December

small arm

plapheaill sabetell the

which we bestowed on the lake. |
first time, perhaps, in this remote and deso-
late region, in which it had been so com-
, on days of religious
ional commemoration, our voyageurs
t some cacoadl. allowance ; and, hav-

coffee and sugar,

which here, api every eatable wasa jux-

was s ent to make them a feast.
e-

&
a)

in on the right by a lofty m
The plainly Sateh: trail still poner nd
occas 1 digo passed camping groun
the Indians, which indicated to me that w

f the great corr pone of
In the afternoon I attempt

oS
7

there creamli
Selooesi. 6 Bag a clay soil and
Chenopodiaceous shrubs constituted the
growth, and aie e again our firew

animals were.driven to the hill, where there
was tolerably good grass.

December 26.—Our general course was
The country consists of
smaller basins, get es the
mountain waters run ng tie! big ; + | i
lakes ; the otc a ect leve om
week ia dea i el a
tly. Between the successive basin:

y ve ry slight;
the —_ of

again south.
larger or

rising among ;
though | galloping up, we found two huts, open

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

und the water of|n

t
which were ¢

nds and as.

into the

127°
now we find scaréely more than the dry
be either side, the mountains,
not very high, appear to be rocky

i The basin in Oe anich we were
the southwest

ight on a rapid,
—_ water, which w

ong the sage Pate
right side of the val

r partially froze
belongs to ear basin w Bh left. By

en

to-night, 0 was

found * re ayaa on the 42d parallel.

a horse belonging to Carson, one

of the a we had in the camp, was stoleif®
by the Indians.

December 27.—We continued up the

gc “A nee gy scone ve ee ry

f high

peerage we found
the snow about one or dee
some pesanipeuict large cedars sad ao aa
ered
ges,
fers

water, and enc ong
the bordering pi, akan the snow was
| about one foot deep. Among this the

had lagemiges. if any more horses were
stolen, to. follow oe the Indians
mountains, and put a temporary
check to their sly haectage; but it did
not occur se ares
Our this meni lay down a level

valley, bond red by steep mountainous

ridge rising very sheuptly from the plain.

was the principal plant

|
}
i

lar so: foot in diameter
and eight feet high. Riding ly along
ove’ snow, we enly upon

ieee

aad

128

the et built of sage, which
coved re <bimn deserted at the

se
ling up th We had come upon them

som
so faddeny that they had been well-nigh
A

surprised in their lodges. sage fire was

burning in the pete ; a few baskets made | w

Mice. ressed, t
ildren had arevedd behind

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

h vanced ; and to
a sage bush

(1843.
this had appeared to be only a ridge of low

broadening into little — — be-
coming the as we ad-

near the lodge, and when Carson accident- | low re we found
ally stumbled upon her, she immediately | camp, with water and excellent and abun-)
- dant grass. The which was as eovered|

and we aaa! in vain oe pide ra seas
munication with the me y dint

presents, and friendly demonstrations, ke
was brought to calmne e found
that they belonged to the Snake nation,

- cee the language of that people. | tan
ight or ten appeared to live together,

er the same little shelter; and t
ed to have no ot ist

» and

The da
aslight dividing ground we encamped on
the shelte: of a hill, where there
was good buneh grass, havi tnade: &

sev
, threatening snow ; “but the large
pen e bright fires

at4 o'clock it

took our way across a alas thickly cover-
ed with snow, towards a range of hills i

29.—The morning mild, and
commenced snowing. W.

‘J
for a few hours in
. | tion, it entered a cation where we could not

s. stream, we searched a

andl

and t

ver tetambee character in its vegetation,|

f | being or ani red with good

— a

ight ¥ cold. Ab

the valley fom om — a2

ce below the the

where a considerable coin “of indiseie “had

sed on horseback, who had vere out

to the Teh, appeccutly with the view

crossing the mountains to the eastward. °
December 30.—A fier fo lowing the stream

ollow; but dete the
a passage below, where
could regain it, and entered a regular
The water had now more
several
es of willows, and we
began to feel pd out of all difficulty: ty |
m Our position, it was reasonable to ¢
clude that 6 stream would find its ontlet
in Mary’

ains showed rs opal atu
was
up in

Strip 0; of grass ainda _ feet the
walls of bare rock on either hand, and =a

—AVfter an hour's no

tere opened out, and before

1844.]

again lay one of the dry tasine: After | wi

rch, we discovered a high-water

oititlet, whieh brought us in a few miles, and
a descent of several hundred won! ‘into
another long broad basin, in i we found
ned sufficient

poeta d the year 1843, and
our new vents e was rather a gloomy
one. The result of ¢ our journey poe 0 be
singularly

rn and cut by the rocks, that many o
aon. were ‘tated and could scarcely be got

New Year's day, 1844.—We continued
down the valley, between a dry-looking

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

@ were consequent
til fe in the day.

er the
to the best maps in my possession,
have found Mary’s lake or river.
rey Seasheck vn the verge

ich had bee
cates e of ee

the sout
ong the rere in the full expee-
ta tign “of reaching the Buenaventura river.
This geen I yea every man in the camp

on ny self, of course, among the rest
— a thie —— lightene ed
tion the -teadlio es

seven or eight ‘ie es = along
in ing the a. and en

black Bey sae ine at * ~ Sy re waoney . There
and high o road was large artemisias; but the princi
bad along the "Botton. 1 ein brokéh by gul- site are chenopodiaceous shrubs. T
lies and impeded by sage, and sandy on the | rock composing th tains is here
as where there 7 not a blade of grass, | changed suddenly into white te. The
or does a any appea a the mountains. The | fog showed the tops of the hills at sunset,
sit in n many Hache sbisinth of a fine pow-|and stars enough for observations in the
ery sand, cove line efflores- | early evening, and th losed over us as be-
cence; and the general vaochage sd of the | fore nr by ey eg 40° 48’ 15”.
country is gener? During th fore) we aa Janua _ fo tio’ to- was. still
eop. ;

rected our course towards a its:

the foot of erorede

cated so spate
Jan

k cape, a
column of smoke sedi

were on the road early,
y

y> h
velling being very
apith; rendered tena-
s by a mix sptete of cla he weather

Meared up a little at noon, and we seuction on
hw

the hot ara ¢. whic ling seen the
a large

fl the Ther a |
of dns asta talk grass heh "pecaliar to
Th

ty ign ute ct grass,
only plants being warf Fremontias.
We passed the rocky cape a jagged broken
point, bare an he are vol
ic, hills here pit a burnt ap-| su
pearance—cinders asta ap-

-| surprise

in| Janu
and, with Mr. Pre

. | features of the cou
ure

, apne bewildered and lost; and
9

more dense, ats the

mrs no Wi

coming into own
| ae We moved to a place where there
e better grass, about two miles

Taplin, one of our best men, wh
had gone out on a scouting excursion, as-
cended a mou ntain near by, a ae
emerged into a region of bright
sunshine, in which the upper pre of ee
hile below alt

| mountain were glowing, while
e| obscured in

the darkest fog
nuary 6. tag a fog continued the same,

niry, as some indication
route, while Mr. Fi badiibeick

0

explored the country below. In a very

rt distance we had nded above the

but the view ed was not very

: fog had partially cleared

off from below when we reached the sum-

mit ; the southwest corner of @ ba-
sin communicating with which

ture at the
n the

camped, w lofty column of
, 16 miles State, indicating the pre-
so, appeared

had ascended appeared to be composed o
fragments of white granite
intering

e ne ‘ahboun g valley, a

and
- crossing the bed of another lake, after a hard

day’s travel nips ground of ast 2 mud

and sand, we reached the where
we found an abundance of gras, Shieh, | w

though send tolerably ee made this plac

, a refreshing uot q

oe
CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

Ni
We saw here | i
D

[usaa.,

etation, to feel our way ahead, by having

the line of pee explored some fiftee _ fF

twenty miles in advance, and only to

a a preneat encampment when the iscobait
s know

Sos with me Godey and Carson, I

in the bo 9 papaya ns a good camp-
ing place, where was water in go and
a sufficient pale of grass tit
peda aj Bed the sprin

nd here a broad and plainly marked trail,

This i z the most extraordinary locality of | on which there were track of horses, and
hot springs w met during the journe e appe to have regained one of th

The basin of the largest one has a circum- | thoroughfares which pass ed es watering
ference of several handxes feet ; but there | pla he country. stern

is at one > Sigg circular space of about | mountains of the Nove with which this v4

fifteen fee Ag Haas rmgeng occupied
by the boiling water. Itb irregu
]

he margin with a border of

persing the water with a pole
argin W

in roma it was doubtles i gr

xe. ara the oe pee towards the bottom, the
boil up with increased

pasty Pong "Phere are several other
ng places, where water and smoke

or gas ocages but they would require a

ral ee ; and
e of snow made it pleasant to

Site the —— nei shaadi the val-
xclusively

ley botto 1 is covered almost

with ah ses tin shite, greater
‘wxuriance, and larger than we have
- Seen them in any preceding part of the

ah tained this evening some astronomi-

sages situation now epired | caution.
_— which gave o}

the boiling spring communicates }
marked scattered codare—probably an indi |

tie that we were the borders of the
timbered region extendiog to the Pacific. ;
We hed the p at sunset, after a °
day’s ride of about forty ot —

we rode were in good order, being o
that were kept for emergencies, Sd rarely

ed.
Mr. Preuss had ascended one of the

pave ped ane fae us day in sketch-

g the c and Mr. Fitzpatrick had
w of

day to give them nity to reeruit |
their strength. Indians appears o be
where prowling about like wild animals, ond
there is a Bric sh trail across the snow in the
valley ne:
Latitude of the siti springs, 40° 39’ 46”.
9th we crossed over to thé cotton- \
ie ‘tie: ‘Aba ong the beni on the 4
were a few bushes of ephedra occident

> lowlands were
oceupied with artemisia, While the party
ea aes to this Spee arson and myself
oitred the road in advance, arts found
nee good encampment for the f
Lee
January 10.—We continued o

issance head, pursuing a ort direction
in the basin along ton ny fol-
=: a lar, 1:

1844.} CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. | 131

our way up the hollow, intending to Where re we had halted, appeared to bea
what lay beyond the mountain. The hol. favorite mrs lace ve Indians.
low was several miles ep forming a good| January 13 » We fo owed again a broad
panes the snow —S ng to about a foot as | Indian trail along the = of the lake to |
— ap tb Beyond, a defile | the southward.
ean the tains descended rapidly | room enough in the beciaen: but, after trav-

the lower space, was a heat of green wa- | foot of the igs ng mountains, the peaks

ter, some ut 3,000
on our eyes like the ocean. The neighbor- | lake. The ‘ta wound along the base of
ing peaks rose high above us, and we as- | these precipices, against which the water
ered one of them to obtain a better view. | dashed below, by a way nearl
Vv

their dark-green color showed it to a | of the morning the lake was nearly hid ‘og
body of deep water. Fo gsi time we | snow storm, and the waves broke on the

it almost entirely. At the western end it|in a bottom formed

rushy shores an
concluded it some unknown body of water ; | ment previously mentioned. ere were |
which it ree ds proved to be. | chenopodiaceous and other shrubs along the |
On our read down, the next day, we saw | beach; and, at the foot of the rocks, an |
identalis, whose

to which we hurried dow mediately. | Towards evening the snow began to
e water is so slightly ale that at first, | heavily, fat ae country ad & a wintry ap-
we thought it fresh, and would be pleasant | pearance.
to drink when no other could be ay The| The next oarning. HF the snow was rapidly
shore was rocky—a handsome or which’| melting under sun. Part of the
u e

s alon e gre 0
hive been deposited by water, and has the other rocks along the shore, it seemed to
cs Nagieagi ns ee been spread over the | be incrusted with calcareous ‘cement. This

ocks in ma striking feature suggested a name for the
; and Ie i

lake : I called it Pyramid lake; and
‘* The label a ge to a specimen of this | though it may be deemed by some a fanciful
rock was lost ; walt arora an analysis of that | resemblance, I can undertake to say
ed the speci-|the future traveller will find much more
. striking resemblance between pres roc:
"Carbonate or snonn Seat Mie agin “aie the pyramids « of Egypt, than there is be-
; eae a 4: the sFinet Hegl Which they
Alumina iy ‘lec 1.05 | take their nam
n ‘ The Eiction of this lake above

2% ie

é 6.24 is 4,890 feet, being nearly 700 feet higher c
__ "I than the Great Salt lake, from which it lies
100.00 | nearly west, and distant about eight deg:

132

longitude. The position om elevation |

of this lake make it an = a of geographi- |
cal interest. It is

h, it
cumference and contents, it is so desirable
to

The last of the cattle which had been
driven ia the Dalle Ss was was killed here for

ourse ; conse

f la arge cotton-wood, which we
could see ie the mouth of 8 sted indica-

ted it was a stream onsiderable
} size; and, “sibel we had the e pleasure
to gl re country
where an ben oe’ Sond “it Accom-

r, three or four Indians m the

on
rail We had an ee pba conversation
in si and then moved on toget
Bobeees the chief ary Was
he bottom

st lake to the se

ith our
ich | diately rama in numbers ; so weer the

s whole cir- | fi

us44,

fish to trade, which we had the inexpressible
satisfaction to find was a salmon trout; we
round him eagerly. Lone Indians
were amused wi mme-

more than was i poling
>| safety, — ie s thei
they made

as main-
tained among the people, and wide ir ata
time M45 ag kept on guard during the nich
o- | There
3 geo uniformly preserved, conducted
F party: ce bieough Indians famed
| fo tre
the: mean time, such a salmon-trout
as as is seldom seen was going on in our
am

| whites before not be certain; om
they ~ evidently | in communication with
| others who as one 0)

beats | “oslo veral other
| articles of i eiviheed ac nufacture Weecoul

from them but bg ie information re-

the country. made on the

ground a desing a of the hes which they

represented lake ip

1844.

a direction a ale -west_of south 5 beyond
which, they dre

a mountain; and further | son to rec
wee tw pie: ; on one of which S48 told
d.

s that people like ourselves travelle
Whether they alluded to the Pet icheauta on

aS
po)
a)
3
a
mS
oe
2
°
[nal
®

m to guide us for a few days on the
pee, nay they only looked at each athes and

"The latitude of our encampment, which
may be conn ered the mouth of the inlet,
3 39° 51’ ot al our niet g

—i nis morn. econ

tinued
ong mi bez autifal stream
T

the s handsomely timbered with
[large eatton ood and the wa w
very clear

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

the | whicl
ra ig i tell.

de ; | Eve

We were aaran ee .

I rode out with Mr. Fitzpatrick ard Car-
e

ve

This stream joined w
open valley of another to the e bert but
é€ main water ran, it was im-

over the

the cou
t and aid universal a
among barbarian
Examining into the condition of the ani-
mals wien I returned into the
ound their feet so m
rocks, Fo so many of them lame,
was ently
cross ‘the rg ai untains.
piece of iron ta osald fos ok for
the yhes ais had been converted into a
and we could make no further use of
shoes we had remainipg. I therefore
0

e
Boe 2

pu re.

) alon, ng the mountains of the t Sierra,
/ whi right, covered with snow ;
but Below the Pidg geist ts was mild and
gee We mber of dams which
«ted “constructed to catch fish.

eased ie made about
mped under some neg
the rive z ogn where there was tolerably

wpe he 17.—This mornipg we left the
river, which here issues fr from the moun

tura ; and Carson hurried eagerly to search,
n

tings, een ] ap: mee i

should fin d on wa an to

4 sure ae RR that the water
0

ly level country, wi s
which brought us, after 20 miles journey,
to another large stream, timber

cotton-wood, and flowing also out of the

| mountains, but cuca more directly to the
eastward. mi

On the way we surprised a family of
Indians in the hills; but the man ran up
the mountain with rapidity ; and the woman

}

pen ea va

strea
ed with

HH

he Sacramento, wherever a prac-
seable 4 sto isi
was heard with
fused new life pe Mc Ot the
Latitude, by observation, 39° 24’ 16".
19.—A great number of smokes

ar
once & : arance had
- | spread among these people, sir igno-
rancé of us. If they knew the whites,
they would unde =e oe only
object in coming am as to trade,

which required uae a friendship. but

e nothing to trade—consequently,
hite man ;

da heavy snow ; but
ning up the stream, went

ns was
tracks of Indians, who
had descended from the upper waters,
a oe ay gpmmesba

trial
fair’ sm gamc below, the mountains were

darkened with falling snow, od Sool ae
|wiling to encounter ‘them, we ay
to the southward. In that ae

we travelled the next day over a tolerably
devel c having always the high
mountains on th t. > "Bhe as but
sn ground ; and,

another large eat
running off to the northward and ea
~ to meet that we had left. Jt ran Sieank
ottoms, having a fine meadow-land
appearance.
Latitude 39° 53”;
January 22 ravelled _ the pees
for about 14 sy to on foot of the
tains, from which one branch = imei in i the
southwest, basin ther’ flo avg from SSE.
their Leaving the camp be-
low, we Dendsd the range through aaa
first st lt in a caiion; on
_-western side was a circular valley, ane
15 miles rae tiréaghiewe whic a eg tre me
se se ~~ g fi e in
h ro eeabibentty bey
The alley Tooked. velloneae with faded gras
e had followed was ‘sible

the forks ;
act steals: ‘ping fatigued and the grass
tolerably goo

The rock , the ridge we had ascende

some places, small nodules of obsidian.
far as composition and aspect are con
9 pani in mhen

By observation, the elevation of the
pomporey was _— feet ; and the Hecitailé
38° 49’ 54

January 23.— moved along the course
of the other banel towards the ree
the country affording a fine road $ and, pas

?

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

[1844

tinued rates ee me almost connection,

of lakes ich ts encountered,

were the dranings oft “fin

springs, and sn bese ‘eatiivie cities ac-

count for heed lakes and streams, numero!
we

anuary 24.—A man was discovered run-
ning towards the camp aS we were about to
start this morning, who proved os be an In-
di riche advanced ar ort of for-
lorn hope, who d to have Beet worked
up into vatsae of vinta the stran-
gers w e passing through the ge.
He veined Ke hand of the first man he m
me up, out of breath, and held os,
s if to assure himself of
sestieht wi

he name of pinus monuphyllus ; in
popuhir fitightite: it might be called the nut
chased them al

possible by signs, we some
ur object ; on he e ngage to teers us
n sight ood pass wh

of: 4 ich he
d Rae we peers to hear the Shvhinee Gg

camp ; and, ac-

| me
rs | compan ed by the new-comers, we resumed

our journey.

The teak led us a the eri: which here

comes a rather rapid mountain e hile

fifty feet > amt betwen dust lookin
; but

“towards the valley another stream, There
| but

r.
for only a short distance
as | and er

|| made us comprehend had been buil
salmen trout

jo, Aatavisig’\hete othe

it ata dam delahe?

snow
sg digsinat de tien or four feet deep
entirely across the stre: ream.

ame ee

tc

| beautiful.

1844.]

mica. This be only a stratified lava.
On issuing an th

igre’ : ibut
t stream, - which th
ass. It was covered wih such thick
so! with pick- |r
for the anim ake to drink.
he Lanks are “ight wooded with willow,
and on the u ttoms are sage a and Fre-
ae with ephe ine rey sits which be-
cur more frequently.

sin, ig encamped o

to
the las rad

travelling more agreeab
)

inne
morning was cold and
bright, and as the sun ah et

CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE.

e gap into a wide valley, or rather | and from

enle could not even
red to have no

this the a
ridge _— another, presenting a rude oe
rocky outline. we descended range
the rally : a now impeded us but. litle :
whee we peer the foot

» and
about a foot deep « on the

A part

Calic

| down from the mountains to trade pine nuts,
of

ae tenn

which each one carried a e bag.
These ere now to ie me staple of the
country ; whenever we ndian,
by fiend. salutation sheuteeed in alter
and to trade : their only

— Say rea a comfortable camp, where there |

dry willows ‘abundant, a

medicine

any drink (except coffee) more agreeable,

ws. oT this j ina cold night after a on td day’s
rch. Mr.

ether the

neighboring bands were at war w fa ibd nectar vibe poss sessed So exquisite a
other ; and we ha me difficulty in pre-| flavor. All felt it to be a-reviving cordial.
vailing on our ar to ae pany us on e next score: sun had not
this ay: 's journey, being at war with the | yet risen over the mountains, the ther -
people on the other side of a large snowy | eter elow zero ; e sky
in oly whi us. Fish re pure, and the weather changed
The general level of ‘the seed ae. rapidly into a pleas of summer. I
ed to x! Et tin g higher, and we were gradu- | remained encamped, in order to examine the
ally entering the heart of the eugtaisa. country, fin allow the animals a day of rest,
all ma bdiaita or we ascend- | the rt ng good and shina under

Reso pected by
ed a lon ridge and reached a pure spring
at the edge of the timber, where the In-

dians had Peivlasd and killed an antelope,
and where the e greater part of them left us.

the sno

nd ‘though at war anon ach other, vals

ll confided i

tain appearin
The timber

nes, (pinus m

nut |
- nophyllus,) which here are of larger wie

anks to t to the combined | a

Lael

of the ¢
us; buy 2 8

‘ar be u , this
was the pass which the y had widiedted, and,

12 to 15 inches in diameter; heaps of _
lying on the ground, whe ere the Indian in company with tag to-day I set out to
have gathered the seeds. "| explore. it. Entering the range, we con-
_ The snow deepened as we ad-|tinued in a northwesterly direction up the
vanced. Our guides wore out their mocca-| valley, whi to the right. It
sins ; Erbe tan anes a horse, | was a pretty, open

n bottom,
we enjoyed the unusual sight of an Indian] lofty mountains, which supplied frequent

s we advanced. On the low
ont wens covered with nut-pine trees
asses of pine

s whic
remarkably numerous

untain
thee d now y entirely left the desert
and were on the ae of a region
which. extending’ westwa o the shores of
the ce, abounds in la ie game, and is
covered rover a singular luxuriance of vege-

The little

grew rapidly Sonintt

stream
and in about twelve miles we had reached | side, a

its head, the last water coming immediately
out of the mountain on the right ; and this
was selected for our ete encampment,
wed well in sunny places;
i in colder situations t ‘ snow was dee
nd began to occur in banks, through pire
‘ha horses found some difficulty in breaking

etl

To the left, the open He continued in
a southwesterly direction
pere

he showed S his lodge.

hended nothing of his language ; and, though
appeared t

in full view of the ec

mp, he was indispose ed
to hold any
: th

etheiavaniodtion with us, but
was going, and pointed

on our

rage the latitude of this

“was

‘for us to go

tion above the sea ig 310 fe ni
eeun 27.—Leaving the camp to ai
ow slowly, with direction

to Carson to e

CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE.

above with m: whi ani
F recognised, from the darker Pape of

cnislerdie do

a-ak no fear, passing along | i

18” i a the pe Te work had detain

(1844.

On the left, the ee capac rose inte
sec

snow

felt impressed by the majesty of the moun-
tain, along the huge wall of which we were
riding. ere there was no te ut im-
ect eft was a deep bi
which we dragged our horses w.

w
ery satisfactory, and spwekened
ubt. The valley of the
tr sire pursued a northwesterly direction,
appearing below to turn sharply to the net
beyond which further view was cut o
was, pcibbebecttr teuclved to continue our
ext day down this Ma which
we - Poetry still woe prove that’ ce
sia aay anh g n the two great rive
mit of this peak, me fields

veral oe
hem.
rt in the mountains,
e sun having but a small space of sky to

ee vel over in the visible part pect our
orizon ; and the moment his rays a

camp.
we wené through

U — -
€ pass with all the camp, and, after a hard
day’ s journey of es, encamped on
igh point where t been blown

en

mi ridges, in order to
snow, which 3 in other places was

to a great d

_the sno
power of fire-arms, and thinking them-

a
low, crossing the river, go depth, sw.
current,

1844.}
w, seeming ne have no idea of the}

atid perfectly sate when beyond arm’s

0
o-night we did not succeed in Leerins
This

the howitzer into ca’
most eras day wi Sha d

through, the steep aa me dens snow
pe et both men and a

the

a
sha

‘om
will account for the absence of Seine te
along this interval of our

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

Sheight we could
be low, j el mountain

cad

- The Indians immediately made it
oe that the waters

ained to boy ndians that we

anuary 29.—From this
) ata S onaideratle: distance

necks, and raised t

spots in the valley, iia saaiee ted
that there was not much iW.
these places we expected 3 fens es
t; and some time bein g yee” -
f with

a few
ollow, a or! Ss
Werf ollo wad a trail ddéwn a hallow. where
the Indians ne descended tek snow pergs
so nev nea e

o
a

tha
ground; but this ° . m our d ees
the easier. r, and, when we reached a little
affluent to the river at the bottom, s

ian
-our motions, an
first were indisposed to let us approach,
ging themselves like birds a fallen
where,

ran themselve
log on the hillside yr stigha our heads,
yt

safe. Our frie il
th and, when r h, they
immediately stretched out to us handfuls
of pine huts, whic ed an exercise of
h e w pre

few m

ey went
The

difficult to ford ;

ospitality. made th
ents, vse telling us that their village was a pric fires, in, ge
on to let their | d

to show the depth; and sign
was impossible for us to get thro
made signs bape rhe tee

ward, over a pass “the
ethic h they pointed aks
at the end of one d
n

g ish us a guide. The
peared to have a confused idea, from re-
port, of whites who lived on the other side

he ai d

weg siemated cab wi spirit of explora- |
aed nrneite which characterizes that }

of pine nuts, which
soppy When roasted,

The Indians — in during the even-

*

“138 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. (1844.

low ebb. Our principal stock was in peas,| when it began to snow thickly, with very
which it is not necessary to say contain|cold weather. The Indians had only the
‘scarcely any nutriment. We had still a| usual seanty covering, and appeared to suf-
a flour left, some coffee, and a quantity | fer greatly from the cold. All left us, ex-
of sugar, whic “h I reserved as a defence | cept our guide. Half biti by the storm,
against starvation. the mountains ect eary ; and, as night
The etd informed us that at certain | began to approac thé guide sho Md great
seasons they have fish in their waters.| reluctance to go torieod I placed him
wa gan to be

i er| struck a rav

subsistence—a portion being always at| would nist us to the river; and as th

hand, shut up in the natural storehouse of| poor fellow suffered greatly, shivering in

thecones. At present, they were ies the snow which fell upon his naked skin, I

to us as a whole people living ‘upon t his | would not detain him any longer; and he
ble

simple vegetable ran off to the m nr where he said
other division LF the ge did not| there was a hut near by. He had kept the
tome in to-night, but encamped in the up-| blue and scarlet cloth I had given him
per Fagonia and arri ived the ei morning. | tightly rolled up, preferring rather to endure
hey had not succeeded in getting the|the cold than to g wet. int
ne Ae sevbind the place mentioned, and Tse 0 fternoon, one of the men had
where it had been left = his foot frost-bitten ; and about dark we h
obedience to my orders ; and, in anticipa- | the satisfaction to reach the bottoms of @
tion of the snow banks and snow "fields still| stream timbered with large trees, among

ahead, foreseeing the otny le detention | which we found a sheltered camp, wi -e
to which i es er subject us, I reluctantly | abundance of such grass as the season af-j
fitorinined to leave it there for the time. forded for the npg a tein epi oy

giers; and the distance it had come with | of the rete raed lower parts steep, and dark
us proved how well it was adapted to its| with pines, while above it was hidden in
purpose. ia i it the great sorrow oe uds ofsn ow. This we felt Lage # ae
of the holes par 0 were grieved to ay
part with a Bahk which had made the great California “mountain, sh ian
the whole distance from St. Louis, and {now intervened re een us and the waters
commanded respect for us on some critical| of the bay. W. made a forced march
occasions, and which mi hight be needed for | of 26 miles and fies mules had given out
~ the same purpose again. on the road. Up to this A se with the ex-
Jan 30.—Our guide, who was a|ce fod of two stolen by Indians, we had
ig man, joined us this morning ; and,| lost none of the horses which had been
| our encampment late in the day, ught ‘frost the Columbia river, and a
we descended the river, which immediately | number of these were still strong and in tol-
pened out into a broad valley, furnishing | erably good order. We had now 67 ani-
good travelling ground. - Ina short distance | mals in the ban
we passed the village, a collection of straw} We had scarcely lighted our fires, when
“huts; and a few miles below, the guide| the camp was crowded with nearly naked
— out the place where the whites had | Indians; some of them were furnished with
t encamped before they entered the | long nets in addition to bows, and appeared

n ith our late ™: ave been out on the sage hills to hunt
but ten miles, and viwerne on the te rabbits nets w
, Tiver bottom, where there was no snow, but | feet lon Mek Hae eee
‘& great deal of ice ; and we cut piles of Fea at Wee

Pt eigen slight sticks at intervals, and were made
‘Tong grass to la: wade our blankets, and} from a kind of wild hemp, +
fires were ‘ide “ot large dry wil

|Tiver took here a ot ompentegtt diredtion ley. ame ¢.
and through a spur from the mountains on and Pa ines themse

he “nay was the gap where we ron to pass | mainly occupied in rently lip thet astonish-
aa next ‘ment. See oes ee
a /31.—We took our our way over a| pearance of a row of about a dozen, W

iow: bret traveling ea be- | were sitting on their cnen wi perched on
and were eR lal their quict

her few of the oe

1844.]
intelligent of abe Jodinnes® and held this even-
in

whites. There were two who appeared
pariciary cotalligeas —one, a somewhat
old man. He told m

there was no snow on the groun
might remain there eo we spring.
their description
that upper water
nO te
r communication
was on 4 understood n
thing of t
soiwithstanding, rapidly and v
2xplaining what they eolisitertd tlre folly
af our Sautane: Bai § urging us to go down
the lake. Tah-ve, a word signifying
to know, fi

a guide.
ossible ; for t had de i

or
oO

w
ing out of the lodge,
Ser dir ner a _ intelligent ag hig e.

1 be who has
and he

e ac-
among us me . ard
eigifying frend, Whisk 13 they used very
y: i abil ei clad, and nearly
; his "being about wi

Wi
° present of — we prevailed sven
this young man to be o: = gol ide,

CAPT. FREMONT’S icin

me that, before the snows} i

out. ve him skins to make

hav ing
fire-a The TOM hed intermit~
ted in ihe Svbtiing” COCAieel falling again

t| from the deseri

einen to fae summer cli

hardly | i
an

but they spoke,

ehemently, | the

rom | pri

best
| not oy ewe

orn.| become

e
a great ae

pmets of ped Ww
n years As? and who,

r lat A prativte: had ghted us in
saat of its rich pastures whe abounding
saint. an vivid contra:

fat:
—

ree them cad the
to the pre parations necessary to en-
to effect. Le

gu

Extremity of suffering might

m desert ; we therefore did the best
m

ed upon %
great and evident contentment. He array-
ed himself i olors ; ” and, clad in

robably richer and better cloth-
y of his tribe had ever been

re.

have already said that our provisions
ither tallow nor
€ want

now

compagnon de voyage ever papa had
fat, the mess to which it be-

and

140 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. [1844

ae wested permission to kill it. Leave
cass Spread out on the snow, the
bat looked very go atts

ry vant 4 t made a| was so Pasi in th
strengthenin. a for the eae part of

the dians brought in two or three
rabbits: during the ‘day, which were pur-
chased wie

nar o 70 feet Arete and
now tively ye over. os e
with large eat aa willow tox
wig a By observation, the "atitu e of

‘5

February 2.—It had ce ased snowin eg,

were rapidly di h . 0
Indian shook his head as he poited to the

icy pinnacles, shooting hig gh up into the sky,
and seeming almost immedia ately above u

e n the ice, and leaving

it immediat tely, we commenced the ascent

of the mountain along the valley of a tribu-
ple were ——

tary stream. e peop
’ silent ; for every man knew that our enter-| th
prise was

rdous, and ‘ins issue @ doubite
Phié-enow deepened rapidly, and it soon
became necessary to break a road. For

service, a party of ten ormed
aaeas on the strongest horses; each
man in succession opening the road on foot,

_ oron kivecback, ae himself and his horse
became fatigu ued, he steppe

a little hi hie athens a
itt igher wre on
its banks i in ‘alia four feet depth of snow.
found — an open hill side, where
a the wind and the sun had melted the snow
‘ saitibiont bunch grass for |
ee nl

elite mene eee

=
=
|

w
ve extraordinary
the

river, a. be eer to the Indians, issues
from a n to the south. The snow
were

e opened our soa be the same
maou only sev

wa es
miles ; and encamped by some springs at
bo foot of a high and pi ‘hill, by which

°o

=

8

a 5

Se eage2
+
°

Oe a Rice ele

—— was 120 to 130 feet, and one that
easured near by was 6 feet in diam-

ing no grass exposed here, the |

s. "Ther e bei
horses were sent back to that whic h we had.

the w: t of the day, and then hard
frozen g ade a foundation that
would bear the weight of the animals th
next ae a. he day several In-
dians joined u ow shoes. These were

made of a siesta’ sen, about a foot in di-
ameter, — eee -_ being filled with
an open network of nese
ont t ahead reps with
wo or three men, each with a led hor
road.

g\t
break the We were obliged to aban
the

on the hollow entirely, a and work along
ch w

e| mountain side, whi very steep, and

the snow covered he a an icy crust. We
and led

in summer, the — aaoaeek over a small

precipice. Here a short distance of
dividing ground ‘ion the two ridges, and
be e in, s across,
w. m presented a field of snuw. At

the noms or western side rose the middle
crest of the mountain, a dark-looking ridge
of gr roc rag

ee? was covered aa coher of

T ould paiecwhieh the guide indicated
here, we attempted in the afternoon to force
fa road; but — a laborious ae

Vest paety a. out, cnsirely secusinds ingen

ve

who end
ss than ourselves, and believed

any further effort; and, for pees e,
were brought to a stand. =

- one that we were entering the dee
d here began the difficulties of the

inouatahens and to hi t to all,

ome enterprise seemed hope I returned
short distance back, to the break in the

hollow, ——s I met Mr. Fitzpatrick.

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

141

his blanket, and began to weep and lament.
“] wanted to see the whites,” said he; “I>
|came away from my
whites, and I wouldn’t care to die

m; but h ed eerste
into the cold night and gloomy forest, and,
drawing his — over his head, began
again to lament

Seated iosad the tree, the fire illumina+
fing the rocks and the tall bolls of the pines

d been eee the night be
oe level ground, protected

0°
sprang up ms sundown, made it

d, which s
is was one of the bit-

wi
intensely cold; and thi

- terest nights during the jou

mey-
Two Indians joined our party here ; ; pe
one of them, an old man, immediate

was a si
phrases inde eonnes f
rendered his speech striking, and aa un-
Tousical.

We had now begun to understand some
words, and, with the aid of signs, easily
led the old man’s simple ideas.

‘ituation hopeless, covered his head with

‘cold, I threw

]| had deserted.

at cates |
ow; and| w

and the old Indian ha aranguing,

Our guide was standing by the fire with all.

on his shoul
kets. We missed on
afterwards, and never saw him again.
His bad faith and treach
perfect keeping pe ger vor

es
his finery on; and seeing = reg in the
of my

a
=
a)

e wor minutes
He

were in
of Indian character, whic
course with this people had geaileatty ‘ected
upon my mind.

While a gontiea of the camp were oc

ied in bringing up the baggage to this
point, the remainder were busied in making
sle hoes. I had determined
to explore the

sledges were = be used in transporting the

geage.
The oe here consisted wholly of |

granite.

a white

‘The aie: _ wie porieaily clear, and, . while

the sun was in the sky, warm and

By o Goicrindini our latitude was 380 42 ra

26"; — elevation, by the boiling point,

7 ,400 fee
Fe ri

—Accompanied by Mr. Fitz-
patrick, I set sa to-day witha eat
in

party, on snow

prairie ; >
traced with t

i425

the course of the river ; but we were evi-

dently at a great height above the va
mere Fret ween us th

an e plains extended
" eth of snowy felis: and broken ridges of

/ pine-covered mou
f
}

was late in es day when we turned
siliaeds the camp; and it een rapidly cold
as it drew towards night ne of the men

prirdgdr Aighercsg ch of 20
into P, oe after another, at —
mber excessively fati
only two o f the party having ever aavelied
on-snow shoes before
All our energies were. now ee
getting our animals across the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. |

to
; and|r

sent to ascend a higher peak,
fati ‘ ig con-
n. Two
ighs arrived in the Goinics i
the = ae ont I gave them all tea
and si Sn
the SSW: ; and
which would destroy ou
people back to Mr. F itepatriok, with direc-
orning.
ss, Mr. Talbot,

)
Elevation of = camp, by the boiling
point, is et ,920 fee
February 9.— = Durin ng the — ae ag |
er changed, the wind rising e, and
o snow befor
rai

coming weak from insufficient food

ebruary 10.— = > tie! sent

with a few i pedal
said continuing on with nr icigts carr
ing a part of the ea we had va satis-
faction to encamp within two a half

foot of the last mountain ridg

S| large trees had Pye — on fire, and 4 aa

holes, where the w had been melted

t .
at The st has a € appearance :
bring our horses. Mr. the cedar is abun rae greatest
another party, remained behind, to form an| height being 130 feet, and circumference
intermediate station Te the ani-| 20, three or four fee ve the ground;
mals. and here I see for the first time the white
Fe 3.— night has been ex- $i mens of which th e magnificent
tremely cold ; “ibe: snags still, and baa es. Hemlock spruce is among the tinr
tifully clear. Befo sun ap is | ber, occasionally as large as 8 feet in diam-
morning, therm aaa go Soe eter four feet above the ground ; but, in as-
zero; 1° a whew: his rays struck the | cending, it tapers rapidly to less than one
lofty peaks ; and 0° when they reached our | foot at the height of 80 feet. I have n
= en her t and

oo hte

se
enery and weather, combined, must
render these iicane pti “tbe ful in summer ; | the wi
the sky
the me are sunny

slightly fr from those of the
de of the con vith
tion of the camp, by the boiling”

We are yt“

pr tart
point, is 8,050 feet.
feet above

das lovelel then ae

[1344

Bernier and Godey, who yesterday inorn- ;
alley, | ing had been

ost of these trees — to peg ;

miles of the inca: of the —— ea . hs .
Her

a

Lag tg with bunch grass, sufficient to pas- | f

re the animals two or three days; and|i

surface are scattered lar,
rous trap. The hills are in many plac
itd bec with small fragments of vo

on our snow shoes, we en the
The

as veils, bind much relieved
Februar.

—Hich wind earkintied, and| wee

area ary, bain a strong exercise of p
tience and resolution.
In the evening I received a pages from
Mr. Fitzpatrick, pie re nting me a
utter failure of his a eters a ee our m

Stig ht to sup-
port them, and t

- and were plunging sot or lying half buried |i

occupied in endeavoring

tion
finmediatély back to their old pastures ; and,
mauls and shovels, tu

ge

~ beat a road through the snow, strengthening

it with branches and boughs of the pines.
ebrua as, made mauls, a

end of the road all the

Bee

oth it began
to aed ate cold, “and we bron gu we our mauls,
and trudged back to
February 15 We enn inued to labor on
the road ; and i - ath course of the day had
the satisfaction workin
down the face of at opposite hill, about
ing the evades ng Pt

f the moun

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

e | arriv: yea ‘with a supply

i
silk isis hel which worn -

av
e half- uae

the
ing ow
D

encam
; and

The niet train did a ao this evening,

depig A kill our little dog,
iter he “prepared in Indian
and wash-

nto pieces, re laid
Short! y ferward the sleigh
of hors

we had to-night an extiaed iby hak

bib oer soup, ae nd

og.
February 14.—The dividing ridge of the
Sj

lien

length, and so page surroun
ould not discover an outlet.

half hidden in aad as when we had
be aiattngciahoe nein i

as t
eons mass of i arte

the lower parts appeared to be of a ‘slaty
structure. Th st trees were a few
scattering ceda nd as Fr

hing t
ter in descend

u
the mountain in all the places ; but
their surface freezes instantly with the dis-
appearance of the sun
I obtained to-night some observations ; and
nob m these, and others made ’ dur
5 ave for the la latitude 38° 41’
57", Tentacle 120° 25! 57’, and rate of the
chronometer 25'’.
Parry 16. —We ee
ting our animals safe fet ery
hi tegen morning 5 eter with J
on a reconnoitring ition beyond the
rnin on We ee along the crests of
arrow ridge ing down from the
mountain in ee direction of the valley: from
whi was fast melting away. On
grass ; and

where at last the water found its way to the

| Pacific.
in-| The night was clear and
heard the

very long. We
cries of some wild animals, which

rata ryeaninee

and eke flock of
pe over d Even
fe fang es daring the igh hin, a ipa Bs

to our senses in this region of silence and
We started again early in the morning.
The oye apes a regular
about 20 feet, and w

through
several feet deep, and halted
a a ry our clothes. We
continued a few miles farther, oe being
very laborious without snow sho
1 was now perfectly gr that we had
struck the stream on which utter lived ;

he
it to
ir pine nuts, rae, sd sold it

the 19th, the people were occupied in
making a road and bringing up the baggage;

ruary 20,
mals and al the ma.

summit of the Pine fe in the suey Tide,
1,000 miles by our travelled road £
Dalles of the Columbia.

pete e, ~ ried not yet been to. this
point, eli boring p to enjo
a look at the valle ,
ture of boili ing water gave for
sh writen the encampment 9,338 feet

This was 3 2, ,000 feet higher than the South
iy in the Rocky mtany ins, and several
in view rose se cal Hii feet still

Rey era at diet pea & of the conti-

name of Snowy | e

pom is Fane apa ea Sorte

the South P

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

r breadth of | th

[1844
selves victorious over the mountain; having
ee he descent Dg Shan rea the -
ur eyes, we felt strong hope that we
should force : our way down. But this wasa

case in which ent was
Still ants fields of snow rie be

oO
HE
5
oo
®
3
5
i=]
aQ
223
Pos
OQ
oO
°
2
gee

;| this morning with a an n eats tie, and we were
re | all up long before da

o pass the
snow cag before the sun should render the
crus Ween njoyed this morning ascene
at sunrise,

rious and beautiful. cpa above the
eastern mountains was re a clo ud-
formed mass o
a yellow gold ;
narrow line of et Prag cloud

le b nks,
We had hard and doubtful labor {ee be-
fore us, as the snow appeared to be h

where the timber began ner down, rei
Ww open spots. Ascending a height, we
traced out the best line uld di

th iscover
for the next day’s march, and had at least
the consolation to see that the mountain de-
ike rapidly.

vada, oti ne its progress with exc

the sky ea

We toca ee ae
the Sacramento and

et
could be no other than

the bay of San Francisco ; but, ater ou long
our- wandering in in rugged mountains, where 9

ee

: same delightfi
oa. the sky of the same beautifal blue

we had i >|
pt gn the crossing of every dis-
played some unknown lake or river, we were
re almost afraid to believe that we at
it to escape into the genial ntry of
ich we heard so many glowing de-
scriptions, a: ded again to me
vast interior lake, whose bitter waters would
ng us disappointment. On the southern
shore of what appeared to be the uld
traced the gleaming pe be 2 entered
another large stream ; + n the Buena-

ventura rose up in our
Cars
rm of e bay, get remembered
an tly to have crossed the mouth of a ve
rge e's which they ay pee obliged
raft; but the country then was so en-
tirely per with water from snow and
rain, that he had tiie sik a ee no cor-
rect impression of w
We had the Lo aah to g fae that at

appeari.
Ts; an og signs of

e
> hey Soper: so near, tha

be fires that had been kind
ans among the cot aig on the shore of the
bay, 80 miles dista

Among the very (oe pany tg that appeared
here, was the common blue flax. To-night,
a Oi was killed for food. :
ast was OV

among the timber;
searched out the coldest places, and the ani-
mals passed successfull y with their loads
the hard crust. Now and he delay

happily succeeded in ing the camp
‘asrce: and encamped on the hes. after
march of : hese had again
Prospect o -sto rey | and. to-
night we killed sae mule—now our on!
resource ti

We satisfied ing the day
that the lake had an outlet between two
Yanges on the right; with this, the
creek on which I had encamped p y
effected a j below. Between these, | ou'
we were

descending.
‘We continued to enjoy the ful

i °
entered the valley along the

m | mocassin

aicath at Sm Palermo.
which a ait tle ae ia. seg shows are in
the same latitu
The cents alive the sea, by the boiling
point, is 8,565 fe

February 23. o this was our —_ difficult

afforded u

these were “seep, oa slippery w with sno

and ice igh evergreens of the
mountain ietel ¢ way, tore our skins,
and exhausted our pheno Some of us

had the misfortune to wear m
ee rfleche soles, so slippery that we could not

eep our feet, an “s — crawled across
the snow beds. Axes s were ne-
ery to- est ) pee a road yaar the
sn ahead with Carson to re-
nanctiee he et we reached in the after-

noon the river whith made the outlet of the

lak rso ver, clear across @
place where the stream was pressed
among rocks, but the parfleche sole of my

lanced from ie icy rock, and
precipitated me into the ri It was some
few s before I chit recover myself

rwards found that the gun had been
slung enn the ice which lined the banks
of the
Using on our old plan of breaki hace toad
with alternate horses, we reac
in the evening, 36 encamped on a i
gg erg branch, _ we had followed,
left ; and from this
ie

—
nae
rg ; were giving

February 24.—We rose at three in the \

a for an
£;

the place a latitude of 38%

afternoon grass was
rnlicitne. ioe of the men mg tn |
some thi

t
\
}
4

~

146 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

46’ 58’’; longitude 120° 34/20", The s
was clear and San with a sharp w wind
from the seen a the thermometer 2
below the

We Ghithiosd tien the south face of the
mountai I g over dry ground,
‘we were able to avoid the snow almost en
tirel cours ing, we
struck

ld. reen s began to mak
appearance, and occasionally we passed
a hill scatteringly covered with it. T
| ch r of the forest continued the same ;
with sharp

and, among the trees, the pine
Ls very e sik Bn ati
some of them eae ie

2
inf

0 feet. its

g, the river was a roar
very great: eng descen ng with a
ae to aee had been

ong
, to o + Syveke: pleasure oak trees

Siedarat | on the’ ridge, and soon became ver

quent; on these I a unusually
great quantities of aernnine

to make their appeara and at a small
pene where they were F aetilant: one p oft the
messes was left wit oT weakest horses,
while we continued o

steep and cntinns—untrok en by ravines,
and cov with ae and snow; while

the we velling, dhiainiderile
rivulets poured ph le the rid Con,

| tinuing on, we halt
these rivulets, to admire some bea
Shaved th es, resembling live oak, which
Ad little stream. They were forty

igh, and two in eit with

oghs f top ; and the summer green

of “et faut beautiful foliage, with the singing
ts

/ ee which

{ Was ‘sharing a about the dry ak cleaves, nearly

‘intoxicated us with delight ; rri
fil

a te ma ve
ie act of ths se eoat
pa

and | de
elevation of 3,864

the horses, ‘shang tho
miserab

1844,

F 25.—Believing that the diffi-

culties of the road were pass leaving

Mr. Fitzpatrick to follow slowly, “ts the con-
dition of the animals required, I sta

ahead this morning with a party of eight,

consisting with myself) of Mr. and

- | Mr. Ta Ibot, C Carson, Derosier, Towns, Prone,

and Jacob ith

R
s
et
io

M rn to he party
with a supply of p pirovisisiis ‘pal fresh ani-
mals.

_ Continuing d down the river, which pursued
westerly course through a nar-
nd nar-

em, enjoying the paus
pidity with which they luxuriated i in ihe tf
accustomed food.

was ap to- var a the ss)

pines, bearing large c sineis were 10 ie in
dia mete er cedars also abounded, and we
me 81 feet in circumference, four
feet fest tie KS toma Thi
here to ts proper soil and climate.
We fend it on ‘both ah me the Sierra, but |
most ierped on the w
February 26.—We Satu to a
stream, the aa tains on either

ting up the river narrowly in precipices,
be which we had great difficulty to get
our horses.
It rained Ropers tie | the afternoon, and
hei

we were fo ff the river to the

above; whence we descended, at night-fall,

the point of a spur between the river *

fork of nearly size, coming in fromt

tight. Here we saw, on the lower hills, the
tst flowers in bloom, Ms ich occu

denly, and in consi le quantity ; one of

em a species of gili

alt
w stray banch
ucceeded in fording
ni, and t ade ‘aval by which we
Gelae ts pout or the epposite hill, which,

1844.]
on the southern exposure, was prettily cover- |;

— mpment. ‘T'he river was only

level, and the opposite ridge is continuous,
affording no streams.
e had with usa large kettle ; anda ig?

oe killed here, his — as boiled in
for several hours, an i passable ou
for famishe

ople.
elow, precipices on the river _— ~ to
the hei ghts, which we ascended b e
hig

spur 9.000 fee My he A Fass
Proveau, h ry weak,

scarcely able te ati a to the top.
Travelling here =e cept in ~ofeaas

e ravines, Sirti ere Taare stee

no grass a
mals depended on finding it to-night.
were in just such a condition that grass and

se for the night enabled them to get on

ing
It branct

had a “pee
le of the oth which is very smoo
thin, of a chocolate color, contrasting, wel hon
ith the pale green of the leaves. The da
was nearly gone ; we had made a hard day's
march, and fo und no grass
li, mY -
without ss where re a6 going, a
Jacob brou fi k.
= nig’ ial we a into the steep
irty feet wide,
ng the art up
the stv 2 ilk « met heard a shout from
Carson, who h few hidoteed
yards—* Life yet,” said he, as he ca’
“life yet; I have "onnd a hill I side sprinkled
With grass enough for the night.” edr
enc nped = the place
enou

2
<
ia)

and there

was just

dark,
me > sce er tho edge othe e

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

began to tell us where

147

ing mentee ‘the two former gave out, and

the la’ r strayed off into the woods as we ©

readied the c
ebruary 29. We at shut up in the seni

row _— oe gave

ry day ; a

ae

th $ ° n
i extended ahead, and the valley appeared
s far as ever. he pack horse was Bey nag
near the camp, but Dero osier did not
March

the night, and leaving him to to
ained here, we jennie Ps over
mall ‘s

the oe, got bes yon
e found the hill side cover-
ed ( As lightly) with fresh green grass;
and from this time potion Pig found it al-
ways improving and abun

the river hill,

autiful nal og
were a foot in

ea p
wher some be
chatate-eclaal shrub, whic

ty feet

ayant | along, unbroken by st

rapidly des ending into thes spring, an

we ie ie te) owy region far behind ;
everything is getting n; Cokes
swarming ; nume gs are creeping out,

eS a their waive sleep an the
forest flowers are coming into bloom. Among
those which a tn —
day was dodecatheon um.

We began at s ab-
Pe me he might have been a fowls.

s. les Towns,

cold mountain

orrent foaming among on 8. We were _
ee to see Derosier appear ok the evening.
og came in, and, ant gp nin mm byte by the A

ned he had been gone seve hp eg

t we were still at the camp where he
ined to see that

imagine
though
had left us

had t in the mountain, and hunger
and fatigue, joined to wea of body, and
fear of perishing in the mountains, had
crazed him. The ti ere severe

stout men lost their minds from extremity of
suffering — when horses di d— and

mules and , ready to die of starvation,
were killed for ae Yet there was ne mur-

manne < or hesita’
As O Ganice ieee our encampment.

he ri Saceeaine terminated in precipices, °
. t v ists a

, after a Shane) march ya
we encall

a bench where here there

-
/

and an abundance of the fresh-

nearly impra
\ mals, until it a ar forma

the forest.
was the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

, | killed this afternoon.
0a made

na
" eras hl ene to put
white

thi is | have fone ean
trail, | ins idekeed, on theaae tracks of

nd- Indians, 2 little piles of muscle —s “
here t had roasted

[1844..

but still there is no valley on the river, pcs
pase steep and rocky banks; but
a :

if

way
i | along a ten tating into the river, in ‘bins
to cross his trail; and an ~—— own
k . _— volunteers ; and to the
successful —_* mised a pair of pis-
tols—not as a oak ha it as a token of gra-
titude for a vétvios which would free us. all
from muc ii ety.
We had among our few animals a horse
which was so me reduced, that, — trav-
elling, even the good uld not save
him; and, having nothing ae i was
He wa. a good ani-
mal, and had the j pao round from
Fort Hall.
ecatheon dentatum Segue the cha-
racteristic plant in flower; and naked-
looking shrub already me siasonied continued

blos

@
<4

push down the river the next sooeaiads and

get are of a

Mar continued rapidly along om

a broad Paci oaernay rail, the mere travel+

ling and breathing the delightful air pre a
i nt. Our road

small
which Mr. Preuss sn aware
no trace of eno
‘00

old fire

1844.]

paises a point of great beauty,
goes through very etc fates, fo abiae cha-
racter owe ing those of Columbia.
yo e again descended to the bottoms,
where we ef an Indian ae nerremnt
of two or three huts; me u
them vidal and the eth vee evidently
The hu and slight,
or s

re filled with rfl long a

ready as me: eetiaal ed, and the huts were’
several neatly made Daiots containing quan-
tities of the _
sweet and a

pene se 1 of our oF shins, a ‘handhercheh and
tticles, in exchange. Th

we discovered — e Indians na hill « phinte

ge no farther, but return to this camp, where
nh of provisions was made for him

tinuing the next day down ae RMA :

Cont
we discovered three mae in
urrounded t fore hey" cou

: Caen ce, only ina Aiea

‘soak?
and offering us il b baskets of ‘the plant,
Which they signified to us was good to eat,
also that

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

one knowin,

149

—one of the squaws pulling several tufts,
a —s. it with apparent relish. SL
ur surprise, she poin

ies could not well understand ‘his she
meant, except, perhaps, that — was good
for “oa ve was | for the other.

congng in the evel on the shore »
r, at a place where the ee.

3
®
ima
Ey
a
2

ten bushels. Towards evening

nothing of Derosier.
he was los t, that I was determined to k

if

ed drift “nas and m
rock more
serious, and he encamped again alone, think-
ing that we ttiadt have tak other
course. To go back cae have been mad-
ness in Ag weak and starved condition, and
onward to :

pleasa

t | a relief which othe a voyageur could appre-
ciate. He tried the dried leaves of the live

t ks were

4th he made seven or ei
along

the river, Sritilg’s as much

sted muscles and acorns; but though
he po diligently, he did not there suc-

in findi it He had collected
for ght, when he heard
some distance from the river the barking of
what he thought were two dogs, and walked
in that direction as quickly as he was able,
hoping to fin me Indian hut, b

re t
met only two wolves ; and, in his disappoint-
ment, the gloom of the forest was doubled.
Travelling the next day feebly down the
ve or six es ce the _

of which we have spoken ere pai
ing rhage soba Ao gs and “thers omting
acorns. Bein one , they did not

off, but ise Vg Kil, and peere
him a eeeone — roasted a

gave pa knife in return,
and stretched 0 oe ie b cry to one of the In-
ians,

_

m, not certain as to what he

ebay on, he came to the place a
hi Ws eek he found
th

he oti continued on our road,
thro the y beaatiful
country, nook a acgutied for the pastur-
of stock thing ever seen
horses now

Sa" pe ude down the right bank of the
=. a for a while over a wooded
where we had sigs

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

the ev
e

ae = nee ied to

1844,

into broad groves on atl ape consisti

ergreen, and a

oak with a large tufted ts top, a
Amon

the grassy surfac

ie A arks in an old gate

ng rate tracks o horees

a in Crap the ese w

“papa
ee

sowie. llow
and cattle in Be of p

a small village of I 4 eo

don shirts of civilized manufacture, but
were otherwise naked, uld under:
stand n mis appeared ene

nothing from ms
ae iain asteh iB _—

made sak
haittied a on; the: atin by
ers, and some of the ban

e grass was sey

ng of
a See of white

ople, we discovered |

ith fi
8 yee absolutely

—

and green, and t rags oves very open
faeg cable shravihg a broad shade nog
sunny spots. Shortly afterwards we gav
shout at the appearance on a little blu iF of : |
neatly built adube house with gl ine. |
r p, but, to our disappoint-
pant found only Indians. The n

no cattle, a
een abandon e sri As

eagerly than n ever; the river swept ro

a large bend to the right ; “the hills lowell

wn sr i 3 and, gradually cto .

road valley, we came unexpectedly in

large fons village, where the people Tooke

ed cle pe teat cotton shirts ‘and var

Sei artic h

g

soo
°

oe ee

owded around us, and
praciiia delight to find one who spoke a lit-
re indifferent Spanish, but who at first con-
und

£

a

Se

<

4

=]

e

a8
ga

°

EB
Fs

=

3
ct
a
5
“ee

n these distant parts, is
the eltizene of the Uni

municative ; on

to say that Capt. Sutter was a very rich
man, lways glad to his country
ple. e asked for his house. He an-
swered, that it was just over the hill before
; and red, if we would wait a moment,

nl ee od his horse and conduct us a it. We

eadily | sone ee civil offer. In a

j! passing o on a the We way fl ; he hoibeet a. settler on

%

b hte
if killed : ie iis me

the opposite side (a Mr. gore Pog ry
the river ; and in a few
f

met, 2 “a _ below a fake of the Rio
nos; an e forlorn a ved

well be i imagin y wi sori
each man, weak and emaciated, leading a
horse or mule as k ted as

selves. They had experienced great
dealin in deseenilng a mountains, made
a ting snows, and
‘ell. over precipioes, and were

lost te gore

=

they c pos ong t
with the | hits which we ed collected ‘ines
leaving Fort Hall, along a line of 2,000

crossing
ieedc, only ae oe reached the val-
the

ley of the Sacramen y only in a
conon to be led along. Mr. *Pitapatrick

his party, travelli ling more slowly, had
Tibet able to seks some little exertion “f

hunting, and had kill

and unwhole

tion of life compelled th
A piel encamped as

a are of good beef, ipxeullete ‘tee ri

and delicious salmon, which I had brou ught

ir first relief from the suffer-
their first int

bas wee as 8 scarcity hi

The next next day, March 8th, we

at the junction of the two rivers, the Sacra-
mento and ricanos ; and thus fou e
whole party in the beautiful waney of the
ae ae was a a compe ad for
camp ; other things, was

Within reach of dive col ie necessary to make
which we shoul on
y home, from eee we were
‘than we were fou

from the Dalles of the Colum-
homeward

encamped | te

‘our months | the Rio de

1839, and formed the first settlement irr

5 e hes ‘his
wheat fields; the raking’ of the ranted
bricks, of which his fort is cons nstructe

iH

lly in shi
rticles of clothing. In
analy plication to the chief
Bini. k ber really obtains as many
be girls as he any use for.

i$]
i=)
cr
=

asio “act of some

piste, ns ry understood t rottheas

plaint of the settlers in this > fertile valley, as

it sometimes renders the crops uncertain.
ter was about making arrangements

to i — nds a mesns'o of the Rio de

los A d this year sown,

and altogether by indian labor, three hun-

dred fa
A fe i aan "the neighboring Rus-
sian exablishie nt of being about to
withdraw from the country, sold to him a
Nie ze pat of stock, seer? agricultural
and other stores, with a number of pieces
of artillery and ther silt of war; for
ie , a regular yearly payaciia is made in

rt is a quadrangular adobe strue-

m2
owere two vessels longing to Capt. Sutter |
at anchor nea eg oe a large

two-masted lighte
ner, which was shortly to on
to Fort Vancouver for a cargo of

Ss.
Since his rests other persons,
principally Am iniea, oe established

Mr. Sinclair, from
m I experienced — much kindness daring
my caer, is settled a few
Rio de los Am niceiee r. Condrois, a
many, has established

gentleman from
imself on Feather Bs and is associated duced

‘seed (hrassica rapus), W h

reason to believe is > sirably adapted to the
climate and soil. “The lowest average pro-
of wheat, as far as we can at present

every

}piece of ground where s
Bored. 800 fanegas for ei
_ produce e being different in ch places, a
ry correct idea cannot be formed.

ie “ae f impetus was seats the active little
population by our arrival,
want of everythi zs

ork and night,
cient ao the blacksmith s pee was put in
requisition for hors es and bridle bits ;
and pack-saddles, 55m aa bridles, and all
the other see equipments of the camp, were
again to
_. The dela: ets oceasioned was one of re-
pose and enjoyment, which our situation re-

er Sac
cslian of a place fora aeiecneat, ~ which
he had received the re of land

the Mexican Govern

It wll be remembered that we had parted

ms to
pas roe In the exe

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. |

a | sier,

aided by by subeequent infor- | the
left the Columbia at the mouth

(1844
| Mage further to the eu me the wagons
their contents were |

igen guagh eg ratory mo’

near the settlement of Mr.

Sinclair, a the left al ig de los
American I had disc of

party ; Neal, a Uackom ‘en excell
workm: ; who

done his “duty “faithfully, eitys had been of
wy. grea at service to me), desired to remain,

rong inducements were d here to
recheck Although at considerable in-
If, his good

workman as had e
more particularly an ageiculearal blacksmith
The other men were discharged with their

wn 3; | own consent.

While we remained x this place, Dero-
one of our eo en, i bere:
good me ane had wo ard, wi
ff from the camp, a’ er never seasiined to it
again; nor a he since been heard of.
arch 24.—We resumed our journ ae
with an ample stock: ar 1 oe insaigcs and ,
large cavalcade als, consisting of
130 horses and mules, sot about thirty head
of cattle, five of which were Bis cows.
n Indian .
mrt and A
uld be eres in n managing our
cavaleade, great part o nearly

ould force us south,
niles of travelling, toa pees, at the head ot

oaquin river, S pass, ee
was dis ts by Mr. Me

re- Walker, of hdl - sale ie spoken,
other pag of “ and

n oaqui
river on our ae and the lofty wall of the
impassable Sierra on the left. Fro

1844.]
the head of hc Arkansas. This course of
travelli upon us

the stru
of the catty. would occupy a cate yerba

ousand mi fore w

xe

n upon it
along it, all Kd Spanish
or Indian, inicated th — at it had been

trod by A n feet. Though aes
and bt free from avast; this route pre-

perhaps crossing its rim
pletely solving e prblem : any river, ex-

cept the Colorado, from t moun-
po on rt of our pinned Mente
seeing the re extremity
Salt lickes of which the ee

xamined the year

Taking leave of Mr. Satter, tsi pert
several gentlemen, accom

miles on our way, we travelled about eile
een miles, and encam the Rio de los
Cosumnes, a stream rece

rm part had

saa to cultivation, and covere
of oak trees, Fed a the ever-
a large oak already men-

can m the summer heat
of the ia a to ry frosty a a

bright days conti-
nued delightful for travellers, ‘et ehlartest

e to the a whose crops 0:
at gan ra sa tr a "yellow tinge from

want of ra
March 25. —We travelled for 28 miles
over the same delightful erage as yester-
day, and halted in a beautiful bottom at the
ford of the Rio de rie emnes, receiving
its name from another Indian tribe living on

river. m are
uplands are shad
owy Lupinus,
growing four to five feet in eit and ¢o-
vered with spikes in adorned the
en lls aid Paper ng oh tse at with a
“On the a grateful Perfume,

Joaquin—the previous two
entering the bay between the San Sonia
a ramento rivers. This place is beau-
tiful, with open groves of oak, and a

beneath, with y plants in bloom ;
varieties of which to ;
shade of the trees, and grow in close
_ Near the river, and replaci

CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

153.
mats for — cloths. A vine witha small.
white » flower (melothria rh called oe la
= Buen, ‘es which, from its abundance,

aaa name to an island and Lend in the bay,

as to-da ayy
itnes rasihing. oat the Groand-oe. or climbing the
Pe atsie

makin i ur.

the earlier part of the.day, our ride had been
over a very level P irie, or rather a succes-
sion of long stretches of prairie, separated by
lines and groves of oak timber, growing along
dry gullies, which are | with water in
seasons of rain; perhaps, by
melting — Over much of this cote,
the ; we

was sparse ; the surface
ing plainly the action of — which, i . the
season of z ; the Joaq
1 Selock st came in|)
and a

to love. the |

oachi stream
this + beautifal ap oa in thicket:
being 12 feet in height.
three or four plants — clustered together, |
forming a gra about 90 feet in;
circumference, = 10 rm t high ; hole.
spikes * flowers, the:
perfume of which i is aur swee
x lover of natural —. = imagine with
leasure we rode among these flower-
ie “erores, which filled the md with a light
and delicate fragrance ontinued our

color,
bands of of antelope made ir appearance. —
Our road was now one continued enjoy-
ment; and it was ‘pleasant, riding among this

0 de assem

ist (

}
}

|

154

yo be able to catch a sufficient number of |
our wild animals to relieve those previously

| “Under the shade of the oaks, along the
oticed erodium

| river, I noti cicutarium in bloom
i or inches high. This is the plant
\ which we had seen the squaws gathering on
\ the Ri los Americanos. Byt abit
ants of the valley, it is psd — bow
fattening » whi
fond of it. Here, where ae soil begins es

be ae it _— to a considerable extent
the want of
ar as ene without delay,
to include in anne on the San Jo
quin river, this —- down the
Stanislaus foc 17 17 miles, an i
fo

ing ourselves in the vicinity

| jan Joaquin, encamped in a hand-
i e oak grove, and, several cattle being
| Killed, we ferried over our in their

- Here our Indian boy, who probably

: had not _— idea of where he was going,

' and began to be alarmed at the many streams

which we were rapidly putting between him

and the v wre _

hi oe took a sudden
ing them across

them go without — effort.
Here we had several days of warm and plea-
sant rain, which doubtless fated the crops

On ae Ist of April, we made 10 miles
without timber, when we

mal life ; and now, it is chdiaen with bands
of elk and wild wild horses ; and along the rivers
are frequent fres tracks of | grizz ly bear,
which are ethan numerous in this coun-
try.
Our route had been along the timber of the
San Joaquin, generally about 8 miles distant,

rie.

bands of elk seen to-day,
there were about 200; but the —_ rs
both of these and wild horses, are nerally
Sema on the other side of the river, which,
- that had

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

pire
oom, | ing a boat, and ferrying ou

[1844

sance the numerous streams which ron down
aos - etre decided me to travel up the

The e day was atl in build-
r baggage across
bank.

the river; and we enca
A large fishing eagle, with

- | tail, ag slowly sailing along, looking after

salmon ; and there were some
the a ig with partridges.
innumerable in the neig hborhood
struck wit

ealing g n the prairie ;
orseman would ride by > hen 30 y:
without eee them
A —To-day we touched several
times ihe “San Joaquin river—here a fine-
lookin

i
ks, where steep,
were a res of sandy clay 5 ; its average wi
appeared to be about e ighty yards. In the
bottoms are frequent ponds, where our ap-
proach disturbed multitndes of wild fowl,

Cen g stream, about five
eis from its ara On the e prairie border-
ing the San Joaquin bottoms, te oceu
during the day ne little gras in i
lace was a and wth of
ae the eat beng rear re _— bare
and hi!‘ocks, much of

riant vegeta-
ped was ak abana of |

grass and pea y
The foliage of 1 the oak is getting Garett
that the pi =

everything, exce
; a pes: a a

little cool, shows that
vancing ; and are we
ae
4.—Commenced to rain at da ligt’
but ie off brightly at sunrise.
the river without any difficulty, oe ne
tinued u San J Elk bgt run

reached tas river

Here the country
trees have entirely
. att ‘are replaced :
ual to it in 7 By

Five ie about a hundred set in
branching “eer interspe’

At this it appears §

«ata but its mB

i would be broken by shallows at low

Ens ft bank

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

‘185
dies ihc a ay ea a

were caught by e
Late in the afternoon we discovered tim-

fallen in frequent showers, hints ow
orm at sunset, w rong wind, which |

swept off the aie ‘ise left a clear sky.

Riding on through the timber, about dark
we found abundant Barth in small ponds, 20

day’s gehigr the country pre a lacu $
trine e; the river was deep, ag) rounded near the margin with willow trees
nearly on a leyel with the surrounding coun- | in bloom ; em one which resem-
3 its banks raised like a levee, seat fring- | bled npe a. k of the
to leon spe the bordering plain | grove dy era

rairie among
fields of tld Pbalvoshe es) which in this coun-
try are called tulares, and littl s. On
the opposite side, a li r was Visi-

af high water aie a with the 8
quin river—a large of water in the
upper part of the ley, or the Tulé
lakes. The river and a oughs are
very fll and it is snthele that the lake is
now arging. Here elk were frequent-
ly started, and one was shot out of a band
On left, the

6.— After mites 4 teavlled fifteen
miles along the river, ea early halt,

under the shade of syca

we found the San J

from the Sierra

oming down

irie.
visible in the are of the Tulé
the southward—pro

bably kindled in the tu- | Th

at there

Sout to the eetirs sof of the Tulé lakes,
and our road was over

very
oot We saw w wolves hag | during |

: fs

d| On
or fifty Indians, who ha
rom the village

e alrea
with srnaill haved: an Tort like those
white oak, and forming.

through br brush and o open grov

a sett ae called the River of the Lake,
resembling in size the Joaquin, and
being ike 100 yards This is the

broad.
principal tributary to the Tulé lakes, which

collect all the waters in the upper
the valley. ile we were searching for a
, some Indian poe il

k, and, having discov
hot Spanish soldiers, showed w us the way to
ood miles

descents e settleme

Coast Range, which they keep constantly
swept of ho ong them aremany who
are called Christian Indians, being refugees
from Spanish missions. Several of these
incursions occurred w = we were at Hel

Mea Occasio ard
low them ac ~
enter the Sie

the onpiodits side we a some cont

cast Range, but never

the below. We

unforeseen
[ter may be vsted on them.

|

ir

ne

1 te

m against
horses ; i Which Opeth’ gion not aris tempt.

ea
mber of dry and timbered arroyos,

‘avettad until late through open oak ied

and encamped among a ealection of streams.

running a wil-
“ as prone locks oi blac
announced our roach t

have hte tiprodetial considerably nearer to

the eastern Sierra, which show oid plain-

ly, still covered with o which

yeste day ant stvday Sas lak Ghcarct

abundant - the Const Ran,

il e made another long

journey of about Torty miles, throu

country uninteresting and

grass and a ends soil, in which se
rossed had los

bed
little
branches w t their pte]

und a good en-

a pretty stream “hidden among

the hills, pu handsomely ti
:§

ing from n Michaux’s Sylva
seed vessels of this tree were now just about
Several Indians came down the river to
see us Pa the a: 3 we ag them supper,
steali

April 11 to trail alon
ng

en
excellent way, which, other-
Wise, vi we should sae" found extremely bad

and ceful
bad travellin
whole face
with

os
of grass,
of the ¢ the country is closely covered

We | bottoms

mbered, princi- beca
with eee, cottonwoods (populus, difter-
The.

and j in at the eastern
= ean og Be ahaa
these. ‘the timber became abundant as wemneeaty }

156 CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. [1844.
skinned, but handsome and Rast dé In- | sycamore, looked very refreshing among the
oe and live principally on the | sandy hills.
ts of the tule, of which alec’ th their huts a the evening ib ns on a large
: aye with abundan I noticed here
By ol observation, the latitude of the en-| in iW thowas, for the erat ie since leaving the
campment is 36° 24’ 50’’, and longitu waters, the Mi Jalapa.
119° 41 40”. April 12.—Along our road to-day the
9.—For beige Pets we had very ee was altogether sandy, st vegetation

S

ae
oridate gra
timbered with wiley raid cottonwood ; «
after ascending it for several miles, we était

a late encampment on a little bottom, with
scanty grass. In greater part, the vegeta-
tion along our road consisted now of rare
and unusual ida among which many

a | were entirely ne

Along the Boktnea were thickets consist-
BEL tire inee Sorta rubs, which
made here their firs and among

when tip tea Lindley), a sal |
tre ongin gt CarG culiar natural
order, and, in its ws ral appearance (
ing thickets), resemblin willow.

along the streams,

quently supplying the place of salix longt
folia

April 13 —The water was low, and a few
miles above we forded the river at a rai rapid,
and marched in a southeasterly direction
over a less broken country. mountains
were now very near, occasionally loomi! ie

out ori ig fog. In a few hou
bottom of if creek array ait, over
wie the sa di npr in

any andi Immediately where

struck it, the timber terminated ; = belie
e right, it was a broad of dry and

Ow
ee

the Sierra,
desert and eet) plaing

a

7

1844.]

ae several kinds of and a variety of

elling among the old
Here we selected a

5
e
3)

W
the trees, was
and Pes vines. "Ta the

urs, a and..aicembe

parition, and a strange and beeen sight In
7 desolate n In

, Spanish, costume, jin ling. & spurs sat
a equipped after the Spanis
He informed me tet he belonged # one ef

the Spanish missions to uth,

two or three days’ ride, at he had

obtained from the priests leave to spend

few days with his relations in the Sierra.
Having seen us enter gh pass, he had come

dc
appeared familiarly

dg i: | direc

vice, after crossi
our intended seo along its eastern base to
t

come from a eat

Tiver in the eastern part of the desert to

trade os Sips par. had just started on

their ret; He would himself return th
nd as o

n the valley, had entirely passe
Tan a clear sky. That which had enveloped
the nei
evi ot

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

ee pear- hig
tg vies our- | In i

n| tufts, and the feathery

h trail. By this route, a party of | or

ist
satjonneod, sad. nillew, |
sauder ies

sycamore, oaks, .
wai a
differs qs that that of th ae en Hee ae
platanus is er—a new
species, recently described amon,
collected in the voyage of the S
cottonwood varied its foli

plentifully through the air.

day |

right ; but w sO
pleasant eicaaien, as we rode along ‘between
g s, and on flowers, with hum
birds and other feathered friends of rig a
die enlivening ste serene spring ai

we re mit of this becatiful
pass, and obtained ee view into the eastern
country, we saw at once that here was the ©
place to take leave of all such pleasant
scenes as e The distant
mountains were now rocks again; and
low, the land had any color but green.
Taking into consideration the sig of the

Ta e found this an excel-
lent one for horses ; ee with a little labor,
pe with a more perfect examination
of the localities, it might be made sufficient-
Its latitude and

(the

2 plat ecapap by alana pee

i

\
3

mc

158

represent have already s' 2
the bay of San Francisco opened far into the

rocky
ntains ; and as to the ee aaa the
mouth of which seen on the

idea and the “nag A the vepachd es de
it is, in fact, stream of no
quence, not nly palave the Sierra Nevada,
but actuall

ere is no atm from the

se cat. short, and not perpendicular
the coast, but lateral to it, and hav ving

a

fornia. They open lines of communication

north and south, a Roe gt
thu us this want of — i
from the San Francisco Bas fi w fu sity ae.
certained, gives ovekt ational. value to the
Columbia, which stands

y or sonia and opens a line of com-
munication fro
Mississi

in‘ cacheliacts rs isap-
piared, giving pie to an oe ssl
of neg grass. Passing pes
re there

ge He

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
some poin h error |
had — ipovenl- ol it Pol urees ear Gat

n from
nl

grrr wus esert
bo!

rel

sive tree in the vegetable kingdom.

ing the foliar; we weary came upon ty cree’ tl
timbered with large black oe oe yet |
put forth a leaf. There

ia
e continued a short distance do
creek, hich our guide informed us
that the water disappea

whi
reek, we descended to a kind of p
among the lower spurs ; the desert being in
full view on our left, Sopavoutly illimitable,
A hot m it to-day, through which
it

ere agua ; no h ay zacaté—nada:
or grass ae ;

very anim
wae indeed dism
conceive so great
tance might “trave

quin: here, within a few miles? ride, a vast
ore us, from wh hich the

running out in an east-
e ee stretched
ont

end (perliaps
50 miles distant) some eh ah
which, by the information of ¢ wt 7 guide, snow
rested all the year.
Our c

ergo in this re
two degrees of the Pac sia
of the aia of rm

a el

(

3

h was our composition
rocession. Scouts
ahead, and on the flanks; a front and rear
division; the pack ani

in a southerly —
across ia plains to whieh as well as
the country, so far as Co
haa and singular cha-

in the pliancy of its era
graceful plant. Its le small, cover-
us substance ; and ony

ed with a resino! ‘
larly when bruised and crushed, exhale
ut very le and rieshing
pr This shrub and the snes, with m
varieties of cactus, make gicrastorialin
a. in the vegetation es a long distance
eastw'

e had see
ing, which sonsiated psa of eo gine
mingled

‘ing in the agers at the foot of the ri
running in nh ravine, among
boulders hese night-s rs of
buckwheat, with their white blossoms around

.
3

By observation, latitude of the camp
bs 34° 41/ 42"; and longitude 118° 20’ 00'".
The next da men returned with

atm 17.—Crossing the ridge by a beau- |
where several deer |

of hol!
ee ee

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

o all}1

@ pias
tata, which catactad us into

nite mar.

whi blade of
managed (as the Gequeit? do) to hide
itself ate the sad 4 the

San Buenaventura comes in, The
about 1,200 yards in dinsuetar’, 2
on the ma ite t

to encamp at night; and, giving him a
sent of knives and scarlet ae ny ae

with the riem:
a sandy plain
covered more or less densely with forests of
yucca.
Aa ee ving now the snowy ridge on our right,
we continued our way towards a dark butte,
in plain, and

ted out for. a land- \
famil liar ; f

small salt lake in a vallon lying nearly east
and west, where a trail from

the mission of !

perenne p

160

a neighboring snow peak. A few miles be-
fore reaching this creek, we had crossed a
dry river bed, which, nearer the hills,
the hunters had found a bold and handsome

April 18 —Some parties were engaged in
hunting up ‘the scattered horses, and others
in searching for grass ; both were
successful, - late in the on we encam

hea
hollow which has cere Wi wit
bly good low:

er gronnd | ing en
tire overprowl with large bunches of the | seen
stiff grass

(carex sitchensis).
Our latit wy by observation, 2s 34° 27"
03" and longitude 117° 13’ 0
Travellin ng close along the mountain, we
followed sd in me os of the
another s n hopes nd a grass-
roe like tha that tof the ‘neovioias day, but were

deceived; except some scattered bunch

, there was nothing but rock and sand ;

and even the fertility of the mountain seem-
ithe by the air i so desert. ngneias 3

a ry nied the pod day was still So an

easterly di e ridge, over very
bad euiay a wollen. :Ticedion and contenant
ed with crippl and shrubs ;

ponder re Was dai dire
north.

equally happy discoveries to us. Since the | ¢ ete
December we had continually been

middle of

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

[1844
people had passed over this trail, we had

been oN to obtain no correct information
about it; and the greater part o

had heard was found to be only a tissue of
falsehoods. The rivers that we found on it
were never mentioned,

ly described in nave

mals are destroyed on it every na
a inenien called the foot evil; and a
veller should never venture on it Secs
a imals well shod, and also carry-
ing extra
“Se 34° 34” 11/7; and longitude 117°

The e morning “ the 22d was clear and
bright, and a snowy peak to the gy so
i ned. As has

over sands which are |
oe loose, and have no egy ge py

are occupied by various sh
bold ‘ream, = — wide, 8 orienall feet
deep, had a Sppeara

nce, running: be-i

tween neste naked banks of sand, The

eye, however, is somewhat relieved - wil-|
beau

along its «
instead of growing —— larger, gradu-
ally dwindled rare
sand. We

mules would en-
tirely have — away the scanty
aces, and sme shou
dengered sub-
r riding 20

were bows of

of Their
unnsual length, and each hod a large gourd

ith meshes of cord, in ne

nish fluently, I obtained. a interestin
information, which I wld. be

wa i
country through which w
a desert, afforded ms mxeit i-
ty of the botanist; but limited time, and the
rapidly advancing season for active opera-
tions, oblige me

this
"The Indian aida spoke Spanish had been.
educated fo. ral eae mber of years at one of the
Spanish m at the breaking up of
those oh laa ‘had returned. to
mountains, where he had

to the conclusion of

party of Mohahve %.
ew) Indians, among whom he had ever

resided.
‘ He spoke of the leader of the present a
| tyas “mi amo” (my mas ). He said the
lived upon a large rive
hich the “soldiers called i.

n ‘the aithaeaes
Rio Colora-

do;” but that, formerly, a portion of them | cade of about thirt
mo

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

me to omit all extended eee ThelI
riefly

Th
which the

bones
the
Me

apecisis um oaths matrhag zygophyllaceous
rub had been gone characteristic of

the plains along t oa and here

new plants, a new and very =

r cattle had become so tired and poor
by this iatg paeeh , that three of
them were ney here "the meat dried.
shad now
feast, were oc

and cup!
= day and all I the night in cooking and

poe gest eg

X person
See of Fue

pail aie 2

ithward during the day, re | advance of the great caravan, in order to
along the river they had raised various kinds , and obtain bett
of melons hey sometimes came over, to feving advanced as far i desert as
trade with the Indians of the Sierra, bringing | was considered consistent with their safety,
with them blankets a factured | they halted at the Archileite, one of a cus-
by the Monquis ,and other Colorado Indians. tomary camping grounds, about | miles
Ther rarely carri horses, on account
of the difficulty of getting them across the | of water, with sufficient grass ; aud
rt, “a of arding them afterwards | concluded to await there the arrival of the
from the Indians, who inhabi Cara ose Indians were soon
Sierra, at the heed of the Rio Virgen (river | discovered lurking about the camp, who, in
of the ai irgin. a or two after, came in, and, after behav
.. He informed us that, a short distance be- | ing in a very friendly manner, took their
er thie ein finall The two | leave, without awakening any suspicior
ifferent portions in which water is found had | Their deportment begat a security which
received from the priests two differe ;| proved fatal. Ina few days afterwards, sud-
cubseeny I heard it ealled by the | denly a party of abont one hundred Indiat
de las Animas, but on sight, ad t
Sani Me camp, It was too late, gr
pril 24.— ontinued to ence of
(or rather its bed) for about eight miles, | measures of safety ; and the
ere there was water still in holes, | down into their camp,
and encam The caravans. sometimes and di
pars agg below, to the end of the se from Pablo and Fuentes were on horse
there is a ve T- ime, and moun
ya y miles, pa Age tt > a | custom of the coun
/aingular and new species of acacia, with ts of the
_ Tal pods or seed vessels, made its fir -| sion of the horses, and.
ance; becoming henceforward, for a i- | diately unded. the
{ dista a characteristic tree. It} enceto shouts of €
‘was here comparatively large, being about | the animals over and h the assailants
. 20 feet in height, with a full and spreading in spite of their arrows ; and, andoning

4

161
e lower branches sols _ fowante |
gro and. It afterwards oc smaller |
size, 2 in groves, cat sys vi ee i
i has been called by Dr.

‘162

‘rest to bee fate, neue them off at speed
across ee g that they would
be pursu Tidincis without makin
home mc =

face ai ae — to other
or abo’

for rest, they arriba on, ho’ oping to meet the
Spanish Caravan, when they discovered my
camp. pag them kindly, taking them
wn mess, promised them such
oo Tega might put it in my
ete

April 98. —we left the river abruptly, and,
turning to o the north, regained in a few miles
>: “ome aa ih had left t ‘ie river sooner

» an ed our way

sere a et ¢ Hage of the mountain, through
a miserable tract of sand and gravel. We
broad beds ary
gullies, w e season 0
melting boat ya thet would be brooks ue dee
let these, where there was

wolves, whose keen sense of smell

th ter under the dry sand.

They were nice little wells, narrow, and dug

wee “a down, and we got pleasant water
out of them >

The cou n had now assumed the cha-

racter of an elevated and mountainous de-

sert; its general poreiews being black, rocky | lite:

ridges, bald, and destitute of timber, _
tween. Where the sides

: wed with pe’
or rolled stones, destructive soft-
animals, accusto to grassy pl
of the Sacramento ve A Through these
iy bikin wobabte ~<g

ty
stream, or occurred a ale of water, ee
furnished camping
te sea in = Bestel across, snow whe
on the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

[1844,
curred frequently henceforward along our
road.

Beyond the first ridge, our in bore a lit-
tle to the east ot north, towards a gap in a
higher line * eae ak ins after pete
ling mae nty-five miles

2 Tomaso the spring at he
n left; but, as we expected,
ief e saiteiadion of the

syed was a pool;
hich had ote dag she by esr or trav-
Its w refresh-

thoi to us ontins ing sun.

In the e vhiws, Fuentes sping his horse
having failed; but Carson and Godey had
continued the pursuit.

bserved to-night an occultation of a
Caneri, at the dark limb of the moon, whic
gives for the longitude of the place 116° 23'
28''; the latit on, is 35° +4
08'’. From Helvetia to this places the

which appears
markably well ; rward, to
the sud of the journey, the few longitudes
given are absolute, depending upon a subse-
— occultation and eclipses ofthe satel

om the afternoon of the next day, a war-
was heard, su uch as_ Indians make

*s announced that they had over-
taken a br as h ‘
They info fter Fuentes left

them, ioe the failure of his horse,

1844.]
ject, when a movement among the horses
Indians

discovered them to the AB. ype
into the

war shout, raed instantly cha:
the

cam) of number whic
four | oath imply. The Indians re-
ceiv. em with a t of arro

stea Tw
by stretched on the ground, fatally pierced | «

ullets; the rest fled, except a lad that
ptared scalps of the fallen

were instantly stri off; but in the p
, one of them, who had two balls through

in oe Lad i ead, . uttering a
hi aig ack rom his
mother, stp a and looked b: m th
m ae she was climbing, threatening

ont ik rightful spectacle ap-
alled the sto of our men; but they
what baraanlty reauied, and quickly ter-
minated the nies e gory savage

israel eee

proper place a arenes and for

celebration of sas rs 0 ;

desert would delight i ie bitte ge of the best
had be lled, s and cut up ;

make a at och other af of horses than t to Haghee

ing
nd st wing the pos beefs cal ‘eet bas-
kets, pel, Fo fif ‘pairs of oer
sins, indicated the serous or expec
of a ener ey re. os the
boy, who had given strong evidence of the

pea or something else, of the savage
character, in commencing hig breakfast upon
a horse’s head as s nyiathn foun gry As

not to be killed, but only tied as < oe
object accomplished, our men gathered

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

up all th

returned upon their rtrail,and eke us satont
ey |

camp in the afternoon of the same da.

about 100 miles in the itil and
return,andall inthirty hours. The time, place,
object, and numbers, co s bs ane t
tion of Carson and Godey may be considered
among the boldest and most disinte
which the annals of western adventure, so
full of « deeds, can
in a savage desert, pursue
unknown body of Indians into the

an instant—and for what? To

Pa robbers of the i got and to a
wrongs of Mexicans wi hom they”

«163
ag I repeat : i was Conn apd ONeY
o did this—the forme

American, born

Me the Sg, degra ty of Winesait the lat-
, born in St. uis—and

ay ald to weleth enterprise from early

By the information of Fuentes, we
now to make a long stretch of forty or ity

e hada
moonshiny night ; and, sraveling directly
wards the north star, eae now
across an open plain bet antain

on the left

TA

'"y ceuMe

now rs the
discharge of a, waters of this basin (when
it collected an i
in a bein genes
bed was overgrown shrul
veral pa before Pd it brought us to the
pi ype of a cafion, where we fou nd water,

and e

camped. word cafon i

by the ? Spaniards to ignify a defile or gorge

in a creek or pi nr high rocks

in close, e a narrow fe 2 usually

difficult, and often impossible to
the

ween
being broken, ery r
the informati

ccceneeliaeenen ee

ee

4

164
Passing through th entered
dicgher ecity init through wiiiel the dry
stream northwesterly
course, in bideh: direction coped & high
snowy mountain.
We travelled ppg a barren a
heavy Bie

where a hs owing
the , sand, ride 26 ¢ =n
mniles, a abe pase) “of salt an nd bit-

of plants, con-
sisting of a remarkable new genus of cruci-

Gradually ascending, the ravine opene
ord a — seach ae at the foot of the
tain, ngs of excellent shad
ves td the

d
seen tiie we struck the aa trail. The

ir encampment early, we tra
part of the desert, the most sterile pay repul- | i

that we had yet seen. Its prominent
and dry;
shrubs—

he grassy spot, w

ani
its springs and willow ero which cont

tutes a camping place in the desert, an

, ae the Archilette. The i gal silence o

: place w was ominous; ani oping ra-
ae up, we found only the corpses of the

Giacome, who was a rge and
ing r wa ying in one of the willow

CAPT. FREMONT'’S NARRATIVE.

strong | a

[1844
bgt was cee with joy at seeing Pablo:
hild, was — with grief; and
fille the a with lam ons for se per
and nag i pails J—w
his nt cry. When we ‘beheld this
che sight, and pitared to a the
ate of the two “stirs th rie
ai thiob tiie: all compune-
tion oe the salpdalv Indian oem and
we re oe that Carson and cee had cate
able so tefl a lesson to
Am rabs. ie in wait to bandos
and plunder the innocent travel #
all too much affected by the sad
feelings eee the lace 5 yin to remain

sary m
eae ‘obli iged to pail Y dhers
ni

ae

2
=

April e continued our pitty over
a district slaitae to ee f the day before.

rom s which ~was the
pring, we en pees basin of the sa
character, surrounded everywhere by moun-
tains, for stretche high range,

us
ae still higher _ ee left, and terminating

Bn ter A Sirs s eel of bos miles, we reached
at evening the am from wigich the
water had aed sited a alittle only remained

ho

entirely sank, was sprea
rding a little ‘soit for te animals.
me out o

aptive mountain here was wooded
S| emis wien pine, cedars, and

oak; and among the

;

1844.]
; shrubs were Purshia tridentat,

|
{

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

a occidentalis. merous
shrubs wack constitute zs vegetation ef

our intolerable thirst while jo

try, where the heated air seems to be entire-
the plains are now ia bloom, with flowers ly deprived of moisture. We ate occasion- |
\ white, ree red, Aad purple. The con-| ally the bisnada, and moistened our mouths —
tina aal ro and want of water and grass, | with the agid of the sour dock (rumeax veno- |
Ag r mules and sus). Hourly expecti find water, we) .
horses ; but the principal loss is occasioned | continued to press on until towards midnight,
by their c joalet fee greater part of | when, after a hard and uninterrupted march
e lef g in “excellent order, and | of 16 hours, our wild mules began running
scarcely a wi some loss; | alead ; and in le or two we came to a
and, one by one, Fuentes’s horses are con- | bold running stre so keen is the sense
stantly dropping behind. Whenever they | of that animal, in the regions, in
give out, he dismounts and cuts off ee aed scenting at a distan ce this necessary of life,
and manes, to gla addle rune rths ; ast According to the information we
vantage one can gain fro ceived, Sevier river was a tributary of
The next day, in a or ba rough ride ae and this, accordingly, should Ses
4 hed miles, we crossed the mountain; and, | been one bs affluents. It proved to be the
ding 3 s smal] ere: plain, encamped io de eles (river of the Angels)—a

creek,
where we ioe guod

quantity, and e of ae in holes.
The ridge is extreme! So broken,
presenting on this side a ait precipice,

asses. Many

dians fe vis ‘ble.

—After a day’s journey of sori
ina piesa direction, we enca
the m

e starte

a Sasa ey

branch of hi Rio Virgen (river of the Vir-

n "puficlesh gin).

ay 5.—On account of our animals, it
necessary to remain to-day at this =
rotate crowded namerous ly around us
morning ; and we w obliged to vee
_— in hand all day, to keen them ote °
e cam ey began to surround
seb g r the convenience of pio

we were uaring a big above, on the river.
ere immediately driven in, and ke’
ose to the ca

se the mien of the night we had a
a very bad encampment, our fires bei
commanded by a rocky bluff wibin 50 rr
mis notwithstanding, we had the ri

mall thickets of igh on the bet a

the day the camp was

e could comprehend them very well.
i] pon ere the sa who had mur
dered the Mexicans; and us

ee ee ge ee a a

owt a a

‘holes. During the da
roasted

bs ig

ae

166

A man who appeared to be a chief, wi
two or three ose forced himself into camp,

ors he fing
and said he could not h “ Why,” sai
he, “ there are none of you Counting the
people the camp, and including in the
number a mule which was shod, he
made ou * Sch e; showing
the number, “and wi a great
many ;” and he pointed to othe ‘hills ¢ and moun-
tains round about. “If you have your arms,
- Said ve *

a more res nsible being. “ Don’t say
zat, old man,” said he; “ don’t you say that
—your life’s in danger *—speaking in good

English ; sree probably the old man was

mee’ ic

5.

e camp last n
in the morning, before the indiins made thet
appearance, several men were sent to brin
them in. When I was beginning t
easy at their absence, they spa with in-

on that they had

fi en off from
the trail. by Indians
the

Many of these Indians had long sticks, hook-
ed at the ao, which they used i ir hauling out
lizards, other small animals, from their
y oy neal

and ate lizards at our fires. ‘These

in which the stones

secen'the aiai aes: to six or
the forma- |

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

| given out, were killed

bu
nd than he will be before he
t
Several animals had been seta p Be left | with v
behind near ight; and e

to be elt

g
d Poe ale ~ ce nd, was —

one, alternating with | T’

| convenient ford im the givOr, and Moros
the trail on “he other side. :

[1844,
where lizards were the only animal, and the
a of the lizard eaters the principal sign

human bei i

have ever seen—a deep rapid stream, almost
a torrent, passing swiftly by, ol nigel
gainst obstructions. The |

i)

itis

a ready mentioned
(Garrya elliptica), gro tig in thickets, re- \
sembling wilisy; sind | Beasiag a small pink
on the

®
“
md
oq ~
s

ree remaining steers, ae entirely
here. he boiling
point, the ‘elevatio on of the river here is 4,060

feet; and latitude, by a n, 36° 41’
33”. The stream was running towards the
southwest, and a rom

and to come fi
no:

1g how: vered with
ollowed us stealthily, like

rought into camp after a

ment. ning | “ ve
brevetiod 28 wiles 2 ae fy?

One
ther side the valley is bounded by ranges of
mountains, everywhere high, rocky,
broken. The caravan road was lost and
Seldtaied in the sandy country, and we had
been following an Indian trail

reconn

about a mile farther up, where we found @

oe little patch of grass. There bei
ficient :

oe pa with a
abeau to a ab Sera hollow, where they
pasture di

mi the day; and, = be
reli nee the mgt Bact should mak e any
a ge oner several of the best

{tempt on

horses were icketed at the camp. Ina few

honre tine iniutars found a
Serpiers iar

ori heat of the day, Tl

not awake

came te

1844].

“me, and reported mrorene ne Hore es
the day had SA beeceearen t
wledge, to the Seip we h
sm in search of a lame mule, ot re-
While we were speaking, a smoke
ines suddenly from the cotto
low, which plainly told us bat at had befallen
ber surround-
c
woes their pes Carson,
with several men mounted, was instantly
sent down the rive, ce retu
seme — of the missing m: They
to the camp we had left, ae ‘neither: he
bon aie mule was there. Sear ing
the @iver, they wpe the tracks of the mule,
evidently driven along by Indians, whose

thing that looked — a little puddle of —
but which the dar revente

verifying.
to our camp, and their report saddened all our

is morning as si

was light enough to follow tracks, T set out
myself, with itzpatri rth
in searc Tabeau. t to

the spot where t appearance of puddled | g
h nm seen; and this, we saw at

blood had bee:

once, had been the vlide where he fell and
died. upon the leaves, and beaten
down bushes, Se ‘that he had got a
enty

him Id be f ae erty ng eR his
m + ‘ound, except a

horse equi fc equipm ; clothes—all
ranean seis Raia the New

u had been one of our best men,
th a

. CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

ith aa details they retu rievteil pe:

lad counek wk snow for abeut two
feet from their summits down.

themselves to us no more.

was. on: the

the dese
bald and rocky ; here the. wood-
cedar and pine, a — of trees.
gave shelter to birds—a n
sight—which could not hare lived in the
desert we had f

mountain, fa

ith
7 of precnigebing size ; and on the hills,
where hese gn often seen, a good and
gone Ras ria gd aie | if

Seat the cuck, the
snowy mee on our right showed out

: iE
| thousand

of the basi

168

Our animals were somewhat repaid for their,
ne. rare: Fyanganrting camping ground |
gy summit of the ridge, which forms here
th ivi ee)

n
bloging to the Great Bas Basin.
We considered ourse rossing the rim
in; and, pos te it at this point, we
an extensive mountain meadow,

miles, occupying twenty-se
cre prema eon

our
in the centre. camp dut

night,
rosnot, had tolled all raf
and the

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

3
Bie

ve|the water o

"| river proceeds over
of | to Santa Fé

[1844,

and vc ion — < camp _* ies horse
guards, and scouts, isp e from.
the tim sae of leaving oe frontiers of Misco uri
until we return to them

we le ft the Vegas, we had the

guide e had left California
with the great ‘caravan ; and iving,
ong the trail, that there

iz)
@
"a
®
5

“exis his Naga Knowledge
: Jaen country, g d prese

mind, and goo om ws sateet hiave brought

im safe on “yates a perilous oe

May 13.—We ay at ‘this

ment; and,

gress ina northeastwardly

beasts we redapeaniieas into road va

ay
noted or of dete and ribrod

pon the waters of which we
now were, belonged to the system of lakes
in the eastern part of the — hynny
the Great Salt lake, and its southern limb,
the Utah lake, were sate prin neal towards
the region of which e were approac

fing. We traveiled fo c several ere in this

oe within the of the Great Basi
ossing little streams soins bore to b the left
for Sevier

Yy salt lake,
| about seven miles long and one — at the
>; | northern icine of which w

| for the n

is little lake, whiok well
imme-

over a mountainous country

ona 17—After 4 440 miles of travelling
a trail,

e nam
_ cipal eta from this scton of the
| sateh chain. Weh

1844 |

Our course led to
foot of that ne and leaving it on thé
right. The m

r river, towing ”
ects its prin-
Va

ered a region
pee astoral promise abnslie with

of 4 reat
unch grass, soil that 4

fine streams, the ric

with the general character of its bor ering
a — fertility of soil and v

unkno o him,
sidan soni fre-

—We met a band of Utah In-

armed with rifles, and use their ri

The chief _ _ fusee, which he had ouivied
n to his rifle. They we

s the Spanish trail,

of a —, —_— than those of the desert.
They ¢ their depredations with
form, seal suk. oe color = traide and toll
for passing through their country. Inst
of attacking and killing, sho affect. to pur-
chase—takin ng the horses ey sare and giv-
minal The | him

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
the Wah-satch | and tied
Thc northeast, 4 ay the

ith|s
rthwardly to

-| each end—
rd:

—
- iw
a =

weta- | see
ar into the yi wre

he aided by a well- —< chief, who gr
merican or En

| the first explorer
We had

used ro} at.
meal ri our T little f float.
s “in ‘or rwards, yer shore to
The es swam, our place.

be sinks which was the ~ northern |
22

ter

a

point of its bend, - latitude a 399°
anks tained the

for ‘fertility and Shenson which we

n for some days,

proac

after some American

was the first American na

with since leaving th
m the es

named
can trapper or hunter, and {
me w

n names,
distance none; from
vetia anaes to las Ve, egas
Santa Clara, 1,000 more, all wer

i m the “Mississippi to the Pa
cifi Brena, and American or English
were intermixed; and this prevalence of
names indicates “he national character of

here the artes to lose one of
Badea who’

and efficient men.

wards hima gun by th
mer being caught, a ga age
i pr ball A tinea his head. e

of the river
ig the next da asli he ridge along
ataen, vedca, Mandan alandbada

main tributary of the lake
—which, deflecting from its northern

Jake. It was really a fine river, from eight
to twelve feet deep; and, after eee
vain for 2 fordable made little

made, and 2 ‘conveyance across a}
River. nd give = good convey in bundles,

from a village, which was encamped near
the

Lang covered» with ~ grass, and directed
a high snowy
the foot sot al which ch lay the Utah On |
our right was a bed of high mountains, their ei |
summits covered with snow, pea |
een

mouth of the river. They were

170
ee ee

prone onincsing as gets ‘eine

their horses were

encamped
ky which is ae ine the lay cipal
e Indians
a

a

m the experience of Mr.
Walker, is the bet. remedial] plant known
among those Indians. A il

th

ns

not yet arrived ; but: t
were daily expecting them to come up out
of the lake.

We had now accomplished an object we | a

had in view when leaving the Dalles of
Columbia in Moveeber last: we had re
ine lake; but by a = very ‘if
what we had i ended, and
without sxifficient time remaining to make
ch w

gf

y a hig snowy
Tange, which supplies to it a fan of =

‘CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

in good
near them, on ge

This would
- | cellent locality for stock farms at ‘s pe a

ae

descriptive term te gen ae and lea
for the lake into which it flows the name

ally covered with good bunch grass, and
vend abundantly Sestess the ordinary
grail

In arriving at the Utah lake, we had com-
pleted an immense cireuit of twelve bse
diameter north and south, and ten degr
east and west ; and found Sacheaa in aay.

e desired. It] pa

1844, on the same sheet of water which we

ad seen that remarkable Suet '
sf water both at its northern and

Saag of tim:

ling, had give w of Oregon of

North California gel the Rocky mountains

to the Pacific ocean, and of th
ich

sed. se

d differ ee from the Ate
hoe side of ont se i
all are higher, m
distinctly defined in n thei

and some of them v:

| quent state of activity. “They

1844."

peat amare ener oc ee the traveller in
co

oO
The pi urse and elevation of these ranges |

give direction to the rivers and character to

Francisco eels
the Colum

h the Dalles o

lumbia, and runn oe each in a valle
own, between eri ran, ee e and the Cascade!
and Sierra Nevada

rs of this r im
ue to the Columbia. Its mouth is the only
inlet and outlet to and fro th sea; its
es in the moun-

8; erefore the only line of com-
siunication beclaahs the Pacific a the i in-
° ons

A pera
war mmerce, of national or so
intercourse, must onducted upon it
This gives it a value beyond estimation, and
would involve irreparable inju lost. In
this unity and concentration of its waters,
the Paci of our continent differs en-

waters of the Alleghany mountains are di
into many rivers, having their differ-

ent entrances in a, and opening

i lines of communication the in-

a coast is gene
tlantic

ds, and river estuaries,

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

The roe of | this
the ‘Atlantic is low and open, : indented with | ing map

mountains, with its concentration and

babl
impregnable country in
Differin ng so much - om the Atlantic side |

our co wig in

“<
oS

so anxious
$ existence is vouched for by
such of the American traders and hunters
some knowledge
os

chyeon agere requires it
wn Spaacretiee soos
te sce Walker, who is s
| in ne: parts, ‘informed ae 5 that trots the

alt lake west, there su
a

FEE

Ghsiindlnt indo ts tones of aac untry. The
Pacific coast, on the contrary, is high and
cate oe with few bays, and so one that

art of bee cou

, and that nar-
row and easily This structure
_af the coast, b two g

€.
| Wah-satch and

yself; and also saw the

enclose the waters of the lake on the east,
and constitute, in that quatter, the rim of
the Great A along the

eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, where

as could draw their|u

a

wate
ais its southeast

ern Ti
mountain) on the ri

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

pe Be

[usde,

upon some lake or river that supplies fish,
and pati ‘which they repulse the miserable

little meat; and thei
made of its skins.
only wood, an = ere
nary size—so mes a foot in diameter,
m4 six or ake ‘foot high. It serves for
fuel, for genie cara - shelter to the
bi d covering for
~ Togs a: ary weather u
ts of the — and sod
reat Bas nd w
though — must Penang some —
on, —_ excite our desire to know the

a

The whole idea of such a desert, and such

istence of the Basi ea such things are new and strange, un-
lished fact in my mind ; its extent and con-| known and unsuspected, and discredited
tents are yet to tter ascertaine . when rela But I flatter myself that

cannot a less than four or five hun dre
miles each way, and must lie aaa in
the Alta Gale's the demarcation lati-
tude of 420° probably wibing 3 a segment
from the north part Ti its in-

the same remark tnay be m:
_ ©. The contents of this Bees Basin are yet
tw be. examined.

what is red, though not enough to
— euros, is colbcmt to excite it, and.
that equent explorations will complete

at Basin, it will

re
be ee belongs to the Alta Cali-
y | fornia, no applicatio

n to Oregon,

and comparative te
that branch of agricu site ture mi pees im-

plies the cultivation of grai

would be inferior to wi Aslantio

1844.]

} elling nes, and the narrow trail
caravans can find sare stence for their ani- steep qsine avon allowing the eo >
mals ; and in military operations any num- | one animal at a time.. From the summit we
ber of caval Base be moved, and any num- a fine view of the y Bear River
her of cattle may be driven ; and thus men| range; and there were alning

and horses be supported on long expeditions,

tions.
Saieigiale the value of the Oregon

ae even in winter, in the sheltered situa- | the
v

ch e Ui
about 1,500 Yok aie the pass, a

country must great, washed as it is by

the north Pacific cean—fronting Asia— | vation, oF ne boiling point, of 6.900 feet

producing many the elements of com- |} above the

ae peor ld and ‘healthy in its climate The ae) Pe we descended along the

and oming, as it naturally will, a tho-| river, a ut noon reached a point where

conghiee for the East India and China| three forks come t Fordin

trade. these with some difficulty, we continued up
: middle braneh, which, from the color of

ere our faces once more eastward, | its waters, is nam ed river. The fe

on the
Jake, an eaakaged for tivo as
the Spanish fork, which is dispersed in nu-
merous Picket among very rugged moun-

mies
ns, which afford few passes, and render a
necessary | wit

hem
eam can scarcely |'s
pe to havea eos the eine asd
sien bruptly from the re
ood trail facilitated our travelling, and 538
ack ae a bottoms, covered with excel-
Hent ite streams are sarily and
I Yanaualy, Ww ; and ste Chae the
i | mountain hcg uraee and timber.
At our age Ales thet evening of the
' g6th, ne the bead re of the branches
we had d ascended, strata of bituminous Time-

rugged natur
rage give toit i grea strength
the Utahs from the intrusion of their ene-
i a ae

plae
with are: on. fh cs hill
sides, we encamped at evening on another
ban to the intahy called the Duchesne
Hl yater was very clear, the stream
sere ag ;

It

ai being yet swo ion by the
and w e for rded it without any di

by islands, the largest ing about a
un t wide ; and eit yuu

is probably that of some old Fre

per.
P The next day a paar down
river. whic h we were obliged to cross ;

iver ag ge in : which were Posies a vari-
ety of fossil anole te new
It bered, Oats in crossing
this vides e abou v120 pees the northward
‘n August last, str of f erous rock
were furasaray w hich “Ye been referred
to the oolitic per
rg rocks also hood te the same forma-

‘rd few miles girs this encampment we
the str cr

ye ot its waters, fa, received.

8 White river. The sno

eginning to melt, and all).

tha little rivulets were running by in rivers,

ming difficult to ford. Con-
rmiles up a ant o

+7

os a dividing ridge Bibel
of the ‘0 the Uintah. The |

the night,

ied ti to it fas the Indians si
Arent swiftness, and thé same which they
ey to ilo a. s of a racehorse.

an uninterru
ise from the large rocks which are rolled
along the bed. After infinite difficulty, and
the cist of a day, we d in getti
the st ape ae

and got over with: the
Continuing our

_ Spanis

174

cedar, and the lower parts covered with
n the afternoon of
i st be

und t
difficult as the
Lake fork, divided suite ever Song te
which were too broad to be brid

y an Ist satellite,
oncaane well with 'the ont of the o
tation o at the Duchesne fork,) the
longitude of Pr So is 109° 56’ 42",
latitude 40°

It has a notey garri ison of Canadian and
ee and hunters, with the usual
number of Ind We obtdined a

ns Serpe change from the pinoli on which
e had subsisted for some weeks

the class of arid iGo odey.

the morning of the 5th we left the
fort* and the Uintah river, and ea
ich

) xt day
An immersion satelli ite gave for
this a longitude of 109 27’ 07”, the
e by * hid

the head of the S
On the 7th we had a pleasant nie Satie: | Spi

* This fort was — and Say ons = a
band of the Utah

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

With | pand in

very chper Visions the elevation above t
et. The beari

and rising,
upon | of six or bes h

(1844.

day’s journey, through beautiful little val-
leys an

cajions through which the Colorado runs ex-
into a narrow but pretty valley, about

a delay of a
nits hanks br much
n the

most

site me the remains of
the river, was
he sea
to the entrance
w was south 20°

ampment, were covered.
other

ow our
coisa tly with F vermicularis

ably dry cajion, fifty or rds
as we advanced, to the he sigh
d Issuii

> os ees

early vertical precipi-
A These

feet
Beek mentioned, to give some idea of
country lower down on the Colorado.
re rth py the ie gt usually apply Beg
country. The

1844.) CAPT, FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 175

v us brackish water | fork, an affluent of Green river, the hunters
and indi t s for the fo dighs. | brought in mountain sheep and the meat

A few scattered cedar trees were the|two fat bulls. Fresh entrails in the river

| only improvement of the country on the fol- | showed us that there were I above ;

| lowing day; and at ia little spring of bad | and, at evening, judging it unsafe to encamp

oe we had not | in the Botsonns. biden were wooded only with

wat
_ even the shelter of ihnes from the hot rays
_of the sun. At night we encamped: in a fine
gas of cotton wood tre
ea

very eet. es and fort, and aioe the
camp in Ye pei nt guards. The country we

were now entering is constantly infested byjc
war pores of ne Sioux and other In rab

rg ape aie t e mos! “rain ah

at Ga nds ahs Rocky S; pa

ties of whites, bead ling apse & ree
feated on this ri

On the Lith w we continued up the Mod
which is a > aay rable stream, fifty to
hundred yards in width, hands
saatetanty waodea with groves of t

narrow-leaved cotton-wood, (populus an-
gustifolia ;) with these were thickets of
| willow and grain eu

| mingled with this, are saline shrubs and ar
The new varie Tass which
pe 2 hk aa een on leaving ee Uintah fort had
now poate re The country on either
side was sandy poo ‘j scantily wooded
with cedars, but the river bo oms afford-
ood ener were
killed in the ae eh mped a
little below a branch of the cnt called St.

‘\ctanraegnneeoreniernnasiniene

g
hc f TOSS hills, where every hollow
a spring of running water, with good
a ee, and to-day we have had be
high mountains grains geet se divide
the the ‘Pacific from from the Mississi

So ben ape

‘

when we descended awit WF poe on St. Viain’s |

somely and
fe

pee = aspens; an

- We ree a x delightfal morning’s

willow thickets, we ascended to the spurs
above, and forted strongly in a small as
grove, near to whic Bove ®: of ee
wat The hunters "yilled t ne co
band of elk | broke out “of
pes were run-
ning over the hills; and on the o opposi
river mn herd f buffalo were raising
clouds o ountry here appeared
more hg stocked with game than any
S| part mountains we had esa
ed; and its aber ndance is ot ton Ta o the ex-
cellent pasturage, and its dangerous ceed

acter as a war ground.
June 13.— e was snow here near
ur mountain camp, and the morning
beautiful and co ing 3
rk, we took our way directly towards the
summit the dividing ridge t-
toms of the streams and level places were
d

entered again t e piny region.
ride, the
und affording us an excellent bridle path,

ay reached the summit towards midday, at
an elevation of 8,000 feet With joy and
exultation we saw ourselves once more on
the top of the Rocky mountains, an es
a little stream taking its course towards the
It was an <flident of - Plate,

rising sun,

called Pullam’s fork, and we dese

‘noon upon it, It is a pr Pay cae gan

yards broad, ag bears the name of a trap-
-| per who, some years since, was killed here

Indians.

by the Gros Ventre
i ines in the after

to it w

west, and then east ;
making, i in all, with t

his idte: We
rse, and turned up the val-

ley of the Platte instead of going down it.

We crossed several small affl

water, grass, and game ; and
re added the charm of oeety ‘ind
| 2 weather.

Ju —Our route this morning lay
along fis foot of the moun poser over the
oped gradually down

cou ngs is be a watered.
Tn almost panes hollow ran ar, cool

mountain stream ; hadi in the c course of the | b
morning we

are becoming ng suiciently rare to distingu

by their n: eams on whith ey

are found. Ms ibis side ntain

more abundantly than
ne Pte which their

"Ble West day seb continued our journ

ee the country presenting

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
the summit of the sd mountains to the | noon

oceurr:
elsewhere in all = and ex
ir vestiges had bee:

us to the main Platte river,
ream, with a uniform
pt where

ich the river passed as thr
We entered it, and fou ae 0
New Park—

and assumes its first form:
river could as

way t th rough t following a
| ernie: bratich of the Platte, _ Rigas
any smaller ones,

sareahy fordable, called Lodge Pole "fork,
nd which issues from a lake in the moun-
tains on the Tigh ten miles Pri Bs the
evening we encamped on a smal

near the upper end of the Park. Latha
of th the camp 40° 33’ 22”.

June a —We Dan cae our

the waters of the

2

d good pasturage, and Pvtiytiaed. Sak
killed some buffalo. We fell into a broad
buffalo, where

ve Decider

ahs Gens
cern! st 0 et shovel

setae Gipeuied "sear advantage
htful aor cate of the

-_

1844.) . CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 177
ainsi Nelly: a ty Ph i] to Be eisty eleinbue. They deceived me
which is Grand river, one of ‘the into the belief that I should find a ie ie
ton branches of ae Colorado of Cali-| their village, and I could not avoid ae-

€ were now moving with some | companying them; but put several slow:
rom th 1, we found t tween us and their village, and forted
Arapahoe village had also passed this way. | strongly on the banks of the river, which
As we com ra out of their enemy’s| was everywhere rapid and deep,
country, was a war Megat weja hun yards in breadth. T

nd thi
were desirous = sedi them. After
afternoon’s
exit Seca tribes ary to a main fork o
Grand river, which ran ehiotieh this portion

rounded by the high mountains, timbered
on the lower parts with quaking asp and

gage was err watehed

and covered, a number of th ings were
stolen.
The next morning we descended the

river ws sake eight miles, and halted a

e | short perma above a caijon, through which
rand He ar

riv Phare rom the Park.

| cele nell

deep yards in

breadth, and “ti ae at this mao
ty feet. A frame for the buat being
made, ou ‘hal aggage

very soon was ferried
across ; thea horses, in the mean sien, swim-

8.—Our scouts, who were as usual
atest : inde from a butte this morning “the ing over. A southern fork of eae
signal of Indians, and we rode up in time to| river here makes its junction, reer
e ty of about 30 Arapahoes. They | posite to ‘ae branch by whi es had mit
bes men “4 ath women a into the hills—| tered the valley, and up this we continued

main

; but they appeared disposed
to be unfriendly, and galloped back ci ae
to“the vill Knowing that had
e toe ot Me I descended imamediasly

for about eight miles in the sheet and
bank,

Patra widened by islands, —e separa-
‘ ed into several channels, bye rte very swift
current an = bed of rolle

On the 20th we traveled up the left por
with the prospect o bad road, the t

trou

into oe bottoms of Grand river, which| here taking the pier side; but ne
‘were overflowed in places, the river being | stream was up, and nowhere fordable. A
up, and made the best encampment ‘the | piny ridge of ins, wi

ground afforded. We had no time to build | peaks, was on our right all the day, and a
a fort, but found an open place among the = mo n appeared

willows, which was defended by the river
vedic a the overflowed bottoms on
e had searcely made o

3

: i
°

any foa' mr torrents with rocky
to the river; and in the

Arapahoe x . é :
the i = to look for Utahs in the Bayou

' {at they woud vit oot camp, with the
: ss

178.

rues
and the weather was most delightful
as literal

and the vg echo of t
rifles on i

by whom they were driven out.

3g"
>

g perhaps
they were engaged dians ; but in a
short time t e with the

meat of seven fat cows

iring the earlier r part t of the — s ri, |

the river had been merely a narrow ravine

hago high piny air: Hes ns, bliskind on
es, but particularl y on the west, b

ges; but, after several
out into

Apprehending from this
reason, and the character of the mountains,
which are known to be extrem

iddle branc
flat valley “gears between timber-
ed ridges on the left and

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

We|
to noon under the shade of the pines, |

a | forded a better pass than the

=i ;| the bayou

[1s44,,

a

e| continued up the valley, in which th

e stream.
rapidly ‘diminished, breaking into set trib-_
utaries—every hollow affording water. At
our noon _ the hunters jprned us with
the Whi
from their encampment, they seg ferseg!
fs sash snag surrounded by a y of

who informed them tha t t thelr

ar
wage war party, consisting of almost
very man in the village, except those who
were too old to go to kant were going over
attack them. ‘The main body had as-
cended the left fork of ne ae which af-
ranch we were

ee satialiod: By the te
boiling water, our elevation here w:
— ‘and a ne pine forest fees aa 2

e the 0 tte we continued ow
occasionally through open pines, with a very

ase e
buffalo, enjoying the e ata gall lake
among the pines; and the rt the =
branches ap as they broke through
woods,

encamped pen place among the pines, | mated height of 11,200 feet re the
| here we built a strong fi moun- | river s' itself into small branches and
j tains exhibit their usual = ae growth of| springs, heading nearly in the summit of the
raced alc d, among |-ridge, wig h is very narrow. mediately
[others is guontana ero wt bright | belo was a green valley, nes which
BB bcos gy Soene “seem sero a ta showy plant. This} ran a panbe and a short di posite
‘ many parts of | rose snowy mountains, whose summits were
_ the count senna wr aching the Uintah | formed into of k. We
| Waters. ith fields of iris were se n afterwards satisfied ourselves that im-
| ¢@rulea, violets, esparcette, and straw- | mediately beyond ins was the
' berries. ain branch he Arkansas river—most
At dark, we perceived a fire in the edge | probably g directly with littie
of the -| stream below us, which gathered its waters

in ins near by
i the ed character of the moun-

tains around the of

ex-| which their r appearance ly jase, de-
terred me oie to reach

had | it, which ers have involved a greater
length of

time than now remained at my dis-

iil —
ceeeetaeia enema ~

herd of |

1844.]

Rocky mountains, and, according to the best | w

information we could obtain, separated only

by the rocky wall of the ridge —_ the head | not for us to inter
nsas te iB

of the main A:
e had

a ou rk of th
as which, you will find it laid down
But descending it _ eeonan
rtion of its course, we hav
able to gts this point iinheies *
nthe evening, a band of buffalo furnished
“ i ELAN naa by charging through the

a the following day, we “pi the

mountainous range, crested wit
na on . | a aks; and below, i it -y go
e character an age le
ee oo rsed amo low woode
openly with pine a quali spy contrast-

a gg

As soon as they had give
formation, they filed the air with cries and
ntations, whi hich - m: s and

as
e Utahs had very injudiciously

yee their ville which, ace to
n, numbered about 300 rose Ad-

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

oe ul | fiel
_ prairies, | i

uae ae
with

‘179

ould immediately have provided us with
the best horses at the village ; but it was
fere in such a conflict.

Neither party were our friends, or under our
tection ; an was ready to prey up-

n us that cou ut we could not hel

i at bei

oe or este ig wi
upon us ; and, gearing up immediately, w

ept peek along the pines of the rid ia
ing it between us and the village, and keep-
ing the scouts on t give

passed by the mmedi- .
~ below us, horsemen were galloping to
fr ro, ve gtr npeae of ip. were gathered
wounded and dead,
ya ought in from the
We scaled to press on, and, ¢

ing another fork, which came in tices the
right, after havin a es from
the village, ed ourselves strongly in
the pines, a short distance from the

During the afternoon, Pike’s k had
been plainly in view before us, and, from
our a pe 87° com-
pas his was a fa

miliar elgeet, and it
had for us "4 face of an old friend. At its

e next day we

continued its course towa

and taking a southeasterly direction,
crossed a

about ten miles -<—
ro the South Park,

left the river, which
s Pike’s Peak ;

in
fips
found

y rugg
sting, ome well Watenid y nume:
e Arkansas river, ~~ ag

sas valley.
followed were dispersed among
crossed over into the more’ open valleys

esi but always at night we

bottom, which afforded us a pleasant

trees,
make the ravines almost im

rable.
ve several days’ laborious bie eri:
d in extricating ourselves fro

vening en th i
ver. Continui ‘our
along the Arkan d meeting on the
way a war party of Arapahoe — (who
had r ly been committin

ut-
rages at Bent’s fort, killing stock dua dri-
ving off horses,) we arriv fore su
the Pueblo, near po mouth of the Fonta

sence er had been established on the | i
river, some thirty miles above
_ June 30.—Our caval

cade moved rapidly
the broad road

July we arrived at s , about 70
miles below the mouth of the } -
bouit. As we emerged into view from the

ves on the river, we were ted with a
ye of repeated
disc of the fort, where

guns
we were received by Mr. » George Bent with
a cordial

in the enjoyment of which we spent ‘several
eable days.

re We we in the

w coubeiiancill were accus-

tomed to live; and al dangers and dif-

ties of the r mine: considered past,
four of them, po ath Carson and Walker,

i the fi

On d own

the A Arkansas, Sr se along oad wag. | it

on about “a miles

belowéthe: fort. the way we met a very

large villa Sioux and Cheye In- | w

dians, who, with the Ara) were re-

ing fi crossing of

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

| fort on the Smoky Hill river, losing i in =
affair several of their own- ye 3
tl

1844,

sirous that we- ae
oe
betes ret

were desi

odies men, and famiiy
s of women re eliabakons with dog
ageag e, and long lines of

appearance was pictu

Osi
bly to see ee which re
cmidlan me to complete, as fi

taking a northeasterly directio
i ~ viding grounds ise
that r

vac. untry ovine without timber.
a she roe of the 8th we encam
n th

or dry creeks with sandy be
met together, forming the head rea a stream
which afterw —— proved to be
Hill fork of he Kansas river.
The next pre » a8 we were leaving
enc nt, a number of A oe In-
dians were discovered.
hich

ny lit _— * —— it had

co to eighty
feet in width; with a lively current in small
channels, a principally dis-

persed among quic
_ Gradually enlarging, i ina few days’ march
ame a river eighty yards in a
wooded with seri Ss of cott

fz:

ves
ood. Our road as generally over nell
uplands ioaiecligg the river, which were

of buffalo

closely covered with a sward

Se eee en meet anene ae

*
et EP LON LON ty
patente te MES .

er tears of meat sufficient

camped, in

road. During the night w ce
sion of thunder aan with heavy and eon-

tinuous rain, and towards morning the water | best a

suddenly burst over the banks, flo oding the

of many a, destroyed i
n
Indians seis e

a e rig
adily inferring, from
encampment, sae fae
ere Pawnee hdiend. and confiden

cood treatment from a

et an Kioway and Dasianebe

but proved — a dr <a
their greedy rapacity ; and, e de-
lay, ae considerable difficu
ed in extricating ou

cneampe on ‘the river about fifteen
miles below

Apri one

af: the o grass, and s ning wooded
along the streams with s g trees
peng — es of coton- Wood sos here

the count n epti to change its}
character, . peseaniagcin’ ar Lilie, wooded,
and sited region, with a profu-
sion of grasses, and watered with innumera
ble little streams, which ee with
oak, large elms, and the arieties of

we recent report t 5 ae t, from
ag Segond ha eaed: th Pawnee vil-

Wedd he 2 SVM LE WO

tly | w
pares = buffalo g
r

ie |
of the par
of A

ceed- | Sas.
rselves from.the village, | 1n

181

ee to the lower course of the

nsas river

aP OF th

ich began nt ie ~ fail as soon as w

er pated ee a uniform breadth

rieties.

ile engaged in crossing one of the nu-
merous nace kare frequently impeded
and chee e

es
t through
ae the accudeatal discharge of a rifle
—a tifying and painful mischance, to be
cxpled for life by an accident, - having
accomplished in safety ng and

ven a (Alexis Ayot) was sho

ty.
fter having travelled directly along its
banks for tw o hundred and n

ards its junc-
pabliesn fo rk Ps the Kan-
ty miles ; and, continu-
asterly shee, in shout’ twenty
ee we eidieel the w rom Santa:
sites, an on the : day
July ¢ encam at the little town of ©
saa, sos ben of te a river. |
Dulas our protracted absence
lomaans in the _ of which we had ne-

ce to great varieties
weather and of climate, no one case of sick-
er occurred among us.
ere ere ended our land journey; and the

placed at good pastu
and os aa ei Succes part in the
coming ex

On the 6th of F haga Wa utived ot

at St.
I og where the party'was finally disbana- ||

ed; es eth number of the men having their
the neighborhood. —

h aS

} i

182

ing readily oy foualoraaian for the win-
ter, and is one men engaged to-ac-

good will by his do-

minister

d to remain where he was

until he got an eduction, - which he
shows equal ardor and a
Our Chinook Indian ha

as wk to see

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

[1844
the whites fully gratified. Hea accompanied
on, and, after remaini

migrant compa-
nies to the village at ae Dalles of the Co-
mbia.
ae respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. C. FREMONT,

Bi. Capt. Topl. Engineers.

TABLE OF DISTANCES
ALONG
HE ROAD TRAVELLED BY THE EXPEDITION IN 1843 AND 1844
OUTWARD JOURNEY.
From Kansas Landing to Fort Vancouver.
os| a2 ¢.\ea-%
22/23 ef | 23
Date. | oS | 8= Localities. Date. | o3 | 8= . Localities.
#81338 #8 |83
S$ea/84 8.51)
2 2 rant S 2 oO ra) 3
a < a M
1 Miles. | Miles 1843. .| Miles.| Miles.
May 29} 7 7 July 29 | 807
30 2 29. 30 | 24 831
31 | 26 55 Si }::30 861
June 1} 23 78 Aug. 1| 26 887
= 100 ~e e 918 | Medicine Bow river
‘ee 123 3 | 26 944
4; 18 141 4 3 962 | North fork.
57} 19 160 6 } 981
6| 14 | 174 7| 30 |1,011
Toe ie 8 | 29 | 1,040
8 5 187 | Junction of Smoky + 9]| 26 |1,066 | Sweet Water
Hill and Repub- 10 | 23 |.1,08
' lican forks. HW} 3 118
10 188 12 | 25 | 1,143
11] 24 | 212 13 |§ .9 | 1-152 | South pass.
12 28 240 15 167
13; 18 258 14} 2 192
14] 17 275 15 | 29 | 1,221 | Green river, or Rio
16} 21 296 Colorado.
17| 14 | 310 } S| 1,247
18} 23 | 333 y 1,268 }
19] 18 | 351 300
20 | 26 377 } 328
21| 27 | 404 ) 358
22 | 26 430 384
23 |) 26 456 4 A421
Pe 36 a6 Cc of the Re- - re
26 51 rossing : :
i ; } | 1,463 | Beer Springs
. 26 | 24 | 540 Boba 1,484
27| 27 | 567 7} 21 | 1,505
98/ 30 | 597 3} 27 | 1,532 |
29; 21 | 618 )} 17 | 1,549
30 | 26 | 644 | South fork. ) ) | 1,568
doly 1] 32 | 676 26 | 1,594
2| 29 | 705 Sept. 22 /1,616
3] 28 733 ; r 11,633
4| 18 | 751 | St. Vrain’s fort 3 3 | 1,636 | Mouth of Bear riven,
26} 4 | 755 4] 6 |1,642 . a
97| 26 | 781: 5 ar 1669 |
a8 | 20 | 01 | : 6] 2% |1,604)

184) CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE,
TABLE OF DISTANCES—Continued. *

eel eF es| ee
£3 | £3 £2 | 23
Date. | oS | 8= Localities. Date. | 9 | 8= Localities.
a Sut 8 af | 33
}23 {23 rez 2s
= ae Aya Ye As
1843. | Miles.| Miles. 1843. | Miles.} Miles
Sept. 8 | 20 /1,714 | Shore of the Salt || Oct. 9 | 94 [2.954
‘ lake. 10 2 |2,256 | Fort Boisé. -
9 8 | 1,722 | Island in thé Salt 11) -20. | 2276
lake. Id St 12,303
1 28 1,750 . : ge 90°) 2.393
12 13 ; 1 2
13 aE 3790 re 26° TdTk
3814 16 13 F
15 19 F 17 2). } 2,405
16 26 859 18 20 | 2,425
It) 34 88. 19 mi TS,
18 23 906 | Fort Hall. 20 12- |2,458
err te Tio 21 5 | 2,463
24; 10 | 1,928 | American falls on 22; 16 |2,479
Lewis’s fork. 24 18° | 2,497
25| 13 |1,941 | 25) 18 |2,515
26 17 3958 26 3 18 | Fort Nez Percé,
27 1,978 the mouth of Wa-
29} 25° |2,003 alah river.
29) 24 027 19
30 | 26 ,053 29 19 (25566
Oct. 1 16 | 2,069 30 Qi 125717
2; 29 |2,098 . 31 26 | 2,603
3 16 |2,114 Noy. 1 23 | 2,626
4/ 19 |2,133 2] 19 }2,
5 7° 26 | 2,159 3 17 | 2,6
6 2,181 4 14 (2,676 | D
7| 23 {2,204 6&7 2,766 | Fort Vancouver.
Ot % {22396
HOMEWARD JOURNEY.
From the Dalles to the Missouri river.
a . : ——
* , eo * |
EE| 23 ee| Ea
Date. | o5/ 88 ' Localities. Date. | of | 84 Localities.
|} 83) 88 : Hi 3| 59
ey [a =S |
Miles. | Miles. 1843. | Miles.| Miles.|
12 12 Dec. 4 9 147 |
22 34 | 5| Who} 158 |.
13. 47 | 6; 19 Vii
ai 68 | : 71 3 202 |.
21 89 | 8/ 19 | 291 :
Ie} 99} fj Sopratec|y 995,
6 | 105 3 10] 15 | 250 | Tiamath lake
ll 116 | t .12 5 255 |) PR
mj : b 13] 12 | Meri]: ee

ea
7
{

TABLE OF DISTANCES—Continued.

CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.

Ssige ‘oy |- 8 ea
zs | 28 £2| 23
Date. a 8A Localities. Date. 35 3A Localities.
a | as s° 183
tt e 25 hh = 2 +
az |Aa Az |A
1843. | Miles. ; Miles. 184 Miles. | Miles.
Pr 288 Feb. 5 006
15| 2 309 : 3 |1,009
16 ) 318 | Summer lake 5° y4,01i4 7 /
j ; 324 tL} 12 | 1,026"
20 344 14
2 365 14 ,054 ”
)| 26 391 | Lake Abert. 1 3055
} 397 10 065
y; 99 426 Mar. 6 071 }
r 433 2&3) 10 ,081
L 3 446 | Christmas lake. 4 7 ,088
t 460 5] 20° 11,108
: 481 34 ,142 | Nueva Holvetia.
24 505 24 16 ,158
; 521 2 18 “{1,176} 3
536 2 | in A oe
553 27 | 42 3239
3 571 23 | 17° 11,256
1844. . 8 264
1} 20 | 591 April 1 | .10 | 1,274
2}. - 95 616 : ans 296
3 7 | 623 4| 18 |1,314
4 7 630 a Y lel ap oo bg
) 632 15 41,366
15 647 | Great Boiling spring. | 50 11,416
T 658 8 6 422
1 668 { 31 111,453
1 678 1 40 493
2} 6 | 684 | Pyramid lake. 11| 24 |1,517
12 696 12) 35 (1,582
14 ) 705 13 27 1,559 | Pass ir the Sierra Ne-
>| 12 717 vada.
Pts 735 14]. 32 |1,591°
Spe 3 757 15 | ‘32 | 1,623
18 3 765 17 | 39. | 1,662
18 783. 18 | “~S* 11,665: :
) ; | 788 19| 15 |1,680} . a
| 24 |. SIZ’ 20 | 33 | 1,713 | Spanish trail at Mo
3 851 22; 20 /1,7337 wees
L | 20. | 871 23.1 3313 7a s
25 896 24 8 |1,774
» | 908 25 | 25 |1,799
} ) 920 27 | 43 | 1,842
: 927 28 | 12 |1,854)
28 938 29 7 {1,861
26 964 30 | 24 | 1,885
Feb. 16 | 980 May 1| 15 /1,900
1 | 987 2| 12 |1,912
a} ..3 990 3] 18 }1,930
tls $3 [2 | vig
1 935 Gt 2
10 Z 998 71 10 {9015
20 | 3 | 1,001 | Summit of the Sier 8} 18 [2,
3]

366 CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE.
TABLE OF DISTANCES—Continued.
Sy gs) 8
ee |e e2| es
bo I eae ne o's o4¢
Date. | 2 3 8A Localities. Date. | 9 3 a) Localities
go Bo Ao| Se
sz |a° a3 | a7
= a an =)

1844. | Miles.| Miles. 1844. | Miles.| Miles.
May 10| 24 | 2,058 June 22 | 15 |2,913 | Bayou Salade, Gouth
] 12 | 2,070 Park.) ;

12 2,084 | Vegas de'Santa Clara. 23 | 36 |2,949
13 099 247} 21 |2,970
2 2,120 | 25} 21 12,991
16 137 961 11 ,002
17 ry 72,154 27} 10 {3,012
27 |2,181 2 21 i
20 | 22 | 2,203 29 3,063 | Pueblo, on the Arkan-
‘ 2, sas.
‘ 2,257 30} 3 ,100
2,269 | Sevier river. July 1 | 33 | 3,133 | Bent’s fort.
bbs 2,292 5 20 15S
ST oe Tees 6 31 yl
} 2;333 | Utah lake y fs eae eed
P| 22 |2,355 8 Head-water of Smo-
2. 2,380 ky Hill fork of the
)} 25 | 2,405 Kansas.
ies 2,436 27 {3,270
16 452 J 3,298
Jame | 16 | 2,468 »| 24 | 3,329
2 3 «(2,476 : 3,352
3 | 21 |2,497 | Uintah fort. j 3,362
5 | 26 {2,523 } 3,385
6{ 15 {2,538 ( PEAT
30 2,568 Green river, (Brown’ L 3,441
hole.) 3,470
9} 36 | 2,604 ) 3,499
10 | 30 | 2,634 522
11 {| 30 | 2,664 . 13,539
12| 26 | 2,690 3,565
Se TO. Pest ae 3 3,587
pes ee ys) } 3,606
15 | 25 /|2,764 | New Park 3 | 24 13,630
16 | 26 [2,790 3,648
17} 33 | 2,823 | Old Park 3 | 22 13,670
1B 13 | 2,836 : ) ; 3,682
: a ro ae ) 2 13,694
: d 3 | 3,702 | Kansas landing
21; 19 Aug. | |3,709 | Missouri rives.

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