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BETTY A. and LLOYD G,
SCHERMER

BMirntr IB hitman.

,-v

33d Congress,
2 c? Session.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Ex. Doc.
No. 91.

REPORTS

EXPLORATIONS AND SDRTEYS,

ASCERTAIN THE MOST PRACTICABLE AND ECONOMICAL ROUTE FOR A RAILROAD

FROM THE

MISSISSIPPI RITER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

MADE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR, IN

1853-4,

ACCORDING TO ACTS OF CONGRESS OF MARCH 3, 1853, MAY 31, 1854, AND AUGUST 5, 1854.

VOLUME II.

WASHINGTON:

l. O. P. NICHOLSON, PRINTER.

1855.

CONTENTS OE VOLUME II

REPORT, BY LIEUTENANT E. G. BECKWITH, THIRD ARTILLERY, UPON THE ROUTE NEAR THE
THIRTY-EIGHTH AND THIRTY-NINTH PARALLELS, EXPLORED BY CAPTAIN J. W. GUNNISON,
CORPS TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS.

Report of lieutenant e. g. beckwith, third artillery, upon the route near the forty-
first PARALLEL.

^REPORT OF A RECONNAISSANCE FROM PUGET SOUND, VIA SOUTH PASS, TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,
BY F. W. UNDER, CIVIL ENGINEER.

REPORT OF BREVET CAPTAIN JOHN POPE, CORPS TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS, UPON THE PORTION
OF THE ROUTE NEAR TPIE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL, LYING BETWEEN THE RED RIVER AND
THE RIO GRANDE.

REPORT OF LIEUTENANT JOHN G. PARKE, CORPS TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS, UPON THE PORTION
OF THE ROUTE NEAR THE THIRTY -SECOND PARALLEL, LYING BETWEEN THE RIO GRANDE AND
PI MAS VILLAGE, ON THE GILA.

EXTRACT FROM R ■ PORT OF A MILITARY RECONNAISSANCE MADE BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL W. H
EMORY, U. S. ARMY, OF THE PORTION OF THE ROUTE NEAR THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL,’
LYING BETWEEN THE MOUTHS OF THE SAN PEDRO AND GILA RIVERS.

0 This report was procured from Mr. Lander in compliance with a resolution of the House of Representatives of August
3, 1854. By a resolution of February 14, 1855, it was ordered to be printed, in connexion with the reports of the Pacific
railroad explorations and surveys made under direction of the Secretary of War.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES— February 14, 1855.

Resolved, That there he printed, for the use of the House, ten thousand copies of the reports of surveys for a railroad to
the Pacific, made under the direction of the Secretary of War, embracing the report of F. W. Lander, civil engineer, of a
survey of a railroad route from Puget’s Sound, by Fort Hall and the Great Salt lake, to the Mississippi river ; and the
report of J. C. Frdmont, of a route for a railroad from the head-waters of the Arkansas river into the State of California ;
together with the maps and plates accompanying each of said reports necessary to illustrate them.

Attest: J. W. FORNEY,

Cleric qf the House of Representatives of the United States.

THIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION— Chapter 98.

Sect. 10. And he it further enacted, That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby authorized, under the direction of the
President of the United States, to employ such portion of the Corps of Topographical Engineers, and such other persons as
he may deem necessary, to make such explorations and surveys as he may deem advisable, to ascertain the most practicable
and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific ocean, and that the sum of one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may he necessary, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated out of any money
in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to defray the expense of such explorations and surveys.

Approved March 3, 1853.

THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION— Chapter 60.

Appropriation : For deficiencies for the railroad surveys between the Mississippi river and the Pacific ocean, forty thou¬
sand dollars.

Approved May 31, 1854.

THIRTY-THIRD CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION— Chapter 267.

Appropriation : For continuing the explorations and surveys to ascertain the best route for a railway to the Pacific, and
for completing the reports of surveys already made, the 6um of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars-
Approved August 5, 1854.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WAR DEPARTMENT.

REPORT

EXPLORATIONS FOR A ROUTE FOR THE PACIFIC RAILROAD,

CAPT. J. W. GUNNISON, TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS,

NEAR

THE 38TH AND 39TH PARALLELS OE NORTH LATITUDE,

THE MOUTH OF THE KANSAS RIVER, MO., TO THE SEVIER LAKE, IN THE GREAT BASIN.

REPORT

BY LIEUT. E. G. BECKWITH,

THIRD ARTILLERY.

INTRODUCTORY LETTER.

Washington, D. C., November 25, 1854.

Sir : In submitting to the department the accompanying report of the explorations for a Pacific
railroad, conducted, up to the time of his death, (at the hands of the Indians,) by the late Captain
J. W. Gunnison, Topographical Engineers, it is proper that I shall state that I have preferred the
journal form in which to embody the labors of the party and the minute and general descriptions
of the country, required by the specific object of the survey, as affording greater facilities for
introducing the observations and conclusions of Captain Gunnison, in his own language, than
could have been secured in any other form. I have intentionally adhered to details and repe¬
titions, however monotonous, by which alone a faithful description of this great interior country
can be presented; for, monotonous as it is in itself, and far removed from general fertility, no
general description not made up of facts constantly repeated can convey a true picture of the
country explored — an object deemed of the first importance in this report, in which I have
endeavored to exhaust the material obtained for it, for which too much credit cannot be given to
Captain Gunnison.

The report was written, in great haste, at Great Salt Lake, immediately after reaching that
city, and forwarded to you on the 1st of February, 1854, but has been revised and materially
improved since my return to this city. The computation of altitudes has been conducted since
my arrival in Washington under the superintendence of Mr. Lorin Blodget, and the barometrical
observations discussed by him with great care and superior intelligence, which will be apparent
by a reference to his notes and the tables in this report.

I am, sir, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. G. BECKWITH,

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War.

First Lieutenant 3 d Artillery.

1 ^

’

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

From Fort Leavenworth, via Westport , Fort Riley , and Smoky Hill Fork, to Pawnee Fork ; also, via Santa
Fe road to Council Grove and Walnut Creek — June 15th to July 13, 1853.

Page.

Allusion to the death of Captain Gunnison and his assistants. — Extract from instructions from the War Department to
Captain Gunnison — Arrival at St. Louis, Kansas, and Fort Leavenworth. — Country from Fort Leavenworth to
Westport. — Camp at Shawnee Mission, near Westport: its altitude above the Gulf of Mexico. — Arrival of the
escort under Captain Morris. — Teamsters and mules. — First march. — Gentlemen composing the party. — Instru¬
ments provided. — The train: why used. — Cedar creek: its timber. — Bull creek. — McClannahan and party, with stock
for California. — Emigrants. — Division of party.— Route via Kansas river and Smoky Hill Fork. — Wahkarrussi bot¬
tom. — Timber. — Inviting appearance of the Kansas bottom: its fertility and railroad practicability. — Indian houses
and grain fields. — Delaware guides. — Uniontown. — Rocky hills.— Storm. — Country approaching Fort Riley.— Cross¬
ing the Kansas. — Fort Riley. — Crossing the Republican Fork or Pawnee river. — Yalley of the Smoky Hill Fork :
its fertility and timber. — Sycamore creek. — Wagon road route from Fort Riley west. — Sand-hills. — Crossing Nepe-
holla or Solomon’s Fork. — Short grass begins to appear. — Practicability of a wagon road to the Saline Fork. —

Stream swollen : its passage and character. — First appearance of buffalo-grass. — Meadows of the Saline and Kansas
rivers. — Smoky Hill. — Buffalo sign. — Lone Oak ford of the Kansas. — Railroad line thence to the Huerfano.— Sand¬
stone ridges or bluffs. — Character of the soil. — Chalybeate spring. — First buffalo. — Passing from the waters of the
Smoky Hill to those of the Arkansas river. — Sand-banks on the Little Arkansas. — Large fields of helianthus. —
Indicated line for a wagon road west from Fort Riley. — Walnut creek. — Military parties and encampments. —

Guides discharged. — Character of the country for roads of any kind. — Bridges. — Change in climate and character of
the country. — Journal of the party following the Santa Fe road from Bull creek. — Black Jack creek. — Timber. —
Bituminous coal. — Willow spring. — Stampede of emigrant horses. — Rock creeks. — One Hundred and Ten Mile
creek. — Indian houses and fields. — Dwissler’s, Dragoon, and Prairie Chicken creeks. — Elm, Bluff, and Big Rock
creeks. — Council Grove. — Timber and fields of corn. — Civil and military parties en route for New Mexico.— Incident
in Governor Merriwether’s life. — Diamond spring. — Lost spring. — Scarcity of timber and monotonous character of the
country. — Snipe — Cottonwood creek. — Annoyance from flies and mosquitoes. — Turkey creek. — Miserable water. —

Little Arkansas.— View of the Arkansas river bottom. — Owl and Cow creeks _ Change in the character of the soil

and vegetation of the country. — Dog towns. — Sand-hills. — Arkansas river. — Kansas, Osage, and Sac Indians. — Walnut
creek. — Suffering from mosquitoes. — Site for a military post. — Timber on Walnut creek. — Pawnee Rock. — Ferru¬
ginous sandstone. — Ash creek. — Grass and soil. — Pawnee Fork. — Timber. — Altitude of camp on Pawnee Fork above,
and distance from, that near Westport. — Osage and Kansas Indians . . . 9

CHAPTER II.

From Pawnee Fork to the crossing of the Arkansas river at the mouth of the Apishpa — July 14 to
August 2, 1853.

Forks of the Santa F6 road. — Coon creek : bad water. — Indian hunting grounds. — Dryness of the country. — Bois de
vache. — Wolf in pursuit of a rabbit. — Return to the Arkansas river. — Comanche Indians. — Fort Atkinson. — Dryness
of the Arkansas river at times. — Kioway camp. — Indian war party against the Pawnees. — Shaved-Head, a Comanche
chief: his leave-taking. — Captives among Indians. — Ascent from Pawnee Fork. — Grass of the country. — Bluffs and
rolling prairie. — Islands in the river. — Cimmaron route ford. — Line of proposed road from Fort Riley to this ford. —

Sandy road. — Plains of the river bottom. — Scarcity of fuel. — Dull monotony of the Arkansas. — Winds. — Altitude
above Fort Atkinson and distance from it : altitude above the Gulf of Mexico. — Unsuccessful sportsmen. — Prairie
dogs in great numbers. — Incrustations of salt. — Iron ore. — Big Timber. — Bent’s trading station. — Sandstone bluffs. —

Scarcity of grass — Purgatory creek. — Bent’s Fort. — Game. — Fords. — Advantageous position for a military post. —

Timpas creek. — Railroad route indicated. — Smoky atmosphere. — View of the Spanish peaks. — Artemisia. — Game. —

Crossing the Arkansas at the mouth of the Apishpa. — The river easily bridged. — Hills and bluffs. — Grades for thirty-
four miles. — View of the mountains and peaks .

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER III.

From the mouth of the Apishpa, via the Sangre de Cristo , to Roubideau's Pass — August 2 to 25, 1853.

Valley of the Apislipa. — Rocks and soil of the hills and valley. — Small canon. — Examination of the canon. — Indian
writings. — Cacti. — Small pines. — Route of the wagon train. — Rocks and grass. — Game. — Appearance of the mount¬
ains. — Fossils. — Flowers. — Wild horses. — Timber on the Arkansas in sight. — Rains, dews, winds. — Course of the
Apishpa, and broken character of the country. — Discovered that we were not on the Huerfano. — Road to Raton
Pass. — Cuchara river. — Fine view. — Trip to the Greenhorn settlement. — Clay and shale banks of the Cuchara. —
Dog towns. — Wild horses. — Huerfano river and butte. — Huerfano canon — Apache creek. — Trail from Taos. — Trader’s
camp. — Granaros. — Greenhorn settlement : its population and productions — Massalino, the guide. — Sleeping apart¬
ments in Greenhorn. — Huerfano butte. — Direct line from the Arkansas to the upper Huerfano, leaving the former
above the mouth of the Apishpa: its railroad character. — Size of the Huerfano river. — Soil. — Building-stone. —
Ascent of the Huerfano. — Taos trail, via El Sangre de Cristo Pass. — Approach to the Sangre de Cristo Pass. —
Sand and limestone. — Railroad route. — Timber.— Flowers. — Game. — Difficulties in the approach.— The passage of
the Sangre de Cristo Pass. — Scenery. — Game. — Distances, altitudes, grades. — Railroad line through the pass and its
western descent to Fort Massachusetts. — Examination of the mountains to the south of the Spanish peaks. — Hunters
from Taos. — Snow in and about the Sangre de Cristo Pass. — Trip to Taos. — San Luis valley: its streams and settle¬
ments. — Indian signals and robbery. — Red river of the Rio Grande del Norte. — Valley of Taos: its settlements
and cultivation. — Return to Fort Massachusetts. — Antoine Leroux, guide. — Men discharged. — Mr. Taplin. — White
Mountain spring.— Sage in San Luis valley. — Roubideau's Pass : its rocks, character, grades, elevation. — San Luis
valley, and mountain chains e closing it .

CHAPTER IV.

From Roubideau's Pass , via the Coochetopa Pass and Grand River valley, to the Nah-un-Jcali-rea or Blue
river — August 25 to September 20, 1853.

Gigantic sand-hills. — Williams’ Pass.— Stampede. — Sand and sage.— Chatillon, Trois Teton, and Leroux creeks. —
Game. — Scene of Colonel Fremont’s disaster of 1848-49. — Vegetation and soil. — Homans’ creek. — Currants. —
Sahwatch spring and butte. — Coochetopa Pass gate. — Sinking of Sahwatch creek. — Sahwatch valley. — Light dusty
soil. — General character of San Luis valley. — Favorable character for a railroad of the lower part of the Sahwatch
valley.— Deer, grouse, and trout. — Captain Gunnison’s examination of Homans’ park : its fertility. — Gunnison’s Pass :
its position and railroad practicability. — Puncha creek and country east of the pass. — Indicated lines for roads.—
Mountain sheep. — Approach to the Coochetopa Pass. — Carnero Pass. — Leaving Sahwatch creek. — Mountain forms,
timber, rocks. — Passage and character of the summit of the Coochetopa Pass : altitudes and grades in approaching
it, &c. — Method of levelling. — Grades and tunnel. — Existence of a pass north of the Coochetopa Pass. — Valley of
Pass creek. — Valley leading to Carnero Pass — Grades. — Indicated railroad line from the Coochetopa Pass. — Arte¬
misia. — Coochetopa creek. — Pass Creek canones. — Character of mountain storms. — Grand river: its character,
valley, and adjacent mountains. — Confusion of names. — Character of and passage around the first canon of Grand

river Tables or mesas. — Brief general description of Grand River valley and canones. — Fall of the river. — Ice. —

Indian smokes and method of hunting.— Captain Gunnison’s description of Grand River valley repeated. — Railroad
difficulties. — Scarcity of timber. — The guide’s dilemma. — Difficulties, character, and passage of Lake Fork. — Delu¬
sive basin appearance, exhibiting the broken character of the country — Effects of mountain air. — View of the Sierra
de la Plata. — Utah Indians on Cebolla creek. — Indian presents. — Mountain reconnoissance. — Fine view of distant
mountain peaks and adjacent valleys and streams. — Position of the Spanish trail. — Ascent and passage of the
mountain. — Ascending and descending grades. — Valley of the Uncompahgra: its cacti, sage, soil, &c. — Utah
Indians. — Women of great age.— Domestic scene. — Descent of the Uncompahgra valley. — Utah Indian parties : great
numbers in camp. — Indian “talk” and presents. — Roubideau’s old fort. — Crossing Grand river. — Difficulties to be
encountered in constructing a railroad along the canon portion of Grand river.— Character of the country below
Roubideau’s old fort. — Una-weep canon and creek. — Kah-nah creek. — Nah-un-kah-rea or Blue river. — Steep eastern
bank. — River crossing. — River entrance into this valley; its size and character . . .

CHAPTER V.

From Blue river crossing to Greet , White, and San Rafael rivers and the eastern foot of the Wahsatch
Pass — September 20 to October 13, 1853.

Purchase of Indian horses. — Indian veracity. — Soil.— Salt creek. — Indian trails to the Uintas. — Coal bed. — Canones
of Grand river. — Rocks — Coal. — Daily change of temperature. — Aqueous deposits and barrenness of the valleys. —
Climate. — Scarcity of cultivable lands. — Leroux returns to New Mexico. — Details of the country between Grand and
Green rivers. — Best position for railroad indicated: grades, &c. — Fanciful forms of mountains. — Reach the noted
Spanish trail. — Disheartening, view. — Ash-heap character of the soil. — Scarcity of water. — Difficulty in the construc¬
tion of a railroad from Grand to Green river. — Crossing Green river. — Utah Indians. — Character of Roan mountains

CONTENTS.

on Green river. — Spanish trail followed to Akanaquint spring. — Grades From Akanaquint spring to White river :

rocks, soil, water, and grades. — Ascent of the valley of White river to Clever creek. — Return to White river — San
Rafael river. — Return to the Spanish trail. — Course of this trail, and character of the country traversed by it from
Akanaquint spring. — Indicated line via the San Rafael. — Improved soil. — Indians subsist on buffalo-berries.— The
country between Green river and the Wahsatch mountains: valleys, hills, and rocks. Oak springs. — Indian guide. —

Weak condition of our animals. — Grades . 58

CHAPTER VI.

From the eastern base of the Wahsatch mountains , via the Wahsatch Pass and Sevier river , to near the
Sevier lake , the most western point of exploration , and back to Cedar Springs , after the death of
Captain Gunnison — October 13 to 28, 1853.

Akanaquint creek. — Rude figures drawn on rocks.— The Wahsatch Pass. — Character of the hills to the east and west
of the pass. — Grades. — Tunnel. — Salt creek. — Swambah creek. — Spanish trail. — Un-got-tah-bi-kin creek. — Colonel
Burwell and Mr. Ross. — Tewip Narrienta. — Course of the Spanish trail to the west. — Wahsatch mountain reconnois-
sance. — Salt Creek canon: its length, character, and grades for a railroad. — Wagon trail. — Entering Sevier River
valley. — Moot-se-ne-ah Peak. — Mountains surrounding the Sevier River valley. — Mormon settlements. — Vegetation
of the valley. — Sevier river. — Captain Gunnison’s statement of the result of his explorations, for mail and military
roads and for railroads. — Manner in which their duties were performed by the gentlemen of his party. — San Pete
creek. — Road from Great Salt Lake to California. — Captain Gunnison’s visits to Manti. — Cross the Sevier river. —

Lake valley. — Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains. — Fillmore. — Sevier Lake valley. — Rabbit fences. — Return to the Sevier
river. — Departure of Captain Gunnison and party to explore the Sevier lake. — Extract from his journal. — Party
ascending the Sevier river. — Sand-hills. — River course. — Sage. — Canon of the Sevier river. — Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains
terminate. — First intelligence of the disaster to Captain Gunnison’s party. — Departure of Captain Morris to the
scene of the attack. — Stragglers. — Movement of the train and party to Cedar springs. — Return of Captain Morris. —

Scene of the disaster. — Bodies of the slain. — False charges against the Mormons . 66

CHAPTER VII.

From Cedar Spring , by way of Nephi , Pay son, Palmyra , Springville , Provo , Pleasant Grove, Lake
City , Lehi, Willow Creek, and Cottonwood settlements, to Great Salt Lake City — October 28 to No¬
vember 8, 1853.

Pioneer creek. — Citizens of Fillmore. — Messrs. Call and Richards. — Express to Great Salt Lake City. — Courtesy and
assistance from Mr. Call and Governor Young. — Papers and property recovered. — Kenosh’s account of the murder. —
Excitement of our men. — Course from the Coochetopa Pass to the Wahsatch Pass. — Character of the country from
the Wahsatch Pass to Little Salt lake and Vegas de Santa Clara : its impracticability for a railroad. — Railroad fol¬
lowing the Sevier river. — Western limit of the explorations of 1853. — Unobstructed passage from Sevier lake to Great
Salt lake. — Return to Sevier river. — Appearance of Sevier River canon. — Village of Nephi. — Payson. — Spanish
fork. — Palmyra. — Provo. — Timpanogos river. — Western range of the Wahsatch mountains. — Line of Mormon settle¬
ments. — Supplies purchased. — Lake Utah. — Reference to Stansbury’s Report. — Winter camp. — Condition of animals
crossing the Plains. — Winter quarters at Great Salt lake . 75

CHAPTER VIII.

General Summary of the line explored for the Pacific railroad near the thirty-eighth parallel of north
latitude, from Fort Leavenworth [Kansas) to the Sevier lake, ( Utah.)

Blue to Green river. — Miry soil. — Stone for sub-structure. — Grades and bridges. — Rocky district west of Green
river. — Grades from Green river to Akanaquint spring, White river, Clever creek, San Rafael river, &c., to the
Wahsatch Pass. — Wahsatch Pass and tunnel. — Salt Creek canon, grades, and character. — Sevier River valley, and
passage through the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains to Sevier Lake valley. — Further surveys, and existence of other lines
near this. — Duties performed by scientific gentlemen of the party. — Climate. — Indian hostilities in Utah. — Further
surveys will be made

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IX.

Discussion of barometric observations and tables of altitudes and distances of the line explored from West-
port, Mo., to Great Salt Lake City , Utah Territory ; also, tables of simultaneous observations in, and
data for profiles of, the mountain passes of the line — 1853.

Page.

I. — Introduction to, and corrections applied in, barometric computations. — Table for horary corrections of obser¬
vations. — Corrections for extreme air temperatures. — Comparison of field barometers with Dr. Engelmann’s
barometer at St. Louis, Missouri, both before and subsequent to the surveys. — Table of monthly mean obser¬
vations at St. Louis, by Dr. Engelmann . 89

II. — Barometric and meteorological observations, and table of altitudes and distances, for the profile of the line of

survey from Westport to Great Salt Lake City . - . 94

III. — Data for profile of Roubideau’s Pass . . . . . 108

IV. — Simultaneous meteorological observations at Coochetopa Pass . 108

V. — Observations for a tunnel or deep cut in the Coochetopa Pass, allowing fifty yards as the width of the ridge at top 108

TV. — Table IV resumed— . 108

VI. — Data for the profile of the Coochetopa Pass, and declivities near its summit . 109

VII. — Simultaneous meteorological observations at the pass and on the route followed across the Wahsatch range ... 110

VIII. — Data for the profile of the route followed across the Wahsatch mountains . Ill

CHAPTER X.

Geographical positions and distances travelled' on the line of exploration from Westport, Mo., to Great
Salt Lake City— 1853.

I. — Letter from Mr. S. Homans, in charge of astronomical department . 113

II. — Table of geographical positions from Westport, Missouri, to Great Salt Lake City, Utah . 113

III. — Table of distances travelled, including those from point to point at which barometrical observations were made,-

on the route from Westport, Missouri, to Great Salt Lake City . - . 115

JV. — Table of distances travelled on the line followed from Westport, Missouri, via Fort Riley, Kansas Territory,

to Walnut creek . 118

APPENDIX A.

Letters relating to the progress of the survey of the route near the 38 th and 39 th parallels, in charge of
Captain Gunnison.

I. — Letter dated June 20, 1853, Camp, Shawnee Reservation, from Captain Gunnison to the Secretary of War,

indicating the line which will be followed in crossing the Plains . 119

n. — Letter dated August 22, 1853, Camp, Utah creek, near Fort Massachusetts, from Captain Gunnison to the

Secretary of War, reporting the progress of the survey . . . 119

III. — Letter dated August 22, 1853, Camp, Utah creek, near Fort Massachusetts, from Captain Gunnison to Colonel

J. J. Abert, reporting the progress of the survey . 120

IV. — Letter dated September 20, 1853, Camp 70, Grand river, Utah Territory, from Captain Gunnison to Colonel

J. J. Abert, reporting the progress of the survey . 121

V. — Letter dated September 23, 1853, Camp 72, Bitter creek, Utah Territory, from Captain Gunnison to Colonel

J. J. Abert, forwarding a rude copy of the field-work of the survey . 123

VI. — Letter dated October 29, 1853, Camp, near Fillmore, Utah Territory, from Lieutenant Beckwith to Colonel J.

J. Abert, reporting the progress of the survey, requesting instructions, and indicating future operations . 123

APPENDIX B.

Lists and explanations of the maps, sections, and illustrations of the reports of the explorations of Captain

Gunnison in 1853, and of Lieutenant Beckwith in 1854 . — - . 125

REPORT

CHAPTER I.

From Fort Leavenworth , via Westport, Fort Riley , and SmoJcy Hill Fork , to Pawnee
Fork j also , via Santa Fe Road to Council Grove and Walnut Creek. — June 15 to
July 13, 1853.

Allusion to the death of Captain Gunnison and his assistants. — Extract from instructions from the War Department to Captain
Gunnison — Arrival at St. Louis. Kansas, and Fort Leavenworth. — Country from Fort Leavenworth to Westport. — Camp at
Shawnee Mission, near Westport: its altitude above the Gulf of Mexico. — Arrival of the escort under Captain Morris. —
Teamsters and mules. — First march. — Gentlemen composing the party. — Instruments provided. — The train: why used —
Cedar creek: its timber. — Bull creek. — McClannahan and party, with stock for California. — Emigrants. — Division of party. —
Route via Kansas river and Smoky Hill Fork. — Wahkarrussi bottom. — Timber. — Inviting appearance of the Kansas bottom:
its fertility and railroad practicability.— Indian houses and grain fields — Delaware guides. — Uniontown. — Rocky hills. —
Storm. — Country approaching Fort Riley. — Crossing the Kansas. — Fort Riley. — Crossing the Republican Fork or Pawnee
river. — Valley of the Smoky Hill Fork: its fertility and timber. — Sycamore creek. — Wagon road route from Fort Riley
west. — Sand-hills. — Crossing Nepeholla or Solomon’s Fork. — Short grass begins to appear. — Practicability of a wagon road
to the Saline Fork. — Stream swollen: its passage and character.— First appearance of buffalo-grass. — Meadows .of the Saline
and Kansas rivers. — Smoky Hill. — Buffalo sign. — Lone Oak ford of the Kansas. — Railroad line thence to the Huerfano. —
Sandstone ridges or bluffs. — Character of the soil. — Chalybeate spring. — First buffalo. — Passing from the waters of the Smoky
Hill to those of the Arkansas river. — Sand-banks on the Little Arkansas. — Large fields of helianthus. — -Indicated line for a
wagon road west from Fort Riley. — Walnut creek. — Military parties and encampments.— Guides discharged. — Character of
the country for roads of any kind. — Bridges. — Change in climate and character of the country. — Journal of the party following
the Santa Fe road from Bull creek. — Black Jack creek. — Timber. — Bituminous coal. — Willow spring. — Stampede of emigrant
horses. — Rock creeks. — One Hundred and Ten Mile creek. — Indian houses and fields. — Dwissler’s, Dragoon, and Prairie
Chicken creeks. — Elm, Bluff, and Big Rock creeks. — Council Grove. — Timber and fields of corn. — Civil and military parties
en route for New Mexico. — Incident in Governor Merriwether’s life. — Diamond spring. — Lost spring. — Scarcity of timber and

monotonous character of the country. — Snipe Cottonwood creek. — Annoyance from flies and mosquitoes. — Turkey creek. —

Miserable water. — Little Arkansas. — View of the Arkansas river bottom. — Owl and Cow creeks — Change in the character of
the soil and vegetation of the country. — Dog towns. — Sand-hills. — Arkansas river. — Kansas, Osage, and Sac Indians. — Walnut
creek. — Suffering from mosquitoes. — Site for a military post. — Timber on Walnut creek. — Pawnee Rock. — Ferruginous sand¬
stone. — Ash creek. — Grass and soil. — Pawnee Fork. — Timber.— Altitude of camp on Pawnee Fork above, and distance from
th'at near Westport. — Osage and Kansas Indians.

Sir: In order that you may be put in possession, at as early a day as practicable, of the result
of the investigations of the exploring party organized under your order of the 20th of May, 1853,
by the lamented Captain J. W. Gunnison, of the corps of Topographical Engineers, who was bar¬
barously massacred by the Pah Utah Indians, on the 26th of October, on the Sevier river, and
near the lake of that name, in the Territory of Utah, while in the performance of the duty assigned
to him, I deem it my duty, as his assistant, to report the same — a duty upon which I enter with
unusual diffidence ; the more so as it is not contemplated, by the instructions referred to, that
this duty should devolve upon me. There being with the party, however, no other person upon
whom it can be devolved, and the importance of its being submitted within a specified time,
seems to render this report necessary. But I should neither do justice to the memory of the
dead, nor to my own feelings, in entering upon a report of the labors performed in their respect¬
ive departments by those who fell in the fatal affair referred to above, (which has been before,
however, officially communicated to you,) were I thus to pass it by. With Captain Gunnison

INSTRUCTIONS FROM .THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

also fell, of the scientific gentlemen of the party, Mr. R. H. Kern, an accomplished topographer
and artist, and Mr. F. Creutzfeldt, botanist. Of the performance of his duties by my late com¬
mander, associate, and friend, it may not be proper that I should speak; yet I take pleasure in
giving expression to the admiration of all their associates commanded by each of these gentle¬
men, in his respective department, up to the time of his death, by the active, faithful, and ener¬
getic performance of his duty. And we were in a position, encountering together as we had for
so long a period, the labors, fatigues, privations, and exposures incident to an undertaking in
which, from day to day, every quality of the mind and heart of one’s associates is thoroughly
developed, in which you, Sir, are well aware that the strongest ties of esteem and friendship are
formed and cemented ; and in severing the ties thus formed, not only has this exploring party,
and the department of science to which each was attached, suffered a severe loss, but the country
itself has reason to mourn the loss of such experienced and energetic officers and citizens.
Besides these, Mr. Wm. Potter, a citizen of Utah Territory, a resolute and determined man, who
had joined the party as guide but a few days before the disaster, was killed, together with one
employ 6, John Bellows, and three private soldiers of the escort, belonging to the regiment of
Mounted Riflemen.

The following extracts from your orders and instructions, above referred to, will explain the
duties assigned to this party :

“Under the 10th and 11th sections of the military appropriation act of March 3, 1853, directing
such explorations and surveys as to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a
railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific ocean, the War Department directs a survey
of the pass through the Rocky mountains, in the vicintiy of the headwaters of the Rio del Norte,
by way of the Huerfano river and Coo-che-to-pa, or some other eligible pass, into the region of
Grand and Green rivers, and westwardly to the Vegas de Santa Clara and Nicollet river of the
Great Basin, and thence northward to the vicinity of Lake Utah on a return route, to explore the
most available passes and canones of the Wahsatch range and South Pass to Fort Laramie.

“The following instructions relative thereto are issued for the government of the different
branches of the public service :

“I. The party for this exploration will be commanded by Captain J. W. Gunnison, Topo¬
graphical Engineers, who will be assisted by First Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith, Third Artillery,
and such civil assistants as the Secretary of War may approve.

“VI. The party being organized, will collect the necessary instruments and equipments. It
will then repair with the utmost despatch to Fort Leavenworth, and with the escort proceed to
the Huerfano river, making such reconnoissances from the Missouri river as will develop the gene¬
ral features of the country, and determine the practicability of a railroad across the plains, and
its connexion with the eastern lines of commerce.

“ The more minute reconnoissance will continue up the Huerfano into the San Luis valley, and
thence through the most eligible pass to the valley of Grand river, and westwardly to the vicinity
of the Vegas de Santa Clara, and thence, on the most advisable route, either along the Nicollet
river, or to the west of the ranges of mountains bordering that stream, into the basin upon the
route to the Great Salt lake; thence to Utah lake, and through the Timpanagos canon or other
passes, and across the Weber and Bear rivers, by the Coal basin, to Fort Laramie.

“ Competent persons will be selected to make researches in those collateral branches of science
which affect the solution of the question of location, construction, and support of a railway com¬
munication across the continent, viz : the nature of rocks and soils — the products of the country,
animal, mineral, and vegetable — the resources for supplies of material for construction, and means
requisite for the operation of a railway, with a notice of the population, agricultural products,
and the habits and languages of the Indian tribes. Meteorological and magnetic observations, the
hygrometrical and electrical states of the atmosphere, and astronomical observations for deter-

FITTING-OUT CAMP.

mining geographical points, shall be made, in order to develop the character of the country through
which the party may pass.

“On or before the first Monday of February next, Captain Gunnison will report the result of
his investigations.”

Agreeably to these instructions, Captain Gunnison arrived at St. Louis on the 4th of June, and
proceeded immediately to procure the necessary supplies and outfit for the party, in which he
was greatly aided by Colonel Robert Campbell, of that city, whose well known courtesy, though
severely taxed, was freely extended to us. These were shipped on the 9th, and landed on the
15th of June, at Kansas, which is near the western border of the State of Missouri, and about a
mile and a quarter below the junction of the Kansas river with the Missouri, in charge of Mr.
Kern, who was to transport them to some point suitable for a “fitting out camp,” while Captain
Gunnison, whom I accompanied, proceeded to Fort Leavenworth on duty relating to the escort
of mounted riflemen which was to accompany the party. We were surprised, on our arrival in
the afternoon, to find that no orders had been received at the fort, relating to the escort, for it
was known that they had been issued some time previous. The opportune presence, however,
at the post, of General Clark, commanding the department, obviated any delay on this account,
as, after proper statements and explanations, he gave the necessary instructions for the escort to
be equipped and fitted out in anticipation of the receipt of the orders referred to. At an early
hour on the following morning we left Fort. Leavenworth, which is situated on the right bank of
the Missouri river, in the Indian territory immediately west of that State. The day was fine, and
the high, beautiful rolling prairie from Fort Leavenworth to the Kansas river, a distance of
twenty-two miles, was covered with luxuriant grass, and profusely sprinkled with flowers. We
passed some fine Indian farms of the Delaware nation, and respectable herds of stock grazing
near the road. The creeks and rivulets were lined with timber, in which oak largely predomi¬
nated, extending back from the Kansas river, by our road, three or four miles. The descent to
this river is abrupt at Delaware, a trading post among this people, where we crossed by a ferry,
kept on the north side by themselves and on the opposite by the Shawnees, to whom the terri¬
tory belongs. Crossing a timbered, sandy bottom of half a mile in width, our road led up a
steep hill, finely timbered, and again through fine Indian farms to the open prairie, in all respects
like that of the morning. Arriving near Westport we fell in with our camp, and with pleasure
alighted from the wretched stage to begin our arduous march. Our encampment was some five
miles from Westport and the western line of the State of Missouri, selected by Mr. Kern in a
fine grove near a spring, and surrounded by fine grass and an open prairie, and in the midst of
the various Shawnee missions, which appeared well. The approximate elevation of this point
above the Gulf of Mexico, as indicated by our barometers, is 990 feet, or 615 feet above low-water
mark at St. Louis, as deduced from Dr. Geo. Engelmann’s valuable observations at that place,
kindly furnished to aid the meteorological discussions in this report. The purchase of mules and
horses and employing men suitable for the expedition occupied several days at this camp, and
the breaking in of the teams and teamsters as many more, during which our camp was only
moved to secure grass when the animals had fed it down near us. On the 20th, Brevet Captain
R. M. Morris, first lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant L. S. Baker, with some thirty non-com¬
missioned officers and men of the regiment of Mounted Riflemen, with the necessary subsistence
train, joined us as escort. The 21st of June was spent, as the previous two or three days had
been, in breaking in wild mules ; no others could be obtained on short notice, so large had been
the demand by emigrants going west of the mountains. Nor were we more fortunate in procur¬
ing capable teamsters, the large trains which annually cross the plains having preceded us; but
by industrious drilling, and replacing incompetent men by the trial of the skill of others, we
deemed ourselves at evening in a condition to move forward the following morning. But at an
early hour it began to rain in torrents, and continued during the day, so that it was impossible to
do more than to harness up a few of the wildest mules to habituate them to their labors. On

captain gunnison’s party.

the 23d the creeks and branches were still swollen by the rain of the previous day, and the
roads slippery and soft. The advance, however, was ordered, and we pursued the usual Santa
F e road for eight miles, and encamped for the night on Indian creek, a small timbered stream ;
the character of the country being that already described — as beautiful and fertile rolling prairies
as the eye ever rested upon.

The party, (the escort having been already mentioned,) which this day made its first marching
essay for the exploration of the Central Pacific Railroad route, was composed of Captain J. W.
Gunnison, Topographical Engineers, commander; First Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith, Third
Artillery, assistant; Mr. R. H. Kern, topographer and artist; Mr. Sheppard Homans, astronomer;
Dr. James Schiel, surgeon, geologist, &c. ; Mr. F. Creutzfeldt, botanist; Mr. J. A. Snyder, assist¬
ant topographer, &c. ; and Mr. Charles Taplin, wagon-master; besides the necessary teamsters
and employes for the performance of the labors of the route.

The party was provided with the following instruments, viz: two sextants, two artificial
horizons, one theodolite, two Schmalcalder’s compasses, two spy-glasses, two surveyors’ chains,
two Bunten’s barometers, two aneroid barometers, two thermo-barometers, one hygrometer, one
box chronometer, one compensating balance watch, two viameters, and one grade instrument,
besides thermometers and small pocket-compasses. Of these one of the Schmalcalder’s com¬
passes proved imperfect and worthless, as did the thermo- barometer which was graduated to high
altitudes; and we were soon above the scale of the other, so that these instruments were of
no use to us.

The civil engineer, whose services had been engaged by Captain Gunnison for the explora¬
tion, fell sick on the road before reaching St. Louis; and two barometers which he had in charge
were necessarily left behind, as the season was already too considerably advanced to admit of
further delay, especially as we were already well supplied with these instruments, should they
prove good and no accident befall them.

The train consisted, for the party and escort, of eighteen wagons ; sixteen of which were six-
mule wagons, an instrument carriage drawn by four mules, and an ambulance by two horses,
which were, however, changed for four mules before we had reached the mountains, the horses
being broken down.

This method of transportation was determined upon in order, should the train pass successfully
over the route, to demonstrate its practicability, at least for a wagon road.

The road to-day followed the general level of the country, leaving the Kansas river bottom
(a favorable route for a railroad from the Missouri river) to our right. Nine miles: from Westport
we passed a finely wooded creek, near which was observed a fine spring of cool water, and
near it a small cultivated field.

June 24. — A cool bright morning, with the thermometer at sunrise at 52° Fahrenheit. We
were at an early hour again on the Santa Fe road, and arrived at 10 a. m. (not without several
accidents to our loaded wagons, resulting in nothing serious, however,) at Cedar creek, which has
more water than Indian creek of our last camp, but is skirted with less timber. This creek has
worn for itself a small ravine in the limestone which underlies this section of country, and which
is here left in escarpments on either side of the stream. In this narrow ravine is the timber
of the border, which can therefore be seen only at a short distance on the prairie. I observed
among it oak and walnut, and cedar is said to appear a few miles below and continue to its mouth.
The marked feature of the country to-day, as heretofore, is the graceful grassy swells which
extend as far as the eye can compass, and are lost in the blue line of the horizon. The latitude
of this camp, as determined by Mr. Homans, is 38° 52' 41".

June 25. — Following the Santa Fe road, we encamped this morning, at 10 o’clock, on Bull
creek, the counterpart of that at our preceding camp. The road has thus far been very fine,
following the general level of the country between the waters of the Kansas and Osage rivers.
The country to-day was more than usually level, and the timber less abundant — if, indeed,

SMOKY HILL FORK ROUTE.

abundant can be properly applied to so scarce an article. Quite far to the' north and west,
twenty or twenty-five miles, we at one time had a view of the Kansas valley, which appeared
well timbered.

Mr. McClannahan, (a gentleman whom we had met on the steamer in coming up the Missouri
river,) who had been favorably impressed with the reputed character and direction of the route
we were to explore, and who was on his way by the Platte and Sweetwater route to California
with a large flock of sheep, which had already reached the Missouri at St. Joseph when we met
him, changed his route and here came up with us. He was accompanied by his partner, Mr.
Crockett, and by two brothers, Messrs. Burwell, with a fine herd of cattle, also for the California
market. Besides these, he was soon joined by two gentlemen, Messrs. Ross, with their families,
destined for the land of gold. The lateness of the season, and the vast amount of stock which
had passed up the Platte, sweeping away all the grass, had determined these gentlemen to
follow our trail; believing that it would not only be found practicable, but shorter and more
abundantly supplied with grass than any of the usually followed routes, and that they could easily
keep near us, rendering their passage comparatively safe through the various Indian tribes to be
passed to the east of the Great Basin.

It had been Captain Gunnison’s intention, till last night, to turn off here with his party from
the Santa Fe, and follow for' a short distance the emigrant road to Salt lake and Oregon, and.
thence up the Kansas on its south side, beyond the Big Bend of ihe Arkansas river, taking
nearly a direct course for the mouth of the Huerfano. But after much inquiry about the country,
of Indians and others who know something of it, and a long conversation with Major Fitzpatrick
and Mr. Wm. Bent, whom we met here, he determined to divide his party at this point, and with
a few men, an instrument wagon and a few pack-mules, to proceed himself partly by this route,
directing me to proceed with the train and balance of the party, by the usual Santa F e road to
Walnut creek, and there await his arrival. Near our camp were the dwellings and farms of a
few Christianized Indians.

June 26. — Captain Gunnison and party, consisting of Mr. Kern and Mr. Homans, also a
teamster and a packer, with Captain Morris and a few of his men as an escort, moved off at the
usual hour, 7 o’clock, by the Kansas river and Smoky Hill Fork route. The journal relating to
this part of the survey is taken from Captain Gunnison’s notes, and much of it is an extract
from them: “Contrary to the general rule, (it being Sunday,) we leave for Wahkafrussi this
morning, having learned ihat the Indians are assembled there for church service or meeting,
and start early to witness the occasion, never having been at one of their missionary gatherings.
Lieutenant Beckwith also moves off on the Santa Fe road — our men and animals having had
nearly all the week to rest.

“ At eight miles we came to a house and field, and descended a hill half a mile farther on,
where we crossed a fine creek which we had been nearing on our left for two miles. This
creek is fringed by a dense growth of oak, elm and poplar. Passing over a fine plain for four
miles, we crossed another stream which has beautiful groves along its sides, of red and white oak,
sycamore and locust. Young hickory is also springing up along its banks, and it is to be hoped
that fires will be kept off until it can contend successfully for existence, and add to the beauty and
usefulness of this fertile country. After a ride of 14.89 miles, we encamped on the southern
side of the Wahkarrussi, a tributary of the Kansas river. Half a mile above the crossing, which
is a ferry at high water, a sandstone several feet thick, in horizontal layers, is cut through by
the creek.

11 June 27. — At 7 o’clock we were crossing the rich, alluvial bottom of the Wahkarrussi. It is
one and a half miles wide, covered with rich grasses. To our left, and on the other side of
the creek, is the Wahkarrussi mound, a hill that is a conspicuous land-mark for a great distance.
Yesterday we were all day steering to the right of it. On the north side it is wooded from the
brow to the stream. Five miles out we ascended the limestone ridge between the Kansas and

INDIAN GUIDES. — UNIONTOWN.

Wahkarrussi, and had a grand panoramic view of the adjacent country. The forest at the junc¬
tion of the streams, and on both sides, will furnish oak, hickory, walnut, and other timber, for
many miles of railroad ; and the level bottom of the Kansas appears to advantage, inviting the
theodolite and level of the engineer on its E.N.E. and W.S.W. course, for the track of the
Central Pacific railroad. The fertility of these valleys, on either side, capable of supporting
great numbers of people, is too obvious to mention.

“ At a mile from the escarpment of limestone rock, on the left-hand side of the road, there
issues a fine, cool spring, a curiosity on the top of this narrow ridge, one hundred feet above
the bed of the stream. At sixteen miles from camp we came to a wooded dell, called Coon
Point, the proper place to take wood for a march to Big spring. Twenty-one miles along the
ridge brought us to this spring, which is on the north side of the road, and two hundred yards
from the main track. It is situated in a hollow, and there are several small jets from the bank.
Indeed, in all the ravines we entered, a short distance from the brows on either side, water can
be had by clearing out the oozy mud at the edge of the thin strata of limestone which crop
out. Some portions of the road to-day were covered with loose stones.

“ At 11 a. m., barometer 28.80 ; thermometer 81°. At sundown, barometer 28.70 ; thermometer
77° ; dew-point 70°.

11 June 28. — The water of Big spring seems to have affected badly more than one of the party.
The wind blew a gale all night, and this morning we had a little rain, and it remianed cold and
cloudy all day, with lightning in the south. The country was very rolling on the higher table¬
land, from which we descended shortly after leaving the Big spring, and steered our course
towards a hill fifteen miles from camp, and made, opposite to it, Stinson’s trading-house, oh
Shunga Munga creek. Here the road to California branches off to the middle ferry, which is
three miles to the northwest. The valley of the Kansas was visible a part of the way; or rather
the Kansas bottom, for people in this region make a difference in this matter. The level
meadow, or prairie, in which the river winds from hill to hill, is called the ‘ bottom and all the
land, hill and meadow, drained by the stream, is called ‘the valley.’ The river is said to impinge
frequently against the bluff hills on the south, in this part of its course. We nooned for' half an
hour at a small creek, heavily wooded, by a fringe one hundred yards wide, with the usual varie¬
ties of timber. On the west side are boulders of granite, serpentine, and red quartz rock. At 3
o’clock p. m. we arrived at Mission creek, where there are all the requisites of wood, water, and
grass, for encampments, for a long time to come. Day’s march twenty-three miles. Some
Indian log-houses were passed at a distance to the right; and fine fields of corn, wheat, and
potatoes, on Shunga Munga creek, give promise of what can be expected when these rich lands
are cultivated ‘in the sweat of the brow,’ according to the dispensation of the order of nature.
Just at our supper-dinner, Entho-kipe and Wah- hone, the guide and hunter of the Smoky Hill
Fork trip, came to camp. They have been waiting two days on a creek two miles ahead, and
were starting to look us up. The guide speaks a little English, but it is difficult for him to
understand us ; he has therefore brought another Delaware with him, who speaks English well.
As soon as they had satisfied their appetites and taken a stock for to-morrow, they returned to
their camp to await our arrival. I have this evening a severe attack of my old illness on the
Plains.

“ June 29. — Very cloudy and warm. Theimometer at 6 a. m., 62°. I passed a bad night.
At Uniontown, to which we came after a ride of 7£ miles, there is a street of a dozen houses,
where the traders reap their harvests at the time of the national payments. We could get no
information about our route here. At Six Mile creek we stopped a few minutes only, as it began
to rain. We have here an abundance of wood. At fourteen miles we crossed a fine, swift stream
from southwest, 100 feet across, and averaging one foot in depth ; timber and grass abundant.
Il-a-heek-con-a-sa is the Indian name of the creek. Thence for three miles we travelled west¬
ward ly on a beautiful bottom which borders the stream. The prairie is purple with rich flowers,

STORMS ON THE PLAINS.

variegated with yellow. • We made but 18f miles to-day ; leaving the road at Uniontown, and
deflecting from the Kansas a little to the left, following a trail. The Indians, viz : Jno. Moses,
guide; Wahhone, hunter; and James Sanders, interpreter, joined us, and began their functions
of guides when we left the -road. It is necessary to take three, in order that they may be strong
enough to return safely. Our camp is on a branch of Il-a-heek-con-a-sa.

“ June 30. — It rained all night, making the roads heavy; the prairie giving under the carriage-
wheels. In about 3J miles we came to another branch of the Il-a-heek-con-a-sa, and had an
hour’s delay in cutting a crossing ; and two miles farther on we had another delay of a similar
character. There is the usual strip of woods on these branches. We had at one time a view
of the Kansas valley, four miles distant. Crossing another branch, which is at times a torrent,
but now a mere rill, we ascended a ridge by gentle ascents at 12.68 miles from camp, where we
had a magnificent view of the Kansas valley to the northeast. We then descended quite abrupt

hills to - creek, which is about twenty feet wide, and well wooded along its margin.

Here we were detained an hour, and then began another ascent, which soon brought us again
to the vision of the beautiful Kansas valley, and the hills, with clumps and rows of trees, sloping
up on the north side of the river. W e experienced much difficulty in crossing gullies on our
route, for it is without a trail, and Ent-ho-ki-pe takes his ‘ bee-lines’ across the country. This
has been a hard day’s work for the carriage mules; the ground soft and yielding, and the hills,
though gentle of ascent, are long, and in many places rocky. It looks very inviting to descend
to the Kansas bottom; but the streams cut deep chasms in the alluvion, rendering it almost
impossible, without bridges, to cross them.

“ July 1. — This morning displayed a sorry-looking camp. There was a storm of three hours’
duration during the night, such as the Plains only can exhibit. We are without tents, having
only three tent-flies for sixteen men. These flies, stretched over poles, leave the ends open,
affording but little protection against driving rains. The thunder-storm burst at midnight in
fury upon unprepared, or, at least, unprotected individuals. One fly fell prostrate over three
men, and in the darkness, lighted by fitful flashes of intense lightning, which was as blinding as
the darkness itself, they could not re-erect their frail tenement, but quietly endured their drench¬
ing. We ascended the ridge again for 2| miles, when a band of half a dozen antelope, for the
first time, greeted our sight on a distant summit. We then began a long descent, and in three
miles were in the valley of White Oak creek, which is formed by several branches to our left,
at the junction of the two principal of which we crossed. These little branches are difficult to
cross, and they occur frequently. We then ascended, perhaps 300 feet, to a dividing ridge,
which we followed for seven miles ; and then, descending to a branch of the last creek, encamped
at 4 o’clock p. m. Water is found in pools, and a spring issues from under an escarpment of
white limestone 100 yards from camp ; but we are nearly without wood. The road on the hills
has been hard for the cattle, on account of the sharp, pebbly limestone scattered thickly over the
ground. The rock splits into fragments by the effects of the sun and rain, and having no
attrition, these fragments are sharp and flinty in appearance. We have unintentionally left the
Kansas far on the right, probably striking across the bend opposite the mouth of the Blue river.

“ July 2. — We had another rainy night. This morning we travelled northwest for 4£ miles,
and encamped. Captain Morris left for the Republican fork of the Kansas, northeast; but
after four hours’ travelling, returned, the guide having mistaken Blue river for that stream. We
again moved forward, and crossed No-Nome creek, as Ent-ho-ki-pe calls it — an operation of no
small labor. The escort, in endeavoring to follow, mired one horse and injured another, by
which they were so long detained, the wagon having gone ahead, that they could not follow its
trail after dark, and they therefore slept on the hill all night, a mile from camp, without food or
water. The road wound up the high hills to the top of a dividing ridge between two creeks,
affluents of the Kansas, and we had a fine view of the groves on that river, and soon came in
view of the long-desired fort on the Republican. But we had a frightful hill to descend, and just

FORT RILEY.

at dark arrived on the brow of the bluff, where trees whose tops are nearly on a level with us
are growing in the valley of the creek. Here we encamped, or rather laid down.

“ July 3. — The escort came in at sunrise, and we crossed the Mahungasa creek, which is 100
feet wide and 3 deep, with a swift current, and is the largest creek we have yet crossed. It is
rightly named Big Stone, for at the ford we found its bed covered with boulders. In two and a
half miles we arrived on the bluff opposite the new fort on the Pawnee river, (or Republican
fork,) and prepared for the rest of Sunday. We communicated with our friends at Fort Riley.
The fort is to be built of white limestone, quarried or lifted from the escarpment of the bluff ;
and the soldiers' barracks, in a half-finished state, already make a fine appearance from a distance.

“ July 4. — We were notified by a rifle report, at daylight, of the arrival of the national anniver¬
sary. After numerous discharges of fire-arms, we started for the Kansas river for the purpose
of crossing to the opposite side. This was determined upon because the north side of the
Smoky Hill fork had not been examined, while there have been several surveys made of the
south side. An India Rubber ponton, procured from Fort Riley by the kindness of Major Ogden
and Lieut. Sergeant, acting assistant quartermaster, was placed too low for our light vehicle, and
it upset while floating across — a small incident for the 4th of July. Our horses were crossed by
swimming, and we arrived about noon at the fort. This is placed at the junction of the Pawnee
river with the Kansas, and not in the forks of the Smoky Hill and Pawnee, as we were before
informed. There is a noble spring near the site, which appears to be well chosen at the head
of navigation on the Kansas, from whence supplies can be sent to the posts in the Indian country
and to New Mexico. A ferry across the Pawnee river (as the officers call the Republican fork)
conveyed our wagon over; which was a difficult operation, however, but safely accomplished
under the direction of Mr. Homans, while I was indulgent enough to myself to accept the invita¬
tion of Captain Lovell, commanding, to dine at the officers’ mess. Lieut. Sergeant, acting
assistant quartermaster, &c., did all that he could to supply our wants, and started us with
fresh supplies. After a short oooning, I proceeded .7.59 miles to a spring in the bottom, near the
Smoky Hill, passing one of delicious cool water, out from the bottom and under the bluff a
half mile back, but where there is, unfortunately, no wood. After having crossed Pawnee river
we entered upon the bottom in the forks, which is a mile and a half in width, and of rich alluvial
soil. In seasons when not overflowed — and it is believed it rarely is covered with flood — it would
produce fine fields of hemp. For two miles from this bottom, the ascent is so gentle as hardly to
be discernible. At the junction of the two forks there is a body of large cotton-wood, with elms
intermixed ; and the ravines on the hill-sides are also well filled with small oaks, which are useful
for fuel, but few are suitable for building purposes. The valley of the Smoky Hill fork is on
our left, and is from one to two miles wide, with the circuitous river-bed in it fringed with
poplars, presenting a lovely picture, and is very favorable for the construction of a railroad.

“ July 5. — Leaving the beautiful spring at which we had encamped, we crossed the bottom
and skirted along the hills S. 75° W. for 2.26 miles, and then, continuing the same course,
ascended the slight undulation which slopes up from the bottom, until we came to Deep or Syca¬
more creek. Here we found the water too deep to cross, and turned north two and a quarter
miles to the first ripple, where, with a little cutting and aiding down the wagon, we crossed
safely; and after ascending for four miles, we passed again S. 72° W. to the bottom, where we
found the slope of the hills very fine sand and heavy pulling. Deflecting to S. 80° W., we
struck off along the beautiful flat, which reminded us of the Nebraska. It is here about five miles
wide, the Smoky Hill fork skirting the south side. Wagons from Fort Riley should keep on the
brow of the slope from Pawnee river to Sycamore creek ; then passing over the point to cut off a
bend, they should follow the bottom land, near the foot of the slope, for seven miles, to the creek
upon which we are encamped. These creeks can be easily bridged. Coming to a creek with
little water", but a deep eastern bank, we lowered the wagon down it and made camp just before
dark. Distance by route, 22.50 miles.

VALLEY OP SMOKY HILL FORK.

“ July 6.— Thermometer at sunrise 70° Fahrenheit; barometer 28.91. We continued our
course S. 70° W. along the flat. The hills are composed of fine sand, and would become heavy
roads for loaded wagons. A ride of ten miles brought us to Nepeholla or Solomon’s fork : the
road along the base of the sand-hills is good, the hills themselves being of too loose sand for
wagons. The river we found swollen by a flood at least eight feet above low water. There
was no alternative but to look around for material with which to construct a raft — a matter of
some account, as we were only provided with two dull axes. But with two dead trees, already
water-soaked, we laid the basis of timbers, and bound on these such dry small willows as we
could find ; and by making some twenty trips we got safely over. The carriage body being
tight, floated across easily. The Delawares rendered great service, swimming about, carrying-
ropes, and towing horses over all the afternoon. They seemed to delight in the watery element.
The grass is becoming shorter, and the timber less in quantity and varieties, the cotton-wood
being the prevailing tree, and this is confined in patches to the margins of the creeks.

“ July 7. — A cool, delicious morning, the river still rising. We travelled S. 70° W. across the
level plain, between the Kansas and Nepeholla, for four miles, Jo the foot of a dividing slope,
opposite which, on the south side of the Kansas, is a square butte. A wagon road could be well
maintained on this meadow all the year. After riding seven miles we struck the Saline fork in the
meadow. This stream is also swollen by a flood, and looks like the boiling Missouri. Continuing
our course for two miles, we halted on one of the bends of this stream and cut two dry cotton¬
wood logs, which we lashed to the sides of our wagon wheels, and thus made a ferry-boat
of our carriage. With this we ferried over the stream, which is 150 feet wide and 9 feet deep,
with a rapid current. The guide represents it as being usually 20 feet wide and 2 feet deep. It
is surprising to see such a freshet without any visible cause. Stretching away to the west for some
hundreds of miles, the river has no doubt received the product of heavy rains. The Nepeholla
rose six inches yesterday, and this river as much during the seven hours we were most laboriously
engaged in crossing it. Without our Delawares, we could not have effected this work. They
plunged into the boiling current with the ropes on their necks, and stretched them across the
streams for us, and then passed along the same to slip the noose over the knots — for we have only
our picket-ropes for this purpose, which being tied together, were long enough to pull back and
forth, which greatly facilitated operations, and without which we could have done nothing to
advantage. Our hunter killed a noble fat buck, which, with a cup of black tea for supper, soon
refreshed us from one of the most fatiguing days we have yet experienced. Plats of buffalo-grass
appear occasionally, and we soon expect to be on the trail of these animals.

liJuly 8. — We started this morning over the grand meadow of Saline and Kansas rivers, bearing
S. 45° W. between the two streams, which at this point diverge rapidly. The Kansas has a
trend as you go up its stream, to the southward, passing around the famous Smoky Hill, which
was full in sight, with its azure hue, on the east of it. This hill has given the name to this part
of the Kansas, but our guides do not know it by the name of the Smoky Hill fork. The hill may
be 100 feet in elevation above the plain. We kent our course up a branch of the Saline, south¬
west, on a plain so gently rising that the ascent was scarcely perceptible, and nooned on its banks,
13.50 miles from our last night’s camp. Signs of buffalo are very numerous, and their trails quite
fresh. A party of Pottawatomies has preceded us, and probably driven them farther into the
buffalo ranges. In fifteen miles we came to ferruginous sandstone ridges on either side of our
course, which is remarkably direct, following a plain valley in which a creek meanders.

11 July 9. — Gradually ascending this branch, it soon brought us near the main stream; and by
passing a low divide we came into the main valley, where there is quite a large quantity of wood,
and, at this season, water. Water in pools continued nearly to the summit of the next divide;
beyond which, in the distance, are oak and cotton-wood trees of small growth, on a stream run¬
ning southeast into the Kansas. At half-past 10 o’clock we reached this river, which we found to
be falling, having been eight feet higher than at present within two or three days. We came to a

DIVIDE BETWEEN THE SMOKY HILL AND ARKANSAS RIVERS.

good ford, in a low stage of the water, which we call the Lone Oak ford, as there is here a remark¬
able solitary oak tree in the bottom. We remained here till 1 o’clock, and then passed over, the
wagon body just clearing the water, and ascended the slope for a mile, but turned down again
to cross a creek near the bottom. From the top of the ridge we discovered a lone butte, S.
33° W., and another S. 25° W. Our course bore thence over the heads of a creek well wooded
with a stunted growth of ash, walnut, oak and cotton-wood. Here we found the choke-cherry
ripe. Keeping up the ridge for some time on the right of this creek, we found no signs of passing
over to Walnut creek, as promised by our guides, and therefore we turned a little more west-
wardly and down the slope to a nearly dry creek. On the way we passed a small spring com¬
ing from under a sandstone bluff, but preferred to go a half mile farther to the creek, on which
the walnut tree prevails, interspersed with oak, elm and cotton- wood. At the place where we
crossed the Kansas the valley is not tnore than a quarter of a mile wide ; and though it widens
in places above, as we could see from the hills, the course of the plain is more winding than
below, and probably it will be found advisable in the construction of a railroad to deflect to the
mouth of the Huerfano from near this point of the river. It will, however, require minute explo¬
ration to find the best point and to obtain the best grade for a railroad, as the creeks coming in
from the south make deep indentations in the rolling prairie. The rise from the Kansas is not
abrupt ; the hills sweep down gracefully, and no serious difficulties are in the way of a good track.
But the timber has become more scarce and dwarfish. The hills are composed of a hard red clay,
with occasional beds of gray or white clay. They are sometimes covered with fragmentary sand¬
stone; and escarpments at other planes show the stone in situ and stratified. We here discov¬
ered a very cool spring, the water appearing chalybeate, from which we hope for some happy
effect upon several persons of the party who are slightly ill. The spring bursts up in considera¬
ble volume near the dry bed of a creek.

“ July 10. — Remained in camp to rest man and beast. In the afternoon we were visited by
one of those violent rain and wind storms which are well known to travellers of the Plains.
The ground was soon covered an inch deep with water. The dry bed of the creek flowed
with a strong muddy current, which continued till we left on the following morning. We
gathered wild cherries, (choke,) currants, and gooseberries, and the wild grape-vines were loaded
with green fruit.

“ July 11. — Starting at 6.30 a. m., we had a wet, foggy morning till 7. In a few miles we came
to the summit of the ridge between the waters of the Kansas and Arkansas rivers. Here we had
a broad, level country before us, and in the distance a ribbon of trees was visible on Cow creek,
to which we gently descended. The creek is swollen by yesterday’s rain to twelve feet in width
and two in depth in the centre. Barometer’s reading at 9 a. m., before passing the summit,
28.237 ; thermometer 80° ; and on the plain, at 11 o’clock, after passing, 28.276, thermometer 89°.
Here we saw the first buffalo, which the hunter killed. It proved to be a bull feeding alone,
but as he was pretty fat we had some of it cooked for dinner. At 12 m. we arrived at the
‘ Sand-Banks,’ which border the northwest branch of the Little Arkansas. This stream is very
muddy and swollen by recent rains, being now forty feet wide and two feet deep in the centre.
We had now traversed, for fifteen miles, a plain with gullies cut deep by the branches of Cow
creek — our general course having been S. 50° W. The rise from camp to the summit was very
gentle, and it was so slightly marked that it was not observed till we had passed it some distance.
The 9 o’clock barometrical reading given above will determine the altitude of this summit-level
with accuracy. After nooning we crossed the creek below the drifting sands, which are on the
south side, and extend one mile in length and a half mile in breadth; we then crossed them
diagonally, and continued on uneven sand-knolls, which are fixed by vegetation, for a mile. A
variety of shrubs grow on these sand-hills, among which is the wild plum, very much dwarfed, but
loaded with unripe fruit. We then descended slightly to a flat, which is clayey and too low for
a road for wagons. At a short distance from the base of the knolls the helianthus grows densely,

ROAD FROM FORT RILEY TO WALNUT CREEK.

extending northwest over a field of several square miles in extent, with grass and saline plants
intermixed. We attempted to cross this sun-flower field, but were very soon forced back to the
high ground, for the water was rushing over it, being backed up by the rise of a creek five miles
before us, showing the extent of yesterday’s rain. After travelling twenty-nine miles we came
upon a torrent of muddy water, running in banks too deep and sharp for crossing without labor,
and, in our vicinity, too deep also to ford, and we therefore encamped much fatigued by the
day’s work. The quartermaster’s road from F ort Riley should strike higher up the Kansas, and
cross the ridge to the west of our line.

“ July 12. — The Arroyo creek had fallen so much that we passed safely over it this morning,
and afterwards met two Indians hunting buffalo. From them we could only learn, by signs,
that their people were encamped over the next ridge, on Walnut creek. Crossing Mosquito creek
in two and a half miles, which is a branch of Cow creek, and is dotted here and there with ash,
elm and cotton-wood trees, we came in a short time in sight of the elms and ash of Walnut
creek. It is difficult to cross this creek with wagons above the ford for the Santa Fe road,
which is near its mouth. We crossed over, however, and followed down the west side, and
found the party under Lieutenant Beckwith in camp, waiting for us since the ninth instant. Here
we also found Brevet Major Johnson, sixth infantry, in command of a camp, being about to build
a fort upon the creek ; the fort on the Arkansas, 100 miles west, from whence his present stores
are received, being about to be abandoned. In the night Colonel Sumner, Majors Morris and
Hagner, returning from New Mexico with an escort, arrived at camp: Our Delaware guides
were here discharged. I furnished for Major Ogden, A. Q. M., a description of the country his
guides had shown me from Fort Riley, with the distances travelled, and advised him that with
proper bridges a fine and remarkably level track could be found thus far on our route for the
location of any kind of a road. Of course, the relative merits of the two sides of the Kansas I
cannot discuss. The four bridges on the main streams would be an item of cost; but if Fort
Riley, on the Kansas, is at the head of the steamboat navigation, then this is the proper way for
a route to New Mexico south or north, for wagons or for a railroad. The character of the country
changes materially in soil, climate and productions at the ridge between the Kansas and Arkansas
rivers. Some buffalo-grass, scattered in patches, was noticed after crossing the Saline ; now it is
the prevailing grass. ”

ITINERARY OF LIEUTENANT BECKWITH’S PARTY, WHICH FOLLOWED THE SANTA FE ROAD.

The following extracts from my own journal descriptive of the country which I traversed on the
Santa F e road, on a line some 20 or 30 miles distant, and nearly parallel with that followed by
Captain Gunnison, are added, to show that the fertility he has described along the valley of the
Kansas river and its main tributaries, extends far back over the rolling prairies towards the
sources of the small streams and rivulets of the country, and that its general character is such
that a railroad may be carried over it in any desired direction.

June 26. — As stated by Captain Gunnison, we moved out of camp as his party set off on the
route of the Kansas river and Smoky Hill fork, and nine miles out passed Black Jack creek, in
which there was but little running water, and, skirting its banks near the crossing, a few scat¬
tered trees ; and generally in the early part of the day timber was very scarce, but afterwards
became more abundant a few miles from the road, and at times extended quite up to it. We
had at one time a beautiful view of a finely- wooded valley to the south ; and later, of one to
the north, opening and extending far to the west. This valley we judged to be that of
the Wahkarrussi, a tributary of the Kansas river. Major Emory, in his report, says: “On a
branch of the Wahkarrussi, where the Oregon trail strikes it, a seam of bituminous coal crops
out. This is worked by the Indians, one of whom we met driving an ox- cart loaded with coal,
to Westport. ” In the early morning the prairie was quite level, but later became finely rolling,
and was all abundantly covered with grass. After a ride of 20 J miles we encamped at Willow

LINE OF THE SANTA FE ROAD.

spring, where we had fine cool water, but the nearest wood was distant a mile. Mr. Ross with
his family encamped about fifty yards from us, and at half-past 9 o’clock was seated with his
party around his fire, with his horses picketed between his tent and mine, when, without any ap¬
parent cause, six of them pulling up their picket-pins, dashed off at a frightful speed, and in a
moment were far away over the prairie, and out of sight. One of them, however, trembling
with fright, fortunately ran into a neighboring camp, and was secured.

June 27. — The country continued of the same character as heretofore, with less wood and
water, and we only passed a little of the latter in pools two or three times during the day, during
which we were often elevated on the rolling prairies high above the surrounding country, of
which, to the south and north, we had extended and beautiful views. Little timber was, how¬
ever, visible. The road was fine, there having been no rain recently, and the grass luxuriant.
l\ine and twelve miles out we passed Rock creeks, but they were nearly dry, having no running
water, and were without wood. We encamped, after travelling 24 miles, on what is known as
the 110-mile creek, which is lined with an unusual amount of timber; and there is in it, at present,
running water, with holes large enough for bathing, as there was also four years ago, when I passed
it. Near our camp are a few Indian houses and cultivated fields.

June 28. — Eight miles from camp we crossed Dwissler’s creek, a fine little branch, with steep
and well wooded banks ; four miles then brought us to the first Dragoon creek, quite like the last,
but with low banks. One mile from the last is the second Dragoon creek, with less wood and
water. At 1 o’clock we arrived at Prairie Chicken creek, where there is an abundance of wood,
water and grass. Distance marched, 21 miles.

June 29. — To-day, a mile from camp, we passed a little branch in which there was water,
but the line of timber on its banks was thin. Three or four miles farther on we crossed Elm
creek, with fine wood and running water; and still another, called the 142-mile creek, about six
or eight miles out ; and after a ride of thirteen miles, we crossed Bluff creek, where there are fine
and abundant water and wood. At 3 o’clock we encamped on Big Rock creek, which is well
timbered. As usual, the grass to-day was everywhere luxuriant. Distance 20 miles.

June 30. — It rained heavily during the entire night, and continued to do so until 8 o’clock this
morning, accompanied by heavy thunder. At 10 o’clock we left camp, and without halting at
Big John spring, famous on this part of the route, and of which I have cooling and refreshing re¬
collections, passed on seven miles to Council Grove, and encamped on Elm creek, three-fourths
of a mile beyond. The roads were very slippery and the mud deep. The Neosho creek,
upon which Council Grove is situated, is a fine little stream, with timber more abundant than
on any stream we have seen since we left the Kansas river, of which the timber is similar, and
the fields of corn are remarkably luxuriant and fine. We here came up with a large number of
government officers, both civil and military, on their way to their respective posts of duty. Among
them was the Hon. D. Merriwether, governor of New Mexico, in whose life occurs a singular
incident connected with the political changes which have transpired between this country and
Mexico. In 1819 he was, as he informed me, an Indian trader, and accompanied a war party of
the Pawnees too far into New Mexico. The Pawnees were nearly all slain in fair fight; but him¬
self and servant were made prisoners and taken to Santa Fe, where he was for some time confined
a prisoner in the “palace” of the Territory to which he now goes as governor, and will soon
again occupy the same palace. Judges and Indian agents for New Mexico were also of the
party, and General Garland was in command of the military camp, of recruits for the 9th military
department, in charge of a number of officers, and a large military train.

July 1. — To-day at the usual hour we moved on again over heavy roads from the excessive
rains of the previous day or two. The country differs in nothing from that east of Council Grove,
except that the soil is more firm and less miry in the gullies. Eight miles out we crossed Elm
creek, (on which we had encamped last night,) its waters having subsided several feet since the
previous evening, when wagons could not have crossed it ; and at 2 o’clock, having ridden but

FROM COUNCIL GROVE TO BIG COW CREEK.

sixteen miles, the train was well encamped at Diamond spring, where we enjoyed the luxury oi
cool water in abundance, but the supply of fuel was limited.

July 2. — The threatening state of the weather detained us rx camp this morning until 8 o’clock;
but as the heavy showers in sight and the distant thunder at that hour receded, we started again
over>heavy roads. We passed a branch of water dotted with trees on its banks, a mile from
camp, and then saw nothing more of wood or water, except the rain-water of the previous day,
until we arrived at Lost spring, after riding sixteen miles. The water is quite good, but not
cool like that of last night. Not a tree or a bush is here anywhere to be seen ; but we en¬
camped, our previous knowledge of the place having caused us to bring a sufficiency of fuel for
cooking. The country to-day was more level than heretofore, and the roads consequently not so
well drained, and, as I have already said, not so well watered and timbered ; but in all things
else this wide, wide world of prairie is always the same — ever green and luxuriant with grass, and
dotted with flowers, gently swelling here and sinking away there in soft lines and rounded figures,
which it needs not the fancy of man to shape into lovely landscapes. Snipe literally swarmed
on our path, and two or three fine dogs which belonged to our party were “pointing and set¬
ting” at every turn.

July 3. — At half-past 6 o’clock our train was on the road, which had been dried, and con¬
sequently greatly improved, by the hot sun of the previous afternoon. Passing over a country
destitute of timber, but from the recent rains covered with abundant pools of water, and sensibly
rising as we travelled forward, we selected our camp on Cottonwood creek, seventeen miles
from Lost spring, and at 12 £ o’clock our animals were grazing — at least those of them that could
endure the bites of the innumerable flies and mosquitoes without losing their appetites. This
creek is but slightly timbered, chiefly by trees which its name indicates. The day is oppressively
hot, with scarcely a breeze. The thermometer in the shade of a wagon, but not well situated,
indicates 100° Fahrenheit.

July 5. — We yesterdajr remained in camp for the benefit of our animals, one of which, how¬
ever, at the usual hour of marching, took matters into his own head, and, pulling up his picket-
pin, took the road, and encamped at the next usual camping ground with a train he found there.
To-day we continue to ascend even more perceptibly than on our last day’s march, and only
passing a few pools of water and Little Turkey creek, eighteen miles out, encamped, after a
ride of twenty-two miles, on one of the Turkey creeks, of which, at times, there are three. At
this camp we have no wood, and the water is miserable, stagnant, and green.

July 6. — Starting at 6 o’clock, and travelling, generally, over a very level country, we arrived
in twenty-three miles at a fine camp on the Little Arkansas, where, however, we are seriously
annoyed by flies and mosquitoes. We passed Big Turkey creek an hour out this morning, and
during the day many stagnant pools. These pools do not usually exist during the summer, but
are caused by recent rains. The road over which we are now passing would be very heavy
during damp, rainy seasons, and we therefore congratulate ourselves on passing over it just after
it is well dried from the recent heavy rains. All day, to the south, the sand-hills and. shrubbery
of the Arkansas river bottom or vicinity have been visible. On the Little Arkansas there is but
little fuel, and I can see that near the road it has perceptibly diminished since I was here in
1849.

July 7. — Moving over a level country for ten miles, brought us to a bushy gully in the prairie,
honored with the name of Charez creek ; for what reason, however, no one can tell, unless it be
because it never has water in it. It is also sometimes called Owl creek. Six miles from this
we came to Little Cow creek, another bushy stream, with an occasional tree to ornament its
banks. There is, at the road-crossing, no water; but turning to the left, towards a fine clump of
bushes and trees, I observed General Garland’s large camp, with many animals, and doubtless
an abundance of water. .We, however, continued our march for three miles, to Big Cow creek,
which crosses the road at the bottom of a deep gully, with banks twenty feet in height — firm and

FROM BIG COW CREEK TO WALNUT CREEK.

easily ascended — in a little rivulet of warm dirty water. A few bushes and fewer trees mark
its course to the north and south of us. It soon unites with Little Cow creek. The grass is now
thickly interspersed with plats of buffalo-grass, and the whole vegetable growth is smaller and
less luxuriant than we have heretofore passed. The days are oppressively hot, and the dews
very heavy every night. Prairie-dog towns of large extent begin to make their appearance,
with their various inhabitants — dogs, snakes, and owls. The country passed to-day is very
level, with but one or two small rises. From our last camp to the present — both off the road —
the distance is 20 miles.

July 8. — We left camp at half-past 6 o’clock this morning, and were more forcibly struck with
the change in the character of the soil and vegetation than on any previous day ; the former
being more dry and sandy, the latter smaller, finer, and very short — not the grass only, but most
kinds of plants, which have a wide range of prairie on which they flourish. The sand-hills of
the Arkansas come into the road about twelve miles west from Big Cow- creek ; but they were
soon passed, and we struck the level bottom of that river, which we had observed to the south of
us all the morning, marked in its course by a few scattered cotton-woods along its shores and on
its islands. It is a broad stream where the road first approaches it, divided by islands into two
or three channels. Its current is rapid, its waters yellow, and its bed full of quick-sands ; so
that it is not always easy to ford it. It varies in depth. At present its waters are unusually
high, being from one to six feet in various places as it is crossed. The road travelled is generally
very dry at this season of the year, but to-day water filled every hole and buffalo wallow ; but
the road is finely dried from the recent rains. The cotton-wood on the northern bank of the
Arkansas, at our camp, has been nearly all consumed for fuel by the caravans and travellers
who annually pass here. We occasionally see a few Kansas Indians, who, at this season, frequent
this part of their hunting grounds to hunt the buffalo, which are usually found here in large num¬
bers. We have as yet, however, seen but a few scattered bulls, and have no hunters ambitious
enough to pursue them. Distance from Big Cow creek to the Arkansas, 18 miles ; to camp, 20
miles.

July 9. — Just as we were leaving camp this morning our train took fright at a rabbit pursued
by a dog, and took to the prairie in every direction, at full speed, and, however serious to us, it
was an amusing sight. The teams were, however, quieted in a few moments, and brought
back to the road, which, in a couple of hours, brought us to Walnut creek, where we encamped
just after 8 o’clock in the morning, among a motley host of Kansas, Osage, and Sac Indians,
of all ages, sexes, and conditions. Walnut creek this morning is three feet deep, and some ten
yards or more in width. There are fine cool springs in the banks, which, after so much pool and
stagnant water, we enjoy very greatly. General Garland’s command passed our camp at 11
o’clock, all in fine health; and we also parted here with Governor Merriwether and party, in
equally fine condition. Our morning’s march was only seven miles. While remaining in this'
camp we have suffered from mosquitoes beyond anything we have ever before experienced, or of
which we have ever read ; and, although our sentinels were doubled in number, we had repeatedly
to turn out and quiet our animals to prevent their running off to escape the agony of the bites.
Fortunately, during the last evening that we remained, a fresh wind sprung up, and we expe¬
rienced no further trouble from these insects. Our camp, of all points in the neighborhood, was
the most free from this curse. In the middle of the day, in riding into Major Johnson’s camp on
the opposite bank of the creek, our horses would become frantic ; and such was the case for miles
around. The land is low on the creek, and subject to be overflowed, as is evident from the
drift-wood scattered upon the prairies.

MAIN JOURNAL RESUMED.

July 13. — As we moved forward this morning, Captain Gunnison rode up Walnut creek with
Major Johnson to see the site selected by this officer for building a military post. It is on the

PAWNEE FORK. — DISTANCES AND RAILROAD GRADES.

ridge between Walnut and Cow creeks, raised considerably above the level flat which borders
Walnut creek, extending to the Arkansas river, which overflows far above the point near the
road which, it is said, was first selected for this post. The site chosen by Major Johnson, five
miles from the road, has the advantage also of being nearer the proposed road from the mouth
of the Republican to New Mexico ; but if water can be obtained still higher up, this latter road
might be made still more direct. There is on Walnut creek no timber suitable for building
purposes, but an abundance for present uses for fuel. The elm, ash, and cotton-wood trees are
here frequently two feet in diameter at the base, but, four or six feet above, branch off into
crooked gnarly trunks. The section passed to-day is generally very level. We passed Pawnee
Rock, a noted topographical feature in this part of the country, during the morning. It is to
the right of the road, about two miles from the Arkansas river, and terminates a ridge from the
north in a bluff escarpment of highly ferruginous sandstone, twenty feet in height, on which
many names of passers-by are inscribed. Shortly after leaving Pawnee Rock we crossed Ash.
creek — a dry bed, lined with the usual amount of timber — and encamped on Pawnee fork, after a
march of twenty-eight miles. The grasses during the day became hourly poorer until we came
upon this creek, where they are more fresh. The soil is also less fertile. Its surface is
composed of fine sand mixed with vegetable mould, which, by the rains, becomes soft mud, and
turning up in ruts, hardens, but is easily crushed again by the wheels. The water in Pawnee
fork is twenty feet in width by from one to two in depth, with a fair current. During the day
we passed water only in a few pools. The timber on this creek, like that of all the streams
hereabouts, is small, scattered and ugly — more of bushes than trees — looking in it3 tortuous lines
not unlike the lining to the fences of some thriftless New England farmer, who gives a wide
margin to blackberry and elder bushes, interspersing them with an occasional elm. This camp,
293 miles by the Santa Fe road and 322 miles by the Smoky Hill route from our camp near
Westport, is 972 feet above that camp, giving, besides the usual inequalities of a rolling prairie
country, which have been duly noted, an average grade or ascent to the mile of about three feet
three inches, and three feet, respectively, for these distances. Large numbers of Kansas and
Osage Indians, on their usual buffalo hunts, are encamped to the southeast two or three miles on
the Arkansas river, and their large herds of horses are scattered over the plains for miles. They
are filthy, dirty beings, and quite as impudent and pilfering as their wilder brethren to the west.
This morning they visited the party of officers spoken of as returning from New Mexico, a few
miles from our camp on Walnut creek, and helped themselves to several light articles before the
men who were sleeping in the wagons could be gol out to disperse them.

CHAPTER II.

From Pawnee Fork to the crossing of the Arkansas river at the mouth of the Apishpa. —
July 14 to August 2, 1853.

Forks of the Santa Fe road. — Coon creek : bad water. — Indian hunting grounds. — Dryness of the country. — Bois de vache. —
Wolf in pursuit of a rabbit. — Beturn to the Arkansas river. — Comanche Indians. — Fort Atkinson. — Dryness of the Arkansas
river at times. — Kioway camp. — Indian war party against the Pawnees. — Shaved-Head, a Comanche chief : his leave-taking. —
Captives among Indians. — Ascent from Pawnee Fork. — Grass of the country. — Blulfs and rolling prairie. — Islands in the
river.- — Citnmaron route ford. — Line of proposed road from Fort Eiley to this ford. — Sandy road. — Plains of the river
bottom. — Scarcity of fuel. — Dull monotony of the Arkansas. — Winds.- — Altitude above Fort Atkinson and distance from it :
altitude above the Gulf of Mexico. — Unsuccessful sportsmen. — Prairie dogs in great numbers. — Incrustations of salt. — Iron
ore. — Big Timber. — Bent’s trading station. — Sandstone bluffs. — Scarcity of grass — Purgatory creek. — Bent’s Fort. — Game. —
Fords. — Advantageous position for a military post. — Timpas creek. — Eailroad route indicated. — Smoky atmosphere. — View
of the Spanish peaks. — Artemisia. — Game. — Crossing the Arkansas at the mouth of the Apishpa. — The river easily bridged. —
Hills and bluffs. — Grades for thirty-four miles. — View of the mountains and peaks.

July 14. — Five miles from camp the road forks, (we are still upon the Santa Fe road,) and one
branch follows nearly the windings of the Arkansas, to secure grass and water, while the other
appears to push off for a “ short cut” and “dry route” to Fort Atkinson, near which they again
unite on the Arkansas river ; but this appearance is deceptive ; for after going a few miles it
abruptly turns southward, and follows but a few miles from, and parallel with, the other road,
keeping it generally in sight, as it does also the trees and sand-hills upon the banks of the
Arkansas river, and is, except in the rainy season, without good grass and badly watered. We
followed the cut-off route, and having made 21 miles, searching diligently for the last five or six
for water, yielded to our fortunes, and encamped on the headwaters of Coon creek, on buffalo-
grass and buffalo-wallow water, where we are surrounded by immense herds of these animals,
which afford us a happy relief from our salt meat diet. We passed the Sacs, Osages, and Kansas
Indians, on the extreme verge of their territory at Pawnee fork; and here intervenes a tract of
undefined dimensions, the Neutral or Hunting Ground, which separates them from their Comanche
and Kioway neighbors. The buffalo are this season more than usually crowded on this tract,
which causes the Indians to extend their camps to their extreme border creeks — an unmistakable
evidence that the buffalo, hunted by all, is rapidly disappearing. The country rises gently on
this route for ten miles, and then gradually descends to our present camp. The short, dry
buffalo-grass alone grows over the whole surface of the country, with here and there a few
scattered weeds and flowers ; but nature has here lost all her freshness and sweetness, and at this
season only wears a gray, sterile, and forbidding aspect. On this route we see no wood, which,
for fuel, is supplied, in dry weather, by the bois de vache, which was in 1849 an article of
important local traffic among the Zuni Indians, in the western part of New Mexico, as I passed
through their pueblo. A thunder-storm swept over us, and heavy showers of rain during the
night prevented the use of the transit theodolite, which we had set up in the evening.

July 15. — A fine badger was killed near camp this morning, but it was too much injured for
preservation. Soon after leaving camp we were enlivened by the sight of a wolf in hot pursuit
of a, rabbit. It was an animating sight, which quite aroused the sympathy of the party, as the in¬
tended victim, panting with exertion, and straining every nerve for life, pursued by his rapacious
enemy, snapping at him at almost every jump, crossed and re-crossed the road a few yards in
front of us ; but by his skilful angular turns he avoided these deadly bites until he had nearly

INDIANS. — FORT ATKINSON.

arrived at his burrow ; but here the pursuer had posted an accomplice, and the rabbit was forced
to make another long turn, which he accomplished successfully, darting into his burrow heartily
cheered by the party, while his pursuers resumed their characteristic look of meanness, sneaking
away to their covers. The day has been very sultry and cloudy, the scorching sun-rays, how¬
ever, occasionally pouring down upon us oppressively. The country over which we rode is undu¬
lating, the arid buffalo fields wearing the same uninteresting aspect as yesterday, unrelieved by a
single tree, except on the distant banks of the Arkansas ; and the water collected in pools is
barely drinkable, either on the road or at our camp. Day’s march, 18 miles.

July 16. — A ride of IS miles, over a country in all respects like that of yesterday, brought us
to the Arkansas river, where we found two hundred and eighty lodges of Comanches encamped,
their horses and mules in large droves grazing far and wide over the river bottom. Hosts of men,
women, and children immediately surrounded us, as we passed their female sentinels, upon the
bluff near the river. Some of their chief men accompanied us to camp, out of courtesy and
respect to the party and government, liberal presents being expected in return. Camp was pitched
a mile west of Fort Atkinson, where we found an abundance of grass, but were indebted to
Major Chilton, 1st Dragoons, commanding at the fort, for a supply of fuel for cooking our bacon
and coffee, the river bank here being even destitute of drift-wood for many miles above and be¬
low. The river is unusually high, being from one hundred and fifty to two hundred yards wide ;
and the Indians, in crossing it, are occasionally seen swimming; while two years ago, at this
season, I am told by officers of the army and others who were then here, that it was necessaxy to
dig in the bed of the river for water to drink. This sinking of the stream during low stages of
water is not peculiar to the Arkansas, as is well known, and it is believed that water can be
found always in abundance by digging in the bed of this stream. Opposite to our camp, on the
southern bank of the river, the old men and the women and children of the Kioways are encamped,
their warriors having joined the Cheyennes, the Arrapahoes, and the Jicarilla Apaches, with a
few Comanches and others, in a war party, which it is boasted is to “wipe out the Pawnees.”
The Comanches are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Major Fitzpatrick, Indian agent, from whom
they expect large presents, after having made a treaty. Our camp is constantly thronged with
them, and though anxious to purchase horses, we have entirely failed in persuading them to sell
us even a half-dozen. Shaved Head, with some of his principal men, paid us a visit just as
Captain Gunnison and myself were dining. Blankets were spread for them in front of the Cap¬
tain’s tent, and they did ample justice to the fare spread before them — carrying off, as usual,
what they could not eat at the time. After the usual amount of talk, smoking and ceremony, they
took their leave, which, with Shaved Head — the principal chief of the Comanches of the Plains — is
a peculiar ceremony which he extends to all whom he esteems or deems of importance. He as¬
sumes an air of gravity and solemnity of features I have never seen equalled by more civilized
performers, and taking you by the right hand, gives three shakes as slow and deliberate as the
time to a funeral dirge, pressing your hand with a firm grasp, and looking steadily in your eye;
releasing your hand, he passess his arm through yours to the elbow, and thus facing in opposite
directions he presses your arm firmly to his side; then the left arms perform the same measured
functions; and during the whole of this leave-taking he repeats, “bueno,” “mucho bueno,” wilh
a grave accent. Among those who came to camp we observed two or three Mexicans and others,
who at some early period of their lives have been captured and are now slaves of these bands.
Among them were a brother and sister, of perhaps ten years of age, but I think much younger.
These children are said to have been left destitute upon the Plains by the death of their parents,
and to have been several years with these bands, who found them in their destitute condition and
have since provided for their wants. However much our sympathy must be diminished by the
knowledge that these children have not, from early childhood, perhaps, known the mild, gentle, and
improving kindness and instruction of civilized parents and society, and that now they are little
ess savage than their masters, it is not the less humiliating to see that the arm which this
4g

en-

VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS.

lightened and powerful nation extends to redress such wrongs, and to protect its exposed citizens,
is impotent. From Pawnee fork to this camp, 68 miles by our path, the ascent is 418 feet, or
about six feet and two inches to the mile. By following the river the distance would be increased,
slightly, and the grade thereby diminished ; or by taking a more direct line the distance would be
lessened, slightly increasing the grade. Our camp is under a bluff of sedimentary pebbles, de¬
posited in layers of a few inches in thickness, interspersed with a coarse sand, and the whole
cemented into a single mass. A short distance above the fort a coarse limestone crops out.
The short and fine, but rich and nutritious buffalo-grass covers the hills, while tall and rank grasses
spread over the bottom on the river.

July 19. — After remaining two days in camp to recruit our animals, make repairs, and procure
necessary supplies, we this morning took leave of our hospitable friends at the fort, and very
reluctantly parted with two young gentlemen from St. Louis, Messrs. Collier and O’ Fallon, who
have accompanied us for several weeks on the Plains for the recreation and the sports of the
chase. Four and a half miles above camp we ascended the bluff, and passed for two miles
over a ridge, which extends to the river at a single point, where a road can easily be cut in the
aggregated pebbly deposit, by which the distance would be shortened, and the ascent of a hill of
half a mile in length be avoided. T hese ridges which approach the river are of a whitish sand
and clay, overlying the coarse friable sandstone of the bluffs. These bluffs are generally from
one hundred yards to half a mile back from the river, rising from ten to forty or fifty feet above
it, and extending back in a high, dry, and uninteresting prairie, covered with a thick mat of buffalo-
grass, too fine and short for grazing draught animals, but excellent grazing tor sheep and buffalo.
On the river bottom heavy grasses of the blue-joint and wheat kinds grow luxuriantly, mingled
with various weeds and herbs. The stream is filled with low islands covered with grass and
rushes, and nearly submerged. Seventeen miles from the fort there is a ford, sometimes used by
trains and parties going to and from New Mexico by the Cimmaron route; but the principal ford
for that route is eight miles above this, and to reach it the road leaves the river bottom, passing
over the high bluff or prairie land. We encamped about two miles above this ford on a fine field
of bottom grass, which our horses eat with avidity. Had it not been necessary for us to procure
supplies at Fort Atkinson, we could have arrived at this point by a shorter route than the one
followed, if the appearance of the country and our recent Delaware guides, who have been fre¬
quently over it. may be relied upon, by following on and in the vicinity of Walnut creek and Paw¬
nee fork, which rise to the north of our present camp, the latter at a distance of not more than
five or seven miles. If this route is practicable — and there seems to be no reason to doubt it — the
proposed road from the fort at the mouth of the Republican fork should follow it. But as a large
poi tion, if not the whole of this route, was understood to have been examined by officers of the
Topographical Corps, and already reported upon, Captain Gunnison did not deem it advisable to
delay the mountain exploration to examine it.

July 20. — This was a cool morning, the clouds, which last night prevented astronomical obser¬
vations, still lowering above the hills. The road was heavy for fourteen miles with loose coarse
sand, and we crossed a few beds which were deep, but of small extent. Beyond this, our road
became firm for five miles to our camp.

July 21. — The bottom here, as it is generally called, or land on the borders of the river below
the bluffs, has two distinctly-defined plains. The lower is subject to overflow, but is at present
about eighteen inches above the water, which has, however, receded from it within the last two
or three weeks. The second plain is dry, and about three feet above the first at the edge,
rising slightly back to the low sloping hills. On this the artemisia is now the characteristic
plant, but we also observed two or three varieties of the helianthus, thistle, and geranium.
Eleven miles from camp the river has cut away for a mile nearly the whole second bottom, back
to the rolling plain, which on this part of the river is but slightly elevated, rising gently back
from the bottom. On its southern bank the country is more than usually sandy. Returning

VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS.

again to the bottom land, we encamped on the soft damp soil, after a march of twenty-two
miles. Our men are obliged to cross to the islands and opposite bank of the river for fuel. With
our tents pitched a few feet from the river, we enjoy the luxury of bathing. The river bed is
very uneven, the whole of which is a shifting sand. Nothing can exceed the dull monotony of
a journey along the Arkansas. Neither in the character of the country nor in any department of
science, do we find a variety in a day’s march of twenty miles. A gradual change is going on,
however, of which vve feel sensible; the vegetation of the rolling prairie being already parched
and dry, and the earth of the hills is so compact and hard that it rings under our horses’ feet,
and it is often impossible to drive a tent-pin of wood into it. To-day, for the first time, we
have felt the southeast wind, which travellers on this route have so often noticed in summer,
and the remembrance of which is still agreeable to me; and to-day it is intermixed with hot,
enervating gusts, which remind us of descriptions given of the winds of arid deserts.

July 22. — The wind blew a gale during the night, and, flying clouds partially obscuring the
sun, a fresh breeze made the morning march pleasant; but before noon the wind subsided, and
the day became oppressively hot. We travelled all day on a fine road, crossing several dry
beds of creeks, along which, here and there, might be seen a few scattered trees. . We encamped,
after a march of twenty-two miles, near the river, on a dry creek, wThere we found a few trees,
and evidences of large Indian encampments of a very recent date. This point, eighty-nine miles
from our camp near Fort Atkinson, is four hundred and seventy-two feet above it — an average
ascent of five feet three inches to the mile. Altitude above the Gulf, 2,852 feet.

July 23. — Our journey to-day of twenty-four miles has been on a barren plain, at the foot of
the main plateau; and, although commenced with a cool, cloudy morning, was the most oppres¬
sive from heat we have yet experienced, which was greatly increased by the reflected rays of
the sun from the smooth, claypy surface, almost bare; and for much of the distance quite desti¬
tute of vegetation, except a: few scattered weeds and sun-flowers. Near our present camp we
passed two dry creeks, on which there are a few scattered clumps of cotton-wood, with a
few trees of large diameter, but crooked and short, with large, unsound branches. On the river
banks, also, there is more than the usual amount of this timber, while the sand-hills on the south¬
ern bank come close in to the stream, and, like the rolling prairie hills to the north, increase in
height.

July 24. — Captain Gunnison made an unsuccessful effort to procure specimens of prairie dogs
for preservation, by pouring water into their holes, in a village near camp; nor was he more
successful in digging for them, as they easily eluded his search, (although he had a large number
of men at work,) in their burrows, which are formed of numerous passages, which they extend
rapidly when pursued beneath the surface of the ground. The amateur hunters of the camp
were equally unsuccessful, and after scouring the neighborhood for game, returned to their
coffee, bacon and bread, only with good appetites.

July 25. — Yesterday we were oppressed with heat, and to-day, with the same clothing, should
shiver with the cold. Prairie dogs, which are the most abundant live creatures along the road,
are, to-day, torpid. The road followed the base of the hills from our last camp, at a distance of
from one to three miles from the river. At fifteen miles from camp we found salt efflorescing on
the surface of the ground, and salicornia growing abundantly on the bottom. At the base of
the hills, which are here gentle and sloping, “ in the tertiary drift, are cylinders and rounded
nodules of iron ore, similar to those larger ones found on the Chugwater, at the base of the Black
Hills.” Day’s travel, 21 miles.

July 26. — The night was cool, with a slight fall of rain at daylight ; and, although the ther¬
mometer in the early morning stood at 59° Fahrenheit, it was so material a change from 96° in
thirty-six hours, as to be uncomfortable. Seven miles from camp we reached what is called the
Big Timber, a section of the river of about twenty-four miles in length, on the islands and banks
of which more than the usual amount of cotton-wood grows. It deserved the name, however,

BIG TIMBERS. — BENT’S FORT.

only when compared with this river as I have described it a few days back. The trees are
scattered over the bottom, in numbers, not unlike those of the new cotton-fields of Georgia and
Alabama, with inviting shades ; but they are not thick enough to obstruct the view, and the
opposite bank of the river discovers the same dry hills as heretofore. Three miles of heavy
sand, and six in the rain, over very slippery clay, added greatly to the labor of the day’s travel,
and we encamped at the end of twenty miles. In the afternoon the sun came out, but as yet
we have had no glimpse of the mountains. Altitudes of Jupiter and Antares were obtained here
for latitude ; but the early hour of the day, and misty state of the atmosphere, prevented taking
occultations or eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites.

July 27. — A dense fog hanging over the valley until 10 o’clock, concealed the sterile hills of
the opposite side of the river, and, leaving in view only the line of timber as we rode near it,
awakened remembrances of the beautiful forests which sometimes skirt the western prairies. A
mile from camp we passed two or three log-houses, occupied as a trading station by Mr. Wm.
Bent, during the past winter, but now left vacant, and, as yet, undestroyed by the Indians.
Here the bluff lands for a short distance come quite in to the river, and disclose sandstone in
horizontal strata, of a reddish, argillaceous character, which we observed during the remainder
of the day on both banks of the river. Thirteen miles brought us to the termination of the Big
Timber, where the argillaceous sandstone hills again approach the river, and the road passes
quite frequently over these small spurs. The bottom of the river at times quite disappeared,
and was lightly covered with grass, or destitute of it entirely, after leaving the timber. Our
camp is on a very coarse grass, under a sandstone escarpment, in a large meadow bottom —
by far the poorest camp we have yet made. Mr. Creutzfeldt found to-day the skin of a snake
seven feet in length, which it had cast, leaving the eye and every scale perfect.

July 28. — Three miles from camp we passed opposite to the mouth of Purgatory creek, an
affluent to the Arkansas, and timber appeared more abundant upon it than upon the river, which
it enters in quite a large bottom, which, from a distance, is apparently well wooded, and grass
is abundant. We encamped, after a march of fifteen miles, three miles below Bent’s Fort. Lati¬
tude by meridian observation to-day, 38° 03' 27". Mr. Homans, who has been suffering seriously
from being poisoned with ivy, has very nearly recovered. He was too ill for many days to mount
his horse, and could only ride in a carriage with the greatest difficulty. Deer, antelope and
turkeys were seen along the river to-day, and near camp a cow was found which had been
abandoned by its owners, her feet being too sore to travel. Our elevation at this camp is 3,671
feet above the Gulf, and our average ascent for the last 105 miles, from our camp of the 22d,
has been 7f feet to the mile.

July 29. — Between camp and Bent’s Fort, grass was very abundant. We spent an hour
in examining the river at the fort for a practicable ford, but the excellent one which formerly
existed here it was found impracticable to cross, in the present stage of the water. Mr. Bent
abandoned his fort about four years ago, but not until he had destroyed it. Its adobe walls still
stand in part only, with here and there a tower and chimney. Here, beyond all question, would
be one of the most favorable points for a military post which is anywhere presented on the
Plains. There is an abundance of pasturage, fuel, and building material in the neighborhood,
for the use and building of the post. It is of easy access from its central position, from the east,
from Santa F 6, from Taos through the Sangre de Cristo Pass, and from Fort Laramie. It is on
an emigrant road from southern Missouri and Arkansas, either by the North Park or Coochetopa
Pass ; and it is in the heart of the Indian country, accessible to the resorts of the Comanches,
Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kioways, some bands of Apaches, and even occasionally of the Utahs
of New Mexico.

We moved on at half past 8 o’clock and encamped, having marched twenty-four miles, on
miserable grass — not being able, after hours of searching, to find better. Indeed, during the
day, after leaving the fort, we saw no good grass for this country even, on either bank of the

CROSSING THE ARKANSAS.

river. A few miles above the fort we passed the mouth of Timpas creek, marked on the
southern bank by a break in the hills and a tree or two only. It is small and often dry,
or nearly so. Most of the day the road led over the higher land, which is here considerably
broken. “ Still it is easy to grade a railroad along the edge of the bottom.” “On the southern
side of the river a broader flat is seen, which, in the event of a railroad being made here, should
be its site, crossing the river a few miles above Bent’s Fort, and passing over the angle between
the Huerfano and the Arkansas rivers.” The atmosphere for many days has been so cloudy
that we have seldom had a distant view; and for the last two or three, smoke has quite obscured
the whole country, so that we could see but a very few miles. A small opening in the clouds
and smoke, however, an hour ago, gave us a first but not very distinct view of the Spanish
peaks, bearing nearly southwest; but it was only a momentary view, and we were again left
to gaze on barrenness and a circumscribed horizon. The bluffs above the fort, for several miles,
are underlaid by nearly horizontal strata of a whitish, argillaceous, friable sandstone, which
crumbles easily ; the whole base of the hill being covered upwards for several feet with fallen
fragments. Our camp is in the midst of fields of artemisia of several varieties, the principal
of which are known as sage and greasewood; and, to add to our discomfort, it began to rain at
sundown, softening the clay and rendering it so slippery as to make walking very uncomfortable.

July 30. — To give time for the rain of last night to dry up to some extent, our departure was
delayed an hour, which Captain Gunnison and myself, with a number of men, spent in search
of a ford, but without any favorable result, the depth of water and rapidity of the current being
too great, although the bed of the river was firm, being of water-worn stones of a small size.
Our route again followed the high prairie for seven miles, and then descended to the river
bottom, where we soon came to fine fields of coarse grass ; but we were anxious to reach the
Huerfano, that astronomical observations might be taken while we found the means of recruiting
our animals and of crossing the Arkansas. According to the maps we had with us, and in the
opinion of several men of the party who had passed here before, the Huerfano was believed to
be already in sight, and, after ascending two or three high hills in the vicinity and obtaining a
distant view of a broken line of trees in the direction in which this stream was believed to be,
we turned in towards the river and encamped after travelling only eleven miles. A few deer
were frightened from the coarse, rank grass as we entered it near the river, but, as usual, they
escaped our marksmen. Captain Gunnison, whom I accompanied, went in search of the mouth
of the river, which we found in a bend of the Arkansas immediately south of the camp, and of
a ford by which to cross the latter stream : in this, however, we were unsuccessful, and it was
not until the following day that Captain Gunnison found one, on the northern bend of the river,
half a mile west of our camp. The river at this point was 300 yards wide, varying in depth
from one to three feet, with a strong current and sandy bed. The 31st of July was passed in
camp, and on the following morning the banks of the river were cut down, and Captain Morris’
wagons, with large wheels and broad tires, crossed successfully. The remainder of the wagons
were not so favorably constructed for crossing fords, and Captain Gunnison, deeming it unsafe to
attempt to cross them with their loads, built a raft of logs at a point on the river where it was
fifty yards in width, a short distance above the ford. It was only by the greatest labor and
difficulty that a rope could be carried across the stream, the current of which was very rapid
at this point, but was accomplished, after one or two failures, by ascending the stream some
distance and stationing men at short intervals along the rope, who entered the water in succes¬
sion ; the leading man pushing rapidly for the opposite shore, which he was barely able to reach,
securing the rope by the aid of a man stationed there to assist him. One of the men — the
second — in his desire and determination to succeed in crossing successfully, had lashed the rope
with his handkerchief to his arm, from which he narrowly escaped a serious accident as his
companions dropped the rope, the current sweeping him under with such force as to deprive
him of all power in his bound arm; but he was rescued by the leading man returning to his

ASCENDING GRA.DES.

assistance. The raft once in successful operation, lightened the wagons of half their loads or
more, which were safely landed on the opposite bank at sundown, and the wagons thus laden
were crossed at the ford before the twilight rendered it unsafe. The Arkansas could be easily
bridged at the point where this raft was operated, the banks being several feet above high water
in times of freshets, and approaching unusually near each other. Opposite to our camp of July
30th, and to the east of the stream which here enters the Arkansas from the south, are three hills,
two conical and one oblong, rising some 250 feet above the river, and 100 above the general level,
distinguishing land-marks for the stranger. The bluffs to the northwest of that camp rise still
higher above the adjacent hills. Our average ascent for the last thirty-four miles, has been
twenty feet and seven inches per mile.

Augvst 1. — We were gratified this evening by a clear and beautiful view of the Spanish peaks
and of the Greenhorn mountains, with others just rising above the horizon to the north and south.
From the summit of the bluffs on the north bank of the river, James’ peak is distinctly seen ;
and upon all the high ranges the snow is visible, accounting for the high water in the streams
which rise in them.

CHAPTER III.

From the mouth of the Apishpa, via the Sanqre de Cristo , to Bouhideau's Pass. — Auqust
2 to 25, 1853.

Valley of the Apishpa. — Rocks and soil of the hills and valley. — Small canon — Examination of the canon. — Indian writings. —
Cacti.— Small pines. — Route of the wagon train. — Rocks and grass. — Game. — Appearance of the mountains. — Fossils. —
Flowers. — Wild horses. — Timber on the Arkansas in sight. — Rains, dews, winds. — Course of the Apishpa, and broken
character of the country. — Discovered that we were not on the Huerfano. — Road to Raton Pass. — Cuchara river. — Fine
view. — Trip to the Greenhorn settlement. — Clay and shale banks of the Cuchara. — Dog towns. — Wild horses. — Huerfano
river and butte. — Huerfano canon — Apache creek. — Trail from Taos. — Trader’s camp. — Granaros. — Greenhorn settlement :
its population and productions. — Massaliuo, the guide. — Sleeping apartments in Greenhorn. — Huerfano butte. — Direct line
from the Arkansas to the upper Huerfano, leaving the former above the mouth of the Apishpa: its railroad character. —
Size of the Huerfano river. — Soil — Building-stone. — Ascent of the Huerfano. — Taos trail, via El Sangre de Cristo Pass. —
Approach to the Sangre de Cristo Pass. — Sand and limestone. — Railroad route. — Timber. — Flowers. — Game — Difficulties
in the approach. — The passage of the Sangre de Cristo Pass. — Scenery. — Game. — Distances, altitudes, grades. — Railroad
line through the pass and its western descent to Fort Massachusetts. — Examination of the mountains to the south of the Span¬
ish peaks. — Hunters from Taos. — Snow in and about the Sangre de Cristo Pass. — Trip to Taos. — San Luis valley : its streams
and settlements. — Indian signals and robbery. — Red river of the Rio Grande del Norte. — Valley of Taos: its settlements and
cultivation. — Return to Fort Massachusetts. — Antoine D&roux, guide. — Men discharged. — Mr. Taplin. — White Mountain
spring. — Sage in San Luis valley. — Roubideau’s Pass : its rocks, character, grades, elevation. — San Luis valley, and mount¬
ain chains enclosing it.

August 2. — Our route, following the creek, lay up a plain valley for five miles, ascending more
rapidly than that of the Arkansas ; then for 8-§- miles about the same, with a far wider and better
grassed plain than on that river. There are no bottom lands on this stream, which flows in a
deep, narrow passage, with precipitous banks, cut in the argillaceous soil of the plain. Such
water channels, with steep earthy banks, are styled arroyos by the New Mexicans, in contra¬
distinction to canones, which are wralled with rocks. At a few yards distance in the plain, one
would not here expect to find water, even though acquainted with the character of the country,
much less a cool mountain stream. The banks, twenty feet in depth, are green with grass, the
arroyo at top being twenty-five or thirty feet in width ; but we only found one point during the
day’s march at which we could descend to the water, which is at a point where the plain is
underlaid by a stratum of shale. This creek, in this part of its course, hugs the base of a line of
hills sloping down from the east ; the valley at our camp being about a mile in width, sweeping
up gently to the west and southwest for several miles, where it appears terminated by elevated
hills. Thermometer in the shade during the warmest part of the day, 104° Fahrenheit.

August 3. — The survey was continued along the valley of the creek, rising gradually for 2J
miles over a gentle swell, extending in towards the stream, to a nearly level prairie, from two to
three miles in width, extending for nine miles in a course S. 23° W. We encamped at the
mouth of a small cation on the creek at the foot of the hills terminating this plain. The party
being without a guide, it was found necessary very often to make distant excursions to the
summits of the most elevated bluffs and hills, from which extensive views could be obtained,
and the courses of the streams and main depressions of the country followed by the eye. These
bluffs and hills passed to-day, as also the banks of dry ravines and creeks, were sometimes com¬
posed of a red sandstone and of strata of shale, and at others of a sandstone of a yellowish shade,
from the disintegrations of which the soil of the hills and valley is formed, being light and friable,
in which the felloes of the wagon wheels sink deep and cast up clouds of dust, from the pun¬
gency of which we judged the cement of the sandstone to be carbonate of lime.

VALLEY OP THE APISHPA.

August 4. — Captain Gunnison, with a small escort, proceeded to examine the cation this
morning. He found the water at its mouth running over a sandstone ledge for 500 feet,
with falls of 1 \ feet, occurring at pretty regular distances of about 100 feet. “ This,” he
remarks, is the first sound which has given me notice of a water- fall since leaving the
mountains in New York.” Above this he entered a gorge, in which the current is sluggish,
running in a deep gully, which he followed for a mile, coming to a high perpendicular escarp¬
ment of rocks on the right, on which are numerous hieroglyphics or Indian writings, “which
appear to have been made at various, times, but are mostly of a recent date.” A mile and a
half from this inscribed rock, large masses of fallen rocks blocked up the way, or bench, six feet in
width on one side of the creek, the bed of which is fifty feet below with nearly perpendicular
banks ; the passage on the opposite side was even worse than this a few yards above, the creek
washing under the bluff, preventing the passage of horse or footman. The rocks are soft
sandstone, easily cut. He then ascended to the second table, or inclined bench, which he found
covered with broken fragments of prismatic stones with sharp edges ; the crevices and open
parts of the rocks were filled with gigantic cacti, some of which were five feet in height, with
lobes in whorls around the main stem, the branches themselves standing off like radii from the
centre of a circle. They had flowered and, the corolla having fallen, had left the top like a
small cup. Ascending eighty feet above this table, “ we came to some pines of a stunted growth,
but a few of them a loot in diameter. They are of the three-leaved or pitch-pine species of the
east. Dwarf cedar also grows in these rocky precipices.” Near this point a canon comes in
from the south, extending several miles to some high lands. Above this the canon of the main
creek widens, and could be followed by wagons, but would require working at various points.
In following along the canon, or near it, several rocky gullies were passed, and were followed
by canones perpendicular in their course to that of the creek, with sides nearly one hundred feet
in height. The main course of one of them was slightly north of west, towards the Greenhorn
mountains, for six miles; then diminishing in size, spread out into several smaller ones.” Following
this canon, Captain Gunnison came upon the trail of the wagons, and soon after arrived at camp.
In the mean time the remainder of the party, with the wagon train, finding it impossible to follow
the course of the creek, in consequence of the side cafiones and deep chasms, with abrupt and
often vertical walls, of fifty and a hundred feet in height, had followed up one of them by a long
up-hill march, turning ravines, first in one direction and then in another, until we at length came
to a practicable pass over the first canon, where we resumed our course for the creek, but were
almost immediately intercepted by another no less formidable cafion, up which we followed until
we were fortunate enough to find water remaining in pools from a recent shower, and also a not
difficult crossing to the canon. We encamped -here, having travelled but fifteen miles; but as
we were without a guide, and had not been able to get water for our animals during the march,
it was necessary to halt, not knowing where we should again meet with it. We have all day
passed limited but luxuriant fields of grass in the canones; grass is also finely scattered over the
hills. The rocks of the hills and canones are red sandstone. We have been forced, in searching
for a passage, nearly to the summit of the divide between the waters of the creek at our morning
camp, and of the Arkansas river ; and it is becoming more than doubtful if we are not following
some other than the Huerfano river. I rode forward several miles before dismounting to ascertain
something of the nature of the country, and the proper direction for the following march, and
returned to camp through large herds of antelope.

August 5. — We pursued our course to-day, from the observations made after our arrival in
camp yesterday, without difficulty. Passing the head of several dry canones, and branches of
them to the south, we descended, about three miles from camp, into a broad valley, in which are
standing two yellow sandstone buttes on a base of soft shale, some hundred feet in height above
the surrounding country. I ascended one of these with considerable difficulty to its narrow
summit, and obtained an extensive view of the adjacent country. From one side of this butte

FROM THE APISHPA TO THE CUCHARA.

the water descends in a broad valley to the south, and from the others it runs off to the west
and north, to branches of the Arkansas ; and we were evidently on the divide between these
streams where their side valleys meet, and their lateral and perpendicular canones necessarily
terminate. In every direction were bluffs and knobs, and ledges of rock's whose sides and tops
were covered with the short, crooked, wide-spreading cedar of the countr}r, with here and
there a stunted pine. Grass was everywhere abundant, and game in every hollow and
valley, and, save the light, argillaceous soil and want of water, our course was evidently easy for
the day. The mountains before us looked grand and formidable, our proximity and elevation for
the first time giving us a fair and full view of them from their summits, streaked with drifts of
snow, to their base. The summit of this butte, however, so swarmed with winged ants that I
was driven from it in haste, literally covered with them, and it seemed their especial delight
to get into my eyes, either on foot or by the wing. A few fossils were hastily gathered from
it. A few yards from its base a fine field of flowers tempted my curiosity, and searching
for the finest cluster, I rode to it, and stooped from my horse to gather it, when the warning
rattle of a large snake coiled under it caused me to withdraw my hand from danger in time,
and, selecting other flowers, I left him undisturbed in his flowery retreat. A few wild horses
coursed around us, and excited the spirits of our horsemen, but it was not deemed prudent to
break down good horses in th ir pursuit for the chances of capturing wild ones, and they were
left un a olested to pursue their course, and enjoy their natural freedom. The timber on the
Arkansas was visible during some part of the morning march, and it was evident that the route
we had pursued was not the proper one for a road after crossing that river, as this point can be
easily reached, if necessary, by a nearly direct course from that crossing. In our search for
water, Captain Morris and myself ascended a small butte, and discovered pools with large herds
of antelope and a few deer feeding near them, a short distance to the west ; and through an
opening in the hills, a few miles to the W. N. W., were seen the green leaves of the cotton¬
wood. Leaving the party to encamp at the pools, we proceeded at once to the cotton-woods, and
found, as we anticipated, a fine stream, larger than that we had been attempting to explore ; and
it was at once evident, from the position and course of this, and the great southern bend of the
former that it could not be the Huerfano. During this ride we were drenched with a heavy
shower, the third which we, who travelled by the Santa F 6 road to Walnut creek, have actually
encountered on this long journey, although we have been every day in sight of them, and often
surrounded by thunder-showers within a stone’s throw. The dews, which are said generally to
be uncommon west of Walnut creek, have been as heavy and constant with us this year, west as
east of that creek. This, I think it not improbable, may be accounted for by the almost entire
absence this season, on this route, of the prevalent southeasterly winds of the day, which are
changed to westerly winds at night; for we have seldom enjoyed a pleasant breeze at any time on
this march to this point ; and I remarked in crossing from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Ft; in 1849,
that the dews were regulated almost entirely by the prevalence or absence of winds at night.
Since leaving the Arkansas river we have seen nothing of flies and mosquitoes, which were there
a severe daily and nightly torment to men and animals. Captain Gunnison, with a small party,
left camp early in the morning to continue the exploration of the canon of the main creek ; but
after riding in a nearly southern course over a country intersected .by canones, ravines and rocky
cliffs, rejoined us at a late hour in the evening, not having succeeded in reaching the Apishpa,
which we afterwards learned was the name of the stream we had been following. It rises to the
south of the Spanish Peaks, and is not unfrequently dry ; indeed no water entered the Arkansas
from it a few days after we passed it.

August 6. — After travelling two miles in the direction of the Spanish Peaks, we were obliged to
cut timber and fill up a small branch over which we crossed, and bearing thence more to the west,
struck a wagon trail leading from the Raton Pass to the Pueblo on the Arkansas river, and Fort
Laramie on the Platte. This we followed to the Cuchara, which is forty feet wide and two
5£

VISIT TO THE GREENHORN SETTLEMENT.

deep at the ford which we crossed. Encamping two miles above the ford, Captain Gunnison
ascended a neighboring butte, and thus describes the view : “Pike’s Peak to the north, the Span¬
ish Peaks to the south, the Sierra Mojada to the west, and the plains from the Arkansas — undu¬
lating with hills along the route we have come, but sweeping up in a gentle rise where we should
have come — with the valleys of the Cuchara and Huerfano, make the finest prospect it has ever
fallen to my lot to have seen.” Accompanied by five men, I started at an early hour of the
morning in search of the Greenhorn settlement, on a stream of the same name rising in a range
of mountains to the east of the Wet river valley, to obtain information of the country, and, if
possible, procure a guide well acquainted with it and with the mountain passes we were about
to explore. Our course from camp was W. N. W., in a direct line for the Wet mountains,
crossing the Cuchara at the point at which we had visited it the previous evening. The banks
were here vertical walls of clay, twenty feet in depth, resting on a stratum of shale. We de¬
scended through a break in the bank, and following the bed of the stream for some distance,
ascended the opposite bank through a similar opening. The borders of the river are here entirely
destitute of grass. A few miles below us, plainly in sight, the river enters a canon; the hills
about it, and an unusual extent of rolling country, being covered with a thick growth of low
cedar. On the table-land beyond this river we passed innumerable prairie-dog towns, herds of
deer and antelope, and several bands of beautiful wild horses, which came circling round us in
all the pride of their native freedom, at a distance of fifty or eighty yards, and at the report of a
rifle dashing wildly away over prairie, hill, and valley, exciting our admiration. On this table¬
land we also passed basins of rain-water some hundreds of yards in diameter, which in dry seasons
are themselves doubtless dry. Ten miles from the Cuchara we descended 'from the table-land to
the valley of a stream evidently rising in the position laid down on some maps for the Huerfano,
and on whose southern bank we had an hour before had a fine view of an isolated butte in its
bottom — a feature of this valley marked and unmistakable. It is from this butte, from its isolation
known as the Huerfano or Orphan butte, that this river derives its name. This stream we
crossed as we had the Cuchara ; its volume of water being less than that of the latter stream, and
its clay banks, overlying the shale of the bed, of less height. The Huerfano between this point
and the head of its cation, seen a few miles distant to the east, and which is said to be the
longest in this part of the country, has but little timber on its banks. The Cuchara enters the
Huerfano in this long canon, and the river for eighteen miles between the mouth of its canon and
the Arkansas, it is said, has a large border of cotton-wood. We next came to the Apache
creek, whose sources in the Wet mountains had been visible during our morning ride. It is a
small mountain stream, with water at this time only in pools. Willow, plum, thorn, and cherry
bushes, with a few cotton-wood trees, grow densely thick on its borders, and we were detained
an hour in making a passage through them. Beyond this creek we entered upon a wide open
valley of weeds, prickly-pears, and sand, and I changed my course a little more to the north,
hoping to strike the trail from Taos to the Greenhorn near the base of the mountains, which we
reached after a ride of four miles, finding the trail as anticipated. Following this trail we rose
over a hill and descended into a rough narrow ravine, which we followed in a northeast direc¬
tion for a mile and a half, and then passed over a high ridge — a spur of the Wet mountains —
covered with oak bushes, to another ravine, on the sides of which we were gladdened by the
sight of a herd of cattle and horses feeding, and were soon in the camp of a trader from New
Mexico returning from Fort Laramie. From him we learned that the two streams and ravines
are called the Granaros, by the Spaniards. Passing over another sharp ridge, we descended in
two miles to the fine little valley of the Greenhorn, a stream of two feet in width and three or four
inches in depth, which is now entirely diverted from its natural channel and employed in irrigating
the lands of the six New Mexican families who reside at and constitute the present population of
the place. They plant a few acres of corn and of wheat, of beans and of water-melons — in all, an
area equal to that of the farm of a small eastern farmer, who cultivates his own fields. Two hun-

WA?P§A-TA~ HAS . 0 R SPANISH'? E AKS .
• lAmrrm 6;ar d^Euchai'a, Aug.'S..^- / -

HUERFANO BUTTE.

dred fanegas of wheat and fifty of corn, with the requisite amount of beans and melons, constitute
the largest total crop of this valley. They have a few cattle and horses — the latter very poor.
The houses are built of adobe or sun-dried brick, without windows or other openings than a single
/door, in entering which a man of six feet in stature must bow very low. In front of each house is
enclosed a small space of ground, twenty yards in width, by poles planted in the earth and lashed
to horizontal strips by rawhide thongs. These picketed yards are intended as a protection
against Indians — the Utahs having killed some of their cattle last year, destroyed their grain,
and stolen their horses. Corrals are attached to the backs of their houses, built in all respects
like the front enclosures. With one exception all the houses of this settlement are joined, and a
tall man can reach to the roof, on which the whole population, not absent in the fields, assembled
on the approach of my party, not knowing whether to expect friends or foes. I enjoyed the
hospitality of the smaller mansion, being invited to a seat on the only article of furniture in the
room, a bench against the wall, spread with a blanket and furnished with a pillow. On the
earthen floor, at the sides of the room, were two or three narrow beds on wool mattresses. I
soon found the guide I wanted, and engaged his services hence to Fort Massachusetts, in the
San Luis valley of New Mexico. Massalino is, by birth, of the Spanish New Mexican race, of
about forty-five years of age; and having spent it entire in the wild life of a mountaineer — by turns
a hunter, a trapper, a trader, a voyageur, a fighter, a farmer, and a guide — he is familiar with
the country westward to the Pacific. Last year he lived at this place with his Pawnee squaw;
but his losses by the Utahs were considerable, and he removed to the Pueblo, on the Arkansas,
where he is, with his family, the sole occupant of the place. He planted a little corn there, but
the high water of the river destroyed it, and he has no crop now growing. “ I have lived
nine years on meat alone, at one time,” said he, “ in these mountains, without tasting bread
or salt; and I can now live well enough for me with coffee and the little meat I can kill.”
He is reputed a fine hunter. “ I never see a grizzly bear but I give him a shot. I try to hit in
the right spot ; but if I miss it, I have to run. We will have,” alluding to our trip, “ a fine
chance for fun ;” and his dark liquid eyes flashed as he looked towards the mountains, and visions
of his grizzly friends appeared to his imagination. But few men of experience are bold enough
to attempt to shoot these animals unless accompanied by a friend well armed. The mistress of
the house very courteously inquired where I would have my bed prepared, which I preferred
leaving to her own convenience. I should, however, have been a little surprised, had this been
my first visit to a New Mexican residence, at the place selected — in the yard, just in front of the
door, under the broad, bright, blue canopy of heaven, brilliant with stars. I enjoyed the matronly
grace and dignity of the mistress as she brought forth the pallet and spread the necessary blankets
to exclude the chilly night winds from the mountains. There, too, were spread the beds for the
family, the open air being preferred to the house during pleasant weather. I could, of course,
procure no supplies at this place at this season of the year.

August 7. — I returned this morning by a route somewhat to the west of that followed yesterday ;
and after passing the Granaros, crossed the Huerfano at the butte, and soon after reached camp,
which had remained on the Cuchara.

August 8. — We crossed immediately over to the Huerfano butte by the route which I had
followed the previous day. This butte is one hundred and fifty feet in height, as determined by
Mr. Homans, standing in the river bottom quite detached from the adjacent hills. Its diameter at
the base is equal to twice its altitude, sloping up to its summit, which is about twenty-five by forty
feet across. Its base is strewn around with prismatical blocks of granite rocks, of from one to
six feet across, and its surface is also covered with these prisms, which are very dark — containing
iron, perhaps, as a coloring matter. A narrow way, leading over the summit from the southeast,
is nearly destitute of these rocks, on either side of which they are arranged in regular order, pre¬
senting a trap-like appearance. Latitude of this butte, 37° 45' 04". Captain Gunnison remarks
in his journal, that our line of travel since leaving the Arkansas should nqt be followed; “but,

APPROACH TO EL SANGRE DE CRISTO PASS.

striking up a valley or plain ten miles from the mouth of the Apishpa, in a course for the Span¬
ish Peaks, cross the Cuchara near our camp of August 5th, and continue over to the Huerfano,
which gives a direct line of travel on a fine plain. But if we undertake to ascend the Apishpa,
or the Huerfano, by following their valleys, we meet with canones on the former, as we have
described, and on the latter, as we are informed, eighteen miles above its junction with the
Arkansas. And the whole country having been under our eye as we travelled on the higher
land to the south of this indicated route, we can say that no obstruction of any magnitude
exists, thus far, to the successful construction of a railroad.”

August 9. — The river here is eighteen feet wide, by one deep, with a rapid current. The soil
is light, but would produce, if irrigated, fine crops. Stone of a superior quality for bridges and
building purposes may be readily had. We moved up the river for several miles on its southern
bank, and then crossed to the north side, and a mile above recrossed by the ford on the Taos
trail to the southern shore, but only to recross again and again, five or six times, the river here
coming through a narrow passage formed by the Greenhorn mountains, or Sierra Mojada, on
the north, and spurs from the Sierra Blanca on the south, of some six hundred feet in width in
its narrowest part, but still good for a wagon or a rail road, with a little labor. The Taos trail
of which I have spoken leaves the river at this gorge, leading directly to El Sangre de Cristo
Pass. Captain Gunnison finding a better route, however, kept up the river, encamping on its
northern bank, where the hills are covered by small cedars and pines. Day’s march, 14.54 miles.

August 10. — We crossed the Huerfano this morning, and pursued a fine valley between two
spurs from the main chain of the Sierra Blanca, luxuriant with grass, from one-half to one mile in
width, to the base of the mountains five miles to the south ; and then turned east by a low depression
into an adjacent valley, and encamped at its head, as it began to rain, after a march of seven miles.
Narrow ridges of sand and limestone of considerable height, covered with wide branching cedars,
suitable only for fuel, and a few dwarfed pines, extend from the base of the mountains north to
the Huerfano, along the summits of which a road could easily be constructed, diminishing the
ascent to the pass. Ours was to-day literally a pathway of flowers, among which the helianthus*
a verbena, a lupine, and the blue flowering flax, were brilliant and showy. Magpies flew
around us, but escaped our shots uninjured. Bears were seen on the Huerfano and our hunters
supplied us abundantly with venison.

August 11. — We left the valley of our camp by ascending a giant mountain spur, along the
top of which we followed to the south for some distance, ascending as we approached the main
mountain, and then descended into the next eastern ravine or valley, through which flows a little
rill entering the Huerfano at the gorge which we passed two days ago. This descent was
difficult, and so sideling that we were obliged to hold the wagons by hand-ropes to prevent their
being overturned. By following the rivulet from the river this difficulty would be avoided. We
ascended it for some distance through waving fields of grass quite up to our saddle-girths; and,
cutting a road for a short distance through a forest of quaking-asp as we turned to our left,
encamped, in a shower of rain, amidst luxuriant fields of blue grass (of the mountain men)
and flowers. Quaking-asp covers the mountains around us, interspersed with small pines.
Fire, however, swept over these mountains two years ago, destroying much of the timber.
Sandstone, an impure limestone, and porphyritic rocks, are among the most common of this part
of the mountains. Distance marched, 5.12 miles.

August 12. — A working party was engaged during yesterday afternoon in opening a road
through the forest to the summit of the pass, and much of to-day has been spent in the same
manner and in working on the opposite side-hill, along which it is necessary to descend from
the pass. The teams, too, were engaged all day in making the ascent as the road advanced,
and at dark the most of them had reached the summit, and a few had descended to El Sangre
de Cristo creek; and all were obliged to encamp where night overtook them, on a line of two
or three miles, on the summit and either side of the pass. The examination of the various

teim?'

EL SANGRE DE CRISTO PASS.

depressions in the mountains also went on to-day, to ascertain their elevations and practicability
for roads. The scenery around us is very fine — the views from various points extending
far back over the plains, buttes, ridges, and streams, on which we have for so many days
laboriously pursued our march. The bold, rocky mountain peaks tower loftily above us — whi¬
tened here and there with lines of snow — around which, at mid-day, dark masses of clouds gather
and the lightning plays, while torrents of rain pour down their sides with irresistible fury. The
mountain valleys are small, but unsurpassed in luxuriant grass; and the mountain sides are
plentifully supplied with aspen and small pine, and all around us, and under our feet, covered
with exquisitely beautiful flowers. Here, too, the geologist finds an interesting field, and sports¬
men’s spirits are excited by grouse and pheasants, deer and grizzly bear, in every valley and glen,
and the streams are alive with the finest mountain trout.

August 13. — The labor of crossing the ridge was completed this morning, and just in advance
of the 1 o’clock shower we encamped in, but near, the head of the southern descent of the pass,
on the Sangre de Cristo, which is a small stream of clear, cold water, in a beautiful little park or
valley. The labor of crossing this summit has been very considerable, which is partly owing,
however, to the rarified atmosphere at so great an elevation. Both men and animals were soon
exhausted and obliged constantly to stop and rest, where at a lower altitude no rest would have
been required. Our teams were all doubled, without being then able to do the ordinary work of
a single one, and the strongest men sat down out of breath after a few moments’ exertion. Astro¬
nomical observations gave us for the latitude of this camp, which is 2£ miles from the summit
passed by the wagons, 37° 36' 52" N.

From the Arkansas river, at the mouth of the Apishpa, it is eighty miles by the route we
travelled to the Huerfano butte; but this distance is at least one-fourth greater than is neces¬
sary in the construction of a railroad between these points. Taking the shorter distance our
ascent was 28 feet 10 inches, in whole numbers, to the mile, the elevation of the butte being
6,099 feet above the sea. We ascended the Huerfano river 14 £ miles above this point, ascending
nearly 52 feet 10 inches per mile. The ascent during the first day’s march from the Huerfano
river to the base of the Sierra Blanca, 7.59 miles, was 603 feet, or 79 feet 5 inches per mile.
On the following day we advanced 5.12 miles, ascending in that distance 1,289 feet, or over 251
feet per mile ; and from thence to the summit of El Sangre de Cristo Pass, seven tenths of a mile,
the ascent was 647 feet, developing a line entirely impracticable for a railroad. But the Huerfano
river, west of the gorge through which we passed on the 9th instant, drains a large circular
amphitheatre, surrounded on the north, west, and south, and partly on the east, by elevated
mountain ranges, with large, irregular spurs extending into this valley, and sending down numer¬
ous tributaries to the river. Twelve miles above this gorge stands the Black butte, an immense
mass of rocks with irregular points shooting up 100 and 200 feet. Here comes in a fine stream
from the northwest, two miles beyond which another enters from the west from near Williams’
Pass. At this point the Huerfano, whose general course from the gorge is N. 70° W., bends
towards Roubideau’s Pass on a curve for some three miles, where it receives the waters of Gun¬
nison’s creek, a small stream from the south, but which towards its source descends -more from
the east. This little creek continues the curve, until it reaches the point whence it issues from the
mountains at the foot of the declining ridge, near which, but on the opposite side, our wagons passed,
at the head of a small valley on leaving the Huerfano. Following this stream above this point, it
is, by chain, five and one-fourth miles to the summit, the water descending on an inclined plane
without falls, with an equable, swift current. Four miles and a half from the summit the creek
flows through a narrow passage in the rocks, which slope up to the top at a small angle from the
vertical, the width at bottom being one hundred and fifty feet, affording abundant room for the
stream and a road. Above this gorge or canon there is a small park, such as are found on the
heads of many of the streams in this part of the country, abounding in deer, elk, and bear, and
affording luxuriant pasturage for thousands of head of cattle : indeed, few more inviting spots for

EL SANGRE DE CRISTO PASS.

grazing can anywhere be found. Two miles and a half from the summit is Turret rock, a pillow¬
like cone of stone, divided in the centre from the apex, with one face a plane, against the base of
which the stream strikes and is deflected a little to the left. Above this, numerous small streams
join the main one from the southeast, and that from the summit descends at the foot of the grassy
slopes which extend up to the base of the crowning peaks of the Sierra Blanca. A railroad or
any judiciously chosen wagon road would cross the summit-level near the base of these peaks, and,
taking advantage of the winding slopes, pass down the right of the creek to Turret rock, to where
the park becomes a gorge, and thence be confined to the little valley, from one hundred and
fifty to three hundred feet in width, where it could be constructed along the foot of the hills with
great ease, and issue with the stream from the mountains upon a broader valley, and, swinging
around the base of the hills that set off from the great mountain masses reaching to within a short
distance of the Huerfano river, pass through the gorge of that stream, and, taking choice of the
great Plains, to and along the Arkansas and Kansas rivers to the Missouri. The supposed dis¬
tance (for it was not measured) from our last, camp, of August 9, on the Huerfano, to the summit
of the Sangre de CristoPass, by the circuit just indicated, is from twenty-four to twenty-six miles,
and the ascent to be overcome, two thousand three hundred and fifty-four feet — an average of
ninety-eight feet and one inch to the mile for twenty- four miles, or of ninety feet six inches per
mile for the longer distance. On the 13th of August the day was bright and clear, and the mean
of five hourly barometrical observations gave us an altitude for this pass, above the sea, of nine
thousand two hundred and nineteen feet, which 1 have used in the estimated elevation to be
overcome. “ A single grade,” says Captain Gunnison, from whose notes I have derived the
data for the description of this pass, “ could easily be carried from the summit to the gorge of
the Huerfano river; but two, one along Gunnison’s creek and one on the river, would probably
be preferable. Spruce-pine in abundance is at hand on the mountain sides, to supply ties for
hundreds of miles of railroad, especially if that which the great fire of 1851 swept over and left
standing, killed and blackened, be not left to decay.” The small stream called El Sangre*de
Cristo rises near the summit of the pass, and runs in a general southwestern direction to the
valley of San Luis. The valley of this stream is narrow, the stream being lined with thickets of
willow bushes* and, winding from side to side, impinges against the base of the hills, forcing us
frequently to cross it, or, where it was practicable, to pass over the foot of the hills. The labor
of preparing the road for twelve miles was considerable, employing a large force, of which
Captain Morris took charge, for four days. We descended from the summit of the pass during
the first mile and three-fourths, 178 feet, or about 101 feet per mile; and 549 feet in the next 5.34
miles, or nearly 103 feet per mile. Six miles from this point we left the Sangre de Cristo,
and rose to a plain extending along the base of the mountain spurs, which we followed for 4.57
miles, encamping on Utah creek, a short distance below F ort Massachusetts, having descended
during the march of 10.57 miles, one hundred and twenty-seven feet, or about twelve feet per mile.
By descending from the summit of the pass along the side of the mountains on the right of the
Sangre de Cristo, a railroad can be constructed throwing a larger proportion of the descent upon
the lower part, where it should curve around a mass of low hills in a bend of the mountains, to the
plain just indicated, which subsides gently into the valley of San Luis in the direction of the
Coochetopa Pass. The entire descent from the summit of Sangre de Cristo Pass to our present
camp, is 854 feet in a distance of seventeen miles. A meridian altitude of the sun, gave us for
Fort Massachusetts a latitude of 37° 31' 59".

After completing the examination of the Sangre de Cristo Pass, Captain Gunnison made an
examination of the mountains to the south of the Spanish Peaks, by ascending Gold branch
from its junction with El Sangre de Cristo, to near its head. It is a very crooked stream, coming
into the Sangre de Cristo from north 55° east for three miles, then east for one mile, thence wind¬
ing from the southeast near the mountains beyond Indian and Culebra creeks, and near one of
the head branches of the Cuchara. Becoming satisfied, after a long ride, of the exaggeration

SANSR.E RE CRIST 0 PASS,
from near ike SummiUooking down Cmnnis on's Creek.

U.S.RR.R. EXR &SURVEYS 3BT» 839™ PARALLELS

FORT MASSACHUSETTS,

SNOW IN THE PASS.

of the guide, who had represented this route as “ without a hill,” the party ascended a high peak
and looked down upon the extensive plains, over which, for a month, we had wound our way.
The view was majestically beautiful, with the Huerfano, Cuchara and Apishpa at their feet,
and towering mountains to the north and south, with the valley of San Luis to the west. De¬
scending again to the stream they had left, and finding that about ten miles from its head they
were, by barometer, higher than on the Sangre de Cristo Pass, and that the gorge was very wind¬
ing and narrow, they turned back from their southern course for two miles, and then rode up hill
for two hours, much of the w^ay steep and stony, and arrived at the summit of the ridge, “where
one could look almost vertically down on the heads of creeks of the Cuchara — one of which
winds under Bald mountain, considerably to the south of the Spanish Peaks, where there is a not
inviting depression, entirely impracticable for a road.” The party passed over fine grassed
slopes, and through groves of branching pine and aspen. In descending they came upon a fresh
trail, “ which had been made by a party of hunters from Taos, who had crossed by the Culebra
Pass to the head of the Cuchara, and obtained pack-loads of venison. These men travel a hun¬
dred miles, kill the game and pack it on asses, taking from ten to twelve days to procure the
load, and four to return to market. They use no salt, and only cover the meat to keep it from
the flies. At night they spread out the quarters and saddles on the ground, and lie down among
them to protect them from the dogs and wolves. And notwithstanding the daily occurrence of
showers about the highest peaks of the mountains, the dryness of the atmosphere is such that the
meat is well preserved.”

At a late hour, after a fourteen hours’ ride, the party arrived at Mr. Williams’ herd-grounds on
the Sangre de Cristo, Captain Gunnison being quite ill. They dined with the master of the rancho
on milk and tole, or parched corn-meal pudding, and slept under his awning on buffalo-robes.
Captain Gunnison was quite restored by the kind attentions of Mr. Taplin and his host, from a
severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism, which had been greatly aggravated by sleeping out
at night with the gentlemen of his party, in exploring the Sangre de Cristo Pass.

The information gained in regard to the snow which falls in El Sangre de Cristo Pass and
valley of San Luis, is conflicting. Massalino, our guide through the pass, states that he crossed
it in February last, a winter of unprecedented severity and great fall of snow ; that he was seven
or eight days in making the crossing, which is usually made in two — the dry snow being ten feet
deep in the ravines, while the ridges were nearly bare. Antoine Leroux, on the contrary, rep¬
resents it generally as unusually free from snow for a mountain pass, which can be crossed with
facility during the severest storms. The officers of the army stationed at Fort Massachusetts,
which is situated just under the Sierra Blanca, in a sheltered valley on Utah creek, about seven¬
teen miles from the summit of the pass, represent the snow, which is usually very dry, to have
been in the valley about them, during the past winter, about two feet in depth. Once during our
stay in this vicinity, during a thunder-storm on the lower peaks, those more elevated were
covered with a beautiful mantle of white. There are no evidences of snow-slides or avalanches
about the pass.

Our recent experience in exploring a wild mountainous country without guides, was such as to
show the necessity of profiting by the practical lessons in geography gained in the school of the
trapper and hunter, by that useful class of mountaineers who have spent many years of their
lives in encountering the hardships and imminent dangers hourly incident to their occupation in
these fields of savage barbarity, short-lived gratitude and native grandeur, which are annually
stained by the sacrifice of some of their number as victims to unbridled ferocity. -Accompanied
by Lieutenant Baker, I accordingly started on the 15th instant from our camp at the head of El
Sangre de Cristo valley, for Taos, in New Mexico, the headquarters of many of the most reliable
and experienced of these mountain men. Leaving camp, we passed rapidly down the Sangre de
Cristo for ten miles, and entering the broad and extensive valley of Sail Luis, hemmed in on
either side by high mountains, and traversed by the Rio Grande del Norte and its mountain

JOURNEY TO TAOS.

tributaries, skirted with bushes and a little timber, soon reached the Trenchara, which comes in
from the mountains to the east, and is joined a few miles to the west by the Sangre de Cristo,
whence it flows on to the Rio Grande. A ride of twenty miles further brought us to the Culebra,
or Snake creek. There is a small settlement five miles to the east of the point where we crossed
this stream, near the mountains ; but without visiting it we continued our journey, and arrived
a little after dark, after a ride of sixty-five miles, at the Costilla, a stream similar to the last, on
which a new settlement is opened and a few fields are already covered with crops of corn, wheat,
oats, and the other usual crops of a New Mexican farm. But the settlement contained no grass,
and our Indian bred mules, not knowing the taste of corn, disdained it, much to our regret, for
we deemed so long a ride inhuman enough to our animals, without consigning them to a night of
abstinence, with a fifty-mile ride before us for the following day. We therefore negotiated for
the corner of a wheat-field, the kernel being still soft, and were gratified with the avidity which
our Comanches exhibited in feeding on this grain. During the day’s ride we had occasionally
seen the smokes from the signal-fires of the Indians in the mountains; but they did not molest us,
although we subsequently learned that a party of New7 Mexicans had been robbed by them, near
where we saw their smokes, just as we were passing them. The night was lovely and beautiful,
succeeded by a bright, clear day. Resuming our way southward in the early morning, at 10
o’clock we passed settlements on streams near the base of the mountains, and at noon arrived at
the Rio Colorado, or Red River of the Rio Grande del Norte, where there is a considerable set¬
tlement, surrounded by fields of grain. At 3 o’clock we crossed this stream a short distance from
the village, and ascended the low, stony, mountain range, which here extends across the broad
valley of the Rio Grande, separating the valley of San Luis from that of Taos.

The Rio Grande passes this low range in one of the most formidable canones existing in this
part of the country. Our pathway was thickly shaded by a forest of pines; and the landscape
views of the valleys and near and distant mountains, during our afternoon’s ride, were among the
finest I have ever seen. Fifteen miles from the Rio Colorado we crossed the Arroyo Hondo, or
Deep arroyo, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet in depth, with fine streams carried
in irrigating trenches along its sides to the cultivated fields of the valley, which, from the crest
in all directions, appeared, by twilight, covered with fields of grain; and, to shorten our evening
ride, we followed on the banks of the irrigating ditches for some distance, until we reached the
road leading to Taos, where we arrived at 10 o’clock at night. The valley of Taos is large,
and, for New7 Mexico, extensively cultivated, containing several small villages, of which the prin¬
cipal is San Fernando de Taos, and many farms. It is on all sides surrounded by high mount¬
ains, the Rio Grande entering it through a gigantic canon, and also leaving it through one. The
water of the river is but little if at all used lor irrigation, the mountain streams being large and
more favorably situated. In our ride of over a hundred miles from El Sangre de Cristo to this
place, we saw no grass in the valleys worth naming; the vegetation being confined almost exclu¬
sively to artemisia and a few varieties of cacti, but chiefly the prickly pear — the pines of the
mountains at times extending well down to the plains. In the high small valleys of the mount¬
ains the grass is luxuriant and the flowers beautiful. Here, too, showers are of daily occurrence,
whilst in the broad valley but little rain falls and nothing can be cultivated except by irrigation.
Procuring what information wre could of the country westward over which we were to pass, and
the services of a guide, we returned in thirty hours to our camp, (which in our absence had been
moved but fifteen miles,) by nearly the same route we had followed in leaving it, arriving at noon
on the 19th of August. On the following day we were joined by the experienced and well-known
guide, Antoine Leroux. Here some half-dozen men came to ask for their discharge, refusing to
perform further duty. One who had refused to guard the animals, while grazing in the early part
of the day, was discharged, forfeiting arrearages of pay for a violation of his contract. Two
others preferred their discharge on the same terms, which was granted; the others returning to
their duty. The labors devolving upon Mr. Taplin were too great for his strength, and a due

■ EXRaSURVEYS 38™ ft 3 9™ PARALLELS.

ROUBIDEAU’S PASS. 41

regard for his health compelled us reluctantly to part with him here, hoping that the pure air and
quiet life of New Mexico would restore him to health.

August 23. — We were detained in making necessary repairs, and in obtaining supplies at Fort
Massachusetts, until this morning, when we took leave of the officers of the post, from whom we
had received much courteous hospitality; and, following down CJtah creek for three miles and a
half, crossed it, and passed along the base of the gravelly hills which lie directly at the foot of the
Sierra Blanca, southwest and opposite the sharpest peak of which we encamped, at White Mount¬
ain spring, seven miles from Utah creek, and, in a direct line over the gravel hills, not more than
that from Fort Massachusetts. These gravel hills are a confused set of elevations from fifty to
one hundred feet in height, resulting from the washing away of a former deposit and the crumb¬
ling of the higher mountain masses. The mountain torrents have washed among them deep
channels, and occasional dykes, like vertical walls laid up in regular masses many feet thick,
are left exposed. These hills are covered with branching cedars and pines, seldom exceeding
twenty feet in height. A lew wild hops were observed growing luxuriantly at the crossing of
Utah creek.

August 24. — Following the base of ihe Sierra Blanca on our right, with the broad valley of
San Luis on our left, we encamped, after travelling fourteen miles, on a small stream from the
mountain, which soon sinks in the plain. The grass along our path was scattered, and we expe¬
rienced considerable difficulty in driving over the thick masses of sage which cover almost the
entire surface of this immense valley. We were here nearly opposite to Roubideau’s or Musca
Pass. Captain Gunnison immediately proceeded to examine it: It was found impracticable to
ascend it with horses, in consequence of one of those great mountain torrents, to which all mount¬
ain countries are subject, having swept down it, depositing trees and rocks in every direction, and
tearing the bed of the creek, over which two light wagons crossing from the Greenhorn settle¬
ment to Taos had descended but a few days before, into holes and gullies ten and twelve feet
in depth. For two hours the party toiled up the canon, sometimes on one side of the creek
(which is known as Musca or Fly creek) and then on the other, to the summit, through the upper
opening of which they could look down upon the San Luis valley. The course of this ravine
from the summit is due west for two and a half miles; then north, 80° west, into the valley.
It is 100 feet wide at bottom, with points of the rocky sides jutting into it, making the bed quite
crooked. The sides are about 500 feet high, rocky and precipitous, but can be ascended by a
footman from the stream at the bottom of the ravine as easily as most lofty mountains can be
climbed. The rocks of this pass are chiefly a coarse altered mica slate. The elevation of our
present camp above the sea is 7,6-38 feet, and the difference of level between it and the base of
the Sierra Blanca, 6.25 miles distant, 518 feet. From this point to the foot of the pass where
it opens into the valley of San Luis, and thence to it's summit, there is, unfortunately, a want of
clearness in the record of the estimated distances from point to point where observations were
made for differences of level. I have therefore taken the largest possible distances which could
intervene between these points, presenting the pass in its most favorable aspect. By the direct
path which we followed, this distance, between the foot-hills of the mountain and the narrow
mouth of the pass, is 1.60 mile — the ascent being 450 feet, or a little over 281 feet per mile.
But as these foot-hills are open rolling slopes, the pass could be approached by a much longer
path from the south, distributing this elevation over several miles, bringing the grade for a rail¬
road within 100 feet to the mile. But above this point this pass is entirely impracticable for
a railroad, and but little better for a wagon road, the ascent being in the next mile and a quarter,
373 feet, and in the following seven-tenths of a mile, 377 feet, while in the succeeding three-
fourths of a mile, to the summit of the pass, it is 416 feet; the whole difference of level
from the mouth of the ravine to its summit, 2.70 miles, being 1,166 feet, the summit of the
pass being 9,772 feet above the sea. No apparent obstacle presents itself from the summit
to descending with facility from this pass to the Huerfano river to the north and east; but

SAN LUIS VALLEY.

the western descent having proved so difficult, no further examination of it was made. Our
guide informs us that to the west of our trail, along the banks of the Rio del Norte io where it
enters a plain through a canon from the San Juan mountains, bearing west from our present
camp, and thence above on its tributaries, the valley of San Luis, which in this part is
known to many as the valley of San Juan, is rich and fertile, covered with extensive meadows
of grass, and abounding in game and wild horses. The narrow line of timber, thirty-five miles
distant upon the Rio del Norte, is plainly seen from our trail; but it is represented to be difficult
to cross the valley with wagons, on account of the marshes along the river and the miry banks
of the sunken creeks, and we have therefore followed the base of the Sierra Blanca, which
extends from the Sangre de Cristo to Gunnison’s Pass. To the north of this range, but partially
connected with it, a broken range of mountains extends towards the Arkansas river, called the
Sierra Mojada or Wet mountain, from the constant rains which fall upon it. The Indian name of
the range on the west of the San Luis valley is Sahwatch, but it is more generally known by
the Spanish name of San Juan. The San Luis valley is from 40 to 70 miles in width, and still
more in length, and so level that trees are seen in any direction, growing on the streams, as far
as the eye can discern them.

PEAKS OF THE SIERRA BLAHCA.

CHAPTER IY.

From Roubideau's Pass , via the Coochetopa Pass and Grand River valley , to the Nah-
un-hah-rea or Blue river. — August 25 to September 20, 1853.

Gigantic sand-hills. — Williams’ Pass. — Stampede. — Sand and sage. — Chatillon, Trois Teton, and Leroux creeks. — Game. —
Scene of Colonel Fremont’s disaster of 1848-’49. — Vegetation and soil. — Homans’ creek. — Currants. — Sahwatch spring and
butte. — Coochetopa Pass gate. — Sinking of Sahwatch creek. — Sahwatch valley. — Light dusty soil. — General character of San
Luis valley. — Favorable character for a railroad of the lower part of the Sahw'atch valley. — Deer, grouse, and trout. — Captain
Gunnison’s examination of Homans’ park : its fertility. — Gunnison’s Pass : its position and railroad practicability. — Puncha
creek and country east of the pass. — Indicated lines for roads. — Mountain sheep. — Approach to the Coochetopa Pass. — Car-
nero Pass. — Leaving Sahwatch creek. — Mountain forms, timber, rocks.— Passage and character of the summit of the Cooche¬
topa Pass : altitudes and grades in approaching it, &c. — Method of levelling. — Grades and tunnel. — Existence of a pass north
of the Coochetopa Pass. — Valley of Pass creek. — Valley leading to Carnero Pass — Grades. — Indicated railroad line from the
Coochetopa Pass. — Artemisia. — Coochetopa creek. — Pass Creek canones.— Character of mountain storms. — Grand river: its
character, valley, and adjacent mountains. — Confusion of names. — Character of and passage around the first canon of Grand
river. — Tables or mesas. — Brief general description of Grand River valley and canones. — Fall of the river. — Ice. — Indian
smokes and method of hunting. — Captain Gunnison’s description of Grand Biver valley repeated. — Railroad difficulties. —
Scarcity of timber. — The guide’s dilemma. — Difficulties, character, and passage of Lake Fork. — Delusive basin appearance,
exhibiting the broken character of the country. — Effects of mountain air. — View of the Sierra de la Plata. — Utah Indians on
Cebolla creek. — Indian presents. — Mountain reconnoissance. — Fine view of distant mountain peaks and adjacent valleys and
streams. — Position of the Spanish trail.- — Ascent and passage of the mountain. — Ascending and descending grades. — Valley
of the Uncompahgra: its cacti, sage, soil, &c. — Utah Indians. — Women of great age. — Domestic scene. — Descent of the
Uncompahgra valley. — Utah Indian parties : great numbers in camp. — Indian “ talk” and presents. — Roubideau’s old fort. —
Crossing Grand river.— Difficulties to be encountered in constructing a railroad along the canon portion of Grand river. —
Character of the country below Roubideau’s old fort. — Una-weep canon and creek. — Kah-nah creek. — Nah-un-kah-rea or Blue
river.— Steep eastern bank. — River crossing. — River entrance into this valley ; its size and character.

August 25. — The examination of Roubideau’s Pass being completed this morning, the main body
of tbe party proceeded up the valley, under the command of Lieutenant Baker, while Captain
Gunnison, Captain Morris and myself, after leaving this pass, rode to Williams’ Pass, the
approach to which from the San Luis valley is through a grove of pitch-pine, behind most
gigantic sand-hills, rising above the plain to half the height (apparently, at least, 700 or 800 feet,)
of the adjacent mountain, and shaped by the winds into beautiful and fanciful forms with waving
outlines, for within ceitain limits this sand drifts about like snow. These immense hills are from
eight to ten miles in length, lying along the base of the mountains, and four or five in width, and
therefore constitute a great barrier to the western approach to Williams’ Pass, directly before
which they stand. The stream which flows from it is turned immediately southward, and soon
sinks in the sand plain. These hills are so steep and smooth on the side towards this creek, that
the smallest pebbles started at their summits roll uninterruptedly into the creek, leaving their paths
distinctly marked from the summits to the bases. High up on the sides are seen, at half a dozen
points, single bushes of artemisia — the only vegetation seen upon them, and the only change dis¬
coverable since they were visited by Captain Pike, fifty years ago, when they were entirely
destitute of vegetation, and “ appeared exactly like the sea in a storm, except in color.”

The course of Williams’ Pass as we entered it is N. 58° E., but it soon bends to the left to N.
27° E. We passed up it only about three-fourths of a mile. Its width is about two hundred and
fifty yards, rising gradually as far as we could see. Its walls of rock rise on either side to a
height of some hundreds of feet, and are nearly vertical. Our guides represent it as continuing
for fourteen miles, both in character and direction, as here described ; beyond that it is more

WILLIAMS1 PASS. — SAND-HILLS.

abrupt, terminating at its summit less favorably for a road than Roubideau’s Pass. It is followed
by a large Indian trail. Captain Gunnison did not deem it necessary to pursue the exploration
further, and we left this pass having only made our entrance and exit at its western portal. Turn¬
ing the southern base of the sand-hills, over the lowest of which we rode for a short distance,
our horses half burying their hoofs only on ihe windward slopes, but sinking to their knees on
the opposite, we for some distance followed the bed of the stream from the pass, now sunk in
the sand, and then struck off across the sandy plain, which here extends far into the valley,
and is very uneven, the clumps of artemisia fixing in place large heaps of sand, while the
intermediate spaces are swept out by the wind. As we rose a sand-knoll a few miles from
camp, we were made aware of its position on Sand creek, by a light cloud of dust raised by
the furious charge of frightened horses dashing over the plain; and before we reached it, at
dark, we came up with Lieutenant Baker, who had succeeded in recovering all his stampeded
horses. Distance 10 miles.

August 26. — Our route lay over the sandy plain to the north of Sand creek, which flows around
the north base of the sand-hills, sinking in the plain near our camp. The sand was so heavy
that we were six hours and a half in making ten miles — the sand being succeeded, on the last two
miles, by a light, friable soil, and heavy growth of artemisia. We encamped on Chatillon’s
creek, in which we could only obtain water by digging in its sandy bed. A few scattered cot¬
ton-woods are the only trees upon these streams, on which willow bushes also flourish. The
mountain sides and ravines are dark with low-branching cedar and pine ; but they are generally
of too small a size to be of any use except for fuel.

August 27. — In our course to-day we approached nearer the base of the mountains on the
eastern line of the valley, the soil being still sandy, but much less so than for the last two days.
The sage, however, being no less luxuriant, forced us constantly to wind about to avoid the thick¬
est patches. A few small spots of prairie-grass were passed, and marsh-grass grew luxuriantly
for a few hundred yards on either side of two small creeks which we crossed, one of which, Trois
Tetons, deriving its name from the peaks whence it descends, was so miry that it turned us a mile
directly towards the mountains before we could effect a crossing. To our left we could see fine
prairie-grass fields, directly in the course to the Coochetopa Pass, for which we were travelling
around the valley; but the guide warned us of marshes, and the attempt was not made to cross
them. Thirteen miles from camp we reached a fine meadow of bottom-grass a mile in width,
extending from the base of the mountains far out into the plain, through the centre of which
winds a fine stream of mountain water, named, after our guide, Leroux creek. A few grouse and
sand-hill cranes were frightened from their retreat as we came to camp. Deer also were seen
here and on the mountain bases a few miles distant. Our hunter supplies us with venison ; but
while pursuing a wounded buck, an hour ago, was driven in by a bear, which disputed the pas¬
sage to the prey. The sharp edges and needle forms of the summits of the Sierra Blanca, rising
3,000 feet above the valley, attract much admiration at our camp to-night ; and the promising
opening in the Sierra San Juan, to the southwest, which allured Colonel Fremont to the disaster
of 1848-’49, attracts its full sham of attention and comment, some of the gentlemen of our party
having participated in that misfortune. The pea-vine and barley-grass grow here, thinly scat¬
tered on favorite spots; but the surface of the ground, over large spaces,- is often covered with
effloresced salts.

August 29. — Our course bore strongly to the west to-day in nearly a direct line for the entrance
to the Coochetopa Pass — keeping, however, somewhat to the north to secure a good crossing at
Homans’ creek, on which we are encamped — there being large marshes further to the south, and
the dams of the beaver, which are numerous, flowing the water back to some extent. Our march
was only six miles to this fine little stream, with a meadow of grass on each side, of a mile in
width. Two varieties of currants, a black and a beautiful yellow, grow in and around our
camp in great abundance, and are thought very delicious by the party.

LEAVING SAN LUIS VALLEY.

August 30. — Leaving camp we reached Sahwatch spring and butte, by a very direct course
across the valley, in ten miles and a half. This spring of pure cold water bursts from the base of
the granitic butte which is immediately west of it, but detached from the Sahwatch mountains, to
which it properly pertains. Captain Gunnison observed, on the 31st of August, large volumes of
air at intervals escaping with the water of this spring. This butte is not high, but its isolation
makes it a prominent feature, standing as it does at the puerta or gate of the Coochetopa Pass. It
is formed of coarse, gray granite rocks. The spring sends out a fine little stream, winding south
and east along grassy fields until it joins the Sahwatch creek, which we reached five miles from
the butte in the broad opening leading to the Coochetopa Pass. This stream, which is said to
sink before reaching the Rio Grande, flows past our camp over a pebbly bed. It is one foot in
depth and eighteen in width, with a rapid current. Its valley at this point is five or seven miles
in width, growing narrow towards the west; and there are several isolated buttes standing in it,
but none of them of considerable height. A few cotton-wood trees and a margin of willow
bushes line the stream. The soil passed over to-day was unusually light and dusty, our horses
sinking hoof-deep in it over large spaces.

We here leave the immense valley of San Luis, which is one of the finest in New Mexico,
although it contains so large a proportion of worthless land — worthless because destitute of water
to such an extent where irrigation alone can produce a crop, and because of the ingredients of
the soil in those parts where salts effloresce upon the surface. Its lower portion is adapted to the
cultivation of grain, as we have seen at the Costilla and Rio Colorado; and, if its upper part
should prove too cold for cereals, its fine fields of grass on and above the Rio Grande del Norte,
must make it valuable for grazing. Elevation above the sea 7,567 feet.

August 31. — Five miles from camp the valley narrowed to a few hundred yards in width,
and continued so for most of the day’s travel of twelve miles. At our camp this evening it is
half a mile wide, covered with fine grass, fine bottoms of which we passed several times during
the day. We passed, also, a fine grove of cotton-wood half a mile in length, in which deer
were bounding about in every direction, even passing between our wagons, which were separated
by but a few yards. When ten miles from our morning camp the. sand-hills in front of Williams’
Pass lay plainly in sight, directly down the valley. We then changed our direction, taking a
course for a short distance south of west, on which we are encamped. The hills and mountains
enclosing this thus far beautiful valley, vary in height from two or three hundred to twelve or
fifteen hundred feet, covered with a scanty growth of small pine. No mountain pass ever
opened more favorably for a railroad than this. The grouse at camp are abundant and fine,
as are also the trout in the creek, several having been caught this evening weighing each two
pounds.

On the morning of the 29th instant Captain Gunnison, and Mr. Homans, accompanied by a guide
and four or five men, left the main body of the party and continued up the San Luis valley fey four¬
teen miles to its head, where a small park, into which several small streams flow and unite, forming
a single creek, is nearly separated from the main valley by low hills extending from the mountains
on either side, into the plain. To this park, which is ten miles in width by fourteen in length, as
well as to the creek flowing from it, Captain Gunnison gave the name of his assistant, Mr. Homans,
who located them. In this park the party crossed a narrow strip of alkaline earth, sparsely covered
with grease-wood, to the most luxuriant fields of grass seen on the trip. This grass covers an
area of ten miles by four. Captain Gunnison says, “ this is the prettiest, best watered and grassed
valley, with wood convenient for fuel, that I have seen in this section. Much hay could be cut, and
fine grazing farms opened ; and it is also probable that wheat and flax, and perhaps other grains,
could be raised.” From this park the party proceeded over a pathway of coarse, angular gravel,
formed by the crumbling of the quartzose rocks of the hills, by an inclined plane, to the summit
of the pass— the object of its present examination — which here divides the waters of the Arkansas
river from those of the Rio Grande del Norte. At 1.45 p. m., August 30th, on this summit-

gunnison’s pass.

level, the aneroid barometrical record is 22.26, thermometer 81° Fahrenheit; and at 2.40 p. m.
22.23, thermometer 73°; the mean of which referred to our camp of August 27th, 28th, and 29th,
the altitude of which is well determined, gives for the altitude of this pass above the sea 8,603
feet. Six miles west from the summit, at 4.30 p. m., the aneroid record is 22.50, thermometer
72°; giving an average descent of fifty -six feet per mile for six miles. Three miles west from
this point, at 9 p. m. August 30th, and 6 a. m. August 31st, the records are 22.70, thermometer
50°, and 22.60, thermometer 37°, respectively; giving an average descent of between sixty-seven
and sixty-eight feet per mile for three miles, to the centre of Homans’ park, from which a railroad
can be carried in any direction over the valley of San Luis.

The eastern descent for three-fuurths of a mile, was by a steeper path than that by which the
party had ascended to the summit, to a spring branch of the Puncha creek, an affluent of the
Arkansas, where they encamped, in latitude, by astronomical observation, 38° 25' 04". Being
without tents, the party found their limited supply of blankets too cool, and rose early, the grass
being covered with a white frost — the thermometer standing at 32°, aneroid 22.23 ; and at f 0
o’clock a. m. at this point, thermometer 80°, aneroid 22.35 ; giving a descent from the summit
of the pass of 85 feet, or 113 feet to the mile. One mile and a half from camp Captain Gun¬
nison came to the south branch of the Puncha creek, which is a bold mountain stream; aneroid
at 7 a. m. at this point reading 22.50, thermometer 42° ; and at 12 m. at the same point 22.64,
thermometer 83° ; giving an average descent of over 228 feet per mile. But notwithstanding
this, the character of the ground is such — broad, open and rolling — that it was deemed practi¬
cable by Captain Gunnison to so extend the distance in descending, as to bring the grade within
that upon which railroads operate successfully. He descended without difficulty from this point
through a canon four miles in length to the beautiful plains of the Arkansas, ten miles in width,
which lie above its canon, bearing N. 61 £ £., magnetic. The aneroid record at this point at 9 a.
m., August 30th, is 23.17, thermometer 66°, giving for the four miles an average descent of 185 J
feet per mile. Half a mile below this canon, the north or main branch of the Puncha, descending
from high, snowy peaks to the north and west, is joined by that of his path, and thence gradually
approaches the Arkansas. Heavy Indian trails attest the frequent use they make of this pass in
going to the South Park, and to the Wet Mountain valley, and Hardscrabble, now deserted, and
back to the Rio del Norte and Coochetopa regions. And Captain Gunnison gives it as his opinion
upon the ground, before any computations were made for grades, that “it affords an excellent
wagon and railroad route ; the former by Hardscrabble creek, passing around the canon, or up
the Huerfano river ; and the latter following the Arkansas river through its canon.” As a testi¬
monial of respect to the memory of the officer who explored it, I have given his name to this
pass. On the night of the 30th of August the party returned and slept in Homans’ park, and
rejoined the main body of the party late this evening, during a slight fall of rain.

September 1. — On the crest of the mountains at day-light — some six or eight hundred feet above
us — were a fine band of mountain sheep, some of them large, majestic fellows ; but they did not
tempt the spirit of the sportsmen among us. We continued on the southern course, on which we
encamped last evening, for about two miles, and then turned west, following the Sahwatch creek
for six miles, where we crossed it for the last time, and left the main Indian trail which still fol¬
lows that creek, which rises considerably to the south. This main trail is said to lead through
thick forests of timber, through which it would require much labor to open a wagon road to Car-
nero Pass, equal if not superior to that of our route. We pursued for three miles a fine branch of
the Sahwatch, coming in from the north, when we left it, and, turning west, followed a branch of
this creek, and after a march of fifteen miles, encamped where a low opening in the mountains
afforded a small supply of grass, and enabled us to enter and encamp with our train. The
valley of the Sahwatch to-day continued narrow, as at our camp last evening, and the trav¬
elling in it very fine, at this dry season. The valley of the next branch was still narrower,
varying from 130 yards to 150 feet, and the travelling equally fine; and in the succeeding valley,

CO 6 -CHE -TO -PA PASS _

View looldri|xupSahwafchCreekSe‘ptll:r

COOCHETOPA PASS.

often narrowed until the huge, fallen rocks from either side had passed each qther and lay scat¬
tered over the bottom, the road was still good, although we had constantly to wind around these
rocks, and to cross and re-cross the creek, here, as almost always under similar circumstances,
with soft, springy banks. The pines are confined to the mountain tops and sides, *and but few
are of respectable size. Surrounding our camp they are small but numerous, extending from our
camp-fires quite to the mountain tops. The rocks of the cliffs on all these creeks were porphyritic
trapp and igneous rocks of various kinds. The precipitous escarpments of the narrow lavines
are of the former stone, very porous, and of a red cast, not unlike, but a shade lighter than the
common red sandstone, in formations of from twenty to sixty and eighty feet in thickness. The
cresfs of these bluffs are covered with earth a few feet in thickness, some terminating in larger or
smaller plains of table-land, while others are rounded off into points and ridges. In the dry bed
of a stream near camp we passed over a sedimentary stratum of coarse sandstone, much water-
worn.

September 2. — Captain Morris and myself went forward with working parties, to make practica¬
ble crossings for the wagons at the various points where, from the winding of the streams and
narrowness of the pass, it should be necessary, and to cut out the timber which at various points
quite filled the pass as it covered the ridges, which at this point divide the waters of the conti¬
nent : those of the eastern slope flowing by the channels up which we have travelled for several
days, to the Rio Grandq del Norte, and thence to the Gulf of Mexico ; while those from the
western slope flow into the Rio Grande, or Grand river, one of the main branches of the Colorado
of the West, reaching the Pacific through the Gulf of California.

We found little difficulty on the banks of the creek, but were detained some hours by the
dense growth of quaking- asp, from the size of saplings to a foot in diameter, among which, fallen
in every direction, was an equally large growth of dead aspens. At 11 o’clock, however, we were
progressing rapidly towards the summit of the pass, which we soon reached, and, as we enjoyed
the prospect before us, a slight thunder-shower was not a disagreeable accompaniment. The
elevation of this pass is not enough to give an extensive view, but the numerous small, grassy
valleys, and pine and aspen groves of the mountain sides to the west, afforded us a pleasant pros¬
pect, the more so as it gave hope of an easy prosecution of our future labors, at least for a time.
After cutting away trees for a quarter of a mile down the western slope, we entered an open
prairie, at a spring which sends out a fine little creek, which we followed for a mile, without
obstruction, and encamped, at half-past 1 o’clock p. m., in a fine field of grass, where two or
three mountain rills, coming from as many small valleys, unite. Distance, five miles and a quar¬
ter. Latitude, by observation, 38° 12' 35".

The width of this pass at the summit does not exceed six hundred yards, but the slopes to the
low peaks rising above it are not abrupt. The ascent from the valley of San Luis, by which
we reached the summit, was very gradual, increasing with considerable uniformity until we ap¬
proached it within a short distance, where the ravine of the stream was narrow and thickly tim¬
bered ; and we left it with the wagons, making an abrupt ascent to the right to the level of the
summit, “which we could have reached by an easier grade,” Captain Gunnison says in his notes,
“ by keeping to the left of our track, where the ravine winds gently round to the summit-level.”
The approximate elevation above the sea of our camp at the Puerta, as we left the valley of
San Luis, was 7,567 feet. To our next camp, twelve miles and twenty-seven hundredths above
the Puerta, on the Sah watch creek, we ascended slightly over thirty-nine feet to the mile ; and in
the next fifteen miles, to our camp 3.83 miles east of the summit, we ascended 913 feet, or nearly
sixty-one feet to the mile ; our altitude at this camp being 8,960 feet, while the indicated height
of the summit itself is 10,032 feet, giving an ascent of 279 feet 9 inches per mile for 3.83 miles;
and of our camp on Pass creek, one mile and thirty-three hundredths west of the summit, 9,540
feet — a descent of 492 feet in that distance, or, in whole numbers, 370 feet per mile.

Captain Gunnison describes the system of barometric levelling which he employed on several

COOCHETOPA PASS.

sections of the route explored, as follows : “ The instruments are kept one hour’s distance apart,
and record simultaneous readings at the different points of the route. The barometers being first
read in camp for comparison, say at 7 o’clock a. m., the party which goes in advance moves for¬
ward at once for one hour. At 8 o’clock the barometers are read for altitudes, and the odome¬
ters for distances, and the necessary bearings by compass are taken. A small flag is then num¬
bered and planted at this point, when the advance party again moves forward, and at 9 o’clock
performs like operations ; while the rear readings are made in camp at 8 o’clock, and at 9 at
station No. 1, and so on at 10, &c.”

By this method of levelling we ascended, from our camp east of the summit, 154 feet 4 inches
per mile for the first mile and sixty -two hundredths ; 215 feet 9 inches per mile for the next
mile and thirty-nine hundredths ; 396 feet 6 inches per mile for the following fifty-eight hun¬
dredths of a mile; and 292 feet on the last twenty-four hundredths of a mile at the summit,
or nearly 1,200 feet to the mile. Observations taken for the purpose of ascertaining what extent
of deep cutting could be easily effected, gave a descent of 102 feet in the first 350 feet on the
eastern slope; and, allowing fifty yards for the length of the summit, an equal distance gave a
descent on the western slope^ of 82 feet. But in constructing a railroad, the level of our camps
and path would be disregarded wherever it could be best effected by ascending the hill-sides along
the pass, distributing the elevation to be overcome over a longer and more uniform grade. The
ravine character of the pass is such, however, narrow and direct, (with sides broken by numerous
lateral ravines,) rising to no considerable height above the stream, that the elevation to be thus
gained would be thrown entirely upon the last few miles preceding our camp, 3.83 miles below
the summit, and could not probably exceed 200 feet; If, therefore, this pass be deemed desi¬
rable for a railroad, it will be necessary, after having gained this elevation at this camp, to pass
the summit with a grade of 124 feet to the mile, which will require a tunnel, including a deep
approach from the west, of not less than two miles in length, entering the hill three-fourths of
a mile below the summit on the east, and a short distance above our camp 1.33 mile west of
the summit — diminishing the elevation to be overcome by 490 feet. Below this camp the natural
grade again becomes practicable for a railroad ; for a wagon road this pass is already practica¬
ble. In the Sahwatch mountains, to the north of this pass, another pass exists, leading from one
of the numerous little branches which we passed after leaving the Sahwatch spring, to the head
of the Coochetopa creek, but it is not favorably represented. Captain Gunnison concludes his
notes upon this pass by the remark, “ that it occupied five hours to cut the road and make the
passage of this ridge — the men working hard ; and Captain Morris deserves great credit for the
manner of executing the labor and selecting the route.”

September 3. — We proceeded down the valley of Pass creek in a westerly course, the hills
on each side being cut by small rills, deep back towards their summits, which will render a
winding route and much cutting and filling necessary in constructing a railroad, for which the
southern side of the creek is the most favorable. Four miles from camp we passed a broad val¬
ley extending several miles to the south towards the Sierra San Juan, whose northern slopes are
still covered with large fields of snow. Opposite this valley that of Pass creek widens consider¬
ably, and we passed easily down it for six miles further to where another valley sweeps off to the
south, through which a fine creek descends, and, uniting with that of our path, enters a broken
canon. The valley from this point extends to the south towards the snowy peaks of the Sierra
San Juan, near which the Sahwatch creek is said to rise, flowing north and east along the base
of the mountain to the east of this and the preceding valleys, where its waters approach
nearer those flowing into the Pacific than at any other point. The Carnero Pass leads from
that creek over this ridge, and its summit does not appear more elevated than that of the
Coochetopa, and its western descent much more favorable for a road. Our guide, Leroux, repre¬
sented its approach from the east, however, as more abrupt than that of the Coochetopa Pass,
and did not think it practicable for our wagons to pass through the rocks and timber which

COOCHETOPA PASS.

obstruct it, without more labor than our limited time and the season of the year would warrant
us in stopping to bestow upon them; and for the same reasons, no delay was made to examine
it. The descent from our morning camp for the first 2.24 miles was (in whole numbers) 108 feet
to the mile ; 6S feet per mile for the next 2.15 miles; 93 feet per mile for the following 2.05 miles,
and 42 feet per mile for the succeeding 3.47 miles.

Captain Gunnison says, “ the disposition of the mountains indicates that a line can be carried
from the Coochetopa Pass southwesterly for some distance, passing behind the hills which divide
the two southern valleys described above, and descending the most western one, securing a bet¬
ter grade than by following Pass creek.” This creek here inclines more to the north, and enters
a small canon which sends out several side branches, and we were forced, in turning it, to cross
a ridge to the N. N. E. to another branch of the Coochetopa creek. This ridge was rough and
thickly covered with several varieties of artemisia — the sage so large and stiff that our animals
were very reluctant to pass through it. Distance marched, 20 miles.

September 5. — Following for three miles the narrow valley of the little creek on which we had
encamped,. either side of which is lined with ledges of sandstone, through which numerous small
rivulets have cut deep channels, it is joined by other valleys and spreads out a mile or two in
width, and is, whether wide or narrow, covered with abundant grass. On our right we passed a
very large, elevated, and remarkably round butte, standing quite detached from the mountain
beyond it. Eight miles brought us to the Coochetopa creek, a fine, rapid little stream of twenty
feet in width, which we were repeatedly obliged to cross and recross as the valley narrowed into
gorges, and the stream impinged against its banks, while to avoid this at other points we passed
over the artemisia bluffs. A few cotton-woods were scattered along the creek, but it was gener¬
ally lined only with willow bushes. At one point where we crossed it, ledges of coarse and
crumbling feld spathic granite were observed ; but the rocks were generally sandstone, the light-
colored argillaceous frequently over-lying the red ferruginous. Conglomerate rocks, but slightly
cemented, also prevailed, and a few trap-rocks were seen.

Captain Gunnison ascended a hill one mile W. N. W. from our morning camp, from which he
had a fine view of the snow-clad range of mountains from which the Puncha and Coochetopa
creeks descend. This mountain extends round by the north to northwest (magnetic,) where
Grand river passe*s between it and the Elk mountains. From this point also he had a view of a
snowy peak of the mountains at the head of the Arkansas river, distant in a course N. N. W.
perhaps one hundred miles. From this hill he passed over the broken, barren and slightly
elevated country along Pass creek, which receives many small canones from the west, over which
it would require considerable labor to construct a road; “but it could be carried over this eleva¬
tion by rising below gradually for some distance.” Numerous elk-horns and buffalo-skulls lay
scattered whitening on the hills, attesing the former range of the latter animals to these pastures,
where the small variety of artemisia with a camomile odor, of which they are said to be more
fond in winter than of any of the grasses, flourishes. Reaching the mouth of Pass creek, we
encamped in a meadow of half a mile in diameter, having travelled 15.88 miles. Several times
during the day we experienced very sensibly the sudden changes of temperature to which high
altitude's in mountain regions are subject from a passing storm or a change of wind — our thick
coats being at one moment necessary to our comfort, and the next oppressive. At this season of
the year, rain-storms are here always accompanied by thunder and follow the mountain ranges,
or gather about their summits, which act, by their icy coldness, as natural condensers. And while
I am writing this evening it is snowing on the higher peaks in sight, and a slight shower of rain,
accompanied by violent thunder, is falling on the lower ranges. At this camp our altitude was
7,681 feet above the sea — a descent of 1,134 feet from the head of the canon on Pass creek,
sixteen miles distant, or of seventy- one feet per mile.

September 6. — Seven miles from camp the valley of the Coochetopa, which we experienced the
same difficulty in following to-day as yesterday, and which was here and there lined with bluffs

GRAND RIVER.

of coarse pebbles and boulders, slightly cemented and crumbling, opened into that of Grand
river, on the opposite side of which are high ledges of red sandstone — the base of the Elk mount¬
ains. This valley, for eight miles after we entered it, is from one-half to one mile and a quarter
wide, covered abundantly with grass, the stream being lined with willow and cotton-wood. The
bottom is very level, and is evidently annually overflowed at the season of the meliing of the
mountain snows, the drift of the present season lying scattered in the grass to the base of the hills.
The Elk mountains tower high above us to the west, the hills immediately along the valley being
high and more or less of a table character, or what the mountain men, of Spanish descent, term
mesas — elevated level spaces of land, terminated on one or more sides by precipices and lower
levels. Grand river is at present a fine, clear stream of cold water, one hundred feet wide and
three feet deep, flowing rapidly over a paving-stone bed. Our guide states that its main branch
rises in the Elk mountains to the northwest. This is joined by a large branch from the north
which rises in the range of mountains to the west of the headwaters of the Arkansas river, and
drains the western slope of that range, and of the Sah watch mountains. Following the eastern
slope of the Elk mountains to their termination, Grand river passes to the south and west of them,
where it joins the Nah-un-kah-rea., or Blue river of the Indians and mountain men, which rises in
the Middle Park, and is erroneously called Grand river on some of the most correct maps.

We encamped in the valley on the west bank of the river, having marched but 14.75 miles,
with an average descent of over seventeen feet per mile. This fine little valley is terminated a
short, distance below our camp, by the close proximity of the hills on either side, and a deep
canon presents its giant mouth to receive the river.

September 7. — We recrossed the river at our camp, and proceeded down its southern bank
1.80 mile to the head of the canon, where a small creek enters, which we crossed, and imme¬
diately began the ascent of the hills to pass around the deep ravines which enter the canon
in deep chasms. The hills were very rocky, but we found little difficulty in ascending and pass¬
ing them with our wagons, except from the everlasting sage, which was large and rank, and the
only vegetation on them, although we approached quite close to the base of the tables or mesas,
which are elevated from 300 to 400 feet above our path, and are separated by deep ravines
from a few hundred feet to a quarter of a mile in width. The perpendicular rocks at the head of
the canon are some eighty feet in height, the canon itself increasing to twice that altitude where
a creek enters it from the northwest half a mile below its head. The course of the river in the
canon, for the first mile, is south-southwest (magnetic) and south. It then turns abruptly west,
and continues on broken courses towards the southwestern point of the Elk mountains. The
rocks are granitic, containing large masses of crystallized quartz, glistening brightly in the sun.
After making 3.25 miles over the hills, passing the heads of ravines, we came upon a pre¬
cipitous descent, the first canon having terminated, and an open grassy valley succeeding for
two miles. We had ascended, in this short distance, 735 feet above the head of the canon,
or 715 feet above our morning camp. We had, therefore, to make, in a few hundred yards, a
descent nearly equal to this ascent, on a natural grade of about one foot in five, full of igneous
rocks of all sizes, from fragments and projecting masses, to mighty ledges. The loose surface
stones removed, we attached ropes to the first wagon, which, to prevent accidents, was held by
a number of men. It arrived safely at the bottom of the hill, 547 feet below, and half a mile
distant ; and we dispensed with ropes, and descended with the remainder of the wagons, sepa¬
rated by a few yards, and soon reached and again crossed the river. This valley was succeeded
by another canon, and we ascended the opposite bank of the river for a similar purpose for which
we had labored in the early part of the day. For five miles the ascent was easy, but here we
were obliged to cross a deep ravine, and for this purpose were forced close to the base of the
mountain to find a practicable descent, which, at best, was very precipitous, as was also the
ascent, although not exceeding a hundred yards in length. A mile further on, we again de¬
scended to the river, where a narrow strip of grass afforded a night’s pasture for our jaded

HEAD OP THE FIRST -CANON . OF GRAND RIVER

TABLES OF GRAND RIVER VALLEY.

animals, which had been eleven hours in making fourteen miles. One of our wagons had broken
an axletree in the passage of the first hill in the morning, and did not arrive at camp until late
in the evening. . On each side of the river to-day, and, as we can see, for some days ahead, the
banks rise rapidly towards the precipitous sides of the mesas, which extend back from fifteen to
thirty miles to the mountains. These elevated tables are in classes, each class preserving the
same level, though on opposite sides of the river, and consisting of the same formations — all of
them terminated at the top by a capping of greater or less thickness of igneous rocks, overlaid by
a few feet of soil, on which, occasionally, small groves of trees may be seen. They were formed,
doubtless, by the upheaval of large plains at the same time; and the immense cracks and
crevices of those convulsions have been enlarged, in time, by the elements, and now form the
canones, gorges, ravines, gullies, and passes, which in every direction surround us. While the
current of the river is rapid, and the descent very considerable, these tables seem to preserve the
same absolute level, and consequently become more elevated above the river as it descends.
They are judged to be, to-day, 1,200 feet above it, and not less than 1,500 twenty miles west
of us. Sage alone flourished along our path.

Captain Gunnison rode into the canones several times during the day. He says of the first,
“that it would require blasting one-third of the distance for the construction of a road, and solid
masonry, with many arches for culverts on the whole line — a stupendous work for an engineer.
The second is less formidable, the rocks being more friable, and the curves of larger radius, while
fhe cliffs are but 100 feet in height.” The river, at high water, he judged to cover the bottoms
in places to the depth of six and eight feet; and from a neighboring hill, he esteemed the
country “ the roughest, most hilly, and most * cut up,’ he had ever seen. Hills with flat tops,
hills with rounded tops, and hills with knife edges and points, and deep chasms, are on every
side.” Gray and brown-headed ducks are numerous on the river ; the cock of the plains and
blue grouse are common, and also deer, antelope, and elk. The average descent of the river
from camp to camp to-day was less than ten feet per mile.

September 8. — Last night was clear and cold, ice of some thickness forming in our water-
vessels ; and the thermometer half an hour before sunrise this morning indicated 23° of Fahren¬
heit, but the Sensation of cold is much less than at a much higher temperature in a moist climate.
We were obliged to cross the river twice at this camp to pass around a bluff from a spur of the
Elk mountains, and to avoid ravines on the south, which enter the river at a gorge a short dis¬
tance below. Leroux had gone in advance, leaving a man who had been over the road with him
the previous day to point it out to us, but he wandered off in search of mountain sheep, and our
pilots, after crossing a spur, descended to the river again, where we lost much time in searching
for a ford, the river being narrow and too deep for our wagons ; and we were eventually obliged
to return to the hills, and follow them for a short distance, when we again crossed to the southern
bank of the river, and proceeded immediately from it towards the base of the high tables on that
side. We ascended rapidly, having, however, but one sharp ravine to cross, the opposite bank
of which we ascended only by dint of hard labor, and descending into another ravine, where we
found a small spring of cool water, encamped, with abundant grass on the hills for our animals,
having travelled but four miles, our - camp being 346 feet above that of the morning, although
200 feet below the crest of the ravine. A large smoke ascending from our last camp, from the
grass taking fire after we left it, a larger counter-smoke was seen during the day directly on our
route ahead, made doubtless by the Utah Indians, in the heart of whose country we have been
travelling for several weeks, and whom we expect daily to meet, as we are approaching their
summer hunting-grounds — the elk, which they follow both north and south in the winter, migrating
here at this season. Antelope are also abundant, and are taken by the Utahs by building a pen,
or rather two sides of a triangle, and driving a large district of country, narrowing in until they
themselves form the third side, when they bag the game; and a whipping betides the unfortu¬
nate women , says our guide, if one happens to escape where they are stationed.

GRAND RIVER VALLEY. — LAKE FORK.

As the train left the river, Captain Gunnison ascended a spur on the north side, whence “ a
small part of the Arkansas mountains could be seen through the gorge of the river, N. S0° E.;
the river itself passing him between square-capped hills, which characterize the spurs on either
side, S. 75° W., for perhaps twenty miles. From this position, the reason was apparent why
the guides pronounced the further progress of the wagons along the river impracticable.” “ The
stream is imbedded in narrow and sinuous canones, the dark top outline of which resembles a
huge snake in motion, as the wavy atmosphere conveys the light to the eye. And the little spurs
appear merged into one great connecting ridge, from the mountains at the head of the Rio del
Norte to the great Elk mountains on the north. These spurs have their lowest depressions at the
bed of Grand river, a chasm in the porphyritic and crystalline rocks opened for its passage.
The red sandstone that has at one time overlaid it, has been washed away. The side creeks
from the mountains have cut deep valleys, with perpendicular sides, in the softer rocks ; and
there are left sending many hills of sandstone, which are protected from decay by what appears
to have been lava, cooled under water after spreading over the sediment, which is hardened
into argillaceous sandstone in some places, and sand cemented with a ferruginous cement in
others. In some parts the capping is removed over great areas, and the stone is found in the
bottoms of the streams rounded into pebbles. To look down over the tangent plane to the
canon below, it seems easy to construct a railroad ; but immense amounts of cutting, filling, and
masonry would be required. There is no timber to speak of nearer than the mountains, and
that difficult of access for such a work. Cotton- wood in clumps on the rivers, and dwarf cedar
and pine scattered on the cliffs and hills, will furnish fuel for wagoners.”

September 9. — For the second time our guide returned to camp last night ill at ease, and it was
evident that his two morning’s examination of the route ahead had not only proved less successful
than he desired, but had quite surprised his memory. But we were too close upon his trail to
admit of longer delay in informing us that we had a serious obstacle before us in the passage of
the Rio de la Laguna, or Lake fork, coming into Grand river from the south, through almost one
continuous canon from the mountains to the river, and that he had failed to find an easy crossing.
This morning, therefore, large working parties of soldiers and employes started forward, under
their respective commanders, to prepare the crossing of the creek; and at 2 o’clock p. m. we
received orders to move on with the train. Ascending from the ravine on which we had
encamped, we were forced high up on the mesas, to avoid numerous deep ravines, which we
succeeded in turning successfully, when a short, steep ascent around the rocky wall of the table
to our left, brought us, four miles from our morning camp, to the top of the difficult passage — a
rapid descent of 4,055 feet in length, and 935 in perpendicular height above the stream, covered
with stones of all sizes, from pebbles to tons in weight, with small ledges of rocks cropping out
at various points. Some of the stones had been removed in the proposed road ; but the wagons,
with locked wheels, thumped, jarred, and grated over the greater portion, especially those too
large and deeply imbedded in the soil to be removed, until their noise quite equalled that of the
foaming torrent creek below. At one point, as they passed obliquely over a ridge, it was neces¬
sary to attach ropes to the wagons, and employ a number of men to prevent their overturning.
Two hours were thus employed in descending with our eighteen wagons, and in twice crossing
the creek, in the bed of which we had to descend for a quarter of a mile, before we could gain
a permanent footing on the west side. The creek is sixty feet wide by from one to two deep,
with an impetuous current falling with a loud noise over a bed of rocks and large stones. Just
above its mouth two fine streams, half a mile apart, enter Grand river from the Elk mountains.
Day’s march five miles, through a heavy growth of sage.

September 10. — After considerable labor in removing surface-stones and digging down a few
yards of the opposite hill, too sideling for our wagons, we doubled our teams, and with ten mules,
but not without severe labor — detaining us, however, but six hours — pulled up the load of six to
the crest of the western bank of Lake fork, ascending 480 feet in forty-one hundredths of a

CEBOLLA CREEK.

mile. By the line followed by our wagons, it is 1.50 mile from crest to crest of the banks of
this creek, but in a right line it is only 2,639 feet, or about half a mile, while the perpendicular
descent from the east, as already given, is 935 feet. The most practicable means by which this
immense ravine can be passed by a road, will be by ascending one of its banks by a heavy
grade into the mountains, crossing it by a bridge, and descending the opposite bank — a stu¬
pendous labor, for it will be necessary to cut through miles of rocks and to cross large side-
ravines. But it becomes narrower below the crossing, and proportionally steeper; and Captain
Gunnison, after examining it, thought it, perhaps, not impossible , but very difficult to bridge it.

Leaving Lake fork we continued along under high bluffs, over very rocky hills with deep
intervening gullies, which forced us southward into a valley gorge, which we reached by a
steep ascent, and encamped, after a march of 4.69 miles, under a vertical wall of igneous rocks
100 feet in height, at a beautiful spring of cold water in a fine grassy meadow, through which
a creek descends to the river, distant two miles. This little valley is part of a depression some
four miles in diameter, like a basin in the high table-land among the mesas, which on all sides
enclose it to the eye, although Grand river passes through it, and small streams enter it through
deep, wide gorges in all directions. The agreeable and exhilarating effect of the pure mountain
air of these elevated regions, ever a fruitful theme of eloquence among trappers and voyageurs,
exhibits itself among our men in almost constant boisterous mirth. But violent physical exertion
soon puts them out of breath; and our animals, .in climbing the hills, unless often halted to
breathe, soon become exhausted, and stop from the weight of their loads, but after a few
moments’ rest move on with renewed vigor and strength.

September 12. — Crossing the creek, we followed the ravine valley of our camp southward to
the top of the mesa, and turning westward, passed for two miles along its summit, and descended
with difficulty to a creek two hundred feet below, only to ascend again, by an equally abrupt
path, to the same level, and again immediately descended, by a similar path, to another creek,
difficult to cross only because of the dense thicket of willow bushes which line its banks, and
again ascended to nearly the same level as before, and then wound more gradually down a
long descent to a larger creek, coming through a deep gorge to the south, from snow-peaks,
plainly in sight, of the Sierra de la Plata. We left this creek by a more gentle ascent than
we had climbed for a week before, through luxuriant fields of grass, in which, indeed, we had
travelled during most of the morning, in rear of the mesa adjacent to Grand river, and passing
one or two small ponds of water on the way, descended for five miles to the first branch of Ce-
bolia or Onion creek, the last two miles through a level artemisia field, in which we encamped,
on a small grassy space near the creek, having travelled 13.18 miles. While Captain Morris and
myself were out in search of a suitable camp, a few Tah-bah-was-chi Utahs exhibited them¬
selves on their war steeds, near enough to call out to us. We advanced to meet them, and
a crowd of men, women, and children soon gathered at our camp.

September 13. — Captain Gunnison, this morning, made presents to the Indians; first providing
the chief with the articles which he was to distribute to his people, and then a package for him¬
self. They were very importunate for powder and lead, everything else appearing of little
value to them. We were anxious to purchase horses, but they would sell them only for arms
and ammunition.

We crossed the creek a short distance above our camp, where a practicable ravine afforded
us a descent, the bank being forty feet high and very steep, and passing down it ascended the
other bank by a similar ravine, opposite our camp, to the rolling sage plain which we crossed
to the main branch of Cebolla creek, which we forded, and encamped, after a ride of only
3.75 miles, on a grass field near by, at the base of a connecting mountain range, which here
crosses the valley of Grand river from the Elk mountains towards the Sierra de la Plata — it
being necessary to find a path for our wagons before attempting the passage. Captain Morris
and myself, therefore, with Leroux as guide, and a party of men, rode forward by one of the

VALLEY OF THE UNCOMP AHGRA.

two routes followed by Indians and hunters in passing this range, and reached the summit in
two hours; the scenery becoming more beautiful as we ascended, especially through the gorge
of Onion creek to the south, where vertical columns of rocks stood out high and clear against
the sky, being part of the Sierra de la Plata — a range of mountains to the west of the Sahwatch
and Sierra San Juan — whose sharp summits are broken into a thousand points and angular
forms, and its sides streaked with banks of snow. Our route far behind us lay clear and distinct
at our feet to the mountains about the Coochetopa Pass; and the course of Grand river, with
the Elk mountains to the north extending round to the northwest with a level summit for many
miles, terminating with a vertical descent of a few hundred feet, and then apparently sub¬
siding into a plain. At our feet to the west lay the Uncompahgra river, rising in the Sierra de la
Plata, and flowing northwest through a valley of considerable widih, beyond which a range of
high land was overlooked by more distant mountains, among which the Salt and Abajo peaks
were pointed out to us. The former is directly upon the noted Spanish trail leading from Cali¬
fornia to Abiquiu, New Mexico, and is a favorite resort for the Utah and Navajo Indians for trade;
while the latter is near the junction of Grand and Green rivers, considerably below the fords for
this trail, or, as Leroux says, below any ford on Grand river known to the New Mexicans, and
hence its name. But we had little time to enjoy this majestic scenery, and hastened to examine
the descent to the west, which we found very difficult, and at various places, as on the ascent,
thickly covered with scrubby oak bushes and aspens. The soil is light, but covered with
luxuriant grass. We thought it possible to pass this route with wagons; but the other route,
followed by the Indians from our camp to the Uncompahgra, lay directly below us while
ascending the mountain, and appeared much preferable to the one we had examined; and a
small party, sent out to examine it a short distance, reported it passable.

September 14. — It was 3.80 miles by this route to the top of the steep ascent of the ridge, and
three hours were occupied in its ascent ; our barometers giving a difference of level of fourteen
hundred feet. The top of the mountain was broad, and near the summit we fortunately found
a small basin of water, in our circuitous path to avoid ravines, at which our animals were
watered; but it was too stagnant for the men. From the western slope the valley of the
Uncompahgra could be seen in the distance ; and, striking the dry head of Cedar creek, we
commenced our descent to it. This creek was too narrow and ravine-like to allow us to descend
its bed, and we accordingly circled round on the hillsides, sometimes in grass fields, at others in
dense masses of sage, from which we escaped only to encounter the stiff scrubby branches
of oak bushes, and at length, through a mass of them, to make a precipitous descent to the
creek, which was itself lined with them. Just before sundown we reached a point where Leroux
had, under a rock in a deep thickly-bushed ravine, discovered a little cool and refreshing water,
with which our animals were watered from buckets, and ourselves supplied for the night, which
now overtook us, and we encamped a mile below on a very little coarse grass, having travelled
thirteen miles. Two miles west of this camp our elevation above the sea was 6,962 feet, while
it was 8,755 feet at the top of the sharp ascent nine miles east of camp. The average ascent
per mile to this point, for the 3.80 miles from our morning camp, is a few inches over 368 feet,
and the average descent for the succeeding eleven miles is 163 feet per mile. Some additional
distance can be gained by a winding path in the ascent of this ridge, but not sufficient to make
it practicable for a railroad, which, if at all, can only be carried on this part of Grand river
immediately along its banks.

September 15. — We were still forced to cross Cedar creek several times, each passage requir¬
ing considerable labor in cutting down the banks, before it became wide enough for our wagons
to pass freely down it, which it did two miles below camp, where we found water in pools.
To this point the cacti and sage were troublesome, but were scarcely seen again until we
reached the borders of the Uncompahgra; the hills and valley alike, on each side of our route,
being a light -colored, friable, and clayey soil, almost destitute of vegetation. The valley of the

UTAH INDIANS.

Uncompahgra, efflorescing with salts in many places, is several miles in width, and the stream
is lined with cotton-wood trees, willow, and buffalo-berry bushes, and, by crossing it where it
was thirty feet wide by one deep, we found an abundance of grass and encamped, having
marched 12.30 miles, descending 87.7 feet to the mile for the last ten miles. This river rises,
as I have already stated, in the Sierra de la Plata, which appears to set off from the Sierra San
Juan, and lie nearly parallel with our path, and from fifty to sixty miles distant. Near us are
two or three Indian lodges, the occupants of which were greatly frightened at our sudden
appearance. Their young men being absent on the hills hunting, were too timid to return and
warn their lodges of our approach, for they had seen us, as we had them, long before reaching
these lodges. Those of the women who could, fled to the thickets with their children; but two
were too old to run, and were soon assured of their safety. They, however, experienced con¬
siderable difficulty in calling the young women from their hiding-places, until their men returned
and they no longer feared treachery. The two old women bear unmistakable evidence of having
seen the snows of a hundred winters pass away. They are of small stature, and bent forward
with years ; wearing their coarse hair, still as abundant as in their youth, after the manner of the
women of their nation: cut short across the forehead, and, passing below the ears, across the nape
of the neck. It is a little thinned on the edges, and stands off hideously ugly, but gray only in
a few locks. Their features are dried and shrunken to a mummy-like appearance, with bleared
eyes, and sunken lips covering teeth worn to the gums. The joints of some of their fingers are
stiff and distorted, and all are enlarged to ugliness. These poor objects of humanity are clothed
in ragged, filthy deer-skins, and, on learning that their lives were not in danger, sang and jumped
with joy at their escape from what they had supposed inevitable death. The most domestic
scene witnessed was that of a mother who visited our camp with her four little children — the
five riding the same horse, and all as much at home as mothers and children in a nursery. One
sat in front of the mother, and one was swung on her back on a frame covered with skins, and
two rode behind her, leaving no place unoccupied from the horse’s tail to his neck. Presents
were made to these people by Captain Gunnison.

September 16. — We travelled 18.25 miles down the Uncompahgra to-day, crossing the stream
four miles below our morning camp, and again a few miles before encamping this evening,
a short distance above its junction with Grand river; the descent from camp to camp slightly
exceeding forty-one feet to the mile. The country is in all respects like that passed yester¬
day — cotton-wood, willow, and grass in the narrow bottom, and near it heavy sage; but the great
mass of the valley land is nearly destitute of vegetation — light, clayey, and arid to such an
extent that it is disagreeable to ride over it, as it sends up clouds of dust at every step. We
met several small parties of Indians during the day, all of whom followed us to camp ; and
others continued to arrive until a late hour at night, filling the air as they approached with
yells and calls, which were answered by their friends in or near camp — consisting of inquiries
and directions as to how and where they were to pass — until we were heartily tired of them.
The most of them were sent out of camp, but they built their fires only a few yards from ours,
and their noise was little abated by the change, and our safety but little increased. They
had, much to his regret, recognised our guide ; but he neither showed fear nor want of confi¬
dence in them, although he had once shot one of their chiefs, who was attempting to rob
him of his horse ; and he shared his fire, pipe, and blankets with the chiefs who remained all
night with him.

September 17. — Si-ree-chi-wap, the principal chief of the band, who is now so old that he exer¬
cises but little authority directly — intrusting it to his son, who accompanies him — arrived during the
night, and, followed by his sub-chiefs and warriors, this morning repaired to Captain Gunnison’s
tent to talk and smoke. The Captain informed them that “the President had sent him to look
for a good road by which his people, who live towards the rising sun, can visit those who live
upon the great water where it sets; that the President was their friend, and had authorized

CANON SECTION OF GRAND RIVER.

him to make them a few presents in his name.” The son of Si-ree-chi-wap replied: “ This is
your land, and you can go over it at any time. There are bad Indians over the mountains, who
kill white men, but the Utahs are good, and glad to see the Americans.” Presents were then
distributed, pipes smoked, and the party moved on, accompanied for several miles by the chiefs.
We crossed the point of land lying between the Uncompahgra and Grand rivers, reaching the
latter at Roubideau’s old trading fort, now entirely fallen to ruins. The river is much larger
than where we left it a week ago ; and its water has here a greenish shade, while there it was
colorless. The Uncompahgra, however, is remarkable for this color of its water, and for a pea-
green moss, two or three inches long, covering the stones in its bed, even where the stream is
shallow and very rapid. A mile below the fort we crossed the river at an excellent ford ; the
bottom being a mile in width, and covered with abundant grass.

The canon which we have been so many days passing around, terminates several miles above
the junction of the Uncompahgra with Grand river, where the latter receives a large affluent from
the Elk mountains, known as Smith’s fork. The high ridge, varying from 500 to 1,500 feet in
height above our path, back of which we passed from Lake fork in avoiding this canon, and which
is itself cut with deep canones by the Cebolla and other streams, terminates, towards the valley
of the Uncompahgra, in buttes and clay hills, of which there are two ridges ; the first and lowest,
of gray, and the second of red clay, bordering the river. Alkali is seen in these hills, as it is also
in the plain, and is doubtless the chief cause of the barrenness of the soil. From our camp below
the mouth of the Coochetopa creek, to the junction of Smith’s fork with Grand river, there is
nothing deserving the name of valley. Now and then there is a small open bottom, from a few
yards to a mile or two in length, but at the season of high water the river sweeps over these
spaces, and the stream is never followed even by an Indian trail.

The difference of elevation between the head of this canon section and our camp, a few miles
below its termination, on the Uncompahgra, separated from Grand river by a level bottom only,
is 2,077 feet; and as the distance between these points by the river does not exceed seventy
miles — of which, perhaps, sixty preserves its canon character — the average descent will vary but
slightly from thirty feet to the mile. But from the continuance, for so great a distance, of vertical
rocky walls along the river, ranging from 80 to 1,000 feet and more in height, upon which the road
must be carried, and which can be cut only by blasting, and, from the deep side-chasms to be
passed (as described by Captain Gunnison on the 7th instant) only by the heaviest masonry, it %
is evident that a railroad, although possible, can only be constructed in the vicinity of this section
of Grand river, at an enormous expense — for the accurate estimate of which, situated as the
work is at so great a distance from civilization, where not only laborers, but their subsistence,
must be transported by land carriage nearly 1,000 miles, and where scarcely a stick of timber has
been seen for the last 100 miles on the route, nor will be for the succeeding 150 miles, suitable
for a string-piece for a small temporary bridge, or even a railroad tie, it is not too much to say,
no data exists, nor will until such a labor shall be undertaken. And it would be a waste of labor
to add even a rude estimate of the cost of so impracticable an undertaking.

Ascending from the river bottom, our route passed, parallel with it, over a district of pulveru¬
lent clay, the surface occasionally incrusted with salt, with small broken crystals of gypsum
scattered freely about. This soil is formed from the wash of the impure clay-slate bluffs, our
animals sinking in it to their fetlocks. These bluffs rise one above another until they attain
an altitude of 1,000 feet, their summits presenting the appearance, as we descended Grand
river, of an unbroken plain ; but as we pass in front of them they are seen to be cut into deep
ravines by the small streams which descend from them during rains. In a few miles, however,
we passed from this soil to a hard one, covered with small fragments of black vesicular vol¬
canic rocks scattered over the surface. The men sent forward to select a camp, failed to find
access to the river ; and having travelled 20.33 miles at dark, we encamped without water, and
on so limited a supply of grass, scattered over the hills, that the most of our animals were tied

SUMMIT OP THE NEAREST RIDGES SOUTH OF GRAND RIVER
TrmvemedJn^a^o^arourLRlatora] Danones 12 O'clock, Septal £

VIEW SHOWING. TEE FOBMitON ON THE CANON OF 'GRAND RIVER

NAH-UN-KAH-REA OR BLUE RIVER.

up to secure their presence in the morning. Our elevation was perhaps 150 feet above the river,
and during the afternoon we had repeatedly to cross deep ravines entering the river in canones,
in trap-rock or in sandstone and clay-slate, where they overlie the trap. The land rises from our
camp to the river, distant half a mile, and beyond it is soon elevated into a mountain: the
stream flowing, consequently, in an immense chasm along the mountain side, made, doubtless,
by volcanic action. Much “cutting and filling” would be required in constructing a railroad near
this canon, which the Utahs call Una-weep, or Red canon. It extends from a short distance
below Roubideau’s old fort to near the junction of Grand river with the Blue or Nah-un-kah-
rea of the Indians. The Utahs also give the name of Una-weep to a small stream which enters
Grand river from the south, in this canon.

September 18. — At break of day we moved forward for 8.45 miles, over a country like that of
yesterday, but less broken, and encamped on a small stream from the west end of the Elk mount¬
ains, which are on our right, our course being northwest. This little stream the Indians who
visit us call Kah-nah. The grass, though not abundant, is sufficient for our stock. Descent
from the Uncompahgra, twenty-nine feet per mile, in round numbers.

September 19. — Four miles and a quarter from camp we came to a small creek, running be¬
tween clay banks twelve feet in depth, which detained us an hour in crossing. The canon of
Grand river disappears at this point on this bank, and the bottom is covered with a small field of
cotton- wood ; but we saw no grass either on the creek or river, which is again soon walled in by
rocks of sandstone, numerous bluffs of which we passed. The light friable soil of the last two
days continued to the Nah-un-kah-rea river, which we reached in a march of 12.32 miles. The
eastern bank of this stream, for miles above and below where we struck it, is perpendicular, and
from forty to eighty feet in height — the top of clay and the base of shale. A small gully afforded
us the means of cutting a very steep path for our wagons to the river, which we crossed a few
hundred yards below, at a point where it was but a little over two feet deep and a hundred yards
wide, with a clear and very rapid current — the volume of water being twice that of Grand river.
The opposite bank, although but six feet high, the moment it was cut down and moistened by
the water thrown up by the leading horses, became so miry that we were occupied three hours
in crossing, and encamped near the ford — the grass being coarse, and gritty from a recent over¬
flow. This river enters this valley through a canon or immense gorge, which separates the Elk
mountains on the east from the Roan or Book mountains to the west, and, bending from its
southern course, unites with Grand river just below us. Roan mountain, which derives its
name from the color of its sides of red, gray, white and blue clay, in horizontal strata, destitute
of vegetation and washed into many deep gorges and fanciful forms, sweeps round to the west, fol¬
lowing a course some miles from the river. The west end of the Elk mountains is terminated with
a similar formation; and that to the southwest of Grand river, before its junction with the Blue,
resembles it, although more rocky, and some of its bluffs are scantily dotted with small cedars
and pines. The valley, twenty miles in diameter, enclosed by these mountains, is quite level
and very barren, except scattered fields of the greasewood and sage varieties of artemisia — the
margins of Grand and Blue rivers affording but a meagre supply of grass, cotton-wood and
willow.

The latter stream at the season of melting snows is greatly swollen, and at every step we see
evidences of the great volumes of water which at such times roll forward in its channel or
spread out over its bottom, in the deep channels, now dry, and island now part.of the main land,
covered with huge trees cast up and left by the angry stream. Average descent during the
day, nineteen feet per mile.

Sgr

CHAPTER V.

From Blue River crossing to Green , White , and San Rafael rivers and the eastern foot
of the Wahsatch Pass. — September 20 to October 13, 1853.

Purchase of Indian horses — Indian veracity. — .Soil. — Salt creek. — Indian trails to the Uintas. — Coal hed. — Canones of Grand
river. — Kocks. — Coal —Daily change of temperature. — Aqueous deposits and barrenness of the valleys. — Climate. — Scarcity
of cultivable lands. — Leroux returns to New Mexico. — Details of the country between Grand and Green rivers. — Best position
for railroad indicated: grades, &c. — Fanciful forms of mountains. — Beach the noted Spanish trail. — Disheartening view. —
Ash-heap character of the soil. — Scarcity of water. — Difficulty in the construction of a railroad from Grand to Green river. —
Crossing Green river. — Utah Indians.— Character of Boan mountain on Green river. — Spanish trail followed to Akauaquint
spring. — Grades.— From Akanaquint spring to White river : rocks, soil, water, and grades. — Ascent of the valley of White
river to Clever creek. — Return to White liver — San Rafael river. — Return to the Spanish trail. — Course of this trail, and
character of the country traversed by it from Akanaquint spring — Indicated line via the San Rafael. — Improved soil. — Indians
subsist on buffalo-berries. — The country between Green river and the Wahsatch mountains: valleys, hills, and rocks. Oak
springs. — Indian guide. — Weak condition of our animals. — Grades.

September 20. — Captain Gunnison, for the first time, succeeded in purchasing horses from
the Indians with the public goods which had been brought for that purpose.

The horses were small, but hardy, and we were much in want of them. Our camp was
moved down the river but 9.10 miles, as the Indians informed us that we could not reach grass
beyond that point before night — an artifice to retain good customers; for there was better grass
two hours’ march ahead, and our animals fared badly on the gritty blue-grass at our camp. Lati¬
tude, 39° 0?' 24"; descent, 4 feet 4 inches per mile.

September 21. — The clay soil yesterday and this morning was often very smooth and dry, and
so hard that our shod horses scarcely left a mark on it. Seven miles below camp the river
again enters a canon, near which we filled our canteens for the night, and continued on for 7.30
miles over the same greasewood plain to Salt creek, which we found a mere rivulet of miserably
brackish water, the sands of the bed being covered with incrustations of salt, which also
effloresces widely over the plain. Near this creek the plain is washed into little valleys, leaving
small knolls and ridges standing, which give it a rolling appearance; and our men find much
labor in cutting down the banks of gullies for the passage of our wagons. Bunch-grass is scat¬
tered over the hills towards the river, and our animals drink the creek water freely. Many
trails lead up this creek, and the Indians inform us that they are used in visiting their neighboring
band, the Uintas. Latitude, 39° 13' 12"; average descent per mile during the day, 9 feet 7
Inches.

September 22. — Captain Gunnison found a bed of coal on a ridge bearing north-northwest
from Salt creek canon, and a mile from it, which he describes as being “ 100 feet long by
20 broad, and about one foot thick. It is exposed to the weather, but appears to be a good
bituminous specimen.” Evidences of coal, by the burrows of animals and blackened clay banks,
are frequent. Latitude by noon observation, 39° 14' 15".

We left Salt creek without a guide — Leroux having gone forward some four days since to
examine the route, and show those who accompany him the best road to the Spanish trail, and
not yet returned. We determined, therefore, to keep up the broad, rolling valley between Roan
mountain on our right, and the canon bluffs of the river on the left. The day was very hot
and oppressive, and the soil friable, with the usual amount of sage and an increase of cacti, with
numerous gullies to cut and fill. We found no point at which we could approach the river
until too late an hour in the afternoon to reach it with our train, for it was impossible to travel

GRAND RIVER VALLEY, SOIL AND CLIMATE.

at night with wagons without a road. We encamped, therefore, without grass, near the dry-
bed of what proved to be a small intermitting creek of bitter water. Streams of this kind during
the day time, in the dry season, contain no water, but small rivulets break out and flow during
the night, and again disappear as the sun becomes hot. So many of our animals gave out,
that several of the wagons did not reach camp during the night.

We were here about four miles from the river, which, by following the ravine cut through the
canon wall by the creek, was easily reached on horseback, (and only obstructed for wagons by a
dry channel cut deep in the clay,) at a narrow bottom of fine grass two or three miles in length,
with shady groves of cotton-wood on the banks of the stream. The red sandstone canon walls
are nearly vertical, and two hundred feet high ; beyond which smaller ledges rise above each
other, terrace-like, for some miles towards Salt mountain, which bears south from our camp,
some twenty miles beyond the river. The canon narrows to the width of the river below the
groves of cotton-wood. In a ravine by which Captain Gunnison approached the river, four miles
below Salt creek, and nearly opposite the mouth of the San Miguel, he says, “ sandstone and
clayey deposits alternate one above the other, one layer of which is altered by heat, and much
of the argillaceous rock is black with the appearance of coal having burnt under it. Coal is
found in the canon near our camp, and can be gathered in place, and there can be no doubt of
this being a part of the Green river coal basin formation ; at least, the formation has the same
appearance there as here, and the water from the red sandstone and clay deposits similar crys¬
tallizations.”

We observe the greatest contrast between the heat of the days and nights in these mountain
valleys ; the thermometer from noon to 3 o’clock p. m. ranging, for the last several days, from 87°
to 92° Fahrenheit, and at night falling below the freezing-point. Yet we find a cactus here which
flourishes generally in Texas and warm climates.

The barrenness of these valleys is greatly influenced by the alkaline and saline ingredients of
the soil, while their dryness is easily understood by observing the distribution of the aqueous
vapors. The moment a cloud begins to form, it rushes towards a mountain chain, is poured
in torrents upon its highest peaks, and rushes down its rocky sides into the chasms and gutters
in which the beds of streams lie in the valleys, too deep and confined to irrigate the adjacent
lands to any distance. The higher mountains are also protected by . the clouds to a great extent
from the powerful rays of the sun, which scorch the valleys ; and hence, in inaccessible places
to man, grass and herbage flourish. It is not intended to say that ho rain falls upon the valleys
and plains, but only a very small proportion is deposited there during the warm season, when
the rain comes in showers of sudden formation; but in the colder parts of the year more is dif¬
fused over the general surface. We have seen rain falling in showers usually in the afternoon,
on the mountain-tops, almost every day since we first came in sight of the Rocky mountains,
two months since ; whilst in this valley for two weeks we have been scorched at midday by a
tropical sun, and in the whole distance scarcely moistened, except once or twice, near the sum¬
mits of passes, by rain.

The formation of the valleys is against a system of artificial irrigation ; their absorbing power
being so great that the mountain streams, during the summer, seldom reach far into the plains.
It is therefore only at the foot of the mountains which are not too elevated and cold for vegeta¬
tion to flourish, where the small streams descend, that irrigation can be employed. No part of
the route thus far from San Luis valley, therefore, offers a spot of any considerable extent suita¬
ble for settlement. Sufficient grass flourishes in the mountain valleys of Grand river, east of the
junction of the Blue, for grazing purposes; but it is a significant fact, bearing upon the climate,
that elk frequent them only in the summer, migrating both to the north and south in autumn,
where they remain during the winter, and again return in the summer.

Leroux, with three companions, left us at this camp to return to New Mexico, having completed
his engagement as guide. He expects to travel much at night, and trusts to his tact and knowledge

FROM GRAND TO GREEN RIVER.

of the country for passing safely through the Indian bands along his route. Day’s march, 21.74
miles; ascent, 9 feet 9 inches per mile.

September 26. — Having passed three days in camp, keeping our animals at the river to graze,
we this morning resumed our march and determined to continue our course back of the river hills.
We were not without hope that the fine rain of the previous night (falling freely for two or three
hours) would furnish a supply ot water in pools or in creeks from the mountains. At break of day,
therefore, I started, accompanied by one man, armed, as I observed after riding some time, only
with a spade and hatchet — a gross neglect — to find water, if possible, and grass for a camp; and,
if successful, a smoke was to guide the party to the point selected. The first two or three creeks
passed within a short distance poured down small muddy streams; but as the sun rose hot and
drying, a few hours drained off the surface water, and the beds of creeks soon contained but a
few holes of water, and by 10 o’clock even these were fast disappearing. As soon as I had
ridden far enough for the day’s march, I began my search for grass and water — indispensable
items for the camp of a party of exploration, with jaded and weak animals, and months of labor
before them. So fruitless was the search, however, that it was not deemed possible to find
water; but an extensive view from an elevated position convinced me of the error of deviating
from this course, and I therefore made the concerted signal of a camp, trusting to the fortune
of a more diligent search ; in which threatening showers promised to aid us, and eventually
swelled the rain-water creek on which we encamped to the size of a respectable stream, on
which and the adjacent hills we found a little bunch-grass. The train arrived, after a march of
16.28 miles, a little before sundown, having passed during the day but one or two small hills and
a few gullies. As night closed in, clouds gathered around us; and, as I write, occasional flashes
of lightning and steady falling rain threaten us with a comfortless night. Average descent during
the day about two feet per mile.

September 27. — It continued to rain most of the night, and increased in violence until 10 o’clock
in the morning, when it ceased, and we moved slowly forward over a very slippery and miry
soil — all the beds of creeks, recently dry, pouring down torrents of water, and water filling every
little depression on the surface of the ground ; yet the earth was not moistened more than two
inches deep, the wagon-wheels turning up the dry earth onto the brick soft clay of the surface.
At 12 o’clock- a passing shower sent down such a torrent from the mountain, that, although the
leading wagons had crossed it without difficulty, the others were unable to follow for some hours;
and we therefore encamped just west of this stream, on a hill finely dotted with bunch-grass,
after a march of 5.66 miles. Our route here lies but two or three miles from the base of Roan
mountain, and is much more direct from Salt creek than by following the river to the Spanish
trail, and thence crossing to the ford on Green river, and is less interrupted by deep gullies ; but
in wet weather it would be impossible to follow us with heavy loads, and in the dry season no
water is known to exist on this path, between Grand and Green rivers.

Captain Gunnison indicates the choice of localities for a railroad track as lying still nearer the
base of the mountain, where, however, “much cutting and filling would be required, and many
large culverts necessary.” The thunder-showers of the morning covered Salt mountain with
snow, the effects of which we feel as the wind sweeps round from that quarter, for we can get
no wood, and only sage enough to cook our coffee. Ascent, 71 feet per mile.

September 28. — We delayed our march until 8 o’clock, to derive as much benefit from the sun
and morning drainage as possible, and it was difficult, even at that hour, to make any progress —
mules miring and wagons stalling even on the descent of the hills, which were destitute of a turf
or sward, the whole surface to a considerable depth being of the character of stiff brick-yard clay ;
but after going two or three miles, the soil became more shaly and gravelly on the ridges, and
eventually over the whole surface. We descended a steep bluff in the morning, and passed over
two gentle swells during the day, the last of which was the divide between the waters of Grand
and Green rivers, and after a march of 16.71 miles, in which we descended 12 feet 10 inches

FROM GRAND TO GREEN RIYER.

per mile, encamped, just at sundown, on the remnants of a rain-water creek, and a thin supply
of grass on the hills. Deep narrow gullies cut in the clay soil, with perpendicular sides,
obstructed our progress more than usual to-day, as they were from four to sixteen feet deep, and
from one to twelve feet wide.

The mountain on Grand river is very broken, and during the day presented many beautiful
rocks standing high above the adjacent ledges and ridges. From one position a majestic shaft
stood out clear against the sky ; and chimney rocks were almost hourly presented as we rode
along, with piles occasionally resembling ruins of immense churches and dwellings, and one or
two on eminences, resembling the ruins of mighty cities of adobe buildings.

September 29. — For a mile, in the morning, we continued our course of yesterday, W. S. W.,
and then changed to S. W. for seven miles, when we came upon the noted Spanish trail which
passes the foot of Salt mountain. We then turned W. N. W., following this trail, and encamped,
after a march of 14.07 miles, in which we descended 12 feet 3 inches per mile, at a rain-water
pool, a neighboring ravine furnishing a limited supply of grass ; but, for once, sage was even more
scarce than grass, the country being entirely destitute of wood, and presenting only a picture of
aridity and barrenness.

From an elevated bluff near camp, Captain Gunnison describes the view as desolate and disheart¬
ening in the extreme. “ Except three or four small cotton- wood trees in the ravine near us, there is
not a tree to be seen by the unassisted eye on any part of the horizon. The plain lying between
us and the Wahsatch range, a hundred miles to the west, is a series of rocky, parallel chasms,
and fantastic sandstone ridges. On the north, Roan mountain, ten miles from us, presents bare
masses of sandstone, and on the higher ridges, twenty miles back, a few scattering cedars may
be distinguished with the glass ; Salt mountain, to the east, is covered half down its sides with
snow ; and to the south, mass after mass of coarse conglomerate is broken in fragments, or piled
in turret-shaped heaps, colored by ferruginous cement from a deep black to a brilliant red, whilst
in some rocks there are argillaceous layers, varying to gray or glistening with white. The sur¬
face around us is whitened with fields of alkali, precisely resembling fields of snow. The soft
clayey earth in many places glistens with selenite, and gypsum appears in masses along the
sharp sides of the bluffs, while fragments of obsidian are scattered over the ground.”

September 30. — Our course for six miles this morning was the same as that of last evening, fol¬
lowing the direction of the hills and dry beds of creeks. We then passed through the range of
hills on our right, and again resumed our course along the base of Roan mountain ; these hills
presenting precisely the appearance of immense beds and fields of ashes, being more saline and
friable even than those of previous days, and even more destitute of vegetation, the undulating
descent being relieved near the Akanaquint or Green river by scattered tufts of grass. Groves
of cotton-wood lined the stream, and a narrow bottom afforded grass for our animals for the
night, after a march of 14 miles. The distance from Grand river to this ford, by a very direct
course, is 70 miles, and from Bitter creek, 67 miles by our route, which, except during rains, is
entirely without water. By following Grand river, however, some miles below Bitter creek,
until the Spanish trail is reached, and, following it, crossing a more broken and gullied country,
a spring is said, to be passed ; but its locality is not known to me. This entire section is, how¬
ever, not only crossed with great labor and difficulty, but is utterly valueless for occupation and
settlement by civilized man.

The greatest difficulty to be overcome in the construction of a railroad on this part of the route,
would be in obtaining a firm bed for the superstructure in wet weather ; and for this purpose it
would be necessary to Macadamize the road very extensively. Average descent, 12^ feet
per mile.

Many Akanaquint or Green river Utahs were on the opposite bank as we encamped, and soon
crossed it to beg tobacco, and, if possible, to trade; dressed deer-skins being the only article
they offer for this purpose.

NEAR VIEW OF BOOK MOUNTAIN.

Our latitude at this camp was 38° 57' 26", and our elevation above the sea 3,873 feet ; aver¬
age descent from camp to camp, 42£ feet per mile.

October 1. — We crossed the river by an excellent ford, which we had observed the Indians
crossing, from a few yards below our camp (on the Spanish trail) to an island opposite, and from
its upper end to the shore. The river is 300 yards wide, with a pebbly bottom, as we forded it,
but with quicksands on either side of our path. The water, rising just above the axletrees of
our common wagons, flows with a strong current, and is colored by the red sandstone of the
country through which it passes, having here the same red muddy character which the Colorado
has far below, where it enters the Gulf of California. A fine field of blue-grass, in a grove of
cotton- wood just above the ford, and the lateness of the hour, determined us to encamp for the
benefit of our animals ; but a recent overflow had left a fine deposit of sand on the grass, which
made it unpalatable to them.

Indians thronged our camp for several hours. They are the merriest of their race I have ever
seen, except the Yumas — constantly laughing and talking, and appearing grateful for the trifling
presents they receive. A wrinkled, hard-faced old savage, with whom I shared my luncheon of
bread and bacon, quite laughed aloud with joy at his good fortune. They confirmed the report
we had before heard, of a war between the Mormons and Wah-ka-ra’s (Walker’s) band of Utahs,
and his absence in New Mexico to dispose of a herd of cattle which he had stolen from them.

The Roan mountain, along which we have travelled for more than a week, extends quite to
Green river, and forms one side of the canon through which it descends a few miles to the north
of our present camp. Three miles to the north, if our recent guide is not mistaken, White river
cuts the opposite side of this canon, passing, itself in a canon, through the southern point of Lit¬
tle mountain, which lies chiefly between White and Green rivers, and forms the western side of
the canon of the latter stream. But in reality Little mountain, which is united to the Wahsatch
range on the west, is merely a continuation of the Roan, whose character and appearance at a
distance I have described at Blue river. Here, however, we are but a mile or two from its base,
and its stratified rocks, nearly horizontal, are distinctly visible, extending on each side of the
river on the same level. The mountain itself, as we see it here, is but a few hundred feet high,
generally level on its summit ; yet .there are a few peaks and ridges rising above this common
level, but their character is the same as the lower mountain, which has the appearance on the
side towards us of recently-broken earth, as though the valley had just been sunken or the
mountain thrust up, leaving its sides almost vertical — indeed, quite so with the higher strata, the
talus having only accumulated, at the base. This mountain wall, however, is very irregular ;
deep ravines and gorges extend back into it, giving it, with its regular strata presented to us,
where no sign of vegetation exists, the appearance of an unfinished fortification, on a scale which
is pleasing to the imagination, and contrasts the works of men strongly with those of nature.
These walls may be in height from 300 to 500 feet ; and its strata, in color, are red, blue, gray,
and white. Desolate as is the country over which we have just passed, and around us, the view
is still one of the most beautiful and pleasing I remember to have seen. As we approached the
river yesterday, the ridges on either of its banks to the west appeared broken into a thousand
forms — columns, shafts, temples, buildings, and ruined cities could be seen, or imagined, from
' the high points along our route. Fifty miles apparently below us on the river, the high snow-peaks
of the Sierra Abajo are visible.

Efforts were made to obtain a guide from among the Indians, but no one could be induced by a
display of the trinkets, cloths, paints, and blankets they so much covet, to accompany us even to
the Wahsatch Pass.

October 2 . — Our course this morning, for two hours, was a little south of west, gradually leav¬
ing the river. It then gently changed to northwest — our march being 16.76 miles, following the
Spanish trail, generally over the same friable soil so often noted ; but towards the latter part of
the day, along the borders of a creek, in which we found a little standing water, over sandstone

VIEW OF THE ROAN OR BOOK MOUNTAINS .

ROCK 'HILLS BETWEEN G-REEI AND WHITE. RIVERS,
_ JIcK1 3fWalis.a.LcIiMoTmtains in. die distance.

FROM GREEN TO WHITE RIVER.

hills, the upper strata of which were red, and the lower resembling the yellow argillaceous sand¬
stone of the Arkansas river near Bent’s Fort : a few slate ledges also crop out. We passed but
very little grass, and but few cotton-wood trees were seen along the dry streams, sage covering
the bottoms. At our camp to-night, on the hills, we have bunch-grass, and a fine cool spring of
water, called Akanaquint by the Utahs. Average ascent per mile, 35 feet.

October 3. — Travelling sometimes in the bed of the creek, (dry above the spring,) and at others
over the rocky, friable soil of the hills, we made but slow progress this morning — about six miles
in as many hours — on the Spanish trail. * Its course then bore off more strongly to the west, over
very rocky, broken hills — and we left it, taking a northwest and a north-northwest course by com¬
pass, leaving these rocky hills to the left, and skirting along others to the right, as rocky but per¬
haps less broken and cut up transversely by canones. Following for some miles the bed of a
dry creek which lies at the base of one of these innumerable bluffs, we eventually came upon
the divide between the waters of White and Green rivers, and then, for four miles, descended
the bed of another dry creek, running, as before, at the base of immense bluffs of sandstone, and
very winding in its course, so that we travelled west, north and east, alternately, and once or
twice a little south — encamping just as the sun went down, after a march of 15.77 miles, on a
little bunch-grass, where a small supply of saltish water leaks from the strata into the bed of the
stream. These bluff ridges were apparently formed by the upheaval of the strata of sandstone,
giving a long gradual ascent on one side, while they are. broken off on the other nearly perpen¬
dicularly j.„and they succeed each other like rows of bricks laid in a receding manner, with the
front ends tilted up and the opposite covered with earth. In a few instances the strata of red,
yellow, gray, and white sandstone were observed bent; but they were generally in right lines, with
a dip to the east- northeast. We passed occasional masses of conglomerate rocks, and on the hills
scattering cedar trees and some fine fields of bunch-grass. The day was oppressively hot as we
moved along the bluff's, the sun’s rays being reflected with great force until he ceased to shine
above the horizon. Ascent per mile, for 4.6 miles, 119 feet, and for 1.14 mile to where we left
the Spanish trail, 165.7 feet per mile; but this last distance can be greatly increased. From this
point, for 6.08 miles, the grade is upon the summit-level to the south of White river, succeeded
by a descent, for 3.96 miles, of 111.3 feet per mile.

October 4. — We followed the dry bed of the creek in which we had encamped for five miles,
turning northwest as we approached White river, which we crossed nine miles from camp. This
is a small stream, of cool muddy water, eight inches in depth by twenty-five feet in width, with
a moderate current. Coarse dry cane-grass covered the bottom, where we came to the river
among a grove of cotton- wood and willows ; and dense fields of sage formed the border between
it and the nearly barren hills. We encamped a mile above the crossing, on the thin bunch-
grass of the hills. Average descent per mile, 16.4 feet.

October 5. — Our course for five miles lay along the base of the mountain, with inclined benches
intervening some four miles in width, cut transversely by dry mountain streams. White river
winds very much among high hills, frequently impinging against their bases, and at various points
passing through narrow canones, rendering it quite impracticable to follow near it. Turning more
westerly, we descended a dry creek for two miles and came upon Clever creek, a small branch
of White river from the northwest, winding between high hills and bluffs, and encamped after a
march of 8.72 miles — being timid about leaving the grass, which Was here more than usually
abundant. The soil to-day was less friable than heretofore ; and the artemisia, except for a half
mile just below camp, did not interfere with our progress. The night was cool and the morning
chilly, making fires desirable; but before noon the sun was very hot. Average ascent, 41.85 feet
to the mile.

October 6. — Our northwest course was continued for four miles and a half, when we left the
branch on which we had encamped, turning to the west up a narrow valley, which we followed
for some three miles, and then took an Indian trail leading W. S. W., crossing a low ridge to

FROM WHITE RIVER TO THE SAN RAFAEL.

another creek, which the trail descended for a couple of miles, and then ascended a hill towards
White river, until we overlooked that stream just at our feet. But the descent was so steep that
we were forced to turn from our southwest course directly north ; and were then occupied two
hours in descending the half mile of bluff to the river bank, crossing the stream and encamping
on the opposite hill, having travelled by an unnecessarily serpentine path, 11.11 miles. The
bunch-grass was thin on the hills and in the ravines, and the river-bottom only afforded willow-
bushes and dry cane-grass. Buffalo-berries grow in great abundance at our camp, and are es¬
teemed very edible by the party, and are a fine relish when stewed. Latitude, by noon obser¬
vation, 39° 27' 00''. 4. Average ascent, 23 feet per mile.

The Little mountain, sometimes from the regular appearance and variegated color of its strata?
like the Roan, called the Book mountain, lay during to-day’s march plainly in view from Green
river north and west, to where it apparently joins the first range of the Wahsatch — a low mount¬
ain, resembling the former in all respects, which extends aroi nd to the west and southwest,
White river coming from a low depression in it nearly north of our present camp. Latitude
39° 26' 48".

October 7. — The thermometer at sunrise indicated 31°, and at noon in the shade '82° Fahren¬
heit. Passing from the bluff on which we encamped last night, over rolling barren hills, we
entered a small valley coming from the southwest, in which we again came upon the trail we
were forced by the hills to leave yesterday, and followed it during the day in a very direct course,
passing small pools of water occasionally, and fields of bunch and grama grasses. Our camp,
after a march of 13.26 miles, without reaching the summit of the hills drained by White river, is
at one of these pools, in the bed of a creek, and the valley and hills promise favorably for our
animals to-night. Ascent, 38 feet per mile.

October 8. — Two miles from camp we passed the divide between the waters of the White and
San Rafael rivers ; and in eleven miles reached and crossed the latter stream, which at present,
without the appearance of being swollen, is twice the size of the former, its waters deriving a
milky appearance from the clay of its banks. There is not a tree at the point where we crossed
this stream ; a narrow bottom is covered with dry grass and willow-bushes, intermixed with the
buffalo-beiry bush thickly covered with fruit. Two miles and a half from the San Rafael we
came upon a branch of that river of half its size, with dry grass covering bottom-lands a half
mile in width, with the usual bushes and a few cotton-wood trees on the margins of the creek.
Captain Gunnison, who was in advance as we approached camp, observed an Indian ascending
the opposite side of the valley, and, discharging his pistol, made signs for him to approach, which
he did after some hesitation, galloping at a rapid rate with his rifle held ready for action, fearing
we were Mormons, with whom he informed us his people were at war, boasting of their feats
of prowess. At this camp the cochineal insect was observed on the prickly pear. Day’s march,
13.17 miles. At sunrise the following morning the thermometer stood at 26°, and ice formed, in
basins of water, a quarter of an inch thick ; but before noon the thermometer was again above
summer heat. Average descent, 22 feet to the mile.

October 10. — Two miles from camp, in a nearly southern course, we came again upon the
Spanish trail, which we left a week ago to avoid the rocky hills which lay in front of us, passing
to the north by a route which, from a want of knowledge of what route exactly to pursue to
secure the best road and a supply of grass and water, may have been extended too far. We
struck lower down on White river than it would be necessary to do if the march from Akana-
quint spring to that river could be made in one day, or if water could be found at some interme¬
diate point. The distance from the spring to the river, at a point near the northwest end of the
Rock hills, can probably not exceed twenty-five miles. The Spanish trail itself, however, if it
can be followed with wagons, is much shorter than the route here indicated ; and I see no reason
to apprehend any insurmountable obstacle from the appearance of the country, much of which
was in view as we passed around it. But the distance from the Akanaquint spring to the San

EASTERN BASE OF THE WAHSATCH RANGE.

Rafael by this trail may reach thirty miles ; and although there was water on it at a point ten
miles from the spring when we passed it, I did not see it, and am not informed as to its perma¬
nence. But, as the country is very broken and generally arid, only actual exploration can deter¬
mine its practicability, which, however, I cannot think more difficult than the route we have fol¬
lowed, and it would certainly not be one-half the distance. The San Rafael also deserves an
examination ; for if it is practicable to ascend it, a better route might possibly be found to Grand
river, from the confluence of the former with Green river, than the one we followed. The soil
became more gravelly and firm to-day, while the hills are less difficult of ascent on their bluff
sides ; but they are equally barren — a few small cedars on the summit of the Wahsatch range,
dry grass, willow and berry bushes, with a few cotton-wood trees along the streams, and a few
small bunches of sage, being the only vegetation seen on a march of 11.40 miles. The third
branch of the San Rafael, called Garambulla by the Indians, of the size of the second, we
reached six miles from the morning camp and crossed at our present one. The few Utah Indians
who live here seem to subsist almost entirely on the buffalo-berry, the bushes growing on the
banks of the creeks in abundance. These berries, which are of the size of currants, grow in
great profusion upon the smallest bushes, and are rattled off into skins spread under the bushes.
The juice, which is very considerable, is expressed by the hands, and the residue eaten. These
Indians are, however, many of them mounted, and we succeeded in purchasing horses from them.
Ascent, 25.61 feet per mile.

October 11. — The Spanish trail, though but seldom used of late years, is still very distinct
where the soil washes but slightly. On some such spaces to-day we counted from fourteen to
twenty parallel trails, of the ordinary size of Indian trails or horse-paths, on a way of barely fifty
feet in width. Specimens of coal were brought in from the hills near camp, Captain Gunnison
and Dr. Schiel differing in opinion as to its quality. A small variety of artemisia — and we have
often seen it on the route — grows here in small quantities, of which our mules are quite as fond
as of grass. We encamped on Big Rock creek, after a march of 13.46 miles. It is a small
stream, destitute of timber. Ascent, 17 feet per mile.

October 12. — Thermometer at sunrise 21°, and 72° Fahrenheit only during the day. The
broken valley between the Rock hills, which occupy nearly the whole space between the Wah¬
satch mountains and Green river, is two miles in width at our last camp, six miles from which
we descended a steep bluff, and crossed a small creek as it enters a canon in these hills.
Four miles from this canon, we reached the foot of a small valley, on the eastern border of
which a creek descends from the south from a spur of the Wahsatch range, which sets off to the
southeast from the Wahsatch Pass. A series of sandstone spurs, rising one above another, sets
down from this southern range, joining the Rock hills to the east, whilst numerous small
lateral valleys branch off to the west towards the gorges, among sandstone peaks and tables
overlying clay, which form the eastern range of the Wahsatch mountains. These blmsh clay
cliffs, from two hundred to three hundred feet high, are capped with red and argillaceous sand¬
stone a hundred feet thick, and thence sweep gently up to the summits of the mountains. The
soil of the valleys varies from ashy friability, whitened more or less with effloresced salt, to
hard clay sprinkled with pebbles — the whole country being utterly worthless. We encamped,
having marched 15.65 miles, at Oak spring, which furnished us with an abundance of cool water;
and a few acres of dry grass was found on a small stream near by, to which Captain Gunnison
gave the name of the commander of his escort, Morris.

Tewip Narrienta, or Powerful Earth, one of our Utah acquaintances of four days’ standing,
came up with us to-day, having overcome his fear of the Mormons so far as to determine him to
accompany us three or four days as a guide. Many of our mules came into camp quite broken
down, and, although appearing in good condition, are so weak and leg-weary from months of
incessant labor, that it is with great difficulty they can haul our light wagons even a few miles a
day. Average ascent, 53 feet to the mile.

CHAPTER VI.

From the eastern base of the Wahsatch mountains , via the Wahsatch Pass and Sevier
river , to near the Sevier lake , the most western point of explorations, and back to Cedar
springs , after the death of Captain Gunnison. — October 13 to 28, 1853.

Akanaquint creek. — Eude figures drawn on rocks. — The Wahsatch Pass. — Character of the hills to the east and west of the
pass. — Grades. — Tunnel. — Salt creek. — Swambah creek. — Spanish trail. — Un-got-tah-bi-kin creek. — Col. Burwell and Mr.
Boss.— Tewip Narrienta. — Course of the Spanish trail to the west. — Wahsatch mountain reconnoissance. — Salt Creek canon :
its length, character, and grades for a railroad. — Wagon trail. — Entering Sevier Eiver valley. — Moot-se-ne-ah Peak. — Mountains
surrounding the Sevier Eiver valley. — Mormon settlements. — Vegetation of the valley. — Sevier river. — Captain Gunnison’s
statement of the result of his explorations for mail and military roads and for railroads. — Manner in which their duties were
performed by the gentlemen of his party. — San Pete creek. — Eoad from Great Salt Lake to California. — Captain Gunnison’s
visits to Manti. — Cross the Sevier river. — Lake valley.— Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains. — Fillmore. — Sevier Lake valley. — Eabbit
fences. — Eeturn to the Sevier river. — Departure of Captain Gunnison and party to explore the Sevier lake. — Extract from his
journal. — Party ascending the Sevier river. — Sand-hills. — Eiver course. — Sage. — Canon of the Sevier river. — Un kuk-oo-ap
mountains terminate. — First intelligence of the disaster to Captain Gunnison’s party. — Departure of Captain Morris to the
scene of the attack. — Stragglers. — Movement of the train and party to Cedar springs. — Eeturn of Captain Morris. — Scene of
the disaster. — Bodies of the slain. — False charges against the Mormons.

October 13. — Passing a low break in a ridge of hills to the south of our camp, after a ride of a
mile we reached the Akanaquint, a small mountain brook of two feet in width, running over a
stony bed, well skirted with bushes, but without grass. We turned up this creek nearly due
west, following its narrow gorge, averaging in width from one hundred to two hundred yards,
walled in on either side by high hills of nearly perpendicular sandstones, often water-worn into
holes, from which, our Indian guide informed us, the stream received its name. He also told us
that a circle in red, high up on a sheltered rock on the face of one of the hills, where some rude
human figures are seen, also sketched in red lines, was called Akanaquint. These rude figures,
in the place in which they are seen, were a great wonder to him, and he had often attempted to
describe them to us during the previous day, telling us that they had been made by an American
captain — all chief men of parties are captains with these Indians — who had passed here on his way
to California, which the Indians know by the name of Monterey; and, in pointing them out to
us, he seemed to think he was showing a remarkable sight. This gorge is cut into deep gullies
by streams which pour down from the mountains during storms, which gave us some labor to
cross; and a small stream coming in from the south also detained us a short time. But, alter
following it for two miles and a half, the Spanish trail branches ; the southern branch, following
the stream, passes over a higher elevation and soon rejoins the northern branch, which, though
longer, crosses the mountain at a lower depression. We followed this branch, the hills becoming
less high above us, more open and smooth, and covered with dry grass and bushes, and, by a
quite gentle and uniform ascent over a fine road, reached the summit of the Wahsatch Pass, the
eastern rim of the Great Basin, three miles from the Akanaquint creek. The hills in the imme¬
diate vicinity of the summit scarcely rise above the pass, while the country, both to the north and
south, as far as the eye can reach, is exceedingly rough. A large range, through which no pass
is known to exist, bears off from this pass southeast towards the Sierra Abajo. To the west, but
little can be seen over the intervening peaks, except the summits of the mountains, thirty miles
distant, on the western border of the valley of the Sevier river.

F or two hundred yards the descent of the opposite slope is steep, but was passed with the same

WAHSATCH PASS.

ease as the ascent ; and we thence followed a small ravine of dry grass, varying in width from
one hundred to three hundred yards, from the summit to our camp. Salt creek issues from
springs in this ravine, half a mile from the summit of the pass, and flows into the Sevier (Nicol¬
let) river. It derives its name from the crystallized salt found in the red-clay bluffs of the mount¬
ains, its waters being cool and fresh. A few grouse started up as we rode forward, and a large
number of sand-hill cranes circled high above the mountains, uttering their peculiar note — pleas¬
ant sights to travellers over barren wastes, enlivened by animate nature only here and there, by a
pigmy rabbit or a hungry raven. The hills, ravines, and peaks differ materially to the west or
the summit from those to the east. Here, although vegetation is entirely withered by frost, it
covers the whole face of the country and gives it a pleasant, cheerful aspect ; whilst there it is
dreary and desolate indeed, relieved only at intervals by scattered sage, the grass of the river
bottoms, and more rarely of the hill-tops. A keen northwest wind whistled about us during the
day, sharpened by a few drops of rain, icy cold ; but our camp-fires to-night burn brightly and
pleasantly, the wind having subsided, while our animals have, for the first time for days, entirely
. ceased their disagreeable cry to feast on the abundant grass.

The narrow sandstone ridge, passed just above our morning camp, can easily be cut for the
passage of a railroad. Its summit is 129 feet above that camp, which is distant, in a direct line,
sixty hundredths of a mile, which, however, can be considerably increased by taking advantage
of the natural formation of the approach. On Akanaquint creek, one mile and eight hundredths
above this point, we had ascended but 44 feet. In the next mile and sixty-six hundredths, the
ascent is 232 feet, or 140 feet to the mile ; and 253 feet in the following one and thirty-four hun¬
dredths miles, or 189 feet per mile, while it is 186 feet per mile for the next mile and seventy-four
hundredths. From this point to the summit of the pass, it is twenty-two hundredths of a mile ;
the ascent being 49 feet, or 223 feet per mile. The altitude of this pass is 7,820 feet above the sea.
From the summit, the descent westward is 218 feet per mile for the first mile and nine-tenths;
and 137 feet per mile for the next mile and se ven- tenths ; and 202 feet per mile for the following
ninety-seven hundredths of a mile to our camp.

The defile character of this pass is such, that it. must be approached by the line we followed
without material extension, by which, however, a heavy uniform grade of 125 feet per mile can
be carried, by a side location on the steep, rocky approach, after reaching the Akanaquint creek, to
within one-third of a mile of the summit, where a short tunnel, with deep approaches, will be
required — the whole not exceeding three fourths of a mile in length — diminishing the elevation to
be overcome by from 175 to 200 feet, and giving a grade of 131 feet per mile for 3.6 miles west
of the summit, and thence to the vicinity of our camp, or even less than this, by keeping on the
side of the ravine above Salt creek. Latitude, by noon observations, a few hundred yards east of
the summit, 38° 45' 37".

Salt creek, our Indian guide says, (as well as we can understand him, and the appearance of
the mountains confirm his statement,) enters a large canon two miles below our camp, in a very
direct course to the Sevier river. Through this canon, he says, there is a horse-trail, but that it is
impossible for wagons to pass through it without removing the rocks. The stream, to where it
enters this gorge, continues its easy descent.

October 14. — Leaving the little valley of Salt creek, while a dense cloud enveloped the mount¬
ains, which, however, was soon dissipated by the sun, we passed over a small hill to the south, and
almost immediately struck a fine little stream, which we ascended for half a mile, and then cross¬
ing another divide to the southwest, reached the Swam-bah, an ice-cold creek, two or three feet
wide, falling over a rocky bed. This stream rises to the south in one of the highest ranges in the
vicinity, on which are large banks of snow, and flows in a narrow ravine, in a nearly direct line
for ten or fifteen miles, as seen from the summit of a high peak ascended during the day. It is
densely lined, throughout its entire length, with willow-bushes, interspersed with aspens and a few
spruce and pines. The Spanish trail, leading for a short distance up this creek, the guide repre-

CROSSING THE "WAHSATCH MOUNTAINS.

sented to be much more practicable than any other for wagons ; and we therefore followed it for
two miles and three-quarters, to where the trail leaves it. The labor on this short space was
very considerable, occupying a large party the whole day in cutting willows and digging down the
banks to allow us repeatedly to cross and recross the creek, and to pass along the narrow ravine ;
two wagons having overturned after the road was deemed practicable. Our progress was five
miles during the day, encamping at sundown at the mouth of a beautiful ravine of abundant grass,
with fine groves of aspen on the hill-sides — almost the only timber visible in this part of the mount¬
ains — for our camp-fires ; and the loveliness of our camp, in this mountain vale, is increased by a
clear sky and bright moon. Barometers give us an elevation of 679 feet above our morning camp.

October 15. — Rising rapidly for half a mile, the little ravine in which we had encamped termi¬
nated, and we ascended its eastern slope by a steep path through a small aspen grove ; and then
following the ridge, rising still more rapidly for the next half mile, we passed over its summit
which divides the waters of the two little creeks of our last and present camps, the Swam-bah
and Un-got-tah-bi-kin — an elevation considerably higher than that of the WahsatchGap. We
then descended into the valley of the last-named creek, which we followed during the remainder
of the day, encamping just before sundown at the junction of this with another small creek from
the southeast. Here the valley opens to the width of half a mile, and the surrounding hills are
much lower than those over which we have been passing. The hills and valleys in every direc¬
tion sustain the character of those of the last two days, in beauty and in the luxuriance of the
grass, and absence of large trees. The labor of preparing the road, though considerable in re¬
moving scrubby oaks, pines, cedars and rocks, was much less than that of the preceding day;
but we only made eight and a fourth miles from early morning to late evening, having passed a
high mountain and descended 1,100 feet below the level of our morning camp.

Colonel Burwell and Mr. Ross, from the party emigrating to California and driving stock for
that market, who have continued to follow our route during the summer, from a week to ten
days behind us, came into our camp just after dark, with their horses quite broken down from
hard riding, having left their party at Green river and taken six days to make the distance which
has occupied us for two weeks. Having exhausted their supply of provisions, they have come
to us for relief, and will return to-morrow to meet their friends wTith the small amount we are
able to furnish them. I have already noticed their loss of fine horses by a stampede, as we were
starting out. A similar misfortune overtook them above Fort Atkinson, on the Arkansas river,
attended with the loss of several of their riding-animals. Some of their sheep fell sore-footed
while on that part of the route, also, and were unable to travel; and recently, near Green river,
they were forty hours without water, and a few of their cattle, coming to water in a miry pool,
crowded over each other with such violence that some of them were never recovered from the
mire. The Indians on the Uncompahgra had threatened to fight them if they persisted in cross¬
ing their country, but, finding they could not intimidate them, did not attempt to execute the
threat. On Green river the Indians assisted in crossing the sheep, but had slyly pierced three or
four with arrows as they were feeding among the bushes, although they had been presented with
half a dozen. They represent their cattle and sheep to be in superior condition, and in passing
through the lower settlements in this Territory, they were so represented — a fact which bears
directly upon the grass on this route.

Timber upon the mountains, near our camp, alone is wanting to make the evening scenery, in
the clear full moon, as delightful as mountain travellers can desire.

October 17. — Our Utah guide, Tewip Narrienta, left us this morning to return to his squaw and
papoose, for whom he expressed much fear lest in his absence they might suffer for want of food;
but, as they were subsisting when he left them on the still abundant en-carpe, or buffalo-berries,
gathered by the squaw, there was no doubt that his anxiety was attributable to our proximity to
the Mormon settlements. He repeatedly warned us against these people. His services for the
few days that he was with us were valuable ; for he was one of the best guides I have ever seen,

SALT CREEK CANON AND SEVIER RIVER VALLEY.

and was as good a judge of natural wagon roads as any one, and was of course familiar with his
own hunting-grounds.

Crossing the creek near our camp in the morning, we ascended a low depression in a high
ridge to the northwest, and descended by a good road for two or three miles, to a narrow ravine.
Near the head of this ravine, the Spanish trail turns to the west up another small ravine, and passes
over two series of hills, divided by large depressions and creeks, and then crosses the Sevier river,
as we are informed, below the junction of its main forks ; thence it ascends the San Pasqual, and
passes over the west range of the Wahsatch mountains to the vicinity of Little Salt lake “ on a
route,” Captain Gunnison says, and a large section of it was plainly in sight, “ entirely unsuitable
for a railroad.” We continued to follow the Indian trail down the first ravine, which was very
narrow and rocky, with a deep channel winding from side to side, which had constantly to be cut
to allow the wagons to pass, and for which, rocks, small cedars, and pines had also to be removed.

White, red, and blue clays, and coarse sandstone, formed the sides of the ravine ; and it was
apparent that, in passing from the district of igneous rocks, we were descending from the fine
grazing regions of the mountains to the arid districts of the plains. Eight and a half miles from
camp we again crossed Salt creek, which has united with the other small branches we have
passed on this slope of the mountains, and is here a fine stream, twenty feet in width, with a
strong current. “ I have reconnoitred,” says Captain Gunnison, “ much of this mountain and
hilly region while the party has been engaged in its passage. From a high ridge which I
ascended on the 14th instant, the valleys of the San Pasqual and Sevier rivers were plainly
marked out, and to the northwest a broad opening in the mountains, the passage of the Sevier
river, presented itself. On all sides were mountains, peaks, and ridges, abrupt bluffs with white
cliffs capping the summits; and the deep canon, which has driven us over a mountain much
higher than the summit of the pass itself, lay three miles to the north. Through this a railroad
track might be made, but, owing to the cutting of rock, at a very great expense.”

The canon which we thus passed around, by a circuit of twenty miles, cannot exceed sixteen
miles in length ; but its walls must be often broken by the entrance of lateral streams, and are
not generally perpendicular. The altitude of our camp of the 13th instant, two miles above the
head of this canon, is 6,975 feet, to which seventy-five feet should be added to connect at that
point with the estimated grade for a road, which will require an average descent of ninety-five
feet per mile for the eighteen miles intervening between that camp and our present position,
1,706 feet below it.

A pleasant sight to us, in crossing this creek, was a few wagon-tracks, after months of toiling
without a road, and frequently without trails even, in an unexplored and wild country. These
wagons had been here, as we subsequently learned, to procure salt, which is shovelled from
the red clay hills, where it is found in the mountains, and is itself red. Following the creek
for 2.65 miles, with a descent of ninety-one feet per mile, we entered the broad valley of the
Sevier river, leaving the high mountains we have crossed to the east, a beautiful high peak
of which, capped with white sandstone or clay, the Indians call Moot-se-ne-ah. To the south,
perhaps fifty miles, the valley is terminated by a high cross range, from each end of which
a main branch of the Sevier river descends — the eastern being known as the Se-ki-ber, the
Indian name of the mountain; on the west a range of the Wahsatch mountains, Un-kuk-oo-ap,
extends to the north, until broken by the passage of the river, beyond which, in a low range, it
still extends to the north ; to the east of this range, and north of our present camp, a fine valley
sets off from that of the river, and is watered by several fine mountain streams, tributaries of the
Sevier, on which there are considerable Mormon settlements. The width of the Sevier River
valley is from four to seven miles, and its length from fifty to sixty, without a tree, and with but
little vegetation of any kind, even the sage-bushes being thin and scattered. As we entered it,
we bore down the river to the north in search of grass, which is very limited, even in the river
bottom, and is confined almost exclusively to its western bank. We encamped, however, on its

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY.

eastern bank, on a small field of dry scattered grass, after a march of 14.27 miles, descending
twenty-seven feet per mile for the last 3.13 miles, from- the foot of the mountain, to the river.
The altitude of this camp is 5,019 feet.

The river winds from side to side of an immense ditch, with banks cut perpendicularly in the
clay soil, from six to ten feet above the surface of the water. This channel, which may be a
hundred yards wide, encloses also the bottom lands and all the grass of this immense valley.
The stream is thirty-five yards wide by one deep, with a moderate current ; and it winds so con¬
stantly in this narrow passage that it is very difficult, standing on its banks, to follow its course
with the eye. The bottom lands are but a few inches above the surface of the water, and are
annually overflowed. In entering this valley, Captain Gunnison, with two or three men, rode
forward, in advance of his party, “ and enjoyed the scene extremely. On reaching this plain a
stage is attained,” he says, “which I have so long desired to accomplish : the great mountains
have been passed and a new wagon road open across the continent — a work which was almost
unanimously pronounced impossible, by the men who know the mountains and this route over them.

“ The result is, a new mail and military road to Taos, in New Mexico, by way of Fort Massa¬
chusetts; which, with a little work on Gunnison’s creek and a hill near Taos, will be very direct
and easy, with excellent feed and water all the way.

“ 2d. A road for the southern States to California, and for emigrants who are late in starting
from the States.

“3d. A military road to, and command of, the Utah country, passing into the centre of the
territory of that people at Grand river, from whence radiate trails to all points of the compass.

“ 4th. It is demonstrated that, for a railroad route, it is far inferior to the Middle Central, by
Medicine Bow river, and Laramie plains. It passes some thousands of feet higher, and also
lower, and is much longer from St. Louis.

“ To the energy, zeal, and ability of Lieutenant Beckwith, and Brevet Captain Morris, in super¬
intending the working parties and conducting the train, the expedition is greatly indebted. That a
road for nearly seven hundred miles should have been made over an untrodden track, (except in
some places by pack-mules and footmen,) through a wilderness all the way, and across five
mountain ranges, (the Sierra Blanca, San Juan, Uncompahgra, Sandstone, and Wahsatch,) and a
dry desert of seventy miles between Grand and Green rivers, without deserting one of our nine¬
teen wagons, and leaving but one animal from sickness and one from straying, and this in two
and a half months, must be my excuse for speaking highly of all the assistants on this survey.”

October 18. — Through the negligence of the men in charge of the mules, they were allowed to
wander entirely away from the camp, and some of them were found thirteen miles back on the
road near our previous camp. It was half-past 12 o’clock, therefore, before we started on our
course down the Sevier river, following the wagon track for eight miles, in the course of which
we crossed a small creek coming in from towards the Moot-se-ne-ab Peak, which stands out high
and clear against the eastern sky. The wagon track here leading to the northeast, we left it,
following the course of the river, and encamped a short distance from it in a fine field of grass
on San Pete creek, which flows from the valley containing the settlements to which I have before
alluded. Captain Gunnison, who had been out during the day in search of a settlement,
returned to camp without having succeeded in his object. Our progress was 11.82 miles; the
tbemometer at sunrise standing at 28°, and in the shade, at noon, at 81° F ahrenheit.

October 19. — After proceeding a mile and a half, we came upon another wagon trail more
beaten than the previous one, leading from the San Pete valley directly down the river. Six
miles from camp we crossed a small stream with miry banks, the bed of which was lined with
a plant emitting a strong pole-cat odor. Four miles from this creek the valley of the Sevier
river is terminated by the close proximity of the hills on either side, leaving but little bottom
land, and no natural road-way except on the hills, where one can easily be carried. Passing
along the hills near the river, among sage and scattered cedar-bushes, we again come to its banks

FROM THE SEVIER RIVER TO FILLMORE. 71

nineteen miles from our last camp, where we have abundant grass on the right bank of the
stream, but it has a strong taste of salt.

October 20. — Two miles and a half from camp we came upon the road leading from the Great
Salt lake to California, by the way of Fillmore and Parawan, (Mormon settlements,) the Vegas
de Santa Clara, and Walker’s Pass, and encamped perhaps a mile above Fremont’s point of
crossing the Sevier river in 1844. This was a very pleasant autumnal day, for we had not to
record a change of temperature from sunrise to mid-day of from forty to sixty degrees, to which
we have become so accustomed in these valleys.

Captain Gunnison left us at our camp of yesterday morning, and proceeded up the valley of
San Pete, or the northeastern extension of the valley of the Sevier river, to the settlement at
Manti City, eighteen miles from that camp. He found the settlers, a hundred families, all gath¬
ered into a village for mutual protection against the Utah Indians, who have killed several of the
citizens, destroyed their mills, and driven off some of their stock ; but this has been accomplished
by no means with impunity. A strong guard was posted at this settlement at night. Having
procured some necessary supplies and guides (two brothers, G. G. and William Potter) to accom¬
pany him to the Sevier lake, Captain Gunnison rejoined us this evening at a late hour.

October 21. — The thermometer at sunrise stood at 14°. The country from our camp to the
canon of the river being broken, and the guides never having passed through it, we crossed the
river and followed the California road, passing a low range of hills, within a short distance, into
a small valley in the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains — the Indian name of the range lying in the bend
of the Sevier river. This valley, from a small pond which stands several miles to the south of
the road, is called Lake valley. To the south of this pond there is said to be an easy pass de¬
scending by a creek to the Sevier river. This, if practicable, would lessen the distance consid¬
erably from the point where we first came upon the river, westward to this point. Sage grows
luxuriantly in this mountain valley, which we followed for ten miles, and passed easily over the
mountain lying west of it to the valley of the Sevier lake. The range is finely covered with
grass quite down to the sage plains, and is dotted with a growth of small cedar and oak, and is
a fine pastoral district. The Sevier valley below the canon, opens broad to the west and south.
We encamped, after a march of 24.18 miles, at Cedar springs, 10.21 miles from the settlement
of Fillmore, which is situated on Chalk creek, at the base of the mountains, on a scarcely per¬
ceptible slope that descends into the Sevier valley. On the following morning Captain Gunnison
visited Fillmore, and returned to camp in the evening.

In crossing almost any of the Basin mountains, long lines of sage-bushes are seen pulled up and
thrown on the ground — a single bush in a place, at intervals of a few feet. These lines partially
enclose considerable spaces, and are said to be used by the Indians in catching rabbits ; but as
we never saw them used, it is impossible to understand of what service they can be, for at least
nine-tenths of the lines are left open and unobstructed.

October 23. — Yesterday morning, at sunrise, the thermometer stood at 14°; this morning it
stood at 15°, and the cold northwest wind which prevailed during the day, gave us a foretaste of
winter. Between eleven and twelve o’clock we moved in a northwest direction across the valley
towards the Sevier river, our guides thinking it possible that we might find water after travelling
seven or eight miles; there being at that point, in the spring, a small mountain stream. We,
however, found no water, and continued on towards the river until eight o’clock, when, the night
being dark and very cold, we halted, and tied up our animals without water or grass ; but their
hardship was relieved by a small allowance of corn to each, which Captain Morris had for¬
tunately procured for his animals at Fillmore.

October 24. — As early as we could see, the thermometer standing at 12°, we moved forward,
and at ten o’clock reached the Sevier river at a point well supplied with dry grass, which our ani¬
mals required after a march of 25.43 miles, on which we were engaged for twenty-two hours, over
large, rank sage-bushes and a friable soil, occasionally sandy. Indeed, this whole valley, some

Gunnison’s trip to the seyier lake.

fifty or sixty miles in diameter, is one vast artemisia plain surrounded by grassy mountains.
Geese and ducks were numerous on the river, and a large herd of antelope were seen yesterday —
the first for many weeks. Latitude, 39° 20' 57" ; altitude, 4,692 feet above the sea.

October 25. — Captain Gunnison, with Mr. R. H. Kern, Mr. F. Creutzfeldt, and Mr. Wm. Pot¬
ter, (guide,) with John Bellows, and a corporal and six men from the escort, left camp at a late
hour this morning to explore the vicinity of Sevier lake, supposed to be distant some fifteen or
eighteen miles. From Captain Gunnison’s journal I extract the description of the country and
operations of the party during the day, written after they had encamped for the night: “I came
down the river southwest for nine miles, and then, bearing more west for two miles, concluded to
encamp, as the water below might prove too salt. The route was through heavy artemisia for
five miles, when we came upon more open plains to the nine-mile point, where we met with
sloughs alive with geese, ducks, brant, pelicans, and gulls. A few hawks were careering in the
high wind, and the black-eared and black-tailed rabbits were very numerous in the large artemisia.

“The mountains wore all day their white night mantle of snow, and we had squalls from the
north, with snow falling on the high mountains on all sides of us. Towards sunset it brightened
up a little, and our hunters brought in four ducks of as many different varieties.”

The remainder of the surveying party left under my charge, with the escort under Captain
Morris, crossed the river at an excellent ford at the point of our encampment, immediately after
the departure of Captain Gunnison, and, agreeably to his request, proceeded up the river in a
northeast direction, encamping at a late hour on the river bottom where it is unusually wide. The
river at this point makes a long bend in the plain to the south, passing through drifting sand-hills
partially covered with artemisia. We had passed southward to avoid these hills in crossing from
Cedar spring to the river, and to-day we passed to the west of the largest of them, yet our route
was very heavy and the labor severe on our animals. The day, too, was cold and blustering,
with occasional slight squalls of snow in the plains, while in the mountains it fell during the greater
part of the day. Those of us who were mounted halted frequently — the wagons coming on very
slowly — and built fires of sage, which being resinous burnt very freely, with a large flame for the
moment, giving out abundant heat. With the setting sun the wind went down, and the night
was clear and cold ; and at a late hour the pure mountain snows reflected beautifully the clear
light of the waning moon, while all around was quietness and repose. The gap by which the
Sevier river passes the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains is called a canon ; but at this distance — six miles
directly in front of us to the northeast — it appears like anything but a canon passage, although
the river may wind from side to side, striking against the foot of the mountains, preventing an
easy passage for wagons in its natural state. A large Indian trail, however, passes directly up
the river into it. This range of mountains, as seen from our present and last camps, seems to
terminate a few miles to the north, leaving a broad, open passage of several miles between it and
the succeeding range to the west, in which the waters of the Sevier and Great Salt lakes are
divided only by gentle slopes. Distance, 14.27 miles.

October 26. — The morning was clear and cold, and Mount Nebo, seen through the Sevier river
gap, with its pure mantle of snow, half enveloped in floating misty clouds, mildly reflecting the
rays of the rising sun, presented one of the most beautiful mountain scenes I have ever witnessed.
Our animals were kept out to graze until a late hour. At 11 o’clock, however, a party was
despatched to ascertain the practicability of the passage around the mountain and thence north to
the Great Salt lake ; and, without moving camp again , until the return of Captain Gunnison, it
was intended to examine the passage of the Sevier river the following day. But the first party
had scarcely proceeded a hundred yards from camp, when it was met by a man, weak and ex¬
hausted, reeling breathless into camp, barely able to communicate, by a few broken sentences,
as he sank into a seat, the painful intelligence that Captain Gunnison’s party had been sur¬
prised in their camp by a large party of Indians, and, he thought, all but himself massacred.
Orders were instantly given by Captain Morris, and promptly obeyed by all the men remain-

DEATH OF CAPTAIN GUNNISON AND COMRADES.

ing with him of his escort, to replenish their ammunition ; and having brought up and saddled
their horses, in thirty minutes they were moving rapidly towards the scene of that fatal disaster,
hoping to rescue all who might yet survive and perform the last mournful duties of humanity to
those who were known to have fallen.

The man who first reached camp was the corporal of the escort, who had made his escape
on his horse, and had ridden him until he could go no further, leaving him at our camp of
the previous day, whence he ran on foot fourteen miles — twenty-five in all — arriving, without
arms, in the condition I have described. Another of the escort reached campon horseback,
before Capiain Morris’ departure; and two others were met by him in the course of the after¬
noon, making their way towards camp. The horses of Dr. Schiel, who had accompanied Cap¬
tain Morris, and of his sergeant and several of his men, gave out during their rapid march, and
their riders were left straggling behind ; but eventually all arrived safely in camp — -the sergeant
and some of the men, from their own folly, in a poor plight.

Before Captain Morris’ departure the train animals were driven in, with the intention at first
of removing the train to a more secure place, with the two young gentlemen, Homans and Sny¬
der, and the teamster force, some of whom were unarmed, to guard it. But it was subsequently
determined to break up the camp altogether, and move towards a convenient point, where Cap¬
tain Morris and myself could meet on the following or succeeding day, and take such measures
for future operations as circumstances might require, with better means within our reach than we
could command at any other point.

Crossing the river at the camp, we took the shortest line to escape from the sand, which
proved far heavier than that of the previous day, but it was 7.44 miles in a southeast course,
beyond a border of small cedars a mile wide, among which the sand was so drifted that it was
only by innumerable windings and contortions of teams and wagons, that we at last escaped from
it and reached the plain of grass a mile or two wide, which here lies on the gradual slope of the
mountain. Here we encamped. In crossing the sand-hills numerous fresh Indian tracks were seen,
notwithstanding the prevalence of a high wind ; but the night passed quietly, and at sunrise we
travelled southward along the base of the mountain, hoping to escape a continuation of the sand
of the previous day, in which we were only partially successful, however, as it continued heavy
for ten miles. We then passed a spur of the mountain and changed our course from south to
southeast, and struck the trail we had made in going from Cedar spring to the Sevier river, six
miles from the spring, at which we found a large camp of Mormons, on their way to settle at
Parawan, near Little Salt lake. Here we encamped and turned our animals out to graze on
the hills ; the 20.93 miles of to-day being the severest day’s labor performed by them, although
the day was cool, during the whole course of our long summer journeyings. The last of our
animals were not out of harness when Captain Morris arrived, confirming our worst fears for
the fate of our late comrades.

Captain Gunnison had encamped early in the afternoon, while the wind and storm were yet
fresh, and doubtless feeling the security which men come to indulge after passing long periods of
time surrounded by savages without actually encountering them. The abundant grass and fuel
of a little nook in the river bottom, sheltered by the high second bank of the river on one side,
and thick willows, distant scarcely thirty yards, on two of the others, with the river in front,
offered a tempting place of comfort and utility, which was perhaps accepted without even a
thought of danger. It was known to the party that a band of Indians was near them, for we
had seen their fires daily since entering the valley ; but an unusual feeling of security against
them was felt, as Captain Gunnison had learned that a recent quarrel, resulting in several
deaths, which they had had with emigrants, had terminated, and that notwithstanding this
difficulty they had remained at peace with the neighboring settlers, which had been confirmed
and guarantied for the future in a “talk” held with some of the Indians of this band, by an
agent of the governor of the Territory, during our stay near Fillmore. This information, Cap-
10 gt

DEATH OF CAPTAIN GUNNISON AND COMRADES.

tain Gunnison told me before leaving, relieved him from any apprehension he might otherwise
have felt regarding this band, and was the reason for his haying asked for so small an escort to
accompany him, which he as well as his guide, an experienced citizen of the Territory, deemed
sufficient.

The usual precaution of a camp guard had been taken, each of the party (including the
commander) in turn having performed that duty during the night. At the break of day all arose
and at once engaged in the usual duties of a camp preparatory to an early start, to reach that
day the most distant point of exploration fur the present season. The sun had not yet risen,
most of the party being at breakfast, when the surrounding quietness and silence of this vast
plain was broken by the discharge of a volley of rifles and a shower of arrows through that
devoted camp, mingled with the savage yells of a large band of Pah-Utah Indians almost in the
midst of the camp; for, under cover of the thick bushes, they had approached undiscovered to
within twenty-five yards of the camp-fires. The surprise was complete. At the first discharge,
the call to “ seize your arms” had little effect. All was confusion. Captain Gunnison, stepping
from his tent, called to his savage murderers that he was their friend; but this had no effect.
They rushed into camp, and oidy those escaped who succeeded in mounting ou horseback, and
even then they were pursued for many miles. The horse of one fell near camp, tumbling his rider
under a bush, where he lay for six or seven hours, while the Indians were passing him on every
side, until finally he could no longer hear them near him or in the camp, when he left, and
was met soon afterwards by Capt. Morris’ party, which reached the fatal spot just before night.
Two Indians were seen a mile or two from camp by Lieutenant Baker and Mr. Potter, brother
of the guide, but they were not able to come up with them before night enabled them to
escape. The bodies of the slain were not all found at dark, and hope still lingered as a bright
fire was built to assure any survivor of safety. But the long weary night, rendered hideous by
the howling of wolves, wore away, as this little band of armed men, barely larger than that
which had already been sacrificed, lay near the fatal spot, and day dawned only to discover the
mutilated remains of their recent comrades, none of them being scalped — a barbarity which some
of the tribes on this part of the continent seldom indulge. Borne of their arms were, however,
cut off at the elbows, and their entrails cut open ; and, the wolves having had access to them
during the day and to those exposed during the night, their bodies were in such a condition that
it was not deemed possible to bring them away — not even that of Captain Gunnison, who had
fallen pierced with fifteen arrows.

The statement which has from time to time appeared (or been copied) in various newspapers
of the country since the occurrence of these sad events, charging the Mormons or Mormon author¬
ities with instigating the Indians to, if not actually aiding them in, the murder of Captain Gun¬
nison and his associates, is, I believe, not only entirely false, but there is no accidental circum¬
stance connected with it affording the slightest foundation for such a charge.

CHAPTER VII.

From Cedar Spring , by way of Nephi , Payson , Palmyra , Springville, Provo , Pleasant
Grove, Lake City , Lehi, Willow creek, and Cottonwood settlements , to Great Salt Lake
City — October 28 fo November 8, 1853.

Pioneer creek. — Citizens of Fillmore. — Messrs. Call and Richards — Express to Great Salt Lake City. — Courtesy and assistance
from Mr. Call and Governor Young. — Papers and property recovered. — Kenosh’s account of the murder. — Excitement of our
men — Course from the Coochetopa Pass to the Wahsatch Pass. — Character of the country from the Wahsatch Pass to Little
Salt lake and Vegas de Santa Clara: its impracticability for a railroad. — Railroad following the Sevier river. — Western limit
of the explorations of 1853. — Unobstructed passage from Sevier lake to Great Salt lake. — Return to Sevier river. — Appearance
of Sevier River canon — Village of Nephi. — Payson. — Spanish fork. — Palmyra. — Provo. — Timpanogos river. — Western range
of the Wahsatch mountains. — Line of Mormon settlements. — Supplies purchased. — Lake Utah. — Reference to Stansbury’s
Report. — Winter camp. — Condition of animals crossing the Plains. — Winter quarters at Great Salt lake.

October 28. — We moved our camp to Pioneer creek, three miles southeast of Cedar spring,
to obtain better grazing for our stock. Messrs. Snow and Richards, from Great Salt Lake City,
travelling on a mission to the lower settlements in the Territory, called at our camp.

October 29. — A party of the citizens of Fillmore, headed by their president, Mr. Anson Call,
and accompanied by Mr. Richards from Great Salt Lake City, came to our camp to request
Captain Morris to furnish the particulars of the disaster of the 26th instant, to be forwarded by
express to the governor of the Territory of Utah, which express could also take dispatches, for
the War Department, to Great Salt Lake City, in time for the mail of the 1st of November —
which would be the last that could be depended upon to reach the States before the next spring —
provided these dispatches could be furnished within two or three hours. Hasty notes were ac¬
cordingly written, without time to take copies for future reference, and reached Great Salt Lake
City, at a reasonable expense to the government, just in time for the mail.

President Call and Mr. Richards, taking an interest in the survey, tendered us all the aid
within their power, and the former voluntarily took upon himself the task of recovering from the
Indians the papers and instruments they had cap:ured ; for which I furnished presents to reward
the exertions of the friendly Indians who were to be employed.

These efforts of Mr. Call proved entirely successful, and we had the pleasure, a few days subse¬
quent to our arrival at Great Salt Lake City, of receiving at the hands of the agents of the gover¬
nor of the Territory, Brigham Young, who had received them from Mr. Call, all the notes, most
of the instruments, and several of the arms lost — the latter much injured, but the former in good
condition. Several mules and horses were also recovered, some of them at a later day by Indian
agents, acting under the Governor’s instructions. Governor Young, immediately on the receipt
of the intelligence of the massacre, dispatched a party to the scene of the tragedy to bury the
dead, and, if possible, remove the remains of Captain Gunnison and others, and recover the prop¬
erty captured in the camp. In the last object, however, as I have stated, he had been anticipated ;
and in the kindly office of the first, unfortunately, the wolves had left but the slightest traces of
the remains of the dead to receive the solemn rite of burial.

October 30. — Kenosh, the chief of the band of murderers, arrived at Fillmore, having been sent
for by Mr. Call, accompanied by fifteen or twenty of his people. He brought with him one of
the public horses lost by Captain Gunnison’s escort, “which,” he said, “he had taken from the
fellow who came to him with the intelligence of their successful operation, and hastened to return
it, meeting Mr, Call’s messenger (who had been sent for him) on the way; that he deeply regretted

RAILROAD LINE WEST FROM THE WAHSATCH PASS.

1 6

the tragedy; that it was done without authority, by the young men — boys, as he called them —
of the band, who had no chief with them, or it would not have happened.” He subsequently
informed the Governor’s agent that there were thirty of his people in the party, two of whom
were its instigators, seeking revenge for the death of their father, who, they said, had been killed
by emigrants but a few days before.

A few of our men were in Fillmore on the arrival of Kenosh, and caused the authorities some
apprehension — Captain Morris receiving a note from them, deprecating the indignation of our men
against the Indians, and hoping we would restrain it within killing limits — fearing that they would
retaliate upon the exposed settlers after our departure.

It will be observed that we have been forced much further north in our course west from the
Coochetopa Pass than had been anticipated when the instructions were issued fixing the vicinity
of the Vegas de Santa Clara as the western limit of the survey. The pass in the Wahsatch
mountains was also found considerably to the north of its anticipated locality, and the broken
and mountainous character (given by our recent guides, and confirmed by observations from the
summit of the Wahsatch mountains) of the country intervening between this pass and the Little
Salt lake and Vegas de Santa Clara was such that Captain Gunnison deemed it impracticable
for a railroad, but, if practicable, by no means desirable, as, in his opinion, it would necessarily
increase the distance from the Wahsatch Pass to any known pass in the Sierra Nevada beyond
what it would be by passing down the Sevier river and north of the lake of that name. He
determined therefore to descend this river to the vicinity of the Sevier lake — a point considerably
to the north of the Vegas de Santa Clara, but in nearly the same longitude; and thence turn
northward, on a return route by the way of Lake Utah. In our course down the Sevier or
Nicollet river, as has been seen, we crossed it on its northern bend, and thence passed over the
range of mountains which it partially encloses, to the broad open plain of the Sevier lake, and
again crossed to the right bank of the river. No other than the most ordinary obstructions exist
to the construction of a railroad from the foot of the Wahsatch Pass to the western point of our
explorations, passing the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains through the gorge of the Sevier river; for,
although we did not pass through this canon, as it is called, we could see entirely through it at
either end as we passed it. It is apparently without walls, but the mountains rise abruptly from
the river bank. Twenty miles perhaps to the west of this point mountains are again seen, appar¬
ently in detached broken masses. To the north, as before slated, no obstruction could be seen to
an easy passage to the Great Salt lake.

October 31. — We re-crossed the Sevier river, encamping half a mile north of our camp of the
20th instant. Distance, 28.24. miles.

November 1 — Following the road in a general course a little to the east of north, at a short
distance from the river, a broken range of hills intervening for three or four miles, we came oppo¬
site the upper end of the Sevier River canon, which appears no more difficult of passage from
this than the opposite end. Nine miles from camp we passed a small creek, spreading out in
some places into little sheets of water, covered with ducks and lined with grass. It breaks
through the high hills to our left in its course to the river. We travelled up its valley, along the
course of the mountains on our right, for ten or twelve miles; and, by an almost imperceptible
change of level, came upon the slope towards Salt creek, which we reached, after a ride of 24.85
miles, at the small settlement of Nephi. Seventy men with their families constitute this settle¬
ment, which, on account of Indian depredations, is concentrated at present in a little village —
each settler bringing in with him, not only his ricks of corn and hay, but his little log-house.
Salt creek, which runs into Utah lake, descends from a canon of the mountain just to the east of
the village, directly at the southern base of a high peak called Mount Nebo. The creek takes
its name from salt springs on its banks.

November 3. — Passing northward down Salt creek at the base of the mountains, we crossed
Willow creek eight miles from Nephi, and three or four fine springs eleven and a half miles from

MORMON SETTLEMENTS.

that place, one of which sends out a fine bold stream of cold water. Just below these springs
Salt creek finds a passage through the small ridge to the west, and the road ascends a low divide,
from which we had the first view of Utah lake ; and a little distance from the divide we came upon
Summit creek, nineteen miles from Nephi, where a small settlement has been broken up by the
Indian difficulties. Three miles from this we passed another fine creek, with cultivated fields
to the left of the road, and encamped at Payson, a fine little village on a stream called Peteet-
nete, 25. IS miles from our morning camp.

November 4. — Five miles and a half from Payson we crossed the Spanish fork, where it was
twenty feet wide and two feet deep; a mile and a quarter from which we passed through Palmyra,
a fine settlement irrigated by the waiers of this stream. The road was very tortuous, winding
around fields, irrigating ditches, and spring places in the level valley of Utah lake, which was
just on our left. Thirteen miles from Payson we passed through Springville, on Hobble creek —
an older and finer settlement than we had before seen, with some good adobe houses, a few of
which were of two stories. The road then followed close along the base of the mountains for
6.37 miles, to the settlement of Provo, on the Timpanogos river. This river, at the present low
stage of water, runs in several small stony channels, so divided that it is not easy to give its
dimensions; but its current is deep and rapid, with at least double the volume of the Spanish
fork. The canon of this stream is two or three miles northeast of this settlement. It is narrow
at the bottom, but appears favorable for the construction of a road hence to Kamas prairie.

The western range of the Wahsatch mountains, (at the western base of which we have been
travelling for several days,) standing on the eastern border of the Great Basin, is continuous,
extending north and south over five degrees of latitude, from the vicinity of Little Salt lake to
north of Bear river, broken only by the passage of the Sevier, Timpanogos, Weber, and Bear
rivers. Their altitude, at 3,000 feet above the general level of the country, is quite uniform ; but it
occasionally falls down to 2,000, and at a few points rises to 4,000 and 4,500 feet. Their western
slope is very steep — often inaccessible — presenting generally a formidable barrier to the entrance
of a railroad into the Basin from the east. Many small streams descend from them; and as far as
their disintegrations have been deposited at their base upon the alkaline plains of the Basin, it forms
a rich soil. This line of deposit is narrow, and not continuous, but varying in width, where
it is found, from two or three miles to ten or twrelve at a few points, as opposite Utah and
Great Salt lakes, where it occupies the entire space from the mountains to the lake shores. It is
to this narrow belt of land that the Mormon settlements are almost exclusively confined, the
isolated settlements being upon similar deposits in small valleys at the bases of other mountains,
the small mountain streams upon which, of course, these deposits are the richest, and chiefly
exist, being used for irrigation. Respectable crops of wheat and oats are produced, and barley
has been cultivated to some extent ; but corn does not flourish well. The grass of this district
and of the higher mountain valleys is excellent ; and potatoes and other roots are produced in
abundance, and of a superior quality.

Supplies were freely furnished to us by the authorities of the settlements through which we
passed, at reasonable rates.

November 5. — Leaving the Timpanogos river, we ascended a high bluff to a table extending
along the base of the mountains. The road for eight miles was very fine, and the view of Utah
lake the best we bad had, reminding us of those of western New York. It is twenty-five miles
in length, north and south, by twelve in width, with fine, irrigable lands on the east, and pasture
lands on the west; the whole enclosed by high mountains, with low passages to the south and
north, through the latter of which its outlet, the river Jordan of the Mormons, descends to Great
Salt lake.

Coming opposite the ravine from which Battle creek descends, we again passed to the lower
level, passing through the village of Pleasant Grove to that of Lake City, on the American fork,
whic h is a few miles nearly east from the foot of the lake. Altitude, 4,596 feet above the sea.

TERMINATION OF THE FIELD WORK OF 1853.

November 6. — We passed Lehi settlement on Dry creek, and, eight miles from Lake City,
ascended a small ridge, along the side of which, towards the river Jordan, the load is cut in
gravel banks, passing from the valley of Utah lake to that of Great Salt lake.

For the description of this valley I beg to refer you to the survey and able report of Captain
Howard Stansbury, of the corps of Topographical Engineers, made in the years 1S49 and lb50.

On the 8th of November our party arrived in Great Salt Lake City, and on the 12th the
animals were sent to graze for the winter, in charge of a strong guard, in Cedar valley, a few
miles west of Utah lake.

The season of the year was so much advanced, and the condition of our animals — especially
of the American grain-fed horses, upon which the escort was mounted — was such, after our long
summer’s labor, that it was Captain Gunnison’s intention, had he survived, to have terminated
his field operations for the present season by the examination be was engaged upon at his death,
ahd by a recoiinoissance, more or less minute, of the canon of the Timpanogos river. He would
then have taken up quarters for the winter, ai,d have prepared and submitted a report of the
explorations of the summer. The expediency of this course will be manifest, and its necessity
evident, from the fact that our train animals for subsistence transportation were unfit to leave this
valley without a rest of several weeks on fine pasturage, and that several snow storms had already
occurred in the Wahsatch mountains directly on our course east, and that it is impossible to cross
these mountains, where there is no road, with wagons, while they are covered with a heavy fall
of snow. To avoid the loss of time, therefore, in recruiting the animals, and the risk of crossing
the mountains with our train in winter, Captain Gunnison had determined upon the course I have
indicated.

The severe labor performed immediately after the disaster resulted in the loss of several of
the escort horses, and further reduced the condition of all of our animals ; and in this connexion
it may be proper that I should add, that, in my opinion, (formed upon observation,) the service
which horses, which for any considerable time have been accustomed to feeding on grain, are
capable of performing west of the Plains , soon after crossing them , is trifling. Such horses require
several months’ rest, and grain forage, to recover from their weak and emaciated condition.
The horses of Captain Morris’ command entered this valley in fine condition for the service
they had performed ; but a forced march of twenty -five miles only, succeeded by one of thirty
or thirty-five miles, was more than many of them were capable of performing, and was equal to
the1 endurance of the best of them.

It was too evident after our loss that the hostile condition of the various Indian bands, in
and about this Territory, was such that it was necessary to be fully informed of its extent and of
their numbers before prosecuting further explorations. I therefore determined to go into winter
quarters at once, that no time might be lost in submitting a report of the explorations to this
point.

CHAPTER VIII.

General summary of the line explored for the Pacific railroad near the thirty-eighth
parallel of north latitude, from Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , to the Sevier lake, Utah.

Character and fertility of the Plains : timber, grass, rain. — Approach to El Sangre de Cristo Pass of the Rocky mountains. —
Soil, cultivation, grazing, and water. — Mountain valleys. — Valley of San Luis. — Coochetopa Pass and surrounding country. —
Grand River valley lands. — Roan mountains, and the country between Grand and Green rivers. — From Green river to the
Wahsatch mountains. — Summit of the Wahsatch mountains. — Valley of the Sevier river and Sevier lake : its sterility. —
Ingredients in the soil injurious to vegetation over large spaces. — Aqueous depositions unfavorably distributed and very
limited. — Capacity of the country to contribute to the support of a railroad. — Railroad stations and posts. — Permanent water
on the line. — Great scarcity of timber on the line. — Coal, where found. — Building stone. — Railroad practicability of the line. —
Elevations, grades, sections, passes. — San Luis valley. — Coochetopa Pass and tunnel. — Altitudes and grades. — Pass and
Coochetopa creeks. — Grand river section. — Blue to Green river. — Miry soil. — Stone for sub-structure. — Grades and bridges. —
Rocky district west of Green river. — Grades from Green river to Akanaquint spring, White river, Clever creek, San Rafael
river, &c., to the Wahsatch Pass. — Wahsatch Pass and tunnel. — Salt Creek canon, grades, and character. — Sevier River valley,
and passage through the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains to Sevier Lake valley. — Further surveys, and existence of other lines near
this. — Duties performed by scientific gentlemen of the party. — Climate. — Indian hostilities in Utah. — Further surveys will be
made.

The general character of the country traversed and explored, briefly recapitulated, is as
follows :

For six hundred miles west of the western line of the State of Missouri the country is a
rolling prairie, gradually rising towards the Rocky mountains. For two hundred miles it is
very closely assimilated to the soil and character of that State. West of that point it gradually
changes its character, becomes more arid and sandy, and much less fertile; and at a point
between Walnut creek and Pawnee fork it has entirely changed. Timber almost entirely dis¬
appears — it is very scarce east of this — and the short, curly buffalo-grass takes the place of the
coarse tall grass of the east ; the soil is hard and dry clay intermixed with sand, with a surface
sheet of an inch or two in thickness, intermixed with vegetable mould. Rain falls but seldom,
and the cool mountain wind sweeps down at night, affording in summer an agreeable relief from
the shadeless heat of the day. The country preserves this character west to the Cimmaron
crossing of the Arkansas river. Beyond this the variety of artemisia known as sage, first begins
to appear in quantity ; and grass and water, away from the main water-courses, become scarce.
In July, or early in August, the buffalo- grass of the Plains becomes entirely dry, although it is still
very nutritious, and is fine grazing for buffalo and sheep; but in this short, curly form, this grass
is not large enough for draught cattle. They will subsist on it for some time, but invariably fall
away when marching and feeding on it. West of the Big Timbers of the Arkansas river, it
becomes an important inquiry early in the day, at what point grass can be found for a camp ;
and the march must be lengthened or shortened to suit the locality of this important plant, which
is found alone on the narrow river bottom, the hills being very dry and barren. Leaving the
Arkansas river for El Sangre de Cristo Pass of the Sierra Blanca — the eastern range of the
Rocky mountains — the country becomes more broken and rises more rapidly ; its soil is very
light, formed from sandstone, shales and slate; but it is much more abundantly supplied with
grass than the preceding hundred miles of the Arkansas bottom, and of a superior quality, but
it is still scattered and thin. And no part of the surrounding country will compare favorably
with the inhabited parts of any of the States. It is alone suited for grazing ranges — not farms,
unless they are so extensive as to embrace several miles. It is tiue, the cultivation of grains
and of roots, to some extent, on the narrow borders of the streams where water can be com-

CHARACTER AND FERTILITY OF THE COUNTRY.

manded, will reward the efforts of labor; but the amount of water is so small that it never can
supply more than the limited wants of a sparse pastoral population. Entering the mountains,
the small valleys and paiks abound in the most luxuriant grass, furnishing abundant pasturage
for a given amount of stock; but these fields are very limited in extent, and generally too cold
for cultivation. Rains are, however, not wanting in these lovely mountain retreats. The exten¬
sive valley of San Luis, lying between the Sierra Blanca on the east and the Sierra San Juan
on the west, and watered by the Rio Grande del Norte and its numerous small tributaries, is
in general one vast sage plain from the Rio Colorado to Gunnison’s Pass. The grass on the lower
tributaries of the Rio del Norte, in this valley, is very limited indeed; it is more abundant on the
upper affluents, where a few fields of prairie grass, a mile or two in width, were observed, and
the authority of our guide given for extensive grass prairies on the Rio del Norte itself. But
all these grass fields, with the greatest amount of cultivation which can be supplied with water
from the fine little streams of this valley, can, under the most favorable circumstances, only
support a meagre population. The margins of the mountain streams about the Coochetopa Pass
furnish some fine grass, which extends down to Grand river; but the hills on either side of this
route are barren and naked, and no land can be found among them capable of sustaining even
small settlements other than for grazing purposes.

The immense valley depression, from thirty to fifty miles in width, between the Elk mount¬
ains and the Sierra de la Plata, filled with rocky and broken hills, mesas and connecting mountain
ranges, through which Grand river flows in canones, is almost destitute of land which can be
cultivated. The hills are often densely covered with sage; and some of the most luxuriant and
extensive fields of grass seen on the route were traversed among these hills and tables. The
small spaces of bottom land on Grand river, at the junction of the Coochetopa and at Roubi-
deau’s old fort, are the only ones on that stream, in the long distance which we followed it, which
can be called bottom lands ; and these are not only very small for settlements, but are frequently,
if not annually, overflowed.

The Roan or Book mountains fill a large space between Grand and Green, rivers, and leave to
the south of them only an arid, sterile, pulverulent waste, with bunch-grass enough on the hills for
passing droves and herds of stock. And from Green river to the Wahsatch mountains, the mis¬
erable soil maintains the same ash-heap friability. The country is very rocky sandstone, broken,
upheaved, and intersected in every direction by ravines, chasms, and beds of creeks. A little
bunch-grass is scattered over the hills, but they are generally barren or covered, as on the mar¬
gins of the streams, with sage. Such, also, is the character of the country from the foot of Book
mouniains to the Sierra Abajo, near the junction of Grand and Green rivers. This section is,
therefore, not only crossed with great labor and difficulty, but is entirely valueless for the wants
of civilized man. The summit of the Wahsatch mountains is a finely-grassed region, but entirely
unfit for cultivation. The extensive valleys of the upper Sevier river and of the Sevier lake,
divided by the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains, are vast artemisia plains, with a dry, friable, or sandy
soil, quite uninhabitable, except on the grassy bases of the mountains, where an occasional
mountain stream affords a limited supply of water for irrigation.

In these plains, as in all those west from the vicinity of Bent’s Fort, on the Arkansas, to the
Basin, and in a few instances in the mountains also, the soil is more or less impregnated with
alkali, which is very destructive to vegetation; and salt is often seen efflorescing upon the surface.
And as the amount which is annually carried off by lixiviation and drainage — from the very lim¬
ited amounts of rain and snow which are precipitated upon this extensive district in proportion
to its area, and the very great inequality in their distribution over it, for the great body of the
rain and snow annually falls upon the higher peaks and ranges, and is carried down to the main
streams through deep canones and chasms, leaving the plains parched and dry — is constantly
renewed from the decomposition of sedimentary rocks, it is impossible to anticipate the period
when the supply will be exhausted ; and if the progress of science should develop the means of

OBSTRUCTIONS FROM SNOW IN MOUNTAIN PASSES.

neutralizing its injurious effects, a material change of climate, providing a greatly increased
amount of aqueous vapor, would be requisite to bring any considerable extent of this arid territory
under cultivation. It is not too much, therefore, to say, that, unless this interior country possesses
undiscovered mineral wealth of great value, it can contribute but the merest trifle towards the
maintenance of a railroad through it, after it shall have been constructed. But for the support
of small posts and stations, at suitable intervals for protecting and operating a railroad, there are
sufficient lands on this line capable of cultivation at points already indicated.

The positive evidence existing with regard to the depth of snow which annually falls upon this
line, is very limited. The number of small parties, however, which annually cross the Plains
during the winter months, transacting business, and carrying the mails to and from New Mexico
and Utah, would seem to leave no doubt as to the practicability of crossing them successfully in
winter by railroad. Our guide in the Sangre de Cristo Pass crossed it in February, 1853, a win¬
ter of great severity, and more than usual fall of snow. He represents it to have been, at that
time, ten feet deep in the small ravines of the pass, while the ridges were nearly bare; and that
he was occupied seven or eight days in making the crossing, which, in summer, is easily made in
two. Mounted troops, in pursuit of Indians, have occasionally crossed this pass in midwinter
and early spring; but this is a hazardous undertaking. During the winter of 1852-’53, the snow
at Fort Massachusetts, which is situated in a sheltered valley under the Sierra Blanca, about
seventeen miles from the summit of this pass, is represented, by the army officers stationed there,
to have been very dry, and about two feet deep. The vegetation and timber in the passes upon
this line, offer no discoverable snow marks in summer, indicating its winter depth. But from the
information which I have gained from trappers and other persons, more or less familiar in winter
with the country west from Fort Massachusetts, I have little doubt that the depths of snow in the
valleys, generally, may be safely estimated not to exceed that of the Plains, as the mountains are
approached from the east. And its depth in the Sangre de Cristo Pass, from its altitude and sim¬
ilar position, may undoubtedly be taken as a very near approximation to that of the other passes
of the Sierra Blanca range, of the Coochetopa and Wahsatch passes, and of the entire canon
section of Grand river above the Uncompahgra, and it must to the same extent be regarded as
formidable in these localities as in that pass. There is danger, however, of over-estimating the
obstructions arising from snow in mountain passes, where its fall over the general surface of the
country is not sufficiently great to offer a general obstruction to the operation of railroads. It is
well known that in snowy countries, where roads are worked over rolling prairies, or among
ordinary hills, small cuts are greatly more liable to obstruction from snow-drifts than deep cuts,
(artificial passes,) the snow accumulating in, and filling up the former, while in the latter the
drifts are deposited just below the crests of the excavations, or the cuts are kept clear of snow by
the currents of wind which sweep through them. It is usual, therefore, to erect snow fences
eight or ten feet high, a few feet without the crests of small cuts in such localities, to secure the
tracks from snow. In mountain passes, therefore, if the same causes operate upon a large as well
as upon a small scale, where the crests of the gorges are hundreds, and frequently thousands of
feet above the passes through which powerful storms and currents of wind sweep, there would
seem to be little danger of obstructions arising from drifts of snow only; and did not the passes them¬
selves contain numerous small ravines in which drifts accumulate, it is perhaps doubtful whether
they would not be even less obstructed by snow than the more open valleys. The statements of
all the persons with whom T have conversed, who have had experience in the mountains of our
great interior territories, under widely different localities and latitudes, confirm, or rather have
suggested to me, this view of the action of the winds upon snows in mountain passes. They
represent the main difficulty which they have encountered in passing them,, to have been in cross¬
ing the small side or lateral ravines which expend high up the sides of the passes, and cannot be
turned by their heads, and are obstructed below by other causes. The ridges and deep ravines
extending into passes, are usually but slightly obstructed, depending, however, in this respect,
11 g ' '

WATER. — TIMBER — COAL. — BUILDING-STONE.

greatly upon their direction relative 1o the currents of wind sweeping through the passes. And
it does not seem a serious objection to these statements, that the greatest amounts of snow in
mountain districts are accumulated towards their summits, and on the lee-sides of peaks and
ridges, and that the deep ravines and chasms, extending high up the mountain sides, along the
faces of which heavy storms sweep, receive and retain vast amounts of snow, for in these ravines
there can be no through-currents of wind. And it is important to state, for the proper understand¬
ing of this subject, that the enormous depths of snow which were encountered, both in the Rocky
mountains and in the Sierra Nevada, leading to those terrible disasters with which the country is
familiar, were not encountered in a position, in any instance known to me, deserving the name
of a mountain pass, how'ever alluring the approach to it may have been ; but, on the contrary,
they were encountered in attempts to cross high ranges at points more or less broken by chasms
and ravines like those last referred to. If it be true, therefore, as our present information indicates,
that the annual amount of snow, as well as of rain, falling in these interior mountain regions, is
comparatively small, and not sufficient in its general depth to seriously obstruct the working of
roads, its accumulation in mountain passes cannot be regarded as fatal to railroad lines which are
otherwise available.

Permanent water is found — for we were upon the route during the dryest part of the year —
at suitable intervals for the wants of a road, both in its construction and operation, at all points
of the line explored, except between Grand and Green rivers, a distance of seventy miles, on
which none except rain-water, which fell while we were passing it, was seen. A spring is said,
however, to exist on the Spanish trail, east of the point where we first struck it between these
rivers ; but, as already stated, its position and size are unknown to me. But if it exists, it will be
easily found ; and much more extensive explorations of this section than have yet been made,
will be required before the quantity of water upon it can be determined.

For one hundred and fifty miles west from the State of Missouri, timber is found in sufficient
quantities for the construction' of a road, to the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican forks
of the Kansas river, provided the entire amount suitable for its construction, now growing upon
the water-courses, be applied to it, but not otherwise.

Settlers upon these lands will find the quantity of timber upon them too limited for their neces¬
sities; and in the construction of a railroad, therefore, subsequent to their occupation, the requisite
amount of timber will no longer be found upon them. From the junction of these streams west to
the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Pass, a distance of five hundred miles, no timber whatever exists
that can be used in the superstructure of a railroad. In and about this pass, Captain Gunnison
says, “spruce-pine in abundance is at hand to supply ties for hundreds of miles of railroad, espe¬
cially if that which the great fire of 1851 swept over and left standing be not left to decay.”

In ascending the valley of San Luis but little timber was seen in the mountains; and none exists
in the valley which could be used in building roads. From Fort Massachusetts” southward the
mountains will, however, furnish an abundant supply of excellent pine. In the mountains about
the Coochetopa Pass, one hundred miles from Fort Massachusetts, pine is the only timber, (the
quaking asp being only suitable for fuel after it has been seasoned ;) and it is generally small, but,
it is believed, sufficient for the purposes contemplated. From the vicinity of this pass west to the
Sevier lake, a distance of five hundred and fifty miles, scarcely a tree was seen, except a few
low-branching cedars among the Rock hills west of Green river, which could be used in the con¬
struction of a railroad ; but it is probable, although very difficult of access, that a limited supply
can be drawn from high up on the heads of numerous streams, which enter Grand river from the
mountains above, and for a short distance below, the junction of Blue river. And again, in the
mountain between Green and White rivers, and in the Wahsatch mountains, in similar localities,
it is probable that more or less timber can be obtained; but if sufficient in quantity, it will neces¬
sarily require to be transported to such distances as to make its expense enormous, which will
render the substitution of stone necessary wherever it can be used. Coal is found at three points

RAILROAD SUMMARY OF THE ROUTE.

upon the line: on the Wabkarrussi, an affluent of Kansas river; on Grand river, at Salt and Bit¬
ter creeks; and near our camp of the 11th of October, on Big Rock creek, at the eastern base
of the Wahsatch mountains. That on the Wahkarrussi has been more or less used, and is doubt¬
less abundant and good ; and if the supply should not prove abundant upon working the other
localities observed, ihe formation is such, at least on Grand river, as to render it highly probable
that an inexhaustible supply of coal exists in the immediate, vicinity.

The great scarcity and unequal distribution of timber upon this line renders the character of
its rocks an important subject of inquiry. The great body of those underlying the Plains are sand¬
stone, more or less argillaceous, the strength and durability of which in superstructures can only
be estimated from their appearance, the soil formed from their disintegrations, and the apparent
rapid decay of most of the ledges exposed to the weather, which indicate inferior stones. Ca ptain
Gunnison Says that the barracks at Fort Riley are being built of the white limestone of the
vicinity; and a superior quality of limestone is found on the Arkansas, below Bent’s Fort, and
various localities of it are indicated in Dr. Schiel’s geological report, appended to my report of
subsequent explorations.

A more minute and extensive examination of the Plains would probably discover the existence
of limestone and other rocks in various localities; but as no heavy masonry will be required in
carrying a road over the Plains, in the absence of other rocks those already known will be
sufficient. At the Huerfano butte, where they exist in abundance for building purposes, the first
granitic rocks were seen. Thence westward to Sevier lake, soft disintegrating sandstones
underlie the plains, and form many of the lower mountain ranges and hills, but the higher ranges
of mountains will furnish superior qualities of stones for railroad structures. On Grand river,
granite forms the head of the first canon, overlaid by sandstone, with a thin stratum of igneous
rock capping the high tables. Granite is also found in the Sangre de Cristo Pass and at Sahwatch
butte. In the Sangre de Cristo Pass, the gray rocks have a crystalline porphyritic structure ; in
the approach to the Coochetopa Pass, they are red and more vesicular; and in the Wahsatch
Pass, approach the basaltic character.

From the vicinity of the mouth of the Kansas river to the foot of El Sangre de Cristo Pass,
in the eastern range of the Rocky mountains, the features of the country are very favorable
for the construction of a railroad. By the line we followed, it is generally an open rolling
prairie to where we crossed the Arkansas river, with a very gradual but uniformly increasing
elevation to the west. West from the mouth of the Apishpa, on the north side of the Arkansas,
the prairie hills begin to rise abruptly, and extend closer in to the river ; but on the south side
rise more gradually, sweeping up in gentle swells to the divide between the small ravines which
descend to the Apishpa on the south, and the Arkansas and Huerfano rivers on the north. Pre¬
serving the elevation thus gained, the line is easily extended west to the Cuchara and Huerfano
rivers above their canones ; entering the valley of the latter stream a few miles below its butte,
and ascending it to our camp of August 9th, which may be regarded as the foot of the Sangre
de Cristo Pass, whose summit is, by our trail, fourteen miles above this point. In constructing a
railroad across the Plains to the foot of this pass, the only obstacle to be overcome not encoun¬
tered by similar constructions in all open, rolling prairie countries, is in the gradual western ascent
from the Mississippi river to the foot of the Rocky mountains; and this ascent, as has been already
stated, by ascending the main water-courses, (the Kansas and Arkansas rivers and their tributa¬
ries,) is very gradual, increasing with a general uniformity as we approach the mountains.

The elevation of our camp near Westport, on the western border of the State of Missouri, was
990 feet above the Gulf of Mexico, and 615 above low-water mark at St. Louis. On Pawnee
fork, an affluent of the Arkansas, 293 miles by the Santa Fe road, and 322 miles by the Smoky
Hill route, from that camp, our elevation was 1,962 feet above the Gulf; giving an average ascent
per mile (independent of the ordinary inequalities of the ground, which were noted from day
to day) of three feet three inches, and three feet, respectively. By the path which we followed,

EL SANGRE DE CRISTO PASS AND SAN LUIS VALLEY.

it is 68 miles from this point to our camp of July 16lh, above Fort Atkinson ; and the ascent 418
feet, or six feet two inches to the mile. But if the river be followed between these points, the
distance will be increased and the ascent correspondingly diminished; or, by taking a more direct
course, the distance would be lessened, slightly increasing the grade, which will be best seen by
a reference to the section of this part of our route. F or eighty-nine miles west from this camp,
following the banks of the river, we ascended five feet four inches to the mile ; and in the
succeeding 105 miles, to a short distance below Bent’s F ort, the average ascent per mile was
seven and three-fourths feet ; and twenty feet seven inches per mile for the next thirty-four miles
to the mouth of the Apishpa. The general section which accompanies this report, from this
point to the Huerfano butte, is that of the line followed by our wagons, and the distance, eighty
miles, given on it, exceeds by one-fourth the length of the line necessary for the construction of a
railroad between these points. The general ascent to be gained by the shorter line, is twenty-
eight feet ten inches to the mile. The natural grade for fourteen and a half miles above this
point, following the river, is fifty-two feet ten inches per mile, which brings us slightly* within
the eastern spurs of the Rocky mountains.

The summit (so to speak) of the great interior trunk of the continent, upon which nearly all its
mountain ranges, masses, and peaks are elevated, is reached, upon this line, at the Huerfano
butte, which is 6,099 feet above the sea, and 5,109 feet (nearly a mile) above our camp near
Westport; and the whole of this remarkable ascent — which has its counterpart, more or less
approaching the same elevation, by whatever line the mountains are approached from the east —
is gained by the easy grades given, over a continuous plain, without once passing a remarkable
hill or making at any point a considerable descent.

The estimated distance from our camp, of August 9th, on the Huerfano river, by the circuit
indicated for a railroad, ascending the stream through the large amphitheatre drained by the river
and its branches, to the Black butte, (twelve miles,) to Williams’ Pass fork, (two miles,) and
Gunnison’s creek, (three miles,) and thence ascending the latter stream to the summit of El
Sangre de Cristo Pass, is from twenty-four to twenty-six miles, and the difference of elevation
2,354 feet — an average of ninety-eight feet and one inch to the mile for the shorter, and ninety
feet six inches for the longer distance. The altitude of the summit of this pass is 9,219 feet above
the sea; and of the highest point passed by our wagons, 9,358 feet; the altitude of the lowest
and nearest peak to the pass being 9,852 feet. Captain Gunnison says, “ a single grade can
easily be carried from the summit of this pass to the gorge of the Huerfano river, (just below our
camp of August 9th), but two— one along Gunnison’s creek, and one on the river — would proba¬
bly be preferable.” The Sangre de Cristo creek rises near the summit of the pass, and descends
in a general southwestern direction, through a narrow ravine, for 7.09 miles, which thence
gradually opens for six miles towards the valley of San Luis. The mountains on either side
rise several hundred feet above the stream. The descent of the stream from the summit of the
pass, is 101 feet per mile for the first mile and three-fourths, and 103 feet per mile for the suc¬
ceeding mile and thirty- four hundredths. Six miles below this point we left the creek, and
rose to a plain extending along the base of the mountain spurs, which we followed for 4.57 miles,
to Utah creek, near Fort Massachusetts, having descended twelve feet to the mile for the entire
distance, 10.57 miles. By descending from the summit of the pass along the side of the mountain
on the right of the creek, a road can be constructed, throwing a larger proportion of the descent
upon the lower part, where it should be carried on a mass of low hills to the plain indicated
above, which subsides gently into the valley of the Rio Grande del Norte.

The broad open valley of ,San Luis, enclosed on the east by the mountains just crossed, and
on the west by the chain of the Sierra San Juan, and drained by the Rio Grande del Norte and
its tributaries, is so level that a railroad can be carried over it in any desired direction. From
Utah creek we descended 49 feet per mile for 10.93 miles, to White Mountain spring; and
14 feet per mile for the following 13.46 miles, to near Roubideau’s Pass. This pass was

COOCHETOPA PASS AND TUNNEL.

examined and deemed entirely impracticable for a railroad ; the grade to the west being, For
the first 1.25 mile, at the foot of the ravine, 298 feet to the mile, and 490 feet to the mile for the
succeeding seven-tenths of a mile, and 554 feet per mile for the last three-fourths of a mile at the
summit, with a broad slope extending thence north and east to the Huerfano river.

Continuing up the valley of San Luis, the grades from camp to camp are, respectively, as follows :
An ascent of nine feet eight inches for 9.78 miles; a descent of 24 feet per mile for 9.06 miles;
an ascent of 8.7 feet per mile for 11.72 miles; a descent of 9.5 feet for 5.96 miles, with an ascent
of but' 19 feet in 15.20 miles, to the camp on Sahwatch creek at its entrance into the valley of
San Luis.

Gunnison’s Pass lies immediately to the northwest of the Sierra Mojada, between the head¬
waters of the Rio Grande del Norte, in this direction, and the Puncha creek, an affluent of the
Arkansas above its canon. Captain Gunnison deemed it practicable for a railroad which should
ascend the Arkansas river through its canon, and across the plains which lie above it, ascend¬
ing a branch of the Puncha creek to the summit of the pass, and descending through Homans’
park to the valley of San Luis. The altitude of this pass, 8,603 feet, and the grades in its
vicinity, are derived from aneroid observations, referred to our camp of August 27th, 28th, and
29th, in the San Luis valley; but are not relied upon with great confidence for actual altitudes
above the sea, although the relative differences of level indicated by them are more satisfactory.
They give grades of 185.5 feet per mile for four miles, ascending the pass from the east ; then
228 feet per mile for one mile and a half, followed by a grade of 113 feet to the mile for three-
fourths of a mile, to the summit. Descending to the west, the difference of level is 56 feet per
mile for six miles ; then 68 feet to the mile for three miles, to the centre of Homans’ park, from
which a road can be carried in any direction across the San Luis valley.

The approach to the Coochetopa Pass, by the Sahwatch creek, opens very favorably for the
construction of a railroad. The mouth of the valley of this stream is from five to seven miles in
width, but soon narrows in ascending it to a few hundred yards, and seldom again exceeds half a
mile in width to its head. For twelve miles we ascended slightly over 39 feet to the mile;
and for the following fifteen miles nearly 61 feet to the mile — having, during .the day, left
the Sahwatch creek and ascended its branches, occasionally overhung by walls of igneous rocks,
giving this part of the pass a defile character. But, in the construction of a railroad, it will be
necessary to carry it on the side of the ravine considerably above the stream, gaining an elevation
of at least 200 feet at the fifteen-mile station referred to ; which, from the formation of the hills,
must be done upon the last few miles below that point, the elevation of which is 8,960 feet above
the sea, while the summit of the pass, 3.83 miles distant, is 10,032 feet, which will require for
its passage a grade of 124 feet per mile for 3.07 miles above this point, followed by a tunnel,
entering the mountain from the east three-fourths of a mile below the summit, diminishing the
elevation to be overcome by 490 feet, and terminating to the west, with a deep approach, (near
our camp of September 2d), 1.33 mile below the summit — the length of the tunnel, which must
be cut entirely in rock, including the approach, being two miles.

The altitude above the sea, ten thousand feet, indicated by our barometers in this pass, is that
to which all the depressions in the vicinity will approximate. It is possible, however, that the
summit of the Carnero Pass, just south of the Coochetopa, may be more easily passed by a rail¬
road than the latter; but this can only be determined by a minute survey. In any future explo¬
ration, examination should be made for a passage in these mountains by ascending any small
stream entering Homans’ park from the northwest, and passing over to the head of the Cooche¬
topa creek, and thence descending to Grand river — the formation of the country indicating a
pass in that direction.

Below our station, 1.33 mile west of the summit of the Coochetopa Pass, the grade again
becomes practicable, being, by the valley of Pass creek for 2.24 miles, 108 feet to the mile ;
68 feet to the mile for the next 2.15 miles; 93 feet per mile for the following 2.05 miles;

FROM GRAND RIVER TO THE WAHSATCH PASS.

and 42 feet per mile for the succeeding 3.47 miles. In this descent much cutting and filling
will be necessary, the hills on each side of the creek being cut by small ravines deep back
towards their summits. Pass creek enters a broken canon at this point, which extends to
its junction with the Coochetopa, sixteen miles below. Lateral canones enter the main one at
several points, but principally from the left, and broken hills rise somewhat above the general
level of the descending plain; “but a railroad can be carried over them by rising below for
some distance.” The descent of the stream in the sixteen miles, is 71 feet per mile.
Seven miles below this point the Coochetopa creek enters Grand river in a bottom, eight or
nine miles in length by from one-half to one mile and a quarter wide, which is frequently
overflowed. From this point until we reached the Uncompahgra river, our route followed a
very rough and broken country, for the description of which reference should be made to the
accompanying section, daily journal, and map, from September 6th to September 20th, as it is
by far the most difficult and expensive section upon the route for the construction of a road.

From the crossing of the Nahunkahrea or Blue to Green river, the greatest difficulty to be over¬
come in the construetion of a road will be to secure a firm bed for it to rest upon ; the friable,
ash-heap character of the soil being such that, in wet weather, for many miles at a time over the
whole surface, it forms miry beds of a brick-clay consistency, in which animals sink half-leg
deep in crossing. Fortunately an inexhaustible supply of stone is at hand at various points along
the route, for the construction of a suitable foundation. The heaviest grade upon this section,
from camp to camp, is an ascent of 71 feet per mile, on the 27th of September, for 5.66 miles;
the other grades varying from 2 to 13 feet per mile between these rivers, a distance of 100 miles
from the junction of Grand and Blue rivers. Numerous bridges and culverts will be necessary on
this section.

The rocky district west of Green river is of the same ravine and chasm-like character (but
upon a much smaller scale) with the section on Grand river ; but the soft sandstone is here easily
cut, and the water-courses more easily passed, the streams not being so torrent-like. But the
number of bridges which will be required will be so. large that great expense will attend the
construction of a railroad on this part of the line explored. The grades upon it are heavy and
very variable, besides the ordinary inequalities of hills and ravines. They are from day to day
as follows, on the line traversed, and by the shorter one indicated in the journal, will not differ
materially :

From Green river to Akanaquint spring, 16.76 miles, ascent 35 feet per mile ; and for the suc¬
ceeding 4.6 miles, 119 feet per mile; and for the next 1.14 mile, 165.7 feet to the mile, to where
we left the Spanish trail; but this distance can be increased, bringing the grade down to, perhaps,
100 feet to the mile. Continuing from this point for 6.08 miles upon the summit-level between
Green and White rivers, we next descended, for 3.96 miles, 111.3 feet per mile, and 16.41 feet
per mile for 9.82 miles, to camp on White river.

Ascent to Clever creek, 8.72 miles, 41.85 feet per mile; for the succeeding 11.11 miles, return¬
ing to White river, ascent 23 feet per mile ; and 38 feet per mile for 13.26 miles, with a descent
of 22 feet to the mile for the succeeding 13.17 miles. For the next 11.40 miles we ascended
25.61 feet per mile, and 17.6 feet per mile for the next 13.46 miles; and for the succeeding 15.65
miles, the ascent was 53.16 feet to the mile to the foot of the Wahsatch Pass.

This pass is entered by crossing a small ridge between our camp of October 12th and Akana¬
quint creek, and ascending that stream through a narrow defile, from 100 to 200 yards in width
for some distance, and then leaving it by a ravine which rises between open grassy hills to the
summit of the pass ; the descent to the west being of the same character.

For the passage of this mountain by a railroad, it will be necessary to approach it from the
east by a heavy grade of 125 feet to the mile, after reaching the Akanaquint creek, to within
one-third of a mile of the summit, where a tunnel with deep approaches will be required — the
whole in rock, but not exceeding three- fourths of a mile in length — diminishing the elevation to

THE LINE UNWORTHY OP FURTHER EXPLORATIONS.

be overcome by from 175 to 200 feet, and giving a grade of 131 feet per mile for 3.6 miles west
of the summit, and thence to the vicinity of our camp of September 13, or even less than this,
by keeping on the side of the ravine above Salt creek. Altitude of the pass, 7,820 feet.

Two miles from this point, towards the valley of the Sevier river, Salt creek, (by following
which a railroad can alone be carried), enters a rocky canon, more or less broken by lateral
streams, which it follows for sixteen miles. “ Through this canon a railroad may be carried,
but, owing to rock cutting, only at a very heavy expense.” The altitude of our camp, two
miles above its head, on Salt creek, was 6,976 feet, to which seventy- five feet must be added,
to connect with the estimated grade for a road at that point, which will give a descent of
ninety-five feet per mile for the eighteen miles intervening between that point and the foot of
the canon, 1,706 feet below it. For 2.65 miles below the canon, to the foot of the mountains,
we descended 91 feet per mile; and from the foot of the mountain to our first camp on the
Sevier river, 3.13 miles, the descent was 27 feet to the mile.

No other than the most ordinary obstructions exist to the construction of a railroad from this
camp to the most western point of our explorations, near the Sevier lake. It should follow the
river, passing with it through its gorge in the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains; and thence take its
course to the west. The average fall of the river for thirty-one miles, upon which observations
were taken for three days, is but four feet to the mile ; and it continues this easy descent to the
lake.

For crossing the four main streams upon this line, heavy and expensive bridges will be re¬
quired ; especially those over Grand, Blue, and Green rivers, whose currents are very powerful
and rapid, and annually subject to enormous freshets — the Arkansas being, comparatively, a
gentle stream. And, besides these, after approaching Grand river, the ordinary side ravines and
canones requiring bridges are very numerous, while the passage of each of the more formidable
ones can only be accomplished by great labor and at an enormous expense, to say nothing of
then aggregate cost.

If more minute surveys shall at any time be made upon this general line, alterations and im¬
provements will doubtless be made in it to some extent, but its general character cannot be im¬
proved. A pass may be found, as suggested, at the head of the Coochetopa creek, in the Sierra
San Juan, which may be superior to the Coochetopa Pass itself, and a more direct line from Green
river to the Wahsatch Pass be secured, by following the Spanish trail across the Rock Hills, or
even by ascending the San Rafael river, but, if found more favorable or direct, will not alter the
general character of the route ; for the line followed is not only the best that could be discovered
in the vicinity, but was pointed out to us, as such, by the most reliable and experienced guides
we could obtain, and who had recommended the route as very superior, and may reasonably
be supposed to have done all they could to establish the correctness of their judgment, and by
the Indians who inhabit the country, and are as familiar with every fastness and mountain pass
in it as with the use of the arms with which they procure their daily subsistence.

And after the most careful observation and study I have been able to bestow upon the various
chains of mountains and water-courses upon the route, seen at least during parts of every day, in
the clear atmosphere of the elevated mountain regions, with a distinctness of outline and clear¬
ness of detail at distances difficult to be realized by persons who are only familiar with the
extent, beauty, and grandeur of landscape views in the comparatively moist and clouded atmo¬
sphere of the more civilized portions of our country, I hazard nothing in saying that no other line
exists, in the immediate vicinity of this, worthy of any attention in connexion with the construc¬
tion of a railroad from the Mississippi river to the Great Basin.

For the geographical positions (latitudes) laid down from astronomical observations in this
report and accompanying map, I am entirely indebted to my accomplished assistant, Mr. S.
Homans, astronomer for the expedition, by whom the observations were taken and the compu¬
lations made. Our entire failure to obtain suitable observations for longitudes, is explained in

DUTIES PERFORMED BY THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PARTY.

the report accompanying the table of latitudes. The longitudes used in the construction of the
accompanying map, are derived from a comparison of those given by Nicollet and Fremont for
St. Louis, and the public surveys carried westward from that place to the western boundary of
Missouri, and thence to Fort Riley, in determining the boundaries to Indian lands; and of Fre¬
mont and Emory at Bent’s Fort; and Fremont at Great Salt lake.

I am also indebted to Mr. Homans for the construction of a map of the route, which he made
from the topographical sketches taken by our late comrade, Mr. Kern, and from those taken by
himself subsequent to the barbarous massacre of that gentleman ; but the more elaborate map,
which accompanies the report, has been made from the same notes and from that map by
Mr. F. W. Egloffstein, my very able assistant in the topographical department of the explo¬
rations prosecuted during the year 1854.

Want of time in which to prepare the geological report of this line, to be submitted with this
report, compels me, reluctantly, to defer it until the completion of my report upon the explora¬
tions of the present year.

Respectable collections in botany and natural history were made during the exploration ; but,
owing to the unfortunate death of Mr. Creutzfeldt, the description of them has been necessarily
delayed, but will accompany the report referred to above.

The meteorological tables and tables of distances were kept by my young assistant, Mr. James
A. Snyder.

Until within a few days, I had intended to resume the explorations required by your instruc¬
tions, immediately after completing and forwarding this report, by proceeding through the Tim-
panogos canon to the Kamas prairie, and thence east as far as Bear river ; and, in returning,
have descended the Weber river to this valley, which, if practicable, would greatly facilitate our
spring operations. But, unfortunately, the winter has within the last two weeks become unpre¬
cedentedly cold, the thermometer falling to 10°, 15°, and 20° below zero ; while the depth of
snow in the valley is considerable, and greater in the mountains, forbidding our ascending them
until the winter moderates.

Indian hostilities still continue ; but few depredations have, however, been committed on the .
inhabitants of the territory within the last two months, and hopes are entertained by the civil
authorities of effecting a peace, which, if it could be maintained, would promote the prosperity
of new settlements.

We shall make the examination above referred to, as soon as the winter will permit our
animals to subsist in the mountai'ns.

I am, sir, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. G. BECKWITH,

Great Salt Lake City, U. T.,

January 31, 1854.

First Lieutenant 3d Artillery.

CHAPTER IX.

Discussion of Barometric Observations, and Tables of Altitudes and Distances, of the line
explored from Westport, Mo., to Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory ; also Tables of
Simultaneous Observations in, and Data for Profiles of, the mountain passes of the line.
1853.

I. — Introduction to, and corrections applied in, barometric computations. — Table for horary corrections of observations. —
Corrections for extreme air temperatures. — Comparison of field barometers with Dr. Engelmann’s barometer at St.
Louis, Missouri, both before and subsequent to the surveys. — Table of monthly mean observations at St. Louis, by Dr.
Engelmann.

II. — Barometric and meteorological observations, and table of altitudes and distances, for the profile of the line of survey from
Westport to Great Salt Lake City.

HI. — Data for profile of Roubideau’s Pass.

IV. — Simultaneous meteorological observations at Coochetopa Pass.

V. — Observations for a tunnel or deep cut in the Coochetopa Pass, allowing fifty yards as the width of the ridge at top.

IV. — Table IV resumed.

VI. — Data for the profile of the Coochetopa Pass, and declivities near its summit.

VII.— Simultaneous meteorological observations at the pass and on the route followed across the Wahsatch range.

VIII. — Data for the profile of the route followed across the Wahsatch mountains.

I. — Introduction to, and corrections applied in, barometric computations. — Table for horary corrections
of observations. — Corrections for extreme air temperatures. — Comparison of field barometers with Dr.
Engelmann' s barometer at St. Louis, Mo., both before and subsequent to the surveys. — Table of monthly
mean observations at St. Louis, by Dr. Engelmann.

The Bunten barometers (Nos. 496 and 551) are exclusively relied upon for the determinatio
of altitudes of the entire line. The readings of the aneroid barometers exhibit variable errors;
and as the mercurial barometers retain their reliable and uniform character throughout, no neces¬
sity exists for the use of the aneroids, the records of which are, therefore, not given.

The zero errors found by Doctor Engelmann, in his comparison at St. Louis, to apply to the
Bunten barometers before the commencement of the work, did not remain as between the two
instruments, even at the first considerable camps of the survey. They were, therefore, rejected
in all the computations, and no zero error was at any time applied. For mean readings the
two barometers ^usually agreed very nearly — the difference between them being that No. 496
was too slow in its movement when considerable changes of altitude occurred, and required
correction or the substitution of the other in such cases.

For mean readings at stations where several observations were taken, the results of both are
believed to be a very near approximation to standard accuracy, and the instruments appear
to have been but slightly deranged at the termination of the survey. The zero errors found in
them by Doctor Engelmann, on their return, were obviously introduced after the close of the
work, and do not require to be applied to it.

In the discussion of the observations, the readings were first corrected for temperature to the
height of the mercurial column at 32° Fahrenheit. A minor error of non-adaptation of the
common formula, to the temperature expansion determined by Shumacher for barometers ot
this construction, is thus avoided, and the greater advantage gained of combining all the obser¬
vations at a station in a correct mean reading, to be used in a single computation of the altitude*
12 g

BAROMETRIC OBSERVATIONS.

The mean of the observed air temperatures is used in these cases also, as avoiding, to some
extent, a source of error in extremes of surface temperature; for which, in single observations,
a table of corrections is appended.

All the observations were also corrected for horary variation of atmospheric pressure through
the day, thus bringing each to the true mean position for the day.

The accompanying scale of horary corrections gives the values employed for each hour.
They are derived primarily from well -determined curves of daily variation of pressure for
the eastern United States, but with material and important modifications and additions estab¬
lished by the observations of other surveys in the interior of the continent, principally by that
of Lieutenant Whipple. By the observations through the winter months at Great Salt Lake
City, the measures of this horary scale are shown to be less for that season, and to conform then
more nearly than in summer to those observed in the eastern United States and in Europe. For
the months occupied in the field-work of this survey, however, and for the districts traversed, the
measure of the correction here employed is fully confirmed. At the sea-level, or so near it, as
both extremities of the line are, the measures of horary variation again fall off to those belonging
to well-known districts ; yet, as no determinations of importance occur at these extremities, it is
not necessary to give the scale belonging to them.

A correction previously found to be required for extremes of air temperature has been so well
determined by the comparison of survey by levels, and with the barometer at the passes of the
Sierra Nevada, surveyed by Lieutenant Williamson, that a scale of corrections sufficiently precise
for practical use has been constructed. Where the error from this cause could not be eliminated
by the use of mean temperatures, this scale has been employed in the determinations here made.
The measures given for this correction belong to extremely arid climates, and to elevated dis¬
tricts, requiring modification in the position of the point where no correction is required; also
in different seasons. As it affects great elevations in these arid districts by an extreme amount
of at least 150 feet, it is too important to be neglected, notwithstanding a discretionary use of the
value is usually necessary.

The reduced observations at stations on the Plains, from Pawnee fork to camp 33, (the first camp
after crossing the Arkansas river), were referred to the mean barometric reading noted by Dr.
Engelmann at St. Louis for July, 1853 — the month in which they were made. The altitude of
his station above the Gulf of Mexico, as determined by him from a long series of observations,
was added to make up the entire altitude. For these stations and dates, the results thus
obtained are very nearly identical with those computed by direct reference to the barometric
mean at the level of the sea for ihe latitude.

For altitudes beyond this point direct comparisons of each camp are made to an assumed mean
barometric reading at the level of the sea, in this latitude, of 30,000 inches — the barometer
corrected to 32° Fahrenheit, and a mean air temperature taken of 57°. The constant belong¬
ing to the latitude and climate of the Gulf is 30.050 inches of the barometer, and 64° of air
temperature, which would add unduly to the altitudes. The principle is assumed that the con¬
stants of pressure and temperature employed belong to the latitude, and that the resulting deter¬
minations of elevation belong correctly and alike to both the Gulf and the Atlantic and the Pacific.
There are no well-determined mean readings of the barometer on the Pacific coast, yet the most
of those recently made in California give the impression that a slightly greater mean atmospheric
pressure exists there than in the same latitudes of the Atlantic. The constant has not, however,
been altered for any portion of this line.

The discussion of observations at the principal passes has been in part upon simultaneous
observations at an hour’s interval in time and distance. The slower movement of one barometer,
however, rendered it necessary in many cases to take successive readings of the best one, cor¬
rected for horary variation, for determinations of successive differences. The termini of these
lines of ascent and descent were also checked by comparison of preferred results, as of the

HORARY AND AIR TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS.

mean of several at the summit, or elsewhere, with the nearer camps. The coincidence of results,
by single and by successive steps, has been so satisfactory as to warrant the conclusion that
the grades and altitudes of these passes are quite accurately determined. The correct use of
such data, in the joining of intermediate with main lines, and in the correspondence of single
observations with the means of observation, is the severest test of barometric survey ; and dis¬
crepancies cannot be wholly removed.

The principal cause of these discrepancies is in the non-periodic variation of atmospheric pres¬
sure, for which no constant or correction can be given except by reference to continued readings
for a month or more at some station near. Mean results best eliminate this error, and they are
therefore preferred in the order of their number, or of the number of days they cover. In the
ascent of the Arkansas, the uniform grade of the stream permits the use of four or five successive
camps as a mean result, and two or three non-periodic variations are thus eliminated. Subse¬
quently, to Great Salt lake, a less error from this cause is likely to occur, as this variation is
least in August and September.

The observations generally sustain the checking and criticism which rank the results as a
determinate survey, with a near approximation to absolute accuracy, and, as among themselves,
sufficiently conclusive of grades and points of comparison.

Horary corrections of barometer.

Hour.

Inches.

Hour.

Inches.

+. 007
+.020
+. 030
+. 040
+. 050
+.055
+. 025
+. 005
— . 015

— . 030
— . 045
— . 050
— . 030
—.020
— . 005
— . 000
+.010
+. 020

7 am'

4 p. tti

Bam

5 p. in ... . ..................

Q a m

6 p. m .

10 a. m .

7 p. m _

12 m _ _

q p m

10 p. m _ _

p p m

Scale of corrections for extreme air temperatures.

Low temperatures.

High temperatures.

At 35° add 25°

At 95° subtract 15°

At 40° add 23°

At 93° subtract 13°

At 45° add 21°

At 90° subtract 11°

At 47° add 20°

Ac 88° subtract 10°

At 50° add 18°

At 85° subtract 8°

At 53° add 15°

At 83° subtract 7°

At 55° add 13

At 80° subtract 5°

At 57° add 10°

At 78° subtract 3°

At 60° add 5°

At 75° subtract 2° (See note.)

Note. — The measures of this correction are variable, to some extent, with the season, and apply nearly to departures from
the mean of the month in which observations are made. It is here given as required for summer months, in which most of
the observations in field surveys have been taken.

COMPARISON OP BAROMETERS.

Captain Gunnison’s barometers compared with the standard barometer of Dr. G. Engelmann, St. Louis ,
June 4 to 9, 1853.

Ten observations were made —

Range of standard barometer in that period, from 29."505 to 29."748, range 0/'243.

Mean differences of standard and compared barometers.

Bunten, No. 551=E+0.//006. Bunten, No. 496=E+0."080.

Aneroid, No. 9889=E-0."015. Aneroid, No. 9293=E-0."025.

Extreme differences of range of standard and compared barometers.

Bunten,

No.

551=E— 0."021 }
551=E+0./,027 S

=0.//048, difference of range.

Bunten, No. 496=E+0.//046 1
Bunten, No. 496=E + 0."109 $

=0.//063, difference of range.

Aneroid, No. 9889=E— 0."055 >
Aneroid, No. 9889=E+0."035 )

=0.//090, difference of range.

Aneroid, No. 9293=E— OZ'005
Aneroid, No. 9293=E-0.//045

=0."040, difference of range.

E. represents Engelmann’s standard barometer.

Both of Bunten’s barometers are very slow in their movements. B. 551 gives a very dull
sound when the tube is reversed, indicating air in the tube ; 496 gives a clearer sound, and is
probably free of air.

The station of Dr. Engelmann’s barometer is above low-water mark of the Mississippi 106.5
feet, and above the Gulf of Mexico 482 feet.

Barometer Engelmann was, in June, 1853, equal to —

Bunten, No. 551— O.^OOe
Bunten, No. 496-0."080

The Aneroids were both set to correspond exactly with barometer E.

After the voyage to California and back, barometer Engelmann was found, in September, 1854,
equal to —

Bunten, No. 551— 0."072
Bunten, No. 496+0/T16
Aneroid, No. 7889— 0."448
Aneroid, No. 9293+0.//263

Therefore, as barometer E. has remained unaltered —

Barometer Bunten, 551, is now higher by 0."066 than 14 months ago.

“ 496, is now lower by “ “

Aneroid, 7889, is now higher by 0."448 “ “

“ 9293, is now lower by 0."263 “ “

Bunten, 551, is by far the best instrument of the whole set; but both barometers have the
inside of the tubes at the lower as well as the upper levels so much soiled and darkened by
oxydized mercury, that at a certain elevation of the barometer, at least, the reading off becomes
very difficult if not impossible.

MONTHLY BAROMETRIC MEANS AT ST. LOUIS.

The aneroids are certainly very unreliable ; but within the limited range of my observations,
(between twenty-nine and thirty inches,) they performed well and corresponded pretty accu¬
rately with the fluctuations of my own barometer.

In calculating elevations from barometrical data, it seems best not to compare isolated observa¬
tions made on the same day, or at the same hour, but to refer the observations made in the
field (or the mean of several if they can be had) to the monthly means of the stationary
barometer. I add, therefore, my monthly means for the last fourteen months. But the ob¬
servations made west of the Rocky mountains cannot be referred to my barometer at all.

It is hardly necessary to add — what everybody who is in the habit of observing the barometer
knows — that observations made in the forenoon, principally from 8 to 10 o’clock a. m., are gen¬
erally higher, and those in the afternoon, principally between 2 and 4 o’clock, are mostly lower
than the average of the day. The noon observations come nearest the mean of the day.

The barometer — at least in the Mississippi valley — is usually highest with westerly and north¬
westerly winds, and lowest with southerly and southeasterly winds. It is mostly higher, but
much more irregular, in winter, and lower but more regular in summer.

BAROMETRICAL ELEVATION OF BAROMETER E., AT ST. LOUIS, 482 FEET ABOVE THE GULF.

Table of monthly barometrical means at St. Louis , corrected for temperature.

June . 1853.

Juiy . do. .

August . .do. .

September . do. .

October . do. .

November _ _ .do. ,

December . do. .

January . 1854,

February . do.

March . do. .

April . do. ,

May . do. .

June . do. ,

July . do. .

. 29.466

. 29.483

. . 29.431

. 29.474

. . 29.538

. 29.601

. 29.508

. . 29.577

. 29.507

. . 29.459

. . 29.444

. 29.334

. 29.418

. 29.491

Dr. GEO. ENGELMANN.

St. Louis, September, 1854.

to Great Salt Lake City.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

Remarks.

Note. — The arrangement of the re-

of 'barometer No. ^^being11 en¬

tered first or above in the column.

site the first readings at the camp

Cloudy in northwest; light south¬

west wind.

Do do.

Cloudy; wind southwest.

doufiy, with rain; strongnorthwest

Do do.

Cloudy.

Light southeast wind; clouds in

5gh«cio„a..

Clear flight breeze from southeast.

Light clouds in east ; wind southeast.

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§1 f

Camp No. 1, 3 miles west of

Camp 18, Pawnee fork .

Camp 19, first Coon creek..

Camp 20, second Coon creek.

Camp 21,^near Fort Atkin-

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES-

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and Data for Pi

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Do do.

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Dark clouds bwest*0™ n°ltheaSt‘

Do ’ do.

Clear; southeast wind.

Stormy; light southwest wind.

Clear.

c3ir“aw“‘itofrom

Do do.

Cloudy and foggy.

Light clouds ; light southwest wind.

Do do.

•«« 0A°qB WS!8H

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fii i» iiii8iii8iiiilii§i i i iiiiii,ii

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1; ” “ .

Camp 28, Timbers of Arkan¬
sas river.

Camp 30, Arkansas river,
near Bent’s Fort.

3 8f

1 !

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

llflliliB § m ISSSiSSii I Sil3!SslilliiiIlsil!isS|

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and Data for P

98 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS— ALTITUDES — DISTANCES. 99

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and Data for

100

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METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

101

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and Data for Pi

102

METEOROLOGICAL

I i

r :

la :

I 1 ?

Do ’ do.

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cbuds , li^hfc southwest bx eeze.

Do do!

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Light clouds.

c,nrM8toMhr'™a-

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Do do.

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a iias m 1 an a s zzsszi am i oat* a a a

On small creek . .

Camp 62, Cebolla creek,'

Camp 63, Cebolla creek,

Camp eLCedaT creek" " "
Crossing, Cedar creek .

Camp 67, on hill .

Camp 68, Kah-nah creek....

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

103

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S^SSSSSS^SSSB^Si^SSga^SS'SSa ^sa^as^S S5SS323 3

SSS^Sag

gill ill g g 1 1 si is ns issisSss Iisiiiii 111111 11

IliilSl

SSia4SSg5S3SSSSS'»S;°>SSi4S'°SS3SS ■*SS°‘SS°3 83823S3 2

8SS>-3888

iisiisiiiisiiiiiiiiisisisi giiiiSil sSSSss 11 man

s I I I I |B i I I 18 | jSB I I I I I | I I |8

I i 1 1 1 1! 1 1 1 II I 111 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 11

I jj I I ! ij I I I I I I I I I I I ::::::: i j
aiaaa*aaaaaaasn^ajaaaasa3^

Jg (idsS dp.^1 d d| dis dg

!.S I is I I I

iliilii;

Mill! =P

11 ii 1 1 a!

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a a a a a j a

P< ft p, « =3 jj £

"FT

1 II

1 I

? 11

n s s

I I I

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y i

and Data for Pi

104

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

Clear.

Do.

Do do.

Light douds, ligLt southeast wind.

Do do.

Clear; light breeze from northeast.

Do do.

Cloudy.

Do.

'BOS 9A0C[B

p i ! #Bm | b| i igg| i III! i 1 2si i i ! 8§ii
Mi §3 i i i i se n# mi i ; j him! ssir

1 ill!! i ilSSIIl ill i i i iii i iisil i i iilll ill

1 ;«*** i isss® \ j i :1s : isssss i ! isl.ll ilsK

•199 'ON 'to*
-ainoxeq ps^oa.uoQ

J3H IssSI 1 §ll~l§ III!

•96P -oh

gnmuq pa^oojJOQ

.JSSs 11ISI E llafilsIlSISBil lellli Ills

‘^omomfi Jiy

raoraSSoniV

•199 'OK

ill gggj g igllffggggfg §§1111 gggl

mornSw ‘pe J»WV

13.5

' 25

26.5

19.5

23.5

25.5

(g -9(^ "0N

in giiii g mmmmm mu\ iiii

Ijod

1130.81
1139. 35

1143. 95

1145. 09
1155. 13

1 159.* 92
1162. 02
1164. 95

1173.65*

1178. 15
1180. 67

1191.35
1198. 03

iii iiiii i iiiMMiiiiiii iijiii iiii

s a a ;«saa ! a a a a “ : a a a a a a a a s;i,aaa :aaa

isi litii I sa %sti ksi

j i iij i nil

| t”.“ 2 || III I ■ 1 is.! ;I
i «*"■ * ** °J3- ^»| L

i- if in hi i up jj*

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES .

105

i444

I <

i i I

-SoS . •fas*

I 1&&M& 1 I

1 I

g® : : : <oG : : : !|g i i i © I i i

ss g g g gj I j j jig I j j g j i j jg

3 ! !

1 i j

£11! : ills!

stesia j

iSSSS i ill
isSSS i iss

i ill i ill i i i

si** 1 1** Is

§i§5

1 lllllllls Hill IISIIIBII111I
s siaaaa’ sS2£scsssS2issisisS8S8f8i

i iiissiiii mu iimmiii ii
* iiiiitm aasiasi !sf

ilillli! ililllllll ill

j^dgggjgfSfgl \$$&&#$$$&

s £$«3©”§§§ ssssssggsssssg gsss&ss&ggssssssssssss

£ aSTSaSSSS Sn2Sm SSf£ooaa£Sa

gsai'®so*s!s3soo3ssisoit'8ss

i I'liisiiii iiiii gsgiiiisiisis ssiiiglsiiiiigiiiii'gi

s ss^sssssa ssss” s8sa“0sssss“

k ! ! i

;s isa-^s^a :ss«s§ss°’t- :ss

1 Hlllilll HiH iiiiilsiiii II ilfiiiii iiiliillli ill

and Data for P>

106

Clear ; light breeze from northwest.

Do do.

Clear.

Do.

Broken donds.

Do.

Li0ht floating clou

Do.

Clear: light breeze from southwest.

Do do.

Light clouds.

Dark clouds; snow fell during the

night.

_„8ra

. : : !“> : : | ; : ; j- «« - : : : |

3mtM isniMMii s i m mmtm ;

l ill in® iss i i i ill i i i i ; ; ; ; ; i ill i i is i

4 jtf* jtfri.M .jtfti j j j j«* j j j j j !!;ss ; i jtf tf

‘199 'ON ‘W
-graoatjq papg.uoQ

i mmU §sii§§8§iii si ftdhssiss&s-a i
******* *******§*** ** *************** *

.™„f4 TKLo

iiiiisi isiisgiiiig ii §

******* *********** ** *************** *

‘ Q^uJuoq} .ny

(•0) ‘-'91

’199 'OK

mm iiiiisiilli ii liSiiiiiiiiissi s

CO) ‘.19}

WS22S^ 83;S'HS§-5S£it*®8 22 22l'a3C5'oto'OQj>£S2S22 M

‘3uipTOi6OTi'}9raowa

isliii iiiiiisisil ii illiiiiiiiisiii s

■}.iod

j i i is i i'ss ; is i i i i is "ss; s ; : ; ; ; : ; ! IS ! ! ! !

aii!!ii lliiliiiiii 11 liliii ! i iis i ! ! I

i i i i i i i i i i : i i i i i i ! i j i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
iiiiii J. iiiiiiiiiiniii i

co go a 0 a co rHcocjcoaj-^cocoajcO'H rH co doicoo^rtCocoaooiMHcocoos co

1853.
Oct. 18

Camp 93, San Pete creek...

cSSp94, Sevier rireJIT. .'

Camp 95, on north bend of

Summit of ridge north of
Lake valley.

In Lake valley .

Summit of ridge south of
Lake valley.

Camp 96, Cedar Springs... .

Camp 98, Sevier river .

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

107

! I

U***

, , i m

i I Hit

till ? h-fMBf

M ; 2 i i i is i is i !5 i i is ; i jg

I! ! i IS s ! ! ! !3 ! H ! 3 ! ! ;8 i j i

mi ■ i ill iss ill i i=I i i&l i il I

**33 i j j ;*s ; \* *

SSil II llilllllll

MMUx itfs.aai3te*i^*** tf»M**M*

ssiisg iiisiiililiiii iflisiiilp I

i k\

i a

1 1' i

lil

§ s' s'

I I f

i I

i “i

s n

i i1

108

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

III. — Data for Profile of Roubideau's Pass — Altitudes above Camp 46, {Creek.)

Station.

Hour.

Barometer,
in inches,
No. 498.

Attached
ther., (F.)

Corrected
barometer,
in inches.

Det’d ther¬
mometer.

Height above
camp 46.

Entire alti¬
tude.

Dist from
camp 46.

Feet.

Miles.

7638

Level of base of mountain. ..

3.30 p. m...

22. 496

85. 1

22. 420

517. 86

8155. 9

6.25

Outlet of pass .

2.30 p. m...

22. 390

82.4

22. 225

968. 12

8606. 1

7.85

Two miles from summit .

10.40 a. in..

21. 855

59.9

21.764

65 )

Two miles from summit .

2 p. m .

21. 855

64.4

21.778

62. 5 J

1341. 00

8979. 1

9. 10

One mile from summit .

1.30 p. m...

21.551

84.2

21.449

1718. 15

9356. 1

9. 80

Summit station .

124p.m....

21.272

78.8

21. 163

2134.11

9772. 1

10. 55

IV. — Simultaneous Meteorological Observations at the Coochetopa Pass.

V. — Observations for a Deep Cut or Tunnel , allowing fifty yards as width of the ridge, in the
Coochetopa Pass.

12.45 p. m

Summit

532.4

17*

20. 961

62.6

1 p. m -

*350 ft. east

534.4

17.5

21.240

63.5

1.15 p. m.

Summit ....

532.5

17.5

20. 965

63.5

1.20 p. m.

*350 ft. west

533

16.5

20. 985

61.7

1.30 p. m.

Summit ....

532.3

15.5

20. 957

59.9

* Besides 150 fee*;, the width of ridge at summit level.

IV. — Simultaneous Meteorological Observations at the Coochetopa Pass — Continued.

6 a. m -

Camp 54. ..

541.4

11*

21.316

51.8

Camp 54. ..

6 a. m _

540.7

21. 288

51.8

8 a. m....

Station 1 ..

547.4

21. 552

69.8

Do .

8 a. m _

541.5

21.320

64.4

9 a. m..~

Station 2 ...

550.3

23.7

21. 666

74.6

Station 1...

9 a. m _

546.8

21.528

73.4

10 a. m ..

Station 3 ...

554

21. 811

Station 2...

10 a. m...

549

21.614

73.4

11 a. m...

Station 4 ...

556.4

22.2

21.906

71.9

Station 3...

11 a. m...

553.5

21.792

1 p. m -

Station 5 ...

554. 1

21.815

Station 4 . . .

1 p. m....

560

22. 048

75.2

2 p. m -

Station 6 . . .

548

22.8

21.575

Station 5...

2 p. m....

554. 1

21.815

78.8

3p.m....

Station 7 ...

555. 4

21.867

Station 6. ..

3 p. m -

545.8

21.489

4 p. m -

Station 8 . . .

559

25.5

22. 009

77.9

Station 7. ..

4 p. m -

554.5

21.831

75.2

5 p. m -

Camp 55...

564. 4

22. 221

80.6

Station 8. ..

5 p. m -

557.5

21.950

75.2

6 p. m -

. do .

564.4

22. 221

75.2

Camp 55. ..

6 p. m _

564.2

23.5

22.213

74.3

9 p.m....

. do .

562.2

22. 134

55.4

Do .

9p.m....

562.5

22. 146

55. 4

*, For air temperature, at corresponding hours, see Table VI.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

109

VI. — Data for Profile of the Coochetopa Pass.

Date.

Hour.

Station.

Corrected ba¬

rometer, 496.

Air thermome¬

ter.

Station.

Corrected ba¬

rometer, 551.

Air thermome¬

ter.

Difference of

altitudes.

Entire altitude

Intermediate

distance.

Entire distance.

1853.

Feet.

Miles.

(Miles from

camp 53.)

Sept. 2

9 a. m ...

Station 1.4.

21.812

70*

Camp 53. ..

21 . 6821

84*

— 62

8898

10 a. m ..

Station 2...

21.550

Station 1. ..

21.790

312

9210

1.62

11 a. m ..

Station 3. ..

21.354

Station 2 . . .

21. 581

300

9510

1.39

3.01

12 m ....

Station 4. ..

21. 154

Station 3. ..

21. 328

230.3

9740. 3

.58

3. 59

1 p. m. ..

Station 5,

20.897

Station 4. ..

21. 174

291. 7|

10032

.24

3.83

summit.

1.30 p. m.

Station 5,

20. 900

Station 5,

20. 924

summit.

Station 5,

20. 936

summit.

Means at.

Camp 54. ..

21.289

Camp 54. ..

21.281

— 492

9540

1.33

5. 16

VI. — Declivities near summit.

Sept.

12.45 p. m
1 p. m...

1.15 p. m.
1.20 p. m.

Summit....
Station east.

Summit _

Station west.

20. 897
20. 974

20. 899
20. 962

350 ft. east
of summit.

350 ft. west
of summit.

VI. — Data for Profile of the Coochetopa Pass — Continued.

1853.

Feet.

Miles.

( Miles from

camp 54.)

Sept. 3

6 a. m...

Camp 54. ..

21.271

55*

Camp 54. ..

21.244

55*

9540

8a.m...

Station 1...

21.472

....do .

21.251

—243

9297

2. 24

9 a.m...

Station 2 . . .

21.578

Station 1...

21.442

—147

9150

2. 15

4.39

10 a. m ..

Station 3...

21.716

Station 2. ..

21.582

—191

8959

2. 05

6.44

1 1 a. m . .

Station 4...

21.821

Station 3. ..

21.697

—144

8815

3. 47

9.91

1 p. m...

Station 5. ..

21.720

Station 4 . . .

21.957

195

• 9010

1.28

11. 19

2 p. in . . .

Station 6. ..

21.490

Station 5. ..

21.716

232

9342

1.74

12. 93

3 p. m. ..

Station 7. ..

21.772

Station 6. ..

21.396

—353

8989

2. 14

15.1.7

4 p. m...

Station 8. ..

21.912

Station 7. ..

21.740

—277

8712

2. 20

17.27

5 p. m...

Camp 55. ..

22. 118

Station 8. ..

21.859

)

6p. m...

- do. .

22. 130

Camp 55...

22. 123

>—197

8515

2. 73

9p. m...

_ do .

22. 082

....do .

22. 094

* For instrument temperatures, at corresponding hours, see Table IV.
t Station 1 compared with camp 53 and corrected.

t The altitude of station 5, at summit, determined by comparison of all the observations made there with the mean at camp 54.
$ For instrument temperatures, at corresponding hours, see Table V.

110

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES— DISTANCES.

VII. — Simultaneous Meteorological Observations at the pass and on the route followed across the Wahsatch
range. — Camp 88 to Camp 89.

ADVANCE

PARTY.

REAR PARTY.

§j

s§

Date.

Hour.

Station.

’£•

Station.

Hour.

■5

-S

-2

Oct. 13

8 a. m . . .

Camp 88. ..

597.2

23. 512

48.2

9 a. m . ..

Station 1 . . .

595. 8

23. 456

53.6

Camp 88...

9 a. m ...

598.4

9. 8*

23. 560

49.6

10 a. m ..

Station 2. ..

594.1

23. 390

51.8

Station 1...

10 a. m ..

595.2

11.7

23. 432

11 a. m ..

Station 3. ..

589.7

23. 217

51.8

Station 2...

1 1 a. m . .

594.3

11.4

23. 398

52.5

12 m .

Station 4. ..

584. 1

22. 997

51.8

Station 3. ..

12 m .

588.6

10.3

23. 174

50.5

1p.m...

Station 5. ..

577. 1

22. 721

51.8

Station 4...

1p.m...

582. 9

12.3

22. 952

54. 1

1.15 p. m.

Summit ....

574.4

22.615

48.2

2 p. m . ..

Station 6...

583.1

12.5

22. 957

54.5

Station 5 . . .

2 p.m...

575.5

13.1

22. 658

55.6

Summit ....

2.15 p.m.

574. 5

14.7

22. 619

58.4

3 p. m . ..

Station 7 ...

587.2

23. 119

53.6

Station 6 _

3p.m...

582.3

12.7

22. 926

54.8

4p.m...

Camp 89...

591

23. 268

55.4

Station 7 ...

4 p. m . ..

586.9

23.107

55.4

5p.m...

- do .

589.9

23. 225

57.2

Camp 89 . . .

5 p. m . ..

590.2

23. 237

55.4

VII. — Simultaneous Meteorological Observations at the pass and on the route followed across the Wahsatch
range. — Camp 89 to Camp 90.

6 a. m . ..
9 a. m . ..

Camp 89. ..
Station 1 . . .

590.7

592.2

23. 257
23. 316

44.6

46.4

Camp 89 . . .

9 a. m . ..

591.4

23. 284

46.4

10 a. m ..

Station 2...

591.4

23. 284

57.2

Station 1 . . .

10 a. m ..

592.2

23. 316

11 a. m ..

Station 3. ..

584.1

22. 997

69.8

Station 2 ...

11 a m ..

590. 6

16.3

23. 253

61.34

12 m .

Station 4 . . .

585.7

23. 060

69.8

Station 3 . . .

12 m .

584. 1

22. 997

69.8

1 p. m . ..

Station 5. ..

584. 1

22. 997

69.8

Station 4 ...

1 p. m . ..

585.9

24.5

23. 068

76. 1

2p.m...

Station 6. ..

584.8

23. 025

Station 5 . . .

2p.m...

583.8

25.4

22. 985

77.72

3p.m...

Station 7 ...

582.3

22. 926

Station 6 . . .

3p.m...

582.3

22. 926

4 p. m ...

Station 8...

581

22. 875

Station 7 . ..

4 p. m . ..

581

22. 875

5 p. m ...

Camp 90...

576.7

22. 706

46.4

Station 8 . . .

5 p. m ...

576.7

22. 706

46.4

6 p. m . ..

_ do .

576.7

22. 706

46.4

VII. — Simultaneous Meteorological Observations at the pass and, on the route followed across the Wahsatch
range. — Camp 90 to Camp 91.

8.30 a. m.
9 a. m ...

Camp 90. ..
Station 1 . . .

577.3

577

12*

22. 729
22.717

53.6
57. 2

Camp 90t ..

8.30 a. m.

577.3

12*

22. 729

53.6

10 a. m ..

Station 2...

570.6

22. 465

Station 1 ...

9 a. m . . .

577

22.717

57.2

11 a. m ..

Station 3. ..

566.7

22. 312

Station 2 ...

10 a. m ..

570.6

22. 465

11.45 a. m

Station 4. ..

556.3

21.902

64.4

Station 3 . . .

11 a. m ..

566.7

22.312

1 p. m...

Station 5. .

569.8

22. 434

66.2

Station 4 ...

1p.m...

555.6

22.6

21. 875

72.7

2p.m...

Station 6. ..

579

22. 796

Station 5 . . .

2p.m...

568.8

17.9

22. 395

64.2

3 p. m ...

Station 7 ...

587.4

23. 127

Station 6 ...

3p.m...

577.2

22. 725

62.6

4 p. m ...

Station 8. ..

590.7

23. 257

66.2

Station 7 ...

4 p. m...

586.6

20.4

23. 107

63.7

5 p. m ...

Camp 91. ..

602

23. 701

Station 8 . . .

5 p. m...

590.3

20.3

23.241

68.5

6 p. m . ..

- do .

602. 1

23. 705

* For air temperatures, at corresponding hours, see Tables VIII.

t The first four observations recorded for the rear party are taken from barometer No. 551, as observed the previous hour.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

Ill

VIII. — Data for Profile of the pass and the route followed across the Wahsatch range. — Camp 88 to

Camp 89.

VIII. — Data for Profile of the pass and the route followed across the Wahsatch range. — Camp 89 to
Camp 90.

Date.

Hour.

Station.

Corrected barometer,
No. 551.

| Air thermometer, (F.)

Station.

Corrected barometer,
No. 496.

Air thermometer, (F.)

Difference of altitudes.

Entire altitude above
camp 89.

Intermediate distance.

Distance from camp 89.

Oct. 14

6 a. m .

9 a. m .

10 a. m .

11 a.m .

12 m .

1 P-m .

2 p.m .

3p-m .

4 P-m .

5 P-m .

6 P-m .

Camp 89 .

Station 1 .

Station 2 .

Station 3 .

Station 4 .

Station 5 .

Station 6 .

Station 7 .

Station 8 .

Camp 90 .

23. 244
23. 275
23. 226
22. 934
22. 995
22. 928
22. 960
22. 861
22. 814
22. 669
22. 669

35*

Camp 89 .

Station 1 .

Station 2 .

Station 3 .

Station 4 .

Station 5 .

Station 6 .

Station 7 .

Station 8 _

23. 254
23. 273
23. 192

22. 934

23. 007
22. 918
22. 960:1
22. 861
22. 814

43*

— 24. 9
+ 56.2
+310.7

— 51
+ 95.5

— 50.1
+ 95. 5

06. 9
+174. 9

— 24.9

+313

+342

291

386. 5
336.4
431.9
488.8
663.7

Miles.

.84
1.25
.99
.60
.31
.11
.20
. 12
.58

Miles.

.84

2. 09

3. 08
3. 68

3. 99

4. 10
4. 30
4. 42
5

* For temperature of instrument at corresponding hours, see Tables VII.

t The next determination is used for the difference between stations 5 and 6 — in effect using the previous barometric read¬
ing at station 5, instead of that of barometer No. 496. From station 2 to the summit the successive readings of barometer 496
are used, with a horary correction — those of No. 551 being in error. The summit not being a station, the first barometer ar¬
riving there at \h. 15m. p. m. had no corresponding observation of the second barometer; at 2 p. m. the observations were
simultaneous on opposite sides of the summit; at 2 h. 15 m p. m. the second barometer, at the summit, was alone observed.

{The three following observations are taken from the readings of barometer 551 at the previous hours.

112

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS — ALTITUDES — DISTANCES.

VIII. — Data for Profile of the pass and the route followed across the Wahsatch range. — Camp 90 to

Camp 91.

Hour.

Station.

Corrected barometer,

No. 551.

Air thermometer, (F.)

Station.

Corrected barometer,

No. 496.

Air thermometer, (F.)

Difference of altitudes.

Entire altitude above

camp 90.

Intermediate distance.

Distance from camp 90.

8.30 a. m. ..

Camp 90 .

22. 690

48*

Miles.

9 a. m .

Station 1 .

22. 676

Camp 90t .

22. 690

58*

28.8

.33

10 a. m .

Station 2 .

22. 404

Station 1 .

22. 676

355. 9

384.7

.54

.87

11 a. m .

Station 3 .

22. 225

Station 2 .

22. 404

251.7

636.4

. 16

1.03

1 1.45 a. m..

Station 4 .

21.828

Station 3 .

22. 225

485.5

1121.9

.60

1.63

1 p.m .

Station 5 .

22. 357

Station 4 .

21.807

—700. 4

421. 5

2.24

3.87

2 p. m .

Station 6 .

22. 709

Station 5 .

22. 330

—475.3

— 53.8

.78

4.65

3 p. m .

Station 7 .

23. 052

Station 6 .

22. 685

—449. 3

— 503. 1

1.60

6. 25

4 p. m .

Station 8 .

23. 186

Station 7 .

23. 040

—176. 4

— 679. 5

.50

6. 75

5 pm .

6 P-m .

Camp 91 .

....do .

23. 643
23. 649

Station 8 .

23. 174

—556. 2

—1235. 7

1.75

8. 50

* See Tables VII for temperature of instruments at corresponding hours.

t The first four observations entered, as at the rear stations, are taken from the readings of barometer 551 the previous hours.

cio to

CHAPTER X.

Geographical Positions, and Distances travelled , on the line of exploration from Westport,
Mo., to Great Salt Lake City. 1853.

I. — Letter from Mr. S. Homans, in charge of astronomical department.

H. — Table of geographical positions from Westport, Missouri, to Great Salt Lake City, Utah.

HI. — Table of distances travelled, including those from point to point at which barometrical observations were made, on the
route from Westport, Missouri, to Great Salt Lake City.

TV. — Table of distances travelled on the line followed from Westport, Missouri, via Fort Eiley, Kansas Territory, to Walnut
creek.

I. — Letter from Mr. S. Homans, in charge of Astronomical Department.

Sir : In the following table of geographical positions the latitudes only are given. Lunar distances
and culminations were also observed ; but, from imperfections in the instruments, the results were
deemed useless. The selection of astronomical instruments for this expedition was most unfortu¬
nate; they have all proved defective, and some entirely unfit for use.

In the duty of constructing the map, which devolved upon me by the death of Mr. Richard
H. Kern, I have adopted the method of “course and distance,” corrected by latitudes found by
meridional observations, as being more reliable than the chronometric determinations. The
accuracy of positions on the map, referred to the assumed longitudes, attests the fidelity and skill
of the topographical notes and sketches by that gentleman.

I am, very respectfully,

SHEPPARD HOMANS,

In Charge of Astronomical Department.

Lieut. E. G. Beckwith,

United States Army, Commanding Expedition.

15 g

ixuae.

57 34

01 56

13 18

08 13

03 27

09 05

07 52

07 30

03 43

56 42

48 03

46 35

44 06

46 09

38 30

38 44

38 51

45 04

44 52

43 10

44 09

42 25

36 52

35 05

31 10

29 04

31 59

30 26

47 22

57 24

02 15

14 42

25 04

18 33

07 46

12 35

22 06

21 50

27 53

30 41

32 08

30 38

29 02

26 33

25 07

23 26

22 44

24 56

29 17

36 07

42 38

43 21

55 50

55 52

01 35

06 36

07 24

09 49

13 12

14 15

05 57

09 47

57 50

52 40

50 48

50 50

55 45

57 26

59 05

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITIONS.

II. — Geographical Positions — Continued.

Locality.

Observation.

Jupiter ....

Antares .

....do .

. do .

Sun .

Altair .

Jupiter .

Sun .......

...r. ..I'.do ...’ .

Jupiter ....
Sun .......

J upiter. ....

Sun .......

Jupiter. _

Piiphara river

Sun . _ _ _ _

. do .

Altair .

Sun .

_ do .

Huerfano l’ivcr

Sun _ _

. do . camp .

Altair .

Sun .

In Sangre de Cristo Pass .

. do . noon halt.

....do .

- do .

_ do .

Fort Massachusetts

White Mountain sprint

Altair

p &

Sun .......

Leroux creek ....... ...... ....

..do .

Branch Puu^a creek

Altair .

Homans’ creek _ _ _ _

Sun

Coochetopa Pass _ _ _ _

Altair .

_ do .

_ do _ _ _ _ _ _

Sun .

Noon halt

Coochetopa creek _ _ _ _

Altair .

Sun . ......

Grand river _ _ _ _ _

. do .

_ do .

Sun ... _ _

....do .

Oeholla, creek. _ _

Altair .

Sun _

Noon halt _ _ _ _ _

_ do .

Cedar creek _ _ _ _ _ _

Altair .

Sun _

Noon halt _ _ _ _ _

Uncompahgra river _ _

Altair .

Sun _

Altair .

Sun _ _

Noon halt

Nah-un-kah-rea river _ _

Altair .

Sun ... _

Noon halt. _ ...... .... ....

Little Salt creek _ _ _

Altair .

Sun . _ _

Bitter creek

_ do .

Noon halt

...do .

Altair .

Sun . ...

Noon halt

Altair .

Sun _ _

Noon halt, Spanish trail _ _

Green river. _ _ _

Altair .

Sun .

Noon halt .

Declination.

Index

Double obs’d

—22 13
—26 06
—26 06
19 08
18 54
18 25
8 29
—22 12
17 55
—22 12
17 24
—22 12
17 08
—22 12
16 35
8 29
16 19
16 02
8 29
15 44
8 29
15 27
14 14
13 17
12 58
11 58
11 38

8 29
10 16

9 55
9 34
9 12
8 29
8 29
8 07
8 29
8 29

7 01
6 39

8 29
6 16
8 29
8 29
4 46
4 23
8 29
3 37
3 14
8 29
2 28
8 29
2 04
1 41
8 29
1 18

54
8 29
31
8 29
8

— 15

— 38

— 2 12
8 29

— 2 35
8 29

— 2 58
8 29

— 3 45

error.

alt.

15
11
11
10
19
37

17
05

40
04
37
05
39
07
54
08
08
05
09
47
09
14
28

14
58
53
11
19

16
04
43
11
11
46
11
11

15
11

51
11
11

18
27
12

32
22
12
05
12

52
36
12
18

58
12

36
12

13
11

14
13

37
13

59
13

1 43.5
1 43.5
1 43.5
1 40

1 40

2 06
2 06
2 06
2 06
2 06
2 11
2 11

1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5
1 37.5

1 37.5
30

2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 05
2 05
2 05
2 05
2 05
2 05
2 05
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
2 00
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 38
1 55
1 55
1 55
1 55

1 55

2 05
2 05
2 05

59 39
51 45
51 22
141 27
141 09
140 00

120 41
59 21

139 10

59 43
138 39

60 03
138 16

60 04
137 22

121 40

136 47

137 04
121 27
135 30
121 29
134 56
132 46
130 52
130 20
128 26
128 43
121 56
124 26
123 21
123 33
121 22
120 07
120 20

119 26

120 30
120 13
116 46
115 49
119 55
114 56
119 56

119 59
112 06
111 23

120 10
109 56
109 05
119 58
107 11
119 32
106 10
104 59
119 06
104 01
103 04
118 42
102 11

118 31
101 15
100 45

99 58
97 07

119 12
96 34

119 15
95 37
119 02
93 57

S8S

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITIONS — TABLE OF DISTANCES.

115

II. — Geographical Positions — Continued.

III. — Table of Distances travelled , including those from point to point at which barometrical observa¬
tions were made , on the route from Westport , Missouri , to Great Salt Lake City.

Date.

Number of
camp.

Intermediate

distances.

Day’s travel.

Distance from
Westport.

Localities.

1853.

Miles.

June 22 .

4.92

23 .

8.70

13. 62

Indian creek.

24 .

8. 42

22. 04

25 .

9.40

31.44

Bull creek.

26 .

20. 25

51.69

Willow springs.

27 .

23. 84

75. 53

110 mile creek.

28 .

20. 56

96. 09

Prairie Hen creek.

29 .

21.02

117. 11

Rock creek.

30 . .

8. 19

125. 30

Elm creek.

July 1 .

16. 55

141. 85

Diamond spring.

2 .

15. 70

157. 55

Lost spring.

3 .

17. 82

175. 37

Cotton-wood creek.

5 .

22. 59

197. 96

Turkey creek.

6 .

23. 18

221. 14

Little Arkansas.

7 .

20.44

241. 58

Big Cow creek.

8 .

20. 10

261.68

Big Bend of the Arkansas.

9 .

7.23

268. 91

Walnut creek.

13 .

28.59

297. 50

Pawnee fork.

14 .

20. 71

318. 21

Coon creek — first fork.

15 .

18. 50

336.71

Do. second fork.

16 .

28. 62

365. 33

Arkansas river, near Fort Atkinson.

19 .

25. 32

390. 65

Do. near Cimmeron ford.

116

TABLE OP DISTANCES.

117

III. — Table of Distances travelled , 8fc. — Continued.

Date.

Number of
camp.

Intermediate

distances.

Day’s travel.

Distance from
Westport.

Localities.

1853.

Miles.

894. 28

Grand river.

898. 28

Mountain ravine.

9 .

2.92

East summit of Lake Fork bank.

9 .

1.08

902.28

Lake fork.

Summit of bank west of Lake fork.

10 .

4. 16

4.70

906. 98

Mountain valley.

12 .

13.18

920. 16

Cebolla creek — first branch.

13 .

923. 91

Do. second branch.

14 .

Summit of mountain.

14 .

9.22

13. 00

936. 91

Cedar creek.

]5 .

2. 03

Crossing of Cedar creek.

15 .

10.26

12. 29

949. 20

Uncompahgra river.

967. 43

Do.

17 .

987. 76

Hill.

18 .

996. 21

1009. 61

Blue river.

1018.71

Do.

21 .

1033

Little Salt creek.

1054. 75

Bitter creek.

1071.03

Rain-water creek.

27 .

•5.67

1076. 70

Hill.

28 .

16.72

1093. 42

Creek in canon.

29 .

1107.52

Junction of creeks.

1121. 52

leennvei.

Oct. 1 .

1.08

1122. 60

2 .

16. 75

1139. 35

Akanaquint spring.

3 .

15. 78

1 155. 13

Dry creek.

4 .

9. 82

1164. 95

White river.

5 .

8. 70

1173. 65

Clever creek.

6 .

10. 86

Station on White river.

6 .

.26

11.12

1184. 77

Hill.

7 .

3.52

Station.

7 .

9! 74

13.26

1198. 03....

Standing Water creek.

8 .

7. 61

Near San Rafael river.

8 . .

5. 59

13. 20

1211.23

San Rafael river.

9 .

2. 19

Spanish trail.

9 .

9. 21

11.40

1222. 63

Garambulla river.

11 .

7.85

Dividing ridge.

11 .

5. 61

13. 46

1236. 09

Big Rock creek.

12 .

5.82

Crossing stream.

12 .

9. 83

15.65

1251. 74

Oak spring.

13 .

.61

Station No. 1.

13 .

1. 08

Station No. 2.

13 .

1. 66

Station No. 3.

13 .

1. 34

Station No. 4.

13 .

1.74

Station No. 5.

13 .

.22

Summit of Wahsatch Pass.

13 .

1.90

Station No. 6.

13 .

1. 70

Station No. 7.

13 .

.97

11.22

1262. 96

Salt creek.

14 .

.84

Station No. 1.

14 .

1.25

Station No. 2.

14 .

.99

Station No. 3.

14 .

.60

Station No. 4.

14 .

. 31

Station No. 5.

14 .

. 11

Station No. 6.

14 .

.20

Station No. 7.

14 .

. 12

Station No. 8.

14 .

.58

1267. 96

Swambah creek

15 .

.33

Station No. 1.

15 .

.54

Station No. 2.

15 .

. 16

Station No. 3.

15 .

.60

Station No. 4 — summit.

15 .

2. 24

Station No. 5.

15 .

.78

Station No. 6.

15 .

1. 60

Station No. 7.

15 . .

.50

Station No. 8.

15 .

1.75

8.5

1276. 46

Ungottahbikin creek.

118

TABLE OF DISTANCES.

III. — Table of Distances travelled, Sfc. — Continued.

IV. — Table of Distances travelled on the line followed from Westport, Missouri, via Fort Riley,
Kansas Territory, to Walnut Creek.

Date.

No. of
camp.

Day’s travel.

Distance from
Westport.

Localities.

1853.

j un0 22 . _ - - -- -- -

Miles.

4.92

Miles.

4.92

23 .

8. 70

13.62

Indian creek.

24 .

8.42

22. 04

Cedar creek.

2n .

9. 40

31.44

Bull creek.

26 .

15.32

46.76

Wahkarrussi river.

27 .

20. 92

67. 68

Big spring.

Branch of Mission creek.

28 .

23. 40

91. 08

29 . .

18. 75

109. 83

Branch of Il-a-heek-cou-a-sa creek.

30 .

18. 46

128. 29

Small creek, three miles from K. river.

July 1 .

15. 75

144. 04

Rivulet, nine miles from K. river.

2 .

12. 09

156. 13

Mahungasa creek,

Bluffs opposite Fort Riley.

Spring between the Smoky Hill and Republican forks.
Creek in Smoky Hill Fork valley.

Nepeholla river.

Saline fork.

3 .

2. 50

158. 63

4 .

13. 13

171.76

24. 46

196. 22

6 .

10. 58

206. 80 '

7 .

8. 92

215.72

8 .

23. 09

238. 81

Branch of Saline.

9 .

22. 76

261.57

Oak Spring creek.

Arroyo creek.

Walnut creek, at Santa Fe crossing.

11 .

29. 00

290. 57

12 .

15. 62

306. 19

APPENDIX A.

Letters relating to the Progress of the Survey of the Route near the 38 th and 39 th
parallels, in charge of Captain Gunnison.

I. — Letter dated June 20, 1853, Camp, Shawnee reservation, from Captain Gunnison to the Secretary of War, indicating the
line which will be followed in crossing the Plains.

II. — Letter dated August 22, 1853, Camp, Utah creek, near Fort Massachusetts, from Captain Gunnison to the Secretary of
War, reporting the progress of the survey.

III. — Letter dated August 22, 1853, Camp, Utah creek, near Fort Massachusetts, from Captain Gunnison to Colonel J. J. Abort,
reporting the progress of the survey.

IY. — Letter dated September 20, 1853, Camp No. 70, Grand river, Utah Territory, from Captain Gunnison to Colonel J. J.
Abert, reporting the progress of the survey.

Y. — Letter dated September 23, 1853, Camp 72, Bitter creek, Utah Territory, from Captain Gunnison to Colonel J. J. Abert,
forwarding a rude copy of the field-work of the survey.

VI. — Letter dated October 29, 1853, Camp, near Fillmore, Utah Territory, from Lieutenant Beckwith to Colonel J. J. Abert,
reporting the progress of the survey, requesting instructions, and indicating future operations.

I. — Letter dated June 20, 1853, Camp , Shawnee Reservation, from Captain Gunnison to the Sec¬
retary of War, indicating the line which will be followed in crossing the Plains.

Camp, Shawnee Reservation,

June 20, 1853.

Sir : I have the honor to say that I have organized my party for the survey assigned to my
command, and, with the escort under Brevet Captain Morris, propose to proceed along the
Smoky Hill, until necessary to deflect from it, nearly as possible in a direct line, to the mouth
of the Huerfano. This will give a new exploration a part of the way, and very desirable to
meet the views of those advocating the route, and, I hope, it will not much delay me. It will
also be useful for the new fort on the Republican, in order to know whether a short route to
Santa Fe may be taken across to the Arkansas. I submit the following names as assistants on
the survey :

Dr. James Schiel, surgeon and naturalist.

Sheppard Homans, astronomer.

The gentleman engaged as civil engineer was taken ill at Elmira, New York, and has not yet
joined ; but I hope he will yet be able to reach us, as our marches, for a few days, will be short.
I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient servant,

J. W. GUNNISON,
Captain Topographical Engineers.

Hon. Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War.

II. — Letter dated August 22, 1853, Camp, Utah Creelt, near Fort Massachusetts, from Captain
Gunnison to the Secretary of War, reporting the progress of the survey.

Camp, Utah Creek, near Fort Massachusetts,

August 22, 1853.

Sir : Availing myself of your permission to keep you acquainted with my progress on the
survey, I have the honor to say that my party has crossed the first great range of the Rocky
mountains jsafely and easily to the valley of San Luis.

120

APPENDIX A. — PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY.

My exploration on the west side of the Kansas was eminently successful, in developing the
existence of a plain, slightly inclined, which cuts off the eastern bend of that river at the Smoky
Hill. Thence I came, in the same course, to Walnut creek, and descended to its lower part,
and afterwards reconnoitred above. The result would be that a road should take this more
direct line from Fort Riley to Walnut creek, and cross to Pawnee fork, following it and branches to
within five or six miles of the Arkansas; thus cutting off the “Big Bend,” and strike the latter
river near “Aubrey’s crossing.” I beg leave to refer to Captain (Lieutenant) Woodruff’s map
of the Pawnee fork in explanation — a manuscript copy of which I saw at F ort Atkinson.

Those in my command who had been in this country in winter, could not recognise places and
streams in a different season. Misled by the maps of the Upper Arkansas, I took the Apishpa
for the Huerfano, and thoroughly explored the country below, and have added to the geography
of that region at the expense of much personal labor.

An intelligent man, of thirty years’ mountain experience, was procured. at the Greenhorn ranch,
for a guide to the “Sangre de Cristo” Pass. By a circuitous route we were led to the mule-
path crossing over a high mountain or ridge, which the guide declared the only way. But I
reconnoitred the dividing ridge from near the Sierra Blanca to the Spanish peaks, while the train
was cutting through bushes and working a road, under my able assistant officer, down the
Sangre de Cristo creek to this valley.

My efforts were rewarded by finding a summit level, very low, and over which a road can
easily be made, with almost a single grade of a few feet to the mile, to the Arkansas plains.
As an obstacle to a railroad, it deserves not the name; and the pass can be made without going
up what could be called a hill — a mere slope. The work bestowed on the Muleteer mountain
track would have opened a feasible road for supplies to this post from the States, and, perhaps,
ultimately the route to Santa Fe.

There is a good wagon-track now made, where we have come with heavily loaded teams.
A large flock and herd are closely following us. The owner has been to one of my camps, and
returned to the Arkansas to bring on his stock, as the grass is extremely good, and this route will
not require wintering in the Basin.

My observations on the east side lead me to think there is a pass to the north, more direct and
as feasible, which I shall soon examine.

We are to start early to-morrow morning for the north and Coochetopa. I have secured the
services of A. Leroux to the Spanish trail, whence he will return to guide Lieutenant Whipple.
All accounts agree in presenting greater difficulties ahead; but I hope to report in a few weeks
from the Great Basin.

Great press of business, and a severe headache, must plead my apology for the style of this
letter.

I have the honor to be, your most obedient servant,

J. W. GUNNISON,

Captain Top. Engs., Commanding Central Pacific Railroad Survey.

Hon. Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War.

III. — Letter dated August 22, 1853, Camp, Utah Creek, near Fort Massachusetts, from Captain
Gunnison to Colonel J. J. Abert, reporting the progress of the survey.

Camp, Utah Creek, near Fort Massachusetts,

August 22, 1853.

Sir: I have honor to report my arrival in the San Luis valley, having crossed the Rocky
mountain eastern range without accident. We have had much labor in removing trees and
bushes, and cutting down banks, to work up the east side of a high ridge, over which my guide

APPENDIX A. — PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY.

121

carried me, assuring me that it was the only practicable wagon route to the Sangre de Cristo.
But I have discovered, in searching along the summit level, a very low depression, by which we
can pass through, instead of over, the hills, where the muleteer paths usually go. This new
pass, to a branch of the Huerfano, presents no real obstruction to any kind of a road.

The route is well grassed, and our animals are in fine condition, having recruited, while our
labors in road-making and exploring the mountains have been more onerous than in the plains.

The character and place of my duties have prevented the usual reports on the 1st of the
month. Should our exertions be favored, as thus far, I hope to make the September report, and
forward by the California mail, from some place in Utah. But all representations concur in
presenting a difficult region to traverse to the Great Basin.

I beg leave to enclose a communication to the honorable Secretary of War, with the request
that it be presented to him.

It was my desire to make a more detailed account, but illness prevents my writing more to¬
night, and the train has received orders, and is prepared for an early departure towards the north
to-morrow morning. I will only add that I followed the Kansas River valley to the new fort
(Riley) on Pawnee river, and crossing, took a very level and direct route on the northerly side ;
crossed the Nepeholla (Solomon’s fork) and Saline rivers by ferrying on rafts of logs, as they were
swollen by recent rains; and then, cutting off the southern bend of the Kansas at the Smoky Hill,
passed in the same direction to the Walnut creek and Pawnee forks of the Arkansas. Availing
myself of Captain Woodruff’s sketches, and the reconnoissance I made, the true route for a
military road would be by way of those creeks, to a point on the Arkansas, above Fort Atkin¬
son, which would subserve both the Santa F6 and Fort Massachusetts or Taos directions.

I now proceed to the north, to the Coochetopa Pass, intending to survey the Robideau Pass
on the way, which, I think, must present a more direct route to California than the one I have
discovered, the latter being on the Taos course, and too far south, if any place of crossing the
mountains feasible for a road can be had further north.

Then, under guidance of Watkin Leroux, we are to go to the Spanish trail, from which place
he is to return, in order to join Lieutenant Whipple.

I have the honor to be, Colonel, your obedient servant,

J. W. GUNNISON,

Captain Top. Engs., Commanding Central Pacific Railroad Survey.

Colonel J. J. Abert,

Chief Topographical Engineers.

IV. — Letter, dated September 20, 1853 , Camp No. 70, Grand river, Utah Territory, from Captain
Gunnison to Colonel J. J. Abert, reporting the progress of the survey.

Camp No. 70, Grand River, Utah Territory,

September 20, 1853.

Sir : I have the honor to report the operations upon the Central Pacific Railroad Survey since
it was placed under my direction, in May.

The party for the survey was organized and directed to St. Louis, where the requisite pur¬
chases were made. By the aid of Colonel R. Campbell, the business of fitting out was much
expedited. The teams were bought and rendezvoused near Westport, and I proceeded to Fort
Leavenworth for the escort, which has proved very efficient in many respects of guard and for
labor, under the command of Brevet Captain Morris, and Lieutenant Baker, of the Mounted
Rifles. In the march, and other duties, I have been greatly assisted by an experienced officer,
Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith, of the Artillery.

16 g

122

APPENDIX A. - PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY.

I considered it necessary to demonstrate practically the character of the route, by taking a
wagon train for the supplies. The main part was sent, under charge of Lieutenant Beckwith,
on the Arkansas road, and, with one team, I proceeded by the Kansas to the Smoky Hill valley
and nearly direct in a westerly course to Walnut creek, on new ground much of the way, where
1 found a very eligible site for any description of road. Thence my route was along and in the
vicinity of the Arkansas to the Apishpa creek, where I crossed the river, and explored the
Huerfano country up to the pass of El Sangre de Cristo. The train passed over the usual mountain
track, but, after a careful reconnoissance, I found a very low depression in the mountain ridge,
by way of a small creek of the Huerfano valley, which makes the crossing very easy into the
valley of San Luis, provided a little labor is bestowed to cut the small bushes and level the
banks on the creek. It requires much labor on the higher pass, and also to cut the. road out on
the Sangre de Cristo creek. And on the unbroken track generally, the work has been severe in
the mountain region, particularly for sixty miles along Grand river, where we were forced over
a connecting mountain between the Elk and San Juan mountains.

The Musca (Robideau) and Williams’ passes were reconnoitred, and found very inadmissible
for roads.

I heard of and explored one, however, at the head of San Luis valley of the Del Norte, which
led down the Puncha creek to the Arkansas plains, above its first canon, or defile. The approach
to it would be either by way of the Wet Mountain valley and Hardscrabble creek, or, if found
practicable, through the defile along the Arkansas. It is far superior to either the Musca or
Williams’ passes for crossing the dividing ridge.

The Coochetopa Pass was not very difficult for our teams, and thence to Grand river the
descent was easy. That river runs in deep gorges, with only now and then a small valley, which
forced us upon the rocky hills, cut through transversely by creeks, whose gullies were difficult to
cross without much labor. This delayed us considerably on sixty miles to the Uncompahgra,
since arriving at which our route has been easier, but we have lost the fine grass that kept our
animals in good condition up to that point. The Grand and Nah-un-karea rivers are large, rapid
streams, and only at low stages can they be easily forded.

A summary result may be thus stated of the operations: One thousand and fifty (1,050) miles
en route travelled with 18 wagons; 520 miles of new road made on unbroken ground; 4 rivers
(besides smaller streams as difficult) ferried or forded ; 79 new or rare varieties in the botanical
department in the plains, and 48 in the mountains; 27 varieties of mammals and birds; 26 of
reptiles and fishes; 50 or 60 of insects; 213 observations for astronomical stations.

The topography of the line, and all the prominent hills in sight, are taken and daily plotted
with approximate accuracy.

The geology of the route has also been carefully noted, and specimens collected.

The Utah Indians have appeared friendly, and the health of the party has been pretty good.

I secured the services of A. Leroux and - Michael, two of the most competent men in the

mountains, who are to take us to the Spanish trail; from thence I shall be without a guide.
They are to return in a few days to Taos, and by them I expect to forward my dispatches.

Most respectfully submitted:

J. W. GUNNISON,

Captain Top. Engineers, in charge of C. P. R. R. Survey.

Colonel J. J. Abert,

Chief Topographical Engineers.

APPENDIX A. — PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY.

123

V. — Letter , dated September 23, 1853, Camp 72, Bitter Creek, Utah Territory, Jrom Captain
Gunnison to Colonel J. J. Abert, forwarding a rude copy of the field-work of the survey.

Camp 72, Bitter Creek, Utah Territory,

September 23, 1853.

Sir : I have the honor to submit a succinct report of our operations to the 20th instant. Amid
the bustle of camp duties it is necessarily a mere abstract, for a strong necessity urges us forward.
We have had miserable grass and water for much of the last one hundred miles, neither very
accessible, and it is growing late for crossing the Wahsatch range, and any great delay might be
injurious. I have caused a copy of the field-work map to be made, which I am sorry to send
in such a rough dress, but the guide is about to leave for Taos.

In three weeks I hope to reach the Mormon settlements. From thence it will be requisite to
our subsistence that funds be estimated for, to be placed in the hands of Colonel R. Campbell,
at St. Louis, which will be available in the mountains.

I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. W. GUNNISON,
Captain Topographical Engineers.

Col. J. J. Abert, Chief Top. Engineers.

VI. — Letter, dated October 29, 1853, Camp near Fillmore, Utah Territory, from Lieut. Beckwith to
Col. J. J. Abert, reporting the progress of the survey, requesting instructions, and indicating future
operations.

Camp near- Fillmore, Utah Territory,

October 29, 1853.

Colonel : The death of the late Captain J. W. Gunnison, Topographical Engineers, in charge
of the Central Pacific R ailroad Survey, whose death, with the particulars, is being communicated
by Captain R. M. Morris, Mounted Rifles, officially to the Adjutant General, devolves upon me
the duty of requesting instructions from the Hon. Secretary of War for my future guidance. The
short time allowed me before the departure of the express, which goes hence in time, to reach
Great Salt Lake City before the departure of the mail from that place, on the first proximo, for
the States, does not admit of my making any detailed statement, even of the operations of the
surveying party during the season, which is closing so disastrously and painfully to us. Besides,
the report which the late Captain made on, I think, the 20th of September last, of his opera¬
tions up to that date, (an annual statement of operations as an officer of Topographical Engineers,
in charge of public duties,) and forwarded through New Mexico, and which, it is presumed, came
safely to hand, makes any statement as to the preceding part of his survey unnecessary. On
that date we were on or near Grand river, travelling towards the Spanish trail, which we struck
between that river and the Green; following it but a few miles beyond the latter stream, we left
it, passing north and west to White river, (a small branch of Green river,) which we followed
up a few days, and then skirted along the base of the Wahsatch mountains, crossing the St.
Rafael, also a small stream, with its numerous branches, to the pass in those mountains known
as the Wahsatch Gap. After leaving it to examine White river, travelling by a very circuitous
route for seventy or seventy-five miles, we again returned to the Spanish trail, soon after pass¬
ing the St. Rafael. This trail, as is well known to you, passes through the Wahsatch Pass,
a few miles beyond which we left it and struck off directly for the Sevier river, distant from the
pass about thirty miles, and then followed down that stream to where it is crossed by the road
leading from Great Salt Lake City to California, via Vegas de Santa Glara. We here crossed
the Sevier and the range of mountains lying to the south and west of that stream, probably
at the point at which Fremont crossed them in 1S44, into the valley of the Sevier lake. Leaving
this range of mountains, we passed northwest to the Sevier river again, a few miles above

124

APPENDIX A. — PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY.

where it enters the lake, which Captain Gunnison was about to explore, with the country to the
west of it, when he was killed. This survey, it was supposed, would not detain him beyond
two or three days. Thence he proposed to go north, if possible turning the range of mountains
through which the Sevier passes; but if not practicable, then to go through the pass of that river
north to Utah lake and Salt Lake City, examining, if possible, the Timpanogos Pass, when oppo¬
site it. You will see, therefore, that but a trifle of labor remained to be accomplished in the
field, when operations were so suddenly terminated, for it is no longer deemed safe to explore
these districts until better informed of the numbers and present hostile condition of nearly all of
the Indians of the Territory, did not the condition of our supplies and the advanced state of the
season forbid it.

A few of Captain Gunnison’s notes, those since October 8th, when we were on the St. Rafael,
he had with him, and they were carried off by the Indians; also,, some of the topographical
notes and sketches of his assistant, Mr. Kern ; but I have not yet been able to ascertain to what
precise point, but hope the loss will not be great. I have, through Mr. Call, the president of the
settlement, now here, who extends to us all the assistance in his power, sent an express to the
chief of the band which was engaged in the massacre, and entertain a faint hope that I may
recover these papers and books,* and also the instruments, with which we can ill dispense. I shall
keep the assistants left of the party busily employed during the winter in bringing up their obser¬
vations and notes, and, if possible, employ a draughtsman to supply the vacancy occasioned by
Mr. Kern’s death. Should no other instructions be received, intended for Captain Gunnison,
than those furnished him before commencing the survey, and should I receive none myself before
the proper season arrives for commencing spring operations, I shall, if I am able to get the
means, continue the survey, in conformity with those instructions. Captain Gunnison’s party
was employed for the trip, and cannot, therefore, be discharged until we again arrive in the
States. As all the funds for this survey were in Captain Gunnison’s name, I am left without the
means of paying assistants and employes, as I am without those for subsisting them during the
winter, &c., &c. I have, therefore, the honor to request that [ may be furnished with authority
to draw upon the proper department for the amount necessary to meet the demands against the
survey, present and prospective. Could this arrangement be effected, it would relieve me from
the risk and responsibility of transporting money with me over vast districts of uncivilized terri¬
tory, loss by mails in coming to me, &c. If this may not be done, however, I have then the honor
to request that drafts for small amounts may be sent to me without delay, to be used from time
to time, as the mails cannot be depended upon to arrive with any regularity. I am not able to
estimate accurately the amount of money expended by Captain Gunnison in this survey up to the
time of his death, but believe it will not vary materially from eighteen thousand dollars, and I
estimate the expense of the- party, including wages and subsistence of men, and wear and tear of
transportation, at ten or twelve hundred dollars per month. It may be necessary that I should
be furnished with an order, directing me to pay the dues against the survey previous to the
death of Captain Gunnison. If so, I have to request that it may be furnished to meet the unpaid
amounts due the men of the party, and one thousand dollars, in addition to the monthly estimate
above, furnished me to meet these amounts.

The public accounts of Captain Gunnison will be forwarded to the bureau of Topographical
Engineers, as soon after arriving in Salt Lake City as it is possible to select them from his other
papers.

I am, sir, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. G. BECKWITH,

Colonel J. J. Abert,

First Lieutenant 3 d Artillery.

( hiej of the Corps of Top Engs., Washington City , D. C.

* The notes and sketches were all thus recovered.

APPENDIX B.

Explanations of Map and Illustrations.

The astronomical instruments taken by us into the field proved so imperfect that the longitudes
deduced from observations made with them were very unreliable, and the longitudes for the map
which accompanies this report, reckoned from the meridian of Greenwich, were, therefore, mainly
derived from the published maps and reports of previous government explorations and surveys,
by Nicollet and Fremont, for Saint Louis; Chouteau’s trading-house, on the Kansas river; Fort
Leavenworth, on the Missouri river; and Antelope island, in the Great Salt Lake; and by Pro¬
fessor D. W. Goebel and Messrs. J. C. Brown and A. M. Lea for various points in the State of
Missouri, as given by the land office surveys of that State, which were kindly furnished for that
purpose by the Commissioner of the General Land Office; and for the Pacific coast, from the
Coast Survey and Fremont’s reports. The latitudes were deduced from observations made by
Mr. Homans. The scale of the map is twelve miles to one inch, or 1 to 760,320 of nature.

The various systems of shading generally applied in drawing topographical maps are unfortu¬
nately, to a great extent, arbitrary, and will be frequently influenced, therefore, in maps of recon¬
naissances and rapid explorations of extensive territories, by the varied impressions which the
same landscape produces, depending upon whether it is seen duiing the morning or evening light
of the day, under a clear or clouded sky, in a dry or wet atmosphere, &c. — impressions which
can only be reconciled to a certain degree by repeated examinations and careful measurements,
still leaving unreconciled the different sentiments of the scientific as to the character of shading
best adapted to express the features of the country surveyed. The value of maps depends, how¬
ever, wholly upon the accuracy, extent, and sufficiency of their details, which cannot be left to
the imagination without entirely misleading the reader, and conveying to him an erroneous view
of the country delineated ; and Mr. Egloffstein has, therefore, endeavored to give such a char¬
acter to his topography as to present a distinct representation of the country as it appeared to
him when taking his notes in the field. The altitude above the sea of the great interior plateau
upon which these mountains are elevated, materially diminishes their apparent altitude from
whatever direction they are approached; and as it is their actual appearance to the eye which is
attempted to be represented, it equally influences the character of their delineation. The surfaces
of these elevated plains, and of tiie valleys intermediate to the mountains, may, therefore, be
regarded as planes of reference to which the mountain elevations are referred. In that part of
the map embraced within the fully-shaded topography, the actual proportions of the territory
occupied by plains and valleys, and by mountains, are given, necessarily defining the limits of
each. The character of the slopes of the mountains and of their outlines in full, whether pre¬
cipitous or gentle, and of the deep mountain chasms of the water-courses wherever they occur,
and also the character of the summits of the mountains, whether rolling masses, sharp peaks, or
serrated edges, is taken from nature, and if successful, will convey to the reader a correct idea of
the country as seen by the observer.

The scale of shading used by Mr. Egloffstein for the full topography is one to eight, which is
simply an expression for the proportions of the map which are occupied by shading Lines, and was
determined by taking the sum of the extreme angles of elevation and depression of the country
to be represented, and dividing it into eight equal parts; then, so much of the country as ascends
or descends at an angle not exceeding that of the first eighth of the whole angle, is represented by
shading lines in proportion to its change of level, but covering not to exceed one-eighth of the
whole surface. Tne second division is shaded, by the same rule, not to exceed two-eighths;

126

APPENDIX B. — EXPLANATIONS OF MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

while the eighth division is entirely occupied by the shading lines, and is black. Much character
is, however, given to topography by the length of the lines — long lines giving the appearance of
long slopes, and broken and short lines short and broken slopes. In the skeleton topography, the
scale of shading used on this map does not exceed one to three.

The extent of the fully shaded topography of the country traversed in 1854 is only limited by
the field of observation, which frequently exceeds in extent one hundred miles of latitude, within
which every object in sight during field operations was located with as much care as it was pos-
sible to attain, not only to enable us to present a clear and correct representation of the country,
but to facilitate future explorations by an easy connexion with the present work, the correctness
of which may be readily tested from the elevated stations to which our direct and side trails fre¬
quently lead. That portion of the map embracing the explorations of 1853 is also very extensive in
its topographical delineations, and all the field notes taken have been exhausted in its construction.
The topography adjacent to the trails is, in all cases, executed with accuracy of detail, and in its
general features the same accuracy has been preserved within the field of observation. Where its
character was known, but the information not derived from personal observation, the topography
is given in skeleton, and is indicative of the general character of the country covered by it. tj

The materials for that portion of the map lying between the State of Missouri and Bridger’s
Pass of the Rocky mountains, and north of Forts Leavenworth and Riley, including the Plains,
the Cheyenne and South Passes, and the Parks ; and further west, the northern portion of the
Great Salt Lake and of Bear river, were taken from Fremont’s and Stansbury’s reports and
maps; and portions of the Humboldt river and valley were also taken from Colonel Fremont’s
explorations. The portion embracing tlje States of Missouri and Illinois was taken from litho¬
graphed and manuscript maps of the land office surveys of those States, forwarded for that purpose
by Mr. John Loughborough, the surveyor general at St. Louis, and kindly furnished to us by
Messrs. Wilson and Hendricks, successively Commissioners of the General Land Office. In
unexplored portions of the country a few details have been derived from the descriptions of
mountaineers, where a strong probability supported their statements.

The landscape views are presented with no purpose of representing the beauties of the
scenery of the country, but to illustrate its general character, and to exhibit on a small scale the
character of its mountains and canones, and of its plains and valleys, in their respective positions
and extents, as seen in nature, together with such passes as it was possible to represent without
unduly increasing the number of views. Those of the country westward from the Great Salt
Lake have, intimately connected as they are with the map of that portion of the country, a still
greater value, as the same passes, mountains, and plains which are given on the one are pre¬
sented in full on the other; and the positions on the map are also given from which the views
were taken. The most valuable of them are very extensive, and an explanation of one will be
sufficient for the understanding of the whole. They are taken, as will be seen at once, from
elevated positions, and consequently partake somewhat of a panoramic character, and being of
great extent, the ordinary inequalities of the surfaces of plains and slopes are not perceptible.
But little attention has been paid to the beautiful execution of foregrounds, as it is only the general
view of the country which it is desired to present. The smokes seen here and there indicate
points at which we encamped. The bearings of the extremes of the views, and the names of
their principal features, are given on the margin of each respective picture, the name of the
object designated being directly under it, and the names nearest to the edge of the picture indi¬
cating the most distant objects ; and as the same names are also given on the map, the two may
be readily compared, and will serve to elucidate each other.

The first view west of the Great Salt Lake was taken from a peak near Antelope Butte, and
presents on the extreme left the western slope of, and the passage (to the south of Pilot Peak)
leading through, the first mountain range west of the desert which borders the lake on that side;
immediately south of this passage, and extending considerably to the west, is an agglomeration

APPENDIX B. — EXPLANATIONS OF MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

127

of mountain masses, the nearest of which is designated by its Indian name, Don-don, followed to
the west by the Wa-cho-i, the northern end of which only is plainly seen; to the west of this
range, but more distant, are considerable mountains, surmounted in May by a few snow-peaks,
the most conspicuous of which bears the Indian name of Mo-ko-ga-ri ; westward from this peak,
passing the considerable valley of Goshoot lake, the considerable north and south range, called
Wa-ro-ja, rises, the eastern slope and northern end of which are alone visible; to the west of this
range Franklin valley opens, and is followed by the Humboldt River mountains, terminating the
view in that direction. Intermediate to the ranges named are more or less considerable valleys
extending parallel with them, the views of which are obstructed by the mountains themselves;
but by a course somewhat winding from the pass on the east, a succession of plains and valleys,
broken by the ordinary inequalities of such surfaces, is seen, by which the most practicable rail¬
road route in the vicinity extends as far west as the eastern slope of the Humboldt mountains.
Other views succeed this, showing more of Franklin valley and the pass by which it is proposed
to cross the Humboldt mountains to the valley of the river of the same name ; and similar views
are given of the country where the proposed line of railroad leaves the Humboldt river, and
where it ascends and crosses the Sierra Nevada.

To show to what extent our topographical work may be depended upon as correct, I deem it
proper to explain the manner of its execution, when it was immediately under my charge, after the
experience of the first year’s field-work under Captain Gunnison, assisted by Mr. Egloffstein, both
in the field and in the office. Proper astronomical observations for the determination of geo¬
graphical positions, and of the variation of the needle, were, of course, frequently made; the dis¬
tances traversed were measured by odometers, two being used upon the same trail wherever it was
practicable, for comparison, and barometric observations made at regular hours daily, as well as at
all considerable changes of level, for altitudes. The party daily proceeded on its duties in such
order as circumstances required, it being frequently necessary to locate our trail with accuracy,
for a portion of it to keep a greater or less distance in advance of the topographer to enable him
to take accurate bearings upon their success ye positions on extensive plains, where no trees or
prominent objects afford natural marks for this purpose ; and to facilitate the taking of back-sights,
if possible to discover any local attraction, or other source of error, smokes and camp-fires left
behind were often found useful. In connection with the trail the topography adjacent to it was
constantly laid down with great care, and the first favorable locality near it assumed for making
observations of the country to a greater or less extent, and as accurate profile or outline sketches
of it made as our skill enabled us to execute, on which every prominent feature and landmark
was noted with especial care, together with their magnetic bearings; and if distant snowy peaks
were visible, angles of elevation were taken to the lower lines of snow, the general altitude of this
line for the section of country and season of the year being once determined, affording great as¬
sistance in estimating the height of all other mountains in the vicinity, and were subsequently used
for determining their distances from the point of observation, and the adjacent and middle ground
portions were laid down with fidelity. Proceeding, then, for two, three, or four miles upon the
trail, the distance, of course, varying with the formation of the country, the topographer again
assumed the most favorable position in the vicinity for his purposes, and repeated the labors of
the previous hour. In addition to this constant labor along the trail, it frequently, almost daily,
became necessary to leave it and make distant side trips, ascending elevated mountain peaks and
ridges to obtain correct and distant views of the country, and I cannot speak too highly of the
fidelity, zeal, and ability with which Mr. Egloffstein always performed these onerous labors. In
starting for such points, forward bearings were, of course, taken, and verified on his arrival by back¬
sights, and barometers read for altitude, both on his arrival and departure. It is not necessary
here to describe the beauty, extent, and grandeur of the scenes which from these positions, in the
pure atmosphere of this portion of our country, greeted him, frequently embracing an area equal
to that of some of our Atlantic States, and presenting a multitude of plain and mountain outlines,

128

APPENDIX B. - EXPLANATIONS OF MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

with snow-capped peaks rising just on the verge of the horizon, and frequently remaining in sight
for days, serving as points of reference, and all of which were carefully traced and noted for the
delineation of the country. This labor done, those on the trail were resumed and continued to
camp, where the mountain curves were filled up with shading lines, and every item of importance
to the correct construction of the map recorded; for, in prosecuting for months labors of this kind
in a mountainous country, it will not do to trust to the memory for its character on successive
days. For field use a continuous map of the country was daily kept up, and the field-work, as
here described for a day, was continued to its completion. In entering upon the final construc¬
tion of the map, in order to eliminate all possible errors in the field-notes, the trail was again laid
down continuously from the place of beginning to the terminus of the work, on the same scale
(three miles to one inch) with the original sketches, without reference to the true meridian ; and sepa¬
rate constructions of all. the knots of principal bearings to prominent features of the country were
made on tissue paper, which, from its transparency, affords great facility for the comparison of
the different constructions of overlapping sheets, and from these the whole was projected on the
trail sheet, reconciling as far as possible all discrepancies. Upon the map thus constructed, all
reliable latitudes were entered at their respective places, and connecting lines of latitude drawn
through the whole work, thereby detecting by these variable curves any remaining inaccuracies
’ in the work itself. Lines of longitude were then drawn, without regard to the singularity of their
appearance, as nearly perpendicular to these irregular curves oflatitude as possible, great regard
being paid, however, in case of too great deviation of lines of longitude from north and south, to
the influential bearings towards those portions of the map. This system of detecting the defi¬
ciencies of the field-work was carried to divisions of five minutes of latitude and five minutes of
longitude. The topographical outline or profile sketches extending to the horizon, heretofore men¬
tioned as taken from elevated positions, and forming circular views, of which the centres are oc¬
cupied by the observer, were then corrected by all the discovered errors applicable to them, and
formed a system of plain table work, which, when the sheets were properly placed on the projected
map, overlapped large sections of the same co-ntry, and, being on transparent paper, greatly
facilitated the construction of the map from their centres, and had the advantage by their profiles
of keeping constantly before the draughtsman vivid pictures of the country. This method was
followed by Mr. EglofFstein; but these views were subjected by him not only to the bearings and
his judgment in their construction, but where the extent of the valleys, the altitudes and distances
of the mountains were not determined by traversing and actually measuring them, angles of ele¬
vation were taken to the lowest line of snow at the time, and, with the assistance of Mr. J. de la
Camp, formulas prepared and tables calculated for determining their distances from the points of
observation. Formulas were also prepared by these gentlemen for determining the horizontal
distortion of distances in perspective from such altitudes, tables calculated, and the resulting cor¬
rections applied not only to the map but to the views. These tables once prepared, a simple
reference for a given angle and bearing furnished its locality with great accuracy. Thus, by the
first table, if the observer in the Basin be at an altitude of 5,250 feet above the sea, and the ob¬
served lowest line of snow at an elevation of 7,500 feet above the sea, and is seen at an angle
of 2° 36' 30", its distance exceeds nine miles by a small fraction ; and, by the second table, if an
observed horizontal distance of three miles, of which the nearest point is six miles distant, and
the farthest nine miles, be seen from an elevation 2,750 feet above it, it equals 0.02840 of a unit
of the scale of the drawing. Scales were also prepared to facilitate the use of these tables.

The table for the mathematical projection of the map, giving the units in statute miles, was
calculated to half degrees by the formulas published by the Superintendent of the United States
Coast Survey in his annual report for 1853.

As before stated, the most accurate portion of the topography of the map is, undoubtedly, that
adjacent to the trails for four or five miles on either side, and which, in its final, as in its prelimi¬
nary construction, furnished the basis for the difficult construction of the more distant portions.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WAR DEPARTMENT.

REPORT

EXPLORATIONS FOR A ROUTE FOR THE PACIFIC RAILROAD,

OP THE LINE OF THE

FORTY-FIRST PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE.

LIEUT. E. G. BECKWITH,

THIRD ARTILLERY.

INTRODUCTORY LETTER.

Washington, D. C., December 30, 1854.

Sir: The very limited time left for the preparation of the accompanying report, after com¬
pleting, on the last of November, that of Captain Gunnison’s explorations of last year, has only
permitted me to complete it in the most hasty manner.

The outline-map which accompanies it was also made in the greatest haste, but it is believed
will be sufficient for the immediate wants of the government. The more finished maps are in
course of preparation, and will be transmitted to the department as soon as they can be com¬
pleted. A geological report of the country explored by Captain Gunnison and myself is nearly
complete, and, with the reports upon the plants and specimens of natural history collected
during the trip, will be submitted as early as practicable, the drawings for their illustration not
yet being complete. *

My assistants in the explorations embraced in the accompanying report were Mr. Sheppard
Homans, astronomer, by whom the observations and computations for latitude were made, our
defective instruments not admitting of observations for longitude; Dr. James Schiel, geologist,
who is still engaged upon his report; Mr. F. W. Egloffstein, topographer, to whom I am
indebted for superior topographical sketches and the preparation of the accompanying outline
map, and who is still engaged in making the elaborate maps of the survey; and Mr. J. A. Sny¬
der, to whom the collection of botanical specimens was intrusted, but who was also constantly
employed in making meteorological observations, and who has been employed, since my return,
as an assistant in making computations of barometric observations under Mr. Lorin Blodget,
by whom they were discussed, and whose notes accompany the tables. For the energy, ability,
and cordial co-operation of each of these gentlemen, and of Brevet Captain B. M. Morris and
Lieutenant L. S. Baker, of the regiment of Mounted Riflemen, in charge of the escort from that
regiment, in the execution of the duties of the exploration, I desire to express my obligations
and esteem.

I am, sir, with much respect, your obedient servant,

E. G. BECKWITH,

ls£ Lieutenant 3 d Artillery.

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War.

: ' O

. A j
' ./•. . ;

• •

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

From Great Salt Lake City east to Green river , and back, by the Weber and Timpanogos rivers, re¬
spectively — April, 1854.

Page,

Explorations resumed. — Advance of spring.— Winter of 1853-54 at Great Salt Late. — Timber near the city. — Im¬
practicability of the present wagon-road over the Wahsatch mountains in winter. — Winter mail-route. — Weber river ;
its lower canon ; fine grazing district ; condition of cattle grazed during the. winter, during which they crossed the
mountains. — Cattle-trade in Utah.— Rocks of lower canon; its passage by railway. — Snows in canon. — Wagon-road
possible from Ben Simon’s creek-east.— Second canon of the Weber; its crossings, railroad practicability, and char¬
acter of its rocks and dikes.— Valley of Weber fiver from the head of the second canon to White Clay creek. —
Emigrant-road. — Conglomerate sandstone.— Snow. — Character of White Clay Creek valley; game; snow-banks.—

Uinta mountains.— Porcupine Terrace.— Timber. — From White Clay creek to Bear river; its character and valley
where crossed.— Snow-blindness.— Sulphur creek.- — Muddy creeks. — Black’s Fork. — Greatest depth of snow encoun¬
tered. — Extensive view- — Greatest altitude of the line ; its railroad practicability. — Black’s Fork valley. — Beaver-
dams. — Smith’s Fork. — Fort Supply.— -Fort Bridger. — Railroad route thence eastward. — Snow-storm. — Crossing to
Henry’s Fork. — Sioux war-party. — Henry’s Fork valley. — Ascent of mountain at the end of our eastern course. —

General description of the country from this point. — Snow-blindness of party, and of “ Ring.” — Plains crossed in
returning to Smith’s Fork. — Black’s Fork. — Muddy creek. — Bear river. — White Clay creek — Nests of edible bugs. —

Attempt to find a direct passage to Kamas prairie. — Mountains and fields of snow encountered. — Country seen from
mountain summit.— Impracticability of continuing the passage. — Timber. — Return to White Clay creek and Weber
river. — Fine grass-fields. — Impracticability of this route for roads: — Rocks and soil. — Weber River valley above
White Clay creek — Kamas prairie. — Timpanogos river. — Round prairie. — Timpanogos canon ; its railroad practi¬
cability. — Utah Lake valley. — Railroad line via the foot of the Lake and Cedar valley, or by the valley of the Jordan
and north of Oquirrh mountains. — Return to Salt Lake City . 9

CHAPTER II.

From Great Salt Lake City to the valley of Humboldt river — May 1 to 23, 1854.

Receipt of orders. — Explorations performed in anticipation of the receipt of these orders, and extract therefrom. —

Leaving Salt Lake City. — Valley of the Jordan. — Grass and springs. — Railroad line by the south end of Great Salt
Lake. — Snow-storm.— Scenery in entering Tuilla valley. — Mormon settlements. — Old shore-line. — Formidable pass. —

Goshoot Indians. — Indian guides. — Salt and warm springs. — Character of rocks. — Water driven over marshes of the
lake. — Birds. — Springs in conglomerate rocks. — Fish. — Spring or Lone Rock valley. — Fremont’s route of 1845, and
Stansbury’s of 1849. — Railroad route. — Gophers and grass-seed as Indian food.— Passage of Cedar mountains. —

Scarcity of water. — Pass not suitable for a railway. — The Desert to Granite mountains and Fish springs. — Storms. —

Mirage. — Railroad route to the south and west of Pilot Peak. — Miserable condition of Goshoot Indians. — Exami¬
nation of first range of Goshoot mountains. — Rocks ; grass ; timber. — Fish creek. — Railroad route. — Shoshonee In¬
dians. — Striking contrast between the Shoshonees and Diggers, (Goshoots). — Passage of successive ranges of Go¬
shoot mountains. — Vegetation and rocks. — Gate of Narrow Pass. — Rain; hail; springs. — Wretched condition of
Indians. — Frost. — Goshoot lake. — Digger wick-ey-up and its occupants. — Digger language. — Topographical sketches
of railroad line via Pilot Peak.— Franklin River valley ; its lakes, rivers, and vegetation. — Old lake-shore. — Hastings’s
road. — Route for packing-parties. — Pilot Peak railroad line. — Remarkable formation of the basin. — Humboldt Mount¬
ain railroad pass. — Country as seen to the west of this pass. — Snow in the pass. — Rocks in the pass. — Valley of the
Humboldt, by Colonel Fremont . 20

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER III.

From the valley of Franklin river , east base of the Humboldt mountains , to the crossing of the Humboldt
river — May 24 to June 9, 1854.

Journey along the eastern base of the Humboldt mountains. — Forty hot springs. — Mountain chiefly granite. — Eclipse
of the sun. — Lakes.— Shore-lines. — Digger Indians. — Fevers. — Numerous springs. — Outlet of subterranean river. —
Passage of the Humboldt mountains to the southern branch of Humboldt river. — Interior or secondary basin. — Dig¬
ger methods of catching gophers and marmots. — 'Indian singing, lodges, and wardrobes. — Quartz mountain. —
Agate Pass. — Rheumatic fevers. — Snow-storm. — Difficult mountain passage. — -Lake and miry plain. — Edible roots. —
Return to proposed railroad line. — Description of the valley of the Humboldt. — Character of the vegetation of a
large portion of the country between the Rocky mountains and the Sierra Nevada. — Humboldt river. — Bad character

of its water and grass. — Cause of the loss of stock ; how avoided .

CHAPTER IV.

From the crossing of Humboldt river , via the Madelin Pass , to the junction of Fall river with the Sacra¬
mento, and back to the shore of Honey lake, eastern base of the Sierra Nevada — June 10 to July
4, 1854.

Crossing Humboldt river. — Droves of cattle and sheep. — Lassen’s meadows, and termination of the western course of
the Humboldt river. — Country and passages to the west. — Willows and water. — Mud lakes. — Noble’s road. — Rail¬
road grades. — Mud lakes, or plains and deserts ; their passage. — Fremont’s trail of 1844. — Similarity in geological
character of some of the mountain spurs and plains. — Examination of the Sierra Nevada ; their broad, massive, and
terrace character. — Marshes, ponds, and stony surface. — Indians. — Madelin Pass examined. — View of Mount Shasta. —
Grades and altitude of pass. — Country southeast of the broad plains of Madelin Pass. — Light, miry, and stony soil. —
Indians. — Basin character of the broad plains of the summit of the Sierra. — Game. — Error in location of Feather
river in the best authenticated maps. — Forests. — Descent to Round valley; waters of the Sacramento. — Practica¬
bility of this descent for a railway. — Indians, (Pah Utahs ? ). — Grave. — Emigrant road (Lassen’s) and Oregon road. —
Source of the Sacramento; its first canon. — Grades. — Pitt river; Pah Utah or Digger Indian women digging
roots. — Making arrow-heads. — Indian pantomime. — Impracticability of descending the Sacramento with wagons ;
its examination to the mouth of Fall river. — Second canon of the Sacramento. — Impassable volcanic rocky fields. —
Character of the river banks. — Timber. — Grades. — Reference to itinerary, from July 15 to 21, for a description
of the Sacramento below Fall river. — Recrossing the Sierra Nevada. — View of peaks of the coast range. — Graves
of emigrants. — Pine creek. — Noble’s Pass road. — Summit creek. — Susan river. — Eagle lake. — Roop’s farm in Honey

Lake valley .

CHAPTER V.

From the valley of Mud lake, via Honey lake and Noble's Pass, to Fort Reading, at the junction of Cow
creek with the Sacramento river, California — July 5 to 12, 1854.

From Mud to Honey and Pyramid lakes. — Honey Lake valley — Noble’s road. — Boiling springs. — Northern limit of the
sources of Feather river. — Reascending the Sierra Nevada via Susan river. — Plain from Summit to Pine creek. —
Character of the mountain from Susan river to Pine creek. — Grades. — Broad trunk of the mountain. — From Pine
creek to Black Butte creek. — Grades. — Country directly west from camp on Black Butte creek ; its impracticability
for roads. — Ascending Black Butte creek. — Lava field. — Black Butte. — Distribution of sand. — Grades. — Hat creek. —
Head of Canoe Creek valley. — Line west from Hat creek. — Crossing Wolf creek to the western summit of the Sierra
Nevada.— Grades. — Western descent of the Sierra. — Battle creek. — Deer flats. — Hill’s rancho. — McCumber’s mill.—
Shingletown. — Narrow ridge and steep descent. — Table of grades and altitudes.— Difficulties of the pass for a rail¬
road. — Arrival at Fort Reading . .

CHAPTER VI.

Ascent of the Sacramento river from Fort Reading to the mouth of Fall river, (line of the Madelin Pass,)
and thence by the valley of Canoe creek to Noble’s Pass, and return to Fort Reading — July 15 to 26,
1854.

Character of the Sacramento valley above Fort Reading. — Mining village. — Sacramento river enclosed by mountains ;
its character. — Trail to Yreka. — Stream known as the Sacramento. — McCloud’s Fork. — Salmon. — Pittsburg ferries. —
Snows and freshets. — Ascent of the river. — Rapids. — Hot spring. — Re-ascent of mountain. — River still shut in by pre¬
cipitous mountains. — Valley at the mouth of Canoe creek. — Second canon of the Sacramento ; its character. — Table
of grades from Fall river to Fort Reading. — Completion of the survey of Madelin Pass. — Return to Black Butte
creek, Noble’s Pass. — Numbers of Indians daily seen. — Fields of lava. — Valley of Canoe creek; difficulty of its pas¬
sage. — Disappointed in the course of Black Butte creek. — Night march. — Return to Fort Reading. — Sacramento
valley. — Party disbanded .

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VII.

General summary and railroad 'practicability of the line explored on the forty-first parallel of north

latitude.

Page.

Railroad connexion east from Port Bridger. — Valley of Green river. — Grazing cattle in winter in the mountains. —

Mormon settlement on Smith’s Fort. — Bear River,' Wahsatch, and Uinta mountains. — Highest point of the line
reached. — Appearance of the country thence west. — Depth of snow. — Timber, soil, and grass. — Length of line from
Smith’s Fork to Oquirrh mountain. — Canones of the Weber and Timpanogos rivers. — Railroad in the Jordan, Tuilla, and
Lone Rock valleys. — Mormons desirous to aid in the construction of the road ; their numbers. — Cedar mountain. —

The Desert. — Passages to the south of Pilot Peak, and thence to the Humboldt mountains. — Humboldt Mountain
Pass; its altitude. — Timber and its abundance. — Valley of the Humboldt river. — Country south of this valley; its.
profile. — From Humboldt river to the foot of the Sierra Nevada. — Fertility of this section. — The ascent of Madelin
Pass; its altitude; broad plain at its summit. — Highest point of the pass; its western descent; timber, and soil. —

Round valley. — Sacramento river. — First canon of the Sacramento. — Second canon of the Sacramento. — The Sacra¬
mento below the mouth of Fall river. — Noble’s Pass of the Sierra Nevada. — Mud lakes to Honey lake. — Honey
Lake valley. ^-Ascent of the mountains. — Susan river.— Pine creek. — Black Butte creek.— Black Butte.— Hat and
Wolf creeks. — Greatest altitude in this pass. — Descent from the western summit of the Sierra. — Depth of snow in
winter in this pass. — Dr. Wozencrafc’s observations. — Entire length of the pass.— Head of steamboat navigation of
the Sacramento. — Future surveys. — Method of determining levels. — Building-stone upon the route. — Water. — Culti¬
vable land. — Directness of this line: its length . 59

CHAPTER VIII.

I. Table of distances and of approximate average grades per mile upon the line explored for a railroad
from Smith's ForJc, near Fort Bridger, in the valley of Green river , Utah Territory, via the Madelin
Pass, to Fort Reading, in the valley of the Sacramento river, California — 1854 - 7

II. Table of distances, and of approximate average grades per mile, upon the line explored for a rail¬
road from Mud lake, via Noble's Pass, to Fort Reading, July 4 to 26, 1854 - 69

III. Table of latitudes on the line of the forty-first parallel of north latitude, explored for the Pacific rail¬
way, 1854 . . 70

CHAPTER IX.

I. Introduction to meteorological table, and table of altitudes and distances, on the line of the

forty-first parallel of north latitude explored for the Pacific railroad . 7 1

II. Meteorological table at Great Salt Lake City during the winter o/ 1853-54 .... 77

II. Summary of meteorological observations at Great Salt Lake City in 1853 and 1854, in mean

results at each observed hour for the several months ; barometric reading corrected for temperature 83

V. Barometric means for the months observed at Great Salt Lake City in 1 853-54, from all the obser¬
vations, including those at irregular hours, and corrected in detail for horary variation of pressure 83

V. Meteorological observations, and table of altitudes and distances, from Great Salt Lake City to

Green river, April, 1854 - -- -- - . . 34

VI. Data for profile from Smith's Fork, Green River valley, to that of Great Salt lake, via the

Timpanogos river - -- -- . - gg

VII. Data for profile from Great Salt Lake valley, via the Weber river, to White Clay creek ; the pre¬
ceding profile being in common with this from the latter point eastward ----- gg

vm. Meteorological observations, and table of altitudes and distances, from Great Salt lake, Utah

Territory, to the valley of the Sacramento river, California, 1854 . g7

IX. Meteorological observations and table of altitudes, from Mud lake, via Mud creek, to the summit

of the Sierra Nevada, and to Madelin Pass ; table not used in profile - 90

VIII. Continuation of Table VIII . 91

X. Meteorological observations and table of altitudes, in crossing from Madelin to Noble's Pass, on

the summit of the Sierra Nevada ; table not used in profile ------- 92

VIII. Table VIII again resumed - -- . 93

XI. Meteorological observations and table of altitudes and distances for profile, from Mud lake to

Fort Reading, on the Sacramento river, California, via Noble's Pass ----- 93

XII. Meteorological observations and table of altitudes, on the road leading through Noble's Pass - 95

XIII. Meteorological observations and table of altitudes, in crossing from the mouth of Canoe creek
( Poinsett river ) to Black Butte creek, and thence west to Hat and Wolf creeks ; table not used in
profile . .

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X.

Page.

I. Geological report of the country explored under the 38 th and 41 st parallels of north latitude in 1858-54,

by James Schiel , M. D., geologist for the expeditions - -- -- -- -- gg

II. Letter from Professor J, W. Dailey , upon infusorial fossils submitted to him by Dr. Schiel - - 111

APPENDIX.

Instructions from the Secretary of War - - - - - - - - - 113

ERRATA.

Page 77. — Under the head of Corrected Barometer, No. 551, observation of December 12, at 12 o’clock m., for 25. 713, read
25.613.

Page 77. — Under the head of Corrected Barometer, No. 496, observation of December 12, at 3 p. m., for 25.768, read 25. 668.
Page 80. — Under the head of Corrected Barometer, No. 551, observation of February 21, at 9 a. m., for 25. 698, read 25. 598.
Page 80. — Under the head of Corrected Barometer, No. 551, observation of March 3, at 9 a. m., for 25. 758, read 25. 658.
Page 87. — Under the head of Corrected Barometer, No. 551, observation of May 8, at sundown, for 25. 758, read 25. 658.

ADDITIONAL ERRATA

Page 44 _ _ _

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8. 95

read

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34. 80

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68.

64 .

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5th

8.95

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66 .

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1899.71

1895. 36

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, 2d column

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“ “

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891.06

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900.11

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“ “

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971.81

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1007. 36

4th

5th

8. 95

4.60

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801. 64

797.29

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801. 99

828. 84

824. 49

836. 34

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917.94

913.59

REPORT.

CHAPTER I.

From Great Salt Lake City east to Green river , and back , by the Weber and Timpanogos
rivers , respectively — April , 1854.

Explorations resumed — Advance of spring. — Winter of 1853-’54 at Great Salt Lake — Timber near the city- — Impracticability
of the present wagon-road over the Wahsatch mountains in winter. — Winter mail-route. — Weber river; its lower canon; fine
grazing district; condition of cattle grazed during the winter, during which they crossed the mountains. — Cattle-trade in
Utah. — Eocks of lower canon ; its passage by railway. — Snows in canon. — Wagon-road possible from Ben Simon’s creek
east. — Second canon of the Weber; its crossings, railroad practicability, and character of its rocks and dikes. — Valley of
Weber river from the head of the second canon to White Clay creek. — Emigrant-road. — Conglomerate sandstone. — Snow. —
Character of White Clay Creek valley; game; snow-banks. — Uinta mountains. — Porcupine Terrace. — Timber. — From White
Clay creek to Bear river; its character and valley where crossed. — Snow-blindness. — Sulphur creek. — Muddy creeks. — Black’s
Fork. — Greatest depth of snow encountered. — Extensive view. — Greatest altitude of the line ; its railroad practicability. —
Black’s Fork valley. — Beaver-dams. — Smith’s Fork. — Fort Supply. — Fort Bridger. — Railroad route thence eastward. —
Snow-storm. — Crossing to Henry’s Fork. — Sioux war-party. — Henry’s Fork valley. — Ascent of mountain at the end of our
eastern course. — General description of the country from this point. — Snow-blindness of party, and of “ Ring.” — Plains crossed
in returning to Smith’s Fork. — Black’s Fork. — Muddy creek. — Bear river. — White Clay creek. — Nests of edible bugs. —
Attempt to find a direct passage to Kamas prairie. — Mountains and fields of snow encountered. — Country seen from mountain
summit. — Impracticability of continuing the passage. — Timber. — Return to White Clay creek and Weber river. — Fine grass-
fields. — Impracticability of this route for roads. — Rocks and soil. — Weber river valley above White Clay creek. — Kamas
prairie. — Timpanogos river. — Round Prairie. — TimpanogOs canon; its railroad practicability. — Utah Lake valley. — Railroad
line via the foot of the Lake and Cedar valley, or by the valley of the Jordan and north of Oquirrh mountains. — Return to
Salt Lake City.

Sir : Explorations were resumed on the 4th of April, 1854, for a route for the Pacific railroad
under my direction, hy the surviving portion of Captain Gunnison’s party, (which had win¬
tered at Great Salt Lake City,) under the original instructions given to that officer to explore
the most available passes and canones of the Wahsatch range, and cross the Weher and Bear
rivers to the coal basin of Green river, and thence proceed to Fort Laramie.

Leaving the city, we proceeded north along the shore of the lake, passing through the Mor¬
mon settlements and farms, which occupy the most fertile and best watered sections of the "ar¬
row belt of land lying between the shore and the base of the mountains. Spring was alrea !y
considerably advanced in the valley ; fresh grass and plants were springing up on its sunny
slopes ; farmers were busy in ploughing and sowing their fields, and the snow had disappeared
to such an extent on the sides of the mountains, that it was deemed practicable for our animals
to subsist upon the dry grass of the previous year’s growth.

The winter of 1853-’54 at Great Salt lake, from the middle of November to the 20th of
January, was delightfully mild and open, and the fall of snow, which was light in the' mount¬
ains, seldom extended into the valleys ; hut after the latter date the climate became much
more severe, the temperature falling during the colder part of the day, for several successive
days, below zero of Fahrenheit’s thermometer, and storms became more frequent — snow falling
in the plain to the depth of six or eight inches without drifts, while in the mountain plains and
passes it exceeded a foot, and accumulated to great depths in the narrow ravines, and on the
high slopes of the mountains, least exposed to the winds. In the vicinity of the city of the
Great Salt Lake timber is confined almost exclusively to these ravines, which are difficult of
2 b

FROM GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREEN RIVER. *

access at all times, and become entirely inaccessible during the prevalence of deep snows, pro¬
ducing at once great scarcity of fuel in that city. The passage of the uninhabited mountain
to the east, at such times, by the ordinary road leading over it, which, of course, is not kept
open, is entirely impracticable ; and the mail which passes monthly to and from Independence,
Mo., is carried on pack-mules, which subsist themselves almost entirely on the grass along
the route, by way of the Weber river canon — the object in part of our present explorations,
which will, however, be continued eastward to the valley of Green river.*

April 5. — On the afternoon of the fifth of April we reached the mouth of this canon at
the immediate base of the Wahsatch mountains, where it opens into the valley of Great Salt
lake, thirty miles north of the city, and about seventeen from the mouth of the river, which
we immediately crossed to its right bank. This river at this season of the year (not yet
swollen by the melting snows of the mountains) is thirty yards wide, by from one to three feet
in depth, flowing with a rapid, powerful current over a bed of water-worn stones and fallen rocks
of all sizes, from pebbles to immense blocks of the adjacent mountain. Our altitude at this point
was 73 feet above the city of Great Salt Lake, and 4,424 feet above the sea. Entering the pass,
we at once left the usual low-water trail, which frequently crosses the river, and followed a pre¬
cipitous and rocky path leading over the retreating craggy sides of the canon, so steep that .a
single mis-step would have precipitated both mule and rider into the foaming torrent, hundreds
of feet below us. At some points the precipitous sides of this passage become almost vertical.
The mountains rise, we judged, from 1,500 to 2,500 feet above the river, and are separated at
the base by a passage averaging 175 yards in width, in which the river winds from side to
side, frequently impinging against the the bases of the mountains. At one point only, near the
upper end of the gorge, which is four miles in length, the river is narrowed to one half its
usual width, having cut a passage 20 or 30 feet in depth through the solid rock, which on the
north side overhangs the stream, which, by a low projecting mass, is deflected from its course
for a few yards at nearly a right angle, but again almost immediately resumes its direction ;
the canon, as it is called — and at some points it well deserves the name — being remarkably
direct in its general course. Above this gorge the mountain opens rapidly to the right and left,

* One of the most striking features to the traveller in our extensive and inhospitable interior country, after reaching the Rocky
mountains from the east, in whatever direction he may travel in it, is the vast field of mountains which everywhere meets the
eye. J hese mountains are sometimes formidable and united, their summits perpetually enveloped in snow, but more generally
broken and disconnected, or partially united by projecting spurs or low connecting ridges, retaining snow but a portion of the
year. They conform, with considerable exceptions, but not sufficient to impair its generality, in their greatest length to a general
northern and southern direction, but frequently varying many degrees from the meridian. The great Rocky mountain range, by
the line of our last and present years’ explorations, consists, towards the east, of the Sierra Blanca range, in which are the passes
of the Sangre de Cristo, and of Roubideau and Williams, united at the head of the San Luis valley with the Sierra San Juan; or
at this point the range may be said to divide the two branches, under different names, extending far to the southward, enclosing
the valley of the Rio Grande del Norte ; the western or San Juan range eventually becoming the Sierra Madre of Mexico.
Northward from the Sierra Blanca, the range is more or less broken by the valley of the Arkansas river, but preserves its general
course, surmounted by Pike’s and Janes’ peaks, to the Cheyenne and Bridger’s passes, and thence to the South Pass, where,
nothwithstanding the great elevation of the country, its mountainous appearance is in a great measure lost, although the country
is still very hilly and rolling, snd in the distance high mountain peaks are ever visible. North of the South Pass, for some distance,
the Rocky mountains again become lofty and again branch, sending out to the south a formidable range, known in various portions
under different names, but generally as the Bear river and Wahsatch range, broken by the passage of Bear, Weber, Timpanogos,
and Sevier river in their western course, but enclosing to the west the valley of Green river. Thus these three ranges, with
their spurs and connecting ridges, form, on the line of our explorations, the main features of the Rocky mountains. But the
country to the west is scarcely less mountainous ; and as we become familiar with it in pursuing our explorations in various direc¬
tions, it presents to our minds one vast field of mountains, interspersed with arid valleys from the Rocky mountains to the Sierra
Nevada, and from the British possessions far southward into Mexico. The most extensive valley susceptible of cultivation in
this whole extent of territory is that occupied by the Mormons, which is supplied with water for irrigation by the extensive fields of
perpetual snow which are found on the mountain summits in their vicinity. And I may observe, generally, that fields of perpetual
snow, affording ?r "nfailing supply of water for irrigation, are an indispensable pre-requisite for their cultivation, and hence for
their occupation, w natever may be the character of the soil of the valleys, in every portion of this territory in which I have
travelled — a district extending from the northern boundary of Mexico to the waters of the Columbia river, and, by different
route.0, from New Mexico and the Arkansas river to the Sierra Nevada.

WEBER RIVER CA.NONES.

forming an immense oblong amphitheatre, the summits of the mountain peaks on opposite sides
being separated by from 10 to 15 miles, while the river bottom, which is a plain, varies in width
from half a mile to three miles. This is the finest grazing district we have seen in Utah, the
bottom being covered with luxuriant grass which extends well up the mountain sides, to where
they are at present covered with snow. The stream is skirted with poplar or cotton-wood trees
and willow-bushes, and limited amounts of cedar, fir, and pine adorn the ravines and mountain
sides, but are difficult of access. We encamped, after a march of 27 miles, at the junction of Ben
Simons’ creek with the Weber, where we found our Delaware guide, (after whom the creek is
named,) with his brother and their respective squaws and little Indians encamped, with a small
band of horses and herd of cows grazing near their lodges. These cattle appear in fine condi¬
tion, having subsisted here through the entire winter by grazing alone. A much larger herd or
cattle, on their way to the California market, which had been grazed in the vicinity of Fort
Bridger during the early part of the winter, were subsequently driven here, where they remained
for several weeks, having left but a day or two previous to our arrival. A considerable trade
is carried on in cattle in and near the valley of Great Salt lake ; its main profit arising from
the exchange of cattle in good condition for those of emigrants broken down on their arrival
here, compelling an exchange or a ruinous delay in their journey to California. The stock
obtained by this traffic is turned out to graze during the winter ; and although a few of the
weakest and most emaciated die of cold, the great body of them come out in fine condition in
the spring, and are sent forward to the California market, or form a new stock in trade for the
ensuing season.

Our average ascent from the mouth of the canon to camp, 7.80 miles, has been 53.50 feet
per mile. The rocks in the gorge partake largely of the character of gneiss; but in descending
the river with a railroad, no unusual difficulty would be encountered at this point, as the walls
of the pass are sufficiently retreating to admit of its being carried at a suitable height above
the stream to escape the danger of floods, and extensive blasting of rocks would be required only
at a few points. Snows have formed no obstruction to its passage at any time during the past
winter, nor, so far as I have been able to learn after much inquiry, do they at any time. In
the valley, at our guide’s camp, its greatest depth during the last winter was twelve inches, but
seldom exceeded four, and for much of the winter was quite as free of it as the main valley of
Salt lake. Our guide thinks a much more favorable emigrant road could be opened through
this pass, ascending Ben Simons’ creek to the vicinity of Green river, than that now followed
over the mountains, which is still impassable from snow.

April 6. — We traversed the amphitheatre described yesterday, following the bottom lands
along the Weber river to the foot of the second mountain and gorge of this stream, our ascent
being 28.50 feet per mile for 12.20 miles, to Sheep Rock. The sides of this gorge are less pre¬
cipitous than those of the lower, and the bottom or passage in which the river winds is frequently
much wider, while the mountains are of nearly the same altitudes with those, but much more
broken by ravines. The bottom, too, is less firm, being frequently miry, and numerous small
channels into which the river is divided are dammed by beaver — green trees of six inches in
diameter having just been cut down by these animals for their damming purposes — making
part of it a swamp, miles of which are covered with thick willows, where the soil is too soft
for a good wagon road without carrying it on an artificial bed, which can be easily made along
the base of the mountains. The river winds so much that we were forced to cross it sixteen
times, the water being icy cold. We encamped on Dry creek, which enters the river at the
head of the gorge, eight and a half miles from Sheep Rock, from which we ascended 27 feet to
the mile. In constructing a railroad through this defile, it will be necessary to bridge the
stream several times, which can be readily done ; but for the most part the road would be carried
immediately at the base of the mountains, where it can be constructed with facility by cutting
along their sides and filling in at their bases. These bases are formed of earth and loose stones
overlying strata of shale, limestone, conglomerate, and argillaceous sandstone, dipping at every

FROM GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREEN RIVER.

angle, and in almost all eastern directions from south to north ; and in a few instances strata
bent (before induration) were seen ; and in one, vertical, parallel, walled dikes intersect the
northern slope of a mountain near the head of the passage, extending from the water’s edge to
near the summit of the mountain, only separated by about ten feet, and rising thirty feet above
the mountain slope.

April 7. — A cold rain, which continued to fall throughout the night, poured down upon us as
we wrapped ourselves in our blankets last evening; and as we were without tents or other'pro-
tection from the weather, hut little sleep refreshed the party; and at 9 o’clock this morning the
rain changed to snow, (which had been falling all night on the high peaks in the mountains,)
and continued to fall heavily throughout the day, melting as it reached the ground.

Above the junction of Dry creek with the Weber river, the latter comes from the south,
cutting through a red conglomerate sandstone mountain six or eight hundred feet high, which
is rapidly disintegrating, the talus at some points being entirely swept away by the river, and
at all others it stands at too steep an angle towards the water to he easily climbed over.

The Indian trail, however, passes through this canon at low water, a part of the way in the
stream. It is five hundred yards long. We rode to its upper end and clambered in to examine
it. The trail by which we passed ascends Dry creek half a mile, and then passes without diffi¬
culty to its head, by a low pass in the ridge through which the canon itself is cut. This is the
proper site, also, for a railroad. Above this canon a considerable valley extends south to the
Kaunas prairie. This valley varies in width from three or four miles to a few hundred yards,
and is drained by the Weber river, having on its margins considerable bottom lands, which at
this season of the year are quite wet, and in many parts are covered by cotton-wood trees and
willow-bushes. Ascending this valley we came to the emigrant road leading from the South
Pass to Great Salt lake, which we followed to the mouth of Echo canon, where we left it and
continued up the river to the mouth of White Clay creek (Moran’s fork.) The mountains on
the left of the valley, as we ascended it, are conglomerate sandstone, full of cavities numerously
inhabited by ravens. The snow was falling so fast that we were unable to see a hundred yards,
and were obliged to dismount and wait for it to diminish ; when we again remounted, and,
turning east, left the Weber river to ascend White Clay creek and pass over to Bear and Green
rivers. The valley of our path after leaving the Weber was from one-half to three-fourths of a
mile in width, finely covered with dry and green grass, the hills being covered with a stunted
growth of cedar, and cotton- wood and willows line the stream, which has upon it little or no
bottom land. The storm ceased as we encamped, having travelled but 10.50 miles, with an
average ascent of 16.50 feet per mile.

April 8. — A piercing cold wind sprang up during last night, the thermometer falling to 27°,
and continued all day blowing from E.N.E. directly in our faces as we ascended White Clay
creek, which is one foot in depth and five in width, with a free rapid current.- Its narrow bottom
is from one to two hundred yards in width, with low spurs of hills occasionally exf ending to
the stream. It is lined with cotton-wood and willows in the lower part of its course, but is
quite destitute of timber higher up, while scattered cedars are seen on the nearest hills, and
pine, fir, and aspen fill the ravines of the mountains, the highest peaks of which are 14 miles
south of us on the northern bank of Weber river, whence it descends from the east to Kamas
prairie. Numerous tracks of grizzly bears and porcupines were seen in the snow, beaver dams
and lodges in the creek bottoms, and a fine silver-gray fox watched our progress for some time
from a high hill, safely beyond gun-shot. Fourteen miles out we came into continuous fields
of snow, six inches in depth, except on the southern exposures, where it had almost entirely
disappeared. Its surface was hard and stiff, though not strong enough to bear either men or
animals, and as we broke through at every step, our progress was tedious and fatiguing ; and
these were greatly increased whenever we had to pass slight inequalities in the ground filled
with snow, and the narrow drifts always accumulated on the northeastern declivities of the hills
— our mules literally rolling, pitching, tumbling, and floundering through. Thermometer at

WHITE CLAY CREEK. — BEAR RIYER. — SNOW-BLINDNESS.

noon 38°. For the benefit of our animals, we ascended the side of a hill, where the snow had
disappeared, on a branch of White Clay creek coming in from the southeast, and encamped just
before sundown on a soft, muddy soil, sprinkled with dry grass. The Uinta mountains, whose
general course is apparently nearly due east and west, have been plainly in sight for the last
two days, some 25 miles south of our path, with numerous high peaks covered with vast fields
of snow from the lowest . points visible on them to their summits, the sources of the Uinta,
Timpanogos, Weber, and Bear rivers, and of Black’s fork, and numerous smaller streams.
From the northern foot of this range to our path, a level, timbered terrace country extends,
called, in the Sho-sho-nee or Snake language, Yaw-ning-got-it, or Porcupine terrace ; from the
west it extends from the sources of the White Clay creek, (To-sho-sho-coop, in the Snake
tongue,) across Bear river, the Muddy and Black’s fork, broken only by a few low detached
hills and the ravines of the water-courses. Its timber, pine and fir, is abundant, and of a
suitable size for bridges and building purposes.

For the first ten miles this morning our ascent averaged 84.20 feet per mile, and 54.20
feet per mile for the following 8.15 miles, to the junction of the branch on which we en¬
camped, with White Clay creek.

April 9.- A bright clear morning; thermometer at daylight 21° below the freezing-point.
We returned to White Clay creek, striking it near its head, by passing over the hill on which
we had encamped, a distance of 11.50 miles, by the windings of that stream, from the junction
of the branch where we left it to encamp, which we examined in repassing this point on our
return trip on the 18th instant. This creek preserves its open character, with easy, gentle
curves, to its source, the grade averaging 41.80 feet per mile, and the country becoming more
level and open as we ascend. We were here upon the divide between the waters of Weber and
Bear rivers, immediately overlooking the latter stream a mile and a half distant and but a few
feet below us, our altitude being 1,491 feet above the sea.

We immediately descended to the first channel of Bear river, which is forty feet wide and one
deep, with a firm bed, crossed without difficulty to a large level plain, four or five miles wide
by ten or twelve in length, extending southward to the foot of Porcupine terrace, through
which the river winds in a narrow ravine. The snow upon this plain was from six to ten inches
in depth — hard and stiff, but not sufficiently so to bear our animals — with pools of water
and soft ground beneath it, affording no firm footing, and our progress was consequently
very laborious. The sun was very bright, and its powerful reflection from the snow very
severe upon our eyes. Three miles from the first we crossed the second channel of Bear
river, a small stream four feet wide, beyond which we rose a bluff 12 or 15 feet high, to a
second plain extending to our camp on Sulphur creek, which descends in a small ravine from
the terrace above. Altitude, 7,494 feet.

April 10. — A light snow begun to fall during last night, and continued all day, with a
high, driving wind, which rendered our progress very disagreeable ; and nearly one half the
officers and men of the party were so snow-blind as to be unable to see beyond a few feet, and
suffered intense pain from their inflamed eyes, the lids of which were swollen to a dropsical
appearance, while their faces were quite as badly inflamed, skinned, and intensely sore. We
crossed a small stream running into Bear river, four miles from our morning camp, and after¬
wards three small branches, which unite and form the Little Muddy, and encamped on the main
creek of that name, after a march of only 11. ’20 miles. Our altitude on the divide, between
Bear river and the Muddy, an affluent of Black’s fork, which flows into Green river, and con¬
sequently upon what is called the eastern rim of the Great Basin, was 8,133 feet, and at our
camp this evening 7,779 feet above the sea.

We encountered but little snow on the high surfaces and western slopes of the hills to-day,
but invariably found large drifts just below the crests of the northeastern slopes, occasionally
so compact as to hear our animals, hut generally giving way under their feet.

April 11. — Thermometer at 5 a, m., 26°. Soon after leaving camp we crossed a small branch

FROM GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREEN RIVER.

of the Muddy, and then ascended the ridge setting down from the Porcupine terrace, and
nearly on a level with it, between the Muddy and Black’s fork. This ridge preserves its ele¬
vation for several miles to the north, and then subsides abruptly into the valley of the fork.
Upon this divide we encountered much more snow than upon any other part of the route, for
the warmth of the season was not yet sufficient to affect it at all ; and its average depth was
from twelve to sixteen inches, while the drifts were broader and deeper than we had before
encountered, varying from fifty and a hundred yards to a fourth of a mile in width. These
hanks, as before stated, are always found just below the northeastern crests of hills and ridges,
and can only he avoided by passing either above or below them.

The view from this position is very extensive. Overlooking the immense valley of Green
river, which sweeps off to the east, apparently in an almost uninterrupted plain, the Sweet
Water mountains near the South Pass, with the positions of the Muddy and Bitter creeks
descending from them, are plainly in sight ; and to the south the sources of Black’s, Smith’s,
and Henry’s forks, in the Uinta mountains.

From the head of White Clay creek, eastward for 19 miles, a railroad should he carried on
a gentle curve to the southward, (as indicated on the accompanying map) along the Porcupine
terrace before described, crossing Bear river and the main branches of Muddy and Sulphur
creeks, where they are narrow ravines, offering no serious obstacles in themselves to its easy
construction ; thus avoiding any hut a local descent in the passage of these streams, and turn¬
ing all the smaller ravines and branches which must otherwise he crossed below.

The ascending grade upon this line will he 49.8 feet per mile for 12.90 miles, and 39.50 feet
per mile for 6.10 miles; and the altitude of the point thus gained — the highest upon the line —
8,313 feet above the sea. And in descending from this point, the road should follow the ridge
or divide west of the main branch of Black’s fork by a uniform grade, to which there is no
obstruction, of 40.30 feet per mile for 12.25 miles, to the main open valley of the fork, to which
we descended at 10’clock a. m. The level valley of this stream is here three miles in width,
with pine, white cedar, and aspen growing upon the stream, and extending to and uniting with
that on the base of the Uinta mountains. We found considerable grass in this valley, and mud
in place of snow. The stream in the present low stage of the water, the snow not having com¬
menced to melt in the high mountains, is hut 12 feet wide and eight inches deep, flowing rapidly
over a bed of stones. In crossing its bottom we rode for some distance on the remains of a
heaver dam, precisely resembling a small embankment 18 inches high, thrown up in making a
common ditch. It is several hundred yards long. Travelling partly parallel to the stream, we
crossed over to Smith’s fork, which is separated from Black’s only by a plain common to them
both, passing near a settlement called Fort Supply, commenced on Smith’s fork last autumn.
It consists of only a half dozen log-houses, and although the margins of the stream are finely
grassed — upon which considerable herds of cattle have been successfully grazed during the past
winter, with no other food or shelter than they could themselves procure — -it must he regarded
as a doubtful experiment, until experience shall have established the practicability, in this
latitude upon our continent, of producing crops during the cold summers, and grazing cattle
during the severe winters, incident to so great an elevation — 7,254 feet, that of our camp on
the stream, two or three miles below the fort. Our descent from where we came upon Black’s
fork to camp, nine miles, was 69.50 feet per mile.

We were here in the immediate vicinity of Fort Bridger, the position of which a few miles to
the north, on Black’s fork of Green river, was plainly in sight across the open plain. In
descending from the head of the Muddy I have given the prefer c ce to the line indicated, over
that which follows that stream, as it is entirely free from short curves ; and the valley of Black’s
fork, above the junction of the Muddy, is much more broad, open ahd direct than that of the
latter stream. The line eastward from our present camp should he continued directly to where
it should cross Green river, near the mouth of Black’s fork, and he continued thence eastward
by the line followed by Captain Stansbury from Green river, by way of Bridger’ s Pass, to the

RAILROAD LINE EAST FROM WHITE CLAY CREEK.

Great Plains, in 1850, as reported by him in his expedition to the Great Salt lake, and thence
descend by the South fork and main Platte, or pass over to the Republican fork of the Kansas,
and descend it to connect at a suitable point with eastern lines of commerce.

April 12. — It began to snow at dark last evening, and continued without intermission until
late this afternoon. Several of the party were still suffering severely from snow-blindness, and
many of our animals were becoming weak and exhausted for want of sufficient nourishment.
I determined, therefore, to leave a portion of the party in camp on Smith’s fork with the weakest
animals, and to proceed with the balance to Henry’s fork of Green river, a route represented to
possess superior advantages to that before indicated for a railroad, to the east from Smith’s fork.
With Captain Morris, Mr. Egloffstein, and Mr. Snyder, and a small escort, and with our Dela¬
ware guide, I started — the snow being four inches deep as we left camp, and falling so fast that
we could not see beyond a few hundred yards, but fortunately the storm was in our backs —
bearing a little to the southeast to avoid the mud of the plains, which were very slippery and
soft. We travelled over a succession of low hills, and crossed two or three small branches of
Smith’s fork, coming to Cottonwood creek at 1 o’clock, p. m., where our altitude varied but
nine feet from our morning camp. We here came upon a wagon road leading from Fort
Bridger to Henry’s fork by a low pass in the small mountain spur dividing the waters of that
stream and of Cottonwood creek. It is six miles from the creek to the summit of the pass, and
the difference of level 266 feet. Entered from the north it is narrow and direct, and is formed
of horizontal strata of clay, from six to fifty feet thick, often separated by thin strata of sand¬
stone ; and the clay itself in some parts is indurated to an argillaceous stone containing
considerable sand. It is washed into a thousand gullies and ravines, and its slopes are bar¬
ren. The spur itself is level upon its summit, and preserved from washing by a capping of
stone.

Notwithstanding the storm, our guide related an incident which occurred to him a few years
since in this pass, characteristic of the adventuresomeness of his own tribe, and of the war habits
of his race.

He was travelling this pass at midnight, accompanied by his squaw only, both mounted upon
the same horse, and the night so dark that he could neither see the outlines of the hills nor the
ground at his horse’s feet, when he heard a sound, (which he imitated) so slight as scarcely to
be perceptible to an Indian’s ear, of an arrow carried in the hand striking once only with a
slight tick against a bow. Stopping, he could hear nothing, but instantly dismounted, his
squaw leaning down upon the horse that she might by no possibility be seen; and placed his
ear to the ground, when he heard the same sound repeated, but a few feet distant, and was
therefore satisfied that, however imminent the danger, he had not yet been heard or seen, for no
Indian would make such a noise at night in approaching his foe; he therefore instantly arose
and took his horse by the bridle close to his mouth, to lessen the chances of his moving
or whinnying, and one hundred and seventy of his deadly enemies, the Sioux, on a war party,
filed past him within arm’s reach, while he remained unobserved.

We encamped on Henry’s fork after a ride of 23.50 miles, descending for 3.20 miles, from
the summit of the pass, 122 feet to the mile. The valley of this stream is of the park-form,
ten miles in diameter at our camp, with bottom lands from one to three miles in width,
narrowing rapidly as it descends. The bottom is finely grassed, while the hills about it are
barren or covered with artemisia ; but the mountains to the south are quite covered with pine.
The water of the stream flows in several channels through the meadow, which might be easily
irrigated, and support a small settlement, if not too cold for cereals.

April 13. — Leaving half of our men in camp, we descended the valley, crossing several little
streams, the largest of which is called Dry Timber creek, and seven miles below camp bore off
to the right, and ascended a high point of the adjacent mountain to obtain an extensive view
of Green river and of the surrounding country. The snow, scarcely two inches deep in the
valley, soon increased to a foot and more, and our animals waded heavily through the deep

16 SIOUX WAR PARTY. — SMITH’S TO HENRY’S FORK.

drifts and gullies. We were rewarded, however, for the labor of the ascent by the excellent
view obtained.

The valley of Henry’s fork continues its uniform descent to its junction with Green river,
fifteen miles distant, and immediately to the south of it two other small streams enter Green
river from the west, separated by a pile of rocks called the Beaver Lodge, which is also the
name of the northern stream ; the southern being known as Medicine Spring creek by the
Indians, and Blue by the trappers, from a fine spring somewhere near its source. Fifty miles
distant the Uinta mountains were seen, terminated to the east by the passage of Green river,
and through a large gap in an intervening range the pine-covered sides of Brown’s Hole were
distinctly visible. Above the mouth of Henry’s fork stand two isolated buttes of the same alti¬
tude as the low range, to the north of this stream, which we crossed yesterday, and of which
they once formed a part. Green river descends from the north just to the east of these buttes.
Beyond this river, to the north and east of Brown’s Hole, high ranges of mountains, covered with
snow, extend far to the east and to the south of the line indicated for the railroad from our camp
on Smith’s fork. So far as this proposed line can he seen from this point — which it can he far
east of Green river — it appears very level. But the wind whistled cold and piercing about our
heads, and, standing knee-deep in snow, 'We were soon chilled through, and, hastening our
notes and observations to a close, descended in an hour and a half to Henry’s fork, to a com¬
parative summer climate— a change from 34° to 50° — the snow having entirely disappeared
from the valley during our short absence.

Notwithstanding the severe snow-storm yesterday, the party suffered quite as much from
blindness as during a bright sunny day, my own face becoming somewhat inflamed for the first
time, and “ Bing,” a bulldog which accompanied us, became so much affected that he could not
he induced, in camp, to open his eyes, from which tears were constantly falling. We returned
at evening to our morning camp.

April 14. — We repassed the divide by which we entered the valley of Henry’s fork. From Cot¬
tonwood creek, we followed a line across the artemisia plains or mesas, a little to the north of
that followed in our outward journey. The light and friable soil of these plains is now satu¬
rated with water, from melting snow, and is miry and slippery. They are terminated to the
west by abrupt bluffs of clay, so steep and slippery, that, in descending them, we were obliged
to dismount, and let our mules slide down as they best could — ten and twenty feet at a time.
They decline rapidly to the north, and, apparently, soon entirely disappear in that direction.
Grass is confined to the borders of the water-courses, the intermediate spurs being occupied by
fields of artemisia. We encamped at evening on Smith’s fork, a short distance below our
camp of the 11th instant, and on the following morning (April 15) continued our western course,
recrossing Black’s fork and the ridge separating it from the Muddy, on which we encamped a
little above the emigrant road to Great Salt lake. Although the valley of this stream is not so
broad and direct as that of Black’s fork, a railroad could readily ascend it to intersect our out¬
ward line at its crossing ; but, as before stated, the line then indicated would probably be
preferable.

April 16. — The country over which we passed to-day is very elevated and dry, and the
vegetation principally confined to artemisia. It overlooks our outward path to the south, which
preserves its superior appearance even from this distance. We encamped on Bear river, about
which the snow had nearly disappeared. The grass has not yet sprouted, however, for a new
growth, and our animals fare badly on that which has been buried under the snow from last
year, and is now soaked from its melting.

April Vl. — We returned to the head of White Clay creek this morning, and descended it,
encamping two miles below its Beaver branch junction, when we again returned to fields
of fresh grass. High up on the sheltered faces of a few bluff ro’dks, cropping out on the southern
bank of the creek, as we descended it, large numbers of nests of clay, in clusters of pine-apple
size and form, were seen, which our Delaware guide says are built by a dark-colored bug, which

ATTEMPT TO CROSS PROM WHITE CLAY CREEK TO KAMAS PRAIRIE. 17

is good to eat when boiled. I could obtain no specimens of them. The guide killed a fine
elk near camp.

April 18. — We attempted to-day to find a more direct route to the Kamas prairie and Tim-
panogos river than that by the mouth of White Clay creek and Weber river. In leaving
camp, we ascended a narrow ridge, and again almost immediately descended its opposite slope,
and crossed a small creek, beyond which, in ascending the succeeding hill, we entered upon a
field of snow, two feet in depth, which was too soft to hear our animals, and was filled with
brush and concealed fallen-timber, rendering its passage for a mile a severe labor ; and several
smaller fields were passed in crossing a broken country, until 11 o’clock, when we were rising
a high ridge, and expected, at its summit, to find an end to our snowy labors, and to descend
with comparative comfort to the prairie ; but the snow had driven us off the summer trail, and,
as we rose to the summit, we were greeted by the sight of another formidable ridge, every¬
where presenting one immense field of snow apparently impassable, and the guide came to a
stand — his last horse had failed. I however examined the country attentively, mounted the
guide on a mule, and determined to go on, and in two hours, by severe labor, reached the
succeeding summit ; but, instead of seeing an end to our labors, and refreshing fields of grass
at our feet for our exhausted stock, we saw before us only a precipitous descent of half a mile,
followed by an ascent still steeper and higher than the former, which we accomplished, with
increased labor, however, only to find before us an impassable field of snow, extending down
the face of the mountain for several miles to Weber river. Our altitude was here 8,619 feet
above the sea-, and a magnificent view of the country in some degree rewarded the labor of the
ascent. North, south, east, and west, the country presented only one extensive field of broken
mountains. The opening made in the Wahsatch mountains by the Timpanogos canon, with a
high intervening peak or two between us and Kamas prairie, looked favorable for our passage ;
the high, snowy range between us and Great Salt lake, as far north as Weber canon and
Ogden Hole, was also before us, with those to the east crossed by the emigrant road. Above
us, the Weber descends through an extensive mountain district, at present covered with impas¬
sable snows, and surmounted to the south by the higher and still more snowy peaks of the
Uinta range.

Pine covers the steep mountain sides south of the Weber. We encamped on this summit,
and sent out the guide with a party on foot to find, if possible, a practicable descent ; he
returned at dark with an unfavorable report, however, unless the snow should freeze during
the night strong enough to bear our animals, of which there is no prospect.

April 19. — It began to rain during the latter part of last night, and the mountain sides at
daylight were sending down rivulets of snow-water from every point. We were, therefore,
reluctantly obliged to turn back, following, through banks of snow for two miles, the course of
a small branch of White Clay creek, lying between high, steep hills and spurs of mountains.
The heavy, cold rain from the southwest increased as the morning advanced, falling uninterrupt¬
edly for five or six hours, until we had gained a more open country as we approached White
Clay creek. At every step, after leaving the snow, in this rapid descent, we were passing fine
fields of grass, extending from the ravines to the mountain tops. We had certainly been driven
higher up the mountains in our attempt to effect this passage than would have been necessary
but for the snow ; but it is not too much to say that there is no practicable route for a wagon-
road, and much less for a railroad, by this Indian trail from White Clay creek to Kamas prairie,
although it is the best in the vicinity, except that to which we returned. Soon after reaching
White Clay creek, we passed our camp of the 7th instant, and again entered the valley of
Weber river, in which we encamped, in the midst of luxuriant fields of fresh grass, 5.25 miles
from the camp of the 7th.

In descending the mountain to-day, we passed a few out-cropping ledges of conglomerate
rocks and sandstone, but soil and earth covered almost the entire surface of the mountains
3 b

KAMAS PRAIRIE. — TIMPANOGOS RIYER AND CANON.

and ravines. The sun shone bright and clear during the afternoon, and dried our drenched
clothes. The accompanying sections of the routes explored hy the Weher and Timpanogos
canones, branch at our camp of the 7th instant on White Clay creek, the former descending
the Weher, and the latter ascending it.

April 20. — The wind, which had changed to northwest during the afternoon yesterday,
returned to southwest last night, and the morning came in with a gentle cold rain, which
increased during the day to heavy showers at short intervals. The width of the Weher valley,
within the low hills, between our morning camp and Kamas prairie, varies from two or three
miles to a few hundred yards ; hut we soon passed above the altitude of green grass, although
the whole face of the country was covered with the growth of last year. It was 12 miles to
Kamas prairie, which is five or six miles wide hy eight and seven-tenths miles in length, and,
to the eye, is as level as a sheet of water. The Weher river descends to it from the east, flows
across its northern end, and thence descends to Gfreat Salt lake, hy our ascending path. A
stream, ten or 12 feet wide, winds through the prairie, entering Weher river at the northwest
angle of the meadow. It is seen descending from a mountain ravine on the east side of the
plain, six miles distant. A mile to the south of this ravine is the divide between the Weher
and Timpanogos rivers — if so slight a change of level deserves the name of divide — the latter
flowing at the base of a snowy range of mountains terminating the prairie to the south. We
attempted to ride directly across the prairie, hut found it so miry that we were obliged to turn
hack and keep, along the base of the hills to the west, reaching the Timpanogos where it leaves
the prairie. The average grade from our camp of April 7, on White Clay creek, to our morn¬
ing’s camp, 5.25 miles, was 3.80 feet per mile; and 53.90 feet per mile for 12 miles thence
to Kamas prairie; and across the prairie to Timpanogos river, 8.70 miles, 8.80 feet per mile —
the altitude of the prairie at Weher river being 6,319 feet above the sea. Below the prairie
the Timpanogos river descends in a bottom varying from 100 to 250 yards in width, covered
hy cotton-wood. It is enclosed on the south hy mountains, and on the north hy high walls of a
coarse feldspathic granite, from one to two hundred feet high. The stream is twenty-five feet
wide, with a rapid current. This bottom is entirely free from snow, and sufficiently wide and
elevated above the river to admit of an easy construction of a railroad.

We encamped some two miles from the prairie and river, on its right hank, among the hills.

April 21. — It continued to rain during the whole of last night, and this morning snow was
mixed with the falling rain ; hut after being two or three hours on the road, we passed below
the storm, which continued about the higher mountain peaks throughout the day. We returned
to the Timpanogos river at the lowest point on it visible to us from Kamas prairie last evening,
its valley being here half a mile wide, and, for three miles, very miry from the great amount
of rain recently fallen upon it, and covered with willows. We therefore kept along the base
of the hills, and occasionally passed over considerable spurs extending into the valley. Below
this the stream enters a broad open valley, several miles in diameter, called Round prairie, in
which it receives small tributaries from the east and south. In this prairie the grazing is very
fine; and the valleys and mountain sides along our path, throughout the day, were covered
with the finest fresh grass from an inch in height at our morning camp, to eight inches at
that of this- evening. In the prairie the stream bends more to the west, and preserves this
course, as the valley narrows to a few hundred yards in width as we approached the eastern
base of the narrow Wahsatch chain. Entering the mountain, the valley becomes still more
narrow, and in a short distance quite disappears, and the passage becomes a formidable canon,
in which the general course of the river is very direct ; but the hills or mountain spurs, which
extend down to it, slightly overlap each other, giving it a zigzag line upon a small scale, the
projecting points overlapping but a few feet, and are generally not high. The southern bank
is much the most abrupt, the wall becoming so nearly vertical as to be inaccessible. The rock
at the base is chiefly a hard blue limestone, capped towards the summit of the mountain, with
a stratum of argillaceous sandstone of great thickness. On the north side of the river, the

FROM TIMPANOGOS CANON TO GREAT SALT LAKE.

mountain is terminated more in stages ; yet it is very abrupt, and we had some difficulty at
times in following the Indian trail along its face, in its natural state. These rocky precipices,
rising one above the other, soon gain an elevation of two and three thousand feet, and the highest
points finally attain an altitude of 4,000 feet above the river. The dip of the stratified rocks,
wherever they are exposed, is from the river, and consequently there is little danger of land¬
slides in this gorge. The rivCr as it enters the canon is thirty yards wide, flowing with a
strong current ; but towards the foot it becomes still more rapid, breaking with considerable
noise over the rocks in its bed. The pass, which is ten miles in length, varies in width from
one hundred to three hundred yards ; and in constructing a railroad through it it would be
necessary to cross the stream several times, to avoid short curves, which could be done as easily
as bridges are usually built ; and considerable blasting of rocks would be requisite at various
points, but amounting to no large aggregate. A little pine grows on the mountain sides
quite down to the river, but it seldom exceeds 8 or 10 inches in diameter.

The descent per mile for the first 5. *70 miles from Kamas prairie, is 32.90 feet, and 60. 90-
feet to the mile for the next 5.20 miles; for the succeeding five miles it is 44.40 feet per mile,
and six feet to the mile for the succeeding 5.40 miles; and for three miles from the head of the
canon the average descent is 30.10 feet per mile; and for the succeeding eight miles, to our
camp below the canon, 39.60 feet per inile. Our altitude at this camp was 5,017 feet above
the sea, and 150 feet above the river.

April 22. — We descended the river a short distance this morning, and then turned around
the base of the mountain northward into the valley of Utah lake, which lay beautifully bright
below us. A railroad from the Timpanogos canon should follow the same line, gradually
descending into the valley and passing through its numerous Mormon settlements to the foot
of Utah lake, where it should cross the Jordan, and, if practicable, cross the Oquirrh mount¬
ain through Cedar valley to the west of Lake Utah — the appearance of this part of the mount¬
ain, seen at considerable distances both from the east and the west, rendering it worthy of exami¬
nation, if at any time a railway shall be constructed west from Timpanogos river; but if this
route should be impracticable, then it should descend the valley of Great Salt lake to the
north end of Oquirrh mountain. The descending grades by the latter line will be 33.80 feet
per mile for 14.20 miles, from the foot of the canon to the American fork; and 3.50 feet per
mile for 39.60 miles thence to our camp of the 6th of May, at the northwestern angle of the
valley of the Jordan. This unobstructed valley, of 20 miles in width by 30 in length, is
largely susceptible of irrigation and cultivation, and already contains many Mormon settle¬
ments, of which Great Salt Lake City is the principal.

It began to rain violently at 2 o’clock p. m., and continued until dark, soon after which I
arrived at Great Salt Lake City after a ride of fifty miles. Latitude 40° 45' 37".

CHAPTER II.

From Great Salt Lake City to the valley of Humboldt river — May 1 to 23, 1854.

Receipt of orders. — Explorations performed in anticipation of the receipt of these orders, and extract therefrom. — Leaving
Salt Lake City. — Valley of the Jordan. — Grass and springs. — Railroad line by the south end of Great Salt Lake. — Snow¬
storm. — Scenery in entering Tuilla valley. — Mormon settlements. — Old shore-line. — Formidable pass — Goshoot Indians. —
Indian guides — Salt and warm springs. — Character of rocks. — Water driven over marshes of the lake. — Birds. — Springs in
conglomerate rocks. — Fish. — Spring or Lone Rock valley. — Fremont’s route of 1845, and Stansbury’s of 1849. — Railroad
route. — Gophers and grass-seed as Indian food. — Passage of Cedar mountains. — Scarcity of water. — Pass not suitable for a
railway. — The Desert to Granite mountains and Fish springs. — Storms. — Mirage. — Railroad route to the south and west of
Pilot Peak. — Miserable condition of Goshoot Indians. — Examination of first range of Goshoot mountains. — Rock ; grass ;
timber. — Fish creek. — Railroad route. — Shoshonee Indians. — Striking contrast between the Shoshonees and Diggers, (Go-
shoots). — Passage of successive ranges of Goshoot mountains. — Vegetation and rocks. — Gate of Narrow Pass. — Rain; hail;
springs. — Wretched condition of Indians. — Frost. — Goshoot lake. — Digger wick-ey-up and its occupants. — Digger language. —
Topographical sketches of railroad line via Pilot Peak. — Franklin River valley ; its lakes, rivers, and vegetation. — Old lake-
shore. — Hastings’s road. — Route for packing-parties. — Pilot Peak railroad line. — Remarkable formation of the basin. — Hum¬
boldt Mountain railroad pass. — Country as seen to the west of this pass. — Snow in the pass. — Rocks in the pass. — Valley of
the Humboldt, by Colonel Fremont.

May 1. — I received on the first of May, at Great Salt Lake City, your orders of the 21st of
February preceding, directing me to make the explorations and surveys of the passes eastward
from the Great Basin embraced in the preceding part of this report — these surveys having been
made in anticipation of the reoeipt of the instructions referred to, or, in case of their non¬
arrival, to facilitate the completion of the explorations already ordered — and then to retrace my
steps and survey the route which I had proposed, “passing to the south of Great Salt lake in
the direction of the ‘Sink’ of Humboldt or Mary’s river, thence towards Mud lake and across to
the tributaries of Feather river, and thence by the most practicable route to tbe valley of tbe
Sacramento river.”

May 5. — Leaving Great Salt Lake City, we encamped on the west side of tbe Jordan, which
is now flowing with a muddy, turbid current, considerably swelled by melting snow.

May 6.— The wind blew heavily during the latter part of last night, and a slight fall
of rain renewed with vigorous freshness our previous realizations of camp life; and slight showers
rapidly succeeded each other, crossing the valley of the Jordan from southwest to northeast du¬
ring the day. At this season this valley is supplied with a growth of green grass which occa¬
sionally forms a sward, but is generally thinly scattered over tbe surface among tbe varieties of
artemisia known as sage and greasewood. In crossing tbe level valley from tbe Jordan, tbe
road is now very good ; hut during the rainy seasons there are a few miry alkaline beds, which
are for the most part, however, easily avoided by making a short circuit to the right or left.
We ascended slightly the base of the Oquirrh mountain, and encamped in abundant fields of
grass. Large springs hurst out along the northern base of this mountain near the Great Salt
lake, but are generally more or less brackish ; yet tbe water is used by the few Mormon
families settled about them. Day’s march, 12.98 miles ; altitude, 306 feet above Great Salt Lake
City. In constructing a railroad, however, this altitude is entirely unnecessary, as tbe road can
be carried nearly on a level with tbe water of the lake, without a material change of grade
while in its vicinity. It is at this point that a road descending the Timpanogos river, and
passing by tbe north end of Lake Utah, should intersect one descending by the Weber, and
passing to the south of Great Salt lake, unless it shall he found practicable by the former line
to pass the Oquirrh mountain through Cedar valley.

TUILLA VALLEY. — INDIAN GUIDES.

May 7. — A disagreeable night was followed by a bigb wind and a heavy snow-storm from
the northwest, which drove in our faces for two hours while we were passing around the north
end of Oquirrh mountain to Tuilla valley. The scenery in turning this point, in the storm,
where we came directly upon the shore of the lake, with several islands rising abruptly from
its waters, with high mountain shores and extensive mountain ranges in every direction, was
very beautiful, and caused regret at the taste displayed in the selection of the site for the neigh¬
boring city, from which this beautiful sheet of water is seldom visible, and never appears
picturesque. But as it is a city of farms, necessity doubtless dictated its own terms.

The Mormons have several small settlements in Tuilla valley, which is ten or twelve
miles in width, and extends south from the lake for some twenty miles, where it is crossed
by a cross-range with low depressions at either end; the eastern leading into Cedar valley,
and the western along the eastern base of the high range forming the western limit of this
valley. The eastern side of this valley is finely grassed, but in crossing it the road lies
through a continuous artemisia field, more or less interspersed with grass. For five or
six miles in crossing, our road lay along an old shore-line of the lake, elevated some twenty
feet above the general level of the valley, into which it gently subsides near a fine spring of
water, flowing off in a bold little stream towards the lake. We encamped, after a march of
20.59 miles, on Willow creek, three and a half miles above or south of the most western Mormon
settlement upon this line, and directly at the foot of what had been favorably represented to us
as a pass by which to cross the mountain. But its appearance as we approached it was too
formidable to require further examination ; and the Indians who came to our camp informed
us, that it is with the greatest difficulty that a horse when led can ascend by this trail when free
from snow — which it is not now— and that with a rider it is impassable. Altitude of camp,
4,481 feet above the sea, and 170 feet less than at our morning camp.

Sho-ish, a Utah chief, had sent a runner to his neighboring band, the Goshoots, upon whose
territory we were just entering, to say that I was his friend and made very fine presents to his
Indian brethren, who accordingly presented themselves at our camp, and were delighted with
the trinkets which they received; and I employed two or three of them to accompany me across
their own deserts and mountains, no reward being large enough to tempt them to introduce
us to their western neighbors, of whom they stand in great fear. Snow-squalls continued
during the day, whitening the valleys to the water-level of the lake, and ice formed during the
night.

May 8. — After some slight examinations of the mountains to the south, we turned down
Willow creex, and passed north along the base of the mountain towards Great Salt lake,
passing several saltish springs and one warm spring, and encamped opposite Stansbury’s
island, 13.70 miles from our morning camp, and 4,238 feet above the sea. The rocks of the
Oquirrh mountain, near Black Rock, and those near our present camp, are conglomerate and
sandstone, with others changed (metamorphic) by igneous action, standing in nearly vertical
planes. Ducks, gulls, and snipe of a large species, were killed in considerable numbers
about our camp, and mosquitoes and gnats were very troublesome. The driving of the water,
by the wind, upon the. nearly level marshes which border Great Salt lake, presents a
marked resemblance to a flowing tide, which has its counterpart in the ebb at the falling
wind.

May 9. — Before passing around the north point of the mountain, three miles from camp,
into Spring or Lone Rock valley, we passed several salt springs, one of which was blood-warm,
sending out a fine stream of water beautifully clear at its source, at which gas was constantly
bubbling out ; and, as we entered the valley, these springs became more numerous — the finest
of which sent out a volume of water two feet in width by three inches in depth. This spring
issues through a mass of conglomerate rock, and is inhabited by a multitude of small fish two
or three inches in length, which retreated into the spring under the rocks at my approach.
Several other springs, as we passed on, were far less salt, but our horses drank of them

SPRING VALLEY. — RAILROAD VIA PILOT PEAK.

reluctantly. Our path led all day through fine fields of grass, which sometimes occupied the
surface unopposed by more hardy plants, hut at others was thickly interspersed with artemisia,
of the greasewood and rahhit-hush varieties. The large central portion of this valley towards
the lake, is an alkaline plain, too soft and miry to he conveniently crossed. It is terminated
to the west hy Cedar mountains, a range parallel with, hut not so elevated as that to the
east of the valley, which is twenty miles wide. We encamped, after a march of 21.45 miles,
on a fine litle creek a foot in width, descending clear and cold from the highest snow-peaks of
the range to the east. It would serve to irrigate a few farms before reaching the alkaline
bed just mentioned, in which it sinks. High up the mountain peaks above our camp a few
dark masses of pine are seen, and cedar extends nearly down to the valley. Our camp is a
short distance south of the line hy which Colonel Fremont crossed this valley in 1845, and
Captain Stanshury in 1849, and hy which it should he crossed hy a railway to Cedar mountain,'
which should he crossed hy the route followed hy Fremont, where the altitude of its summit is
given on the map u drawn hy Mr. Charles Preuss from the surveys of Colonel Fremont and
other authorities, under an order of the Senate, in 1848,” at 5,009 feet above the sea, or
about 800 feet above Great Salt lake, or hy lower depressions still further to the north, if it
should be found desirable. In its course west from this mountain, it should he carried as far
as practicable to the south, without unduly increasing its length, to avoid the miry plains nearer
the lake — these plains becoming firm in proportion to their distance from it — passing hy one
of the open spaces to the south of Pilot Peak, hy which the succeeding chain of mountains to
the west is terminated to the south, and thence he continued hy the north end of the succeeding
western range towards the head of Humboldt river. For a faithful and lucid description of
this part of the line, I beg to refer you to Captain Stanshury’ s report of his expedition to the
Great Salt lake, chapter vi, pages 111 to 116 ; and for its delineations, to the map before referred
to, made hy Mr. Preuss. The passes and the country delineated hy him in that vicinity were
observed with much attention hy us from the line which we explored a little to the south of it,
our observations confirming the general character of the country as represented on this map,
hut materially adding to the positive knowledge of it, as will he seen hy reference to the accom¬
panying map. We crossed this' desert on the 12th and 13th instant, under which dates its
description will he found.

May 10. — By the advice of our Indian guides, we crossed Lone Eock valley hy a very direct
course to the pass in Cedar mountains, which they represent as leading to the best route hy
which the desert west of it can he crossed — the pass itself, in their estimation, being superior.
The rise from the centre of the valley to the foot of the pass is very gradual, and its whole
surface is covered with small varieties of artemisia, neither grass nor water being found near
the road. The valley southward trends considerably to the east, and is uninterrupted as far as our
vision could reach, although a low mountain extends into it for a considerable distance from
the west, hut eventually terminates in the plain. A small growth of cedar is scattered uni¬
formly over the mountain in the vicinity of the pass, in which we encamped at a small spring
of very hitter water, after a march of 15.18 miles, grass being abundant on the mountain
sides. We met three Goshoot Indians during the morning, who accompanied us to camp.
They were armed with dint-lock rifles and powerful elastic hows, made from the horns of the
mountain sheep. Our most intelligent guide, Shippah, pointed out to me a small variety of
ground-rat or gopher, and a black heetle-like cricket, which furnish a very large proportion
of the food of his people. The grass also, on the seed of which they feed, he thinks of inte¬
rest, and points out every tuft which we pass.

May 11. — The ascent became more steep as we approached the summit of the pass ; the
ravine narrow, and covered with a thick growth of stunted cedar, through which we were
obliged to cut a road ; and the descent still more abrupt and narrow, forced us to cut a road
along its sides for a hundred yards — a considerable labor, as the ground was hard and rocky.
Fortunately, just below the summit, we came to a small rivulet of running water, which leaks

CEDAR MOUNTAIN. — THE DESERT.

from the indurated shale and dark-blue limestone, overlaid by igneous rocks, of which the
mountain is composed, and is much purer than that at our morning camp, which did not
afford a supply at all adequate to our wants. The Indians say, however, that when the sun is
hot, (mid-summer,) there is no water in this pass. It is not suitable for a railway. Like
many of the mountain ranges in the Basin, this terminates in the plain to the south, and
can be passed around by a long circuit. It was late when we extricated ourselves from this
pass and encamped, having accomplished the short march of only 3.68 miles. The day
throughout was dark and cloudy, and at night camp-fires were necessary to comfort, fuel being
abundantly supplied by sage.

May 12. — We mounted our Indian guides on mules to-day, and furnished them with scarlet
cloth for blankets, greatly to their delight — a merrier set of thieves seldom being seen. The
morning was dark and cloudy, and a slight rain which fell during last night had moistened
the light friable soil of the hills, making our early ride cool and pleasant. Leaving the
base of the mountain, (2.43 miles from camp,) we crossed a field of heavy sand, and a few spaces
of hard, barren white clay, succeeded by another field of sand, and then entered upon a soft,
moist bed of clay or stiff mud, more or less miry at short intervals for nine miles, in which our
riding-animals sank to the top of their hoofs, and occasionally to their fetlocks, and over
which our loaded wagons dragged heavily. Eleven miles from the base of the mountain, how¬
ever, brought us to an extensive field of small artemisia, extending far to the right and left,
and sweeping quite up to the base of Granite mountain, which we were approaching at its
northern termination. In this field the soil was light but dry, and the travelling fine ; and we
encamped at the point just spoken of, where we found a fine permanent spring of pure cold
water issuing in abundance from the granite rocks in the bed of the ravine three-fourths of a
mile above our path ; but we were not so fortunate in regard to grass, only a few scattered
bunches beingffound on this part of the mountain, which is a large isolated mass of granitic rocks,
rising from the desert in which it stands, like an island from the ocean, to an elevation of 2,000
feet. Its general appearance is that of whitish naked rock, with a few small cedar-bushes in
its narrow ravines. It disintegrates considerably, and forms the surrounding soil, which is
filled with quartz and mica. Day’s march, 19.16 miles ; altitude of camp, (considerably above
the plain) 4,666 feet above the sea.

May 13. — We resumed our journey at 5 o’clock a. m., directly across the desert, (which
is that crossed by -Stansbury , further to the north, where it is 70 miles wide, to which I have
before referred,) south 45° west, (magnetic,) to the nearest point of the Goshoot mountains,
which derive their name from the Indian band inhabiting them, although the name might better
have been applied to the desert, which is characteristic of their utter wretchedness. Five miles
from Granite mountain, we left the dry soil on which we terminated our march last evening,
and passing over a narrow ridge of sand, entered upon a desert of stiff mud, as level as a sheet
of water, which we found great difficulty in crossing with our wagons for 17.66 miles. For
this entire distance there is not a sign of green vegetation, and only here and there a dry stalk
of artemisia, where it has been transported by the wind. The lightest sheet of effloresced salt
covered the moist earth at intervals, and the track of a single antelope or wolf could be seen
crossing the desert for miles, by the line of dark mud thrown up by its feet, so level, white
and soft was the plain ; and the whole scene was as barren, desolate, and dreary as can be
imagined. Fortunately the sun was partially obscured during most of the day; but even with
the obscurity its reflection was very painful to the eyes, which were materially relieved, how¬
ever, by one or two light passing showers, which dissolved the salt upon the plain, but greatly
enhanced the fatigue and labor of crossing it. These storms, however, which had been hang¬
ing about the high peaks of the mountains all day, accompanied by thunder, increased in
number and violence in the plain as we approach efi. camp, and were accompanied by heavy
squalls of wind from the southwest, and we were brought to a stand by a hail-storm, to which
our animals turned their backs and obstinately refused to move until it had passed. Every

FROM GREAT SALT LAKE TO HUMBOLDT RIVER.

object, when it was not storming, was distorted by mirage, rendering it impossible to form
correct estimates of objects seen at a little distance — trees dwindling to mere twigs, and extensive
lakes to glistening surfaces of mud, as they were approached. Very irregular detached mount¬
ain masses lay a few miles to the south, and a single one to the north, conforming in their
course to no general theory of parallel lines of crests. The passage to the south of Pilot
Peak, and another south of it, looked open and level, and it is by one of these that a railroad
should pass west from this desert ; the plain of which sweeps entirely around G-oshoot mount¬
ains, preserving the same level, or nearly so, of our path and of the Great Salt Lake shore,
where a road- is already graded, or nearly so, but upon which it will be expensive, however,
to construct a firm foundation for the road ; for which extensive piling will be necessary in
crossing all the miry beds. Approaching the Goshoot mountains, we came to a more firm and
dry soil, covered with artemisia, for 2.34 miles to the foot of the outlying hills, where we
found fine large springs of fresh water, sending out considerable streams to the plain. They
were surrounded by large meadows of excellent grass. These springs are filled with small
fish, and the Indians, therefore, give them the name of Pangwich or Fish springs. In antici¬
pation of meeting their friends here, our guides dismounted before leaving the desert and
prepared their toilet, for which they removed the dark surface-mud of the desert for two or
three inches in depth, when they came to a white-clay mud stratum, with which they painted
(bedaubed) themselves, in stripes, to hideous ugliness, remounted their mules, and appeared
before their friends in holyday costume. We were soon visited by a number of the expected
guests, extremely filthy and very naked, and emaciated by starvation during the long winter,
during which their supply of rats and bugs fail, and they are reduced to the greatest extreme
of want, if their appearance truly indicates it ; and they are doubtless among the lowest of the
human race in intelligence and humanity. We fed them and made them happy with small
presents. There is a little scattered salt grass without the oasis spoken of ; but it only extends
a short distance, and is succeeded in the hills by artemisia, and in the desert by utter, deso¬
late barrenness.

The teams arrived at camp between 6 o’clock and dark, very much exhausted by a march of
25.32 miles, in thirteen hours of incessant labor after a night of fasting. This desert, by the
line by which we have crossed it, is forty miles wide, but less than thirty miles of it particu¬
larly deserves the description given of it where it is 70 miles in width further to the north, and
the fine water in Granite mountain greatly relieves the hardship of crossing it by the southern
line. Altitude of camp, 4,659 feet.

May 14. — It rained heavily during last night, and showers continued to fall in the mount¬
ains throughout the day, during which Captain Morris and Mr. Egloffstein made a recon-
noissance of the mountains., and found them very practical for the passage of wagons. Camp
was not moved.

May 15. — A heavy fall of rain at camp during last night, covered the mountains well down
towards the desert with snow. Accompanied by Lieutenant Baker, Messrs. Egloffstein and
Snyder, and a few men, I ascended to the summit of the mountain, and proceeded northeast
along it, seeking for the best pass, and to determine with more certainty the practicability of
turning its northern base. It is covered with fine grass and a low growth of cedar. The
rocks were metamorphic, shale, and limestone. At 3 o’clock p. m. we descended to a fine
creek six feet in width, descending from high snow-peaks to the south, and running along the
western base of the first range of the Goshoot mountains, and breaking through it by a broad
passage into the desert, where it disappears. The accompanying profile of the country ex¬
plored crosses the desert from Granite mountain to the mouth of this creek, which it ascends
to our evening camp. But it is still to the north of this line that the railroad should be carried
by the line already indicated, and to which I should have immediately proceeded, had I not
been led to suppose, by the Senate map of 1848, that the material from which it was con¬
structed was in the possession of the government, and that the re-examination of the country

FISH CREEK VALLEY.

was therefore entirely unnecessary. But, as I have already stated, our observation of that
line was quite sufficient to determine its entire practicability and excellence as a railroad line.
We now turned south, following Fish Creek valley, which is from 250 to 300 yards wide where
we entered it, but soon opens to a much greater width, and sweeps off to the south and
southwest. Ten miles brought us to camp, the main body of the party having crossed
the mountains, under Captain Morris’ direction, by a superior wagon-road measuring 18.63
miles. The valley is here several miles wide, and the stream lined with grass, which is not
all, however, of a superior quality. Many of the small settlements of Utah are not so well
supplied with the requisites for successful cultivation as those found on this stream, on which
we found a band of twenty Shoshonee Indians encamped, besides women and children. They are
mounted, and contrast strikingly with their Goshoot neighbors (Diggers) in the plump condi¬
tion of their persons, although they complain of hunger ; and in clothing, blankets and buffalo-
robes being common among them. Our Indian guides left us here, as we were approaching the
western line of their territory, and we endeavored, unsuccessfully, to obtain one from the Sho-
shonees to accompany us — their perfect knowledge of the country being of great service in
designating the points at which water and grass can be found.

May 16. — Leaving camp, we took a nearly west course by the. shortest route we could discover,
leading to a favorable passage of the low mountains in that direction. The country was at first
gently rolling, but soon became more broken and hilly, and covered with an unusual growth of
cedar — artemisia covering the whole face of the country, and the soil light and dusty. The
rocks of the lower hills were an indurated clay, and a sandstone, easily crumbled ; but the
higher hills were metamorphic, surmounted by granite. I rode to the summit of several high
peaks to the north of our path, to obtain a better view of the country, and, if possible, to
discover more favorable passes in this range, but without success. We therefore descended
to the west to a valley but three or four miles in width — which extends northwest to the
proposed railroad line, as we subsequently ascertained, and southeast to the head of Fish Creek
valley, by which this mountain range can, therefore, be turned to the south, fifteen miles
above our morning camp — and crossed to a pass marked by a high peak, at the southern
base of which it ascends. The opening or gate to this pass, towards the valley, does not exceed
50 feet in width, the hills of metaphoric rocks being 200 feet high. The dry bed of the
pass furnishes a fine road. It rained almost constantly on the mountains during the day,
and a hail-storm and one or two showers swept over our path. We encamped a mile above
the foot of the pass, and an equal distance below a small spring of fresh water, to which we
did not proceed, as the fine grass of the mountain was saturated with rain, and we had provided
ourselves with a supply in the morning, not knowing that it could be found at camp. Just
before encamping, two or three Goshoots, who had declined to accompany us in the morning,
came up with us, and others arrived during the night.

May Vj. — We followed up the ravine, in which we had encamped, for three miles, to where
a more broad and open passage to the north extends into the valley we crossed just below that
camp, and, as we entered it, changed our course more to the south, and in three miles reached
the divide, from which I rode two miles to the west to the summit of a high ridge, from which
I obtained an extensive view of the valley to the west and of a large mountain-range beyond,
extending considerably to the north and south, upon which there were still large fields of snow,
and lying directly in the line I wished to explore. The intermediate valley was destitute of
grass, and the distance too great, with an unfavorable light, to allow me to see any evidences
of water on its western border. I returned, therefore, to the pass, and encamped a mile and a
half to the west of its summit, at a fine spring, which sends out a fine stream watering a small
field of grass, and again disappearing as suddenly as it rose. I made presents to the miserable,
emaciated Indians who visited our last and present camps, and they were made happy not alone
with cloths and knives, but pails-full of soup, on which I feed all who call on us. The morning
was pleasant, turning cool towards noon, with light showers of rain in the evening. Near
4 h

DIGGER INDIANS — LANGUAGE.

sundown; I again ascended the high western ridge to examine the country ahead with a
more favorable light, by which I discovered a narrow lake, to which I gave the name of Goshoot,
extending along the base of the succeeding- mountain -range for several miles, and indications,
by the vegetation, of fine springs at the foot of the same mountain.

May 18. — Last night was cold, freezing the surface of the ground to the depth of a quarter
of an inch. Altitude, 6,550 feet. Leaving camp at sunrise, we continued down the dry bed
of the creek for a short distance, hut leaving it as we entered the valley, in which our course
changed more to the north, for the purpose of passing around the north end of the succeeding
mountain. The road was dry and hard, and the artemisia, which covered the whole face of
the country, small. The water of Goshoot , lake is shallow and hitter, and its hanks miry.
Crossing below its foot, which sometimes overflows, and sends out a small stream to the north,
we encamped among numerous fine springs of fresh water, around which the fresh grass is
just springing up, and the willows are just beginning to show their leaves. The day has been
the finest we have enjoyed, and as yet (3 o’clock p. m.) we have seen no rain falling in the
mountains. Day’s march, 18.40 miles.

May 19. — We continued our northwest course this morning around the mountain, hut, to avoid
a long circuit in the plain, passed over the foot-hills of the range through a large growth of
the cedar of the country. The range itself is terminated by a high round butte just north of
the line of our trail. The valley of our last camp was seen to extend well to the north, and to
connect to the east by other plains with the valley above Fish creek, just below our camp of
the 16th, which would give an important line for a railroad from Great Salt lake, by a very
uniform grade, hut by a very circuitous route, were not the line by Pilot Peak, which was in
sight, and with which this valley also connects, more direct, with equally favorable grades.
To the north of the open passage, beyond the terminating butte above described, there is a
remarkable peak, very broad at its base and sloping gradually up to its summit, upon which
snow is still seen. This peak apparently terminates a short, isolated north and south range, of
which it is the conspicuous feature, and a conspicuous land-mark. To the west of this peak we
entered upon an extensive plain extending uninterruptedly so far to the north, that only the
highest peaks of very distant mountains' were visible above it. It also extends far to the south,
but is much more broken by mountains. Turning a little south, we encamped, still on the
mountain base, at fine springs, which send out small streams to the plain, watering small
meadows of grass before they disappear in the absorbing soil. Day’s march, 16.11 miles.
As we approached camp we discovered near the springs the smoke of a Digger wick-ey-up, or
lodge — that is, a smoke curling upwards from the sunny side of a cbdar bush. Its inmates, or
more properly occupants, were an old man and a young woman, the lowest beings in the
scale of humanity I have any desire to see. They were greatly frightened when they discovered
us, and the man escaped to the mountains; but the woman did not see us until too late to
escape ; and as she experienced no incivility, her companion afterwards returned, informing
us, as lie best could, that he fled taking us for Shoshonees. But he was still greatly in fear,
and trembled from head to foot, and, with his companion, returned to the hills as often as
curiosity or hunger induced them to come forth. They were filthy beyond description, and as
ugly in features as in dirt. They had no shelter, no blankets — nothing but a deer-skin or
two, a few ground-rats, a little grass-seed in grass baskets, food for themselves, and a variety
of artemisia-seed, which the squaw ground between stones for food for two of the most emaciated
and mean-looking dogs I ever saw. We. could not discover the use they put these animals
to in this condition, for they could barely stand, and the woman was constantly beating them
with clubs to keep them from lapping the stones upon which their food was ground; but
they were very anxious to obtain the fat dogs in our train for food. I made them presents
of knives and calico, which astonished them not less than our arrival, by which they were made
as happy as they were miserable an hour before. We fed them also, but they were, although
half-starved, afraid to eat until they saw us partake of the same dish, so little are they accus-

FRANKLIN VALLEY.

torned to kindness from strangers. Their dialect was a gibberish which none of us could in
the least understand, except when they introduced a word or two of some adjacent tribe. The
language of the Diggers, in general, is a corruption and intermingling of a few words from
those of each of the surrounding tribes, from whom, in part, they come themselves, it is said,
being the B6tany Bay fellows of all the Indian tribes in the great mountain world around them.
They live a family or two in a mountain, and know nothing beyond the rat-holes of their own
hills, being afraid even of their next range neighbors.

May 20. — I despatched my assistant, Mr. Eglolfstein, with a party this morning to the north¬
east, and to the east of the high peaks described yesterday, to make topographical sketches of
the route, and determine with accuracy the continuousness and practicability of the railroad
line by Pilot Peak, to which we were about to return, while with the main party I crossed the
plain west of our morning camp, and passing between low hills on the right, which are easily
passed around by the north by the line for the railroad, and a considerable mountain to the
left, entered the large valley, twenty miles in width in its broadest part, by sixty in length,
lying at the eastern base of Humboldt mountains. It connects directly with that seen to
extend so far to the north yesterday — indeed it is here the main part of that valley, which
could be followed by a railroad, passing by the north end of Great Salt lake, and crossing the
Humboldt mountains by this line. It is the most fertile valley known to exist in the centre ot
the Basin. Numerous streams descend into it from the elevated range of the Humboldt
mountains, all the crest of which for a thousand feet below its summit is still buried in snow.
To the largest of these streams I gave the name of Franklin river. It rises, by the union of
several small streams, in the pass by which it is proposed to cross the mountain with the rail¬
road, descends to the east to the base of the mountain, and thence flows south for many miles,
forming the most considerable lake in the valley, of which there are several, but none of great
extent. The lakes are surrounded, and all the streams are lined, with extensive meadows of
coarse, tall, luxuriant grass ; and the water, so far as we could ascertain, at least at this season
of the year, is fresh, but near the lakes has a strong taste of decaying vegetation. The richest
of the lands are, unfortunately, too low and wet for cultivation to their full extent; otherwise
it would furnish lands for a respectable settlement.

We passed directly along the shore of one of the numerous ponds soon after entering the
plain. It is shallow and its water colored by the clay of the soil, and not more than a mile in
length. The day was bright and clear, and we rode for several miles in a due west course
from this pond, although this course would bring us directly to the base of the mountains, where
there is no possibility of crossing them ; but the width of the plain is such — as we travel with¬
out any knowledge of the country in advance, not having been able to find a single person who
had any knowledge of it by the line I wished to follow — that it is necessary to be sure of finding
water and grass for our animals at night, which we could not fail to do at the foot of the snowy
range we were approaching, although it increased the distance to travel beyond what it would
otherwise have been. But in the middle of the plain we came upon Franklin river, the
channel of which is thirty feet wide at present, and it has everywhere overflowed its banks ; but
in mid-summer it is doubtless a small stream. Turning north, towards the pass in the mount¬
ains, we encamped after a march of 21.52 miles, on the banks of the river, which are destitute
of timber, but sage furnishes abundant fuel. _ I observed in the plain a curved line crossing
it in a general northeast and southwest direction, and elevated perhaps 20 feet above its
general level, evidently the shore of a lake which has existed here within a modern geological
period.

May 21. — To avoid ponds and miry places, we were obliged to change our course more
to the north, and in six miles crossed the wagon-road opened by Hudspeth and Hastings in
1846, in conducting a party of emigrants to California. It has been frequently followed since,
but cattle are seldom in a suitable condition to cross the desert from Great Salt lake to Pilot
Peak the same season that they leave Missouri. But it can be safely crossed by the line which

RAILROAD OF THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.

we followed ; but on arriving in this valley travellers should hear to the south, and intersect the
line one day’s journey to the north of the pass to. which it leads in the Humboldt mountains.
Packing parties can easily cross by the northern pass, however, to the valley of Humboldt river.
Antelope, sage-cocks, and ducks were quite numerous in the plain and on the ponds.

Mr. Egloffstein and party rejoined us at noon. His observations and topographical sketches
conclusively establish the practicability of the railroad line crossing from Cedar mountain to
the south of Pilot Peak, and thence to our present camp — and its consequent superiority to all
others in this vicinity. The general grades upon it will be readily determined by a reference
to the level of our camps of the twelfth and thirteenth of May, and those of yesterday and
to-day. The same references will also exhibit a singular feature in the formation of what is
called the Great Basin, analogous to that observed in approaching the Bocky mountains from
the east, where the gradual and uniformly increasing ascent from the Mississippi or Missouri
rivers forms an immense trunk of table-land upon which these mountains are elevated. The
altitudes referred to in the Desert are 4,666 and 4,659 feet, respectively, above the sea; and of
our last and present camps, on quite as extensive a plain, north and south, as the former, 6,004
and 6,061 feet above the sea. And upon this elevated plateau, as in the case of the Kocky
mountains, the most extensive and remarkable range of mountains we have seen in the Basin,
the Humboldt, is elevated, its altitude being at least nine or ten thousand feet above the sea ;
and from the western base, as will be seen hereafter, a corresponding subsidence of plains takes
place, extending quite to the foot of the Sierra Nevada, where we again return to nearly the
altitude of the Great Salt lake. Latitude of camp, 40° 41' 50".

May 22. — To avoid the miry banks of numerous small creeks in the plain, we continued our
course of yesterday until reaching the foot-hills of a mountain spur extending from the Humboldt
mountains, from just north of the pass we were approaching, several miles into the plain, where
it terminates, when we wound gently along its base, and crossed the main branch of Franklin
river, (which descends from a high peak to the north of the pass,) a few yards above the plain.
Though but twelve feet wide and three deep, we were obliged to bridge this stream on account
of the miry character of the soil when moist, even on the mountain- sides. From this creek,
descending slightly, we passed over spurs of hills descending from the pass, and in 2.05 miles
came upon a small rill descending from the lowest point in its summit, which was but 0.84
mile distant, 1.15 miles below which we encamped in a side ravine, finding it impracticable
to descend with our wagons, on account of the miry character of the soil and of a rocky ravine
commencing 1.33 miles below camp, to the valley of Humboldt river, which lies directly west of
this pass. Numerous small creeks descending from various parts of the pass unite, forming a
stream five feet in depth, at present, above the head of the ravine, through which it descends
with a rapid current to the valley below. Its banks in the ravine are lined with willows and
a small growth of cotton-wood, and large fallen rocks obstruct its easy passage, did not the soft
soil forbid it. The narrow part of the ravine is three miles in length, and its rocky sides
very abrupt ; and some parts, particularly near its head, rise vertically to the height of 40 and
60 feet. On the north side, immediately above these rocky walls, the mountain spurs are
rolling, or intersected by ravines, and rise rapidly to a much greater height than they attain
directly above the summit of the pass. They are easily ridden over, however, in any direction
near the stream. On the south side these hills are more abrupt, both towards the stream and the
east, and are more rocky and broken, the narrow ravines partaking slightly of the character of
canones. Below this the ravine opens and is easily accessible on horseback, although the
mountains are still high above it for three miles, whence they subside gradually into the
Humboldt valley on the south side of the stream ; but on the north side, are terminated quite
abruptly by a remarkable round bald butte, standing directly in front of the pass in looking
eastward from the Humboldt river. From the summit of this butte the country to the west is
seen to great advantage. The Humboldt valley is broad and open for 30 miles between its main
branches, which are seen descending from the north and south of this position ; beyond which

HUMBOLDT RIVER VALLEY.

the mountain chains, which rapidly succeed each, other, apparently rising from a common plain,
overlap, and it is impossible to trace the course of the river without reference to maps. A
few streams are seen descending towards it from the mountains in the immediate vicinity, but
few of them, however, reach it, their waters being absorbed by the light soil of its valley.
The whole landscape, except just above us, presents a sombre and even barren aspect, sage
being the prevailing plant.

The main mountain depression of this pass exceeds two miles in width to the east, but at the
head of the ravine, to the west, it does not exceed a half mile in its narrowest part, including
the ravine which is only 100 or 150 feet wide. Snow covers the high peaks above it, and a few
drifts extend in the ravines down to the level of its summit. The rocks are granite, quartz
in masses, blue limestone, and slate, altered by igneous action. In approaching the pass from
the east, advantage can be taken of the mountain spur which extends into the plain from it^
northern edge to the right of our path, to enter it and pass its summit by a longer and easier
grade even 'than that given in the accompanying profile, which indicates the natural grade by
which we ascended it ; and in descending to the west, its width and the character of the mount¬
ain sides are such that some advantage can be taken of them to effect the descent by a line fol¬
lowing the hills on the north side of the pass, but this advantage will be confined chiefly to that
portion below the rocky ravine.

The ascending grades from our morning camp, as indicated by our barometers, are, for 7.65
miles, to the crossing of Franklin river, 58.10 feet per mile, and thence to the summit of the
pass, 2.89 miles, 25.10 feet per mile, the altitude of the summit being 6,579 feet above the sea;
and the descending grade to the west, for the first 0.80 of a mile, 78.30 to the mile; and thence
to the base of the bald butte, 8.36 miles, 96.70 feet to the mile. Below this point we enter
the valley of the Humboldt river between its north and south forks, their junction being, by the
course of the creek descending from this pass and the north branch of the river, thirty-five
miles distant, with an average descent of 28.50 feet per mile.*

The valley of the Humboldt river having been explored by Colonel Fremont, and so favorably
represented for the line of a railroad, no further examination of it was deemed necessary; and
being obliged to proceed sixty miles south to cross the Humboldt mountains with our wagons, I
determined to proceed west from that pass across the Basin by a route not before explored,
returning to the valley of the Humboldt near the point at which it is proposed for the railroad
to leave it in its western course. The 23d of May having been spent in examining the pass
described, we resumed our journey on the following morning.

* The Humboldt river “ rises in two streams in mountains west of the Great Salt lake, which unite, after some fifty miles,
and bears westwardly along the northern side of the basin. * * * The mountains in which it rises are round and handsome
in their outline, capped with snow the greater part of the year, well clothed with grass and wood, and abundant in water. The
stream is a narrow line, without affluents, losing by absorption and evaporation as it goes, and terminating in a marshy lake,
with low shores, fringed with bulrushes, and whitened with saline incrustations. It has a moderate current, is from two to
six feet deep in the dry season, and probably not fordable anywhere below the junction of the forks during the time of melting
snows, when both lake and river are considerably enlarged. The country through which it passes (except its immediate valley)
is a dry sandy plain, without grass, wood, or arable soil; from about 4,700 feet (at the forks) to 4,200 feet (at the lake) above
the level of the sea, winding among broken ranges of mountains, and varying from a few miles to twenty in width. Its own
immediate valley is a rich alluvion, beautifully covered with blue-grass, herd-grass, clover, and other nutritious grasses, and
its course is marked through the plain by a line of willow, * ® * serving for fuel.

“ This river possesses qualities which, in the progress of events, may give it both value and fame. It lies on the line of travel
to California and Oregon, and is the best route now known through the Great Basin, and the one travelled by emigrants. Its
direction, mostly east and west, is the right course for that travel. It furnishes a level, unobstructed way for nearly three
hundred miles, and a continuous supply of the indispensable articles of wood, water, and grass.” — Geographical Memoir
addressed to the Senate of the United States in 1848, by Colonel Fremont — June, 1848.

CHAPTER III.

From the valley of Franklin river , east base of the Humboldt mountains , to the crossing
of the Humboldt river — May 24 to June 9, 1854.

Journey along the eastern base of the Humboldt mountains. — Forty hot springs. — Mountain chiefly granite. — Eclipse of the
sun. — Lakes. — Shore-lines. — Digger Indians. — Fevers. — Numerous Springs. — Outlet of subterranean river. — Passage of the
Humboldt mountains to the southern branch of the Humboldt river. — Interior or secondary basin. Digger methods of catching
gophers and marmots. — Indian singing, lodges, and wardrobes. — Quartz mountain. — Agate Pass. — Rheumatic fevers — Snow¬
storm. — Difficult mountain passage. — Lake and miry plain. — Edible roots. — Return to proposed railroad line. — Description
of the valley of the Humboldt. — Character of the vegetation of a large portion of the country between the Rocky mountains
and the Sierra Nevada. — Humboldt river. — Bad character of its water and grass. — Cause of the loss of stock; how avoided.

May 24. — We travelled south, along the eastern base of the Humboldt mountains, crossing
numerous small creeks, and at our camp a mountain torrent, which we were obliged to bridge,
although it did not exceed twelve feet in width by two in depth, hut it poured by with great fury ;
yet we were hut a few hundred feet above the plain, which we were obliged to avoid on account of
the miry hanks of its numerous creeks. The base of the mountain is finely covered with grass,
hut we occasionally passed fields of sage and thorny hushes, the latter covered with myriads
of nesting caterpillars. Before leaving camp this morning, a few miserable Indians came in,
hut they were very wild and timid ; and we met a naked, stalwart fellow during the day, whom
I adorned with rings.

In the plain at the foot of the hills near our camp this evening there are some forty hot
springs. Their orifices are in granite — the water boiling up as from a well into funnel-shaped
basins, and a small pond is formed by their united waters, with vertical granite walls even
with the surface of the plain. There is a slight odor of sulphuretted hydrogen about them,
hut the water, when cooled, tastes pure and fresh, and is limpid. They are more or less inter¬
mittent in their action, and the temperatures of the different springs vary from 120° to 170°,
and the total amount of water which they discharge is small. The mountain above us and
along our path to-day is almost entirely granitic — sometimes very fine, at others feldspathic
and crumbling, or micaceous and disintegrating. The morning was very beautiful and
pleasantly cool, and mid-day warm ; hut we were thoroughly drenched by rain before encamping.
Day’s march, 19.17 miles.

May 25. — It commenced raining soon after daylight this morning, and continued until night,
making the soil very soft for travelling, and swelling every rivulet to a mountain torrent ; so
that, although we started at the usual hour, and did not encamp until late, we made hut 7.99
miles ; and, although we built several bridges in this short distance, several of the gentlemen
Avere thrown into the swollen streams, their riding-animals being thrown down by the force of
the water ; hut this bathing was of little consequence, as we were all thoroughly drenched from
early morning until sundown. We remained in camp on the 26th, for the purpose of observing
the eclipse of the sun, for longitude, for which we were very anxious, all our previous efforts
having proved so abortive. But the morning was unfortunately very cloudy, and we failed in
seeing its commencement, and were no more fortunate at its termination, the sun only occasion¬
ally breaking through the clouds during the day, and being too much clouded for the exact
observation of its termination. The day was considerably darkened and chilled by the obscura¬
tion. Our camp is magnetic west from the point where we entered this valley, near a small
lake, six days since.

NUMEROUS SPRINGS.

May 27. — We continued along the base of the mountains, crossing several small streams, and
emcamping, after a march of 13.93 miles, at the mouth of a narrow ravine hy which an Indian
trail passes over the mountains. I ascended it quite to the summit, overlooking again the
valley of the Humboldt river, towards which several small streams were seen flowing from
mountains west of that on which I stood. On the peaks of two or three of these mountains,
only, could I see snow, and on these in hut small quantities. The country, except by the
course of the Humboldt river, looked very broken and difficult to cross. This pass is only fit for
a mule-path, as the ascent hy the most advantageous line is 1,200 feet in the first three miles.

The lake spoken of before, several miles in extent at high water, we passed to the east to-day.
It is lined with grassy marshes on the west, and apparently hy sage-plains on the east, and is
very shallow, the shoals appearing here and there above its surface. From my position on
the summit of the mountain I could see a high shore-line across its southern end, dry and easily
crossed ; hut it is immediately succeeded to the south hy ponds and marshes of considerable
extent. Several Indians — Diggers — whom we met, collected a score of their friends, and
accompanied us to camp. They are better clothed (in .skins) and less afraid of us than those
we have before seen. They are accompanied hy hut one squaw, who has a child a year old, of
which she is very fond, and its father plays with it in its new finery — a sight I have never
before seen among wild Indians. An equally strange sight was that of the only horse possessed
hy the party, packed with their effects, surmounted hy the child, while the father walked and
the mother carried no burden. Several of our men are quite ill with fevers.

May 28. — I engaged an Indian to accompany me to-day in order to gain from him such
information of the country as he possessed ; hut he soon deserted and returned, with two com¬
panions who accompanied him, to his people. From the base of the Humboldt mountains a very
large number of fine springs hurst out and flow into the ponds and marshes to the left of our
trail : all the water indeed — and it is a large amount — with the exception of one or two small
creeks of this portion of these mountains, hursts in springs from their base. In a single mile I
counted fifteen, any one of which would have been a remarkable spring in another, locality ; but
one of them was, even here, remarkable, both in volume and beauty. It bursts from the base
of a vertical rock of blue limestone, nearly 50 feet in height, in the face of the mountain, in a
single stream like the escape of a subterranean river, and pours down in a foaming white sheet
over detached rocks for 40 or 50 yards ; and thence continues on in a rapid limpid stream, 15
feet in width, and one in depth. The streams from several of the other springs were nearly
as large, but none compared *with this in beauty. The numerous ponds and marshes formed by
them seem to have no outlets ; at least we could discover no stream flowing from this valley,
which receives a very large amount of water, all of which must be carried away by evaporation.

Twenty miles from our morning camp we turned west, and began the ascent of a pass which an
Indian described to us hy placing his open hands side by side, and gently separating and ele¬
vating them, indicating a broad open depression in the hill or ridge rising to high summits on
either side. Its width is six or eight miles, and it is a very superior natural wagon-road, for
which it has been used considerably in the early days of emigration to California, the Hastings
road passing over it. It is 5.18 miles from the eastern plain to its summit, which is covered by
a fine growth of cedar, and an equally fine growth of grass. The descent is also broad, and ten
miles in length to the western base of Humboldt mountains to where the southern branch of
Humboldt river flows past, which is followed by Hastings’ road to the junction of the north fork.
We encamped, after a march of 35.11 miles, at a late hour, our dinner not being served until
10 o’clock at night. The valley of this creek is uninterrupted to the eyei from Humboldt river
far to the south.

May 29. — We travelled four miles over a field of rank sage, and entered a dry, grassy ravine
from fifty to one hundred and fifty yards wide, leading to the succeeding summit, 6.83 miles
from our morning camp, whence we descended by the same canon ravine to the succeeding plain,
some fifteen miles in extent, enclosed by mountains to the east, south, and west, and by consid-

DIGGER INDIANS.

erable hills to the north, and is therefore a “basin,” in the centre of which, at times, if not
permanently, there is a respectable-sized lake. We crossed the northern end of this plain,
where it is covered with rank sage from three to five feet high, and proportionahly large, our
course being directed to the most favorable western depression in the succeeding range, which
we ascended slightly, and encamped, after a march of but 16.02 miles, in fine fields of grass
upon the banks of a small rivulet.

Last night was quite cold, snow falling on the mountains, and a few flakes in the valleys,
and ice forming on the water ; and at sunrise, the thermometer stood at 26°. The party were
wrapped in their overcoats during the whole day, and fires are pleasant this evening. But,
notwithstanding this indication of tbe climate, the blades of grass are eighteen inches long.

May 30. — We passed the low summit at the depression near which we had encamped, finding
a small creek flowing west, which we followed towards the next valley until the hills confined
it within too narrow limits to admit of our passing in its ravine; at the same time, the
mountain rose high and abrupt to the west, covered with a thick growth of cedar, interspersed
with a few small pines, through which we were obliged to cut a road to its summit. The western
descent, for a thousand feet, was very steep, and intersected by vertical ledges of metamorphic
rocks, broken and fallen at intervals, enabling us to descend with our wagons, when we again
returned to the creek, on which we encamped at the termination of the mountains, surrounded
by an immense growth of sage interspersed with grass. Day’s march, 10.44 miles. The night
was cold, ice forming in our tents.

May 31. — We entered a large valley, extending north to Humboldt river and far to the south,
and covered with sage, except in a few spots white with incrustations of salt. The chain of
mountains to the west is not so elevated as those passed heretofore ; but a high, snowy peak,
and the sharp crest of a considerable range, are seen far to the south, dividing the valley. Sev¬
eral small creeks were crossed flowing into one main one, which descends towards the valley
of the Humboldt. Beaching the western mountains, we came to a small stream of excellent
water descending from the pass we were approaching, and ascended two miles, when we en¬
camped, having travelled 21.94 miles. We saw but little grass during the day, but it is abund¬
ant among the sage on the hills about our camp.

A single Indian visited us this morning, and two or three were seen during the day
industriously employed in catching small ground-squirrels or gophers, upon which they sub¬
sist to so large an extent. They are very numerous, and in fine condition at this season of
the year. The Indians shoot them with blunt arrows, catch them in ingeniously contrived
“figure-four traps” set at the mouth of their burrows, and dig them out of the earth with
their hands ; and it is not unusual to see them carrying forty or fifty, the reward of a single
day’s hunt. Forty Indians (Diggers) were gathered at our camp at sundown this evening — all
males, and generally unarmed. I ordered camp-kettles of soup for their supper, and made
them presents of a- few knives and other articles, which put them in such good humor with
themselves and our party that they spent the entire night at the fire assigned them, under the
eye of the guard, singing and rejoicing, and annoying us by their grunts and nasal sounds, of
which all Indian singing is made up — sounds anything but agreeable to civilized ears. At day¬
light their number was increased to fifty ; and as I arose, the arrival of a chief was announced
by the oldest acquaintance we had in the band, and he was soon paraded before me to receive
the lion’s share of the bounty in which he had not participated the previous evening. I cov¬
ered him and his son, a small boy, who stood by his father’s side, in scarlet, greatly to their
delight. The claims of those who had arrived during the night were next urged; but I had no
time to attend to their wants, and informed them that they would receive no more — “Kay-wit,”
in their miserable language — when their importunities ceased. Their wigwams — wick-ey-ups,
as they call them — are superior to those we have recently seen. They are bee-hive shaped,
four feet high, and partially covered with grass. The opening of every one that I have seen in
the Basin is towards the northeast, an indication of the prevalent direction of the storms.

FEATURES OF WESTERN SLOPES OF MOUNTAINS.

June 1. — Two miles and a half, by an easy ascent for wagons, "brought us to the proper
summit of this pass, to conduct us to which, one of the Indians constituted himself guide, run¬
ning before my horse and pointing out every stone and hush that he was to avoid, while several
others were occupied in catching rats along our path ; but the main body preceded us a short
distance, and appeared in great haste, which excited my curiosity, and I rode forward to dis¬
cover the cause of it, from which it appeared that, as a matter of policy, or a precaution to pre¬
vent being despoiled by robbery of their wardrobes, in visiting us the previous evening, they
had, each for himself, made a cache of his effects under separate hushes, and for the same
reasons they were now hastening to remove them from where we were about to pass. It was
indeed a novel and ludicrous sight of wretchedness to see them approach their bush and
attempt, slily, (for they still tried to conceal from me what they were about,) to repossess
themselves of their treasures, one bringing out a piece of an old buckskin, a couple of feet
square, smoked, greasy, and torn ; another a half dozen rabbit-skins in an equally filthy con¬
dition, sewed together, which he would swing over his shoulders by a string — his only blanket
or clothing ; while a third brought out a blue string, which he girded about him and walked
away in full dress — one of the lords of the soil. With these simple wardrobes they were all
soon reclothed, and we arrived at the same time at their lodges, deserted by their women,
and upon the top of the pass — that is, to where a respectable stream rose and flowed to the
west. But owing to the formation peculiar to so many of the mountains in the Basin, and upon
our continent generally, we had but just commenced the ascent necessary to its passage in its
natural state. For, though the streams continue to flow to the succeeding valleys, which are
open and easily descended, frequently for miles, the mountains still continue to rise to the
west, and the valleys are again closed up by their close proximity, and the streams break
through the last and highest ridges in deep, narrow, rocky ravines and canones, which termi¬
nate abruptly to the west. This was the case in this instance, and we were obliged to ascend
a thousand feet, higher before commencing the descent, and were then obliged to encamp, and
put all our well men — for we had several sick with rheumatic fevers — to work to level down a
roadway on the side of the ravine we were descending. From the top of the valley the view was
extensive. To the west a small valley, containing small ponds of water, sweeps off to Hum¬
boldt river, and is succeeded by numerous mountain ranges of limited extent, and by two
large ranges upon which there are still large banks of snow. This mountain is characterized
by large masses of beautifully colored quartz, and we therefore gave it the name of Quartz
mountain, although it is chiefly composed of dark metamorpliic rocks. To the pass, Dr. Shiel,
geologist, gave the name of Agate, that stone being profusely scattered about in large blocks.
Day’s march, 6.83 miles.

June 2. — Owing to sickness among the men, with new cases of rheumatic fever daily occur¬
ring, it was necessary to remain in camp to-day, during a heavy fall of snow, from 6 a. m. until
noon, when we proceeded to the foot of the pass, 2.65 miles, and encamped ; but during this short
march we were thoroughly wet by a shower of rain, and a second swept over us after we had
encamped. This pass, though easily ridden up, would be in some parts very difficult to ascend
with wagons. The valley in which we encamped does not exceed nine miles in width where we
entered it, but a little to the north the mountains trend to the east and west, and it becomes
broader, but again becomes narrow before joining the main Humboldt valley. Several small
streams descend into it, forming the grassy ponds already described. Two or three varieties
of artemisia constitute its chief vegetation. Its soil is very light and friable ; the track of a
single Indian crossing it being plain and distinct.

June 3. — A cool and pleasant morning. Crossing the valley of our morning camp, we ascended
a range of low hills of altered rocks, which could be easily passed around to the south, and
then crossed another small valley, from which a creek flows into the one first crossed, and
passed over a second range of hills, as easily turned, and encamped on a creek which descends
to a small pond two miles distant. Scattered over the hills there are a few bunches of wheat-

COUNTRY SOUTH OF HUMBOLDT RIYER.

grass, and on the stream a narrow margin of the broad-hladed grass of the country, and sage
supplies us with fuel. We see daily a few varieties of wild flowers scattered along our path.
The rocks in the vicinity of our present camp are a coarse, crumbling granite.

June 4. — It was again impossible to cross the mountain, (at the foot of which we had
encamped,) by the lowest depression in it, on account of a narrow ravine with steep sides and
rocky projections at short intervals, and large stones in the bed of the creek which trickles down
it. We therefore turned north, following for some distance the ravine of a large stream coming
from high peaks in that direction ; hut it became narrow and miry, obliging us to leave it
and wind round from hill to hill until we reached the summit of the mountain, which was itself
very springy and miry, and we passed a small pond on its narrow summit. There are no
trees upon it, hut a few scattered cedar-hushes and a luxuriant growth of hunch-grass. From
the high peaks near the pass the valley of the Humboldt was seen, 25 or 30 miles distant, to
which the valley to the west extends. The descent was more steep, springy, and miry, than
the ascent, and filled with out-cropping strata of altered rocks, in the passage of which two or
three of our wagons were broken. By the wagon path it was 8.44 miles from our morning
camp to the top of this pass, with a difference of level of 2,019 feet, the altitude of the
summit being 7,315 feet. We encamped near the succeeding valley, 3.04 miles from the
summit, and 1,667 feet below it.

June 5.* — In the valley which we crossed this morning there were numerous ranges of hills,
and twelve miles to the west a low, bluff mountain, around the north end of which we passed,
coming upon a small lake of brackish water surrounded by miry, desert plains, in all respects
like those immediately west of Grreat Salt lake. Crossing the foot of these miry plains, from
which the sun was reflected with great power, we encamped at the mouth of a ravine in the
succeeding mountain, from which a fine stream of cold water descends. In the first valley
crossed, no vegetation was seen except artemisia, and the soil was alternately light and dusty,
and smooth hard clay. The mountain at camp is formed of altered rocks and of a hard, blue
limestone. Day’s march, 30.10 miles.

June 6. — We passed around the north end of the mountain of our last camp, through a
broad depression two or three miles in width, in which there were fine springs of water and a
respectable growth of cedar. The ascent of our road was inconsiderable. On the north of the
passage stands a small mountain, which sends out a high spur to the southwest, which I
ascended, and from Avhich the view was extensive. Mountains succeed mountains rapidly,
and the valleys become small and irregular., The one which we were entering sends out a
small stream to Humboldt valley, and is hounded by a high, snowy range to the northwest,
which gradually subsides towards the south, where it trends to the eastward and unites with
the one we were passing — the rocky strata of which dip from each side towards its centre.
We encamped in fine fields of grass, with sage for fuel, at the foot of the mountain which
trends eastward. Two or three Indians were seen during the day, which was fine with a
pleasant breeze, with thunder-showers in the mountains. Day’s march, 14.12 miles.

June 7. — Guided by the Digger Indians, who call themselves Pah-Utahs, however, we passed
easily over the mountain at our last camp through luxuriant fields of grass and sage. The
ascent from camp was narrow only for a hundred yards, the hills sloping easily upwards ;
and in the mountain there was a broad depression, followed by a descending plain 75 yards in
width, at the foot of which there are fine springs of water which we passed as we entered the
succeeding valley, which is ten miles broad, and extends to the north to Humboldt river,
hut is shut in to the south by mountains. The soil of the valley is friable and dry, Supporting
only a small variety of artemisia. Leaving the valley, we encamped well up a ravine in the
succeeding mountain. This pass is grassy, well watered, and easy to ascend to the summit.
There are a few small cedar-hushes only in the mountain, hut sage covers all the hills.
Indians were digging roots about us, which were of the size of ground-nuts, with a pleasant
taste. A few presents made them happy. Distance, 20.57 miles.

HUMBOLDT RIVER AND VALLEY.

June 8. — Leaving camp at 6 o’clock this morning, we passed the summit of the mountain,
and descended the opposite slope on the hanks of a fine creek which flows into a desert plain in
the southern part of the succeeding valley. This valley is ten miles wide where we entered it,
and extends to the south and west entirely around the next western mountain-range, which is
elevated and quite snowy towards the north, where it is terminated hy a high peak marking
the southern border of Humboldt valley. The soil is light and covered with artemisia. In
entering it we changed our course considerably northward, and passed over a low spur of the
western mountain, where it descends to the valley of the Humboldt river. In entering this
plain, we returned to the proposed line for the railroad. The valley of the Humboldt, as seen
here, is from eighteen to twenty miles wide, its soil very light and friable, with extensive dis¬
tricts of sand, more or less covered with the several varieties of artemisia, which occupy so
large a proportion — at least nine-tenths of the plains — of our territory between the Rocky and
Sierra Nevada mountains, and characterize its vegetation. To the south of the river, and for a
short distance to the north, the mountains are generally similar to those we have so recently
crossed, which run out as they approach the valley. Many of them do not exceed twenty or
thirty miles in length, and are easily passed around upon the general level of the plain. They
are generally very narrow, and, in their elevation, seem nowhere to have disturbed the strata
of the plain above which they rise ; or, more properly, the earth of the plains — for they are
without rocks — seems to have been deposited since their elevation.

Four miles from the mountain we reached the river, and encamped. The river-bottom is a
mile wide, the stream, just level with its hanks, winding, from side to side, to where the
second hanks or bluffs, twenty feet high, rise to the level of the main plain of the valley.
Willows line the stream in many parts, hut trees are nowhere seen on the Humboldt. Its
water, even at this season, is not superior, and becomes less so as you descend it, and as it
subsides after the spring rise. It is now 40 yards wide when all collected in one channel, and
eight feet deep, flowing with a moderate current. There are no fish in this part of it larger
than minnows. The width and character of the valley as here given extends as far as we
can see, many miles above and below, and is precisely like the portion we entered at the foot
of the Humboldt mountains, and such is its general character. It is infested with mosquitoes
and sand-flies. The day has been very pleasant. March, 30.26 miles. The altitude of camp
above the sea, 4,141 feet.

June 9. — We moved camp hut 6.80 miles down the river to a point selected for crossing it,
where it . has no bottom-land upon it. These low lands being very much overflowed at this
season, and miry, are entirely impassable for horses or cattle ; and many arriving here in a
weak condition, are annually lost hy emigrants from becoming mired. But one of the chief
causes of the loss of cattle hy emigrants upon this stream, is allowing them to eat the grass
in the river-bottom, which is extremely unwholesome. The more experienced stock-drovers
to California, send their cattle hack from the river to feed on the nutritious grass of the hills ;
hut, as these are frequently distant from the road and from water, it is only hy experience that
men learn its importance.

CHAPTER IT.

From the crossing of Humboldt river , via the Madelin Pass , to the junction of Fall river
with the Sacramento , and bach to the shore of Honey lake , eastern base of the Sierra
Nevada — June 10 to July 4, 1854.

Crossing Humboldt river. — Droves of cattle and sheep.— Lassen’s meadows, and termination of the western course of the Hum¬
boldt river. — Country and passages to the west. — Willows and water. — Mud lakes. — Noble’s road. — Railroad grades. — Mud
lakes, or plains and deserts ; their passage. — Fremont’s trail of 1844.' — Similarity in geological character of some of the
mountain spurs and plains. — Examination of the Sierra Nevada; their broad, massive, and terrace character. — Marshes, ponds,
and stony surface. — Indians. — Madelin Pass examined. — View of Mount Shasta. — Grades and altitude of pass. — Country
southeast of the broad plains of Madelin Pass. — Light, miry, and stony soil. — Indians. — Basin character of the broad plains of
the summit of the Sierra. — Game, — Error in location of Feather river on the best authenticated maps. — Forests. — Descent
to Round valley; waters of the Sacramento. — Practicability of this descent for a railway — Indians, (Pah Utahs?). — Grave. —
Emigrant road (Lassen’s) and Oregon road. — Source of the Sacramento; its first canon. — Grades. — Pitt river; Pah Utah or
Digger Indian women digging roots. — Making arrow-heads. — Indian pantomime — Impracticability of descending the Sacramento
with wagons ; its examination to the mouth of Fall river. — Impassable volcanic rocky fields. — Character of the river banks. —
Timber. — Grades. — Reference to itinerary, from July 15 to 21, for a description of the Sacramento below Fall river. — Re¬
crossing the Sierra Nevada. — View of peaks of the coast range. — Graves of emigrants. — Pine creek. — Noble’s Pass road —
Summit creek. — Susan river. — Eagle lake. — Roop’s farm in Honey Lake valley.

June 10. — We crossed the river by a small wagon-boat brought with us for the purpose,
and descended the stream 3.51 miles to camp. Fine droves of cattle, which had been wintered
near Great Salt lake, passed to-day on their way to California, and one or two large flocks of
sheep are hut a few miles behind them. Latitude of camp, 40° 42' 03".

June 11. — Our last camp was in a large bottom of coarse grass — the last found on this river
above its sink — known to emigrants as Lassen’s Meadows, in which the river terminates its
general western course, and turns south for 40 miles, where it reaches the marshy lake in which
it disappears. Immediately north of the meadows there is a detached mountain range,
a few miles in length, behind which there is said to he a favorable passage to the west,
leaving the river, of course, a few miles above where we returned to it, but in sight. The
same passage is entered by the west end of the mountain by a northwest course from yesterday’s
camp. It is by this line that Noble’s route to California, followed to some extent by emigrants,
leads to Mud lake, and it is believed to be the most favorable route for reaching that lake from
the river ; but its eastern portion did not appear so favorable to us as one further to the south,
which we followed after ascending the highest mountain in the vicinity, and examining the
connections of the respective passes westward. By the one we followed we descended the
course of the river for 9.64 miles, and then bore off to the southwest over the foot-hills of a
mountain just west of this part of the river. Still further to the south, the country becomes
more open, and no obstacle could be seen to approaching Pyramid lake on the general level
of the Basin ; but this would have taken us too far to the south for our present purposes, if it
could be avoided, and we therefore followed what appeared the best route. The soil of the
valley and foot-hills was of ash-heap friability; but as we ascended the broad, open mountain
depression it became firm, being formed from the disintegrations of granite rocks. The ascend¬
ing grades to the summit of this pass are, for the first 9.64 miles from our morning camp,
16.20 feet per mile; but, from the formation of the hills, the distance can be increased to
diminish the succeeding grades, which average 23.20 feet per mile for 7.86 miles; 64.30 feet per

APPROACH TO THE MUD LAKES. 37

mile for 6.93 miles ; and 97 feet per mile thence to the summit, 5.50 miles distant. The
width of this depression, in its narrowest part, exceeds one and a half miles.

We were obliged to leave it, however, to find water and grass, encamping on a granite peak
to the south, and several hundred feet above it, where the grass was abundant, and a small
spring furnished a sufficient supply of water.

June 12. — The pass to the west is equally as broad and open as to the east, with a descend¬
ing grade of 87.20 feet per mile for 10.55 miles, and of 30.50 feet to the mile for the next
4.68 miles ; and thence to the succeeding valley, 1.85 miles, 73.50 feet per mile. This valley
extends far to the south, and doubtless to the east to Humboldt river, passing to the south of
this mountain, and west to Pyramid lake. It extends, however, only 12 or 15 miles to the
west, opposite the point where we entered it. The western portion of it is entirely barren, and
in the spring is doubtless covered with water. To the north the plain of the valley ascends
considerably, and becomes narrow, not exceeding two miles in the narrowest portion. It was
late in the afternoon when we entered it, and we could nowhere see any indications of water.
We therefore turned northward, and were gradually approaching the west side of the valley
when we discovered a hunch of willow-hushes on its east side — an unfailing sign of water in
this country — where we found a small spring, and scattered grass in the plain two miles below.
The plain was level for 2.55 miles by the path we followed, and ascended 21 feet per mile for 8
miles to where we left it to encamp. The mountains about us are not elevated enough to retain
snow at this season, and are very dry and destitute of timber. The rocks in the higher parts
are coarse granite, hut lower down are shale, and hard dark-red trachytic strata. The day has
been cool, with a high southwest wind and slight showers. Day’s march, 28.75 miles.

June 13. — From our morning camp our path lay west to a depression, two or three miles
wide, in the succeeding ridge, from which we descended northward over the base of hills
extending towards the western valley, directing our course to an open passage in the next
western range, at the foot of Mud lake, or rather through which that lake extends, to the foot
of the Sierra Nevada. Finding, however, that we should not he able to reach it before night,
it was necessary to leave the barren sage plain, and ascend the mountain to the west, to find
a camp. But although the grass was abundant, we were unable to find water. Several slight
showers during the day, however, prevented great thirst, and one at evening moistened the
grass for our animals. The most eastern of the miry plains, called Mud lakes, lies 11.75 miles
directly north of the camp. Its southern border is followed by Noble’s road, which follows
one of the most favorable lines by which the passes we are approaching in the Sierra Nevada
can be reached from the east, and in the event of future surveys being conducted in this part of
the basin, it is worthy of examination. In crossing the valley which extends to this lake, in
approaching camp, we passed over a high mass of rolling hills, which should have been avoided
by extending our course to the west, in the earlier part of the day ; or in leaving the preceding
pass, we should have maintained our level by travelling on the east side of the valley, and
thus have avoided the descent and rise indicated by the profile, for though the grades are not
heavy, they are to some extent unnecessary. As before stated, the depression crossed in
the ridge this morning is broad, and can be ascended by a line at least twice as long as the
direct one followed by us, which would make it entirely a practicable grade in its unimproved
condition for a railroad. From the centre of the valley east of that pass, we ascended 69.80
feet to the mile; and thence to the summit, 1.37 miles, the ascent was 207 feet to the mile. For
2.55 miles west of the summit, the descent was 40.30 feet per mile ; and the average ascent
for the next 7.04 miles, 44.40 feet per mile ; while the change of level indicated by the barome¬
ters in the succeeding 2.54 miles was but 43 feet. Day’s march, 24.12 miles.

June 14. — We crossed the mountain on which we had encamped, immediately to the west,
and descended to a branch of Mud lake. The soil of these plains is very light, and our animals
sink quite as deep in many of the parts, dry upon the surface, as in the wet and miry por¬
tions. The name of lake is liable to mislead you in regard to the character of these mud-

PASSES OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.

flats. It is true, there is a small sheet of water upon the surface of a small portion of the
most eastern of them, and upon the most southwestern also; hut their general character
is precisely that of the Desert west of Great Salt lake — a plain of mud, more or less miry
at intervals, destitute of vegetation, with a surface, especially wh§n recently moistened by
rain, presenting at a little distance a perfect resemblance to a sheet of water. It is here
and there incrusted with salt, hut not to the extent of the desert referred to. The first
branch of these plains which we crossed was 6.90 miles in width. At this point we crossed
Fremont’s trail of 1844, leading from the Boiling springs to Pyramid lake. We then travelled
along the north end of one of the ranges or spurs of mountains terminating in these plains.
I experienced great difficulty in ascending it a few hundred feet on horseback, its composition
being in many parts precisely that of the plain, into which, of course, it is washed by every
shower. Granite is, however, found in the same mountain, and vegetation in some parts, hut
there is none upon the friable surface. It was late in the day when we arrived on the eastern
border of the second branch of the plain, and it was very doubtful whether we could cross it.
There was no alternative but to try it, however, and sleep in the mud if we failed ; for, although
on a lake, we were without water, nor could any sign of it he discovered, nor of grass. Taking
a few men with me, therefore, I at once set off, leaving the party to follow with Captain Morris,
if I should not turn back in a short time. But although the road was heavy, we experienced
no difficulty in crossing this branch of the lake for ten miles to the foot of the Sierra Nevada.
The sun was bright, although the day was very smoky, and the reflection severe upon our faces
and eyes. When in the centre of the plain, we were gratified by the sight of hushes and of
green vegetation in the mountain we were approaching, indicating the position of springs and
of small streams ; hut the streams did not reach the lake, and we experienced much difficulty
in ascending to them, as they were upon a terrace, in front of which the ascent was very steep,
and so covered with blocks of trachytic rocks, that it was only after great exertion that our
animals were driven over them to water and grass. We were here upon the Noble road, which
follows the north shore of the lake by the Boiling springs. In descending to Mud lake north,
from the valley east of our morning camp, the grade is 76.60 feet per mile for 11.75 miles,
and thence to our present camp, or indeed to any point upon the borders of these plains, the
change of level is merely nominal. Day’s march, 25.27 miles ; altitude above the sea, 4,118
feet.

June 15. — I remained in camp to-day to refresh our animals and give the party rest, its
severe labors from sunrise until sunset every day, and frequently until midnight, with the
men on guard every third or fourth night, requiring relaxation.

June 16. — In order to discover a practicable railroad pass, if possible, in the Sierra Nevada —
this portion of which had never been explored — I determined to examine every opening and
depression which could he seen to the east, commencing with the northern, and proceeding
towards the south — determining not only the merits of each, hut establishing their comparative
value. The first of these openings we reached by turning gradually westward three miles south
of our last camp, and crossing a branch of Mud Lake valley, 8.85 miles to its foot. I there
entered a level, narrow ravine, varying from 50 to 200 yards in width, and more or less winding
for six miles. Its walls are precipitous, and at a few points vertical. Large rocks lay scattered
about its bed, preventing its use by wagons, and ours were sent further to the north over the
hills, hut descended to the creek to encamp, having marched hut 15.20 miles ; our ascent by
the course of the stream being hut about 200 feet above Mud lake. The mountains here are
thoroughly trachytic, and many of the rocks partake of a volcanic character — black, red, and
white in color, and porous in their formation.

June 17. — Fallen rocks, thick willows, and a miry soil prevented us from following the
ravine, the sides of which were also difficult to follow, being constantly broken by side ravines,
as deep and nearly as large as the main branch — the rocky sides of which vary from 50 to 200
feet in height, and are too steep to he ascended on horseback. But as its course was sufficiently

MADELIN PASS.

direct and its ascent gradual, it was necessary to examine it still further ; but it began to rain
at an early hour of the day, and we encamped, having advanced but 3.78 miles.

June 18. — From our last camp we left the ravine with the train, and, by a rapid ascent and
winding course on its southern side, in two miles reached one of the broad terraces which
characterize the formation of this portion of the Sierra Nevada. Crossing this terrace for 1.50
miles,, we again rose to a terrace elevated considerably above the first, and then continued to the
summit of this part of the mountain by ascending to successive terraces, approached by steep
ascents of hut a few yards in length. These terraces are more or less broken by deep rocky
ravines. To the north of the one we were examining, the terraces rise still higher and more
broken. The character of the summit of the mountain is, however, broad and massive, and,
when once gained, easily traversed in any desired direction.

The ravine itself above our last camp soon became divided into several branches, and the
ascent towards its termination, for considerable distances, exceeded 190 feet to the mile — a grade
that could not be diminished by any line that we could discover, to which the labor of several
days was devoted. We encamped six miles west of the point at which we reached the broad
summit of the mountain, and a short distance west of the termination of the ravine examined,
on the borders of a marshy, grassy pond, into which a few springs and small rills are discharged
from neighboring hills. This grassy marsh — and the Sierra Nevada is covered with similar
ponds — is a mile in width by two or three in length, from which we could nowhere discover
water discharging. The whole mountain surface is covered with small angular stones, which
in some places are packed in drifts and heaps, over which it is difficult to ride ; and the steep
edges of the terraces are formed by the outcropping strata which underlie the plains above.
Bunch-grass is abundantly scattered over the hills, and a few branching cedar-hushes are
seen. There is in no direction more than a handful of snow visible.

Several Indians, calling themselves Pah-Utahs, visited us and received small presents.

June 19. — The examination of the country already described was continued to-day, while
the train and main party, under Captain Morris, moved south and west, crossing the marsh
spoken of yesterday, and passing over a ridge of low rocky hills, entered Madelin Pass, the
broad valley of which sweeps off to the east, encamping after a march of 9.30 miles. Smoky
creek, a small stream, descends to Mud lake through the valley, which is covered with sage,
grass, and stones — the soil being as light as upon the miry portions of the Basin. Latitude of
camp, 40° 44' 12".

June 20. — We descended 7.25 miles towards Mud lake and encamped where the valley,
which is ten miles wide in its broadest part above, becomes narrowed again to a mile in width,
whence it continues to the eastward between hills rising and sloping hack to ithe height of
a few hundred feet. Our camp is upon one of the great terraces of the mountain. This terrace
is broken in the centre to the east by deep ravines, with steep rocky walls. It is only with
the greatest difficulty that our animals can travel over the light soil and rocky surface of the
valley. The day has been delightful. Altitude above the sea, 4,914 feet.

June 21. — Captain Morris, Mr. Eglofistein, Mr. Snyder and myself examined the lower por¬
tion of this pass to-day. It was 13 miles to the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, in the
plain of Mud lake, to which we approached within six miles — obtaining an unobstructed view
hack to the point at which we turned west to leave its shore on the 16th instant. Immediately
above the plain Smoky creek breaks through a mountain ridge, three miles in width at the base,
in a pass varying in width from 100 to 150 yards, and at one or two narrow points not exceed¬
ing 50 yards. Its walls are of coarse, crumbling, metamorphic rocks, greatly cut and broken
by small rents and side ravines. They rise, not vertically, hut at points very steep, from 50 to
200 feet on the south side, and still higher on the north, swelling up, two miles hack, into an
elevated mountain ridge. Thick willows are in the way of passing easily up the stream, which
is followed, however, by a wagon-road for a mile, which then leaves it and passes over the hills
on the south side to the head of the gorge. For two miles above this point the wagon-road

MADELIN PASS.

ascends a gently opening valley. It then leaves it, ascending a branch of Smoky creek to the
southwest. The valley of the Madelin Pass at this point is half a mile in width ; and a short
distance above, it is a mile, hut afterwards becomes a narrow ravine, with rocky walls, often
vertical. On the south side the wall at once rises to the level of the terrace extending to our
camp, and a railroad could only ascend that side of the pass by being cut along it ; hut on the
north side, for seven miles above the gorge, there are no terrace walls, hut the hills which set
down into the valley afford a favorable site for ascending the pass. Above this point the
terrace wall is found on the north side of the little valley also, hut can easily he avoided in the
construction of a road for which nature has already done much of the grading.

June 22. — A cool, bright day, with a gentle breeze from the southwest. The general width
of the pass above our morning camp varies from four to six miles, hut becomes more narrow
as we approach its summit, where it does not exceed two hundred yards in width. But the
hills and mountains rise gently and gradually in all parts above it, and advantage can he
taken of them to increase the distance and diminish the grade of a road to a very considerable
extent. It was 9.89 miles to the summit by the direct route we followed. It is broad and
rocky at the summit for three-fourths of a mile, and then gradually descends for three or four
miles to a broad open plain, too level for the eye to detect its inclination. Large mountain
ridges and peaks rise above this plain in all directions, but are nowhere snowy. A single
snowy peak and a snowy ridge, however, are seen to the northwest, considerably elevated above
the intermediate range. The extensive level plain (at the head of this pass) is ten or twelve
miles wide, north and south, by forty in length, east and west. The most remarkable feature
in this part of the Sierra Nevada, and a conspicuous landmark, is an elevated conical peak,
standing immediately on the eastern limit of this plain, and directly in the line of the Madelin
Pass in ascending it from the east. The pass winds immediately around its northern base.
Some of the gentlemen of the party ascended it, and were gratified with the magnificent view
it afforded ; of which the snowy Mount Shasta, to the west of the Sacramento, was the striking
feature. Its elevation is from 2,500 to 3,000 feet above that of the summit of the pass. We
encamped at the western base of this peak, at springs and meadows of grass.

The grades indicated by our barometers for the ascent of this pass from the valley of Mud
lake are as follows: To the head of the gorge, 3 miles, 41.60 feet per mile; and for the
succeeding 3 miles, 61.30 feet per mile; and 59.20 feet per mile for the next 2.50 miles, fol¬
lowed for an equal distance by a grade of 74.80 feet to the mile. The ascent for 3.56 miles
above this point is but 31 feet, followed by a grade averaging 76.10 feet to the mile for 1.55
miles, and of 78.20 feet per mile for 1.56 miles; and for the succeeding 1.55 miles, 94.80 feet
per mile; then for 1.56 miles, the grade is 50.60 feet per mile, followed by one of 100 feet to
the mile for 1.32 miles, and of 30.30 feet per mile for 0.79 mile to the summit of the pass, the
altitude of which above the sea is 5,667 feet, and the entire length of the ascent 22.89 miles ;
and the total difference of level between the extreme points, 1,172 feet. From the summit
of the pass westward, the descent in the first two miles averages 23.50 feet per mile, and 31.80
feet per mile for the next 1.98 miles; and for 1.94 miles, 67 feet to the mile; and thence to
camp, 3.85 miles, the descent averages 46 feet per mile. Day’s march, 19.66 miles. Latitude
of camp, 40° 48' 46" north.

June 23. — The train proceeded a little south of west, skirting the base of the mountains to
avoid the miry banks of creeks descending into the plain, forming small grass-fields and miry
marshes. Passing an isolated butte to the right, it crossed a small plain extending to the
southeast and encamped, having travelled but 10.37 miles. I proceeded, at the same time,
with Lieutenant Baker, Messrs. Egloffstein and Snyder, to the southeast from our morning
camp to the plain just mentioned, which appeared to lead to a favorable descent to the valley
of Mud lake, near its connection with Pyramid lake. Our altitude on the summit of the
Sierra was 100 feet less than at the top of Madelin Pass ; and for several miles below, the
descent was broad and unobstructed, except by surface.-rocks and stones ; but the labor of riding

PLATNS OF MADELIN PASS.

over the miry (dry) soil so often mentioned, was severe, not only for our animals, hut for our¬
selves. Five miles below the crest, the country became much cut up by ravines, and was falling
off so rapidly, 250 feet to the mile, that we did not deem it necessary to proceed further, but
ascended a rocky mass and obtained a favorable view of a route leading from the south end of
Mud lake to the west, which had attracted attention when we were approaching the Sierra
from the east. Descending from the mountain near us were several small streams, forming a
grassy pond at the foot of the descent ; and beyond this a broken ridge was followed by the
pass just mentioned ; still to the south of this, a high range was seen, upon which there was
considerable snow.

In our outward trip we surprised several Indian families. They were much frightened at
our appearance, especially the women. I invited the men to accompany us, and made them
presents. On our return the women had all disappeared, but the men accompanied us to camp,
where we arrived at sundown, after a ride of thirteen hours. South from our camp the mount¬
ains rise gradually, but to no considerable height. Cedar was scattered along our path to-day,
rising to the height of only 40 or 50 feet, but the largest of the trees were two feet in diameter.

June 24.- — I determined to cross to the west the broad plain upon which we came at the head
of the Madelin Pass, and which would be followed by a railroad crossing this part of the Sierra
Nevada. As before stated, this plain to the eye is entirely level, and although several small
creeks flow into it and sink, no water is or can be discharged from it without (first forming
a lake) overflowing at one of the numerous low gaps in the surrounding ridges. At the
time of melting snows, there are many little sheets of water standing upon it for a short time,
and even now it is not free from them towards the west. Its vegetation is generally sage, but a
few limited meadows of grass exist on its borders. A variety of large snipe and sage-cocks are
common, but we saw no evidences of larger game. On the best authenticated maps in our
possession, Feather river is laid down as rising far to the north of our present position, and, in
its southern course, draining the country which we are passing ; and, however well we were
satisfied from the formation of the country that this could not be the case, it still indicated the
probability of finding a practicable descent, in the direction we were travelling, to the waters of
the Sacramento ; which is laid down on the maps referred to as having one of its chief sources
in a snowy range of no great extent, which has been several days in sight to the northwest.

The day was bright and clear — after the passage of a storm at a distance in the morning — with
the usual very high wind from the southwest. The entire march was upon the plain, passing
occasionally between low hills ; and we encamped near the base of more connected low ranges
near the mountains surmounting the plain to the west, which are low and beautifully dark
with forests of timber — the first we have seen in twelve months really worthy of the name.
Day’s march, 19.53 miles. The line of profile is direct from our camp of the 22d instant to this
point ; the distance (across the plain) being 21.9 miles, with but a nominal grade.

June 25. — Taking the most favorable course we could discover, we were forced still to the
northwest, passing (upon the plain of yesterday) between two low spurs at first, and afterwards
leaving a small lake to the left. We then entered a pass, or ravine valley, a quarter of a mile
wide, smooth and gradually ascending for a mile. It then expanded to the width of a mile, and
was grassy and smooth, and still rising easily ; but it became narrowed to a quarter of a mile in
width, and rose more considerably for the last half mile as we approached the summit. The
hills or mountain ridges rise gently on either side of the ascent, and are finely rounded and
grassy ; and that to the left, and the whole mountain at the top of the pass, is beautifully
wooded with pine, two, three, and four feet in diameter, rising in fine trunks to great heights.
By winding on the hills it would be easy to increase the length of the approach somewhat,
and to transfer the grade towards the lower part of the ascent, and equalise it ; and the summit
can easily be cut to the depth of 100 or 120 feet, diminishing the altitude to be overcome.
The descent to the west is at first rapid, and the ravine narrow ; but it soon opens to a much
greater width, through which a creek descends, at first lazily, but afterwards, as the water
66

ROUND VALLEY.

increases, with a free hut not rapid current. We passed with our wagons without difficulty
down the slopes of spurs of the mountains projecting into the pass, having to ascend and descend
these spurs in passing side ravines. The last of these spurs only deserves a remark, as it brought
us nearly to the level of the top of the pass, and narrowed the valley of the creek to the width of
fifty or sixty yards ; hut, as it was filled with hushes, it was preferable to avoid it by passing
over the hill. Opposite this hill, a deep canon from the southwest enters, with steep rocky
walls. As we descended from it, we entered a valley of a mile in width, still descending con¬
siderably as we progressed.

From the summit of the pass it would be easy, for some miles, to carry a railway on the hill¬
sides, descending at pleasure ; but further down, this would become more difficult, on account
of the curves which the hill ravines would require, but it is still practicable. For this purpose
the northeast side is the most favorable ; for, although containing the largest number of ravines,
they are the smallest, and it is unbroken by canones. The western descent of the pass is heavily
timbered to near our present camp, and there is a fine warm spring, in a basin of rocks, just
where we ascended the high spur to avoid the creek. We encamped before leaving the pass,
after a march of 21.6 7 miles.

June 26. — Last night was clear and beautiful, but cool, making overcoats and fires com¬
fortable in the evening. The morning was also bright and clear, with the thermometer at
sunrise at 19° Fahrenheit — ice having formed an eighth of an inch thick. The pass again
became narrow below camp, and heavily wooded for five miles, to where it opens into a broad
plain called Round valley. This valley is twenty miles or more in length, and ten or twelve
in width ; and several creeks flow into it, and overflowing form marshy lands of large extent.
It is everywhere luxuriant in grass, and the mountains around it are heavily timbered. They
are not high, but gradually swelling and rolling. High mountains are seen, however, far to
the north, upon which there is some snow. In the west, Mount Shasta is a beautiful feature
in the landscape ; and to the southwest, other beautiful snow-peaks mark the western line of
the Sierra Nevada. As we entered the valley, unusually large Indian smokes curled grace¬
fully upwards here and there, announcing the arrival of strangers.

Turning southward, we followed the base of the hills to our evening camp. Indians were seen
at some distance as we were encamping, and Captain Morris rode to them and invited them to
accompany him to camp. They are short, but muscular and well-made men, calling themselves
Pali-Utahs. They were naked and wild, and we could comprehend but few of their signs.
Their noses were bored and ornamented with a horizontal bar of shell or bone. Just above our
camp was a newly-made grave, from which the earth had been removed, and the clothes stripped
from the body of a young man, doubtless by the Indians, who told us that he had died but two
days previously and was buried by his friends ; which we subsequently learned was true, the
party having been here in. search of gold.

June 27. — It was 4.76 miles to the south end of Round valley, where we came upon an old
emigrant road, (Lassen’s) which is said to leave the Humboldt river above the point at which we
crossed it, and to cross the Sierra Nevada near the southern line of Oregon, in the vicinity
of Goose lake. This part of the road has also been used in travelling from Oregon to Cali¬
fornia. Its trail is well worn, but at present seldom used.

One of the main sources of the Sacramento river is in the snowy range referred to in crossing
the Sierra Nevada, to the north of our path, whence it descends and enters the northeastern
part of Round valley, and leaves it at our present station, where it enters a rocky canon 100
yards wide. The river is from 30 to 40 feet wide as it enters the canon, flowing with a free
current over a bed of rocks. The walls of the canon at its head are 80 feet high, vertical
trachytic rocks at top, with a large talus at the foot.

From our camp of the 24th instant, the ascending grades upon the line explored average, for
the first 10.57 miles leaving that camp, 32.70 feet per mile; and for 1.63 miles thence to
the western summit of the Sierra Nevada, 92.60 feet per mile, or 26.30 feet if the deep-cut of

PITT RIVER INDIANS.

120 feet be deducted from the altitude of the pass, which is 5,736 feet above the sea. With
the same deduction for a deep cut, the descending grades will average, for the first 2.42
miles, 124.30 feet to the mile by the fall of the stream, or 173.4 feet per mile for the same
distance to the west, if the summit be passed without any cut or tunnel; succeeded, for 4.93
miles, by 55.90 feet per mile, and 125.30 feet to the mile for the next 3.67 miles, and 25.30
feet per mile for the following 2.25 miles ; while the descent is but 25 feet in the succeeding
2.08 miles, but averages, for the next 1.25 miles, 76 feet per mile, and 19.70 feet per mile
thence to our last camp, 8.81 miles; and from that camp to the head of the canon, 4.76 miles,
there is an ascent, by the foot-hills which we followed, to avoid soft grounds, of 27 feet. In
this valley our altitude has returned very nearly to that of Great Salt lake, of the lower part of
Humboldt river, and of Mud lake; being 4,154 feet above the sea at the head of the canon.

Rising the table in which the canon is formed, we came upon an open plain, without timber,
six miles in length, by a variable width of from one to three miles, so covered with stones on
the east side of the canon that we passed over considerable mountain spurs to avoid them, and
again returned to the plain near our camp. On the west side of the canon the ground of the
plain is wet, and a sheet of water stands upon it, beyond which the mountains rise a few
hundred feet ; while above our camp, to the east, they rise much higher, and are everywhere
fertile and timbered. A single Indian, only, ventured to come to camp ; but as I was anxious
to learn something of the water-courses of the country from them, I made him presents, and sent
him to invite others in, for the hills and plains on the opposite side of the canon were covered
by them. The women were engaged in digging roots, of which they brought us large numbers
on the return of the messenger with a dozen of his comrades, who were entirely destitute of
clothing, and armed with superior bows of cedar and long reed arrows, strengthened by insert¬
ing strong pieces of wood in their centres. They were short, muscular, and well-formed men,
but were seriously afflicted with trembling, which they were unable to overcome entirely for
several hours. This part of the Sacramento river has been heretofore termed Pitt river; and
these Indians, and the bands lower down on it, are called, in California, Pitt River Indians,
although they claim to be Pah-Utahs. One of them seated himself near me, and made from a
fragment of quartz, with a simple piece of round bone, one end of which was semi-spherical,
with a small crease in it (as if worn by a thread) the sixteenth of an inch in depth, an arrow¬
head, which was very sharp and piercing, and such as they use on all their arrows. The skill
and rapidity with which it was made, without a blow, but by simply breaking the sharp edges
with the creased bone by the strength of his hands — for the crease merely served to prevent
the instrument from slipping, affording no leverage — was remarkable. After completing his
work, he performed a pantomime, to inform me of the cause of his cheeks and forehead being
covered with tar. He represented a man falling, and, despite his efforts to save him, trembling,
growing pale, (pointing from his face to mine,) and sinking to sleep, his spirit winging its
way to the skies, which he indicated by imitating with his hands the flight of a bird upwards,
his body sleeping still upon the river bank, to which he pointed. The tar upon his face was his
dress of mourning.

It is not practicable to descend the Sacramento river with wagons, owing to the mountainous
and rocky character of its banks. I determined, therefore, to proceed with a portion of my
party to the mouth of Fall river, leaving the remainder in camp until our return, and to ascend
the Sacramento from its main valley to that point, after having completed our survey of the
Sierra Nevada.

June 28. — We could not travel in the canon of the river with our animals, and, to avoid a
large, rocky ravine entering it from the southeast, we were obliged to leave it for some distance ;
and to make our day’s ride shorter, attempted to cross the country directly to the mouth of
Fall river, intending to return by the Sacramento. But almost immediately after leaving
camp, the hills, which were high, and all. the small ravines, became so rocky and covered
with loose surface-stones, that it was difficult to ride over them ; and our progress was effectually

CANONES OF THE SACRAMENTO.

arrested by coming upon extensive fields of volcanic rocks, so rough, and full of holes that no
horseman can cross them. The Indians clamber over small portions of them, hut usually avoid
them even on foot. We therefore turned in towards the river, and followed its valley to the
mouth of Fall river, encamping just above it. Many Indians were seen during the day at
considerable distances, hut fled to their hiding-places to observe our movements, leaving their
flag-roots where they were digging them. The Sacramento canon preserves the character with
which it begins (at Round valley) for six miles, its walls preserving nearly a uniform height
above the river. The plain is then surmounted by high, sloping hills, rising five or six hundred
feet above it, and the canon becomes broader, and its walls also more elevated for two miles,
to where the river makes a large bend to the north ; below this the walls gradually decrease in
height, and in two miles the canon opens to half a mile in width, which if preserves for three
miles to the open valley. This open part of the canon is timbered with oak and pine, through
which the river winds, and we rode several times down its rocky hanks, from the hills two
hundred feet above. Below, or north of the main bend in the canon, there are two or three
angles in it, hut it is generally very direct in its course. The highest parts of the canon walls
are two hundred feet above the stream, with large masses of fallen rock sloping from the stream
half way to the top. The passage of this canon by a railroad, carried generally on the terrace
on the north side of the river, and descending the side of the rocky hills which surmount it,
which is the most favorable line, will he both expensive and difficult ; for it will he necessary to
blast and remove rocks to a very considerable extent, the amount of which can only he deter¬
mined by accurate surveys. The average descent of the stream per mile, for 13.14 miles, from
the head of the canon to the open valley, is 39.30 feet ; hut by following the north side of the
river, the descent can he made much longer and easier by descending to the valley several
miles further down the river, which follows the base of the mountains until it turns west, when
it is overlooked by a plain, elevated 30 or 40 feet above it, extending several miles to the north.
A lake of several miles in extent is seen on this plain, from the hills near our morning camp,
and Fall river descends it at the base of the mountains surmounting it to the west. Below
the first canon the valley of the Sacramento is three or four miles wide, easily traversed in any
direction, and as easily followed by a railroad with a descent of 27.10 feet to the mile.

Just at our camp the Sacramento is twenty yards wide, and so deep that it can only he crossed
by swimming ; hut its current is very sluggish. Fall river descends by a short rapid of foaming
white water, from the plain north of the Sacramento, and discharges more water than the
latter stream. At the junction, the Sacramento immediately enters a second canon, very much
resembling the first, hut of less extent. The mountains rise above it also, as they do above
the former canon, and extend hack on the north side to high mountains ; but on the south side,
after extending some distance into the plain, they diminish in height and sink away into
broken rocky hills, and are followed by an extensive field of volcanic rocks, extending through
the valley of Canoe creek, or Poinsett river, to Mount Saint Joseph.

The approximate length of this canon is 8.95 miles, with an average descent of 34.80 feet
per mile. Though not so long, it is as difficult and rocky as the former to pass with a railway,
and the most favorable line by which to descend it can only he determined by minute surveys.
But it is probable that by leaving the river a few miles above the head of the canon, and
crossing the rocky hills south of it, and returning to the river in the vicinity of the mouth of
Canoe creek, (although the grades would not he as easy and uniform,) the least labor would be
required in removing rocks for its construction, and the short curves avoided, which will he
encountered in descending the canon itself, and that this will consequently he found the most
favorable site for the road.

June 29. — Large numbers of Indians were gathered on the opposite hank of the river this
morning, hut they were evidently afraid to approach us, unless they could take us at a disad¬
vantage, for which they have a noted reputation. At sunrise the thermometer stood at 32°,
and at 11 o’clock in the morning in the shade at 80° F. The day was pleasant, hut the

RE-CROSSING THE SIERRA NEVADA.

atmosphere too smoky to afford distinct views even at short distances. Completing our observa¬
tions in the vicinity of Fall river, we retraced our steps, and rejoined our companions at a
late hour of the day.

By referring to my journal from July 15th to July 21st, during which we ascended the
Sacramento, from Fort Beading to the second canon, the line just traced to the latter point will
he found continued to the open valley of the Sacramento, and my northern line of survey
complete.

June 30. — I had been so favorably impressed with the appearance of the broad opening in
the Sierra Nevada, at the south end of Mud lake, as seen from several points, that I had deter¬
mined, on leaving them, to return to the eastern base of the mountains and examine it. With
this object, we therefore followed the old wagon road, near which we had encamped, in a
general direction for several miles to the south. It led from camp immediately over a high
ridge, affording an extensive view of the mountain country around us, and of a few peaks of
the Coast range, seen through low openings in the western ridge of the Sierra Nevada. But
the smoky state of the atmosphere was such that no distinctive features or outlines could
he traced in the distant scenery. Seven miles from camp, we entered a forest of majestic pines
and cedars, through which we travelled for the remainder of the day, but with occasional
open, grassy spots, on one of which we encamped after a march of 15 miles. After the high
ridge noticed in the morning, the country was still hilly but easily traversed.

July 1. — Following the road again, we ascended gradually for fifteen miles over broad plains,
the pine and cedar forests receiving the addition of the majestic redwood. Many of these
trees were five feet in diameter, and rising to the height of 125 and 140 feet. Before encamping,
we descended for three miles by a steep, rough road, to a broad, grassy plain five miles in
diameter, into which several small creeks were flowing, but we could nowhere discover a certain
outlet. The hills and mountains, ten or fifteen hundred feet high, surrounding this plain,
with open spaces between them, are heavily timbered, with the exception of one, which is so
covered with stones that no space is left for trees. Several graves near camp marked the resting-
place of unfortunate emigrants. Day’s march, 18.84 miles.

July 2. — We passed out by the south side of the plain to a succeeding one of less size. It was
here, as before, impossible to determine which way the water flows, if, indeed, it flows at
all from these plains. We have crossed them in every direction, and as yet have not seen an
outlet from one of them, and some of them we have been entirely around. From the second
we passed to a third of these plains, of the size of the first, in which Pine creek, a fine
little stream, flows towards its northeastern part, forming a marshy pond, which can only have
an outlet to Eagle lake, if at all. In this plain we also came upon a wagon-road which had
been recently used, and which we subsequently learned was the Noble’s Pass road, which
descends to the east by the same line we were about to explore. We followed it, therefore, and
leaving the plain without ascending more than a few feet, continued our course through a
dense forest of pine and redwood, passing several grassy ponds, the largest of which we judged
to be a mile in length. Many of the largest trees were eight feet in diameter and of great
height. We descended a little before encamping, coming upon a small creek, to which
emigrants have given the name of Summit, although there are points in the pass several hun¬
dred feet higher than this. In approaching camp through the woods, the road was very
much obstructed by surface stones, which would have been avoided by following an open,
level, grassy space leading directly from Pine to Summit creeks, a mile north of the general
line of the road, which enters it, however, at our camp. It was 10.51 miles from our morning
camp to Pine creek, and 9.61 thence to Summit creek.

July 3. — The nights are cold in the mountains, but during the day the sun is hot, making
the shade agreeable. Our path continued to-day through the same dense forest so oftened men¬
tioned. In leaving camp we began almost immediately to descend, and continued to do so
until encamping at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, after a march of 19.11 miles, in

ENTERING HONEY LAKE VALLEY.

Honey Lake valley, which, extends forty miles to the east. The descending road was very
stony, hut we nowhere saw ledges or steep escarpments of rocks, until just as we were
descending to encamp, when we passed over heaps of stones forming the edge or termi¬
nation of a rising plain, upon which the higher masses and peaks of the mountain are
elevated. This wall is vertical in many parts, to the height of thirty feet, hut broken and
fallen at others. The small stream known as Susan river follows the course of a low depression
seen a short distance to the south of our path throughout the day. It breaks through the rocky
wall described in a broken canon, and flows gently through the valley to Honey lake, receiving
two or three small tributaries in its course. Soon after leaving our morning camp, the road
led over a high rocky butte, (which it could more easily pass around,) from which we had a
fine view of the lake, a few miles to the northeast. It is several miles in extent, and is set
beautifully blue in the mountains, which rise from 500 to 1,000 feet above it, covered with
majestic pines. It has no outlet. We gave it the name of Eagle lake. From the foot of the
butte a fine spring issues and sends out a creek towards Susan river.

As we entered Honey Lake valley, we found two brothers by the name of Roop, busily
engaged in erecting a log-house and planting a small field. They had been here but a month.
The lands around them at the head of the valley are very susceptible of cultivation, and are
luxuriantly covered with grass and abundantly supplied with water by Susan river and other
small streams.

Continuing our journey still to the eastward, we encamped on the evening of the 4th of July,
after a march of 23 miles, on the shore of Honey lake.

CHAPTER V.

From the valley of Mud lake , via Roney lake and Noble's Pass , to Fort Reading , at the
junction of Cow creek with the Sacramento river , California — July 5 to 12, 1854.

From Mud to Honey and Pyramid lakes. — Honey Lake valley. — Noble’s road. — Boiling springs.— Northern limit of the sources
of Feather river.— Reascending the Sierra Nevada via Susan river. — Plain from Summit to Pine creeks. — Character of the
mountain from Susan river to Pine creek. — Grades. — Broad trunk of the mountain — From Pine creek to Black Butte creek.
Grades. — Country directly west from camp on Black Butte creek ; its impracticability for roads. — Ascending Black Butte
creek. — Lava field — Black Butte. — Distribution of sand. — Grades. — Hat creek. — Head of Canoe Creek valley. — Line west
from Hat creek. — Crossing Wolf creek to the western summit of the Sierra Nevada. — Grades. — Western descent of the
Sierra, — Battle creek. — Deer flats. — Hill’s rancho. — McCumber’s mill. — Shingletown. — Narrow ridge and steep descent. —
Table of grades and altitudes. — Difficulties of the pass for a railroad. — Arrival at Fort Reading.

July 5. — Messrs. Egloffstein and Snyder, escorted by Lieut. Baker and a detachment of rifle¬
men, continued the exploration eastward to-day, to connect the survey from our camp of last
night with the line previously explored to the entrance of Smoky creek in the valley of Mud
lake. From a mile east of camp, Honey lake trends to the southeast for ten miles, to its most
eastern point, and four miles from camp the party came to the foot of a spur setting down
from the northern chain of mountains, affording them a view of the country eastward. From
the vicinity of this spur in the open valley of the lake, there is, extending for several miles,
an old shore-line raised a few feet above the present level of the lake, hut to which it occasionally
rises, perhaps, at stages of high water. To the eastward of this line the valley of Honey lake
extends for 14 miles, and is generally of a dry, barren character. During rains and at the
season of melting snows, small sheets of water stand at short intervals here and there upon it,
and at present one is seen near the lowest passage to Pyramid lake. Beyond this plain, and
forming its northeastern boundary, separating it from Mud lake, is a low mountain range,
varying in height from 300 to 800 feet, with a general breadth of about nine miles. In this
raDge several indications of favorable passages exist; but upon examination they proved to be
worthless, and the party proceeded southward towards the main passage around this spur to
Mud lake, at a point where Pyramid lake is also separated but slightly from the former, the
three being united at very high stages of water, by a small stream flowing into Pyramid lake.
This passage is open and level, and in its narrowest part about a mile in width; and from the
valley of Honey lake to that of Mud lake, from eight to nine miles in length, the passage
to Pyramid lake branching to the south from it. From the position from which it was seen,
the passage to Pyramid lake appears to cut through an elevated rocky range, with high peaks
rising on either side above the vertical canon walls. There was a line of green verdure in the
canon, but no indications could be seen of a permanent stream flowing through it. Three
small islands in Pyramid lake stand opposite the mouth of the canon, with Pyramid island
in the distance. The water of this lake is remarkable for its deep-blue color, and contrasts
strikingly with its yellow rocky islands.

From our camp of June 14, on the west side of Mud lake, our present camp is approached by
travelling south, and crossing Smoky creek four miles below its gorge, at the entrance of the
Madelin Pass, and thence continuing to the southwest end of Mud lake, and following the
open passage, already described, to Honey Lake valley, and thence by the north shore of that
lake by a direct line. In the accompanying profile of this pass of the Sierra Nevada, which
is known as Noble’s Pass, the line just indicated is followed. For three miles from the first

HONEY LAKE VALLEY.

point the descent is 13 feet to the mile; then ascends 3.60 feet to the mile for 42 miles, and
*7.20 feet to the mile for the next 7.50 miles ; with a descending grade thence to our present
camp on Honey Lake shore, 8.50 miles, of 22.40 feet per mile — where our altitude is 4,094 feet
above the sea.

In returning from their successful trip, Lieut. Baker and party halted a short time at
warm springs, sixteen miles from camp ; and at 10 o’clock at night, after a ride of 44 miles,
encamped at a small spring of cold water, around which they found a little scattered grass.
At 4 o’clock on the following morning they resumed their journey, and arrived at camp
at 8 a. m.

Honey Lake valley is forty miles in length, east and west, and twenty in width. The
extent of the lake itself we could not well determine, from its low shores ; hut it is about
fifteen miles long, by eight or ten broad. It is shallow, and surrounded by low, marshy
meadows, and extensive fields of tulare flags ; hut, outside of these marshes, the plain is firm
and the travelling excellent. Its water has a disagreeable, alkaline taste. Towards the head
of the valley a hold ridge rises from the plain, and extends hack to a high, timbered range,
rising 3,000 feet above the lake, and entirely enclosing the valley on the south. Its altitude,
for many miles, is very uniform, not having a conspicuous peak upon it, nor a single break for
a water-course. A few hanks of snow still remain upon its summit. It extends to the east,
falling off gradually to the canon leading to Pyramid lake, and to the west of the summit of the
Sierra Nevada, forming the southern chain overlooking the broad depression of Noble’s Pass.
To the north of Honey lake the mountains are broken, and destitute of timber ; and, although
connected in the eastern part, by ridges or spurs, with the Sierra Nevada, there are large
depressions behind them ; and the Noble’s Pass road, which ascends Smoky creek for a
short distance above Mud lake, passes behind them for a few miles to obtain water and grass,
entering this valley over a low, broad ridge, near our camp. But the valley on the north side,
towards the west, is enclosed by the main trunk of the Sierra Nevada, which rises into high
peaks on the prolongation of the northern line of the valley, leaving a gradually ascending
and very broad depression at its head — the line of the pass for many miles — with a few peaks
rising above the general elevation, and the high, snowy peak of Mount Saint Joseph standing
a conspicuous landmark on the western line of the Sierra Nevada, and overlooking the valley
of the Sacramento.

Near our present camp there are fine boiling springs, in one of which a column of water,
twenty inches in diameter, boils up a foot or more, at a temperature of 205° Fahrenheit ; and,
in the large stream which flows from it, the temperature is 170° fifty yards from the spring.
Besides this, there are numerous hot springs, varying in temperature from 170° to 190°, from
which gas escapes freely with the water. The rocks in the springs have a dark, volcanic
character, hut the surrounding masses are gray.

We had now examined every favorable indication for a pass which we could discover on the
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the vicinity of Mud lake ; and I determined to turn my
course westward again, and extend my examination of this pass to the valley of the Sacra¬
mento. It was supposed before commencing this survey, that any pass in this vicinity, leading
to the summit of the Sierra Nevada, would necessarily bring us upon the waters of Feather
river ; hut, in our several passages across these mountains, it was conclusively established that
no water does, or can, enter that stream from north of the fortieth degree of north latitude, and
that no pass north of Pyramid lake approaches it.

July 6. — Turning westward, we followed the valley of Honey lake, which was swarming
with ducks and pelicans, and crossed Willow creek after travelling 11.36 miles — our barometers
indicating, in this distance, a change of level of hut fourteen feet — with an ascending grade of
11.70 feet per mile, for 8.64 miles, thence to the foot of the pass at Hoop’s farm, where we
encamped, after a short march, on the seventh of July.

July 8. — In reascending the Sierra Nevada to-day, I followed the course of Susan river,

noble’s pass.

which descends in a broken, rocky ravine; and in its lower portion its walls frequently become
vertical for considerable distances, partaking exclusively of the canon character. Seven miles
above the valley it is entered by a large ravine from the southeast, but it still preserves its
general course, and eventually runs out. It is frequently broken throughout its entire length
by small side ravines, and is generally narrow at the bottom and broad at the top ; but, for
short distances, it is alternately broad and narrow at the top and bottom. For the first three
or four miles above the valley, the ravine is from two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet
deep, but above that it seldom exceeds forty feet, except where small ridges, or spurs, approach
it, when its walls become much higher, but are less vertical. After ascending it for eight
miles, we crossed it, and ascended an elevated peak near it. The position of this peak was
favorable for observation; but we could nowhere discover a route superior, or at all equal, to
the one we were following, for a railroad to ascend this pass. Continuing our examination,
therefore, we ascended the stream for four miles on its southern bank, to where it again
receives a considerable branch from the southwest, and two small ones from the opposite side.
But it was here rapidly running out ; and a short distance above, the main stream descends
in a channel but slightly depressed below the surface of the broad mountain plain which we
were approaching. Passing again to the north side of the stream, we ascended it a short dis¬
tance, and then crossed over and encamped with the main party, which had followed the road,
on Summit creek, at our former camp of July 2.

July 9. — In leaving camp this morning, I -followed the open, grassy plain, lying between
Summit and Pine creeks, while Mr. Egloffstein proceeded with a party down the former stream
until it disappeared in the plain ; and then crossed over, without any material change of level,
to the head of Susan river ; and thence continued our line of yesterday, from Susan river by
the ascending plain to Pine creek. This portion of the mountain is unobstructed by any
sudden rise or fall, and can be traversed for several miles in any desired direction without
obstruction . It will require a minute survey of the lower portion of this pass, to determine
the best line by which to effect its ascent by a railroad ; whether by ascending the ravine of
the river, by which the grade is comparatively small, or by rising as soon as possible to the
top of the ravine, with a heavier grade, thereby avoiding, to a considerable extent, the expensive
labor of removing rocks for its passage. It is believed to be practicable to accomplish either.
The ascending grades by the river, from Roop’s farm, are, for the first four miles, an average
of 10.10 feet to the mile; and for the next four miles, 105.50 feet to the mile; then 59.10 feet
to the mile for 4.50 miles ; and for the next 7.25 miles, after leaving Susan river, 75.10 feet
to the mile; followed by 31.10 feet to the mile for 7.25 miles,' and 54.30 feet per mile for
2.25 miles ; with a descending grade of 27.70 feet per mile for five miles, to the west side of
Pine creek. From Pine creek we passed through the open pine woods, and, bearing to the left,
followed a grassy plain, gradually descending for 4.73 miles, with a high ridge on our left,
which we continued to pass around, changing our course more to the south as we progressed.
This prairie was from one to three miles wide, and was marshy in the southwestern part, where
it terminates. Leaving it, we again entered a heavily timbered district, descending consider¬
ably for 3.75 miles, when we came again into an open prairie, and encamped on Black Butte
creek — a small stream, three feet wide, flowing a little to the west of north, and eventually
disappearing in the plain. The characteristic feature of the country traversed to-day is the
broad trunk of the mountain — the plains which we are following — surmounted by elevated
peaks and ridges, having no uniform direction, and with elevations varying from five hundred
to three thousand feet above the plains, with drifts of snow only upon the most elevated peaks.
From west of Pine creek to this camp the average natural grades, given by our barometers,
are, for the first 2.89 miles, a descent of 63.20 feet to the mile ; and 19.50 feet per mile for
the following 1.84 miles ; and 71.90 feet per mile for the next 1.70 miles; and 64.90 feet per
mile for 2.05 miles ; and 113 feet per mile for 1.55 miles thence to camp, where our altitude is
5,084 feet above the sea.

7 b

BLACK BUTTE.

July 10. — From our last camp the road ascends Black Butte creek, which, for several miles,
descends a broad valley, enclosed by high, rolling mountains to the northwest, and a more
abrupt, hut less elevated ridge, to the southeast. But to the west of that camp, passing north
of the first-mentioned mountains, the view is unobstructed, except by timber. I therefore
divided my party, examining the more southern route by the creek myself, and directing Mr.
Egloffstein to pursue a general western course, by the most favorable route he could discover,
to the most western ridge of the mountains. He proceeded through the dense pine forest,
gradually ascending, hut without obstruction, for five miles, hut immediately afterwards came
upon a precipitous rocky descent, increasing in height to the south, where it unites with the
elevated mountain in that direction, and extending to the north far into the valley of the
Sacramento towards Fall river, and nowhere presenting a practicable point for the descent of a
wagon-road even, and much less of a railroad; and it was only after the most persevering efforts,,
and repeated failures, that he succeeded in effecting the descent with his" party — descending
967 feet at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, into the large, rocky valley of Canoe creek.
This valley extends north to the Sacramento, and in some parts is several miles broad, but
in others narrow; and is occupied, at intervals, by extensive beds of volcanic rocks, with
intervening grassy spaces and pine forests, in which game is very abundant. Two considerable
creeks enter it at its bead, from the vicinity of Mount Saint Joseph, and unite to form Canoe
creek; but it is probable that this stream sinks and reappears several times in its rocky
Course before reaching the Sacramento. For three miles up Black Butte creek our route followed
immediately upon the banks of the stream, and thence followed the open, rolling pine woods,
for 5.90 miles, to where the creek descends from high hills to the south. For several miles of
this ascent the ground was covered with black, cindery sand, thin at first, but becoming very
heavy as we progressed.

After leaving the creek we passed two or three small ponds, and entered one of the most
recently formed and strongly marked volcanic fields we have seen in these mountains. It occu¬
pies a valley of three or four miles in length, by one or one and a half in width. The lava
rocks are black, and about 100 feet high, occupying the valley in a confused mass, which it
would be difficult to cross on foot. On the north side of this field stands the Black Butte, some
800 or 1,000 feet high. It is conical from its base upwards for several hundred feet, and is
terminated in a peak with a semi-spherical outline ; and its whole surface, as black as the
darkest iron ore, is covered with a coarse, pebbly sand, formed from its crumbling mass, which
has so smoothed its surface that a pebble would roll from its summit uninterruptedly to its
base. The sand over which we approached this butte is uniformly distributed around it,
as from a central crater, becoming thin towards the edges, and then disappearing. The width
of the valley of Black Butte creek, and the broad, ascending base of the range enclosing it to the
northwest, are such, that, in the construction of a railway, they will admit of a uniform grade,
which will necessarily be heavy until passing the Black Butte, or for twelve miles. The road
should ascend by the line indicated, for nine miles, to the small ponds at the foot of the lava-
field ; and thence be continued to the south and west, passing around it, and, returning north¬
ward, pass a short distance to the west of Black Butte. This line will increase the distance and
improve the grade given in the profile. The distance from our morning camp to this point, by
the road, is 11.69 miles, and the average grade 101.80 feet to the mile; and the greatest
distance which could be gained, would not probably diminish it below 80 feet to the mile.
From the point thus gained, in a broad depression, west for 1.87 miles, the descent is 25.10 feet
per mile ; and 19 feet per mile thence for 1.53 miles to the west, to a small spring; with an as¬
cent of 5.80 feet per mile for 3.75 miles, to where the road should cross Hat creek. This point
is reached by following the present emigrant road, west of the little springs just mentioned,
until it reaches the head of Canoe Creek valley, where, instead of descending into that valley,
following the wagon road, a railroad can only be continued to the west by bearing a little to the
south and ascending the stream, to which there is no obstruction, for a mile, and crossing it at

WESTERN SLOPE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.

the point already designated, where the valley of the stream is on a level with the approach
to it. Immediately west of this creek a spur from Mount Saint Joseph — which stands hut a
few miles to the south of this pass — extends a short distance into Canoe Creek valley ; and
is followed to the west by the narrow valley of Wolf creek, immediately beyond which the most
western ridge of the Sierra Nevada rises. The spur between the streams is heavily timbered,
but more or less rocky, and falls off rapidly to the north, affording the means of passing it
by almost any desired line. It is, however, more or less broken by small ravines of an ordinary
character. The valley, or ravine, of Wolf creek is narrow and deep, but can be readily passed
by ascending its eastern side nearly to its head, and crossing a deep, dry ravine on the spur, and
following it until reaching the creek, whence the road should be carried immediately along the
side of the rocky, timbered ridge to the west, to the western crest of the Sierra Nevada. The
average grades bjr this line from Hat creek, are, for 2. 75 miles, 45.10 feet per mile; and 154.4
feet per mile for 0.50 mile; and 21.30 feet per mile for 1.50 miles, to Wolf creek; with an
ascending grade of 45.50 feet per mile for two miles thence to the western summit of the pass.
The side of the mountain, from Wolf creek to this summit, is broken by two or three large
ravines, and, besides being covered with surface-rocks, large ledges crop out at various points
upon it. The summit depression of the pass itself is three-fourths of a mile broad towards the
east, and very soon expands to two miles — a high, round peak, destitute of timber, rising to the
north to the height of 300 feet; and, to the south and east, steep, rocky peaks and masses
rise towards Mount Saint Joseph, (sometimes called Lassen’s Peak,) which is three or four
miles distant, and covered with snow from its summit downwards for a thousand feet. We
encamped on Wolf creek, two miles east of the summit. Day’s march, 20.34 miles.

July 11. — We returned to the summit of the pass, which is covered with immense heaps of
broken stones, covering miles of surface, like rubbish from a quarry, but so level that water
stands upon it in various places for half a mile, and it is lightly timbered. Its approximate
altitude is 6,074 feet above the sea. The descent from it to the valley of the Sacramento is
unobstructed, and, unfortunately, very direct. For five miles from the summit about half of
the descending plain or broad ridge is timbered, and the open portion covered with a dense
thicket of mansanita bushes. Unfortunately for us, on both occasions on which we passed
this summit, (we repassed here on the 25th of July,) the view of the mountains for any consid¬
erable distance below us was obscured by a smoky atmosphere, and the valley of the Sacra¬
mento entirely invisible from the dark cloud of smoke which hung over it, over which, however,
as over a blue sea, peaks of the Coast range were occasionally visible. The plain of descent
widened rapidly at first, as we descended, and four miles from the summit we judged it to be
four miles in width, limited on the south by the deep ravine of Battle creek, (descending from
Mount Saint Joseph,) which, however, soon runs out into the general level of the descent, and
broken on the north by a formidable dry ravine commencing near the foot of the rubbish heaps
at the summit, and extending several miles, and numerously intersected by ordinary ravines.
Coming upon Battle creek, the road descends it for a short distance, and crosses it where it
bends to the northwest, the road continuing its direct course, and entering a dense forest of
pine, cedar and redwood. The mountain continued to fall off rapidly, and we made short,
steep descents for a few hundred yards at a time, as from successive terraces. But after crossing
the creek there is a deep ravine seen 3.50 miles to the southwest of the road, and nearly paral¬
lel with it, marking the southern slopes of the level intervening space between Battle creek and
one of its tributaries, which descends from the south side of Mount Saint Joseph. This space
is embraced in the general plain of descent, and considerably increases its width, affording the
means, by its uniform character, for continuing the curves of a railway in any desired direction
to the south of Deer Flat, nine miles from the summit, where a small farm is established on a
few acres of open prairie, and thence to Hill’s rancho, 3.69 miles below, on Battle creek, where
the descent for much of the distance is imperceptible. (Crossing the creek, we continued on
through the same dense forest, interspersed with large branching oaks, across the most favorable

52 noble’s pass.

and perfectly practicable section of the pass, and encamped near McCumber’s mill, 8.72 miles
below.

In the early part of the day the road was very much obstructed by loose stones, but for the
last fifteen miles it was very fine. Many of the pines were from four to six feet in diameter,
and from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high. Several mills are in successful opera¬
tion in the vicinity, and others are being built. Day’s march, 23 miles.

July 12. — For two and a quarter miles this morning — passing through Shingletown — the
descent was scarcely perceptible ; but the country there becomes more broken, and formidable
hollows and ravines extend from the road north to Bear creek — which before lay considerably
to the north of the line of descent — rendering the winding of a road in that direction quite
impossible. The country also became more broken to the south, towards Battle creek, leaving
comparatively a narrow ridge upon which to effect a descent to the foot of the mountains. The
distance between the streams themselves is about 4.25 miles at this point, and is not only broken
by the large hollows referred to, but the remaining portion of it, 1.25 miles wide, the most ✓
favorable line and greatest width which we could discover for the construction of a railway on
this part of the descent, falls off rapidly and is very broken, and intersected by broad and deep
ravines, especially outside of the narrow ridge followed by the present wagon road. This narrow
ridge continues for four miles, but the descent is still rapid for seven miles further, and the
country broken into narrow ridges descending to the west, yet there is much greater room for
increasing the distance and overcoming the descent. The country is here no longer a forest,
but a broken and open oak prairie, dry and parched at this season of the year, but very soft
and miry during the rainy season. Forty miles below the summit we were passing the lowest
foot-hills of the mountains, and were fairly in the open valley of the Sacramento river. The
heat increased with our descent, the thermometer standing, in the shade at 3 o’clock p. m.,
at 106° Fahrenheit. We continued on, however, and encamped, after a march of 23.72 miles,
at Fort Beading, on the west side of Cow creek, a mile and a half above its junction with the
Sacramento.

Table of approximate average grades , in descending by a very direct
line from the western summit of Noble’s Pass of the Sierra Nevada
to the Sacramento river.

In the preceding table and the profile of Noble’s Pass, accompanying this report, for the first
five miles from the summit I have given the longest line of descent which can be obtained (the

WESTERN SLOPE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.

direct line being but three miles) by winding from the summit of the pass south along the foot
of the nearest peaks, and touching Battle creek. Below this, the distances and line of profile
are those of the direct line of descent; for the total descent, 5,400 feet — 5,000 being confined to
the first forty miles of the direct line — is so much more unequally distributed than was antici¬
pated when making the survey, that, at two points it is not practicable, without a minute
survey and actual location of the road, to indicate a continuous line upon which a railway
can be successfully constructed to descend this pass ; and I have, therefore, not deviated from
the direct line. But it can only be carried below the point indicated on Battle creek by contin¬
uing the curve and crossing to the north the deep ravine before referred to, and again re-crossing
it on a curve to the south, returning to and across Battle creek, and thence, by a continued
series of similar curves, effecting the descent. The width of the descending ridge is so great,
and its general character such, however, as to establish the strongest probability of the prac¬
ticability of effecting the descent on large and practicable curves to Hill’s rancho; and there is
no difficulty in continuing it thence to McCumber’s mill — 24 miles (including the curve for the
first five miles) from the summit. From this point the road should follow, for some distance, a
branch of Battle creek to the south, relieving, as far as practicable, the difficult section below
Shingletown ; for the broken narrow ridge by which the descent must be continued for four
miles below this point is such, and the descent so great, as to render it doubtful whether it
can be successfully descended without stationary power. A further survey and actual location
of the road, as before indicated, is, however, 'necessary to determine this point. And if the
general character and location of the route connecting with this pass is such as to render the
determination of this point desirable, the resurvey should be continued to the summit of the pass.

The section immediately succeeding the one just indicated is that of the foot-hills of the
mountains ; and is rough, descending in narrow ridges, but a railway can readily be carried
over it.

We were courteously received at Fort Beading by the commanding officer, Colonel Wright,
and the other officers of the post, and hospitably entertained by them during the two days
which we were detained in getting our animals shod and procuring necessary supplies for our
trip up the Sacramento to the mouth of Fall river, to complete the line of exploration by the
Madelin Pass.

CHAPTER VI.

Ascent of the Sacramento river from Fort Reading to the mouth of Fall river , ( line of
the Madelin Pass , j and thence by the valley of Canoe creek to Noble's Pass , and return
to Fort Reading — July 15 to 26, 1854.

Character of the Sacramento valley above Fort Reading. — Mining village. — Sacramento river enclosed by mountains ; its char¬
acter. — Trail to Yreka — Stream known as the Sacramento. — McCloud’s Fork. — Salmon. — Pittsburg ferries. — Snows and
freshets. — Ascent of the river. — Rapids. — Hot spring. — Re-ascent of mountain. — River still shut in by precipitous mountains. —
Valley at the mouth of Canoe creek. — Second canon of the Sacramento ; its character. — Table of grades from Fall liver to
Fort Reading. — Completion of the survey of Madelin Pass. — Return to Black Butte .creek, Noble’s Pass. — Numbers of In¬
dians daily seen. — Fields of lava. — Valley of Canoe creek; difficulty of its passage. — Disappointed in the course of Black
Butte creek. — Night march. — Return to Fort Reading. — Sacramento valley. — Party disbanded.

July 15. — Leaving Fort Reading, we ascended the valley of the Sacramento, hy a general
course a little west of north, passing over a hilly country of open oak prairie for sixteen
miles, and encamped without reaching the river, which is a few miles to the west of our path.
For several miles above the Fort the valley of the river is an open, rolling prairie, more or
less timbered with oak and a small growth of pine. The general level of the country is,
however, elevated above the immediate plain of the river hanks, and is broken hy dry ravines
and hills, which continue to rise as they recede from the stream, and are eventually united to
the great mountain masses which entirely enclose the head of the valley, and shut in the river
from immediately west of our present camp upwards to the mouth of Fall river.

July 16. — Five miles from camp, this morning, we came to a small mining village called
Churntown. It consists merely of a dozen miserable log-huts, and being badly supplied with
water at this season of the year, is in a thriftless condition. The day, too, was intensely hot,
and the men had everywhere thrown hy their tools — not a man being seen at work. It was
four miles from this village to the Sacramento river, directly north, and its mountainous position
cannot better he illustrated, perhaps, than hy the fact, that the stream or rivulet which supplies
Churntown with water rises hut a mile from the river, hut instead of flowing north towards
it, it descends in the opposite direction, and enters it below our last night’s camp. From the
head of this creek we descended hy a very steep Indian trail directly to the river, where it is
two hundred feet wide, flowing with a very rapid, powerful current, and, with the exception of
short distances here and there, breaking over a rocky bed. In seasons of high water it sends
down immense volumes, the drift being ten and fifteen feet above the present stream. The
mountains rise abruptly from the river hanks to the height of eight and ten hundred feet.
They are timbered with pine and oak near the river, hut rocky ledges slope down to the water’s
edge; and it is, at intervals, impossible to ride along the Indian trails which lead over the
water- washed drifts and heaps of rocks lying on the hanks. At points where rocky strata crop
out on the river hanks, the Indians themselves are forced more or less to ascend the side of
the mountain in travelling up and down the river, and in many instances, to avoid long
bends of the stream, pass over the projecting spurs. In its mountain course the river is wind¬
ing ; hut in its general direction in this part, it descends from a little east of north, and continues
it a short distance below our present position, when it changes more to the south and eventually
a little to the east, as it enters the open valley below. We began its ascent hy riding, when
we could, on the trails, hut were frequently forced to leave them and pass over spurs, up which
our animals could not carry us, and we suffered greatly from the intense heat of the day.

m'cloud’s fork.

The river is followed on the opposite hank by a heavy pack-trail leading to Yreka; hut it
soon leaves the main river, and follows the course of an affluent from the north, which has
been generally mistaken for the Sacramento itself. It is, however, hut a small stream com¬
pared with the main river, to which the name of Pitt has been given. Six miles above the
mouth of this stream we came to the mouth of McCloud’s fork, a larger stream than the former,
also entering the Sacramento from the north. Salmon abound in this stream, and in the Sac¬
ramento, but far more abundantly below this junction than above it. The stream was lined
with Indians, many of whom were entirely naked, while others were provided with a single
garment, or had their faces blackened with tar in mourning for their friends — the tribe having-
been recently severely punished by the neighboring miners and settlers, whose friends had been
killed by them. From McCloud’s fork, two of them accompanied us to our evening camp, 5.25
miles above, which we reached at dark, drenched with perspiration, our animals trembling with
heat and fatigue. At this point there is, on the south side of the river, a small grassy prairie
a few hundred yards wide, and a ferry is established by a Mr. Dribblesby for the use of a
mining town, three miles to the north, called Pittsburg. The river, for a mile opposite this
prairie, flows with a gentle, unbroken current ; but at its foot makes a short bend, and desends
rapidly over its rocky bed. I purchased from one of the Indian women, to-day, a girdle of the
size of an ordinary rope, made entirely of human hair. Day’s march, 24 miles.

July IT. — We rode on the bank of the river, this morning, for two miles to Silverthorn’s
ferry, and were then driven high up the mountain to avoid deep ravines, and to pass around
ledges and masses of fallen rocks found at a few points — the mountains dividing the valley of
Cow creek, which we occasionally overlooked at a distance, from the river immediately below
us. The character of the river was the same to-day as yesterday, curving among the high hills
and mountains. The timber of the forests was also the same, and the character of the hard,
dark, trachytic rocks unchanged. Indian smokes curled upwards from every part of the mount¬
ains where they were engaged in burning the grass to catch grasshoppers, upon which they
feed, regarding them as a great delicacy. We encamped on a small flat, 200 yards wide and
a mile long, on the river bank, 10.50 miles above our morning camp. From the most reliable
information we could gain from persons who have lived on the river for two or three years past,
the amount of snow which falls upon the higher parts of the mountains is large ; but upon the
river itself it is small, never exceeding four or five inches in depth. They also state, that upon
the river banks, which are completely sheltered from the winds, it never accumulates in drifts,
being deposited on the sheltered sides of the mountains long before reaching the stream.
They state, also, that the river is never choked up with ice, but that it rises ten feet above its
general level in times of great freshets.

July 18. — Clambering along the mountain sides, we again returned to the river 4. TO miles
above our morning camp ; and in passing a rocky point several mules were crowded into it,
and swam with their packs to the opposite bank. And in addition to previous difficulties
encountered in following the river banks, it was obstructed by dense thickets of bushes and fallen
trees lying at right angles to our path. But to ascend the mountain sides, and pass along
where we could observe the character of the river, was also very difficult, and several of our
animals repeatedly lost their footing and rolled back hundreds of feet, in passing the steepest
points. We were constantly in positions to overlook the river, but did not again descend to it
during the day, its character remaining entirely the same. The mountains, however, became
higher, and the ravines longer. We encamped, after a march of but 11 miles, at the head of
a ravine, where we found a small spring and a little grass in the open pine and oak forest.

July 19. — We returned again to the edge of the mountains overlooking the river, and at
9 o’clock a. m. again descended to it, hoping to be able to follow it; but we here found it more
confined by rocky ledges than in any other part of its course, the ledges being, at some points,
quite vertical on alternate sides of the river. The ravines, too, were more rocky and precipitous
than before, and we were forced, after examining it, to retrace our steps for nearly a mile, when

THE SACRAMENTO IMBEDDED IN MOUNTAINS.

we again turned up the river, and crossed two or three small streams, gaining a position from
which we overlooked it for several miles, both above and below, hut we could discover no im¬
provement in its character : our course, however, changed to nearly due north, parallel with
the river, and hut a short distance from it. The summit of the mountain was broad and level,
and the timber unusually heavy, and a fine growth of raspberries reminded us of our boyish
days. At the end of this direct course, we again descended to the river, and found it a foaming
rapid for several miles above its change of course. Its fall here is twice as great as in its
general descent. Just above its change of course there is a small boiling spring, the stream
from which immediately falls into the river. Above this spring there is a rocky valley, half
a mile wide, timbered with oak, in which we encamped after a march of 23.50 miles. The
mountains passed to-day were more elevated than those crossed yesterday, hut were not so diffi¬
cult to traverse.

July 20. — We followed the rough hank of the river, this morning, for 1.50 miles. On the
side of the trail there was something like a valley, uneven and rocky, hut it soon became rough
and broken; and the mountains, eventually shutting in close to the stream, were too steep,
and too much obstructed by fallen timber and dense thickets of hushes, to admit of further
progress along its shores. The opposite bank was, at the same time, more than usually steep
and rocky, and at some points almost vertical. There was no alternative, therefore, for us hut
to re-ascend the mountains ; for, with our force, we could not have progressed three miles a
day by cutting a road along the mountain base. The ascent was very steep and difficult, and
we were occupied four hours and a half in effecting it. And when we had gained the summit,
which we followed for some miles high above the stream, which could be traced by its foaming
current, not only where we were passing to-day, hut at the foot of the long line of the heavily
timbered summit followed yesterday, we encountered such a dense growth of mansanita and
laurel hushes that it was only by the most persevering efforts that we could effect a passage
through them. Steep ravines extend from the river quite to the summit of the mountains, and
we were always forced to pass around them. Coming eventually, however, to an open woods,
we pushed rapidly forward, and at sundown came upon an open, grassy prairie, abundantly
supplied with water. This was the first grass we had seen during the day’s march of 18.50
miles, and was a most welcome sight.

July 21. — We passed directly over the crest of the mountains towards the river, to points
where we could overlook it immediately at our feet. For several miles below us its banks
were as high and rocky as at any point below ; but immediately in front of us, and for a short
distance above, with one exception, the projecting ridges or angles were low, and for short
distances one could ride comfortably along the base of the mountains. The river was, however,
still shut in by mountains, and its current was as rapid as ever. But the mountains were
so broken by ravines that we could not pass along them, and were obliged to recross the sum¬
mit, where we at once came upon a more level country, but very rocky and dry. The mountains
on the river also began immediately to fall off, and we easily returned to it a short distance below
the mouth of Canoe creek, where there is a small valley extending for five miles along, the
river. This valley is a mile wide only, but the mountains above are low and retreating. Canoe
creek is sixty feet wide at its mouth, with a current as rapid as that of the Sacramento. The
Indians have large fish-traps arranged in it, hut the salmon season has not yet arrived. Cross¬
ing the creek we ascended to the head of this valley, passing several holes dug by parties
searching for gold ; and at the head of the valley reached the foot of the canon, before described
as the second canon of the Sacramento, immediately below the mouth of Fall river. The walls
at the lower end are higher, hut much less vertical than at the upper end of this canon ; and
the accumulated mass of fallen rocks extends from the water nearly to the top. It is much
wider also at the lower than at the upper end; and the peaks rising on the terrace above, sloping
gently back, are less elevated. It is, however, a formidable canon, cut deep through strata of
trachytic rocks ; and in descending the Sacramento with a railway, as before stated, it will be

GRADES ON THE SACRAMENTO. — CANOE CREEK VALLEY.

a point, -which can only be determined by a minute survey, whether it will he easier to pass
around it to the south, over the lava fields at the foot of the ridge or butte which rises on that
side of the canon, and return to the river at the mouth of Canoe creek, than to descend by the
canon itself.

Table of approximate average grades in descending the Sacramento
river, from the mouth of Fall river to the head of steamboat naviga¬
tion at Fort Beading, California.

Stations.

Intermediate

distances.

Total dis¬
tances.

Average de¬
scent permile
in feet.

Altitude
above the sea
in feet.

Remarks.

Mouth of Fall river. . .

3, 249

Head of sec

Foot of second cation.

8.95

35. 00

ond canon

Mouth of Canoe creek.

4.70

13. 65

14. 00

Sacramento river .

22. 50

36. 15

30.70

Sacramento rapids

7. 50

43. 65

59. 60

1,730

Sacramento river .

26. 50

70. 15

21.70

1,156

4. 70

74.85

16. 60

! 1,078

10. 50

85. 30

11.80

i 954

McCloud’s Fork .

5. 25

90. 55

6. 10

?22

Sacramento river .

11.75

102. 30

7. 20

837

Fort Reading .

22. 90

125. 20

7. 10

674

Having completed, by this connection, my exploration of the line of the Madelin Pass entirely
through to the head of steamboat navigation on the Sacramento, we turned our course towards
the south to explore the country drained by Canoe creek, and, if possible, discover a route con¬
necting the Sacramento, at the mouth of that creek, with Noble's Pass at Black Butte creek,
where the emigrant road first strikes it in crossing the mountains from the east, by which,
if no better route could be found, the steep descent from that pass to the west would be avoided.

The ascent of this creek for the first mile led us over thorny bushes and rocky bluffs ; and in
their passage we were greatly aided by a heavy Indian trail, always serviceable when available,
and here doubly acceptable, for our animals were both jaded and sore-footed from constantly
travelling on the sharp angular fragments of rocks. For the first mile, also, the stream was
full of foaming rapids at short intervals ; but above that point we came to an open grassy prairie
of small extent, through which the stream flows gently, and in its passage receives two or three
respectable tributaries, one of which, from the southwest, falls with considerable noise into the
main stream. We encamped under a wide branching pine in the centre of this prairie.

July 22. — Just above our morning camp we ascended a terrace wall, fifty or sixty feet high,
to a nearly level plain, upon which we followed an Indian trail for two miles. This plain was
covered in various parts with grassy ponds, but it was obstructed to the southeast and east by
large fields and hills of volcanic rocks, with dark ledges and masses here and there, and it was
apparently impassable. To the west there was an open pine woods and a low range of hills,
apparently succeeded by another plain, upon which there is a lake called Freaner, the name of
an unfortunate gentleman who is supposed to have bee^ killed by the Indians in its vicinity.
Many Indians were daily seen in every part of the mountains, but they invariably fled
upon seeing us. Dismounting from our animals, we determined to attempt the passage of
the field of lava (pedrigal) to a high bluff beyond ; but the path was so bad that many of them
could not be led, and we were obliged to remount, and in two miles succeeded in extricating
ourselves from it by the most difficult. path I have ever seen. Ascending the bluff, the red soil
of which was friable and dusty, we still found a stony path, but it afforded us an extensive view
of the country for many miles, overlooking the Sacramento and Fall rivers, and the valley of
-Canoe creek. Here, as above, the valley of Canoe creek is but a few miles wide, and is almost
entirely occupied by fields of volcanic rocks — the part we had crossed being but a small angle

THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY. — PARTY DISBANDED.

of it. The course of Hat creek, which enters it at its head, could nowhere he traced, and it is
probable that it occasionally disappears among the open rocks of the valley, and again reap¬
pears when no longer finding a subterranean passage. Our course continued along the bluff,
which is broken by deep ravines, and is the same that Mr. Egloffstein encountered in crossing
to the west from Black Butte creek on the 10th instant, and by which we hoped to reach that
stream, as it was supposed to be an affluent of Canoe creek, and it was near night when we
reached the base of the mountains south and west of our former camp on that stream without
finding it, or, indeed, any but the most trifling amounts of water in springy places ; and as the
country to the north, to the line we followed in our trip to the mouth of Fall river, was over¬
looked by us all day, and we could nowhere discover any indication of a stream, we came to the
conclusion that, like most of the streams we have seen in these mountains, Black Butte creek
sinks in some of the grassy plains before reaching the river. We were therefore obliged to turn
eastward to find a suitable camp, and were soon overtaken by night in a dense forest, obstructed
by a thick undergrowth, ledges of rocks, and fallen timber. But I determined, notwithstand¬
ing these difficulties, and that there was no trail— the stars being visible, however, through the
pines — to proceed to our former camp on Black Butte creek. But as I could not see the ground,
even when on foot, I owed my determination entirely to the confidence I had in my mule to
conduct the party safely through. I gave her a loose rein, only occasionally bringing her back
to the proper course when forced from it by insurmountable obstacles, and the men set up a
merry song to enable them to follow each other ; but it was not until 11 o’clock at night that we
emerged safely from the forest at our former camp, after a most laborious ride of 35 miles upon
which we were engaged for fifteen hours. We had failed, however, in finding a route by which
to descend with a railroad from this point to the mouth of Canoe creek, having traversed a
rough, broken country, and encountered abrupt descents, which Ave could discover no means of
avoiding.

From this point we returned to Fort Beading, re-examining the most difficult parts of Noble’s
Pass to the west, the result of which is embraced, in the report already given of that pass, where
we arrived on the 26th of July, and were kindly received by our friends. Fort Beading is in
latitude 40° 30' 02", and- by the course of the river about 300 miles from the sea, but only
200 or 220 by the direct course of the valley, and, as indicated by our barometers, 674 feet above
it. The valley of the Sacramento is here from ten to fifteen miles wide, but is more or less
occupied by the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada on the east, and of the Coast range on the west,
and these hills occasionally extend in bluffs, of sixty and a hundred feet in height, quite to the
river banks ; but they become much less frequent as we descend, and eventually entirely disap¬
pear near the river, and the valley becomes wider, more open, and level. It is occupied in
various parts, throughout its whole extent, by extensive farms and flourishing settlements, and
is well known to be finely adapted to the construction of a railway.

Having thus connected my line of survey with this valley by the most practicable route, as
required by your instructions, 1 at once disbanded my party, and reported to you in person, in
this city, on the 12th of September.

CHAPTER VII.

General Summary and railroad practicability of the line explored on the forty -first
parallel of north latitude.

Railroad connexion east from Fort Bridger. — Valley of Green river. — Grazing cattle in winter in the mountains. — Mormon
settlement on Smith’s Fork. — Bear River, Wahsatch, and Uinta mountains. — Highest point of the line reached. — Appearance
of the country thence west. — Depth of snow. — Timber, soil, and grass. — Length of line from Smith’s Fork to Oquirrh
mountain. — Canones of the Weber and Timpanogos rivers. — Railroad in the Jordan, Tuilla, and Lone Rock valleys. — Mormons
desirous to aid in the construction of the road ; their numbers. — Cedar mountain.— The Desert. — Passages to the south of
Pilot Peak, and thence to the Humboldt mountains. — Humboldt Mountain Pass; its altitude. — Timber and its abundance. —
Valley of the Humboldt river. — Country south of this valley; its profile. — From Humboldt river to the foot of the Sierra
Nevada. — Fertility of this section — The ascent of Madelin Pass ; its altitude ; broad plain at its summit. — Highest point of
the pass; its western descent; timber, and soil. — Round valley. — Sacramento river. — First canon of the Sacramento. — Second
canon of the Sacramento. — The Sacramento below the mouth of Fall river. — Noble’s Pass of the Sierra Nevada. — Mud lakes
to Honey lake. — Honey Lake valley. — Ascent of the mountains. — Susan river. — Pine creek. — Black Butte creek. — Black
Butte. — Hat and Wolf creeks. — Greatest altitude in this pass. — Descent from the western summit of the Sierra. — Depth of
snow in the winter in this pass. — Dr. Wozencraft’s observations. — Entire length of the pass. — Head of steamboat navigation
of the Sacramento. — Future surveys. — Method of determining levels. — Building-stone upon the route. — Water. — Cultivable
land. — Directness of this line ; its length.

Having concluded the journal report of my explorations for the Pacific railroad, of what
may, very properly, he designated the route of the forty-first parallel of north latitude, which
is both central, as regards its geographical position and its connection with the general lines
of commerce of all parts of our country, the general features of the route explored, and its
adaptation to the particular object of its examination, will he succinctly presented.

This route is intended to connect, in the vicinity of Fort Bridger, in the valley of Green
river, Utah, with that explored thence eastward by Bridger’ s Pass to the Plains, by Captain
Stansbury, in returning from his survey of Great Salt lake, in 1850 ; and it is only necessary
that I should refer you to his report of that part of the route for its clear understanding, and
connections thence eastward with the general lines of commerce of the country, either by
descending Lodge Pole creek, the South fork, and main Platte, to the Missouri, or by keeping
to the east of Crow creek and passing over to the Republican fork of the Kansas, and descending
the former stream to its junction with the latter, and thence pursuing any desired route to the
Missouri.

That part of the valley of Green river in which Fort Bridger is situated, and which is
overlooked from the foot of the Uinta mountains by the line which we followed in our explora¬
tions eastward from Bear river, constitutes a remarkable feature upon this line. It has been
variously designated as the valley of Green river, the Green River Basin, and the Coal Basin
of Green river, from being abundantly supplied with that important article. It is more than
two hundred miles in extent from east to west, and has a variable width, north and south, from
twenty to over a hundred miles. It is enclosed on the east by the Rocky mountains, and on
the northeast by the Sweet Water and Wind River mountains — Green river entering it from
the north — and on the northwest and west by the Bear River mountains ; and on the south by
the Uinta mountains, broken by the deep canon by which Green river continues its course to the
south. Its borders are occupied by spurs from the surrounding mountains, and a few detached
buttes are seen east of Green river ; hut its general character is that of an elevated rolling
plain or valley, easily traversed in any direction. It is drained by Green river, which passes
southward through its centre, and by its tributaries. Its soil is light and dry, with a small

GREEN RIVER VALLEY. — BEAR RIVER AND UINTA MOUNTAINS.

scattered growth of cedar upon the mountains, and borders of grass are found upon its water¬
courses ; hut artemisia, with a little scattered grass, occupies the valley in every direction, and
characterizes its vegetation. The trading post at Fort Bridger has been occupied constantly for
the last ten years ; hut the district was much frequented before by traders and trappers, whose
effects are always transported by cattle, which subsist themselves throughout the year by
grazing — a fact remarkably significant of the winter climate, and depth of snow which falls in
the district, the general elevation of which may he safely taken at 7,000 feet above the sea.
And it is said, by these people, to he a well-established fact, that horned cattle, of which their
stock largely consists, cannot so subsist where the snow is deep enough to bury their eyes and
enter their ears as they feed. I have already stated, in this report, that the Mormons have
commenced a settlement near Fort Bridger, and that large herds of cattle were grazed near it
during the early part of the winter, and were subsequently driven over the mountains, and
remained in the valley of the Weber river until spring.

Two ranges of mountains, more or less united, intervene between this valley and that of
Great Salt lake. The first, or more eastern, is the Bear River range, which is broken and sur¬
mounted by elevated peaks towards the north, hut is more broad and open towards the south,
where it unites with spurs of the Uinta and Wahsatch ranges. It is drained on the east by
Black’s fork and its tributaries, an affluent of Green river, and on the west by Bear river
itself, which rises in the Uinta mountains and flows northward, breaking through the Wahsatch
range and emptying into Great Salt lake.

The second, or western range, which stands immediately on the eastern border of the Basin,
is the Wahsatch, extending from Little Salt lake, in a very direct line northward for 300 miles
to Bear river. It is broken, towards the south, only by the passage of the Sevier river; hut
on our present line by the narrow passages of the Timpanogos and Weber rivers, by either
of which, after crossing the first range, by ascending the divide between Black’s fork and the
Muddy, and crossing the heads of the latter stream and Bear river to the head of White Clay
creek, (an affluent of the Weber) it is very practicable to descend to the valley of the Great Salt
lake with a railroad. Looking westward, from the divide just indicated, the country presents
a broad, level appearance, and it is difficult to realize its great elevation. It is, however,
intersected by the valleys and ravines of the various water-courses by which it is drained, and
which extend into the Porcupine terrace, lying at the northern foot of the Uinta mountains.
The greatest elevation upon the line occurs upon this terrace, between the sources of Black’s
fork and the Muddy, and, as indicated by our barometers, is 8,373 feet above the sea. By
ascending the Muddy, two hundred feet of this elevation would he avoided; but the line would
require more and smaller curves. It is here, also, that the greatest depth of snow is encountered,
and it increases in depth as we approach the snowy Uinta range. When we crossed it, in
April, the streams were not swollen, and we could not discover that it had diminished by
the warmth of the season from its usual winter depth.. On the northeast slopes of the hills
and ravines it had accumulated in deep drifts, hut its general depth varied, for a few miles,
from twelve to sixteen inches; and in crossing Bear river, and on the head of White Clay creek,
it was from eight to twelve inches ; hut below this we encountered no snow. The timber of this
section is limited in quantity, the ridges being dotted with a scattered growth of small cedar,
and the Porcupine terrace dark with a respectable growth of spruce, pine, and fir. The soil
of the mountains is superior, and covered with a luxuriant growth of grass. The distance
from Smith’s fork, on which we encamped, near Fort Bridger, by the line of the Timpanogos
river, to the northern point of Oquirrh mountains, at the south end of the Great. Salt lake,
and on the western side of the valley of the Jordan, is 182.55 miles; and the same point
would he reached by descending the Weber from the mouth of White Clay creek and following
tne eastern and southern shore of the lake, by a line of equal length. The respective average
grades and altitudes upon these lines, and throughout the lines of the survey, will he found in
the accompanying table and upon the profiles submitted with this report. There are large

TIMPANOGOS AND WEBER CANONES. — VALLEY OF GREAT SALT LAKE.

canones on both of these streams — one upon the Timpanogos, and two upon the Weber. The
former is ten miles in length. It is from 100 to 300 yards wide, and very direct in its gen¬
eral course ; hut projecting masses or spurs on either side of the river overlap partially, giving
it a slightly sinuous course at the bottom. The great mass of the rock of which it is formed
is blue limestone, on the south side often nearly vertical, hut more inclined and open and
covered with small stones and a luxuriant growth of vegetation on the north side, along which
we rode. It will he necessary, in passing it with a railway, to bridge the river at several points
to avoid curves, and to blast the rocks to a considerable extent at some points, amounting, how¬
ever, to no large aggregate. The river is thirty yards wide, descending with a powerful current.
The upper canon on the Weber deserves the name only of a gorge or defile. It is eight and a
half miles in length. The passage is more broad and open, and not so direct as that of the
canon twelve miles below, on the border of the valley of Great Salt lake. The mountains rise
to a great height above it, and are rocky and precipitous, and much broken by ravines. The
river winds from side to side, frequently striking against the base of the mountains, and the
path crosses it frequently ; and in constructing a railroad it will he necessary to bridge it
several times. But it can he built by cutting and filling at the base of the mountains with the
same facility that roads are carried elsewhere at mountain bases, where the formidable name of
canon is not encountered. The lower canon, which is four miles long, in some parts well
deserves the name. It is, however, very direct, with an average width of 1*75 yards, the stream
being 30 yards wide, and frequently impinging with great force against the base of the mount¬
ains. At a single point only, near the head of the canon, the river is narrowed to one half its
usual width, 30 yards, and has cut a passage 20 or 30 feet deep through the solid rock, which
on the north side, at this point, overhangs the stream, which is deflected from its course by a
low projecting mass, for a few yards, but again immediately resumes it. The rocks are prin¬
cipally gneiss. The mountains are sufficiently retreating to admit of a practicable passage
of the gorge by a railway, and it will require an amount of blasting no greater than is required
in constructing a road on a rocky mountain side of similar extent elsewhere. Entering the
valley of Great Salt lake from either this or the Timpanogos canon, a railway meets with no
obstruction in passing by the south end of the lake and crossing the Jordan, Tuilla valley, and
Spring or Lone Rock valley, to its west side, the grades being merely nominal.

The settlement and cultivation of this valley by the twenty-seven thousand industrious people
who inhabit it — the number at which the church authorities estimated their population when
I was among them, and it did not seem to be an exaggeration — is so obviously a matter of
great importance in connection with the construction of a continental railway, that only the
simple statement of its being embraced in this line is necessary, and that its construction is an
object which the Mormons are anxious to assist in accomplishing. From the western shore of
Great Salt lake to the valley of Humboldt river, the country consists alternately of mountains,
in more or less isolated ranges, and open, level plains, rising gradually from the level of the
lake on the east to the base of the Humboldt mountains on the west, or from 4,200 feet to 6,000
feet above the sea. Cedar mountain lies immediately on the southwestern shore of the lake,
and gradually subsides towards the north, terminating in Strong’s Knob. But to pass entirely
around it would unnecessarily increase the length of the line, for it can be crossed, not only by
the line followed by Fremont in 1845, at an elevation of 800 feet above the lake, but apparently
at a much lower elevation, a few miles north of this point. Immediately west of this range
there occurs a desert plain of mud, about seventy miles in width from east to west, by its longest
line, which becomes narrowed to forty, and eventually entirely disappears as it extends south¬
ward— less than thirty of which is miry by this line — and it is firm in proportion to the distance
from the lake. Two or three small isolated rocky ranges stand in it, but it appears otherwise
to the eye, as level as a sheet of water. To the west this desert is succeeded by broken mount¬
ain ranges, one of which is terminated towards the south near Pilot Peak, affording the means of
reaching and passing to the succeeding plain. To the south of this passage, however, an equally

HUMBOLDT MOUNTAIN PASS. — CHARACTER OF THE BASIN.

favorable passage exists to the north of Fish creek, connecting directly with passages to the west
quite to the base of the Humboldt mountains ; and this will doubtless be the preferable line, as it
will enable us to cross the desert by a shorter line and a more firm path. The ascending grades
upon this section will be merely those of the ascent of the successive plains. The Humboldt
mountains are a narrow but elevated ridge, containing much snow during most of the year.
The length of the pass by which they will be crossed is nine miles, about three of which are
occupied by a narrow rocky ravine, above which the road should be carried on the sloping spurs
of the mountains, on the western descent. The summit of the pass is five hundred feet above
the extensive plain east of it, but considerably more above the valley of Humboldt river, which
succeeds it to the west. This pass offers no serious obstacle to the passage of a railroad. Cedar
only is found in these mountains, and in those to the east of it, sufficiently large for railroad
ties ; and although it will require transporting for long distances, it is believed to be sufficiently
abimdant for the construction of the road.

The open valley of Humboldt river immediately succeeds this section, and should be followed
for about 180 miles. No other description is necessary of this direct and valuable passage
across the Basin than that given in an extract from Colonel Fremont’s Geographical Memoir,
addressed to the Senate, aj)pended to the journal of the 22d of May, in the preceding part of
this report.

The country to the south of this valley consists of an alternation of narrow mountains and vah
leys rapidly succeeding each other. The mountains have a general north and south course, but
not unfrequently vary many degrees from that general direction, and, occasionally, cross chains
are seen, closing the valleys to the north and south; but large spurs more frequently extend out
from succeeding chains, and unite to form cross ranges, or overlap and obstruct the view.
They are sharp, rocky, and inaccessible in many parts, but are low and easily passed in others.
Their general elevation varies from 1,500 to 3,000 feet above the valleys, and but few of them
retain snow upon their highest peaks during the summer. They are liberally supplied with
springs and small streams, but the latter seldom extend far into the plains. At the time of
melting snows they form many small ponds and lakes, but at others are absorbed by the soil
near the bases of the mountains. Grass is found in abundance upon nearly every range, but
timber is very scarce, a small scattered growth of cedar only being seen upon a few ranges.
The valleys rarely extend uninterruptedly east and west, to a greater width than five or ten
miles, but often have a large extent north and south. They are very irregular in form, fre¬
quently extending around the ends of mountains, or are united to succeeding valleys by level
passages. They are much less fertile than the mountains, but generally support several varie¬
ties of artemisia, relieving them from the character of barrenness or desert. There are, how¬
ever, many barren spots in each of these valleys, and the soil is seldom one half covered with
vegetation, even for a few acres, while the great mass of it is merely sprinkled by the sombre
artemisia foliage, presenting the aspect of a dreary waste, unrelieved by inviting shades, grassy
plats, and floral beauties, and is nowhere suitable for settlements and cultivation. The accom¬
panying profile of the line which we traversed in this part of the Basin, will serve to convey a
general idea of its formation. From Humboldt river, there are three lines which may be
followed to the foot of the Sierra Nevada. That by the Noble’s Pass road, leaving the river a
few miles to the east of where we returned to it, is the most direct, and is believed to be the
best, as it avoids the principal range of mountains which we crossed on the line followed a few
miles to the south of this, the two lines uniting on the shore of Mud lake. By the line fol¬
lowed, it is necessary to cross two ranges of the general character of the Basin mountains.
The third line leads from the sink of the Humboldt to Pyramid lake without obstruction ; but
of the line passing thence by its shores to Honey Lake valley, little is known. It is 119 miles
by the line followed from Humboldt river to the west shore of Mud lake, at the foot of Madelin
Pass ; but the northern line will diminish this distance at least one-fifth. The fertility of this
section corresponds with that of the line south of Humboldt river. The northern route

MADELIN PASS.

explored across tlie Sierra Nevada, to which I have given the name of Madelin Pass, ascends
the eastern slope of the mountains from Mud lake through the valley of Smoky creek. In
leaving the lake valley, the pass leads for three miles through a narrow gorge in an outlying
range of the Sierra Nevada. The sides of this gorge are formed of coarse, crumbling meta-
morphic rocks, much broken by side ravines. They rise very abruptly to the height of from
50 to 200 feet above the stream on the south side, and to a much greater elevation on the north
side, swelling up two miles hack into the high mountain ridge. The course of the gorge is
direct, and varies in width from 100 to 150 yards, and can he followed without difficulty by a
railroad. Above the gorge the valley of the creek expands to the width of half a mile at first,
and afterwards of a mile; hut again becomes narrowed to a ravine seven miles from the gorge.
This valley is enclosed on the south side, except at a single point broken by a creek fol¬
lowed by Noble’s road, by a precipitous rocky wall, rising at once to the level of the terrace
above, which extends hack to the foot of a high peak standing immediately at the summit of
the pass. On the north side the valley is enclosed for seven miles by retreating mountain spurs,
upon which a road can easily ascend to the terrace, which, in its eastern portion, is hut a mile
in width, with sloping ridges rising above it. Above this, however, it expands to the width of
ten or twelve miles, hut again becomes narrow as it approaches the summit of the mountain,
where the grassy ascent is hut 200 yards wide, with rocky hills rising gently two or three hun¬
dred feet above it. The soil of the pass is light, and the surface thickly covered with stones.
Its width, and the character of the hills gradually rising above it in all parts, afford the means
of ascending it by a very uniform grade. The length of the ascent is 22.89 miles by the direct
line which we followed, and the difference of elevation of the extreme points 1,172 feet — the
altitude of the summit being 5,667 feet above the sea. The latitude of our camp at the western
base of the high peak was 40° 48' 46". The pass leads around this elevated peak, and
by a gentle descent for five miles enters upon the broad, level plain of the summit of the
mountains, extending for forty miles to the west; its width, north and south, varying from
ten miles to mere open passages of a few hundred yards. No water is discharged from this
plain, which receives the waters of a few small streams and springs forming grassy ponds.
The irregular spurs, ridges, and isolated buttes rise hut a few hundred feet above it, and are
sparsely covered with a growth of cedar to the east, hut with heavy pine forests to the west.
In leaving this plain to cross the low ridge enclosing it to the west, the line enters a ravine
valley a quarter of a mile wide, smooth and gradually ascending for a mile. It then expands
to the width of a mile, and is grassy and smooth, and still ascends gently ; hut it again becomes
narrowed to a quarter of a mile, and rises more considerably for the last half mile to the sum¬
mit. The ridges rise gently on either side of the ascent, and are finely rounded and grassy,
and it will he easy, by winding on these spurs, to increase the length of the approach some¬
what, and to equalize the ascent ; and the summit can readily be cut so as to diminish the alti¬
tude to he overcome 100 or 120 feet. The elevation of this point is 500 feet above that of the
preceding plain, and 5,736 feet above the sea, and is the highest point in the pass, from which
the descent is directly upon the waters of the Sacramento river. This descent is at first rapid
and the ravine narrow ; hut it soon widens, and a creek descends from it with a free current.
Spurs of the mountains, separated by ravines, project into the valley of this creek, leaving a
direct and free passage, however, of fifty or sixty yards in width in the narrowest parts, and
frequently expanding to half a mile. The descent is grassy and heavily timbered. For some
miles from the summit, it will he easy to carry a road on the hillsides, descending at pleasure ;
hut lower down it will become more difficult on account of the curves required for passing the
side ravines, but it is still practicable. For this purpose the northeast side is the most favor¬
able; for, although it contains the largest number of ravines, it is free from canones, while
the opposite side is obstructed by a formidable one five miles below the summit, and a second
three miles below this. The length of the descent to the broad open plain of Bound valley, to

SACRAMENTO CANONES AND RIVER.

which it leads, (on the Sacramento,) is fifteen miles, one half of which must he effected by fol¬
lowing the mountain side. The total descent is 1,300 feet.

Eound valley, through which the Sacramento river descends from the northeast, and through
which a road can he carried at pleasure, extends for 15 miles below this point to the head of the
first canon of the Sacramento. This canon is a formidable obstacle to he overcome. Its entire
length is 13.74 miles, succeeded by an open valley of similar extent, which is followed by
another canon 8.95 miles in length, of the same character as the first. The river, as it enters
the first canon, is from 30 to 40 feet wide, flowing with a rapid current over a bed of rocks ; and
it is 60 feet wide as it enters the second canon, just below the junction of Fall river, and flows
over a similar bed with an equally swift current. At their heads these canones are vertical
trachytic rocks, 80 feet high, with large masses of fallen rocks accumulated at the bases of the
walls. The first is cut through a high plain for six miles ; the plain then rises somewhat,
and is surmounted by high sloping ridges rising five or six hundred feet above it, and the
canon becomes much broader, and its walls more elevated for two miles, to where it makes a
large bend to the north ; below this the* walls gradually decrease, and in two miles the canon
opens to the width of half a mile, which it preserves for three miles to the succeeding valley.
The highest portions of the walls rise 200 feet above the stream, with an accumulation of fallen
rocks extending half way to the top. For eight miles the course of the canon is direct. It
then makes a long bend to the north, and is followed by two or three short curves, hut with a
generally direct course. Its open part is timbered, and its walls less abrupt ; and on the right
hank of the stream, the mountains, followed by the river, extend considerably into the plain
of Fall river. The most favorable line for the passage of a railway leads along the plain on
the north side of the river, and descends the sides of the rocky hills which surmount it, and
continues on the side of the mountain until it enters the plain of Fall river. The second canon
is only less formidable than the first because of its less extent. Its character is entirely the
same, except that it is surmounted near its head by sloping mountain ridges of a similar alti¬
tude to the former. But on the south side, a few miles distant, the ridge subsides into rocky
volcanic hills and plains. It will require a minute survey to determine the most practicable
line by which to pass it ; hut it is probable that the best line will he found to leave the river a
few miles above Fall river, and to pass around the ridge extending southward, and again return
to the Sacramento at the mouth of Canoe creek, four miles below the foot of the canon, avoiding
short curves, which must he encountered in it, and diminishing the amount of rocky cutting ;
for in the passage of each of these canones, the expense will he very heavy from this cause,
and can only he estimated after an extensive and complete survey.

For 96 miles below the mouth of Canoe creek, to 17 miles above Fort Reading, the course of
the Sacramento lies entirely through heavily timbered mountains, which rise precipitously from
the river hanks to the height of from 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the stream. Its course is wind¬
ing, with, all varieties of curves greater than a right angle, and it is seldom entirely straight
for two miles consecutively, hut its general courses are more uniform.

The foot of the mountains along the stream is often obstructed by fallen rocks to such an
extent as to prevent its passage on horseback, and it is also obstructed by fallen timber and
dense thickets of hushes ; hut the obstructions from fallen rocks are favorable rather than other¬
wise, for the construction of a railroad, as they will serve to form its sub-structure. At many
points, hut for short distances only, the way is obstructed by rocks in place. The road will
require to he carried on the side of the mountains, a few feet above the stream at high water,
throughout this entire section to the open valley of the Sacramento, whence it can he continued
on the open plain. The latitude of our camp, near the northwest angle of the river, was
41° 03'.

The southern or Noble’s pass of the Sierra Nevada (which I explored) branches from Madelin
Pass, and the general line followed, on the western shore of Mud lake, which it follows to its
southwestern termination, where it approaches nearest to Pyramid lake. It then turns more

noble’s pass.

to the west, and follows, for nine miles, an open passage of a mile in width, leading from Mud
Lake valley to that of Honey lake. This valley extends 40 miles to the west, and is 20 miles
wide in its broadest part, north and south. On the south it is enclosed by a high unbroken
mountain range, and on the north by the outlying ranges, more or less broken, of the Sierra
Nevada. The lake is about 15 miles in length and 8 or 10 in width. Its water is bitter.
The head of the valley to the west is very fertile, and a settlement has been commenced in it,
and will doubtless be continued. It is situated upon Susan river, which descends through the
broad mountain depression followed by Noble’s road to the summit of the Sierra Nevada. For
seven miles above the valley this stream descends through a deep rocky canon, frequently with
vertical walls towards its lower portion, but more or less fallen and open above. It is also
much broken by side ravines, and spurs of mountain ridges occasionally extend to it. In leav¬
ing the valley, outside of this canon, there is, at first, an abrupt terrace rise, followed by the
road, which continues along the sides of the ridges to the right of the ascent by a much less
gradual and uniform ascent than that- of the stream.

Seven miles above the valley the canon becomes an ordinary ravine, and disappears about
five miles higher up, where the mountain becomes broad and undulating, with irregular ridges
rising above the general level, but still continues to rise to the vicinity of Pine creek, whence
it continues its rolling character to Black Butte creek. It is doubtless practicable to accomplish
the ascent of the first section of this pass, either by following the river or by rising as soon as
practicable above its rocky walls, and following -its general course above its canon. By follow¬
ing the river, it will be necessary to carry the road on a rocky ledge, but the grades will be
comparatively easy. The ascent by the terrace line will require an approach commencing on
the foot of the mountain north of the pass, and rising gradually to the top of the canon walls;
and above this will encounter broad ravines for 12 miles. From this point to Black Butte
creek, 31 miles, the construction of the road will be easy. From Black Butte creek, there is
still a heavy rise for 12 miles to the west side of Black Butte. For the first eight miles the line
follows the valley of the creek, and the foot of the mountain enclosing it to the west, (for the
course is southward.) It then passes to the south around a large field of lava rocks, and, on a
return curve to the north, passes to the west of Black Butte, and is continued thence to the west
side of Hat creek without a material change of level, and is continued thence on the side of the
mountain spur, extending into Canoe creek valley, and separating Hat from Wolf creek, and
crosses the latter nearly on a level with the former, and is continued, two miles, to the western
summit of the range on the side of the range itself. The length of this section from Black
Butte creek is 35 miles, and the highest point upon the pass is found on it a short distance west
of the Black Butte, and is 6,275 feet above the sea. The descent from the western summit is
by a broad, heavily timbered ridge, lying between Bear Creek valley on the north and deep
rocky chasms on the south. Its length is forty miles, with a variable width of from one and a
quarter to six miles. Its altitude at the summit is 6,074 feet above the sea, and more than
5,000 feet above the foot of the ridge. Its character and the difficulties of its descent will be
best understood by a reference to the preceding journal for the 12th of July, and the table
accompanying it. By the residents in the lumber district of the descent, we were informed that
in the vicinity of their mills they had never seen the snow more than four or six inches deep at
any time during the winter, and that it never remained upon the ground for more than a
week at a time in sufficient quantities to enable them to use sleds in their vocation. About
the 10th of last January, Dr. Wozencraft, of California, with a small party, ascended this pass
to its summit on a tour of exploration. They found the snow on the entire route, as they
certify in a note placed in my hands by Dr. Wozencraft, “to average six inches in depth, and
nowhere reaching eight or ten inches in its average fall. But,” they say, “ we encountered
one drift of snow on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, in a ravine extending a mile, avera¬
ging two feet or two feet and a half in depth.” The entire length of the pass from Roop’s
farm, at the head of Honey Lake valley on the east, to the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada on

STONE. — WATER. — CHARACTER AND LENGTH OF THE LINE.

the west, is 110 miles, and its termination is at the head of steamboat navigation, in a fertile and
cultivated portion of the Sacramento valley, which extends unobstructed to the tide-waters of
the Pacific.

Further surveys upon this route would doubtless develop important improvements at various
points; and at two, at least — one from the shore of the lake near Stanshury’s island, by Pilot
Peak, to the pass in the Humboldt mountains ; and the other in crossing from Humboldt river
to Mud lake — would probably diminish the length of the line by 106 miles. The grades, also,
are doubtless susceptible of material improvement by minute surveys with the spirit-level, by
which the irregular atmospheric variations, which more or less affect barometric observations,
will he entirely avoided. This method of determining levels with limited means, on so
extensive a line, infested throughout by hostile savages, in the brief time allowed for these ex¬
plorations, was not practicable, nor was it necessary ; for the accuracy of the method employed
is quite sufficient for the determination of the general profile of the route.

There is an abundance of good stone for bridges and building purposes at short intervals
upon all parts of this line. Water is also found in abundance for railroad purposes through¬
out those portions of the Sierra Nevada, Wahsatch and Rocky mountains explored, and also at
a few miles intervals in the Basin, where it usually occurs in springs at the bases of the mount¬
ains, and in small streams descending from the higher peaks and ridges to the adjacent plains.
And a simple reference to the map of the route will exhibit an important feature in the fact,
that in its remarkably direct course, for its great length, from the Missouri west to the Pacific,
it follows the ascending and descending valleys of permanent rivers and their tributaries for
more than two-thirds of its entire length, and that water is abundant on all the intermediate
spaces — affording the means of irrigation to a large extent wherever the lands are suitable for
it; and that they will doubtless be found so wherever the sage plains are luxuriant, may he
inferred from the rich aromatic odor and resinous properties of that plant, and from the ex¬
ceedingly nutritious character of the grass scattered through it. And it is a well known fact,
that the Mormons produce some of their finest crops from reclaimed sage plains.

By reference to the map and accompanying table of latitudes, it will he seen that the route
explored conforms throughout to a remarkably straight line, deviating, west from Fort Bridger,
only at the Timpanogos canon, if that line he preferred to the Weber, and on the northern
portion of the Sacramento river; and then only by 3 minutes and 4 minutes, respectively, from
the line of the 41st parallel of north latitude. The length of this route from the Missouri to
the Black Hills may he safely estimated not to exceed 64*7 miles, the distance given by Captain
Stansbury from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Laramie, (outward journey) ; and his distance from
the Black Hills to Fort Bridger, 347 miles, is given from actual measurement. From Fort
Bridger to Fort Reading, by the line of the accompanying profile, the distance is 1,011.71
miles, (which may hereafter he diminished by at least 106 miles, as before pointed out,) giving
a total length for this line of 1,899.71 miles.

With much respect, I am, sir, your very obedient servant,

E. G. BECKWITH,

First Lieutenant , 3 d Artillery.

CHAPTER VIII.

Tables of Distances , Grades , Altitudes , and Latitudes.

I. — Table of distances and of approximate average grades per mile upon the line explored for a railroad from Smith’s Fork,

near Fort Bridger, in the valley of Green river, Utah Territory, via the Madelin Pass, to Fort Reading, in the valley of
the Sacramento river, California, 1854.

II. . — Table of distances and of approximate average grades per mile upon the line explored for a railroad from Mud lake, via

Noble’s Pass, to Fort Reading. — J uly 4 to 26, 1854.

III. — Table of latitudes on the line of the forty-first parallel of north latitude, explored for the Pacific railway, 1854.

I. — Table of distances and of approximate average grades per mile , upon the line explored for a
railroad from Smith’s Fork, near Fort Bridger, in the valley of Green river, Utah Territory ,
via the Madelin Pass , to Fort Beading, in the valley of the Sacramento river, California, 1854.

Station.

Intermediate

distances.

Total

distances.

Average
grades per
mile.

Altitudes
above the sea.

Smith’s Fork _ _ . . ........ .... _ _ ... _ _

Feet.

7254. 4

Black’s Fork . . . . . .... _ _

9. 00

69. 50

7880. 3

Divide between Black and Muddy creeks^ .

2.25

21.25

40. 30

8373. 7

Divide of Muddy and Bear river .

6. 10

27.35

39. 40

8133. 3

Divide of Bear river and White Clay creek. .

12. 90

40. 25

49.80

7490. 8

White Clay creek . . . . . .

11.50

51.75

41.90

7009.0

White Clay creek, camp 13... . . .

8.75

60. 50

54. 20

6534. 4

White Clay creek, camp 4, east from Salt Lake. ..
White Clay creek, camp 4... . . .

10. 00

70. 50

84. 20

5692. 1
5692. 1

Dry creek, camp 3.. . . . .

16. 50

5419. 1

Sheep Rock. Weber river . . .

8.50

25.00

27. 00

5189. 5

Ben Simon’s creek, camp 2 .

12.20

37. 20

28.50

4842.1

Weber river, below the mountains .

7. 80

45. 00

53. 60

4424. 1

Weber river, camp 15 . . . . . .

5. 25

75.75

3.80

5671.9

Weber river, Kamas prairie . . .

12. 00

87. 75

54. 00

6319.4

Timpanogos river, Kamas prairie . . . . .

8.70

96.45

8. 80

6242. 6

Timpanogos river . . . . .

5. 70

102. 15

32. 80

6055. 5

Timpanogos river, head of Round prairie .

5.20

107. 35

60. 90

5738. 8

Timpanogos river . . . . . . . . . .

5. 00

112.35

44. 40

5516. 7

Timpanogos river, foot of Round prairie...... _

0. 70

113. 05

32. 70

5493. 8

Timpanogos river, head of canon. . . .

4.70

117. 75

2. 00

5484. 3

Timpanogos river, in canon . . .

3. 00

120. 75

30. 10

5394. 1

Camp . . .

8. 00

128. 75

39. 70

5076. 7

American Fork . . .

14.20

142. 95

19. 80

5796. 0

Camp 2, west from Sait lake. . .

39. 60

182. 55

3. 50

4657. 0

Camp 3, west of Tuilla valley.. . . . .

20. 59

203. 14

8. 10

4487. 5

Camp 4, opposite Stansbury’s island . . .

13. 70

216. 84

18. 20

4238. 0

Camp 5, west side of Mt. creek, Spring or Lone
Rock valley.

21.45

238. 29

9.60

4444. 3

Dry creek . . .

10. 26

218. 55

99. 90

5469. 5

Entrance into Cedar Mt. Pass . . . ...... .

1.54

250. 09

38. 20

5528. 4

Camp 6, in pass .

Summit of Cedar Mt. Pass.. . . .

3. 24

253. 33

16. 10

5580. 5

2. 15

255. 48

364. 40

6364. 0

First descent of Cedar Mt. Pass . . .

0. 23

255. 71

773. 90

6186. 0

Camp 7, west of Cedar Mt. Pass . . .

1.30

257.01

470. 00

5575. 0

Foot of mountain. .... . . .

2. 43

259. 44

329. 00

4775. 5

Camp 8, Granite mountain _ _

17. 33

276. 77

0. 50

4666. 4

Fish creek. . .

39. 80

316. 57

10. 20

5073. 2

Camp 10, Fish creek .

16. 50

333. 07

0. 20

5076. 5 ,

Summit of mountain spur

14. 13

347. 20

76.30

6154, 1

Camp 11, in mountain pass . .

7.47

354. 67

10. 90

6073, 1

Ascent to divide of 1st and 2d creek of the pass _

1. 82

356. 49

226. 50

6485. 4

Ascent to divide between 1st and 2d creek of the pass

1 12

357.61

177. 50

66.84, 2

Ascending 2d creek . . .

1.25

358. 86

26. 20

6.717. 0

Remarks and dates.

April 11 and 12.
April 10.

Do.

April 9.
April 17.
Do.

April 7 and 8.

April 19.
April 20.

April 21.

Do.

November 6, 1853.
May 6, 1854.

May 7 and 8.

May 8 and 9.

May 9 and 10.

May 10.

Do.

May 10 and 11.

May 11.

Do.

Mav 12.
Do.

May 15.
Do,

May 16.
May 16.
May 17.
Do.
Do.

TABLES OF DISTANCES, ETC.

Table of Distances, Altitudes, and Grades — Continued.

Station.

Intermediate

distances.

Total

distances.

Average
grades per
mile.

Altitudes
above the sea.

Remarks and dates.

Summit of pass . .

1.93

360. 79

Feet.

142. 60

Feet.
6992. 2

May 17.

Camp 12, descending pass .

1.42

362. 21

311.20

6550. 3

May 17 and 18.

Foot of mountain . — .

8. 38

370. 59

61.60

6034. 4

May 18.

Open vallev, lake to the left .

6.86

377. 45

12. 00

5952. 4

Do.

Camp 13, Willow spring . - .

3.22

380. 67

28. 90

5859. 3

May 18 and 19.

Base of hill .

3.30

383. 97

79. 40

6121.4

May 19.

Top of deep ravine .

5.07

369. 04

101.30

6635. 2

Do.

Passing over a mountain spur .

1.65

390. 69

18.10

6665. 1

Do.

On a spur of mountain .

2. 57

393. 26

17. 50

6710. 1

Do.

On a spur of mountain . . .

0.54

393. 80

29. 60

6726. 1

Do.

Camp 14 .

2.92

396. 72

192. 10

6165. 1

May 19 and 20.

Camp 1 5, Franklin l iver, on plain east of the Hum-

21.52

418. 24

7.50

6004. 2

May 20 and 21.

boldt mountains.

Camp 16, Franklin river, extensive grass-fields _

14. 84

433. 08

3. 90

6061.4

May 21 and 22.

Crossing a mountain stream . . .

7. 65

440. 73

58.20

651 !6. 3

May 22.

Summit of pass in Humboldt Mt .

2. 89

443. 62

25. 20

6579. 1

Do.

On stream, western slope of pass .

0. 80

444. 42

78. 40

6516.4

Do.

Creek, valley of Humboldt river .

8. 36

452. 78

89.20

5770. 4

May 23.

Junction of main forks .

35. 00

487. 78

30.60

4700. 0

Camp 33, east bauk of Humboldt river .

135. 00

622. 78

4. 10

4140.9

June 8 and 9.

Crossing of Humboldt river, camp 34 . .

6. 80

629. 58

0. 90

4147.0

June 9 and 10.

Lassen’s Meadows, California road, camp 35 .

3.51

633. 09

1.50

4152.2

June 10 and 11.

Foot-hills above Humboldt river.. . .

9.64

642. 73

16. 30

4309. 0

June 11.

In bed of dry creek .

7.86

650. 59

23.30

4492. 0

Do.

In bed of dry creek .

6. 93

657. 52

64.50

4938. 7

Do.

Summit of pass .

5. 50

663. 02

97. 20

5473. 2

June 12.

Descending from pass .

10. 55

673. 57

87. 20

4553. 1

Do.

Junction of dry creeks . . .

4.68

678. 25

30. 50

4410.5

Do.

Bed of dry creek .

1.85

680. 10

73. 20

4275. 0

Do.

In valley . . . . . . .

2. 55

682. 65

1.30

4278.2

Do.

Dry creek .

8. 17

690. 82

21.20

4451.5

June 13.

On stream, in canon .

1.95

692. 77

67.60

4583. 3

Do.

On summit .

1.37

694. 14

206. 50

4866. 2

Do.

Descending into valley .

2. 55

696.69

40. 30

4763. 4

Do.

Passing small hill in valley . . .

7. 04

703. 73

44.40

5076. 2

Do.

Passing small hill in valley . . . .

2. 54

706. 27

17. 00

5033. 0

Do.

Valley of Mud lake . . .

11.75

718. 02

76.50

4134.0

> Do.

Point of Mountain, lake valley . . .

15.39

733. 41

00. 00

4134.0

$ June 14.

East base of Sierra Nevada . - .

9.88

743.29

1.60

4118.1

June 15 and 16,

Point of mount, shore of Mud lake .

3. 00

746.29

13. 00

4079. 0

Camp 39.

June 16.

Foot of Madelin Pass, Smoky creek .

16. 00

762. 29

18. 20

4370. 0

June 21.

Smoky creek, head of small canon .

3. 00

765. 29

41.70

4495. 2

Do.

Smoky creek, ascending pass .

3. 00

768. 29

61.40

4679. 5

Do.

Smoky creek, ascending pass .

2. 50

770. 79

59. 10

4827. 3

Do.

Smoky creek, ascending pass .

2. 50

773. 29

74.90

5014.6

Do.

Ascent of the Sierra Nevada .

3. 56

776. 85

8. 60

5045. 3

June 22.

In a broad valley, ascending pass ...... . .

1.55

778. 40

76.30

5163.5

Do.

In a broad valley . do .

1.56

779. 96

78. 30

5285. 6

Do.

In a broad valley . do .

1.55

781.51

94. 50

5432. 1

Do.

In a broad valley .

1.56

783. 07

50. 90

5511.5

June 22.

Ascent .

1.32

784. 39

100. 00

5643. 5

Do.

Summit of Madelin Pass .

0. 79

785.18

30. 40

5667. 5

Do.

On broad summit of Sierra Nevada .

2. 00

787. 18

24.70

5620.0

Do.

On broad summit of Sierra Nevada .

1.98

789. 16

31.80

5557. 0

Do.

On broad summit of Sierra Nevada . .

1.94

791. 10

66. 80

5427. 5

Do.

Camp 45, broad plain, Sierra Nevada .

3. 85

794. 95

46. 00

52o0. 5

June 22 and 23.

Camp 47, broad plain, Sierra Nevada .

21.90

816. 85

0. 50

5239. 1

June 24 and 25.

Water-course . . . . .

10. 57

827. 42

32. 80

5585. 5

June 25.

On divide in pass .

1.63

829. 05

92. 30

5736. 0

Do.

1.63

2. 42

829. 05
831. 47

18. 70
124. 10

5616. 0
5315. 6

| Deep Cut.

Stream west of summit of the Sierra Nevada _

2.42

831.47

173. 70

5315.6

June 25.

Stream west of summit of the Sierra Nevada _

1.73

833. 20

62. 50

5207. 5

Do.

Base of hill, in valley .

3. 20

836. 40

86. 00

4932. 2

Do.

Waters of the Sacramento river .

3.67

840. 07

125. 40

4472. 0

June 26.

East of stream, in Pound valley .

2. 25

842. 32

25. 00

4415.7

Do.

Base of hill, in Pound valley .

2. 08

844. 40

10. 00

4395.0

Do.

Leaving creek _ _ _ _ _

1.25

845. 65

76. 60

4299. 2

Do.

Camp 49, west side of stream . . .

8.81

854. 46

19. 50

4127. 4

Do.

TABLES OF DISTANCES, ETC.

Table of Distances , Altitudes, and Grades — Continued.

II. — Table of distances and of approximate average grades per mile upon the line explored for a
railroad from Mud lake, via Noble’s Pass, to Fort Beading. — July 4 to 26, 1854.

Station.

Intermediate

distances.

Total

distances.

Average
grades
per mile.

Altitudes
above the sea.

Remarks and dates.

Camp 39, east base of the Sierra Nevada .

Feet.

41 18. 1

June 15 and 16.

Shore of Mud lake .

3. 00

13.00

4079. 0

June 16.

Warm springs . . .

42. 00

45. 00

3. 60

4231.6

July 5.

Old shore-line .

7.50

52. 50

7. 10

4285. 2

Do.

Camp 55, shore of Honey lake .

8. 50

61.00

22. 40

4094. 6

July 4, 5, and 6.

Willow creek .

11.36

72.36

1.30

4030. 0

July 4.

Camp 54, Roop’s rancho .

8. 64

81.00

11.70

4181.0

July 3.

Susan river . . .

4. 00

85. 00

10. 10

4221.4

July 8.

Susan river .

4.00

89. 00

105. 50

4843. 6

Do.

Susan river . . .

4. 50

93. 50

59. 10

4909. 7

Do.

Divide of Susan and Summit creeks .

7. 25

100. 75

75. 10

5454. 1

July 9.

Lake or pond .

7.25

108. 00

31. 10

5679. 4

Do.

Divide of Summit and Pine creeks .

2.25

110.25

54. 30

5801.6

Do.

Pine creek, prairie . . .

5.00

115.25

27. 70

5663. 3

Do.

Plains of the Sierra Nevada .

2.89

118. 14

63. 30

5480. 5

Do.

Plains of the Sierra Nevada .

1.84

119. 98

19. 50

5516. 3

Do.

Thick pine woods . . . . .

1.70

121. 68

71.90

5394. 1

Do.

Thick pine woods .

2. 05

123. 73

64.90

5261. 1

Do.

Camp 59, Black Butte creek .

1.55

125. 28

113. 70

5084. 8

July 9, 10, 23, 24.

Bed of dry creek .

11.69

136. 97

101. 80

6275. 4

July 10.

Near a pond . . . . .

1.87

138. 84

25. 10

6223. 4

Do.

Small creek and springs .

1.53

140. 37

19. 00

6194. 3

Do.

Canoe creek . . . .

3. 75

144. 12

5. 80

6216. 2

July 24.

West of Hat creek, side of mountain . . .

2. 75

146. 87

45. 10

6092. 3

Do.

Spur dividing the valleys of Wolf and Hat creeks.

0.50

147.37

154. 40

6015. 1

Do.

Wolf creek .

1.50

148. 87

21.30

5983. 1

Do.

Western summit of Sierra Nevada . .

2. 00

150.87

45. 50

6074. 1

July 25.

Battle creek . . .

5. 00

155. 87

49. 80

5825. 1

Do.

Battle creek . . .

2. 50

158. 37

212. 60

5293. 6

July 11.

Western descent of Sierra Nevada .

2. 12

160. 49

284. 00

4691.5

Do.

Deer Flat, rancho .

2.14

162. 63

174. 50

4318. 1

Do.

Western slope of Sierra Nevada . . .

1.69

164. 32

101.70

4146. 3

Do.

Hill’s rancho, on Battle creek.... . . . .

2. 00

166. 32

7.30

4131.6

July 25.

Descending Sierra Nevada . .

4. 14

170. 46

47. 60

3934. 7

July 11.

Descending Sierra Nevada .

3. 58

174. 04

136. 60

3445. 7

Do.

Camp 61, McCumber’s mill . . . . .

1. 00

175. 04

54.60

3491. 1

July 12.

On stream . .

2. 38

177. 42

2.80

3497. 8

Do.

Descent . . .

3. 05

180. 47

230. 10

2796.0

Do.

On stream. . . .

2. 19

182. 66

235. 50

2280. 2

Do.

Descent in vallev . .

3. 78

186. 44

186. 20

1576. 4

Do.

Descent in valley .

2. 93

189. 37

166. 90

1087. 4

Do.

On Dry creek . .

2. 54

191.91

78.80

887.3

Do.

On Dry creek _ .

4.37

196. 28

41.40

706. 5

Do.

Camp 62, Fort Reading

2.25

I 198. 53

14. 10

674.7

July 12, 13, 14, 15.

70 TABLE OF LATITUDES.

III. — Table of latitudes on the line of the forty-first parallel of north latitude , explored for the
Pacific railway , 1854.

Sir : In the following table of geographical positions, the latitudes are all deduced from
meridional observations, and, when practicable, both north and south culminating stars were
observed, for the purpose of eliminating instrumental and other errors.

The astronomical instruments were the same as those used last year with Captain Gunnison,
and pronounced by him entirely inadequate for the determination of longitude. They were,
besides, very much out of repair and adjustment when we started from Westport — defects
which could not he remedied in Salt Lake City.

Very respectfully,

SHEPPARD HOMANS,

In charge of Astronomical Department.

First Lieut. E. G. Beckwith,

U. S. A., Commanding Expedition.

Geographical positions from Green river , Utah Territory , to Fort Reading, California, via Salt
Lake City.

CHAPTER IX.

Meteorological Observations, and Tables of Altitudes and Distances.

I. — Introduction to meteorological table and table of altitudes and distances, on the line of the forty-first parallel of north
latitude, explored for the Pacific railway.

II. — Meteorological table at Great Salt Lake City during the winter of 1853-’54.

III. — Summary of meteorological observations at Great Salt Lake City in 1853 and 1854, in mean results at each observed

hour for the several mouths ; barometric reading corrected for temperature.

IV. — Barometric means for the months observed at Gr'eat Salt Lake City, 1853-’54, from all the observations, including

those at irregular hours, and corrected in detail for horary variation of pressure.

V. — Meteorological observations and table of altitudes and distances from Great Salt Lake City to Green river, April, 1854.

VI. — Data for profile from Smith’s fork, Green River valley, to that of Great Salt Lake, via the Timpanogos river.

VII. — Data for profile from Great Salt Lake valley, via the Weber river, to White Clay creek, the preceding profile being in
common with this from the latter point eastward.

VIII. — Meteorological observations and table of distances from Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to the valley of the
Sacramento river, California, 1854.

IX. — Meteorological observations and table of altitudes from Mud lake, via Mud creek, to the summit of the Sierra Nevada
and to Madelin Pass. (Table not used in profile.)

VIII.— Continuation of Table VIII.

X. — Meteorological observations and table of altitudes in crossing from Madelin to Noble’s Pass, on the summit of the
Sierra Nevada. (This table is not used in profile.)

VIII.' — Table VIII again resumed.

XI. — Meteorological observations and table of altitudes and distances for profile from Mud lake to Fort Reading on the Sac¬
ramento river, California, via Noble’s Pass.

XII.— Meteorological observations and table of altitudes on the road leading through Noble’s Pass.

XIII. — Meteorological observations and table of altitudes in crossing from the mouth of Canoe creek (Poinsett river) to Black
Butte creek, and thence west to Hat and Wolf creeks. (This table is not used in profile.)

I. — Introduction to meteorological table and table of altitudes and distances on the line of the forty-
first parallel of north latitude , explored for the Pacific railway.

The Bunten barometers Nos. 496 and 551 are exclusively relied upon for the determination
of altitudes of the entire line. The readings of the Aneroid barometers exhibit variable errors ;
and as the mercurial barometers retain their reliable and uniform character throughout, no
necessity exists for the use of the Aneroids. The. zero errors found by Dr. Engelmann in his
comparison at St. Louis, to apply to the Bunten barometers before the commencement of the
work, did not remain as between the two instruments, even at the first considerable camps of
the survey ; they were therefore rejected in all the computations, and no zero error was at any
time applied. For mean readings the two barometers usually agreed very nearly, the differ¬
ence between them being, that No. 496 was too slow in its movement when considerable changes
of altitude occurred, and required a correction or substitution of the other in such cases. For
mean readings at stations where several observations were taken, the results of both are believed
to be a very near approximation to standard accuracy, and the instruments appear to have been
but slightly, if at all deranged at the termination of the survey. The zero errors found in
them by Dr. Engelmann, on their return, were obviously introduced after the close .of the work,
and are therefore not applied to it.

In the discussion of the observations, the readings were first corrected for temperature to the
height of the mercurial column, at 32° Fahrenheit. A minor error of non-adaptation of the
common formula to the temperature expansion determined by Shumacher for barometers of this

EXPLANATIONS OF BAROMETRIC COMPUTATIONS.

construction is thus avoided, and the greater advantage gained of combining all the observations
at a station in a correct mean reading, to be used in a single computation of the altitudes.
The mean of the observed air temperature is used in these cases also, as avoiding to some
extent a source of error in extremes of surface temperature, for which, in single observations, a
table of corrections is appended. All the observations were also corrected for horary variations
of atmospheric pressure through the day, thus bringing each to the true mean position for the
day. The accompanying scale of horary corrections gives the value employed for each hour ;
they are derived primarily from well-determined curves of daily variations of pressure for the
eastern United States, hut with material and important modifications and additions established
by the observations of other surveys in the interior of the continent, principally by that of Lieut.
Whipple. By the observations through the winter months at Great Salt Lake City, the
measures of this horary scale are shown to he less for that season, and to conform these more
nearly than in summer to those observed in the eastern United States and in Europe. For the
months occupied in the field-work of this survey, however, and for the districts traversed, the
measure of the correction here employed is fully confirmed. At the sea-level, or so near it as
both extremities of the line are, the measures of horary variation again fall off to those belong¬
ing to well known districts; yet as no determinations of importance occur at these extremities,
it is not necessary to give the scale belonging to them. A correction previously found to he
required for extremes of air temperature has been so well determined by the comparison of survey •
by levels and with the barometer, at the passes of the Sierra Nevada, surveyed by Lieut.
Williamson, that a scale of corrections sufficiently precise for practical use has been constructed.
When the error from this cause could not be eliminated by the use of mean temperatures, this
scale has been employed in the determinations here made. The measures given for this cor¬
rection belong to extremely arid climates, and to elevated districts, requiring modification in
the position of the point where no correction is required; also in different seasons. As it affects
great elevations in these arid districts by an extreme amount, of at least 150 feet, it is too im¬
portant to be neglected, notwithstanding a discretionary use of the value is usually necessary.

The reduced observations at stations on the Plains, from Pawnee fork to camp 33, the first
after crossing the Arkansas river, were referred to the mean barometric readings noted by Dr.
Engelmann at St. Louis, for July, 1853, the month in which they were made.

The altitude of this station above the Gulf of Mexico, as determined by him from a long series
of observations, was added to make up the entire altitude. For these stations and dates, the
results thus obtained are very nearly identical with those computed by direct reference to the
barometric mean at the level of the sea for the latitude.

For altitudes beyond this point, direct comparison, of each camp is made to an assumed mean
barometric reading at the level of the sea, in this latitude, of 30.000 inches, the barometer cor¬
rected to 32°, and a mean air temperature taken of 5*1°. The constant belonging to the latitude
and climate of the Gulf is 30.050 inches of the barometer, and 64° of air temperature, which
would add unduly to the altitudes.

The principle is assumed that the constants of pressure and temperature employed belong to
the latitude, and that the resulting determinations of elevations belong, correctly and alike, to
both the Gulf, the Atlantic and Pacific. There are no well-determined mean readings of the
barometer on the Pacific coast, yet the most of those recently made in California give the
impression that a slightly greater mean atmospheric pressure exists there than in the same
latitude of the Atlantic. The constant has not, however, been altered for any portion of
this line.

The discussion of observations at the principal passes has been, in part, upon simultaneous
observations at an hour’s interval in time and distance. The slower movement of one baro¬
meter, however, rendered it necessary in many cases to take successive readings of the best one,
corrected for horary variation, for determinations of successive differences. The termini of these
lines of ascent an descent were also checked by comparison of preferred results, as of the mean

HORARY AND AIR TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS.

of several at the summit or elsewhere, with the nearer camps. The coincidence of results Jby
single and successive steps has been so satisfactory as to warrant the conclusion that the grades
and altitudes of these passes are quite accurately determined. The correct use of such data in
the joining of intermediate with main lines, and in the correspondence of single observations
with the mean of observations, is the surest test of barometric survey, and discrepancies cannot
he wholly removed. The principal cause of these discrepancies is in the non-periodic variation
of atmospheric pressure, for which no constant or correction can he given, except by reference
to continued readings for a month or more at some station near. Mean results best eliminate
this error, and they are therefore preferred in the order of their number, or of the number of
days they cover. In the ascent of the Arkansas, the uniform grade of the stream permits the
use of four or five successive camps as a near result, and two or three non-periodic variations
are thus eliminated. Subsequently, to G-reat Salt lake, a less error from this cause is likely to
occur, as this variation is least in August and September.

For the survey eastward from Great Salt lake to the valley of Green river, the field readings
are compared with those of the same date by the other barometer at Great Salt Lake City : these
may be regarded as nearly simultaneous, (though the hours were not always the same,) from the
fact that the same days, and portions of the day, were compared. For the remainder of the line
to California, no mode of correction of this error existed, except in the preference of the means
embracing the greatest number of observations ; yet the errors have probably no practical im¬
portance.

The observations generally sustain the checking and criticism which rank the results as a
determinate survey, with'a near approximation to absolute accuracy, and, as among themselves,
sufficiently conclusive of grades and points of comparison.

Horary corrections of the barometer.

Hour.

Inches.

Hour.

Inches.

6 a. m.

+.007

3 p.m.

—.030

7 a. m.

+.020

4 p. m.

— . 045

8 a. m.

+. 030

5 p.m.

— . 050

9 a. m.

+. 040

6 p.m.

— . 030

10 a. m.

+. 050

7 p. m.

—.020

11 a. m.

+.055

8 p. m.

— . 005

12 m.

+. 025

9 p. m.

— . 000

1 p. m.

+. 005

10 p. m.

+. 010

2p. m.

— . 015

11p.m.

+.020

Scale of corrections for extreme air temperatures.

Low temperatures.

High temperatures.

At 35° add 25°

At 95° subtract 15°

At 40 add 23

At 93 subtract 13

At 45 add 21

At 90 subtract 1 1

At 47 add 20

At 88 subtract 10

At 50 add 18

At 85 subtract 8

At 53 add 15

At 83 subtract 7

At 55 add 13

At 80 subtract 5

At 57 add 10

At 78 subtract 3

At 60 add 5

At 75 subtract 2

Note. — The measures of this correction are variable to some extent with the season, and apply nearly to departures from the
mean of the month in which observations are made. It is here given as required for summer months, in which most of the
observations in field surveys have been taken.

10 &

BAROMETERS COMPARED.

CAPTAIN GUNNISON’S BAROMETERS COMPARED WITH THE STANDARD BAROMETERS OF DR. ENTGEL-

MANN.

St. Louis, June 4 to 9, 1853.

Ten observations were made.

Range of standard barometer in that period from 29". 505 to 29". 748. Range 0".243.

Mean differences of standard and compared barometers.

Bunten, No. 551 = E + 0".006. Bunten, No. 496 = E + 0".080
Aneroid, No. 9889 = E — 0".015. Aneroid, No. 9293 = E — 0".025

Extreme differences of range of standard and compared barometers.

Bunten, No. 551 = E — 0".021
Do. = E + 0".027

Bunten, No. 496 = E + 0".046
Do. = E + 0".109

Aneroid, No. 9889 = E — 0".055
Do. = E + 0".035

Aneroid, No. 9293 = E — 0".005
Do. = E — 0".045

= 0".048, range of difference.
== 0".063, range of difference.
= 0".090, range of difference.
= 0".040, range of difference.

E. represents Engelmann’ s standard barometer.

Both Bunten barometers are very slow in their movements. B. No. 551 gives a very dull
sound when the tube is reversed, indicating air in the tube. No. 496 gives a clear sound, and
is probably free of air.

The station of Dr. Engelmann’s barometer is above low-water mark of the Mississippi 106.5,
and above the Gulf of Mexico 482 feet.

Bar. Engelmann was in June, 1853, equal to —

Bunten, No. 551 - 0".006
Do. No. 496 - 0".080

The Aneroids were both set to correspond exactly with har. E.

After the voyage to California and back, bar. Engelmann was found in September, 1854,
equal to —

Bunten, No. 551 — 0".072
Do. No. 496 + 0".116
Aneroid, No. 7889 - 0".448
Do. No. 9293 + 0".263

Therefore, as bar. E. has remained unaltered,

Bar. Bunten No. 551 is now higher by 0".066 than 14 months ago.

Do. No. 496 is now lower by 0".196 “ ce

Bar. Aneroid No. 7889 is now higher by 0".448 “ u

Do. No. 9293 is now lower by 0". 263 “ “

Bunten No. 551 is by far the best instrument of the whole set; but both barometers have the
sides of the tubes at the lower as well as the upper levels so much soiled and darkened by
oxydized mercury, that at a certain elevation of the barometer, at least, the reading becomes
very difficult, if not impossible.

The Aneroids are certainly very unreliable ; but within the limited range of my observations,
(between 29 and 30 inches,) they performed well and corresponded pretty accurately with the
changes of my own barometer.

In calculating elevations from barometrical data, it seems best not to compare isolated obser¬
vations made on the same day or at the same hour, but to refer the observations made in the

engelmann’s table op MEANS AT ST. LOUIS.

field (or the mean of several if they can he had) to the monthly means of the stationary barom¬
eter. I add, therefore, my monthly means for the last fourteen months. But the observations
made west of the Rocky mountains cannot he referred to my barometer at all. It is hardly
necessary to add — what everybody who is in the habit of observing the barometer knows — that
observations made in the forenoon, principally from 8 to 10 o’clock a. m., are generally higher,
and those made in the afternoon, principally between 2 and 4 o’clock, are mostly lower than
the average of the day. The noon observations come nearest the mean of the day. The barom¬
eter, at least in the Mississippi valley, is usually highest with westerly and northwesterly winds,
and lowest with southerly and southeasterly winds. It is mostly higher, hut much more irreg¬
ular, in winter, and lower, hut more regular, in summer.

Mean barometric elevation of barometer E. at St. Louis, 482 feet above the Gulf.

Table of means corrected for temperature.

June, 1853... . 29.466

July, 1853 . 29.483

August 1853 . 29.431

September, 1853 . 29.474

October, 1853 . 29.538

November, 1853 . 29.601

December, 1853 . 29.508

January, 1854 . 29.577

February, 1854.. . 29.507

March, 1854.. . 29.459

April, 1854 . 29.444

May, 1854 . 29.334

June, 1854 . 29.418

July, 1854 . 29.491

G. ENGELMANN.

St. Louis, September, 1854.

The discrepancy found to exist by Dr. Engelmann in the Bunten barometers after our return
from California did not exist as between themselves up to the termination of the exploration
in July, and must have arisen from some cause on our homeward journey, and is disregarded,
therefore, in the discussion.

Horary variations of the barometer in California.

1. In the elevated portions of the interior.

Hour.

Inch.

5 a. m .

. —.007

5 a. m .

. —.005

6 a. m .

. +.012

7 a. m .

. +.025

8 a. m.. .

. +.030

9 a. m .

. +.035

10 a. m .

. +.040

11 a. m .

. +.045

12 m .

. +.015

1 p. m .

. —.005

Hour.

Inch.

2 p. m .

. —.025.

3 p. m . .

. —.030

4 p. m .

. —.035

5 p. m .

. —.033

6 p. m . .

. —.025

7 p. m .

. —.015

8 p. m .

. —.005

9 p. m .

. +.008

10 p. m .

. +.015

11 p. m .

. +.013

TABLE OF HORARY VARIATIONS IN CALIFORNIA.

2. At the sea-level, or near the coast.

Hour.

4 a. m..

— .007

P-

m .

. —.025

— .005

P-

m .

. — 030

+.01 2

m .

. —.035

+ .02

m .

. —.033

+ .03

P-

m .

. —.025

+.041

m., .

. —.015

+.045

m .

. —.005

+ .035

m .

. +.008

+ .015

P-

m .

. . +.015

—.005

m .

. +.013

II.— Meteorological Observations at Great Salt LaJce City, 1853-’54.

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METEOROLOGY.

II. — Meteorological Observations at Great Salt Lake City — Continued.

Remarks.

Great Salt Lake City..

12 m .

g;:::::

650.2

8.5

653.1

8.5

y-“‘

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12 m .

659.8

25.916

9.30 a.m....

5.5

5-5

I™"

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aft::::

9.30 a.m....

lo0:!

656.8

!?:1

1:1

1:11

1:663

Thermometer at sunrise 8°;

12 ra .

!'5

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1:11

1:1?

jgzr.it

He::

c,r

’swm.'ss:*

li:;:

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a.5

£2

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6.5

S:SS

1:1

1:11

9 a. m .

12.45 p.m...

637.2

637

25.012

25.004

Iplrzr

S:S

11:1

66&!

643.2

1:1?

9.15 a. m....

SS:S

111:1

643.8

1:11

jfcll

12 m .

643.2

Cloudy f "slight fall of snow du-

12.25 p.m...

636.8

637.4

25.056

25.080

-l

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Cloudy, with signs of snow. ^

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1:1

METEOROLOGY.

II. — Meteorological Observations at Great Salt Lake City — Continued.

Great Salt Lake City. ,

6.30*1).' m
Sunrise. .

25.266

25.447

25.345

25.341

25.339

25.337

25.275

25.323

25.585

25.630

25.659

25.660
25.615
25.612
25.644
25.5 75

25.332

25.377

25.415

25.455

25.400

25.390

25.422

25.147

25.173

25.254

25.375

25.380

25.441

25.391

25.328

25.300

25.680
25.672
2... 1152
25.622
26.636
25.601
25! 571
25.530'
25.486
25.442

25.458

25.373

25.254

25.227

25.145

25.235

25.276

25.325

25.520

25.471

25.490

25.510

25.506

25.467

25.462

25.510

Rain during the night ; ther¬
mometer at sunrise 51°.

At'7 a. m. rain, wind west ; at 9
a. m., south wind; noon clear.

Wind southeast.

Light clouds.

Thermometer at sunrise 47° ;
rain until 7 a. m.

Rain from 10 to 12.

Clear.

Thunder ; cloudy in the south-

Northwest wind ; heavy clouds
in the east.

Cloudy.

Commenced to rain at 10 a. m.

Rain ceased at 4| p. m. ; wind

Heavy rain during the night.
Rain ; wind northwest.
Heavy clouds.

Northeast wind ; clearing up.
Northeast wind ; clear.

Heavy squall of wind from soutli-

Wind ’changed to northwest;
cold rain.

Rain all night ; snow in the east¬
ern mountains.

Wind south, with heavy clouds.
Wind northwest; heavy squall
of rain ; duration 20 minutes.
Wind northwest ; heavy clouds.
"■ * light clouds.

Wind southwest; clear.
Wind northwest ; clear.

Wind northwest; cloudy.
Wind west; cloudy.

Wind northeast ; light clouds.
Wind northwest; cloudy.

Wind northeast; cloudy in the

Wind northeast; hazy.

Wind southeast ; light clouds.

Wind southeast ; heavy clouds.
Wind northwest; heavy clouds.

Cloudy ; wind northwest.

Do do.

Light clouds in northwest.
Clear ; wind northwest.
Clear; easterly wind.

Clear ; easterly wind.

II.— Meteorological Observations at Great Salt Lahe City— Continued.

See:

3cr

III. — Summary of meteorological observations at Great Salt Lahe City in 1853 and 1854, in mean
results at each observed hour for the several months; barometric readings corrected for temper a-

r No. 496

r No. 551

Air temperature.

9 a. m.

12 m.

3p. m.

Month.

9 a. m.

12 m.

3p. m.

Month.

9 a.m.

12 m.

3p.m.

25.460

25.447

25.574

25.545

52.40

24.43

59.80

25.66

47.30

56.73

"•assays

•iSsajss

-Harris

«fj».

25.453

—

25.351

25.409

25.519

25.503

25.439

25.489

25.449

68.80

IV .—Barometric means for the months observed at Great Salt Lahe City, 1853-’ 54, from all the
observations, including those at irregular hours , and corrected in detail for horary variation oj

ta-

;%sr

'tssst

Remarks.

25.577

METEOROLOGY.

Y. — Meteorological Observations and Table of Altitudes and Distances from Great Salt Lake City
to Green Diver — April , 1854.

Camp 4, White Clay creek .

R,iV^l^uddyandBlaCk’3f°rkS .

a-1

mix

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6970.8

METEOROLOGY.

y .—Meteorological Observations , and Table of Altitudes and Distances— Continued.

PROFILE DATA.

VI. — Data for profile from Smith’s Fork, Green Biver valley , to that of Great Salt lake , via the
Timpanogos river.

Smith’s Fork, near Fort Bridger.. ,

Black’s Fork .

Divide of Black and Muddy .

" vide of Bear and Muddy...

: Clay creek, Camp 13..

r, head of Round prairie . .

Camp west side of the valley of the Jordan, on the base of the mountain. .

1854.

April.. 11, 12

April . 11

April . 10

April . 9

April . 17

April.. 17, 18
April... 7, 8
April.. 19, 20

April . 20

April . 21

Nov. 6, 1853
1854.

May . 6

VII. — Data for profie from Great Salt Lake valley , via the Weber river, to White Clay creek, the
preceding profile being in common with this from the latter point eastward.

White Clay creek, Camp 4 .

Dry creek, Camp 3 .

Sheep rock, Weber river .

Ben Simons’ creek, Camp 2 .

W eber river, below the mountain .

Intermediate Distance from
distances. Smith’s Fork.

Altitudes

12a.T5Pp.'i

70.50
87.00

95.50
107.70
115.50

5692.1

5419.1
5189.5
4842

4424.1

METEOROLOGY.

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METEOROLOGY.

XI —Meteorological Observations and Table of Altitudes and Distances for profile from Mud lake to Fort

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METEOROLOGY.

CHAPTER X.

Geology.

I. — Geological report of the country explored under the 38th and 41st parallels of north latitude, in 1853-’54, by James Schiel,
M. D., Geologist for the expeditions.

II. — Letter from Professor J. W. Bailey, upon infusorial fossils submitted to him by Dr. Schiel.

Sir : In the report which I have the honor herewith to transmit to you, I have endeavored to
give a description of the geology of the country through which we travelled after leaving
Westport. It may, perhaps, more properly he termed a geology of the road over which we
travelled, since the geological exploration had to he confined to those parts of the country which
lay in the immediate neighborhood of that road. I have not entered in this report into a too
minute, and therefore tiresome description of details; nor have I attempted to found unwar¬
rantable generalizations on restricted and, from their very nature, insufficient observations;
hut I have tried to represent, in as small a . picture as possible, the chief geological features of
the explored country. Many things that would have to he mentioned in an independent geolo¬
gical paper — as the shape and elevation of mountains and mountain chains, the configuration
of the different parts of the explored country, &c. — have been omitted as a useless repetition
of what has been given in your general report of explorations.

In describing the sedimentary rocks of the plains, it must, of course, he left undecided
whether, in the succession of the strata as they have been enumerated, there are still some
other strata lying between, for sometimes we travel a great distance, and the level changes
many hundred feet before we meet again with an accidental outcropping of rock.

Between Westport and the Little Arkansas there is a series of limestone Strata composed of
rocks which differ in appearance and physical properties, fracture, color, hardness, &c., hut
which must, nevertheless, he considered as members of one and the same formation. Of the
limestone around Westport, which extends into the Shawnee territory, (now Kansas), there is a
denudation on a creek near our first camp. It is in some places densely filled with petrifactions,
Terebratula subtilita, Spirifer, (striatus ?) Productus splendens, and two species of Productus not
to be determined from my specimens, apparently a new species of Phillipsia, so as to appear
almost as a conglomerate of these shells.

On Indian creek we find a limestone of a yellow red color, not very hard, and interspersed
with white crystal leaves belonging to the organic remains of the rock, which have become ob¬
literated by crystallization. It would he impossible to recognise to what kind of organism they
belonged, hut for the agency of the creek, which, in running over the rock, dissolves the softer
part of it, leaving the crystallized parts behind, so that the whole surface of this limestone
along the creek is thickly overspread with fossils. They are mostly parts of broken stems of
a species of encrinites, fragments of some bryozoa and of some other undistinguishable shells.

The next limestone, found near Willow creek, is gray, hard, of subcrystalline fracture, and
includes fossils, Fenestella, Productus semireticulatus , and Productus cequicostatus.

More westward, up to the Little Arkansas, we meet, from distance to distance, with out¬
croppings of limestone strata, but the rock becomes more compact, sometimes excessively hard,
and petrifactions are extremely rare, if they are not wanting entirely. I found in one case only
a fragment of a small trilobite in a limestone west of Willow creek. The dip of all these strata,
which must be considered as members of the coal formation, is a few degrees northeast.

GEOLOGY.

A white, fine-grained, non-fossiliferous limestone on the Little Arkansas, and a red ferrugi¬
nous sandstone, out of which Pawnee rock is formed, have a horizontal stratification. The
latter is again found on Coon creek, and, according to a specimen brought to me by Captain
Gunnison, it extends up to the Republican fork of the Kansas river. It supports a loose con¬
glomerate of quartzose rocks, which is -seen to extend some thirty miles along the Arkansas west
of Fort Atkinson. It is very probable that these strata belong to the chalk formation, which,
going westward, we find distinctly represented by several kinds of limestone strata; the first,
about ninety miles from the fort, is a soft, argillaceous, yellowish limestone, with inoceramus.
It seems to have a slight dip to the southwest. About thirty miles farther west, we meet with
another limestone of the cretaceous period. It is a gray rock, a little harder than the preceding
one, and is replete with inoceramus mytiloides. The row of low hills which, in these localities,
stand at a short distance from, and extend along the road, consist of this limestone. These
hills show lines which mark the banks of an ancient sea ; they lie in one and the same horizontal
plane, in whatever direction these hills may run.

View of the limestone hills of the valley of the Upper Arkansas : the broken line, a . a, showing the positions of ancient shores.*

* Note by Lieut. Beckwith.

The old shore-lines existing in the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake present an interesting study. Some of them are elevated
but a few feet (from five to twenty) above the present level of the lake, and are as distinct and as well defined and preserved as its
present beaches; and Stansbury speaks, in the Report of his Exploration, pages 158-160, of drift-wood still existing upon those
having an elevation of five feet above the lake, which unmistakably indicates the remarkably recent recession of the waters
which formed them, whilst their magnitude and smoothly-worn forms as unmistakably indicate the levels which the waters
maintained, at their respective formations, for very considerable periods.

In the Tuilla valley, at the south end of the lake, they are so remarkably distinct and peculiar in form and position, that one
of them, on which we travelled in crossing that valley on the 7 th of May, attracted the observation of the least informed teamsters
of our party — to whom it appeared artificial. Its elevation we judged to be twenty feet above the present level of the lake. It
is also twelve or fifteen feet above the plain to the south of it, and is several miles long; but it is narrow, only affording a fine
roadway, and is crescent-formed, and terminates to the west as though it had once formed a cape, projecting into the lake from
the mountains on the east — in miniature, perhaps, not unlike the strip of land dividing the sea of Azoff from the Putrid sea.
From this beach the Tuilla valley ascends gradually towards the south, and in a few miles becomes partly blocked up by a
cross-range of mountains, with passages at either end, however, leading over quite as remarkable beaches into what is known, to
the Mormons, as Rush valley, in which there are still small lakes or ponds, once, doubtless, forming part of the Great Salt Lake.

The recessions of the waters, of the lake from the beaches at these comparatively slight elevations, took place, beyond all doubt,
within a very modern geological period; and the volume of the water of the lake at each subsidence — by whatever cause pro¬
duced, and whether by gradual or spasmodic action — seems as plainly to have been diminished; for its present volume is not
sufficient to form a lake of even two or three feet in depth, over the area indicated by these shores, and, if existing, would be
annually dried up during the summer.

These banks — which so clearly seem to have been formed and left dry within a period so recent that it would seem impossible
for the waters which formed them to have escaped into the sea, either by great convulsions, opening passages for them, or by the
gradual breaking of the distant shore (rim of the Basin) and draining them off, without having left abundant records of the
escaping waters, as legible at least as the old shores they formed — are not peculiar to the vicinity of this lake of the Basin, but
were observed near the lakes in Franklin valley, and will probably be found near other lakes, and in the numerous small basins
which, united, form the Great Basin.

But high above these diminutive banks of recent date, on the mountains to the east, south, and west, and on the islands of the
Gaeat Salt Lake, formations are seen, preserving, apparently, a uniform elevation as far as the eye can extend — formations on a
magnificent scale, which, hastily examined, seem no less unmistakably than the former to indicate their shore origin. They
are elevated from two or three hundred to six or eight hundred feet above the present lake; and if upon a thorough examina¬
tion they prove to be ancient shores, they will perhaps afford (being easily traced on the numerous mountains of the Basin)
the means of determining the character of the sea by which they were formed, whether an internal one, subsequently drained off
by the breaking or wearing away of the rim, of the Basin — of the existence of which at any time, in the form of continuous elevated
mountain chains, there seems at present but little ground for believing — or an arm of the main sea, which, with the continent,
has been elevated to its present position, and drained by the successive stages indicated by these shores.

GEOLOGY.

At some distance east of Bent’s Fort, a liard, compact, gray limestone has an outcropping
on the road. It does not seem to include any organic remains ; hut a yellow red sandstone
lying over it contains numerous impressions of shells. It is so soft that in transporting them
the specimens of it were crushed to powder in the first hour, and I am left unable to determine
to what species they belong. As much as I can recollect of them, they may belong to some
species of pecten.

The chain of high and steep bluffs which begins some miles above Bent’s Fort, is chiefly
made up of two kinds of limestone; the upper one white, pure, hard, and fine-grained nearly
to compactness, includes no organic remains, and would, if located in a less remote part of the
country, offer a very valuable material to the practical arts, or for building purposes; the
lower, a brownish rock, is interspersed with thin layers of crystals of carbonate of lime, and
hears some indications of petrifactions, hut so undistinguishable that it is hardly possible to
make out what they are. The stratification of both is horizontal. To judge partly from what
I saw myself, partly from specimens brought to me, a blackish, hard limestone and a soft shale
support them ; the latter cropping out some twenty miles west of the fort in a kind of bottom
land.

Having crossed the Arkansas near the mouth of the Apishpa, (presumed Huerfano,) our road
leads over a gravelly and, in general, sterile soil — we are in the great American desert — and
over sandstone, through which a number of creeks and rivers have cut their channels. The
underlayers of this sandstone are a yellowish, hard, fine-grained rock, the upper part soft, and
eaten through by the atmospheric agents.

A few miles east of the canon through which we entered the mountains proper, a hard,
compact, dark-gray limestone, with some slight traces of petrifactions and sulphuret of iron
interspersed, and above it a limestone which is apparently identical with the lower brownish
limestone near Bent’s Fort, crop out with a dip of 8° to 9° to the northeast. They rest on a
hard silicious shale, through which igneous rocks have made their eruption near the mountains,
forming buttes of sometimes remarkable shape. The most remarkable of them is the Huerfano
butte, a little mountain of conical shape, consisting of black granite (quartz and black mica)
and the just-mentioned hard silicious shale, the latter lying on the top of the butte.

In concluding the geology of the Plains, I will here mention a kind of geological riddle
which I have not been able to solve: About fifteen yards distant from the above-mentioned
limestone hills of the cretaceous period, there is a little butte almost as high as the hill to
which it stands nearest — about thirty-five feet — and of a shape which will he best seen from the
accompanying drawing of it. It stands quite isolated, and consists not of limestone, hut of a

Isolated Shale Butte, standing adjacent to the limestone hills in the valley of the Upper Arkansas.

soft foliating shale. Even should that shale he found to~support the limestone of these hills—
which I could not decide, not having any instruments to dig into the ground — it would still

GEOLOGY.

appear strange that the shale of this "butte could lie in the same horizontal plane with the
limestone of the hills, and that it should have resisted devastation so long.

An analysis of atmospheric air, which I made in the neighborhood of Fort Atkinson, may
also properly find a place here. The mean of three analyses executed with all care after the
method of Prof. v. Liebig — absorption of the oxygen hy a solution of pyrogallic acid in caustic

potash — gave :

Nitrogen . . . 79.09

Oxygen . 20.91

100

This shows, as was to he expected, that the composition of the air on the high prairie does
not differ from the well known invariable composition of atmospheric air elsewhere.

On entering the mountains we find a white, fine-grained, very hard sandstone, torn, frac¬
tured, and upheaved to nearly a vertical position by plutonic rock. The steep slopes of the
mountains are covered with fragments of a white silicious rock, which in some places are of con¬
siderable size, forming blocks of twenty and more feet in diameter. The hills on the foot of
the higher mountains are covered with drift rocks of all kind — quartz, porphyry, sandstone,
&c.; even hypersthene rock is occasionally met with. About fifteen miles west of the canon
through which we entered the mountains, sandstone, and a red shale lying under it, are nearly
vertically uplifted by a trachytic porphyry, which seems to have given to those mountains
their peculiar shape and elevation. This porphyry consists of a brownish gray, rough base, in
which a great number of crystals of feldspar and crystals of black mica are imbedded, forming
a rock of great beauty. The crystals of feldspar and mica are mostly perfect, and of the size
of one to two tenths of an inch ; the latter are hexaedrix prisms, with basal cleavage. This
rock, which forms the ridge from the trail in Sangre de Cristo to the route laid down by Cap¬
tain G-unnison through that pass, seems to be of a very changeable character. East of the
ridge the base of it is of a purer gray, the number of feldspathic crystals is less, and the
numerous mica crystals are smaller, sometimes almost of microscopic size; but the basal
cleavage is still easily detected. West of the ridge, the mica seems to have passed into tour¬
malin, the crystals of feldspar being scarce. The rock contains sometimes tolerably large
crystallizations of a zeolitic substance, which for its physical properties and crystal form, as
well as behavior before the blow-pipe, must be considered as stilbite. The predominating rock
in the Sangre de Cristo valley is a feldspathic granite, passing gradually into gneiss on the
right bank of the creek, the gneiss supporting a hard shale, sandstone, and a bluish brittle
limestone. The latter belong perhaps to that class of non-fossiliferous transition rocks lying
under the silurian system,* and the existence of which on this continent has been recognised by
several distinguished geologists.

In the neighborhood of Fort Massachusetts there are indications of iron ore, and even faint
indications of cobalt ore, but I had neither the time nor the means to follow them up.

In the sandy, and for the most part sterile, San Luis valley, I looked in vain for some
section or outcropping of the rock lying under the soil. During many days’ travelling, this
valley presents nothing but sand; and it was not even possible to ascertain the character of
the under -soil. A striking and very curious illustration of the abundance of sand in this valley
is found in an isolated row of sand-hills opposite Roubideau’s Pass. They are from 500 to 600
feet high, running for several miles in a direction from northwest to southeast. It is very
probable thqt some solid rock is buried under this sand, having been the cause of its accumu¬
lation. Along the foot of the White mountains (Sierra Blanca) we found numerous boulders
of igneous rocks which do not seem to correspond with the rocks of the neighboring mountains.

* The cambrian system, as distinguished from the silurian system by its age and organic remains, is not recognised any longer
by geologists. Comp. Murchison, in Quarterly Journal Geology, soc. VIII, 1852. Murchison’s Siluria, 1654.

100

GEOLOGY.

The chief rock of the Sierra Blanca in and around Rouhideau’s Pass is an altered, rough,
bluish violet, mica slate, through which quartzose, granitic, and porphyritic rocks have erupted,
including pieces of each other, so as to form quite a chaos of rocks.

The entrance to the beautiful Sahwatch valley is marked by an isolated butte of hard, gray,
granitic porphyry, with glassy feldspar and mica. The valley is formed by picturesque mount¬
ains, which are steep, often vertical, or of a true trapp form on the south side, less steep and
covered with timber on the north side, where the destruction of the mountains by the melting
snows, rains, &c., is less rapid. The rock which constitutes these mountains is a red trapp-
porphyry,* with a red feldspathic base, with glassy feldspar and mica. Thin splinters of this
base melt with difficulty, on the edges, before a well-directed jet of the blow-pipe.

Limited view of Trapp Rocks, (visible throughout the valley of the Sahwatch creek and its branches,) in ascending the
Coochetopa Pass from the east.

[ *Rote. — The term trapp is used so vaguely, and with so little distinction, that it is often
impossible to know what kind of rock is meant by that name. With some authors it seems to
designate any kind of igneous, not granitic, rock. That this looseness of language is a general
one, will appear from quotations from three distinguished geologists :

“Connected with the aforementioned rocks — diallage rocks, (euphotides ;) hypersthene rocks;
pyroxene rocks, including basalt, dolerite or greenstone; amphibolic rocks, including diorite or
greenstone ; trachytic and porphyritic rocks — there is a whole series of rocks which agree with
those in so far as all of them contain only simple silicates, whilst the granites and their neigh¬
bors, containing an excess of silica, are multi -silicates. But what distinguishes the trappean
rocks from all the preceding ones, is the want of any perceptible structure; not even the microscope
shows any structural elements in the trapp rocks. They are in some manner related to the
basalts ; they have the same volcanic origin, were in a state of fusion at the time of their form¬
ation, and separate like those in regular masses, or even in hexaedrix prisms. All these rocks,
which Hauy called { aphanites’ on account of their undeterminable structure , are rough to the
touch. It is probable that chemical analysis will offer the means of classification for these
rocks; at present this is impossible. In his examination of the trapps of the Ferroe islands,
Durocher has pointed out the way chemical analysis has to follow in this respect ; he has shown
these trapps to consist of two varieties, of which one must be reckoned amongst the hyperites,
the other amongst the euphotides; the latter being easily distinguished by its yielding water
when heated.” — Elie de Beaumont , in his “ Cours de Geologie a I’ecole des Mines,” German ver¬
sion, by C. Vogt.

“Trapp or greenstone is a dark and heavy blackish-green or brownish rock, consisting of
hornblende and feldspar; it usually has a crystalline texture, but is sometimes compact. When
albite replaces the feldspar, it is called diorite and diabase. Basalt is a similar rock, &c., &c.”
Dana’s Mineralogy, (3 d edition .)

“ Trapp and trappean rocks. Volcanic rocks, composed of feldspar, augite, and hornblende.

GEOLOGY.

101

The various proportions and state of aggregation of these simple minerals, and differences in
external forms, give rise to varieties which have received distinct appellations, such as basalt,
amygdaloid, dolerite, greenstone, and others. The term is derived from trappa, a Swedish
word for stairs, &c., &c.” — Lyell: Principles of Geology .]

More westward the mica in this rock becomes scarce, though it never disappears entirely from
it. Near camp 53, where we left the Sahwatch creek in order to go over the pass, the mountains
on the right bank of the little creek, coming down from the north, are composed of a kind of
granitic rock, black mica imbedded in a crystalline mass of glassy feldspar. The only sedimen¬
tary rock found between Sangre de Cristo valley and Coochetopa creek was a hard, fine-grained
sandstone near the divide of the Sierra St. Juan.

On the west side of the Coochetopa Pass, we meet again with two kinds of porphyry; the
one resembling the gray porphyry of Sangre de Cristo, the other that of the Sahwatch butte,
containing, however, more mica. In the lower regions of the mountains, forming the valley of
the Coochetopa creek and the Gfrand River valley, feldspathic granite, gneiss, a rough silicious
shale and a fine mica slate, the latter dissolving only under a powerful lens into a mixture of
quartz and mica, and a white sandstone, are the predominating rocks; in the upper regions,
sandstone and trapp-porphyry, the latter resembling very much the trapp-porphyry of Sahwatch
valley. It consists of a compact, hard, brown-violet feldspathic base, interspersed with crys¬
tallized glassy feldspar, and a few mica crystals. Thin splinters of this base melt more easily
on the edges before the blow-pipe than the Sahwatch porphyry. This rock lies mostly hori¬
zontal, about sixty to seventy feet thick, on the summit of the mountains, over a white sand¬
stone, forming sometimes remarkable platforms. It seems to have an immense extension, for
we found it for over a hundred miles along our road. As it must necessarily have been in a
state of fusion at the time it spread over the sandstone, we may form an idea as to the scale on
which eruptions of igneous rocks have taken place at a time when sedimentary strata of consid¬
erable thickness were already in existence.

By contact with granite, this rock has in some places (along Grand river) become blackish
and very brittle. It seems to have been displaced when already in a solid state, for it has
polished surfaces which could only be produced by its sliding over some other solid rock. I
cannot positively assert that this rock is an altered trapp-porphyry, for I could nowhere trace a
direct connexion ; but in their lithological character, they stand very near each other. The
narrow canon of Grand river, below camp 58, is formed of granite and this rock. Some
miles above that canon, a conglomerate of igneous rocks of all kinds, imbedded in a very hard
cement, lies under the sandstone; and when, during and after the gradual upheaval of the
mountains, the other rocks were completely washed and worn away, this conglomerate partially
resisted the action of time and the weather, so that parts of it are seen hanging over the steep
sides of the mountains in the shape of towers, resembling very much those ruins of old castles
whi h, though remnants of barbarous ages, give unequalled charms to so many landscapes in the
eastern world. The great hardness of the cement of this conglomerate — I nearly broke my steel
hammer in the attempt to break some pieces off — induced me to make some chemical experi¬
ments as to its composition. It consists, however, of nothing but impure carbonate of lime,
being entirely soluble in diluted chlorhydric acid. The solution evaporated to dryness, and
re-dissolved, does not leave a trace of silica behind.

The country between the St. Juan and Wahsatch mountains is a barren, dreary desert. The
road leads mostly over sand or its generator, sandstone ; which latter constitutes the several
smaller mountain ranges between these two great chains. Sandstone, assuming all shades
of color, sandy calcareous clay slate, argillaceous limestone of green and red colors, sandy shale,
and, uppermost, a soft foliating shale from gray to black, including much fibrous and lamellar
gypsum, seem to be the formations composing the “Elk mountains.” All these different
strata are concordant, and of a slight northeast dip. Some miles distant from where we crossed

102

GEOLOGY.

the Nah-un-kah-rea, blocks of a dark trachytic porphyry lie over the sandstone and shale, extend¬
ing some miles along our road. Boulders of this trachytic rock are occasionally met with quite
up to the Wahsatch mountains In the valley of the Blue river, a coal measure, supported
by sandstone, crops out at several places ; hut the coal does not seem to be of a good quality.
Not far from where the latter river empties into Grand river, a hard conglomerate of pebbles
baked together, a hard, bluish limestone, and a dark, silicious shaly rock, with agate, are met
with, but do not seem to have a great extension.

That the disintegrations of such rocks cannot yield a good soil is evident, and not much
organic life can be expected in such a country. But there does not even seem to have been any
organic life in the ancient seas, in which the sedimentary rocks of this country have been
deposited. I could not detect any rock including organic remains of any kind whatever. It
is true, in the neighborhood of Grand river, near camp 72, there are fragments of a dark
gray limestone, with numerous casts of shells — mostly fragments of amonites — strewed over
the ground on the top of a sand-hill, together with quite a number of loose shells, “Gryphsea
pitcherii,” showing the rock to have originated in the cretaceous period ; but within a circuit
of several miles, it could not be found in situ. The want of petrifactions in the rocks of these
desolate regions, renders a determination of their relative ages somewhat hazardous.

It is a remarkable feature in the character of the country between the Rocky mountains and
the Sierra Nevada, that whole formations disappear, as it were, before our eyes. The wearing
and washing away of mountains takes place here on an immense scale, and is the more easily
observed, as no vegetation of any account covers the country, hiding the destruction from the eye.
Nature here seems only to demolish, without showing any compensating creative activity. Days
before we found the above-mentioned towery conglomerate on Grand river, we saw mostly small
pieces of rocks on the road which did not belong to the surrounding mountains, and which
afterwards could be identified with the rocks contained in that conglomerate. As these rocks
could not have been drifted there from a place about a thousand feet lower, we must conclude
that large masses of this conglomerate have been carried away, leaving a number of these rocks
behind. All along our road in the Grand and Green river country, on the slopes of high
mountains, and in the level country, the soil is overstrewed with pieces of agate, cornelian,
calcedony, and other quartzose minerals, which I could not refer to any rock. In the neigh¬
borhood of the Wahsatch mountains, these minerals again make their appearance; but here
they are traceable to a rock which still constitutes a great part of the mountains of this range.
The devastation may here be followed step by step. A similar process has been going on in the
country of Blue and Green rivers with other strata. The black, soft shale, with gypsum and
the strata below it, have disappeared from an immense tract of land. For days before we
struck Green river, we travelled over a black, clayish, absolutely sterile soil, produced by the
decaying mountains, and in different places, chiefly at a short distance from where we crossed
Green river, we found remnants of those strata in buttes of sometimes considerable height, some
of them assuming the shape of huge chimneys.

On the foot of the Wahsatch mountains, close to Akanaquint creek, and about a mile from
camp 88, a coal measure of an excellent bituminous coal crops out. It rests on sandstone, a thin
layer of a brown, soft clay intervening between them, and is about three feet thick on the out¬
cropping.

As soon as we are over the first ridge of thp Wahsatch mountains, porphyritic rocks again
make their appearance, and their disintegration again gives rise to a better soil and more
luxuriant vegetation. These porphyries, from red to dark gray, belong undoubtedly to dif¬
ferent periods. One of them erupted, when an oolitic limestone covered the country. At a
short distance from our road over the second high ridge, numerous pieces of this limestone
may be seen. That the presence of the latter rock in these localities is not merely accidental,
is proved by the fact that by contact with the porphyry it has been altered, .and has baked
together with it. White sandstone, a white, very pure, compact limestone, a greenish and a

GEOLOGY.

103

red argillaceous limestone, and a sandstone containing mica, are tlie sedimentary rocks of the
Wahsatch mountains in the region of Swambah creek. None of them contain fossils.

A bed of pure crystallized gypsum in the valley of the Ungot-tah-bi-kin creek, deserves to
he particularly mentioned. The crystals are imbedded in a red or green marl in such abun¬
dance as to form a whole mountain of this valuable mineral. The section of the bed, about a
mile from our road, extends about forty feet above the level of the soil, and it has very likely a
considerable depth.

In many parts of the Wahsatch and Tuilla mountains, a silicious rock, mostly calcedony and
agate, breaks through a gray-white or gray limestone, infiltrating the latter, and forming
veins of sometimes considerable thickness. The canon leading to Swambah creek, and the ridge
of the Tuilla mountains east of Cedar creek, consist of this infiltrated limestone.

On Swambah creek I found an extraordinarily large block of crystals, apparently calcareous
spar. They were white, semi-transparent, of granular fracture, and consisted of —

Carbonate of lime . 93.66

Carbonate of magnesia . 4.12

Carbonate of protoxyd of iron . 2.02

Water . . 0.20

100

To the simple minerals occasionally mentioned heretofore, the following may be added :

Dolomite, found in the valley of Ungot-tah-bi-kin creek.

Hyalite, in the trapp-porphyry of the valleys of Coochetopa creek and Grand river.

Sulphuret of molybdena, in the Wahsatch mountains.

Asphaltum, in different places in the Wahsatch and Tuilla mountains.

Had the Indian difficulties during last winter made geological excursion in Utah Territory
admissible, the extraordinarily deep snows of that winter would have made them quite useless,
if not impossible. For the same reason, our winter excursion into the Wahsatch mountains
and Green river country, resulted quite unproductively in geological facts, and I am not able
to add anything new to the geology of that country, as it has been described in former reports,
with the exception, however, of a phenomenon which the Great Salt lake offers, and which not
only possesses a scientific interest, but may be made of great importance to the development of
chemical arts in the valley of the u Saints.”

In summer the evaporation of the water of the lake is so great, and the solution of salts
becomes so concentrated, that a part of them is deposited on the bottom of the lake. In some
places, I have been told, this sediment has been found to be two feet thick. It consists of
variable quantities of sulphate of soda and chloride of sodium, the sulphate exceeding by far the
chloride, at least in the specimens which came under my examination. In the manufacturing of
soda, an immense capital is annually wasted in producing this sulphate, which is finally con¬
verted into carbonate of soda. It can be had here for the mere trouble of taking it out of the
lake.

Another interesting mineral production of the localities around that remarkable lake is found
in great quantity at Alum Point, and in other places in Utah Territory. It is the manganesian
or feather alum, a mineral of great use in the so-called tawing process, and an excellent material
for preserving the skins of birds and other animals. It has rather been considered hitherto as
a rare mineral.

The composition of this alum does not seem to be constant ; at least not in relation to its pro¬
portions of water. I obtained from one specimen 37.25 per cent, sulphuric acid, and 39.45 per
cent, of water; and from another 37.26 per cent, sulphuric acid, and only 32.85 per cent, of
water. There was no time to complete the analysis.

In the regions between the Tuilla mountains and the Sierra Nevada, the desert character is

104

GEOLOGY.

not so constantly preserved as in the country east of the Wahsatch mountains, and the soil
offers in many places, as far as its chemical composition is concerned, by far more resources.
The slopes of the mountains west of the Humboldt mountains are often covered with an ex¬
cellent soil, producing a good grass, and the want of a more luxuriant vegetation can only he
explained by atmospheric and similar influences.

The mountains on the west side of the Great Salt lake have their chief geological features in
common with those on the east side. A dark limestone belonging to the coal formation, and
above it a conglomerate, resting on porphyritic and granitic rocks, in some places on a silicious
shale, constitute the materials out of which they are formed. This limestone as well as the
conglomerate, or rather remnants of them, are occasionally met with in many other places
travelling westward. The former is one of the main rocks constituting the Humboldt mount¬
ains, where it overlies granitic masses. In the northern parts of this mountain range the granite
passes gradually into quartz, the latter assuming in some places a shaly structure. It is
through limestone that the waters of a subterranean creek in the Humboldt mountains have
broken an outlet ; and both limestone and conglomerate are often found on the summits of the
highest peaks of those regions. A soft shaly rock has almost entirely disappeared from that
country, and I found remnants of it only in one single place east of the Humboldt mountains;
but the clayish soil, over which we had to travel for days, and which contained a number
of small pieces of the rock, led to the belief that it extended once far over the country.

The island mountains in the salt desert immediately west of Great Salt lake consist of granitic
and porphyritic rocks ; the latter is like most of the porphyries we met with, trachytic, its
brownish base dissolving under a lens into small grains and broken crystals melted together.
It includes numerous crystals of feldspar and grains of quartz, many half an inch thick, and
is very hard.

About a mile and a half from the eastern foot of the Humboldt mountains, about camp 19,
(1854,) an interesting phenomenon is presented to the view by a number of warm springs — t
some forty — all of them lying in a circuit of about a hundred yards in diameter. They rise in
tubular channels cut through the granite, most of them having a kind of funnel-shaped reservoir
on the surface. The smell of the water and a deposit around the springs, show at once that
they contain sulphureted hydrogen, and, although quite tasteless when cooled, the water con¬
tains, besides the sulphureted hydrogen, a slight proportion of chlorides and sulphates, as shown
by chemical test. The temperature of the water on the surface is about 132° Fahrenheit. The
spring we found afterwards in Honey Lake valley seems to have the same chemical composition,
but its temperature is at the boiling-point.

The mountains lying between the Humboldt mountains and Humboldt river, by our path, are
chiefly composed of quartz rocks, trachytic or dioritic porphyry, the above- mentioned dark lime¬
stone and conglomerate, and a soft, white, argillaceous or calcareous sandstone. The most
remarkable rock in that country, and which deserves a particular mention, is found around the
gorge we came through on the 2d of June, and for which I proposed the name of “ Agate
canon.” This rock is a compact mixture of minerals of the quartz family — agate, chalcedony,
and jasper — and is evidently of igneous origin. To the practical arts it would offer a material
which for beauty and hardness can hardly be surpassed.

West of Humboldt river we find quartzose rocks, syenites, and granites, and a soft clay-
slate, as the predominating rocks ; but the nearer we approach to the Sierra Nevada, the more
the so-called volcanic rocks take their place, and at last become the only constituent material
of the mountains. In Mud Creek canon, at the foot of the Sierra, we find for the last time a
rock which, by its lithological character, is related to the rock I designated as trapp-porphyry,
only that it has become shaly or foliating, by the influence of the surrounding volcanic rocks.
In the neighborhood of that canon I found a rock which has all the appearance of standing
between this rock and the trachytes of these regions, and which seems to have been formed by
the action of these rocks upon each other.

GEOLOGY.

105

Leaving the canon wherea conglomerate of igneous rocks crops out from under the above-
described shaly trapp, we no longer meet with any older plutonics, or with any sedimentary
rocks. Even sandstone, so abundant in the country we before traversed, has disappeared, and
the more recent rocks, basalt, phonolithe, ringing beautifully to the hammer, and chiefly tra¬
chytes, with a number of intermediate rocks, become masters of the ground. The trachytic
rocks seem to be the predominating, if not the only rocks in those parts of the Sierra which we
had to traverse when travelling from the headwaters of the Sacramento river down to Honey
Lake valley, and which are covered with the most magnificent pine forests.

The highly interesting scenery around the so-called “ Black Butte” bears, of all the parts of
the Sierra Nevada we passed over, most strikingly the character of a volcanic country. Sur¬
rounded by elevated peaks and high cliffs, and quite isolated, stands a mountain, from eight
hundred to a thousand feet high, of conical shape, and formed of black lava, apparently a
monument of the latest disturbing forces in these regions. The lava is in some degree decom¬
posed at the surface, and the butte, as well as the soil around, is covered with volcanic sand and
blocks or small pieces of that lava. In the cliffs on the west side of the butte, the lava passes
gradually into trachyte. The summit of this mountain butte is rounded, and no opening in
it is perceptible from below.

On the western slopes of .the Sierra we find a granitic trachyte, which is distinguished from
all other trachytic rocks of the Sierra we met with. It is a reddish gray rough rock, inter¬
spersed with crystals of mica, pyroxene — a crystallized mineral, splinters of which melt before
the blow-pipe into a pearl, giving out an intense light — and another transparent substance,
on which the blow- pipe has no effect, and which, on closer examination, will very likely prove
to be a very brittle quartz. The time allowed to this report unfortunately does not admit of
a thorough chemical examination, as well of this as some other interesting rocks described
above. It would be of the highest scientific interest to know whether these rocks, and chiefly
the trachytes of the Sierra Nevada, conform to the law which in the last few years has been
established by Bunsen. The great importance of this law, which seems to explain complicated
phenomena in a very simple way, and which is not so generally known as it deserves to be,
induces me to give a short exposition of it in this report, and to verify it by such analyses as
I have been able to make during the limited time allowed for the preparation of this report.

In the fact, established by him experimentally, that the point at which melted substances
become solid, varies according to the pressure exercised on these substances, Bunsen expected
to find an explanation for the great variety of eruptive rocks, and for the contradictions in the
succession of the crystallization of the several mixing substances in relation to their fusibility.
The analyses of rocks in the lump, without separating the different simple minerals of which
they are composed, which hitherto have been so much neglected, again become important. The
analysis of a great number of the characteristic rocks of Iceland, led to the opinion that all these
rocks have originated from separate or combined eruptions out of only two independent hearths.
One of these hearths furnished the trachytic, the other one the pyroxenic rocks. Their mixing
up gave rise to a series of intermediate rocks, which Bunsen called “trachyto-pyroxenic.”
Great as may be the difference between their ages, mineralogical character, and arrangement,
the trachytic and the pyroxenic rocks show a constant average composition, which has only in
a few cases been disturbed by local influences, which are easily traced.*

The first of the extreme members of these rocks, the normal trachytic, is a mixture of bisili¬
cates of alumina and bisilicates of alkalies, the oxygen of the acid to that of the basis being as
3 : 0.596. In the other extreme member, the normal pyroxenic, the proportion between the oxy¬
gen of the acid and that of the bases (alumina, lime, magnesia, potash, soda, protoxyd of
iron,) is 3 : 1.998, or as 3 : 2, almost. They are to be considered a mixture of bibasic silicates.
The proportion between silica and magnesia and lime is almost always constant; but that
between alumina and protoxyd of' iron is subject to great variations, as shown by analysis.

* Comp. Annual Report by Liebig and Kopp, 1851 — 1853.

14 b

106

GEOLOGY.

The cause of it is, that such parts as become more easily solid, separate first without the force
of crystallization being active. For this reason there are sometimes considerable differences in
a rock in short distances. The amount of the variable part changes, however, only slightly.
Taking the mean of a great number of analyses, Bunsen gets the composition of the normal
trachytic and the normal pyroxenic rocks of Iceland. In the rest, being mixtures of these two,
the ratio of the oxygen of the acid to that of the bases varies between the given limits. Their
character depends upon these proportions and the physical conditions that ruled their forma¬
tion. Be S the per cent, of silica in such a mixed rock, be s the per cent, of silica in the normal

trachytic, and <=* in the normal pyroxenic rock — then | — — =a, where a represents the quantity

of normal pyroxenic rock to be mixed with one part of trachytic rock, in order to give the
composition of the mixed rock. For the computation of a, B chose the silica, which is easily
determined, and by the quantity of silica the quantities of the other parts are also given. Be
p0, p„ the quantities of the single component parts in one part of normal pyroxenic,

and t0, + t2.... t n, the same in one part of normal trachytic rock, we may then calculate the
quantities of the component parts in a mixed rock by the equation —

i _ (qpo+i) . (qpi+i) , («p„+i)

0+1 0+1 . '"I" a+l, .

With the help of this formula all the theoretically possible primitive rocks of Iceland have
been calculated and put in tables, and with these theoretical numbers all the analyses of Ice¬
landic rocks agree perfectly ; the law holds equally good for the volcanic rocks of Armenia and
volcanic rocks generally, and its applicability to the older or plutonic rocks has been put beyond
all doubt by the analysis of a great number of granites, sienites, diorites, porphyritic and
hornblende rocks, from different countries.

The compositions of the normal trachytic and normal pyroxenic rocks are:

Norm, tract.

Norm. pyr.

Silica . . . . . . .

76.67

48. 47

Oxyd of aluminium \

14.23

30. 16

Protoxyd of iron . . $

1.44

11.87

of mafrneRium

0. 28

* 6.89

Oxyrj nf potassium

3. 20

0. 65

Oxyd of sodium. ........ _ ......... _ .........

4. 18

1.96

100. 00

The analysis of a rock from the Sierra Nevada, about 40 miles south of Madelin Pass, gave
60.93 per cent, of silica. According to the first of the above formulas, this rock is a mixture
of 1 part of normal trachytic and 10.46 parts of normal pyroxenic rock. The second formula

gives its composition as —

Silica . 50.93

Protoxyd of iron and alumina . 28. 77

Oxyd of calcium . 10.96

Magnesia . 6.31

Oxyd of sodium and potassium . 3.03

100.00

GEOLOGY.

107

The direct analysis gave :

Silica . . . 50.93

Protoxyd of iron and alumina . 29.35

Oxyd of calcium . 10.33

Oxyd of magnesium . 5.97

Oxyd of sodium and potassium . 3.42

100.00

The following is an analysis of a rock from the headwaters of Pitt river, by Mr. Glustavus
Baumgarten, done in my laboratory and under my direction. The determination of silica gave
57.65 per cent. ; the rock is a mixture of 1 part normal trachytic, and 2.07 parts of normal
pyroxenic rock:

Composition accord¬
ing to second for¬
mula.

Composition found
by analysis.

Silica r _ _ , _ _ _ _ _

57. 65

Protoxyd of iron and alumina .

24.97

27. 56

Oxyd of calcium .

a 47

6. 53

Oxyd of magnesium .

4.74

5. 30

Oxyd of sodium and potassium .

4. 17

2.91

100. 00

These analyses hardly admit of any doubt as to the applicability of Bunsen’s law to the
igneous rocks of the Sierra 'Nevada. It would seem that the hearth of the trachytic masses
was lying north, and that of the normal pyroxenic masses more south ; a greater number of
rocks must, however, be analyzed before we can form a more reliable opinion on that point.

In the Sierra we travelled for days over a red soil, which, according to the popular belief, is
gold-bearing. This seems, however, a mistake, produced by the resemblance of its color to
that of the soil in the Sacramento valley. It comes from a disintegrated red volcanic rock, of
which I found occasionally pieces of six inches in diameter.

There is, however, an auriferous rock, the existence of which in California I find nowhere
mentioned, which I found near the summit of one of the high peaks on the Upper Sacramento,
(Pitt river.) It is a red rock, with porphyritic structure, and of excessive hardness, bearing
unmistakably the signs of gold.

In the rugged Pitt river country, where Canoe creek empties into that river, and a short
distance above the mouth of the creek, there is a kind of dam along the creek, made up of a
white soil, which, a little remote from the creek, forms a regular stratum of considerable thick¬
ness. The rock around is a porphyritic trachyte, and no sedimentary rock of any kind could be
detected. On examining this earth under the microscope, I found it to consist of the silicious
coats of infusoria, and I therefore sent a specimen of it, together with a specimen of infusorial
earth, found in Honey Lake valley, to Professor Bailey, at West Point, as the savan who is
best acquainted with American infusoria. According to him they are both made up of diato-
maceous shells ; some of them are novel, and both are of fresh- water origin, containing many
well known species still living all over our country. A fuller description of the new species
will be given by Professor Bailey.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES SCHIEL, M. D.,
Surgeon and Geologist for Explorations for Central
Pacific Railroad Route.

Lieut. E. G-. Beckwith,

3<7 U. S. Artillery , in charge of Explorations.

108

GEOLOGY — FOSSILS.

List and Description of Organic Remains collected during the Exploration of the Central Pacific
Railroad line, by Dr. James Schiel, 1853-’ 54.

PI. , Fig. 1. — Fenestella. Branches slender, bifurcating, with two rows of pores ; some¬
times hut one row ; intervals oval or ohlong, with rounded angles, and variable in size.

It occurs with Productus semireticulatus and Productus aequicostatus in the limestone on
Willow creek. It might, perhaps, he referred to Fenest. patula of McCoy.

BKACHIOPODA.

PI. , Fig. 2, a, b. — Terebratula subtilita. Hall, Stansbury’s expedition to the Great Salt
lake, 409 ; PI. 4, Figs. 1, 2. Gibbous, ohovoid, valves nearly equal; beak of the dorsal valve
elevated, incurved, perforated at the apex, mesial depression from centre to front; surface
marked with concentric striae and with faint, radiating striae.

Occurs with Productus splendens , Spirifer striatus (?) Phillipsia, in the carboniferous lime¬
stone about six miles west of Westport. In one specimen the radiating striae are very distinct.

PL , Fig. 3. — Productus splendens. Norwood and Pratten. The Producti in the western
States, 11; PI. 1, Fig. 5.

From the same limestone.

PI. , Fig. 4, a, b. — Productus aequicostatus. Shumard. Large, elongate, dorsal valve much
elevated ; beak small, passing slightly beyond the cardinal border ; surface covered by longitudi¬
nal ribs, which bifurcate near the beak, and then continue without further division to the front,
the spaces between being occasionally supplied with new ribs. These ribs are slightly sinuous
occasionally, hut most of them are straight from their origin to their termination.

Occurs with Fenestella and Productus semireticulatus in the limestone on Willow creek. I
have adopted for this shell the name given to it by Dr. Shumard, who kindly furnished me
with the above preliminary description from his manuscript on the paleontology of the State
of Missouri. A fuller description, and a drawing of a better and more perfect specimen, will he
found in his report.

PL , Fig. 5. — Spirifer, (indet.) Most likely Sp. striatus, yet the specimen is too imperfect
for description.

Occurs with Terebratula subtilita in the limestone near Westport.

CONCHIEERA.

Pl. , Fig. 6. — Inoceramus, (indet.) The specimen is only a cast of inoceramus from a
yellowish cretaceous limestone near Fort Atkinson.

Pl. , Fig. I. — Inoceramus confertim-annulatus. Boemer, Kreide. Texas, 59. Transverse,
ovate, depressed, with concentric ribs and strife ; the spaces between the ribs hardly equal to
their width, and marked with regular, equidistant, elevated lines.

I got this inoceramus in Salt Lake City, as coming from the Upper Green Biver country. It
belongs to the cretaceous period.

Pl. , Fig. 8. — Inoceramus pseudo-mytiloides . Inequivalved, elongated, with concentric ribs
and strife; anterior part subtruncated ; posterior part slightly compressed, with a wing-like
extension of the posterior margin against which the strife are bending.

It occurs in a gray limestone west of Fort Atkinson. The only difference between this shell
and Inoc. mytiloides is the bending out of the strife.

Pl. , Fig. 9. — Gryphcea Pitcheri. Shell thick, expanded, distinctly lobed, lower valve
convex, upper valve thick and subconvex ; beak distinctly incurved. (Morton.)

It was found on the top of a sand-hill near Grand river, where it occurs in great abundance,
together with impressions of an ammonites. I am indebted for the determination of this shell
to Professor Hall, who has several beautiful specimens in his collection.

GEOLOGY ELATE

GEOLOGY PLATE 2

GEOLOGY PLATE 3

WM£k‘F.X.& SURVEYS 38 A39A& ^PARALLELS

GEOLOGY PLATE 4

GEOLOGY — FOSSILS.

109

PI. , Fig. 10. — Cardium multistriatum. Shumard. Exploration of the Eed river of Louisi¬
ana by Marcy and McClellan, 203; Pl. 4, Fig. 2. Shell subrotund, inflated, length and
breadth nearly equal, truncated positively, basal and anterior margin rounded ; concentric striae
on the surface.

I was given this shell, with the above Inoceramus confertim-annulatus, as coming from the
Upper Green river. It belongs to the cretaceous period.

PI. , Fig. 11 and Fig. 14. Fig. 11. — Pygidium of a Phillipsia. A new species, from the
limestone near Westport, where it occurs with Terebratula subtilita, Productus splendens , and
apparently two other new species of Productus, of which my specimens are too fragmentary to
be described. Fig. 14. — Phillipsia from a carboniferous limestone west of Indian creek.

PI. , Fig. 12. — A piece of limestone from Indian creek, the surface being covered with
pieces of stems of a species of encrinites and some hryozoa.

PI. , Fig. 13. — Impression of an ammonites found with Gryphae Pitcheri on Grand river.

JAMES SCHIEL, M. D.,

Surgeon and Geologist for Explorations for Central Pacific Railroad.

Names and Localities of various Rocks collected by Dr. Schiel during the Explorations of 1853.

1. Limestone, fossiliferous ; near Westport.

2. Limestone; near Willow creek.

3. Limestone; west from Fort Atkinson.

4. Limestone; west from Fort Atkinson.

5. Limestone, upper ; bluff near Bent’s Fort.

6. Limestone, lower ; bluff near Bent’s Fort.

7. Sandstone; Apishpa river.

8. Limestone, upper; near the Rocky mountains.

9. Limestone, lower; near the Rocky mountains.

10. Granite; Huerfano butte.

11. Limestone; Huerfano canon.

12. White silicate ; Rocky mountains.

13. Porphyry; Sangre de Cristo Pass.

14. Porphyry; Sangre de Cristo Pass.

15. Gneiss; Sangre de Cristo Pass.

16. Gneiss; Sangre de Cristo Pass.

17. Mica slate; Roubideau’s Pass, Sierra Blanca.

18. Quartz rock; Roubideau’s Pass, Sierra Blanca.

19. Quartz rock; Roubideau’s Pass, Sierra Blanca.

20. Porphyry; Sahwatch butte ; Coochetopa Pass valley.

21. Trapp-porphyry ; Sahwatch valley.

22. Trapp-porphyry; Sahwatch valley.

23. Granite; Sahwatch valley.

24. Porphyry; Coochetopa Pass.

25. Trapp-porphyry; Coochetopa Creek valley.

26. Black rock; Coochetopa Creek valley.

27. Granite; Grand river.

28. Silicious shale ; Grand river.

29. Mica slate; Grand river.

30. Sandstone ; Grand river.

31. Fibrous gypsum; Elk mountains.

32. Silicious shale, with agate.

GEOLOGY — ROCKS.

110

33. Calcareous Spar; White river.

34. Red porphyry; Wahsatch mountains.

35. Gray porphyry ; Wahsatch mountains.

36. Hyalite; Grand River valley.

37. Oolitic limestone ; Wahsatch mountains.

38. Chalcedony; Wahsatch mountains.

39. Red sandstone ; Grand river.

40. Greenish argillaceous limestone ; Wahsatch mountains.

41. Grayish-yellow foliating limestone ; Wahsatch mountains.

42. Crystallized gypsum; Ungot-tah-bi-kin valley.

43. Greenish limestone ; Wahsatch mountains.

44. Chalcedony; Wahsatch mountains.

45. Rock from the towery conglomerate on Grand river.

46. Mica slate; Coochetopa Creek valley.

47. Granite; Coochetopa Creek valley.

Names and Localities of various Roclcs collected by Dr. Schiel during the Explorations of 1854.

II.

III.

IY.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

X.
XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.
XV.

XVI.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVII.

XXVIII.

XXIX.

XXX.

XXXI.

XXXII.

Granite; Island mountain, Great Salt Lake Desert.

Limestone; Humboldt mountains.

Shale ; east from Humboldt mountains ; remnants of stratum.
Altered trapp-porphyry ; Coochetopa creek, 1853.

Red porphyry ; Goshoot mountains.

Conglomerate ; first canon west of Humboldt mountains.
Dioritic porphyry ; west of Agate Pass.

Chalcedony.

Rock from Agate Pass.

Cherty rock ; Tuilla valley.

Shale; near Humholdt river.

Red quartz ; near Humholdt mountains.

Rock from Agate Pass.

Dioritic(?) rock; Humboldt mountains, R. R. Pass.

Dioritic (?) rock ; west of Humboldt mountains.

Shaly rock ; west of Humboldt mountains.

Syenite; foot of Sierra Nevada.

Gneiss; foot of Sierra Nevada.

Argillaceous porphyry; foot of Sierra Nevada.

Lava; Black butte.

Shaly rock; west of Humboldt mountains.

Shaly trapp-porphyry; foot of Sierra Nevada.

Feldspar (violet and white) ; foot of Sierra Nevada.

Silicious rock; west of Humboldt river.

Basaltic rock ; Sierra Nevada.

Porphyritic trachyte ; Sierra Nevada.

Porphyritic trachyte ; summit of Madelin Pass, Sierra Nevada.
Trachyte; between Madelin and Noble’s Passes, Sierra Nevada.
Trachyte; between Madelin and Noble’s Passes, Sierra Nevada.
Trachyte; between Madelin and Noble’s Passes, Sierra Nevada.
Trachyte; between Madelin and Noble’s Passes, Sierra Nevada.
Basaltic (?) rock; west from Humholdt mountains.

GEOLOGY — INFUSORI A .

Ill

XXXIII.
XXXIY.
XXXY.
XXX YI.
XXXVII.
XXXVIII.
XXXIX.
XL.
XLI.
XLII.
XLIII.
XLIY.

XLY.

Basaltic(P) rock; Mud Creek canon, Sierra Nevada.

Foliating trapp-porphyry ; Mud Creek canon, Sierra Nevada.

Granitic trachyte ; west of Black butte.

Lava; near Black butte, Sierra Nevada.

Trachyte ; upper waters of Sacramento or Pitt river.

Black silicious rock; near Humboldt river.

Porpbyritic trachyte ; Sacramento or Pitt river.

Argillaceous porphyry; Sevier river, 1853.

Granitic porphyry; Granite mountain, Desert near Great Salt lake.

Granite; Humboldt mountains.

Black shale; Sacramento or Pitt river.

Gold-bearing quartz; California; presented by Captain Miller, Quartermaster,
United States Army.

Petrified oak block; Cow creek, California; presented by Captain M. S. Miller,
Quartermaster, United States Army.

II. — Letter from Professor J. W. Bailey upon Infusorial Fossils submitted to him by Dr . Schiel.

West Point, N. Y., December 14, 1854.

Dear Sir: I have been requested by Dr. Schiel to send to you some drawings of the fossil
Diatoms found by him in California. As I have a considerable amount of matter on hand which
claims precedence to this, I have only had time to make the accompanying notes and sketches,
which can he disposed of as you may think best.

Specimen No. 1. — Honey Lake Valley.

This is a fine, grayish white powder, chiefly composed of Diatomaceous shells, all of which
are of fresh-water origin, and probably of recent date. The following are the chief species
which I have noticed :•

Epithemia, allied to E. Westermanni; several varieties of form, perhaps several species.
See Figs. 5, 6.

Cocconema asperum, Ehr.

Cocconema cymhiforme, Ehr.

Discoplea atmosphaerica, Ehr.

Surirella campylodiscus, (?) Ehr. Fig. 4, a, b.

Cocceneis. Fig. 3.

Cymbella gibba, Bailey. Fig. 1.

Cymatopleura (?) Campylodiscus, Bailey. Fig. 2, a, b.

The last two species I believe to he new, and they may he characterized as follows :

1. Cymbella gibba. — Bailey, (Fig. 1.) Bases somewhat triangular, rounded, and very gib¬
bous on the dorsal side, slightly concave on the ventral side. Length, of an inch ; width,
about two-thirds of the length. Locality, Honey Lake valley.

2. Cymatopleura (?) Campylodiscus. — Bailey, (Fig. 2, a, b.) Bases circular, or sometimes
irregularly bent like a Campylodiscus, marked with one deep transverse undulation. Margins
strongly striated. Diameter, T0400- to TTJ5^ of an inch. Locality, Honey Lake valley.

Specimen No. 2. — Junction of Canoe creek and Sacramento river, California.

A fine, white powder, chiefly composed of a minute species of Galleinella. (See Fig. .)

It is undoubtedly of fresh-water origin, hut contains some circular discs so much resembling
the marine Actinocycli, that a mistake as to its origin might easily he made. By careful ex-

112

GEOLOGY — INFUSORI A..

animation of these discs, however, I have proved them to belong to the genus Stephanodiscus,
and have found the crown of thorns preserved on some specimens, although they are commonly
broken off. The principal forms I have noticed in this specimen are —

Galleinella (Fig. 7, a, b) forms chief portion of the mass.

Gfalleinella varians.

Stephanodiscus — perhaps new.

Pennularia nobilis, Ehr.

Pennularia viridis.

Epithemia, as in No. 1, hut comparatively rare.

Surirella splendida (? Ehr.) in fragments.

Pollen of pine.

Spongiolites, which are also present in No. 1.

There are many other fresh-water forms in both specimens, hut I have not had time to study
them satisfactorily.

Yours, very truly,

Lieut. Beckwith.

J. W. BAILEY.

APPENDIX.

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR.

War Department,
Washington , February 21, 1854.

Sir: Your letter of the 30th of November to the Chief of the Corps of Topographical Engi¬
neers has been, by him, submitted to this department, and the following instructions are given
for your government.

You are placed in charge of the party commanded by the late Capt. Gunnison, and will
carry out the instructions given him by this department, with the following modifications.

By your letter it appears those instructions had been complied with by Capt. Gunnison pre¬
vious to his death, with the exception of exploring the Weber river and Timpanogos passes or
canons. You will explore and survey those passes, extending your operations eastward to
connect with some well known point, ascertained by previous surveys, to he selected by yourself.
You will hear in mind that the object of these explorations is the determination of the most
practicable railway route to the Pacific ; and that you must obtain a profile of the country
traversed, by which it will he practicable to show the gradients of the road: that is to say,
you must obtain the data for plotting the courses and distances traversed, and the rise and fall
of the ground at intervals wherever decided changes occur in the altitude of the surface of the
earth above the level of the sea, or above a point the elevation of which is already known.

After completing the explorations and surveys of the two passes above described, you will
retrace your steps and survey the route which you propose, passing to the south of the Great
Salt lake, in the direction of the “ Sink” of Humboldt or Mary’s river, thence towards Mud
lake and across to the tributaries of Feather river, and thence by the most practicable route .to
the valley of the Sacramento river ; provided that the three conditions hereafter stated can he
complied with :

First. If you have money enough left from the sum assigned the late Capt. Gunnison, after
completing the surveys already ordered. That amount was $40,000; and a statement from
this department is herewith sent you, showing what portion of it had been drawn by Capt.
Gunnison at his death.

Second., If, after the completion of the surveys of the Weber river and Timpanogos, you
will have remaining, in good condition, the instruments necessary to make the explorations and
surveys in the manner which has been described to you as necessary, more particularly the
instruments necessary to obtain the data to make the profiles of the country traversed.

Third. Provided you can employ an armed force necessary to supply the place of that which
has been removed by the massacre of Capt. Gunnison ; and which, in addition to that already
employed, and the military escort under command of Capt. Morris, will he sufficient to enable
you to make your surveys with security from the Great Basin to the settlements in California.

It is presumed you would not have suggested a survey of the route by Mud lake and Feather
river hut upon information which leads you to suppose it a practicable one for a railway. If
the conditions above stated are complied with, and you make the explorations, Capt. Morris
is hereby directed to escort you, and you will make a requisition on him to that effect. On
arriving in California you will disband your party, sell your public property, and return by
sea, with your assistants, to Washington city.

15 b

114

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR.

Should it, however, he determined, by the conditions above stated, not to make the explora-
tion across the Great Basin and the Sierra Nevada, you will extend the exploration of the
Weber river and Timpanogos passes eastward to Fort Leavenworth, through the coal basin in
the vicinity of Currant creek and Bishop mountain, as delineated on Stansbury’s map, or by
some route which has not been surveyed. On reaching Fort Leavenworth you will discharge
your party and return to this city.

On the receipt of this, you will forward to this department, by the first opportunity, dupli¬
cates of all the maps and notes of surveys of the late Capt. Gunnison, and retain the originals
until your return to Washington city.

You will, at convenient times, send duplicates of your own notes and surveys to this depart¬
ment.

To enable you to comply with these conditions, you are authorized to draw on this department
for twenty-three thousand dollars, the balance unexpended of that portion of the appropriation
assigued to the late Capt. Gunnison.

You will not exceed this amount in your expenditures, and you will forward your account to
the Colonel of Topographical Engineers.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JEFF’N DAVIS,
Secretary of War.

Lieut. E. G. Beckwith,

U. S. Army , Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

REPORT

ON THE

BOTANY OF TEE EXPEDITION:

BY •

JOHN TORREY AND ASA GRAY.

ROUTE ON THE FORTY-FIRST PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE, UNDER THE COMMAND OF LIEUT. E. G.
BECKWITH, THIRD ARTILLERY;

AND

ROUTE NEAR THE THIRTY-EIGHTH AND THIRTY-NINTH PARALLELS OF NORTH LATITUDE, UNDER THE
COMMAND OF CAPT. J. W. GUNNISON, CORPS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

Page.

Plants collected by Mr. James A. Snyder, under the direction of Lieut. E. G. Beckwith, U. S. A., in an expedition made
under his charge from Great Salt Lake, Utah Territory, directly west to the Sacramento valley, in California, in the
months of May, June, and July, 1854 . . 119

PART II.

Plants collected by Mr. F. Creutzfeldt, under the direction of Capt. J. W. Gunnison, U. S. A., in charge of explorations
for a railroad from Fort Leavenworth, via the Kansas, Arkansas, and Huerfano rivers, the Sangre de Cristo Pass,

San Luis valley, Coochetopa Pass, Grand and Green rivers, and thence into the Great Basin, in the vicinity of the
Sevier or Nicollet lake. The collection was made from early in June to late in October, 1853 .... 125

BOTANICAL REPORT.

Botanical Report, by John Torrey and Asa Gray, upon the Collections made by Captain
Gunnison, Topographical Engineers , in 1853, and by Lieutenant B. G. Beckwith,
Third Artillery, in 1854.

I. — Plants collected by Mr. James A. Snyder, under the direction of Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith, U. S. A., in an expedition
made under his charge from Great Salt Lake, Utah Territory, directly west to the Sacramento valley, in California, in the
months of May, June, and July, 1854.

II. — Plants collected by Mr. F. Creutzfeldt, under the direction of Captain J. W. Gunnison, U. S. A., in charge of explorations
for a railroad from Fort Leavenworth, via the Kansas, Arkansas, and Huerfano rivers, the Sangre de Cristo Pass, San Luis
valley, Coochetopa Pass, Grand and Green rivers, and thence into the Great Basin, in the vicinity of the Sevier or Nicollet
lake. The collection was made from early in June to late in October, 1853.

PART I.

Plants collected by Mr. James A. Snyder, under the direction of Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith,
U. S. Army, in an expedition made under his charge from Great Salt lake, directly west, to
the Sacramento valley, in California, in the months of May, June, and July, 1854.

Aquilegia Canadensis, Linn.; Torrey and Gray, FI. 1, p. 29. In a canon east of the Sierra
Nevada; June 17. Few phanerogamous plants of this country have so great a geographical
range as has this species, (including the A. formosa, Fischer ,) namely : from Hudson’s Bay to
Florida and New Mexico, and from Unalaschka to California.

Delphinium Menziesii, DC. Syst. 1 , p. 355 ; Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 1 ,p. 25. Near Great Salt
Lake. Also, in a valley of the Sierra Nevada ; with an incomplete specimen of what may he
a white-flowered variety; May and June.

Eschscholtzia Calieornica, Cham, and Fees, Flor. Phys. Berol. p. '73, t. 15, non Lindl.
Sierra Nevada ; June 25.

Turritis retroeracta, Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 1 ,p. 41. Summit of a mountain in the Great
Basin east of the Sierra Nevada. In flower only ; June 1.

Erysimum asperum, DC. ; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1 ,p. 95. Mountains near Great Salt Lake ;
May.

Spraguea umbellata, Torr. PI. Fremont, in Smithson. Contrib. p. 4, t. 1. Summit of Noble’s
Pass, Sierra Nevada; July 3. The specimens of this interesting Portulacaceous genus accord
with those of Col. Fremont, who alone has gathered the plant hitherto ; hut being younger,
the corollas are more conspicuous, and the scarious sepals not so large.

Lewisia rediviva, Pursh, FI. 1 , p. 368; Hook, and Am. Bot. Beech, p. 334, t. 86. On the
Sierra Nevada ; June 25.

Sidalcea MALViEFLORA, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 16. Mountains east of the Sierra Nevada ;
June 14.

Viola Beckwithii, (n. sp.) : subcaulescent ; ascending stems abbreviated; cauline leaves biter-
nately or pedately parted, decurrent on the margined petiole, the lobes or segments oblong-
linear, hirsute-puberulent ; stipules minute, scarious, entire ; sepals linear, obtuse, ciliolate;
lower petal barely saccate at the base, purple, with yellow claws, the two upper shorter and
deep violet. On the slope of a mountain between Great Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevada ;

120

BOTANY.

June 1. A well-marked species ; with the foliage somewhat like that of Y. delphinifolia, Nutt. ;
hut the primary divisions compoundly divided in a ternate or pinnatisect manner ; and there is
a distinct stem, although it is only an inch long in the specimen. Lobes of the leaves half an
inch or less in length. Stipules very small and inconspicuous, except those of the lowest
and subradical leaves, which are larger. Peduncles 2 inches, naked. Petals half an inch
long. Style short, clavate, minutely bearded at the gibbous summit ; the stigma lateral.

Trifolium altissimum, Dougl. in Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. 1, p. 130, t. 48. On the Sierra Ne¬
vada ; June 22.

Astragalus (Phaca) Purshii, Dougl. in Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. 1, p. 152. Phaca mollissima,
Nutt, in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 350; Torr. in Stansbury’ s Bep. p. 385, t. 3, Jigs. 4 and 5.
Near Humboldt river ; in fruit. In reuniting Phaca to Astragalus, the name given by Doug¬
las to this species is to be restored, both on account of its priority, and because there is already
an Astragalus mollissimus.

Astragalus (Phaca) Utahensis : caespitose, very softly and densely white-tomentose ; stems
short and depressed ; leaflets 6-9 pairs, broadly obovate or nearly orbicular ; stipules lanceo¬
late, subulate-pointed, free ; peduncles equalling or exceeding the leaves, subcapitately 3-6-
flowered ; bracts setaceous, twice the length of the pedicels ; teeth of calyx subulate, much
shorter than the cylindrical tube ; corolla violet-purple ; legumes extremely woolly, sessile, ob¬
long, pointed, incurved, strictly one-celled. Phaca mollissima /?. Utahensis, Torr. in Stansb.
Rep. p. 385, t. 2. Near Lone Rock, south of G-reat Salt Lake. In flower; May. Although
closely allied to the preceding, this may safely be considered as a distinct species ; and so Dr.
Torrey was inclined to regard it. A. Purshii, besides its oblong and often acute or acutish
leaflets, has the foliage and calyx, &c., clothed with villous or shaggy hairs, so that Hooker de¬
scribes it as “ hirsutissimus,” and the flowers are said by Douglas to be yellow, meaning doubt¬
less ochroleucous, except a purple tip to the keel. The present plant is white, with a soft and
matted tomentum, and the corolla is violet-purple. The mature pods, (here described chiefly
from a fruiting plant gathered by Captain Stansbury, which is doubtless a form of the species,
though with shorter peduncles,) after detaching the thick mass of wool in which they are
imbedded, are found to be narrower, but otherwise similar to those of the preceding. In the
figure above cited, the tube of the calyx is mostly represented quite too short. It is really of
the same elongated form as in A. Purshii, but the teeth are not so setaceous.

Astragalus (Homalobus?) Beckwithii, (n. sp.): glabrous or nearly so, low, perennial; stems
branched from the base, ascending; stipules triangular-lanceolate, nearly free; petioles slen¬
der; leaflets 6-9 pairs, small, oval-orbicular, rather scattered; peduncles about the length of
the leaves, 7-8-flowered ; bracts subulate, small ; calyx oblong-campanulate, sparsely and mi¬
nutely black-haired ; the aristiform-subulate teeth nearly as long as the tube ; corolla ochroleu¬
cous, incurved, the oblong vexillum deeply emarginate; ovary linear, stipitate. On the Cedar
Mountains, west of Lone Rock, and south of Great Salt Lake ; May ; in flower. The slender
stems, with the peduncles that terminate them, are only 4 inches long in the specimen, and not
exceeding the radical leaves ; but as they go on to branch they doubtless attain a considerably
greater height in the season. Leaflets 2^ or 3 lines long, slightly petiolulate, rather fleshy in
texture, veinless, glabrous, except some minute hairs on the midrib and margins when first de¬
veloped. Flowers crowded on very short pedicels ; tube of the calyx 3 lines long ; corolla 9
lines long, abruptly curved near the obtuse tip of the keel, which is much shorter than the
wings and vexillum ; ovary glabrous, more or less compressed, many-ovuled, neither suture at
all introflexed, raised on a stipe which is soon- about as long as the tube of the calyx. The
fruit, unfortunately, is still unknown ; but the plant is evidently one not before described.

Astragalus diphysus, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 34 ? Southwest of Great Salt Lake ; May. In
flower only, and not to be accurately determined.

BOTANY.

121

Lupinus affinis, Agar dh, Syn. Lup. p. 20; Torr. and Gray , FI. p. 376. Agate Pass of
the Quartz Mountains ; June 1.

Lupinus decumbens, var. argophyllus, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 38. Utah, in a canon; May 29.
Flowers yellow and white. This is the same as Fendler’s No. 167, and is very likely Pursh’s
L. argenteus. L. laxiflorus, perhaps, runs into it. The calyx is conspicuously saccate-spurred
on the upper side.

Rosa gymnocarpa, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 461. On the Sierra Nevada ; July.

(Enothera marginata, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 500. On the summit of the Hum¬
boldt Mountains, Utah ; May.

(Enothera (Chylismia) clavaiformis, Torr. in Frem. Rep. 2 d Exped. p. 314. At the foot of
the Sierra Nevada, on the eastern side ; June. What appears to he a cinereous and somewhat
hairy, more caulescent, and branching variety of this, was gathered by Coulter: No. 180 of his
California collection.

(Enothera (Sph^rostigma) alyssoides, Rook, and Am. Bot. Beech, p. 394 ; Hook. Ic. PI. t.
339. Near Humboldt river ; June. Flowers white.

(Enothera (Primulopsis) tanacetifolia (n. sp.): stemless, perennial? minutely pubescent;
leaves lanceolate in outline, interruptedly pinnately parted into very numerous small segments,
some of them minute and oval or oblong, the others linear ; all sinuate-toothed or pinnatifid ;
tube of the calyx shorter than the leaves, filiform, dilated at the summit ; the segments lanceo¬
late, shorter than the obovate petals and the style ; anthers oblong, much shorter than the
moderately unequal filaments ; stigma discoid, entire. On the higher parts of the Sierra Ne¬
vada ; June 18. Root apparently thick and perennial. Leaves 3 or 4 inches long, including
the short petiole, 5 to 8 lines wide, finely dissected. Tube of the calyx 2 inches or more in
length ; the segments half an inch long. Petals bright yellow, nearly an inch long. Stigma
broad and flat. Fruit not seen.

(Enothera (Oodetia) rubicunda, Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1856. In the Sierra Nevada; June.

Peucedanum nudicaule, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 627, var. ellipticum. Minutely
and softly pubescent; fruit narrowly elliptical, nearly three times as long as broad, the winged
margin as wide as the disk. Round Valley, near the sources of the Sacramento, in the Sierra
Nevada ; June 27. Intermediate between P. nudicaule and P. macrocarpum, having exactly
the foliage of the former and the fruit of the latter. The roots of this species are used as food
by the natives.

Peucedanum triternatum, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 1. c. Seseli biternatum, Pursh, FI.
1 ,p. 197; Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 1 , p. 304, t. 94. Sierra Nevada. The roots of this plant, in
a dried state, were brought home by Lieutenant Beckwith. They are about the size of “ pea¬
nuts,” and are collected very largely by the Indians. When dried they are hard but brittle,
and have a mild sweet taste. They afford a good proportion of the food of some tribes. Besides
a large quantity of starch, they contain much other nutritious matter.

Cymopterus montanus, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 624 ; Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 67.
Summit of the Goshoot Mountain, Central Utah. In the solitary specimen which the collection
contained, the flowers are in a singular abnormal condition. The upper part of the ovary is
furnished with ten spongy wings, which extend beyond the flower. The stamens are reduced
to rudiments. The teeth of the calyx are normal. Instead of five petals there are only two
or three, and these are of an unusual form. The styles are conspicuous, but seem to be desti¬
tute of stigmas.

CHiENACTis stevioides, Hook, and Am. Bot. Beech, p. 371. Foot of the Sierra Nevada, on
the eastern side ; June.

Layia glandulosa, Hook, and Am. Bot. Beech, p. 358. Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada;
June. Rays white.

122

BOTANY.

Tetradymia glabrata (n. sp.): shrubby, divaricately branched, unarmed, young branch-
lets, and foliage loosely clothed with floccose white wool, which is soon deciduous ; leaves subu¬
late or acerose, rather fleshy ; the primary ones erect (none of them converted into spines) ;
the secondary ones crowded in axillary fasciales, glabrous ; scales of the tomentose-canescent
involucre and flowers four ; hairs of the achenium much shorter than the barbellate-denticu-
late bristles of the pappus. On the Sierra Nevada, June 16. This is distinguished from T.
Nuttallii by the acerose, terete, or angled and fleshy leaves, mostly mucronate Or pointed, and
glabrous, or soon glabrate: from T. spinosa (which it resembles in the secondary leaves) hy the
fewer flowers and involucral scales, the hairs of the ovarium much shorter than the pappus,
&c. ; and from both of the entire want of spines. It belongs to Tetradymia proper.

Dodecatheon integrifolitjm, Hoolc. FI. Bor. -Am. 2, p. 118; and Bot. Mag. t. 3622. In a
canon between Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevada ; May.

Phlox canescens (n. sp.): dwarf, very much branched, and densely caespitose, tomentose
when young, and canescent; leaves acerose, imbricated, at length recurved-spreading, not
rigid, very woolly towards the base, the lower ones marcescent; flowers sessile; teeth of the
calyx similar to the leaves, and fully as long as the woolly tube ; tube of the corolla much
longer than the calyx and the cuneiform ohovate retuse lobes. P. Hoodii, Torr. in Stansb.
Exped. p. 304. On the Cedar Mountains, south of the Great Salt Lake. This species (of
which badly preserved specimens were also gathered hy Colonel Fremont, in his second expe¬
dition) is allied to P. Hoodii and P. Douglasii. From the former it is distinguished hy its
more slender leaves and calyx-lobes, and much longer corolla; from the latter (which has
longer calyx-teeth than is shown in Hooker’s figure) it is distinguished hy its woolliness, its
less rigid foliage, longer calyx-lohes, and smaller corolla, but with the tube proportionally
longer. The ovules are solitary in each cell. The limb of the corolla appears to be white ;
its tube yellowish.

Gilia pulchella, Dougl. in Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 2, p. 74. At the foot of the Humboldt
Mountains, on the eastern side ; May.

Phacelia integrifolia, Torr. in Am. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y. 2, p. 222, t. 3. Valley of Hum¬
boldt River, Utah; June 8.

Phacelia humilis (n. sp.): annual, low, much branched from the base ; leaves oblong, spat-
ulate or lanceolate, all simple and entire, indistinctly veined, minutely hirsute-pubescent like
the branches, and glandular dotted ; racemes densely-flowered ; segments of the calyx linear,
obtuse, hispid, a little shorter than the (deep violet-colored) corolla ; stamens exerted. Near
the summit of the Sierra Nevada, California; June. A well-marked species, three or four
inches high, somewhat cinereous, with a fine pubescence, except the inflorescence, and especially
the calyx, which is hispid with rigid white hairs. Leaves an inch or less in length, short-
petioled. Corolla short, when expanded three lines in diameter ; the base biplicate between the
stamens. Filaments sparingly hispid above. Style glabrous. Ovules two in each cell. Capsule
2-3-seeded. This can hardly be the P. canescens of Nuttall, in PI. Gambell., which accords
better with some states of P. circinata.

Scrophularia nodosa, Linn.; Benth. PI. Hartweg. no. 1877. Foot of the Sierra Nevada;
June. The leaves are smaller, much truncate at the base, and more laciniate-toothed than the
plant of the Atlantic States.

Collinsia parviflora, Dougl. in Lindl. Bot-. Reg. t. 1802. Foot of the Humboldt Mount¬
ains; May.

Pentstemon speciosits, Dougl. in Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1270. Mountains in the western part of
Utah; June.

Pentstemon heterophylltjs, Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1899? Sierra Nevada, California, on the
summit of the mountains; June. Two forms, if not species, have been merged by Hooker and

BOTANY.

123

Arnott under P. heterophyllus. The present single specimen resembles the var. <*, in the narrow
and marginless sepals, and in the smaller flowers; hut the peduncles are principally three-
flowered. Not improbably it belongs to an entirely different species.

Pentstemon 'heterandrum (n. sp.) : glabrous; stem slender, virgate; leaves lanceolate or
oblong-linear, obtuse, callose-serrulate, obtuse or subauriculate at the base ; panicle spicate,
interrupted ; cymes subsessile, several-flowered ; calyx puberulous, the segments ovate-lanceo¬
late ; corolla (nearly white) infundibuliform, slightly gibbous above, with 5 short subequal
lobes, in {estivation various ; stamens glabrous, straightish, of nearly equal length, all anther-
iferous, or the fifth without an anther. Sierra Nevada, California ; June 30. Flower white,
with pink lines half an inch in length. Cauline leaves an inch long, and 3 lines wide ; the
floral ones successively reduced to small bracts. Anthers glabrous ; the cells distinct, mod¬
erately diverging. Stigma minute and simple. Ovary, &c., apparently as in Pentstemon.
Fruit not seen. Two peculiarities are to be noticed in this remarkable plant, either of which
would have been sufficient to exclude it from Pentstemon, but both prove to be inconstant in
the species. One of these relates to the stamens, which, in the flowers examined, were per¬
haps more frequently completely pentandrous than otherwise ; the fifth (posterior) filament
being similar to the others, and bearing either an exactly similar anther, or sometimes one
with rather smaller cells, and with the filament or connective prolonged into a short and blunt
apical appendage, as shown in figures 9 and 10. In some flowers, however, this anther was
found to be reduced to a single and rather imperfect cell, and a bare rudiment of the second
cell, as in fig. 11 ; in others again, (as in fig. 12 and fig. 6,) the fifth stamen is wholly desti¬
tute of any trace of anther, as in Pentstemon universally, with this exception, if such it be.
It is also to be noted that the stamens of this plant are nearly equal in length, at least when
all five are antheriferous, and that they are inserted into the very base of the corolla. The re¬
maining peculiarity relates to the {estivation of the corolla ; in which, although some of the
flower-buds plainly have the two posterior lobes, or one of them, exterior to the others, in the
manner of the Antirrhinideae generally, (this being, indeed, the only absolute character of that
suborder), as shown in figures 3 and 4 ; yet, in quite as many instances we find the lateral
lobes exterior in the bud, and covering the two posterior as well as the anterior, (as is repre¬
sented in figure 2), in the manner of the Ehinanthidege : a new and striking instance of
the instability of the modes of aestivation of the corolla, and one not altogether unexpected,
since Mr. H. T. Clark, a former pupil of Dr. Gray, and an acute and zealous naturalist, showed
him several years ago that both modes occur in Mimulus ringens, M. moschatus, &c.

Mimulus luteus, Linn. In the Sierra Nevada; June.

Castilleja hispida, Benth. in Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 2, p. 105. Cedar Mountains, south of
Great Salt Lake ; May.

Castilleja pallida, Kunth. Foot of the Humboldt Mountains, on the eastern side ; May.

Atjdibertia ingana, Benth. in Bot. Reg. t. 1469 ; and in DC. Prodr. 12, p. 359. On the
Sierra Nevada; June 20. Flowers blue.

Monardella odoratissima, Benth. Lab. p. 332 ; and in DC. Prodr. 12, p. 190. /?. glabrius-
cula; nearly glabrous; branches slender ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, narrowed to a petiole at the
base, rather acute ; heads terminal ; bracts ovate, (colored,) shorter than the calyx, rather
acute; teeth of the calyx ovate-lanceolate, acute, unarmed. Sierra Nevada; July 8. Differs
from M. odoratissima in its larger and conspicuously petiolate leaves, and in the narrower
acutish bracts, &c. Flowers rose-colored.

Most of the species of this genus have the narrow lobes of the corolla sacculate at the apex ;
a character which seems to have escaped the notice of Mr. Bentham.

Mertensia oblongifolia, G. Don , Syst. Gard. 4, p. 372 ; DC. Prodr. 10, p. 92. Pulmonaria
oblongifolia, Nutt, in Journ. Acad. Phil. 7. p. 13. Pass in Humboldt Mountains; May 23.
Flowers blue. This species was found also in various parts of Utah, by Colonel Fremont.

124

BOTANY.

Eritrichium glomeratum, DC. Prodr. 10 ,p. 131. Myosotis glomerata, Nutt. Gen. l,p. 112 ;
Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 2, p. 82, t. 162. Summit of Humboldt Mountains; May 27.

Echinospermum floribundum, Lehm. Pug. 2, p. 24; Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 2, p. 84 t. 164;
HO. Prodr. 10, p. 143. Summit of Humboldt Mountains ; May 27. Corolla white, finely
veined with blue.

Gratia polygaloides, Hook, and Am. in Hook. Ic. t. 27 1 and 388 ; Bot. Beech, p. 387. G.
spinosa, Mog. in DC. Prodr. 13, pars 2, p. 119. Chenopodium (?) spinosum, Hook. FI. Bor.-
Amer. 2, p. 127. Eastern base of the Sierra Nevada ; June 15, (in fruit.) This shrub is called
Greasewood by the hunters.

Eurotia lanata, Mog. Ohenop. p. 81 ; and in DO. Prodr. 13, pars 2, p. 121. Diotis lanata,
Pursh, FI. 2, p. 602 ; Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 206. Eastern base of the Sierra Nevada ; June 15.
Flowers monoecious and dioecious. Sepals of 8 ovate, or rather acute. Moquin (1. c.) asks
whether the $ flowers are not bibracteate and destitute of a calyx. This is no doubt their
true structure, and is the view taken of them by Ledebour, (FI. Boss. 3 , p. 737.)

Eriogonum ovalieolium, Nutt, in Journ. Acad. Sc. Phil. 7, p. 51, t. 8, fig. 1. Eucycla oval-
ifolia, Nutt. 1. c. (n. ser.) 1, p. 166. Eastern base of the Sierra Nevada ; June 15. In our
solitary specimen there is but a single scape, which is about seven inches high. The leaves
are broader than in Nuttall’s plant. The filaments are scarcely one- third the length of the
sepals, and woolly.

Eriogonum cernuum, Nutt, in Journ. Acad. Sc. Phil, (new ser.) 1 , p. 162, /?. purpurascens.
Eastern base of the Sierra Nevada; June 16. Leaves sometimes almost reniform-orbicular.
Scape sparingly and trichotomously branching an inch or two above the base. Peduncles pur¬
plish, and involucres glandularly pubescent. Sepals deep rose-color, with pale margins, the exte¬
rior ones somewhat retuse, much longer and broader than the inner ones. Filaments shorter
than the inner sepals, glabrous. Achenium with a long acuminate point. Embryo curved, the
radicle elongated, erect. Differs from the ordinary form of E. cernuum, which is much more
branched, and has white flowers.

Rumex venosus, Pursh , FI. 2, p. 733 ; Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 240 ; Hook. FI. Bor.-Amer. 2, p.
130, t. 174. Mountains in Central Utah, May 12.

Amianthium Nuttallii, Gray , in Ann. Lyc. N. York , 4 , p. 123. Helonias augustifolia, Nutt,
in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser.) 5 , p. 154. Amiantanthus Nuttallii, Kunth, 4, p. 181.
Foot of Oquirrh Mountain, south end of the Great Salt Lake ; May 6.

Sisyrinchium grandiflorum, Dougl. in Bot. Beg. t. 1364 ; Bot. Mag. t. 3509 ; Hook. FI. Bor.-
Am. 2. p. 207. Pass of Humboldt Mountain ; May 23.

Iris longipetala, Herbert in Hook, and Am. Bot. Beech, p. 395. Fort of Humboldt Mount¬
ains on the east side ; May 28.

Camassia esculenta, Hindi. Bot . Mag. t. 1486 ; Kunth. Enum. 4, p. 347 ; Torr. and Gray in
Whipple’s Beport, ined. Phalangium Quamash, Pursh , FI. 1, p. 226. Near the summit of
the Sierra Nevada ; June 18.

Calochortus Nuttallii : stem 2-flowered ; leaves very narrowly linear ; petals obovate-cu-
neate, rounded at the summit (white, but yellow at the base), with an oblong dense tuft of hairs
on the claw ; and just above this a purple spot, with a few scattered hairs. C. luteus, Nutt, in
Journ. Acad. Philad. 7, p. 51, not of Dougl. Summit of Noble’s Pass, Sierra Nevada ; July
3. We have little ' doubt of this being Nuttall’s C. luteus, as it agrees exactly with his
description, and with an imperfect but original specimen of that plant, except that the flower,
according to Snyder, is white. Mr. N. was uncertain of the color of the flower in his specimen,
for he says they are u apparently sulphur yellow.” They are, indeed, yellow at the base even
in the dried plant, and Mr. Nuttall supposed they were wholly of that color in the fresh state.
The marking and other characters of the petals are unlike those of Douglas’s C. luteus ; and

BOTANY.

125

as liis plant was first discovered, and probably first described, the name^ must be retained for it.
Besides, the name given to it by Mr. Nuttall is inappropriate, if, as we feel pretty confident,
the flower of bis plant is white.

Brodlea grandiflora, J. E. Smith in Linn. Trans. 10, p. 3 ; Kunth, Enum. 4, p. 471.
Scape glabrous ; umbel, few-(8-12-) flowered ; the rays usually 2-4 times longer than the flow¬
ers ; abortive stamens linear, emarginate, and often also mucronate ; cells of the ovary about
10-ovuled. Madelin Pass of the Sierra Nevada ; June 36.

Brodlea parviflora, n. sp. : scape rougbisb ; umbel, many-(15-20-) flowered ; pedicels shorter
than the flower ; sterile stamens ovate-lanceolate, rather acute, entire ; cells of the ovary 6-8-
ovuled. With the preceding ; June 26. Bulb ovate, sometimes more than an inch in diameter.
Leaves all radical or nearly so, rather shorter than the scape, about two lines wide, smooth.
Scape scarcely larger than a crow-quill, the upper part somewhat flexuous, terete, scabrous with
very minute points. Umbel about an inch and a half in diameter ; pedicels unequal, most of
them scarcely half the length of the flowers. Involucrate bracts, 4-8, colored, about as long
as the pedicels, the outer ones ovate and acuminate. Flowers about half an inch long, pale
purple, the tube somewhat inflated ; segments erect, ovate, rather acute. Fertile stamens 3,
inserted at the upper part of the tube of the perianth, opposite the inner segments ; anthers
linear-oblong, acute at each end. Style filiform ; stigma dilated, 3-lobed, the lobes fimbrillate-
papillose. We have long had specimens of this plant, collected by Colonel Fremont on
Prevost’s Fork of the Utah ; and others brought from the valley of the Sacramento by Dr.
Stillman. It is easily distinguished from B. grandiflora by the characters given above.

Pteris Aquilina, Linn. ; Torr. FI. N. York , 2, p. 488. On the Sierra Nevada.

PART II.

Plants collected hy Mr. F. Creutzfeldt, under the direction of Captain J. W. Gunnison, U. S.
Army , in charge of explorations for a railroad from Fort Leavenworth , by the way of the
Kansas and Arkansas rivers, to Bent’s Fort; thence by the Huerfano river and Sangre de
Cristo Pass to the valley of San Luis ; thence west from that valley to Grand and Green rivers ;
thence into the Great Basin, Utah, to the vicinity of the Sevier or Nicollet lake. The collection
was commenced at Westport, in Missouri, in June, 1853, and finished late in October.

[The Rocky mountain ranges were entered early in August. The Sierra Blanca, in which the Sangre de Cristo and Roubi
deau’s passes are found, forms the eastern range of the Rocky mountains, and (at the head of San Luis valley, New Mexico)
unites with the next western range, which is known as the Sierra San Juan or Sahwatch chain. This sierra, in turn, is joined
around the head of Grand river to Elk mountain, and this again to the Roan mountains, the latter being only separated from the
former by Blue river, which breaks through in a canon; and the Roan mountains themselves are separated from the Wahsatch
mountains only by the entirely similar canon passage of Green river, which also breaks through the great east and west connect¬
ing range known as the Uinta mountains. All of these ranges, some more or less parallel, while others form cross and connect¬
ing chains, constitute properly the great mountain formation of the continent, to which the name of Rocky mountains is applied ;
the former names applying only to the subdivisions of this great feature.]

Anemone Virginiana, Linn. Prairies beyond Westport, in Kansas Territory.

Clematis Pitcheri, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 10. Prairies between Westport and Cotton¬
wood Creek.

Thalictrum Cornuti, Linn. Beyond Westport, in Kansas.

Ranunculus divaricatus, Schrank; Gray, PI. Wright, 2, p. 8. Kansas.

Delphinium azureum, Michx. Beyond Westport.

Menispermum Canadense, Linn. Witb the preceding.

Argemone Mexicana, Linn. var. albif^ora, DC. Walnut Creek:

126

BOTANY.

Thelypodium integrifolium, Endl. in Whip. Repert. 1 ,p. 172. Pachypodium integrifolium,
Nutt.; Hook, and Am. Bot. Beech, pp. 321 and 74. Coochetopa, Sierra San Juan. In flower.
‘‘Flowers reddish purple."

Thelypodium Wrightii, Gray , PI. Wright , 1 ,p. 7 and 2, p. 12. In the Eocky Mountains.
The specimens resemble Wright’s No. 845.

Cleome lutea, Hook. FI. Bor. -Am. 1, p. 70, t. 25. C. aurea, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray ,
FI. 1, p. 122. Sand-hanks of Green River, Utah.

Parnassia paryielora, DC. Prodr. 1, p. 320; Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. 1 , p. 82, t. 27. Eocky
Mountains, in the valley of the Grand River ; August. This accords with specimens from
the northwest coast, and with Hooker’s figure (which is not cited in Torr. and Gray, FI.) hut
is still more delicate and slender. The filiform scape is five or six inches long ; the petals
three lines long ; the radical leaves less than half an inch long, hut abrupt at the base, shorter
than their petiole.

Silene stellata, Ait. Upper Arkansas.

Arenaria Fendleri, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 13. Rocky Mountains, near the head of the Rio
Grande ; August. Resembling Fendler’s plant, hut not so tall.

Paronychia Jamesii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1 ,p. 170. Plains near Fort Atkinson.

Callirrhoe involucrata, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 16. Prairies near Bluff Creek.

Sidalcea malvjeflora, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 16. Utah Creek ; August.

Sidalcea Candida, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 24. In the Rocky Mountains, east of the Rio Grande ;
August. In flower.

Spha?ralcea angustifolia, Gav. var. S. stellata, Torr. and Gray, FI. Sandy hanks of the
Arkansas, near the Rocky Mountains.

Ceanothus Americanus, Linn. Beyond Westport, near the Arkansas River.

Polygala alba, Nutt. Beyond Walnut Creek ; July.

Psoralea obtusiloba, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 300. Kansas ; June.

Amorpha canescens, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 92. Between Westport and Bent’s Fort.

Dalea laxiflora, Pursh, FI. 2, p. 741. Near Walnut Creek ; July.

Petalostemon violaceum, Miclix. FI. 2, p. 50, t. 37. With the preceding.

Petalostemon candidum, Michx. 1. c. With the preceding species.

Oxytropis Lamberti, Pursh, FI. 2, p. 740. Two varieties : one with pale, and the other
with violet purple flowers. Rocky Mountains.

Astragalus adsurgens, Pall.; Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. 1, p. 149. Rocky Mountains; August.

Baptisia leucantha, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 385. Arkansas River ; June.

Hoffmanseggia Jamesii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 393. Near Fort Atkinson ; July.

Schrankia uncinata, Willd.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 400. Upper Arkansas.

Rubus deliciosus, Torr. in Am. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. York, 2 ,p. 196. Rocky Mountains. Leaves
only.

(Enothera speciosa, Nutt, in Journ. Acad. Philad. 2 ,p. 119. Beyond Westport.

CEnothera serrulata, Nutt. var. Douglassii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 502. Beyond Wal¬
nut Creek.

Stenosiphon virgatus, Spach, Onagr. p. 64.

Gaura sinuata, Nutt. Near Fort Atkinson.

Gaura coccinea, Nutt. Gen. 1 , p. 249. Walnut Creek.

Epilobium angustifolium, Linn. Common in the Rocky Mountains.

Lythrum alatum, Pursh; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 481. From Westport to Walnut Creek’.

BOTANY.

127

Mentzelia (Bartonia) nuda, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 534. Near Fort Atkinson ; July.

Cryptotainia Canadense, DC. Prodr. 4 ,p. 119. Beyond Westport; June.

Thaspium cordatum, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1 , p. 615. Near Westport; June.

Conioselinum Canadensis, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 619. In the Rocky Mountains ; August.
In flower only.

Galium concinnum, Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 23. Beyond Westport, Arkansas River; June.

Galium boreale, Linn. In the Rocky Mountains ; August.

Oldenlandia angustifolia, Gray, PI. Wright. 2, p. 68. Beyond Westport ; June.

Brickellia grandiflora, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser .) 7, p. 287. Rocky Mount¬
ains ; August.

Aster multiflorus, Ait. Utah Creek ; August.

Machjeranthera tanacetifolia, Wees; Gray, PI. Wright, 1, p. 90. Fort Atkinson.

Erigeron glabellum, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 147 ; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 173. Utah Creek ;
August.

Townsendia Fendlerii, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 70. Valleys in the Rocky Mountains ; August.

Coreopsis palmata, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 180. Arkansas River.

Gaillardia pulchella, Fong.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2 ,p. 366. Beyond Walnut Creek; July.

Actinella lanata, Nutt. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. *I,p. 380. White River Mountains, Utah ;
October. The leaves are nearly smooth, and strongly punctate ; awn of the pappus half as
long as the scale. Seems about intermediate between this species and A. Torreyana, Nutt.

Artemisia filifolia, Torr. in Ann. Lye. N. York, 2, p. 211. Sand-hanks of Green River,
Utah ; October.

Artemisia discolor, Dougl.; Besser; DC. Prodr. 6 ,p, 109. Roubideau’s Pass, Rocky Mount¬
ains ; Sierra Blanca.

Antennaria luzuloides, Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 430. Higher parts of the Rocky Mount¬
ains ; August.

Cacalia tuberosa, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 138. Beyond Westport ; June.

Tetradymia inermis, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. 1. c.p. 415. Rocky Mountains; Au¬
gust.

Lobelia leptostachys, Alph. DC. Prodr. 7, p. 376. Prairie near Westport.

Lysimachia ciliata, Ait. West from Westport, Arkansas River.

Asclepias purpurascens, Linn. With the preceding.

Asclepias verticillata, Linn.; /9. Torr. in Nicollet’ s Report, p. 154. Fort Atkinson. This
is a dwarf variety, being often not more than 3-6 inches high.

Asclepias tuberosa, Linn. Beyond Westport, Arkansas River.

Apocynum cannabinum, Linn. Beyond Westport and Walnut Creek ; June, July.

Eustoma Russelianum, Don; Griseb. in DC. Prodr. 9, p. 51. Near Fort Atkinson; July.

Gentiana affinis, Grisebach, in Hook. FI. Bor. -Am. 2, p. 56. In the mountains, near
Utah Creek ; January.

Ipoma:a leptophylla, Torr. in Frem. ls£ Beport, p. 94, and in Emory’s Bep.p. 148, t. 11.
Walnut Creek; July. Dr. James was mistaken in supposing this handsome species to he an
annual. It has a large perennial root, which has endured for four or five years in the Botanic
Garden at Cambridge.

Phlox aristata, Michx. 1, p. 144. West from Westport, Kansas ; June.

Gilia pulchella, Dougl. in Hook. FI. Bor. -Am. 2, p. 74. Rocky Mountains ; August.

128

BOTANY.

Polemonium pulcherrimum, HooTc. Bot. Blag. t. 2979. Rocky Mountains ; August.

G-ilia pinnatifida, Nutt, in Herb. Acad. Philad.? In the Rocky Mountains, near the head
of the Rio G-rande ; August. If this he a variety of Nuttall’s plant (which is Fendler’s No.
655) it is remarkable for its much less lohed leaves ; those of the branches being mostly entire.

Gtlia Gunnisoni, (n. sp.) : annual; stem paniculately much branched from the base, nearly
glabrous, as are the leaves; the latter alternate and scattered, subulate-filiform, all entire,
mucronate; the crowded bracts viscid-puberulent (like the hranchlets), subulate, with the di¬
lated lower portion viscidly villous-ciliate, mostly shorter than the flowers, which are capitate-
clustered at the summit of the hranchlets ; teeth of the calyx pungently pointed, a little shorter
than the tube of the salver-shaped white corolla ; stamens inserted in the sinuses of the corolla,
rather shorter than its ohovate lobes ; ovules 2 or 3 in each cell. Sand-hanks of Green River,
Utah ; October. Root slender, evidently annual ; the stems or branches 6 or 8 inches high.
Leaves all alternate, slender ; the cauline and rameal scattered, filiform ; the lower nearly an
inch long; the upper gradually reduced to small subulate bracts. Calyx somewhat pubescent.
Corolla 3 to 4 lines long, the limb rather shorter than the tube; style pubescent below.

Martynia proboscidea, Glox. Near Walnut Creek ; July.

Dipteracanthus ciliosus, N. ab E. in DC. Prodr. 11, p. 122. Beyond Westport; June.

Dianthera pedunculosa, Linn. (Rhytiglossa pedunculosa, N. ab E.) Kansas, beyond West-
port ; June.

Pentstemon CoBiEA, Nutt. ; HooTc. Bot. Blag. t. 3465. Prairie between Westport and Bluff
Creek; June.

Pentstemon Digitalis, Nutt.; HooTc. Bot. Blag. t. 2587. With the foregoing.

Orthocarpus luteus, Nutt. Gen. 2 , p. 57. Utah Creek ; August.

Castilleja purpurea, Don. Valleys of the Rocky Mountains ; August.

Monarda fistulosa, Linn.] Benth. in DC. Prodr. 12, p. 361. Damp valleys of the Rocky
Mountains.

Monarda aristata, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. PTiil. Soc. (n. ser .) 5, p. 186 ; Benth. 1. c. Rou-
bideau’s Pass ; August. The specimens are evidently annual.

Eritrichium glomeratum, DC. Prodr. 10, p. 131. Myosotis glomerata, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 112;
HooTc. FI. Bor. -Am. 2 , p. 80, t. 162. Declivities of the Rocky Mountains; August. A very
rough form of the plant ; flowers white, conspicuous.

Solanum triflorum, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 128; Dunal in DC. Prodr. 13, part l,p. 45. Near
the Rocky Mountains ; August. Leaves narrower and with fewer teeth on the lobes than usual.
Stem branching from the base, and prostrate. Elowers pale blue.

Abronia fragrans, Nutt, in Herb. HooTc.; HooTc. Keiv. Jour. Bot. 5, p. 261. Rocky Mount¬
ains; August. This is in Wright’s (1711) and several other collections, as well as in Geyer’s;
hut no character of it has yet been published. It is distinguished from A. mellifera by its pure
white “ porcelain-colored” flowers, scarcely winged fruit, and especially by the involucre, com¬
posed of very large, broadly ovate, scarious and white leaflets.

Oxybaphus augustifolius, Torr. in Ann. Lye. New York , 2, p. 237 ; Sweet; Choisy in DC.
Prodr. 13 , pars 1, p. 433; var. linearis. Fort Atkinson, Arkansas river, and Rouhideau’s
Pass, Sierra Blanca, Rocky Mountains.

Euphorbia marginata, Pursh, FI. 2, p. 607. New Fort Massachusetts, San Luis Valley ;
August.

Polygonum lapathifolium, Linn; var.: leaves narrowly lanceolate, roughly pubescent on the
veins underneath and on the margin ; sheaths slightly hairy, ciliate with short hairs ;
peduncles glandularly pubescent and hispid. Between Westport and the Rocky Mountains ;
July.

BOTANY.

129

Eriogonum annuum, Nutt, in Amer. Pliil. Trans, (n. ser .) 5, p. 164; Benth. Eriog. in Linn.
Trans. Vl,p. 414. Sandy river valleys, near Fort Atkinson, Arkansas river; July.

Eriogonum alatum, Torr. in DC. Prodr. 15, (ined.) and in Sitgreaves’s Pep. p. 168, t. 8.
Near the Rocky Mountains, on hill-sides; August. Plant 2-3 feet high. There is some mis¬
take about E. alatum, in Hook. Jour. Bot. and Kew. Gard. Misc. for September , 1853. That
species is not enumerated in Fremont’s reports, and was described for the first time in the
report of Captain Sitgreaves, which was not published till the summer of 1853. But speci¬
mens of the plant were distributed from Fremont’s and other collections, with the manuscript
name.

Eriogonum Jambsii, Benth. in DC. Prodr. 14, (ined;) Torr. in Sitgreaves’ s Pep. p. 168. E.
sericeum, Torr. in Ann. Lye. N. York, 2, p. 241, (excl. syn .) On the Sierra San Juan; Sep¬
tember. This plant possesses considerable astringency, and is used as a remedy for diarrhoea
by the hunters and Indians.

Eriogonum cernuum, Nutt, in Jour. Acad. Phil. (n. ser.) 1 , p. 162; Torr. in Sitgreaves’ s
Pep. 1. c. This species in its early state has radical leaves only, which are clothed with a white
tomentum, and the scape is sparingly branched. Later in the season the lower part of the
stem or caudex, below the primary leaves, elongates and repeatedly forks, producing a tuft of
leaves at every principal division, thus converting the scape into a leafy stem. Western side
of the Sierra San Juan ; September. Sepals white, often with a deep rose-colored midrib.

Eriogonum eeeusum, Nutt. 1. c. /?. leptophyllum, Torr. in Sitgreaves’ s Pep. p. 168, t. 10.
Declivities of the Rocky Mountains ; August.

Yar. ? eoliosum : branches at first woolly, but at length nearly glabrous, leafy ; leaves
crowded, linear, revolute when old, nearly glabrous; cymes small, the rays diverging, very
short, compound; involucre campanulate, few-flowered, glabrous, acutely 5-toothed; exterior
sepals obovate, emarginate, interior similar in form, but one-third smaller. High prairies, San
Luis valley; August.

Eriogonum leptocladon (n. sp.) : stems slender, moderately branching, the internodes elon¬
gated, clothed with a deciduous woolly pubescence, nearly naked above ; leaves lanceolate-linear,
woolly, like the stem ; inflorescence loosely paniculate, the ultimate divisions somewhat race¬
mose; involucre campanulate, woolly, 5-toothed, smaller than the flowers; calyx campanulate;
sepals somewhat equal, very obtuse, and slightly emarginate ; filaments as long as the sepals,
hairy nearly to the summit. Sandy soil on Green river; October. A shrub, about two feet
high ; the branches dichotomous, or sometimes trichotomous, of a greenish hue when the wool
is detached ; the ultimate divisions short, and not cymose. Involucre scarcely a line and a half
long, few-(6-10-)flowered. Bracteoles linear, minutely glandular on the margin. Perianth gla¬
brous, obtuse at the base. Achenium with a long glabrous beak. Embryo curved, the cotyledons
orbicular ; radicle enlongated. Allied to E. effusum , but much more slender, and differs also
in the inflorescence.

Eriogonum corymbosum, Benth. in DC. Prodr. 14, (ined.) /?. divaricatum: shrubby and
much branched, clothed with a dense white tomentum; leaves oblong lanceolate, on very short
petioles, undulate on the margin, approximated ; cymes large and widely spreading, the pri¬
mary and secondary divisions trichotomous, the ultimate dichotomous ; involucre oblong-com-
panulate, obtusely 5-toothed ; flowers (middle-sized) glabrous ; exterior sepals broadly obovate,
emarginate, the inner narrower and rather shorter ; bracteole spatulate-linear ; filaments hairy
towards the base ; ovary attenuated, glabrous ; styles very long and exserted. Near springs on
Green river; October. About a foot and a half high; leaves about three-fourths of an inch
long, and nearly half that breadth. Perhaps a distinct species from E. corymbosum of Ben-
tham, which, however, was founded on a specimen in Dr. Torrey’s herbarium, collected by
Colonel Fremont, very near where Lieutenant Beckwith’s plant was found.

180

BOTANY.

Eriogonum umbellatum, Torr. in Annal. Lye. N. York, 2, p. 241 ; and in Sitgreaves’s Rep.
t. 12 ; not of Benth. IJear the Rocky Mountains.

Quercus imbiiicaria, Willd. Spec. 4, p. 428 ; Michx.f. Sylv. 1, p. 69, t. 15. Upper Arkansas.
A handsome tree from 35 to 45 feet high, with a trunk sometimes 18 inches in diameter.

Quercus alba, Linn.; Michx.f. Sylv. 1 , p. 17, t. 1. fi? Gunnisonii : shrubby; leaves ohlong,
somewhat coriaceous, smooth above, minutely pubescent underneath, pinnatifidly lohed, the
lobes nearly equal, entire, semi-ovate, obtuse ; fruit on a long peduncle ; cup hemispherical ;
scales ohlong, flattish, with a short, abrupt, discolored acumination; gland ovate. On declivi¬
ties of mountains. Coochetopa Pass, Sierra San Juan. A shrub 6-10 feet high. Acorns less
than half as large as in Q. alba.

Abies taxieolia, Lamb. Pin. 2, t. 47. Roubideau’s Pass. A handsome tree growing from
35 to 40 feet high, and 12 to 16 inches in diameter. The specimens are without cones. The
leaves are from an inch and a quarter to nearly two inches long, very slender and glaucous on
both sides.

Pinus (undetermined) ; apparently between P. flexilis of James and P. Strobus. Highest
places in the Coochetopa. Leaves in fives, about an inch and a half long, besmeared with a
clear colorless balsam. This is the same pine that Col. Fremont collected on his first expedition,
and is noticed in the Botanical Appendix to his Report, 1843, p. 97. For want of the cones,
it cannot be satisfactorily determined. Perhaps it belongs to that section of the genus which
includes P. edulis, Engelm. and P. monophylla, Torr.

Pinus Sabiniana, JDougl. Mssc. ; Lamb. Pin. (ed. 2), 2, p. 146, t. 80; Endl. Syn. Conif.p.
159. Valley of the Sacramento. One of the cones brought home by Lieut. Beckwith measured
9 inches in height, by 21 inches in circumference.

Juniperus Virginiana, Linn.; Michx.f. Syl. 2, p. 354, t. 155; Endl. Synops. Conif. p. 27.
Coochetopa. A small tree, not exceeding 15 feet in height.

Juniperus communis, Linn.; Endl. 1. c. Prostrate under and around trees. Roubideau’s
Pass.

Tradescantia Virginica, Linn.; Bot. Mag. t. 105 ; Kunth., Enum. 4, p. 81. Prairies, Upper
Arkansas; June.

Platanthera LEUCOPHiEA, Gray , Bot. N. States, p. 472. Orchis leucophasa, Nutt, in Trans.
Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser .) 5, p. 161. Prairies near Westport.

Melanthium Virginicum, Linn.; Torr. FI. N. York, 2, p. 116. Zygadenus Virginicus,
Kunth, Enum. 4, p. 195. Prairies, Upper Arkansas ; July.

Zygadenus glaucus, Nutt, in Jour. Acad. Phil. 7 , p. 56. Z. chloranthus. Richards. Append,
to Frankl. Narr. p. 12 ; Hook. FI. Bor. -Am. 2 ,p. 177. Anticlea glauca, Kunth, Enum. 4 ,p.
192. Roubideau’s Pass, Sierra Blanca.

Sagittaria variabilis, Engelm. in Gray’s Bot. N. States, p. 461. S. sagittifolia of most
American botanists. In water, Upper Arkansas.

Heteranthera limosa, Vahl, Enum. 2, p. 44; Kunth, Enum. 4, p. 122. Leptanthus ovalis,
Michx. FI. 1 ,p. 25, t. 5,/. 1. Wet places, Westport, &c., Arkansas river. Corolla usually
blue, but a white-flowered variety was found with the common form.

Calochortus venustus, Benth. in Hort. Trans, (n. s .) 1, p. 412, t. 15,/. 2, var ? : sepals
erect; petals obovate, bearded and without a spot below the middle, purple at the base.
Grows under trees on high mountains. Utah. Stem 2-3-flowered. Leaves grass-like, about
two lines wide. Flowers nearly 3 inches in diameter. Sepals lanceolate, striate with purple
veins externally. Petals nearly twice as long as the sepals, the upper half white, pale yellow¬
ish-green lower down, where the inside is bearded with longish gland-tipped hairs, which are
dark purple at the base. Hear the base the hairs are more numerous, and form a transverse

BOTANY.

131

tuft ; at the very bottom the claw is dark purple. Differs from C. venustus in its much nar¬
rower and less bearded petals, and in wanting the red spot above the middle.

Allium cernuum, Roth; Kunth, Enurn. 4, p. 435. Roubideau’s Pass. Differs from the
description of A. cernuum, in the ovary being 6-toothed, or rather with 3 short processes, each
of which is 2-lobed.

Carex vulpinoidea, Michx. FI. 2, p. 69 ; Torr. FI. N. York 2 , p. 376. C. multiflora, Muhl.
in Willd. Spec. 4 ,p. 233 ; Sclik. Car. t. Lll.f. 154. Between Westport and Bent’s Fort.

Scirpus lineatus, Michx. FI. 1, p. 32 ; Torr. Gyp. p. 332. In thickets, Upper Arkansas.

S. lacustris, Linn.; Muhl. Gram. p. 32; Torr. Cyp.p. 221. Bluff Creek.

Cyperus eiliculmis, Vahl, Fnum. 2, p. 328 ; Torr. Gyp. p. 267. C. mariscoides, Elliott , Sk.

1, p. 67. Prairies near Fort Atkinson.

Bouteloua curtipendula, Torr. in Emory’ s Report, p. 153. B. racemosa, Torr. FI. N. York

2 , p. 449; not of Lag. Chloris curtipendula, Michx. FI. 1, p. 59. Atheropogon apludoides,
Muhl. Gram. p. 287. Prairies, Upper Arkansas.

Chondrosium oligostachyum, Torr. in Marcy’s Report, p. 300. Atheropogon oligostachyum,
Nutt. Gen. 1 , p. 78. Eutriana? oligostachya, Kunth, Enum. 1 ,p. 96, and 2 , p. 282. On the
Upper Arkansas.

Sesleria dactyloldes, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 65 ; Kunth, Enum. 1, p. 323 ; Torr. in Emory’s
Report, p. 323, t. 10. With the last. The flowers are all male in the specimens of this collec¬
tion. There are thrown out from the root, besides the upright flowering culms, long prostrate
runners which produce short verticillate branches and tufts of leaves at the joints, where they
also frequently strike root.

Andropogon Torreyanum, Steud. Syn. Gram. p. 302.

A. Jamesii, Torr. in Marcy’s Report, p. 302. A. glaucum, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. N. York 1,
p. 153 ; not of Muhl. Sources of the Arkansas.

Spartina cynosuroides, Willd. Enum. 1, p. 80 ; Torr. FI. N. York 2, p. 448, t. 153. Low¬
lands of the headwaters of the Arkansas.

Tripsacum dactyloides, Linn.; Kunth, Ermm. 1, p. 469; Steud. Gram.p. 362. Plains of
the Arkansas.

Elymus Canadensis, Linn.; Kunth, Enum. 1. 451 ; Torr. 1. c. 476. Between Westport and
Bent’s Fort.

Panicum capillare, Linn.; Kunth, Enum. 1 ,p. 114 ; Torr. 1. c.p. 426. With the preceding.

Panicum Crus-galli, Linn.; Torr. FI. N. York, 2, p. 424. Damp places. Upper Arkansas.
The flowers are hispid and mostly awnless.

EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES.

Plate I. Viola Beckwithii.

Fig. 1, the petals; 2, vertical section of a flower; 3, 4, 5, stamens; 6, pistil; 7, capsule and
calyx. All magnified.

Plate II. SlDALCEA CANDIDA.

Fig. 1, vertical section of the column, ovary, &c. ; 2, upper part of the stamineal column,
entire; 3, fruit, of the natural size; 4, fruit and calyx; 5, a mature carpel; 6, a seed. All
hut 3 magnified.

132

BOTANY.

Plate III. Astrgalus Beckwithii.

Fig. 1, vexillum; 2, a wing; 3, keel; 4, calyx and pistil; 4, stamens; 6, pistil, the ovary
vertically divided. All enlarged.

Plate IY. (Enothera tanacetifolia.

Fig. 1, vertical section of a flower; 2, stamens; 3, pollen; 4, ovules. All variously en¬
larged.

Plate Y. Tetradymia glabrata.

Fig. 1, a capitulum; 2, receptacle; 3, a flower; 4, corolla and stamens; 5, corolla and sta¬
mens laid open; 6, a stamen; 7, transverse section of the ovary; 8, pistil, with the ovary ver¬
tically divided; 9, stigmas; 10, a bristle of the pappus. The details variously enlarged.

Plate VI. Pentstemon beterandum.

Fig. 1, a flower; 2, diagram of the aestivation, &c. ; 3. 4, normal form for the genus of
aestivation of the corolla; 5, vertical section of a flower ; 6, corolla laid open, with normal sta¬
mens; 7, 8, anterior and posterior view of a perfect stamen ; 9, 10, 11, the fifth stamen more
or less antheriferous ; 12, the fifth stamen reduced to the usual sterile filament; 13, pistil.
The details variously enlarged.

Plate VII. Phacelia humilis.

Fig. 1, a flower; 2, corolla laid open, with the stamens; 3, 4, stamens; 5, pistil and calyx;
6, the same in fruit; 7, capsule, &c., vertically divided; 8, a seed; 9, vertical section of the
same. The details more or less magnified.

Plate VIII. Phlox canescens.

Fig. 1, a flower; 2, the same laid open; 3, 4, stamens; 5, pistil; 6, ovary horizontally di¬
vided ; 7, vertical section of the ovary. The details variously enlarged.

Plate IX. Gilia Gunntsoni.

Fig. 1, a flower; 2, calyx laid open; 3, corolla laid open; 4, pistil — pistil with the ovary
vertically divided; 6, ovary transversely divided; 7, calyx and capsule. Details variously
enlarged.

Plate X. Abronia fragans.

Fig. 1, a flower; 2, the same laid open; 3, anther; 4, stigma; 5, immature fruit.

-BOIANY.Hatel.

;.8CSUR^EtS.33ft ft 39ft& 4KPARALLEL.

EOTANY.PIateH.

ActernaxliikSMBroadmyNY.

.SIDALCEA CANDIDA

lJ.S.P-BJH.Ey-K3llIl7ETlS.38^8C39%.y.4l^j^i@^E|i.. ;. ;. ■ ' - • , ■ w ■.■'•• 10TANT Plate HL

1 AcJc^mariXjtY3?9 BrcudwM j/Y.

' jMRAGALIJfc BECXVvJT'rii:.

HOTANY-Plate V.

ngp-RTl .EX. SC SURVEy,g.38& & 39^ 8C 4TS@ABALLEL .

nSTTlB.EC ^SURVEY. ■' - " s ALLEY

BOTANY.Plate'Vl.

Acker rruui/L ith'37S.B>vaxjUro./y jY Y

PHLOX CANESCENS.

mmm

rrqppp. MSU-KVEYS. 38M'39» gf4X?PARALLEL.

BOTANY. Plated.

Adcernuui/Litk'. 379BrocubwotyJV. 1.

PHAGE L.TA HF ! MILLS

EOTMY.Plate'm

ugp-R T1 ~EX 8C SURYE YS. 38% 2C 39^ K PARALLEL

BOIMYElateK

AfkertiwiL if a 3M£roadmyB . T

HHteJ

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
WAR DEPARTMENT.

SYNOPSIS OF A REPORT

RECONNAISSANCE OF A RAILROAD ROUTE

FROM PUGET SOUND

SOUTH PASS TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER:

FRED. W. LANDER,

CIVIL ENGINEER.

WASHINGTON, D. C.
1856.

CONTENTS.

Page.

Legislative and executive action in reference to exploration and report . . . 5

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . 7

Review of Pacific railroad project _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . - 8

Different systems of railroad construction _ _ _ .... 11

Routes . 16

Construction of a first section, the preliminary and most efficient step towards the early consumma¬
tion of the undertaking of a railroad to the Pacific . - - . - . - . - 17

The credit system of construction . . . . . - . . 19

How a cash system of construction might be applied . . . . . 21

Conclusion of Introduction . - . 23

Circumstances under which the reconnaissance was conducted . . . . . 25

REPORT . - . 29

Blue Mountain range . . - _ _ _ _ 31

Selection of a terminus on Puget Sound — first section of line . . . - - - 31

Section of route from Vancouver to Dalles of Columbia. . . . - . 32

From the Dalles to Fort Bois3 . 32

Connexion of branch route with central lines to California . . . - 34

Estimates of cost . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Continuance of reconnaissance to Missouri river . . . . . . . 36

Review and comparison of northern and southern routes to Puget Sound . . . 39

Remarks . . . . . . 43

Conclusion . ... 44

LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE ACTION

IN REFERENCE TO

THIS EXPLORATION AND REPORT.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY.

Whereas Frederick W. Lander, esq., civil engineer, of acknowledged reputation and high
standing in his profession, has undertaken the examination of a railroad route from Puget
Sound, by the valley of the Columbia, to the vicinity of the South or Bridger’s Pass of the
Rocky mountains, to connect with a railroad to California ; and whereas this examination is con¬
ducted at the present time, that reliable information regarding the line in question may reach
Congress during the present session, and prior to any final action upon the Pacific railroad
routes ; and whereas it is the opinion of this legislature that the result of this exploration
will possess such a reliable scientific and practical character as to entitle it to equal considera¬
tion by Congress with those more officially conducted:

Resolved, That, in view of the importance of this exploration, its scientific character, and the
value of its results, our delegate in Congress be, and hereby is, instructed to present the report
of this examination to the Congress of the United States, and to use his best endeavors to pro¬
cure its publication as a public document.

And be it further resolved, That our delegate in Congress is instructed to use his efforts to
procure such an appropriation as will compensate Mr. Lander for this arduous and perilous
service, and repay the necessary expenses incurred by this survey.

Passed both Houses unanimously, March 7, 1854.

Attest: EL WOOD EVANS, C. Clerk C.

B. F. KENDALL, C. Clerk H.

Resolved by the Legislature of the Territory of Washington , That F. W. Lander, esq., civil
engineer, in undertaking the arduous and perilous enterprise, at his own expense, of an explo¬
ration and survey of a railroad route, by the valley of the Columbia, through the Rocky mount¬
ains — a matter of the highest importance to the interests of this Territory — is entitled to the
gratitude of this legislature, and we hereby tender him our thanks and best wishes for the
success of his undertaking.

Passed both Houses unanimously, March 7, 1854.

Attest: ELWOOD EVANS, C. Clerk Council.

B. F. KENDALL, C. Clerk House.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, INTRODUCED BY HON. JAMES A. McDOUGAL, OF
CALIFORNIA.

Congress of the United States,

In the House of Representatives, August 3, 1854.

On motion of Mr. McDougal,

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be requested to procure a report from Mr. F. W. Lan¬
der, civil engineer, ot a survey of a railroad route from Puget Sound, by Fort Hall and the

LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE ACTION.

Great Salt Lake, to the Mississippi river, and that he cause a copy thereof to be furnished to
this House.

Resolved further , That the reports of surveys for a railroad to the Pacific, made under direc¬
tion of the Secretary of War, also the said report of F. W. Lander, he printed for the use of
the House during the recess.

Attest: JNO. W. FORNEY, Clerk H. R. U. S.

LETTER OF SECRETARY OF WAR.

War Department,

Washington, August 8, 1854.

Sir; In compliance with a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 3d instant,
'‘That the Secretary of War he requested to procure a report from Mr. F. W. Lander, civil
engineer, of a survey of a railroad route from Puget Sound, hy Fort Hall and the Great Salt
Lake, to the Mississippi river, and that he cause a copy thereof to he furnished to this House,”
I apply to you for the report mentioned therein.

It is proper that I should inform you that there is no fund at my disposal that will enable
me to make any remuneration for the document, or for any expense attending the furnishing
of it.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JEFF. DAVIS,

Secretary of War.

F. W. Lander, Esq., Washington.

LETTER TRANSMITTED WITH REPORT.

Washington, November 23, 1854.

Sir: Your letter of August 8th, containing a copy of a resolution of the House of Represent¬
atives, and applying to me for a report therein mentioned, was duly answered.

I have the honor to submit herewith a report of the result of my late examinations of a
railroad route fr5m Puget Sound, via the South Pass, to the Mississippi river, accompanied hy
introductory remarks deemed necessary for its explanation.

A series of meteorological observations conducted during the reconnaissance are at the service
of the Department.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

F. W. LANDER.

Hon. Jeff. Davis,

Secretary of War.

RESOLUTTON OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FEBRUARY 14, 1855.

Resolved, That there be printed, for the use of the House, ten thousand copies of the reports
of surveys for a railroad to the Pacific, made under the direction of the Secretary of War, em¬
bracing the report of F. W. Lander, civil engineer, of a survey of a railroad route from Puget
Sound, by Fort Hall and the Great Salt Lake, to the Mississippi river; and the report of J. C.
Fremont, of a route for a railroad from the head-waters of the Arkansas river into the State of
California, together with the maps and plates accompanying each of said reports, necessary to
illustrate them.

Attest: JNO. W. FORNEY, Clerk H. R. U. S

INTRODUCTION.

Explorations of the wild interior, for the purpose of ascertaining the most economical and
practicable route for a railroad to the Pacific, are reconnaissances* rather than surveys. They
are engineering studies of routes, or belts of country, often of two hundred miles in breadth, of
two thousand miles in length, extending from the verge of the eastern border to the Pacific, of
which the characteristics are to he known regarding railroad construction.

Routes are not lines ; several lines might occupy relative positions on a single route.

The lineal section, rapidly placed by the labors of a single season, and presented as the result
of a Pacific railroad exploration, must not always he presumed to be a profile of the preferable
or the very best trace for location, existing upon the division examined. From the limited time
prescribed for making these examinations, and from the vast extent of country explored, the
first line of barometric levels does not always occupy the best position of the route to which
applied.

The engineering features of the whole broad division passed over are connected with this base
line, and stated in the form of opinions or convictions forced upon the mind of the engineer by
former experience of the necessities of location in all varieties of country.

The study of reconnaissance is not, however, confined to single divisions. In its broadest
application, it compares routes rather than lines ; states their relative merits, and, by a sim¬
plified system of hurried field service, restricts the costly and tedious labors of elaborate instru¬
mental survey to the preferable division ; and, even upon that division, to a limited section of
surface.

Thus, distinct knowledge of extreme, or nearly impracticable obstacles, upon routes involving
deep national interests, the existence of which may lead to the abandonment or neglect of
important termini, or to the repeated and expensive application of instrumental survey to solve
what nature made insurmountable, directs the attention of reconnaissance beyond the narrow
limits of sectional location.

And as reconnaissance directs reconnaissance ; as the labors of survey are pursued as its
results, and are involved and tedious in their deferred conclusions, the developments of the first
important service cannot he too speedily continued to their limit when tending to prevent more
costly expenditure by anticipating proposed surveys by additional information, which changes
their direction. f

In all reconnaissances of location for the selection of the route or the line of a route of a rail¬
road, some requisition to be answered must be present in the mind of the engineer. The interro¬
gation, For what am I here seeking? should he evident to his senses and aid his study.

There are different classes of railroads ; different plans of construction.

** Railroad reconnaissance. — To look, to view ; the study of country with limited use of instruments, to procure information
of its characteristics regarding railroad construction.

Report of reconnaissance. — To describe and submit conclusions from inferences drawn.

Railroad survey. — Instrumental examinations, by which surfaces are measured.

Report of survey. — To state by accurate deductions from data gained.

f 1 shall again refer to this brief definition in giving the reasons why the exploration, of which this report is the result,
was conducted at an unfavorable season of the year, by private means, and was endorsed by unanimous resolutions of the
legislative assembly of Washington Territory.

REVIEW OF THE PACIFIC RAILROAD PROJECT.

In the selection of the route of a railroad to the Pacific, the requisition as to the class of line
to be adopted, and the plan of construction to be attempted, is the first and salient feature of
the whole question.

This unsolved problem in engineering is dissimilar from that of any road hitherto completed.
It is, nevertheless, a problem to which one system of construction is more particularly applicable
than any other ; the physical obstacles to be overcome are in no degree to be deemed subjects of
consideration, as compared with the practical difficulties which conspire to prevent its ready
solution.

The opinions of professional parties on this question, which are the result of experience in
railroad-building, should meet the direct notice of legislation.

If it can be readily demonstrated that the selection of the class of line which will best solve
the present urgent necessities of this nation for rapid and effective means of overland com¬
munication restricts the whole question to the selection of a route or routes over which such a
class of line or mode of building can alone be attempted, then the choice of these routes should
not he made subordinate to any other consideration.

It is not yet particularly known that a wagon-road, a rough, rapidly extended railroad,
suited to military and mail transportation, and an elaborately completed, thoroughly equipped
Grand Trunk railroad, can each exist in their turn, as called for hy the necessities of civilization,
and each aid as successive steps towards the consummation of the legitimate object required.

The wagon-road and the rough railroad come within the limits of discussion of constitutional
legislation ; and if deemed expedient, would progress together. But the Grand Trunk road,
if viewed only in legislation as the development of a requisition beyond the reach of constitu¬
tional aid, would alone appear as the result of the efforts of private parties to procure remu¬
neration to a patriotic and commendable enterprise by the carrying trade of western commerce.

A review of this whole question is necessary to the purposes of the present report, and as an
explanation of the engineering views herewith submitted.

REVIEW OF THE PACIFIC RAILROAD PROJECT.

It is now nearly ten years since the patriotic Whitney first advocated the construction of a
railroad to the Pacific. He then asserted that, in working out the grand problem of self-govern¬
ment, this nation occupied a position to command the influx of that commerce of the Indies,
which had caused the prosperity of nations to ebb and flow like the waters of the sea over which
it had been transported. He visited the principal cities of the Union. He addressed the
legislatures of States and the Houses of Congress. He spoke of the development of territory ; of
the march of a martial people towards the shores of the distant Pacific ; of a great highway of
nations existing through a line of flourishing settlements ; of commerce and agriculture walking
hand in hand ; of the east and of the west united. He enforced these arguments with the full
powers of a commanding intellect, and by the expenditure of his private fortune. But he failed
of receiving the support of congressional legislation ; and as long lines of railway had never
successfully competed with water transportation, private individuals declined this investment
without government aid. Whitney went to England. He was received and noticed with honor.
He addressed the British Parliament ; but he was never able to achieve this grand purpose and
glory of his existence. His patriotism and the devotion of his high nature only have their
record in the present character of this great project, now fully before the American people, and
with which his name must forever remain connected.

But the idea of a Grand Trunk railroad, elaborated from the very outset to the needs of an
immense carrying trade, huilt in sections of one hundred miles, by a system of land grants, and
existing, by some act of intuition on the part of its well-wishers, over mountain ranges, mighty
rivers, sterile deserts, and regions devoid of wood, building materials, and sources of supply,
has never yet been surrendered. When the munificent land grants of Texas, held out as a

REVIEW OF THE PACIFIC RAILROAD PROJECT.

bonus to capitalists, led to the creation of a mammoth company, and influenced the voice of the
press, this idea of a Grand Trunk road was strenuously urged by eloquent advocates. It appeared
in the glorious arguments of Benton. It still lies like an incubus on every effort made by pro¬
fessional parties to divest this national project of those objectionable features which have so long
placed it in the light of a chimera and an experiment.

While the whole question has changed in its character •, and that feature* which for nearly
ten years barely elicited public notice, and failed of gaining the attention of congressional legis¬
lation, is no longer the leading, but has become the subordinate requisition of the problem, it
is still allowed to weigh upon and embarrass the action of government.

The claim of the Pacific coast to better means of overland communication, unexpectedly made
prominent by the discovery of the gold-fields of California, and the corresponding development
of the Territories of Utah, Oregon, and Washington, was at once thought a necessity of such
character that its solution could not be waived or postponed without vital injury to the best
interests of the nation and to those important and isolated communities.

For this reason, in the very first discussion of this new and striking feature of the question,
many patriotic individuals proposed the extension of a wagon-road. Others, in ignorance of the
various classes of railways, advocated the immediate adoption of the grand plan of Whitney.
It was urged by the latter that the great plains of the interior were already whitened by the
bones of American emigration in the passage of a wagon-road.

The railroad of the isthmus of Panama, extending through an unhealthy climate and over
foreign soil, had been projected and carried to its completion by the impulse of American energy.
With the aid of government, this project might readily be completed by the enterprise of
private individuals over our own territory, and by a route avoiding the fatal fevers of the south.
Mails, troops, and munitions of war could be safely and rapidly transported ; and the great
travelling population of the east and west no longer be exposed to the dangers and inconveniences
of the isthmus transit.

But grave questions now came up for consideration. It was open for argument, how far Con¬
gress might aid the speculative operations of private parties, save as the most direct step towards
the legitimate consummation of a single object in view.

The united sovereignties which jointly possessed the broad domain extending from the east
to the Pacific would necessarily act with caution in entering the debatable ground of constitu¬
tional rights.

The nation was then laboring under the results of a disastrous depression and derangement
of the business relations of the country. This state of things had been produced by an unhealthy
mania in railroad speculation, not only unrestricted, but in a measure urged forward by the
indiscriminate patronage of local legislation.

The unwieldy operations of companies under the management of interested private parties
had not always been guided by the true spirit of patriotism. No argument of mere expediency
should affect the action of government. In treating this question, Congress, acting under con¬
stitutional limitations, could only continue to insure a perfect union, domestic tranquillity, and
common defence ; further the general welfare ; regulate the land forces ; provide for calling
forth the militia to repel invasion ; promote the progress of science and art ; defend California
against invasion, and perhaps, by the extension of a post-road, give to her citizens the privileges
enjoyed by other sovereign States.

No preference could be given, even by the establishment of a regulation of commerce, to one
State over another ; and it would require a power of discrimination very difficult of application
to decide to which portion of the Union should accrue these "supposed wonderful advantages, in
the development of a project claiming the aid of a government strictly bound to render exact and
equal justice to all.

e The idea of procuring the influx of western commerce to the United States of North America by building a Grand
Trunk railroad aci\>ss the continent.

REVIEW OE THE PACIFIC RAILROAD PROJECT.

It is well known that these questions were left to the consideration of Congress. The repre¬
sentatives of a people known to possess more mechanical ingenuity and constructive faculty than
any nation of the globe, were called upon by the united voice of the nation to look this subject
of overland communication boldly in the face ; to view it in its manifold relations ; to grapple
with its great apparent difficulties ; and, if constitutional, to decide when , where , and in what
manner , it could be best and most speedily accomplished. All sources of information were open
to them ; and, if a problem and an experiment, it could be met by the full force of that acute
American intellect which had done, and will continue to do, so much towards accomplishing the
destiny of this wonderful republic.

If it was denied that government had constitutional power to act in the premises, it certainly
did not require argument to prove that those distant communities, the unparalleled develop¬
ment of which had been the growth of an epoch in the history of human progress, were an
integral portion and a part of the republic ; and it was also evident that they were entirely
isolated and unprotected. By the constitution , Congress was compelled to defend California against
aggression. It was well known, in these years of revolutions and of counter-revolutions, that the
United States of North America had become an object of suspicion and of dread to older and less
progressive nations.

In the event of war with one or more of the great powers of Europe, California could not be
defended against aggression by the means then within the command of the general govern¬
ment. Troops, supplies, and munitions of war would be exposed to the dangers and costs of the
inadequate modes of transit, of a broken and interrupted water transportation, and to the pas¬
sage of an unhealthy, and, in that event, probably a hostile foreign territory.

It had ever been the policy of this government to restrict the military operations of the coun¬
try to a simple and effective character. Her volunteer soldiery had already made the wars of
America immortal. Rallying the energetic population of every hill-side and prairie around that
gallant and efficient military organization, which would compare in ability and attainment with
that of any service of the earth, it was evident that the necessity of the occasion would require
the rapid transportation of these suddenly-collected forces to the utmost verge of her remotest
border.

In view of the achievements of science and the mechanic arts, and the advanced stage of
human progress in the nineteenth century, a military road could no longer be deemed the
means of crossing a river or making passage of a hill-side. In reference to the exigencies
involved, it was the application of that mode of transit which had in a measure annihilated dis¬
tance, to a route of two thousand miles in length, from the populous eastern States to California.

It was the definite solution of the requisition of a new, unexpected, and striking necessity, by
the use of the best means at the command of the nation.

The demand was immediate. If it was within the power of government to act in the prem¬
ises at all, then when government should act on the question became evident to the weakest
observer.

If it was within the power of government to act in the premises at all, then where govern¬
ment should carry this project to early consummation grew out of the national requisition of
military defence, and those claims which had led to the attention of Congress.

If it was within the power of government to act in the premises at all, then in what manner
it could be best and most speedily accomplished would be devised by the wisdom of legislation,
in order to avoid those misfortunes which, in the development of minor and local railroad pro¬
jects, had affected the business relations of the country, and had been noticed by a message of
the President.

But the project was yet to be placed in a position to become the object of a fostering legis¬
lation ; an undertaking which, to aid would be national, and to achieve, patriotic.

Unprofessional parties had invariably confounded the domestic and commercial relations of
the problem with that distinct and salient constitutional feature which gave Congress power to

DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

act upon it. The question as to whether government could use the iron rail and locomotive
engine in the extension of a post-road over two thousand miles of uncivilized country, and that
mode of transit which had in a measure annihilated distance, as a means of defending a distant
sovereign State against aggression ; permitting a proper regulation of the land forces, by rapidly
transporting the suddenly-organized forces of her volunteer soldiery to the distant unprotected
portions of her domain ; whether or not a military road should still he considered that sort of
structure which existed at the date of the constitution, or he superseded by the triumph of human
ingenuity; — this question had been merged by legislation in an endeavor to answer the anticipa¬
tions of private individuals, who sought to change a government of general and limited powers
into a party speculating with the lands and funds of the people, by aiding an experimental
endeavor to procure the influx of western commerce to some single State or section of the Union,
perhaps to the detriment of all the rest. This brings the subject to a connexion with my report.

If, from want of professional information, the treatment of this subject has hitherto been
reversed in its nature, and the need of the hardy pioneer of civilization has been merged in the
claims of the capitalists of the eastern cities, it may readily he placed in a clearer point of view.

A few simple engineering statements will enable the wisdom of Congress to determine how
far the power of the constitution will permit government to aid in the furtherance of the opera¬
tion of private parties towards attaining results desired, and where the restrictions of legis¬
lation might be interposed.

I shall endeavor to establish the plaiji engineering position, that government may act in the
premises without risk to first outlay ; and if it shall seem expedient to extend a means of com¬
munication over our soil to the Pacific possessions, that the use of that mode of transit, perfected
by human ingenuity, need not be surrendered on constitutional grounds. I shall also not
hesitate to state, most emphatically, that the subordinate or latent feature which has so long
given a Pacific railroad project character in the estimation of private parties, and which is not
so well entitled to the notice of legislation, is in no degree harassed or restricted, hut is in a
measure urged forward to earlier consummation by the proper treatment of this undertaking as
an engineering problem.

DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

The plan of building a Pacific railroad, which has been so long presented, by extending it in
Sections of one hundred miles, elaborated from the outset to the full needs of the immense
carrying trade of western commerce, and slowly verging towards the wild interior, is that of
the English system of construction.* Built on such a plan, by the use of credits, bonds, and
mortgages, and by a brokerage over a basis of land grants, it would combine all the disad¬
vantages of both the American and English modes of construction. These are very dissimilar.
The English system, adopted in building the first roads of New “England, has been modified in
America to more expeditious and less costly methods of attaining the results required.

Although the Pacific problem is different from that of any road hitherto completed in civil¬
ized regions, it is nevertheless one to which the present American modes of building, divested of
their objectionable features , are more particularly applicable than any other. It is that of the

• Grand Trunk, or first-class railroad, English. — A (practicably) direct route between termini reduced to a close approximation
to level gradients, without attempts at deflection to reduce cost. A line of durable and costly works, drained, sodded, and
elaborately prepared in road-bed and permanent way for the rapid passage of weighty trains ; thoroughly equipped and
furnished, of gauge adapted to traffic and connexions.

Grand Trunk, or first-class railroad, American. — A line adjusted to irregularities of surface, between termini, by application of
curvature and gradients, regarding obstacles to be overcome and traffic to ensue. A road-bed ditched, sloped, and drained,
and made ready for the rail by a cheap ballasting of clear gravel. A superstructure adapted to the passage of weighty
trains at paying rates of speed. Works erected in apprehension of a division of traffic with competing lines, as avoiding
misdirection of capital and the entailment of high rates of fare. In view of improvements in transportation liable to ensue,
and contingencies which inevitably occur, omitting as extravagant and unnecessary many of the operations deemed indis¬
pensable to foreign first-class construction.

DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION.

extension of a road over an uncivilized, and in many instances uninhabitable, country ; and the
American system is that of the rapid extension of lines, at low cost, over undeveloped and non¬
paying routes of transit.

The Pacific railroad is to reach a terminus two thousand miles distant, from which a revenue
is anticipated ; hut until this anticipation of revenue is answered, must he restricted, in de¬
velopment, to the simple requirements of military and way transportation.

The American system of building is one by which a line may pass through various stages of
elaboration to any class or character required, even after the connexion of termini has been accom¬
plished ; for it is the great principle of the American “ open construction account,” that a road
should not he placed under the serious liability of maximum equipment for service it may never
he called upon to perform ; hut, if practicable, should he made to reach and develop the sources
of future traffic, under the support of a way transportation at paying rates. From the opera¬
tions of interested and unscrupulous speculators, often occupying the position of railroad direc¬
tors, and gambling with the funds of stockholders committed to their charge, and especially in
the building of short lines ivliere permanent construction should have been deemed expedient from
the outset , the system of the open construction account has encountered great opposition, and has
been unwarrantably assailed by unprofessional parties.

Under the present credit system, (one of the evils of the American mode of building,) from
the necessities of brokerage, and premiums, and the gambling liabilities, borne by innocent
stockholders, a mere percentage of the amount of margin presented as the cost of roads is
devoted by the American constructing-engineer to their actual working. This has been one of
the chief reasons why the cost of American roads has so often exceeded their engineering
estimates.

Over twenty-five per cent, of the amount now invested in lines of the United States has
proved a total loss to the original stockholders. The civil engineers of the country have very
generally borne the odium of these liabilities ; which is probably the reason why their opinions
have such slight weight when brought to the consideration of this national undertaking. *

Yet this project is one to which the application of the American system of expansion will
restrict the first liabilities of wear and tear, depreciation and deterioration, risk or loss of outlay,
and all questionable expenditures, to the minimum, in the construction of a line which, from the
length of route traversed, before connexion can occur with a paying terminus, will not warrant
first-class construction and equipment from the outset. It would require a period of twenty
years to build such a grand road to the Pacific, on the obsolete system proposed. During this
space of time those portions of the road first completed would thrice need renewal as worn out

®We are too apt to confound the achievements of science and art by the first nations of Europe, with the only available
methods of accomplishing similar ends in our own country. The great mass of the American people are also too ready
to believe that it is from want of some natural gift or cultivation of peculiar qualities that our own countrymen do not
erect works bearing favorable comparison with those of older nations.

A few years ago the public press was teeming with accounts of the projection of a Grand Trunk railroad in Canada. A
noted English engineer had arrived. A company of English capitalists had been formed. A bridge was to be built across
the great valley of the St. Lawrence, rivaling any structure of modern Europe. Some comparisons were made and reflec¬
tions cast, regarding European and American railways, not wholly complimentary to our own mechanics and engineers.
But within a short period it has been made public that the stock of this famous company has become a drug upon the
market, and that the business of the grand road affords so slight prospect of paying the interest upon the capital invested,
that there is great danger of the total abandonment of the enterprise. Thus' the system which had been found to succeed
so admirably in the densely populated counties of Great Britain, became totally inapplicable to the needs of a less remune •
rative route of transit.

I particularly refer to this case, because this Grand Trunk road was extended as the first step towards a Pacific railroad,
and because its failure is an example of what may be apprehended by a like incomprehensive treatment of our own Pacific
project.

Extract from a speech of Hon. James A. McDougal, delivered in the House of Representatives on the 2dth of Mag, 1854.

“The line from Halifax, through the British possessions, to the Pacific, is a project contemplated by our northern neigh¬
bors, and in it they have the support of heavy English capital.”

DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION.

and decayed. The amount of the cost of this renewal would absolutely construct and equip a
road of medium class, with ordinary management reaching the Pacific in ten years, and, if
necessary, even in five years. This preliminary road would not make a passage of the same
obstacles by reduction of surface, nor adopt so direct a line as a G-rand Trunk road ; but select a
route giving the most rapid results to first outlay, by at once answering the present needs of the
nation. It would also accomplish that first step towards the construction of a grand road,
which would eventually insure its completion without great loss to its projectors, or, more
properly, to the government finding means for extending it.

A doubt exists in the minds of practical individuals whether the traffic of a Grand Trunk
overland railroad will ever support its running expenses. Hence, there is an experiment to be
tried.

Government is not particularly interested in the question as to whether the commerce of the
Pacific seas will pass over this line, when built, or continue to be borne by clipper-ships around
the southern extremity of South America. Government is interested in the solution of the
problem only so far as the results of the experiment tend towards the extension of a speedily
consummated effectual means of overland mail and military transportation.

But while government will hesitate to exercise doubtful constitutional powers, and will prac¬
tise due economy in the expenditure of the money of the people, it will, when not conflicting
with those powers, seek to further all important domestic and commercial relations.

While the idea of a Grand Trunk road must be treated with caution, because, so far as govern¬
ment has constitutional powers to act on the question, the choice merely lies between the use of
the iron rail and of the wagon-road, and it can be demonstrated that the use of the iron rail can
take place prior to the completion of a grand road ; yet, as regards the choice between the use of
the iron rail and of the wagon-road, the probability of the future construction of a Grand Trunk
Pacific road should be brought into the discussion.

The experiment as to whether the commerce of the west will pass over the American conti¬
nent by rail-way, even when a rail-way is in operation, cannot be tried by the extension of a
wagon-road. But it can be practically tested by the extension of a railroad only suited to the
absolute needs of military and way transportation.

Again, should this experiment prove successful, then the Grand Trunk railroad of the pres¬
ent day would be wholly inadequate to the amount of transportation required. The broad
uncultivable wastes of the American continent (over any route whatever) are unlike the present
railroad routes of civilized regions. They compare with them as the drear expanse of the ocean
contrasts with the inland navigable waters of our lakes and rivers. When this sea of space is
to be traversed with the certainty of a paying business, with no important way stations, and an
enormous through traffic to warrant the running of trains, the locomotive engine will make
passage of the level sand wastes of the wild interior at rates of speed which will startle human
credulity. And when the same inventive genius which once so readily modified the costly
modes of building of older nations to the means and demands of our own new and undeveloped
country, is called upon to grasp the broader conclusion, and solve this future necessity of
civilization and of progress, then the Pacific railroad will resemble the present Grand Trunk
road of populated countries as the new British steam-ship Great Eastern compares with the
first-class steamer of the coast. Thus, while the first study of this question should be grounded
on a comprehensive desire to answer at once, and in the best manner, that which is at present
required; yet, in view of the grand prospective contingencies presented, it should also be
definitely guided by a full apprehension of that which is liable to occur. The conclusion is,
that if government should see fit to construct a railroad, necessarily in connexion with, but in
preference to, the extension of a wagon-road, then a railroad suited to military transportation,
and to the mere testing of this experiment, is the class of road to be attempted. In this con¬
nexion, the assertion of the unprofessional observer, “that it is always cheapest in the end to
build a good road first,” must have no weight. A road suited to the needs of way and military

DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION.

transportation is necessarily a good road, and, built by the aid of government, should not be
accepted if of unstable or insufficient character. It is the choice of route, and nature of surface
passed over, which reduces its cost and favors its rapid extension, and which is, in reality, the
chief argument for its use in preference to the wagon-road.

But I will close this argument by asserting that no road of permanent works and substantial
class can be built across the continent with only the use of a wagon-road as a vehicle of transport¬
ation. The appliances of civilization, and the materials of construction, must be placed con¬
tiguous to the works by progression of settlements, or by the prior extension of a pioneer or
preliminary railroad. But although permanent works may be erected by awaiting the tardy
progression of settlements through the fertile border country, they cannot thus be raised in
the far interior. Long sections of all routes are there devoid of wood, stone, and every variety
of building materials. Broad divisions are not susceptible of development by settlements, and
can never become provision-producing districts. From the distance to be passed over, and the
amount and speed of transportation required, labor can neither be supplied nor supported.

Weighty materials cannot be moved over the hundreds of miles from where, existing in nat¬
ural deposits, they must be furnished to sections deficient. Mules, oxen, and horses fail, break
down, and die by scores, in making passage of those distant, sterile, and arid plains. The use
of the iron rail and locomotive engine is that means of transit perfected by human ingenuity to
the best practicable result for the moving of weighty materials at high rates of speed and at low
cost. In fact, it cannot be denied that it fully transcends all other modes of land locomotion.

These very routes, where domestic animals can hardly be made of use, and where the supplies
of human subsistence cannot be procured, can be readily developed by railway, by laying a rough
superstructure on the natural surface of the earth, and thus the very best means of transport¬
ation can be supplied.

The whole pecuniary question regarding the treatment of this project of a railroad to the
Pacific resolves itself into the expenditure of the least amount of cash capital without reasonable
prospect of remunerative return. The engineering question resolves itself into the obtaining of
some rapid and effective means of transportation along the route of the grand road, that it may.
be constructed at all. The first relation is, the distance to be passed over before connexion can
occur with a paying terminus ; and the second, the stupendous nature of the nearly insurmount¬
able obstacles and practical difficulties which will serve to postpone the completion of any road
of first-class character. Both presentations of the subject are wholly subordinate to the great
and immediate need of the Pacific coast, to the healthy overland military and mail transporta¬
tion, which is the single constitutional requirement in the premises. This is a requisition which
cannot be waived or postponed. A wagon-road will not answer it, and a permanent railroad
cannot be legislated towards the Pacific by the will of its well-wishers, under incomprehensive
views of the difficulties attending its extension.

Therefore, with a full sense of the importance of such an opinion, and a definite knowledge
of at least two of the great routes across the American continent, I propose the extension of a
rough American railway, of weighty superstructure, but of medium equipment, from the
extreme western border of eastern civilization to the Pacific, as the exponent of that practical
experience of the railroad-builders of America, which, if never officially called to the treatment
of this public question, has shown such admirable results in the extension of lines through
thinly populated regions, even when harassed by the unscrupulous management of speculative
parties. I present it as a simple proportioning of means to the end required ; and as a restric¬
tion of the undue expenditure of the money of the people in the solution of a national problem.

For, (returning to the first point of this argument,) if, by the constitution, Congress is com¬
pelled to defend California against aggression, and regarding the settled policy of this govern¬
ment, forts and standing armies are not deemed the preferable means of military defence ; if, as
is stated by the first military talent of the nation, California cannot be practically defended by
the means at present within the disposal of government ; if a wagon-road is unsuited to the rapid

DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION.

transportation of weighty supplies, forces, and munitions of war ; if the construction of a Grand
Trunk railway is a ponderous and dangerous experiment, and its eventual completion beyond
the limits of reasonable anticipation ; if the iron rail and locomotive engine may he made of
immediate use, and solve this necessity by the mere adoption of a route of transit over which it
can he profitably extended ; then the building of this railroad to the Pacific, applicable to the
exigencies involved, the amount of transportation required, and the remuneration which will
ensue, is a legitimate and warrantable undertaking, because no other will answer the purposes
of the case proposed. It is the extension of a railroad of the least cost in the first outlay, be¬
cause built through an uncivilized country, over an undeveloped route, and as subject to the
contingency of total loss to its projectors if elaborated beyond the stringent needs of the mere
requirements of necessity, before reaching the distant terminus from which a revenue is antici¬
pated — the extension of a railroad to solve the correctness of this anticipation of revenue, and,
under the nature of an experiment, to test its value ; hut, beyond all these minor requisitions,
the extension of such a railroad as the comprehension of other and more important national
considerations will alone warrant constructing. It is, in like manner, the adoption of a route
which, from the nature of the surface passed over, and from the avoidance of great obstacles,
will lead to the immediate consummation of the project.

If the use of the rail prior to the actual completion of the road, hv the mere selection of a
route over which it can he extended by light grading, seem to the unprofessional observer im¬
practicable and absurd, to the experienced railroad-builder, who has seen the working locomotive
and material train made the grand vehicle of transportation over unfinished lines and upon
every variety of surface, this mode of transit will at once sustain its important character in re¬
lation to the peculiar necessities of the present case.

The road would consist of a T-rail, of sixty pounds to the lineal yard, spiked to a wooden
cross-tie, and adjusted to a ditched and drained surface. But, as it progressed, it would he
liable to modification by those improvements which inevitably occur, and which, in view of the
constructive faculty of this nation, should not he lost sight of in preliminary arrangements.

Over portions of that broad central division of the continent, reaching from the Missouri river
to the Pacific, the mountainous, broken, and undulating country hears a very small proportion
to the extent of elevated plateaux, either level-or of slight inclination to the horizon. These
elevated plateaux offer substrata of sand or gravel, easily excavated, slightly affected by the ac¬
tion of frost, and, by nominal reduction of surface, affording a road-bed of perfect drainage,
and of superior quality for the preservation of superstructure and machine, and also favoring
those simple manual operations deemed sufficient to keep American railway lines in working
order. A railroad line passing over such a surface would as far transcend all means of trans¬
portation by plank or wagon-roads as is possible to conceive. It would admit a speed of twenty
miles per hour, with loaded trains, over the greater portion of its distance, and at least the
passage of loaded trains over all portions of its distance.

It would appear as a direct exemplification of capital reserved. The whole amount of its
cost would have been expended in the mere needs of transportation for the purpose of building the
proposed Grand Trunk road. Attempted without its aid, the construction of the Grand Trunk
road may he regarded a chimera ; • and even if eventually completed, the depreciation and re¬
newal of its superstructure and rolling stock, the loss of interest on dormant capital, and the
disastrous results attending its consummation, would thrice exceed the entire cost of a prelimi¬
nary road.

The mere development of territory would remunerate the cost of constructing a road, only
attempting in every stage of its completion a character or medium adapted to the simplest re¬
quirements of necessity ; while no such minor sources of revenue would warrant the construction
of a first-class line or road assuming an elaborated character from the outset.

ROUTES FOR A PACIFIC RAILROAD.

ROUTES.

For a Pacific railroad, the term route will cover the extreme breadth of country to which side
examinations may reasonably extend, or to which any claim of location may carry a line by
detour. The term route in these remarks must not be confounded with the word line. The route
of a line is (strictly) defined by survey . The route to which the location of a line is referrible is
described by reconnaissance.

Two of the grand routes across the American continent are peculiarly adapted to the ready
and rapid extension of a rough preliminary railroad. One of these routes passes south of the
Sierra Nevada mountain range, and in the vicinity of the Mexican frontier. The other is that
of the present emigrant road of the South Pass to California, Utah, and Oregon. Both of these
routes are of flat plateau surface, and gravel substrata. Over one of them, the passage of trains
would he obstructed during winter by the snow of the great plains; over the other, a northern
population would he decimated during the summer by the fevers of the Grulf. Over one of them,
the frosts of the northern winter would, during half the year, prevent the speedy progression of
the works of construction ; over the other, the miasmas of a southern summer would prove fatal
to the health of the Celtic laborer. Over the northern route, pure water can he delivered from
abundant sources of supply, at sufficient height above the rail, to he furnished at low cost for
the use of locomotives ; over the southern, it must he procured by more expensive methods, from
fountains difficult of access and limited in quantity. The northern route is longer than the
southern, hut, of central position, it can he more readily defended in the time of war. Con¬
tiguous to provision and labor-producing States, it can he more cheaply constructed, and, when
built, will command and unite important and conflicting public and private interests. Long
sections of both routes are destitute of timber, which can only be supplied by the use of the iron
rail. Both of them differ from all other routes across the continents. Both are better suited to
the speedy extension of an effective means of military transportation by railway than any others.
Both are especially worthy the attention of government in the selection of the route of a road
for the purposes of military defence ; hut neither of them would so readily attract the notice of
speculators in land grants, nor is either particularly adapted to the development of great agri¬
cultural interests.

As the salient requisition, which gives government constitutional power to act in the premi¬
ses, is that of military defence, and the leading feature of that requisition is early communica¬
tion, the first step towards the solution of this intricate problem of overland communication is
narrowed down to the choice of one or both of these routes ; the subordinate or latent charac¬
teristics which subsequently come forward in the domestic relations, of development of inland
territory, and of procuring the influx of western commerce, not being confounded with, hut in
every respect kept distinct from, the peculiar and striking national feature which first won the
attention, and is now strenuously urged as entitling this undertaking to the full notice of legis¬
lation.

The most southern of these routes being beyond the field of the present report, I bring this
whole view of the engineering merits of the question as giving great character to a forked road,
which, reaching by a main stem from the central border of eastern civilization to the Mormon
settlements, would there permit of the connexion of a short branch line to Puget Sound, and of
the extension of a main trunk to California.

This road, as first extended, would represent the word line, as delineated, or placed by the
requirements of location, by the trace of actual survey, for preliminary service. But, as event¬
ually elaborated, it can only be described, at the present time, by the report of reconnaissance,
as within the limits of all future claims of location by the word route. The rough road, built
for the purpose of military transportation, must be placed, by engineering study, over a surface
adapted to rapid extension, and be adjusted with great care at water crossings, summits o^

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FIRST SECTION OF THE ROAD.

country, and all positions of a character to postpone early consummation. But it may, never¬
theless, become the means of constructing a grand line, not necessarily contiguous to it, as the
term would be applied in civilized regions ; for, reaching by any line qf approach, the vicinity
of the plains and rim of the Great Basin, where occur sources of supply of iron, coal, building
materials, and way-stations of population, a preliminary road would become the carrying line
for developing and transporting these resources.

To once more state this question. It is probable that Col. John Charles Fremont (not par¬
ticularly a railroad-builder) is better qualified than any other individual to name the relative
merits of the several lines of central routes, regarding agricultural development, from having
compared them in the field. The direct line from St. Louis to San Francisco — which is located
too far south to admit of ready connexion by a branch with Puget Sound and the important
northwestern coast — is described by that distinguished explorer as possessing such characteris¬
tics. It has attracted national notice as a grand central Pacific line. Its adoption has been
advocated by one of the oldest statesmen of America. And these desultory remarks are for the
purpose of explaining that the combined extension of a wagon-road and preliminary railroad
over the present emigrant trail of the South Pass, would in no degree prevent, hut would, in
fact, absolutely further the completion of a grand highway of commerce and of nations over the
direct line named, which, central in reference to commercial and domestic relations, is not cen¬
tral as regards the combined claims of California, Oregon, Washington, and Utah, or of the
entire Pacific coast, for military defence ; and under the contingencies of rapid railroad construc¬
tion, could not conscientiously he selected for such a purpose by legislation.

This view of the question should also practically refer to all routes of such undulating and
broken surface as to postpone early communication, if adopted.

A military railroad should extend over plateau surface, from the mere fact that a railroad is
not a line of fortifications, hut a structure peculiarly pregnable to the most insignificant means
of attack ; and, when built over substrata of sand or gravel, the line of communication can he
renewed, when broken, at a few hours’ notice.

The energy of the American people has never yet failed to develop border country by railway.
Legislation has seldom hesitated to aid the construction of roads, even in advance of the needs
of civilization. But (summing up the statements of this paper) if nature has debarred any
section of the continent those facilities of surface or position which warrant the attempt at rapid
railroad extension, in answering this grand necessity of the earliest practicable consummation
of overland transportation, then the requirements of a whole nation should not be made subser¬
vient to such merely local claims to attention.

If local roads can only tardily progress over a rich agricultural, but broken surface — a sur¬
face of excavation and embankment, of masonry and bridging, of practicable construction but
of deferred communication — while the less costly preliminary line might he speedily extended
toward the mountains, then the claims of the hardy pioneer of civilization, of the citizen of Cali¬
fornia, Utah, Oregon, and Washington, should not be deemed subordinate to the prayer of the
wealthy capitalist of the eastern city. If legislation is to furnish the means of solving this
problem of overland communication, the rights of the poorest herdsman of the Pacific are as
much entitled to notice as those of the eastern speculator in land-grants.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT FIRST SECTION OF A PACIFIC RAILROAD CONTIGUOUS TO THE STATES, THE

INITIATIVE OR PRELIMINARY STEP TOWARD THE EARLIEST PRACTICABLE CONSUMMATION OF THE WHOLE

UNDERTAKING.

During the many long discussions which have taken place on the subject of a railroad to the
Pacific, it seems to have been forgotten, or to have entirely escaped notice, that all great rail¬
road lines are built in sections, and that, although this road is one of two thousand (2,000)
miles in length, yet but a single mile need be built at the outset.

3 p

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FIRST SECTION OF THE ROAD.

The argument that the difficulty of selecting a route prevents such a conclusion need not he
entertained, if the route is chosen on the constitutional grounds of the cheapest and earliest
consummation of the military defence of the Pacific possessions hy overland railways.

If the whole question of the construction of a permanent road to the Pacific resolves itself
into the prior construction of a railroad to the Pacific of less elaborated character, so too the
construction of a preliminary railroad to the Pacific resolves itself into the building of the first
mile of the very first section of the best route for that road adjacent to the border settlements.

The first section of the main stem of the forked route of the emigrant road does not, how¬
ever, commence at the first unfinished portion of the Pacific railroads (so called) of Iowa or Mis¬
souri. The two hundred and fifty miles of severe undulating surface extending between these
lines of rail, now tending west, and Missouri river, is of a character to prevent early completion ;
and the people of the Pacific coast and the present claims of the nation will not permit awaiting
the three, four, or five years it will require to bring these roads to Missouri river.

Neither can it commence at Fort Kearney, which is the proper point of intersection of all
eastern lines. This point is as far inland toward the west, and wagon-roads will not furnish
the cheap and rapid transportation required for weighty materials of construction.

From the peculiarity of surface offered — a surface graded and ballasted by the act of nature —
the first section of the pioneer railroad of the emigrant plateau route must be supposed to com¬
mence on Missouri river, near the mouth of the Platte.

As the navigation of the Missouri, as high as this point, is ample for the transportation of
rails, equipment, and furnishing, the road — finding its own means of rapid extension — would
reach the mountains, over the flat sandy surface offered, at about the same period of time that
the local roads of Iowa and Missouri were completed, to become its connecting links with east¬
ern lines — say in three, four, or five years.

The line (of five hundred (500) miles length) would traverse the edge of a range of low sand¬
hills, skirting a broad and fertile river valley, which reaches, without a break in surfape, from
the mouth of the Platte to the first broken country of the great grazing section of the Black
Hills (so called).

Under the present system of legislation — the aiding of the extension of railroads by specula¬
tions based on the augmentation of the price of government lands to the actual settler — reasons
might be offered why Congress can assist in the construction of this road of five hundred (500)
miles on far more equitable grounds than have hitherto led to the multiplication of rivaling
and competing roads across the border.

The fact that this line would become the first section of a Pacific railroad, and the needs of
Calitornia, Utah, Oregon, and Washington find a place in a discussion which has hitherto been
devoted to those of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, or the wealthy capitalists
of eastern cities, is probably the cause why this line could not thus be aided.

The following domestic relations entitle it to notice, without reference to the fact that it would
become a section of the Pacific railroad, viz :

While other divisions of the public domain are favored by navigable waters, by which the
appliances of civilization may be transported, the narrow belt of fertile soil which this line
traverses can only be laid open to the pioneer by the passage of a railroad. Like many of the
richest regions of the west, the country is sparsely wooded; and during the growth of wood,
(by keeping out the prairie fires,) fuel and building timber cannot be transported for the use
of settlers by the insufficient means of a wagon-road.

The needs of better means of transportation than this route now affords have become so great,
that it has been proposed to secure them for the benefit of the Mormon settlements, by building
a canal from the head-waters of Yellow Stone river toward Utah, and by a detour of over three
£hops,and (,§,$00) miles of river and canal navigation.

The eougjtruptipji of the road would shorten by five hundred (500) miles the distance now
gravelled by the oyeiiand emigration, and prevent the great loss to the nation in domestic stock

TIIE CREDIT SYSTEM OF CONSTRUCTION.

which yearly occurs; and the value of which, thus saved, would pay the interest on the whole
cost of building it.

To secure the advantages of becoming the sources of supply to emigration, settlements would
grow up at the mountain terminus of the line. These settlements would become some of the
most important of the nation. They would soon furnish those supplies to transportation which,
in event of war, would make the defence of the Pacific coast a practicable measure, by the far¬
ther overland passage of trains by a wagon-road. The citizens of a narrow State would defend
and support their railroad. The border population, thus placed five hundred (500) miles nearer
the Pacific, would soon reach the outlying farms of the Mormons. Intercourse would take
place with that singular people, and the weight of public opinion tend toward solving an intri¬
cate problem in the science of self-government.

All these results can be obtained by the construction of a railroad at lower cost than any line
now in operation in America, of equal length.

The road is on the grand approach to both the Bridger’s Pass and the South Pass of the Rocky
mountains. It is the main trunk of the whole great overland travel going west of those mount¬
ains. It is most advantageously situated, regarding the connexion of eastern lines. At a point
near Fort Kearney, at the head of Big Island of the Platte, roads from Lake Superior, from the
pine districts of Minnesota, from Lake Michigan, at Chicago from the central roads of Indiana,
from St. Louis and the South, can favorably intersect with it on equal terms.

These roads can there drain the traffic it has developed, and their trains make passage over
it to the mountain terminus and the interior. The road would become, in its artificial relations
to Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah, what the great rivers of our country have been in their natural
advantages to the country east of the Mississippi; or, as all navigation ceases at the Missouri, a
deficiency of nature would be supplied by the triumphs of human ingenuity ; therefore, the
general government might reasonably afford to aid the construction of this first section of a
great railroad line in its passage towards the Pacific, where, full of important connexions, like
the branches of a river, its arms extending upon either side, it would develop not only the nar¬
row region which it traverses, but the resources of distant localities, and become to the western
portion of the American continent what the Ohio and Mississippi have been to the eastern.

THE CREDIT SYSTEM OF CONSTRUCTION.

In the course of these remarks, I have repeatedly referred to the credit system of construction.

The construction of the pioneer or preliminary, rather than the permanent Grand Trunk road,
will restrict the evils of this system to the minimum ; and a mode in which the road might be
built would, in a measure, prevent their occurrence. Without presuming to suggest to the at¬
tention of legislation the evils which, in my own belief, will inevitably follow the literal over¬
working of the land-grant system of construction, when the stock market becomes flooded with
the scrip of unfinished roads, I will refer to the credit system as connected with the subject of
a railroad to the Pacific.

Returning to the legitimate discussion of this question, I shall endeavor to maintain the posi¬
tion, that even the construction of the first section of a Pacific railroad should not be made to
labor under the liabilities of the land-grant and credit system of building.

The conduct of the preliminary step in a series of experiments which shall test a great
national project, and, in a measure, define its character, should be simple, effective, and guided
by judicious deductions from former experience.

The railroads of the United States are actually constructed by building contractors, under the
direction of civil engineers. These building contractors take the works from other contractors,
who are great stock operators, and are often even directors of the company they bargain with.
The companies are generally formed in the following manner :

THE CREDIT SYSTEM OF CONSTRUCTION.

A very small amount of stock — say 30, 40, or 50 per cent, of that required — is raised by local
parties along the route of the line. These parties (farmers, mechanics, merchants, and land¬
holders) thus form the basis for the schemes and management of the operator, who takes the
residue of the stock. Both company and operator are now at the mercy of the . agents of the
great capitalists of the country. By holding such amounts of stock, the operator in many
instances controls the directors’ hoard, or even changes it at his will, by the votes of proxy.
When, by capital raised, borrowed, and furnished, the road is partly or wholly graded, it is
then mortgaged or bonded for iron and equipment. The running of trains now takes place,
and the road, still in an incomplete state, is turned over to the company. About this period
of time the able operator decides whether to dispose of or retain his interest in the line.

A few years ago, when many of the lines of the country were first opened for travel, this
plan of building occupied a very high place in public estimation ; hut, since these roads have
begun to wear, and the costs of renewal, of closing the open construction account, and of running
trains at non-paying rates have opened the eyes of stockholders, it has, in a measure, fallen into
disrepute.

Very few of the roads of the country will now more than pay the interest on their bonds, the
original stock subscription or basis being in -most instances totally absorbed.

But it is, nevertheless, undoubtedly true, that the farmers, mechanics, and land-owners, who
took the initiative and lost their original stock, are actually reimbursed by advantages gained.
All sections traversed have been augmented in value, and, in the majority of cases, (always ex¬
cepting the crises of monetary liabilities,) the country generally benefited.

By the land-grant system of credit construction, after small outlay, the lands donated by gov¬
ernment become the basis of a borrowed capital, which is devoted to the extension of the road;
the security given to government being the preliminary construction of a portion of the road.
It is not necessary for me to describe a system so recently within the treatment of legislation.

As applied to a Pacific railroad, its results would appear in the creation of a greater and
more powerful monopoly than has ever yet affected the business relations of this nation. The
placing of the rapid extension of this national road under the necessity of public appreciation,
affecting and affected by the monetary transactions of the country, would tend to produce
those crises in the stock-market, to which the pecuniary affairs of this enterprising people have
always been so peculiarly liable. But, without referring to these disasters, it is plain that if,
during the progress of this road, public appreciation is once lost, all credit will he withheld,
and a clear, simple, readily-defined engineering problem will appear in the light of a false,
visionary, and chimerical speculation.

The cause of the adoption of the old credit system of construction was from absolute poverty
of means ; the reason of the continuation of the great monopoly of the land-grant system is
because its evils are not yet sufficiently developed to he perfectly understood ; hut why either
plan of building should he applied to retard the construction of a Pacific railroad, I am at a
loss to learn.

If there is any power of the constitution by which government can aid this undertaking, on
the grounds of military defence, neither poverty of means, nor any plea of expediency, conspires
to place the project in a chimerical point of view, and no such course should he adopted to
further the needs and desires of speculation.

Dismissing the idea of the Grand Trunk road, which is an experiment, the subject of inquiry
is, whether the pioneer or preliminary railroad shall he used for military defence in lieu of the
wagon-road. To still further divest the project of chimerical features, a surface or route is
sought where, by proper management, the use of the rail can take place without material cost
in grading. The selection of such a route reduces deterioration without paying business to the
minimum, and enables government to .procure an approximate estimate of cost. Or, more
plainly, over either of the plateau routes of the continent a railroad can reach the Pacific in
seven years. A read in common use needs renewal in superstructure and rolling-stock in seven

APPLICATION OF THE CASH SYSTEM.

years ;* but the pioneer road having, within this period of time, reached the supposed paying
business of the western terminus, a general through traffic would begin to balance wear and
depreciation.

Grover nment is amply able to construct the road by cash payments. The need of the nation is
immediate. To place the undertaking under the liabilities of borrowing, and to subject it to
the fluctuations of public estimation, is to retard it. To retard it when once commenced, is, in a
measure, to defeat it, or, at least, to indefinitely augment its cost. . To create a moneyed mo¬
nopoly, which will undoubtedly harass the stock-market, by an unrestricted paper issue, is to in¬
fringe upon the legitimate currency of the country, and has not hitherto been thought constitu¬
tional. We may, therefore, most certainly affirm that the land-grant system should be
applied to the Pacific railroad undertaking with great caution. As the very intricate and
peculiar questions of loss of outlay by deterioration, and by working without revenue over a
route of extreme length and novel character, may not yet be perfectly understood, I will once
more allow myself to repeat conclusions offered.

I distinctly state that if routes exist across the American continent over which communication
can ensue with a Pacific terminus in seven years, government should take no action to delay the
communication beyond that period, but should aid the construction of roads over these routes
only by cash payments.

But as there are many other routes across the continent, which are fully practicable, but, by
passage of undulating surface, need excavation and embankment, bridge and culvert masonry,
ballasting and drainage, before the rail can be made of use, and as these tedious operations
(without reference to tunnels and mountain sections) will postpone communication, however
attempted, government need not necessarily feel compelled to aid the construction of such lines
by the direct application of cash capital.

Hesitating to bear the risk of private experiments to procure the influx of western commerce
over these lines, Congress might with reason sufficiently endow them against loss of running
trains through undeveloped country, and against cost of renewal during their twenty years’
progression toward the Pacific.

This aid, however, should only be bestowed in sections ; for, in the present instance, it is
entirely out of place to endeavor to anticipate those contingencies of the future, which are in
the course of solution by experiment, and which, within ten years) or less, will be completely
solved by the completion of the more rapidly extended preliminary line.

Having now placed this subject in every point of view of which I believe it capable, I will
again refer, to the construction of the first section of the preliminary road on the constitutional
grounds of military defence.

HOW THE CASH SYSTEM OP CONSTRUCTION MIGHT BE APPLIED.

As this road is to be aided on the grounds of military defence, it is in some measure a gov¬
ernment work.

To favor the proper dispositions on Missouri river and along the route required for the pur¬
poses and supplies of .military defence, it should be built under the direction or with the co¬
operation of military engineers. To secure the efficient management and able practical know¬
ledge of private parties, it should be forwarded by contract.

The line of location of the route should be placed , from Missouri river to the mountains,

- This is a broad conclusion. T-rails of 70 pounds the lineal yard have been known to wear in two years. I have
seen, in my own experience, the edge or chair-rail and the lightest class of U-rail wear ten years without need of renewal.
The weight of the engine, the inclination of gradients, the nature of earth passed over, the care given to keeping line and
level in “surfacing up,” (technical terms,) the rates of speed, and the number of trains run, all affect this estimate,
which is approximate and not in excess

APPLICATION OF THE CASH SYSTEM

by military engineers, to the furtherance of rapid extension, and not for the purposes of private
border speculations by contractors.

Iron rails and equipment should be deposited, by the water transportation of the Missouri
river, at some point best favoring the most direct approach to the main Platte valley by light
grading. This point should be selected by government engineers during preliminary arrange¬
ments ; and the sources of supply of building and working materials should then be retained,
from location of private parties, for the use of the road.

The first section of five hundred (500) miles should be placed under contract requiring its com¬
pletion within three (3) years from date.

The expense of grading the road will be merely nominal, and is not sufficient security for
advances by government. To require a very large deposit in money, might embarrass the
operations of the active parties (the real railroad builders and mechanics) who should be called
upon to construct this work by contract.

From the favorable nature of the surface passed over, iron rails are necessary to the purposes
of construction at the outset. As of high cost, and not liable to depreciation in value below a
certain estimate, railroad iron should he regarded as equivalent to a deposit in bullion, and be
accepted in lieu of moneyed security, or security by grading.

A laid superstructure, capable of sustaining the tread of a first-class locomotive engine at a
speed of twenty (20) miles per hour, should be provided with simple working equipment, turn¬
outs, and watering stations, before any payment is made to contractors.

From the point on Missouri river to Fort Kearney, near Big Island of the Platte, the road
might properly consist of the common T-rail, of 60 pounds per lineal yard, spiked to a wooden
cross-tie, and extended over a ditched and drained road-bed of the clear gravel of the section.

From this point of intersection of all eastern lines, (see sketch,) near Big island, a different
class of structure might be attempted, at the option of the engineer. Just beyond this point,
the great un timbered section, reaching toward the Rocky mountains, would be entered by the line.

Government might make payments of $10,000 per mile for the first and for each succeeding
one hundred (100) miles of road completed, if expedited to the satisfaction of the directing engi¬
neers. On reaching the western terminus of the first section of five hundred (500) miles, gov¬
ernment to pay to private parties such sum as shall have been agreed upon by a first contract,
based on proposals issued, and thereon concluded with responsible bidders ; government to
reserve the right of cancelling the contract and taking possession of the road during progress
of the work, upon equitable grounds, or upon failure of contractor to perform obligations.

Such a road sold at public auction would always guaranty first outlay. When completed
(the first section) it would become the outlet and carrying line for the building of a Pacific
railroad over any central route.

It would, therefore, be readily accepted by private parties in lieu of further cash payments
(beyond the first $10,000) by government. But, from its important position, this road should
continue to be within the general control of legislation.

As extended over the route of emigration, the building party could afford to keep up, beyond
mere working supply and material trains, a medium equipment for common service; and govern¬
ment would not be called upon as a donating power to bestow immense land-grants on specu¬
lating individuals, to guard them against loss by running trains and depreciation of way over
a non-paying route.

Government could make all payments by issuing scrip in applicable sums. Certificates to
bear interest, and be payable within a limited number of years.

Public lands sold to actual settlers along the line would, in the meantime, take up all scrip
issued by government. The sale of these lands should not become a governmental speculation.
They should be furnished to the pioneer at the very lowest rates, and the settlement of the
route traversed be promoted by every practicable method.

CONCLUSION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

Sections of this narrow strip of valuable territory should be reserved for the growth of timber
for the use of the road.

The company building this road, and encountering the risk of testing this first step of an
experiment, should be admitted to the single legitimate speculation of having donation and
pre-emption fee of a limited quantity of land at station-grounds, but not to interfere with actual
settlers.

All speculations should be brought to the best engineering line for the road. The road should
not be carried from its 'proper engineering position to further any speculation whatever.

In the present instance, the engineering line is that which will best favor the most rapid
extension of the iron rail to the mountains. The summit-ridge between the mouth of the Kan¬
sas and the Platte is an obstacle to be encountered by a junction line, but not by the prelimi-
inary road.

The favorable features presented in the above plan would be in the competition of the ablest
actual railroad-builders in the nation to construct this road under the scientific direction of
individuals educated and trained at the expense of government for the service of military
defence.

In event of war, this country will rely on her system of railroads for defence. By the revolu¬
tions of human progress, the Pacific railroad is especially an arm of national defence.

The military engineers of the country should have practice in this new branch of service ; and
as government is to furnish a portion of the means for extending this road, the scientific depart¬
ment to which is intrusted the erection of military works should not be debarred from partici¬
pation in its construction.

The practical energy of the civil engineers of the nation will at once turn toward the con¬
sideration of this project, and appear among contracting parties ; and the basis of the plan of
construction offered, however modified, will serve to blend these important branches of an emi¬
nent profession in the solution of a national undertaking.

• CONCLUSION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

Making no excuses for the many repetitions and the desultory character of these introductory
remarks, which I have conceived necessary for placing this subject where it may be treated as a
practical and scientific problem, I will now apologize for having sometimes been betrayed into
a style of more earnestness than should properly appear in the statement of an engineering
question.

Having devoted time, health, and pecuniary means, for over three years, to the furtherance
of this great object, it requires the discretion of a caution not always within the powers of self-
denial to apply to it only the defined terms of lucid demonstration.

Here, on this soil, the great masses of the people, once “ hewers of wood and drawers of wa¬
ter” to lords and emperors, are erecting an empire of grandeur, the more comprehensive from
being grounded on the broad basis of popular rights.

They are making deeper foot-prints on the path of civilization than any nation of the globe.

They are true to their own destiny, to the claims of human progress, and to the example
they have become to the toiling white men of the earth.

They are inspired by the first sounds of approaching danger, and they have seen the neces¬
sities of an occasion.

They have beheld the surface of the Pacific whitened by a commerce which takes its de¬
parture from the rude cob-wharves of a city risen from the sea.

They are true to the claims of that far-off, moving, and practical population which is a part
of their union, and from which they are divided by sterile deserts and snowy mountains.

They know that, by the simple triumphs of human ingenuity, these obstacles may be spanned
by a Pacific railroad.

CONCLUSION OF INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

They are bound to that distant population by every impulse of generosity and by every tie of
the heart. The wealth of the single isolated and unprotected State, brought home to them by
the husbands, the fathers, and the brothers of virtue, has permeated every hamlet of every
hill-side of America.

They feel that, in these years of tearing down and building up, this undertaking need not be
postponed or confounded with the obsolete traditions of the achievements of the past. Standing
so sturdily upon the present, and gazing into the future, they have long ceased to cling too stead¬
fastly to the tottering remnants of the past.

Of energies too vast to be always within the control of legislative restriction, they have never
yet failed to respect the government which they have of themselves created.

To the representatives of such a people, no plea of temporary expediency, no mere anticipa¬
tion of the advantages to accrue by the extension of the Pacific railroad, will justify the slight¬
est infringement of a single provision of the instrument whereby so heroic a mortal destiny has
been achieved as the present welfare of this republic. And where the views submitted for the
elucidation of this report have reached the style of argument, it has been from the desire to
make the engineering difficulties of this question, as affected by constitutional requirements,
definitely and perfectly understood.

Any competent engineer of even ten years’ practice in railroad-building, would have offered
the same conclusions.

I have the honor of assuming that, if a statement were required from the scientific depart¬
ment to which the conduct of the Pacific railroad explorations was confided, it will not be
found seriously to conflict with the conclusions herewith submitted.

CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THIS RECONNAISSANCE WAS CONDUCTED,

The present reconnaissance was pursued as the result of the reconnaissance of the northern
frontier Pacific railroad route, which extends from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Puget Sound. The
extreme difficulties of that route gradually led to the necessity of seeking other location by
detour, and eventually to the exploration of the present line.

This report may, therefore, be considered as offering a general recapitulation of the features
of country between latitude 49 north and the Salt Lake City, and between the southernmost
point of Lake Michigan and Puget Sound, regarding railway location as affected by the peculiar
character of the project of a railroad to the Pacific.

The difficult nature of the western mountainous country traversed by the northern route had,
in a measure, destroyed its character before reaching the Cascade Mountain range of the Pacific
coast. It became necessary either to tunnel that mountain range at an almost impracticable
pass, to procure passage to the ocean, or to surrender the line of direction, and to deflect so far
towards the south as to pass through the great valley of the Columbia river. This detour south,
which involved an increased distance of 140 miles, was at once decided to be the preferable
line.

The valley of the Columbia was of remarkable nature ; the waters of the interior had there
perforated the great chain of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain range, and flowed to
the ocean over the nearly level bed of a navigable stream. No engineer of practice in railway
construction could fail to be impressed with the strength of the line. It was the only natural
pass to the ocean from the great interior of the American continent. Danger from snow, a
most formidable enemy to encounter upon the steep grades and in the deep cuttings of a mount¬
ain route, was wholly avoided. A navigable stream afforded means of transportation for
weighty material. The work of construction could take place from the Pacific as well as from
the Atlantic side of the continent. Large forces of laborers could be employed along the whole
length of an open route, and speedily grade and perfect the road. And when the study of the
question of detour reached the consideration of the merits of a rival route, then this great pass
and valley became exponents in a discussion which destroyed all claims of the extreme northern
frontier line to further attention. It occupied a position to command and unite the grandest
interests, and to place such weight upon the scale of public opinion (fixed on the merits of all
the national routes to the Pacific) as evidently to do much toward ruling the selection. Rail¬
roads from the southern waters of Lake Michigan were already in construction west, as the
continuation of the great ramification of the net-work of iron which had so aided and developed
the resources of the northern and middle States. All the important interests of those sections,
and the capital invested in those lines, concentrated and fixed their united strength upon a
route to the Pacific through a healthy country, practicable of solution as a problem, in the ques¬
tions of construction which arose in the application of labor and the transportation of supplies.
It was evident that the wealth and mineral resources of California first drew public attention to
the question of a railway across the American continent. This project, aided so long by the
labors of Whitney and his associates, received little, encouragement until the immense trade of
the gold regions, and the important interests therewith connected, added their strength to its
development. Therefore, if but one road were constructed to the Pacific, it would seek the bay
of San Francisco as a terminus.

CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THIS RECONNAISSANCE WAS CONDUCTED.

But coeval with the growth of California had been that of the northwestern Territories. The
great harbors of the Pacific were San Francisco and Puget Sound, of which the latter was the
superior. There were seven hundred miles of coast between them. With a railroad from the
east to San Francisco, it was evident that a short period of years would require the extension
of a line up the coast to Puget Sound. But this was a local contingency; and how far prefera¬
ble in first location was a road, the main trunk of which, extending from the mouth of the
Platte toward the Salt Lake City, would there meet two great lines — one from the hay of San
Francisco, the other by the valley of the Columbia from Puget Sound — resolving (by the mere
choice of a location of the railroad to San Francisco) the extension of a road from the east to
Puget Sound, to the mere completion of a branch road of eight hundred miles. In reviewing
this matter, it will he seen, then, that the first step in the premises was an attempt to preserve
the character of the northern line, already seriously affected by the severe nature of the rocky
and mountainous country it had traversed, by a deflection south to the great valley of Columbia
river, to avoid the necessity of tunnelling the Cascade mountains at a nearly impracticable pass.
But the second step involved in the connexion was to waive all claims of the extreme northern
route to notice, until a distinct route between Puget Sound and the southernmost waters of
Lake Michigan was examined, that a comparison between the two routes, or broad divisions,
might be instituted ; and in the meantime to distinctly state to the nation that the primary
object of the extreme northern exploration, which was the finding of a facile and favorable
railroad route of minimum distance between eastern navigable waters and Puget Sound, had
in a measure failed, having been surrendered to procure location. This was the plainest and
most definite view of the question.

The superior and distinctive feature of an extreme northern route to the Pacific was the ap¬
parent short distance between the navigable waters of Lake Superior and Puget Sound. This
distinctive feature was seriously modified by the fact that the harbors of Lake Superior were
frozen or obstructed by ice during a large portion of the year ; and that during that period a
railway terminating so far to the north would debouche directly into foreign or Canadian roads,
and being, therefore, more particularly the requirement of a foreign than a national interest,
might more properly exist as developed by the investment of foreign rather than of American
capital. This presumption was guarded against by the connexion of the northern route with
the Mississippi river at St. Paul, Minnesota, and by direct connexion with railroads already
constructed through central American territory at the southernmost point of Lake Michigan.

But the distinctive feature of the extreme northern route to Puget Sound, which was the
shortest distance between termini, having been surrendered to procure location, the distance
between the southern shore of Lake Michigan and the western terminus appeared no greater
upon the southern than upon the northern route to Puget Sound.

It would not, then, be a warrantable procedure to extend a railway over the extreme northern
route to Puget Sound, and so near an exposed frontier, unless it offered superior facilities for
developing national territory, or for ready railway construction. But a line passing along the
frontier was not in a position to develop national territory ; and regarding railway construction,
u nearly impracticable” obstacles had already directed examinations further south.

The last presentation of the problem was the engineering feature, and to this requisition the
examination of the new route from Puget Sound to Lake Michigan was distinctly referred.
In the development of this engineering requirement, the opportunity of a connexion with the
great northern or central route to California was disclosed.

When the latter consideration came into the study, it concluded argument upon the subject,
since it reduced the completion of a railroad to Puget Sound to the mere construction of a spur
line from the vicinity of the South Pass to Puget Sound.

It will be seen, then, that the whole question had changed in its character, and, no longer
presenting a certain paramount claim to notice, became affected by interests, in no degree sub¬
ordinate, as engineering and national considerations were brought to bear upon it. The subject

CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THIS RECONNAISSANCE WAS CONDUCTED.

of a railroad to Puget Sound no longer lay under the contingency of a terminus upon Lake
Superior, or the distinctive claim of the shortest distance between termini, hut became distinctly
referrible to the location of a road to California — a proper view of the prospective development
of the northwestern Territories tending to place the national route to California in a position to
afford a favorable connexion to a branch railroad to Puget Sound ; and the engineering requisi¬
tion being reduced to finding a practicable line by which this important result might he accom¬
plished.

But this information was needed at once — “prior to any final action of Congress on the Pacific
railroad question,” and without the delay of communicating with the East, or organizing a costly
expedition ; because, should a decision occur upon the Pacific railway question previous to such
information being offered, the difficulties existing upon the extreme northern route would evi¬
dently defeat that project ; and, should a railroad to California he placed too far south to favor a
branch connexion, have a fatal effect upon the interests of the important northwestern Ter¬
ritories.

It therefore became necessary for some professional party to attempt this examination, without
regard to preliminary formalities, and with sufficient faith in the good sense of the community
to justify the reasonable expenditure required.

The whole experience of my professional life had been to demonstrate that the comparison
of great divisions of country, regarding railway location, did not involve the costly equipment
of ponderous expeditions, hut really referred to the amount of information gained; and that
the extension of a line of odometer distances and astronomical stations in the vicinity of a
proposed Pacific railway route, although a highly important, was by no means an absolutely
necessary procedure to obtain the features of the country regarding facilities for construction ;
that the general tendency or direction of a route might he preserved by minor observations, by
the aid of which could likewise he pursued the important labor of reconnaissance.

It was also deeply impressed upon my mind, that the only result of the northern exploration
in the examination of the entire western division,* extending from the Rocky mountains to
Columbia river, had been a mere demonstration of what was needed in the premises ; and
although a ponderous and costly expedition had passed through that mountainous country,
this result might he traced to the labors of a few small parties.

A like result (regarding only the railway question) could readily he secured, prior to the
next session of Congress, upon the southern route.

Therefore, (under a unanimous vote of both branches of the legislature of Washington Ter¬
ritory,) I commenced an examination of the route by the Southern Pass on the 18th of March,
1854.

The party organized for conducting the exploration was very small. Three of the men
accompanying me had already crossed the mountains with the northern expedition ; two of
these were soon disabled, and left at the agency of the Upper Umatilla river, during the first
reconnaissance of the Blue Mountain range. Saddle horses- were procured of the very first class,
some of which were lightly packed with the mere necessaries of subsistence. Spare horses were
driven loose, and reserved for side examinations. It was proposed to cover a wide extent of
country by side-work; to limit the observations to mere railway statistics, and to leave the
more elaborate delineations of surface to future survey, should the route prove highly practica¬
ble.

As the reconnaissance was conducted early in the season, when the soil was heavy with recent
rains, and the weather severe in the mountain passes, and as the party passed directly through
a hostile Indian country, its success must he attributed, in the one instance, to the manner in
which the men were mounted and the number of spare horses provided ; in the other, to the

® This has no reference to the labors of the coast division.

CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THIS RECONNAISSANCE WAS CONDUCTED.

use of Indian presents, and to the habit of constantly seeking the hospitality of the Indian
camps.

All examinations of reconnaissance upon the more northern exploration to Puget Sound had
been connected with a base line, the position of which may hereafter he determined by instru¬
mental observations. Those,of which the present report is the result, were connected with the
line of the great emigrant trail to Oregon and California, and with positions defined by topo¬
graphical surveys.

A series of meteorological observations were conducted from Columbia river to the mouth of
the Port Neuf river,, (establishing the relative 'height of mountain passes and great planes of
surface of the branch line,) but they were necessarily discontinued at the Port Neuf, from the
breakage of the barometer with which they had been conducted. Near that point connexion
is made with the observations taken by Fremont, which extend to Missouri river. I have
already referred to the mere relative value of the barometric profile, as furnishing a lineal
section with which side examinations can be connected. I am indebted to the patriotism of Dr.
John Evans, geologist of Oregon and Washington Territories, for the furnishing of the instru¬
ment to which I allude, which, at the time of my departure, was the only barometer to be
procured on the northwest coast,

I am also under obligations to the same able and scientific explorer for reliable information
of the great valley of Snake river, north of the Blue Mountain range — information which proved
of great service to me in expediting the progress of the reconnaissance.

REPORT.

Referring to the accompanying sketch for a delineation of the lines described, I will now
report on the salient character of that portion of the important forked route to which I have
repeatedly referred, which extends from Puget Sound to the plains of the Great Basin, and in
a more general manner on the succeeding sections of the route between the plains of the Great
Basin and the Mississippi river.

It will he readily understood that that portion of the route between Puget Sound and the
plains of the Great Basin is the northern fork or branch of any central railroad to California.

In. describing the lines of this first portion of the route, I will term the belt of country extend¬
ing from Puget Sound to Fort Boise (see sketch) the first division; and that extending from
Fort Boise, through Snake River valley, to the plains of the Great Basin, the second division.

From Seattle, on Puget Sound, to a point near the Dalles of Columbia river, all lines are com¬
mon to both the northern (that of the 41th and 49th parallels) and the southern (that of the pres¬
ent report) routes to Puget Sound. From that point to the approaches of the Blue Mountain
range on the river line (see sketch) to the Pass of the Walla-Walla, undulating grades of
thirty-five (35) feet to the mile may be adopted to save work. The actual approach must be
made at fifty (50) feet. In the continuation of the river line north of the Blue mountains, the
approaches can be adjusted at forty (40) feet per mile, and some difference of grade be adopted
to save work.

By the line from the vicinity of the Dalles, skirting the high country south (to avoid river
bridges and severe cuttings of low summits near the Columbia) by detour and by “side-hill
approach,” the first rise from the river valley will probably require grades of not less than fifty
(50) feet per mile. All work in the vicinity of the valley of the Columbia is of costly character ;
but on reaching the surface of the plateau, at the base of the Blue mountains, grades of thirty-
five feet may be adopted. All these details of location will be studied in future survey, and the
line chosen which shall seem best applicable to the summit of the pass and its approaches.

From the summit, of the first Blue Mountain range, the whole country toward the south is
distinctly visible. The connecting spur between the Blue mountains and the great Cascade
range, near the source of the Des Chuttes or Fall river, appears perforated by the headwaters
of that river, and presents a low depression in their vicinity. The line of detour to which I
have last referred, (see sketch,) rising by the valley of the small stream near the Dalles, and
skirting the mountain base, would develop some of the richest country in Upper Oregon, and,
through the pass of the headwaters of the Des Chuttes, could make connexion with a route to
California, by a descent to the plains of the Great Basin in a due southerly direction. The last-
named route is not within the province of the present report. A line of such direct southern
tendency should preferably pass west of the Cascades, and through Willamette valley and the
gold regions of the coast.

A descent east from the pass of the Walla-Walla can be made by skirting the valley of the
Grande Ronde river toward the south, and thence crossing the summit between the Grande
Ronde and Powder rivers, by a system of curvature approach — the change of direction from a
tangent of at least one thousand (1,000) feet — and the curvature of mile radii. The descent
toward the waters of Powder river can be made by skirting the broken country south, (or nearer

ROUTE FROM PUGET SOUND TO THE GREAT BASIN.

the headwaters of that river,) which is the apparent location for a Grand Trunk road, assuming
the most direct line between termini.

After crossing the summit between Grande Eonde and Powder rivers, the route can either
skirt the base of the same hilly country toward the south, and which extends in an easterly
direction to the valley of the Burnt river,- or pass down the valley of Powder river to the
Snake. Either location is practicable — the former the most direct, and the latter the least
severe. The character of grade and curvature is favorable upon both, although continued rock-
cuttings will occur near Burnt river upon the former, or southern line.

Both routes are designated upon the sketch.

The former, or southern route, can still skirt the mountain base, and, crossing Malheur
river, six miles from its confluence with the Snake, preserve an easterly direction toward Fort
Boise and the broad valley of the Snake. The northern can keep the valley of the Snake, and
by side-cutting gain a road-bed through this valley, which, in the immediate vicinity, does not
offer so favorable facilities for railway construction as exist a few miles farther east. Either of
these routes, hereafter assumed as a grand location line, will need care in adjustment, the
engineering problem resolving itself into the “keeping up” of grade, or making facile descent
from the pass at the head of the Walla-Walla, by skirting the Grande Eonde valley, and thence
by skirting the broken and mountainous country south, avoiding too sudden and abrupt descents
and ascents of the various water-drains of this mountainous country flowing toward the great
valley of the Snake, and which occur in the crossings of the Powder, Burnt, and Malheur
rivers.

Fifty miles of country, extending west from Burnt river, is severe, but of a nature which
reducing the character of the line, by adjusting either steep gradients or sharp curvatures, can¬
not obviate. Fifty per cent, of the work is rock-cutting at short haul, spurs of ledges which
cannot be avoided, but with no bad summit section. The work is so placed, that large forces
of laborers could be applied to it. At prices of excavation in New York and the eastern States,
this 50 miles of line could be readily reduced to gradients of 40 feet per mile, and a road-bed
of 35 feet, (which admits of a first-class line, with double track of wide gauge, properly bal¬
lasted and drained,) at $100,000 per mile. This is the severe ledge section of the line east of
Columbia valley, and extending to the Great Basin. The summit section of the Walla-Walla
will undoubtedly prove deep ledge-cutting, and may require tunnelling, but its approaches are
of 80 per cent, earth.

From the valley of Burnt river to Fort Boise no great difficulties of location or construction
will occur.

The route, by detour through Snake-river valley, would possess features of a decidedly more
favorable character, as traversing a gravel surface. In reaching the country in the vicinity of
the Powder river, the route north of the Blue Mountains would occupy common position with
the most northerly of the lines upon the sketch, or continue down the valley of the Snake.
Side-cutting would occur in the latter instance for a distance of twenty (20) miles, or would be
avoided by forming a road-bed of the debris of the neighboring basaltic ledges, which are near
the mouth of the Burnt river, and jut down upon the line. For the purpose of keeping a road
elevated in approaching the higher plateau west of Fort Boise, the line should encounter the
ledge-cutting. This would render the road more expensive at the particular section, but would
reduce cost in advance. No deep rock-cutting should occur upon a preliminary railroad. The
line could be temporarily adjusted to make passage of this unfavorable point for first transport¬
ation to the interior, and, when the obstacle is reduced, the main route supersede the prelimi¬
nary one.

The description of the second division of the route from Puget Sound to the plains of the
Great Basin may be briefly summed up, as the extension of a line over a broad gravel surface,
at merely nominal cost of grading, all questions of location being readily solved. The con¬
nexion between the southern plateau of Snake river and the valley of Bear river was obtained

FIRST SECTION OF LINE.

by passing up the valley of the western fork of the Pannaek river, and over prairie surface of
clear gravel formation, to the waters of a small stream seeking an outlet in the Roseaux, or
southern Malade, a tributary of Bear river. Three very practicable passes were examined in
this vicinity ; and of these, that to which I have first alluded is the superior. The character
of the country, as ascertained by an examination of both the northern and southern bases of
the northern rim of the Great Basin, admits the practicable passage of railway lines between
Snake river and the Great Basin at numerous low passes dividing this range north and south.
The topographical sketches of country in this vicinity, taken by the late survey of the Salt Lake
basin, are very characteristic, and define its features with great fidelity. Passage can be readily
made north and south, but is not so facile at angles to that direction. The lines are designated
on the sketch. The technical description of the first division was entered into as affording
information to future survey, and is of slight interest to unprofessional parties.

BLUE MOUNTAIN RANGE, AS CONNECTED WITH ABOVE DESCRIPTION OF LINES.

My exploration of the Blue Mountain range was first directed toward the headwaters of John
Day’s river (so called) ; and the approaches proving of more serious character than first antici¬
pated, I was then led to confine myself to approaches of more practicable nature near the head¬
waters of the central fork of the Umatilla. To the latter pass, which is termed that of the
Young Chief’s Trail, I gave a very thorough and careful examination, from the result of which
I am compelled to pronounce it impracticable for a Pacific railroad.

By barometric approximation, the summit of the Blue Mountains (the Young Chief’s Trail)
is 4,650 feet above the sea. Railway summit at head of lowest swamp, 4,393 feet above the
sea; by the character of the “approaches” involving twelve (12) miles tunnelling, and con¬
tinual water-drift.

When such obstacles (encountered at a distance from civilized communities) can he avoided
by reasonable detour, no claim of direction should style them practicable in comparison.

This result affords no grounds for a judgment against the pass of the Walla-Walla, delinea¬
ted on the sketch, which has been known for years as a low passage of the Blue Mountain
range.

It is situated at the head of the numerous branches of the Walla-Walla river, and in the
vicinity of the remarkable valley of the Grande Ronde.

It should be made the line of passage of these mountains by a main road, but I have proposed
the extreme northern passage of the great valley of the Snake for a preliminary railway.

IN REFERENCE TO THE SELECTION OF A TERMINUS AT PUGET SOUND — FIRST SECTION OF LINE.

In recapitulation, I shall state the merits of these divisions regarding construction, dividing
the first division into three distinct sections.

In reference to the choice of a terminus on Puget Sound, I will quote the language of Cap¬
tain George B. McClellan, chief in charge of the western division of the northern exploration,
a military engineer of practice and ability, whose opinion on the selection of a great harbor on
an isolated coast, needing thorough protection by the erection of suitable fortifications, is enti¬
tled to more consideration than any which I could myself offer as a civilian. The opinion of
Governor Stevens concurs with that of Captain McClellan ; and the experience of both gentle¬
men in their peculiar branch of service places the selection beyond a question.

Captain McClellan states : “I have mentioned Seattle as the proper terminus for the road,
whether it crosses the mountains by the main Yakima, or by the Columhia-river Pass. This
place is situated on Elliot bay, and is by far superior to any harbor on the eastern shore of
Puget Sound.”

“ Seattle is the nearest to the straits of Fuca. It is easily entered with any of the prevailing

FROM VANCOUVER TO THE DALLES, THENCE TO SNAKE RIVER.

winds ; is secure from heavy seas, and has a most excellent holding-ground of blue clay, and a
good depth of water — thirty fathoms. The hanks are suitable for a town ; the deep water comes
so near the shore that hut very short wharves- will he required. Semi-bituminous coal can be
found within fourteen (14) miles by water. The harbor can be defended by permanent forti¬
fications.”

From Seattle to Vancouver, a distance of one hundred and sixty-five (165) miles, (round
numbers,) twenty-five (25) per cent, of all grading will consist of high prairie plains of light
soil — embankments built by side-work in easy gravel shovelling. Fifty (50) per cent, of work,
extended plateaux of heavily timbered country; low, wet surface; deep, black soil; embank¬
ments built by long haul, with gravel trains. Twenty-five: (25) per cent, of work, undulating
surface of equalized cut and fill ; fifty (50) per cent, of the latter is ledge excavation at short-
haul ; no deep cuttings ; no gradients of over forty (40) feet per mile ; curvatures of mile radii,
readily located ; minimum amount of masonry ; stone suitable for rubble- work at Puget Sound.
Brick clay reported in abundance, but not seen by engineer. More than average facilities for
railway construction at reasonable cost.

FROM VANCOUVER TO THE DALLES OF THE COLUMBIA, A DISTANCE OF NINETY (90) MILES.

Not less than fifty (50) miles of heavy embankments exposed to the action of water in the
great freshets of Columbia river; to be formed by borrowing, in the broken debris of basaltic
ledges, a material abundant throughout the river valley ; the weightier blocks to be placed at
their natural slope upon the face of the embankment; forty (40) miles of equalized side-cuttings
and embankments; the excavations averaging 70 per cent, of ledge. No gradient exceeding 15
feet per mile, unless at the discretion of the engineer. Curves of 2,000 feet radius, and a reverse
within 200 feet of tangent point from intermediate straight line ; or a tunnel of 700 feet at the
mountainous point, termed Cape Horn, but avoided by preliminary road. Maximum amount of
rough masonry: first-class bridge-masonry at a crossing of the Columbia, 1,200 feet in length;
stone suitable for rubble-work, if combined with brick-work, may be procured in vicinity of line.
Brick clay occurs in abundance in vicinity. A fine variety of mountain pine, suitable for all
timber structure and tressel-work in vicinity of line. First step in grading, the construction
of the road around the falls or cascades of the Columbia, to connect water transportation. The
whole section of 90 miles to be assailed during first labors of grading, that supplies and mate¬
rial may be transported to the divisions of the interior. A severe and costly section, requiring
the experience of first-class engineering faculty for proper reduction at reasonable outlay,

FROM THE DALLES OF THE COLUMBIA TO SNAKE RIVER, NEAR FORT BOISE — GENERAL APPROXIMATION OF
FACILITIES FOR RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION OVER WHOLE DIVISION.

Fifty (50) per cent, fair gravel-work ; equalized excavation and embankment, at reasonable
average haul; 30 per cent, of ledge in side-cutting. Summit sections, 30 per cent, hard mate¬
rial ; (loose rock and hard pan ;) 20 per cent, of all gradients 50 feet per mile ; room for reasona¬
ble adjustment of curvatures of 2,000 feet to one mile radius ; abundance of first-class timber for
all structures to vicinity of Powder river ; brick clay in quantity near Powder river ; abundance
of boulders, affording suitable material for all minor masonry in vicinity of Grande Bonde and
Powder rivers ; granite in quantity near Burnt river ; brick clay near Malheur river ; at mouth
of Malheur river fine granite suitable for masonry; near Fort Boise excellent material for
masonry in various localities ; some timber, with facilities for boating or rafting, upon the great
tributaries of the Snake river.

The western portion of this section affords fair opportunity for railway construction at reason¬
able cost. The problems of construction readily solved, experience in location being mainly
required to give the line its best position over such broken, undulating country. Should the

FROM THE DALLES TO SNAKE RIVER.

line pass to Fort Boise, by detour towards the north, through the valley of Snake river, gradi¬
ents would he materially reduced, and this broken country, in a measure, avoided.

From Fort Boise to the valley of Bear river, the route is of nearly uniform character. The
line would traverse a high gravel or sand plateau, requiring mere nominal grading to prepare
it for the rail. A few spurs of the hilly country towards the south extend toward Snake river,
and can he encountered by the line, and reduced at low cost, or readily avoided. The changes
in level are very gradual, and occur in broad terraces of many miles in extent, gradually
rising toward the eastern mountains.

Brick clay occurs in quantity upon Katherine creek, (so-called.) The scarcity of wood in
the vicinity would prevent its use; but the extension of a preliminary road over the broad
surface of these level plateaux would transport all necessary material to any section required,
at low cost. Sufficient timber exists in the vicinity of the line (a species of mountain fir upon
the hilly country south, and stunted cedars upon all low summits) to allow the ready extension
of a line of rail, by the laying of a cross-tie and rail upon the level surface.

This section preserves its character in approaching the summit of the dividing range be¬
tween the waters of the Snake river and the Great Basin. The approach is very easy, and the
summit itself is an elevated gravel plain. By gradually approaching along the mountain side —
the position of which allows the adjustment of the line by regular curvature — this summit can
undoubtedly he accomplished by a cutting of thirty (30) feet in gravel, and gradients not ex¬
ceeding fifty (50) feet per mile. A preliminary line could he extended over it, without more
excavation than necessary for the adjustment of the superstructure. The descent to the plains
of the Great Basin is more difficult than the rise from the valley of Snake river. It may he
readily accomplished, however, at low cost.

The whole country is open. From surrounding summits, the inclination towards the Pass
and entire line of approach is distinctly visible. The route is remarkably favorable for
railway location and construction. The chief difficulty to he apprehended, is from the scarcity
of timber, both in the immediate vicinity of the Salt Lake, and over the whole section ex¬
tending to Fort Boise. This difficulty must be obviated by the use of a preliminary road; for
the construction of which, suitable stone for masonry is found on the northern rim of the Great
Basin. Timber occurs in average quantity in the mountains north of Snake river ; for all the
purposes of a preliminary line, it can be obtained in the vicinity of the route.

From the need of the construction of a preliminary road to complete any railroad to the Pacific
within a reasonable time, I shall therefore state that this second division of the route, or section
extending from Fort Boise to Bear-river valley, or to the plains of the Great Basin, presents
extraordinary facilities for the construction of a railroad at minimum cost; and that in the com¬
parison of the engineering features of the lines from Puget Sound, in an easterly direction, to
Bear river, upon this southern, with an equal distance upon the northern route, the advantage
is immeasurably in favor of the southern line.

It may be reasonably affirmed, from this result of reconnaissance, that the extension of a
railroad line from the Great Salt Lake City to Puget Sound, or from the route of a railroad from
California to Puget Sound, is eminently practicable. The character of Columbia-river valley
is severe; but it should be borne in mind that it is a pass or passage of the Sierra Nevada or
Cascade mountains, and is therefore merely to be weighed in comparison with other passes, as
incurred by all other lines. It is common to both the northern and southern routes to Puget
Sound. It is the most severe section upon the southern, but by no means the worst section
upon the extreme northern route.

I may observe, in this connexion, that the Grand Pass of the Yakima river, or the Snoqualmie
Pass, to which so much attention has been given upon the northern exploration, is in far better
direction in extending the southern than as a continuation of the northern route to Puget
Sound. By a glance at the sketch, it will be observed as occupying a direct line from the
Walla-Walla to that terminus.

34 CONNEXION OP BRANCH ROUTES WITH CENTRAL ROUTES — ESTIMATES OP COST.

"Should future instrumental survey demonstrate the section to he more practicable than is
now anticipated, it will he a source of pride and gratification with me to withdraw any expres¬
sions of opinion I have offered on the subject, and to claim the location thus developed as
giving still greater character to the southern route to Puget Sound. It must necessarily appear,
however, that during the excavation of the deep-rock cuttings and long tunnel of this summit,
communication should he extended to the interior ; and I should most emphatically advise the
development of the Columbia valley, by cheap railway facilities, to afford such communication.
The cheap or rough railway to he extended to the interior by detour from direction north of
the Blue mountains, and through the Snake-river valley, to the extensive plateaux east of
those mountains — solving the problem of construction at low cost, and existing for the period
of years required to construct the more direct route of the Walla-Walla and Powder rivers, as
a full solution of the Pacific railway problem.

CONNEXION OE BRANCH ROUTES, AS ABOVE DESCRIBED, WITH THE VARIOUS CENTRAL ROUTES TO CALIFORNIA.

Connexion can alone occur with the straight route of the 38th and 39th parallels from St.
Louis to California, (that advocated by Colonel Benton,) by extending the branch line from
Puget Sound along the eastern shore of the Great Salt lake, and by the line of the Mormon
settlements to the vicinity of Little Utah valley — an entire distance, in round numbers, of 1,200
miles from Puget Sound.

Should the Pacific line reach California through the Bridger’s Pass, the connexion of the
branch road could take place on the plains of the Great Basin near Salt Lake City, by a route
of 1,050 miles from Puget Sound.

But should the line to California adopt the route of the South Pass, a line might he adopted
which would afford opportunity for the connexion of the branch road to Puget Sound by a route
of 815 miles. In the latter instance, the Pacific project would he restricted to reasonable limits,
and to the least cost in first outlay which will afford results desired.

My estimate of the cost of a branch line will he confined to the intermediate length of line of
1,050 miles.

ESTIMATES OF COST.

All approximated estimates of cost upon the route from Puget Sound, via the South Pass,
to the Mississippi river, must necessarily he confined to the branch road from Puget Sound to
the plains of the Great Basin — the continuation of the reconnaissance toward the Missouri not
being of a character to admit of more than a very general statement of the features of the sec¬
tion passed over. This general study of the route is, however, fully sufficient to demonstrate
its merits regarding facility of construction as a railroad line, as compared with the more
northern route. The material of excavation, readiness of reaching mountain sections, charac¬
ter of surface, &c., &c., will appear in a general comparison herewith given.

No estimate of the cost of a Pacific railroad ean he deemed reliable, from the remarkable con¬
tingencies which must inevitably occur during the consummation of the project, and serve to
defeat what may at present appear quite warrantable conclusions on the nature of the question
and the cost of the road.

I resolve the whole question of the construction of a railroad to the Pacific, in present esti¬
mates, to the mere extension of a railroad to the Pacific, of unelaborated character and of medium
equipment ; not in broken, or temporary working sections, but actually making connexion between
eastern lines of similar gauge, and eastern water transportation, and a Pacific terminus. The
connexion with terminus, and the passage of trains, without breaking bulk, along the whole
line of the road, giving greater character to the conviction I have so often directly expressed,

ESTIMATED COST OF BRANCH ROUTE.

that the construction of a preliminary line will lead to the most effective solution of the question
in its manifold relations.

When contiguous to settlements, and under due prospect of remuneration from way business,
this line need not necessarily be confined to a preliminary character ; over no section encountered
in the passage of the continent, necessarily confined to any peculiar character or class, save
as under attendant liabilities ; and, while always subject to the principle of expansion, -or of
elaboration, as circumstances shall direct, still never surrendering the obvious necessity of the
earliest practicable connexion of termini.

Should the passage of the great obstacles to railway transit — by the channels perforated
through them by the act of nature, in the flowage of the waters of the interior to the ocean — be
prevented tor a few weeks by the freshets of the mountains, it is still assumed, in this estimate,
that the use of the rail eleven (11) months of the year, during the long period while these
obstacles are being overcome by the means of transportation thus afforded to supplies, laborers,
and all needed appliances, will still prove a remarkable desideratum in the early consumma¬
tion of the project.

Although in a detailed estimate of the cost of the northern route to Puget Sound, I submitted,
by direction of Gov. Stevens, what my experience in railway construction then led me to believe
would prove a close approximation to the cost of a Grand Trunk line to the Pacific, of the class
of the present day, subsequent experience of the late crises in a railway mania of the country
has demonstrated to me the fallacy of submitting any estimate of eventual costs of a Grand
Trunk line of two thousand (2,000) miles, extending through an uncivilized country, and fully
elaborated, equipped, and furnished — when built under a system of competition, hazardous
speculation, inadequate application of cash capital, and as affected by discursive attempts at
the construction of several Grand Trunk lines.

But a road of rough class, admitting the passage of weighty trains, and reaching the Pugef
Sound terminus by practicable detour, can be completed from the waters of Missouri river to
Seattle , on Puget Sound, for fifty millions ($50,000,000)* of doling in cash capital, actually ex¬
pended on the construction and equipment of the road.

The following estimate for the branch road of one thousand and fifty (1,050) miles embraces a
larger sum per mile, from the better class of line proposed over certain portions of the route —
as probably required by adequate way business, and as more economically accomplished if
attempted at the outset:

From Seattle to Vancouver, on the lower Columbia, a distance of one hundred and
sixty-five* (165) miles, facilities existing for cheap construction, a preliminary
line of better class than would be attempted in the far interior, with a rail of
sixty (60) lbs. per yard, or structure of corresponding strength, and reasonable
reduction of surface, erection of rough masonry, &c., at the present prices of the

Pacific coast . $4,125,000

From Vancouver to the Dalles, a distance of ninety (90) miles, and including a
passage of the Great Cascade mountain chain — a line of rail of sixty (60) lbs. per
yard, secured by mechanical appliances, and admitting the passage of a locomo¬
tive engine and train without breaking bulk — the temporary road-bed of ledge
debris covered with water, and unserviceable during the freshets of the Columbia. 3,150,000
From the Dalles to the plateau surface at northern base of Blue mountains, includ¬
ing bridge of Columbia, and approach to upper plateau surface from lower level of

Columbia valley, one hundred and fifty (150) miles . 4,500,000

Passage of Snake-river valley plateau and canons, a distance, in round numbers,
of two hundred (200) miles, some portions of line unserviceable during the spring

® With all contingencies; depreciation, workage, management, inadequate appropriations in broken sums, credits, &c.,
say $75,000,000.

ROUTE FROM THE. GREAT BASIN TO MISSOUR1RI ER.

freshets of Snake river, involving some preparation of rough surface to use best

route of descent to Boise, hut with long stretches of level gravel plains . $6,000,000

From Fort Boise to the Great Basin, including passage of the Pannack, by practica¬
ble detour — say five hundred (500) miles, over gravel plateau . 9,000,000

For general approximation, say eleven hundred (1,100) miles of road from Seattle,

on Puget Sound, to the plains of the Great Basin . . 26, US, 000

As connected with a railroad line to California, by the South Pass and valleys of the Snake
and Pannack rivers, the branch road would he subject to a reduction, in cost, of about four mil¬
lions of dollars.

In the above estimates an addition of fifty (50) miles, at average cost, has been made for
contingencies and probable deflections in locating a preliminary road.

CONTINUATION OF RECONNAISSANCE TO MISSOURI RIVER.

The route just described is, as heretofore stated, the northern branch of a forked route, the
main stem of which extends from the plains of the Great Basin to Missouri river. The southern
fork of this route, and the main trunk or stem, is termed, in the reports of the Pacific explora¬
tions, the route of the 42d parallel. Two of the lines of the route of the 42d parallel respect¬
ively extend — the one through the South, the other through the Bridger’s Pass of the Pocky
mountains I consider the choice between, or selection from, these two lines, the most important
and interesting of the many engineering details connected with the adoption of the line of a
central railroad to California. This is especially the case, if the selection is to be guided by a
' determination to reduce the whole question of a railroad to the Pacific to the construction of
such a sort of military railroad as shall reach the Pacific coast within seven (7) years.

The statements of the Intrq^luction to this Synopsis will now have their weight, and simplify
the final engineering presumption of that paper — that Congress should hesitate to do more, at
the present time, than aid the construction of those first sections of the Pacific railroad lines
contiguous to the States ; aiding the first sections of routes of undulating surfaces, with refer¬
ence to the needs of civilization and way-transportation, if deemed constitutional, by land-
grants ; but aiding the two lines of plateau surface, extending over broad plains, with a view
of the earliest practicable connexion of termini.

The following reasons are offered for arriving at such definite conclusions in reference to the
route of the 42d parallel:

The first section of this route is the line of approach to both the South and Bridger’s Passes
of the Bocky mountains.

The examinations of these passes have been confined to reconnaissances, and have not yet
been verified by survey.

By reference to the sketch, it will be seen that a dotted line is carried from the South Pass,
in a northwesterly direction, to the head-waters of the Snake. This line (so far as examined)
extends over a broad gravel plateau ; a flat sand-plain, interspersed with swamps and ponds
of brackish water. The South Pass is nothing but an extended plain, slightly broken towards'
the south into an undulating country. It is the first break down of the Great Wind Eiver
mountains at the north, among which is a summit of over 12,000 feet above the sea. In this
plain, and among these ponds and swamps, head the waters of the tributaries of the Grand
Colorado, the Snake, and the Platte. The engineering rule — in seeking location over broad
belts of surface between termini which extend at angles to the direction of great watercourses —
is to skirt the country in which they head, or to pass over the lower delta where they have de¬
posited, in broad terraces, the earth from the deep channels excavated by their flowage, rather
than to adopt the intermediate region, broken by their transit. Eeconnaissances for the ioca-

ROUTE FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO MISSOURI RIVER.

lion of Pacific railroads only differ from those of minor lines as the hroad divisions of a continent
differ from the limited sections of the county and the State, and as the choice of routes is
affected by the claims and contingencies of construction, brought forward by the extreme
length of line to he traversed, in the wear of the road during deferred connexion of termini.

The inclinations of gradients are affected by the character and length of the approach, as
much (in general terms only) as by the elevation of the summit to he overcome.

A line which reaches, by the long inclined surface of the Platte valley and the Sweetwater,
the level plains of the South Pass, and thence, without surrendering height accomplished,
passes over the gradual slope toward the west of the valley of the Snake, and thence, by the
low pass of the Pannack, reaches the plains of the Great Basin, necessarily avoids the steep
grades induced by a descent into the great valley of the Colorado, (see route 39th parallel, and
in less degree 42d parallel,) and the subsequent rise over and descent from the Wahsatch
mountains, to the plains of the Great Basin. The intermediate country, broken by the passage
of water, is avoided by detour.

Therefore, were this surface of the swamps and sand-plains of the Great South Pass not at so
great an elevation above the sea as to place it near the regions of perpetual snows, the argument
would he unanswerable regarding its selection in reference to the extension of a preliminary
road. This is an evident conclusion, because the engineering requisition to be answered is, the
finding of a continued line of flat or slightly inclined surface, over which a rail may he
extended to the Pacific within seven years.

But if the preliminary road traverse the plateau of the South Pass, and the long flat line of
country beyond it, fully 7,400 feet above the sea, it would he exposed to the inevitable dangers
and embarrassments of this elevated region, regarding snow and frosts.

To expedite preliminary arrangements, it has been proposed to use the natural surface (where
of gravel or sand substrata) without grading.

Over the South Pass this could only take place during half the year. But in a more deferred
mode of extension, the facile line of approach to the South Pass will permit, by the adoption of
steeper gradients, of the erection of an embankment road-bed, which will in some measure
guard against the. obstacle of snow. Even an open structure, through which snow would drift,
and over which trains could pass, might thus he adopted, or (with the surface road) a covered
way under which trains could make transit. But in reference to snow, the elevation of the
summits of the broken and undulating surface in the vicinity of the Bridger’s Pass, are hut
slightly below that of the flat plains of the South Pass. The excavation of cuttings and the
erection of culverts and bridges for the passage of water, would there unquestionably postpone
communication, and in a measure prevent the earliest use of the carrying road. Again, every
railroad employee knows the difference between a cutting and an open road, regarding embar¬
rassments from snow. The mountaineers of this section state that they can travel over the
plains of the South Pass in winters, when the gorges of the more southern Bridger’s Pass
line are filled with snow and impracticable of passage.

Early communication is the desideratum, and this is resolved to the most rapid extension of
a preliminary railroad. Therefore, in view of the extension of a similar line as a winter road
over the sand-plains of the extreme southern frontier route to California, I should give the pre¬
ference to the route by the detour of the South Pass. Notwithstanding some increase of dis¬
tance and of the cost of rails, it would probably he less expensive than the other, and would
sooner reach the plains of Snake river and the Great Basin, and carry supplies for a working
section across those plains.

But returning to the engineering presumption first submitted, we might more reasonably
infer that, from the difficulty of arriving at a conclusion at the present time, this question of
choice between two lines of a route should he left open. It should he determined by future
examinations during the construction of that first section of the line of the emigrant road, which
is the grand approach to both the South and Bridger’s Passes of the mountains ; although, to

ROUTE FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO MISSOURI RIVER.

prevent postponement and delay, the construction of the first section should most certainly not
he compelled to await the solution of this engineering question.

The line of the South Pass, as connected with the northern detour, was only developed hy my
reconnaissance of the branch route from Puget Sound. Since my arrival in the States, I had
proposed making, at my own expense, a thorough examination of this and the dotted line of
the sketch which extends north of Snake river ; hut learning that it was the intention of the
War Department to send an exploring party over it, I abandoned the idea of a private expedi¬
tion, and offered my services to go with a small party in advance of the exploration, and aid
its progress hy the rapid service of preliminary reconnaissance, which, from my knowledge of
the country and of the needs of the line, I thought might prove serviceable.

Between the South Pass and the eastern slope of the Black Hills, (so called,) the preliminary
line would in some instances he confined to the narrow, hut hy no means costly, passage of the
Sweetwater river, while the main route would necessarily adopt a more direct location. The
whole section is of favorable character. In the adjacent mountains excellent timber can he
readily procured, and first-class material for masonry exists contiguous to either line. The
earth excavation is in clear gravel, of that superior quality which best preserves superstructure
from the effects of severe and sudden changes of temperature, and frosts, and which gives the
most perfect drainage when formed into a road-hed. Beaching the valley of the Platte, all dif¬
ficulties of location cease, and a broad bottom land, falling at scarcely perceptible inclination
to the very hanks of the Missouri, and overlaying a substratum of clear gravel or sand, offers
every facility for cheap construction.

This broad surface of bottom land breaks toward the north into ranges of low sand-hills.
Clear streams flow from these low summits at irregular intervals of distance ; and from the
facility with which their waters can he delivered at sufficient elevation above the rail for the
use of locomotives, will prove of great value to the line ; the turbid waters of the Platte not
being so well suited to that important purpose. In the edge of these sand-hills, and beyond
all danger of freshets, a preliminary road can he extended towards the mountains.

Stone of medium quality occurs upon the Platte, and at the junction of the line with the |
Missouri.

I am compelled to state, however, that, with all its attendant advantages, the route through
the valley of the Platte labors under what may he termed a peculiar objection to any railway
line to the Pacific. Two hundred (200) miles of the distance between the first broken country j

and the Missouri is entirely destitute of timber, and the remaining portion hut sparsely wooded i

with the cotton. The waters of the river are broken hy sand-bars, which would probably pre¬
vent rafting from the mountains. This peculiar feature of the line should he especially regarded,
from the fact that the State of Iowa, which is the eastern terminus of the route, is also scantily ;

timbered, and that the whole upper valley of the Missouri can give but slight aid in the con- j

nexion. The northern route labored under difficulties of a similar character in its passage to .

the mountains, hut, by changing the location after the liability was developed by reconnais- |

sance, it may now be readily overcome by the construction of the road over the detour line of {

Little Falls.

A line from a point on the Mississippi opposite the mouth of St. Croix river, and extending .

to the Missouri near the mouth of the Platte, would deliver the superior timber of northern j

Minnesota and Wisconsin at the debouche of the present line, and provide the great Territories
of Nebraska and Kansas with the lumber of which they are so deficient, and which the whole
upper valley of the Missouri does not afford. The want of timber upon the Platte does not
extend to the deficiency of fuel for locomotives. Coal of excellent quality abounds upon the j
Northern Platte, and evidently underlies the whole eastern portion of the routes. Less bulky
than wood*, it is easily transported.

Sufficient timber is now growing in the Missouri valley, and near the lower waters of the
Platte, to admit of the immediate extension of a preliminary road ; and, in event of its con-

REVIEW OP THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROUTES.

struction, operations should "be commenced by which, the fertile country in the vicinity should
be made susceptible of improvement in this respect.

The mere suspension of the prairie fires will tend to the object ; hut well-instituted experi¬
ments have demonstrated that several varieties of timber are readily grown from the seed upon
the western prairies, and that a period of ten years is sufficient to make their results available.
In connexion with the estimate of the northern route, I have been compelled to propose the
planting of twenty-four thousand (24,000) acres of surface, for the mere purpose of making
steam, with an additional surface of ten thousand (10,000) acres for fires in depot buildings.
If such tedious operations are to be attempted, the location, climate, soil, &c., are abundantly
preferable for the purpose upon the present line.

The coal-beds of western Iowa, and of the whole great section near the base of the moun¬
tains, with the existing probability of abundant supplies beneath the intervening surface, are
of great importance in sustaining the character of the present route, by removing all absolute
necessity of planting timber for the mere purposes of fuel.

The reduction of coal to coke for the use of locomotives may be readily attempted at those
points where the raw material is abundant in deposit. The yield of the present variety would
average about two-thirds of the weight of coal.

The erection of coke ovens in the vicinity of the coal district will reduce cost of transporta¬
tion ; and the reduction of coal to coke, which is peculiarly adapted to making steam, will prove
the better economy.

The use of coke is not common in America, from the abundance of wood at the numerous way
stations of all inland lines.

Experiments have been conducted upon several of the best eastern roads on the use of coal in
locomotive furnaces. Engines have been constructed for the purpose of carrying out the results
thus obtained ; . but, although demonstrated as practicable, the burning of coal for the purpose
of making steam has not hitherto been thought an economical procedure. Any direct need or
necessity of such an application would undoubtedly lead to its immediate accomplishment.*

A favorable bridge-crossing of the Missouri occurs at a point a few miles north of the mouth
of Platte river, at the old ferry of the Indian trading-post, and adjacent to the present Omaha
Indian Mission. Other crossings of the Missouri are practicable, both north and south of that
point. A Grand Trunk line, assuming the most direct route from the first pass of the Sweet¬
water to the present bridge-crossing of the Mississippi, can procure a position farther north ;
and that of a route avoiding the great eastern bend of the Platte can readily be adjusted far¬
ther south.

The whole subject will be fully solved by the numerous surveys of private lines seeking con¬
nexion with the great road to the Pacific; and, in this respect, the eastern terminus of the
route, which the present report embraces, might properly be located at the head of Grand
Island, near Fort Kearney, where all roads of local character can make connexion with it.

“REVIEW 0E NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROUTES TO PUGET SOUND.

As I have passed over both the northern and the southern routes to Puget Sound, a brief
review -of their relative characteristics is not out of place. As connecting with eastern lines now

* “Coal vs. Wood in Locomotives. — The Boston and Lowell Railroad Company have lately been making a trial with one
of their locomotives of the relative value of wood and coal for fuel. The result of the trial is reported as follows : The
whole distance run was 2,366 miles, of which 1,868 miles were with freight, using one cord of wood in 26 miles, or 68
cords, at $7 — amounting to $476 ; and 598 miles, with passengers, using one cord of wood in 30 miles — amounting to
$199 51. Total expense of working hy the use of wood, $615 51. The expense of running the same distance with coal,
at the rate of $6 50 per ton, (the cost in Boston,) amounted to $265 46 ; being a saving in favor of coal of $350 05, or
above one-half. This is quite an item.” — Lowell News, 1855.

Since the completion of this report, experiments made on the Illinois Central Railroad the present year (1856) have
solved this question ; coal is proved more economical than wood, and will now come into general use as fuel for locomotives.

REVIEW OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROUTES.

completed, they are of about equal length. The crossing of the Mississippi is already accom¬
plished upon at least one line, extending towards Chicago upon the southern, while upon the
■ northern it is yet to he completed. The crossing of the Missouri is yet to he attempted on the
southern, while on the northern it is wholly avoided. On the northern, the crossings of the
Marais, Sun, and Teton rivers, which are problems in engineering, are (as combined) more dif¬
ficult than the bridging of the Missouri. The crossings of these rivers cannot he avoided by
a preliminary line, and occur on the northern route before reaching the mountains. That of
the Missouri river need not he attempted by the preliminary road at all. If the line of detour
of the northern route, by Little Falls, is adopted — which will necessarily occur from the great
needs of construction on the inland sections regarding timber — a quite elaborate process of build¬
ing must take place ere the extension of a preliminary road can occur. From Little Falls to
the plateau Bois des Sioux, the country “is broken and springy, needing a large increase of
culvert masonry and ballasting throughout.” Thence, after reaching the Great Cheyenne river
of the north, the fine country of northwestern Minnesota is of broken and undulating surface,
over which a constant reduction of minor summits must inevitably occur: The erection of
masonry must take place, and excavations and embankments of equalized work he used in
reducing a rolling country to practicable gradients. The substratum of this grand section,
against which the waters of the Missouri are thrown, and turned hack or directed toward the
south, is of gravel and clay admixture partaking of the nature of hard-pan. It is costly of
reduction, and, when placed in road-bed, must he ballasted. The need of ballasting is impera¬
tive in making use of the rail over such material, when exposed to the action of severe frosts
and sudden changes of temperature. In contradistinction, the southern route traverses a gravel
plain, upon which the rail can he placed without any tedious operations.. By the use of prac¬
ticable curvatures to avoid minor obstacles, which a locomotive engine cannot readily accom¬
plish, loaded trains can probably pass to the broad surface west of the mountains. They can
certainly pass, with very slight reduction, directly to the mountains, and, as over the main
stem of both the California and Oregon routes, aid the construction of both lines west without
delay. The obstructions to the navigation of the Missouri will not practicably prevent water
transportation to Westport, or to the mouth of the Platte, for the southern line, hut during
eight months in the year will interfere with building the northern by water carriage.

The difference in the cost of constructing two first-class lines of the present day over these
routes — say of two thousand (2,000) miles each — would not probably range less than twenty-five
millions (25,000,000) of dollars in favor of the southern. It lies chiefly in the difference of
moving the loose gravel and sand of the southern road, which, at eastern prices, can he readily
accomplished (including hauling) at fifteen (15) cents per cubic yard, and of moving the harder
material, with an admixture of clay and large pebbles, in some instances verging on hard-pan,
and in all instances so closely packed as to require picking, of the northern route. The latter
class of excavation is worth, at eastern prices, twenty-five (25) cents per cubic yard, and also
requires the large additional cost of transporting clean gravel and sand very long distances for
ballasting, or for the formation of a road-bed.

The difference also consists in the amount of excavation. In the one instance, the line being
confined to elevated plateaux, where an excellent quality of loose, clear gravel, thrown in from
side-ditches, and dressed two (2) feet above the surrounding surface, is sufficient for the rail ;
in the other, a's passing over the before-mentioned undulating or broken surface, requiring
continued cart-work and culvert masonry at long haul. Some of the best portions of the
northern line (through Milk-river valley, for instance) extend over a level river bottom ; hut
the road is prevented using such advantages by reason of spring freshets, which cause the ne¬
cessity of more than double the amount of work to elevate the grade far above the surrounding
surface.

In the mountain sections the difference is extreme ; the severe work on the southern route
being confined to a limited section, and upon the northern extending through nearly imprac-

REVIEW OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROUTES.

ticable gorges. In the general grade of the roads, when completed, the preference is with the
northern; that is, if the descent west from Cadot’s Pass can he accomplished by side-hill loca¬
tion, which by great care in adjustment may occur. In sudden changes of direction, and
sharp rates of curvature, both regular and reversed, the advantage is immeasurably with the
southern. In practicability of repair, it is entirely with the southern. The danger of demolish-
ment being witlfthe northern — the latter, very great in its passage of Blackfoot and Bitter
Root rivers.

In time of construction, the advantage is entirely with the southern line; immeasurably so,
in the extension of a preliminary road; fully so, in the completion of a G-rand Trunk line. It
arises from the occurrence of continual ledge-cuttings upon the northern, where circumstances
will prevent the employment of large numbers of laborers, and where the character of the work
is a single face and long haul, and from the greater length of the time required for exca¬
vating rock. Both the northern and southern routes to Puget Sound possess an undeniable
advantage over all other Pacific reads, with the exception of the extreme southern line — at
least, over all lines encountering the Sierra Nevada mountain range — from the fact that upon
these routes the line of rail may be extended from both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the
continent at one and the same time, reducing the season of opening the line of communication
nearly one-half, and the cost of distributing materials for construction in nearly an equal
degree. I refer to the passage of the Columbia valley, already reduced to a low grade by the
action of nature.

The twenty-five (25) millions difference in cost between the northern and southern lines
would construct a branch road, of medium character, from the point of junction with the
California route to Puget Sound. Therefore, this question resolves itself into the following
presentation: By adopting a line to California located so far north as to admit of the con¬
nexion of the branch-road to Puget Sound, the amount required to construct the spur to Puget
Sound becomes a clear profit. This deduction being obvious if the northern, the line of ex¬
treme cost, were to have been adopted to Puget Sound, and a distinct route built to Cali¬
fornia.

The construction of a Pacific railroad by aid to private parties, is alone within the limits of
a rigid interpretation of the powers of the constitution, when the development of what must
necessarily appear a project is confined to the mere completion of a road of unelaborated charac¬
ter, as a means of military defence, or is confined to such length of route in local sections as to
remove from it the character of an experiment. But as a means of military defence, a railroad
should not pass along an exposed frontier, where it would necessarily incur the hazard of
needing protection by augmentation of the standing army.

It would seem that the resolution of this project, north of latitude thirty-nine, to the con¬
struction of a line of reasonable cost, touching at the important way-station of Salt Lake City,
with a main trunk extending to California, and a northern branch reaching Puget Sound,
through the Grand Level Pass of Columbia valley, was the presentation of the question as a
mere national undertaking in its salient points, as connecting and defending isolated territory
at minimum cost. Even as an experiment, (if such an experiment is to be made,) by passing
over the great route of emigration to Salt Lake City, Oregon, and California, developing the .
Territory of Nebraska, through the great valley of a river entirely unnavigable, admitting an
important connexion through Kansas, with Westport and St. Louis, while solving the ques¬
tion of Indian defence by the transportation of troops and supplies, at a few days’ notice, to the
far interior, it would seem that the building of the first section of a railway, at the low sum of
twenty-two thousand five hundred ($22,500) dollars per mile, (see Introduction,) might be
deemed a warrantable undertaking, were it never to extend beyond the mountains. But should
this line then pass to the valley of Snake river, and at length reach Puget Sound, transport
the supplies of western commerce toward the east, grow up commercial emporiums at that

6 p

REVIEW OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ROUTES.

western terminus, and defend and develop the isolated Territories of the north, it would in itself
exist as a solution of the Pacific railway pro Diem.

Yet, traversing broad gravel plateaux, both east and west of the dividing range, if attempted
in a proper manner, it must speedily reach its destination, and the important spur through the
low pass of the Pannack be as rapidly pushed to the base of the Sierra Nevada, and the vicinity
of those severe and costly works which should be at once undertaken at the favorable point
for a passage to California. At the mere nominal outlay of its construction, even for national
defence, such a road might be deemed a necessity — the cheapest and the best means of restrain¬
ing the savage tribes, and providing facilities of approach to the Pacific, the very knowledge
of which would prevent the aggressions of an enemy.

For when, by the aid of the genius of American engineers, even the Autocrat of Russia unites
his extended possessions by the construction of military railroads, it is a suggestion to the policy
of a free people, whether they do not hesitate too long in adopting that means of rapid commu¬
nication, which will continue to confine the military operations of the country to their present
simple and effective character. Forts and standing armies were once deemed national means of
protection, but now methods of defence may be made the causes of aggrandizement.

When a city is the growth of a year, and the passage of an ocean but a fortnight — when the
newsboy cries the morning message of the telegraph, and the aged man is whirled through
space by the flight of the locomotive — when the farthest settlements of a mighty nation are
still the children of one great republic, indivisible and forever to be united — then, as I have
already stated, and will continue to assert, the military road can no longer be deemed the passage
of a hill-side, or the crossing of a river ; but it must become the means of rapidly moving the
suddenly organized forces of that volunteer soldiery which have made the wars of America im¬
mortal, to the utmost verge of her remotest borders. How important, then, should become the
choice of location for such a road, and of what paramount consideration all that shall tend
toward the expediency of constructing it — its prospect of remuneration to private, its means of
augmentation to public interests, its opportunities for cheap grading and for early reaching its
destination.

I have already shown that, by the proper location of the branch road from the Missouri, or
from Grand island to the St. Peter’s, the Upper Mississippi and St. Croix, northern Minnesota
and Wisconsin may be drained of their rich lumber upon the line of this southern and grand
central route, aid in its construction, and find a market for a valuable home product absolutely
needed in Nebraska, Kansas, and Utah. This branch road would eventually reach Lake Supe¬
rior. Again, should the great interests of the Canadas persist in their efforts to construct a dis¬
tinct Pacific railroad along the northern frontier, either north of the severe mountainous country
of Washington Territory, or by the route of the United States northern governmental expedi¬
tion, as it is now proposed, to secure the trade of the Pacific ocean to the valley of the St. Law¬
rence — then the Northwestern railway, from Chicago to the Great Bend of the Missouri, would
drain a portion of the traffic of this line toward central American territory ; and it is certainly
more expedient to build a Minnesotian American railway, to tap the carrying trade of a British
Pacific road, than to build an American road over nearly impracticable mountain ranges, to be
drained of its business, on reaching level country, by a British line.

For this reason, the aiding of the construction of a local railroad from Chicago, via St. Paul,
on the route of the northern exploration, is worthy of the direct notice of government. Such
a road would develop a section as fertile as any other of the public domain. It would connect
the waters of the great Red River of the North with the Mississippi ; it would carry the lumber
of eastern Minnesota to the grand unpenetrated divisions of the northern bison ranges, and
furnish the means of extending a hardy population to the very limits of the cultivable eastern
sections. This road would extend over a rough surface, but, in developing this rich agricul¬
tural country, could progress as fast as required by the needs of the civilization which would
keep pace with it.

REMARKS.

The aiding in a different manner of the first section of the main stem of the Platte Valley
line, or, as regarding the surface passed over, in reference to more rapid extension, would
resolve this question to its salient points, north of latitude 39.

Finishing, then, the comparison of these two great routes to Puget Sound, I will conclude by
remarking that, while the impracticable nature of the western mountains shuts the northern
route from the Pacific terminus, it was the very facility of connexion with the Pacific that first
gave character to the southern. While the one passes along exposed frontier for a distance of
fifteen hundred miles, and in direct vicinity of a great navigable river, the other becomes, for
over half its length, the main trunk of a more important road through central American ter¬
ritory which is entirely undeveloped. The one has been reduced to a local ; the other is still a
national requirement. Upon the one, facilities for communication can only exist by artificial
means; upon the other, they are already abundant by the act of nature. The lumber of the
north is needed in the south ; connexion with the west is claimed by the east. The northern
route affords neither, and the southern route offers both. I claim, then, the question for the
southern.

REMARKS.

No elaboration in office of the rough data of field reconnaissance can entitle them to be re¬
garded as the results of survey.

The profile of the map transmitted, although comparing favorably with that of other routes,
does not delineate the actual railroad line.

When the preferable route of a Pacific Railroad is selected, by the comparisons of reconnais¬
sance, the location line of that route will be placed, by careful instrumental survey, and it may
then be accurately delineated ; but the lineal section of barometric levels, with which the side
examinations of reconnaissance have been connected, must not be supposed to occupy that posi¬
tion. Presented as the profile of a route, when not accurately placed, it will lead to erroneous
conclusions on its merits ; and even when accurately placed, the mere approximations of the
instrument used do not furnish a result regarding time nor undulations of surface. Again,
from the small scale on which a profile of two thousand (2,000) miles of line must be presented,
the remarkable differences between the flat plain over which the rail may be used without
grading, and the broken country, which needs costly and tedious operations for reduction to
grade, are not perceptible.

Two examples may be given :

The height of the Pass of the Walla-Walla, (Blue mountains,) compared with the level of the
Grande Ronde valley, both measured by Colonel Fremont, on the common emigrant wagon-
trail to Oregon, would show it as impracticable for a railroad ; yet, the approach to that pass,
by the side-hill location — afforded for over forty (40) miles, by which the grade of the road is
“ kept up” and never allowed to descend to the level of the Grande Ronde valley at all — shows
the fallacy of presenting the profile of the wagon-road as that of a railroad line. Again, in the
second instance, a profile of the extreme northern route would show (on paper) a flat, or slightly
inclined surface, approaching the Rocky mountains on the east, and descending from them on the
west; whereas, in reality, of the country on the east, the greater part of the line is undulating
and of slopes, over which the locomotive engine cannot pass without grading. On the. west, the
line shown on the profile would appear of facile gradients ; while, on the contrary, from being
confined to almost impracticable mountain gorges, to adopt such gradients the road must abso¬
lutely lie in the beds of torrents, where occur freshets of thirty (30) feet in height. The barom¬
etric profile is serviceable in showing the relative height above the sea of the grand divisions
of the route, as follows :

CONCLUSION.

The plateau at the western hase .of Blue mountains, a point to which the South
Pass line is readily brought hy gradients of (in excess) 50 feet per mile is above

the sea . 3,426 feet.

Thence hy the northern detour line, say . . . 4,000 “

By eastern approach to Blue mountains, Pass of Walla-Walla, side-hill line . 4,112 “

General level of first grand plateau of Snake river . 3,050 “

Second grand plateau . 4,201 “

Mouth of Port Neuf. . . . 4,409 “

Summit of line of rail at South Pass . 7,490 “

Plains of Great Basin, southern connexion line . . . 4,200 cc

Level of general eastern approach, through the valley of Sweetwater river, to South

Pass . 5,000 “

Fort Laramie, Missouri river . 1,280 “

These heights as above the sea, in proportion to the lengths of route, (not given) are in excess.
It would he entirely out of place to apply the equation of grade hy maximum loads to the
ascents and descents of this route, as compared with the northern route. The northern route
is emphatically a line of ascents and descents ; of undulating grades, which are not shown
hy the data of preliminary reconnaissance, hut would (with full through traffic) materially
add to the working length of the road. It would he preposterous to apply such equations to
the profile of the emigrant wagon-road, or make the profile of the wagon-road the basis of a
detailed estimate.

CONCLUSION.

The broken falls and rapids of the Snake river, near the mouth of the Salmon (see sketch),
were measured hy the barometer.

The water falls 328 feet in a distance of 15 miles.

At about (hy the river) sixty-five (65) miles above these falls occur those of the Shoshonees
(so called). They have been rarely visited hy white men. At a distance of 12 miles, a white
column may he seen in the plain, resembling the smoke of a fire. The sound of falling water
is heard at a greater distance. The bed of the river is six hundred and twenty (620) feet below
the surrounding level country. The water flows in a contracted channel of about four hundred
(400) feet. The sides of the ravine are nearly perpendicular. The fall is one hundred and
eighty-five (185) feet, and is slightly broken at a point fifty (50) feet from the upper level. Five
hundred (500) yards from the foot of the fall occur rapids of eighteen (18) feet.

The height of the American Falls, near Fort Hall, is fifty-four (54) feet.

The exploration would have been still more extended, had the party retained its first effective
organization. Of the whole number of men who accompanied me from Oregon, hut a single
individual arrived with me at the Missouri river. This individual, Mr. J. F. Moffet, had con¬
ducted the meteorological observations of the extreme northern expedition. He gave his atten¬
tion to the same duty under the more trying circumstances of the recent exploration. He was
a native of Virginia. He had educated himself from the proceeds of his own industry; studied
as a lawyer, and was admitted to the bar of Washington Territory. In the performance of
his last patriotic service, his system received a shock from which it never recovered ; and he
died, of the privations incident to a passage of the continent without the comforts of a train,
after his arrival at Missouri river.*

I am indebted to Mr. B. R. Thompson, Indian agent of the Umatilla; Mr. J. T. Jeffreys, of

Mr. Moffet left a small family unprovided for. If the exposure and hardships of the frontier citizens of America are
of too common occurrence to gain public attention, the exemplary conduct and resolution of this gentleman, ending
only with his life, are entitled to this passing notice.

CONCLUSION.

Oregon, and Captain Hector McArthur, late Hudson Bay factor near Fort Hall, for valuable
assistance. Leaving my own tired party and worn-out horses in camp, Captain McArthur
accompanied me, with a single half-breed, in a long reconnaissance of the numerous passes of
the upper rim of the Great Basin during many days’ forced marches in hostile Indian country,
and continued exposure to violent storms of snow and sleet.

I take this public method of acknowledging my obligations to the officers of the military
stations of Vancouver and the Dalles for the courtesy and assistance received from them in
organizing the expedition.

All of which is respectfully submitted by

FRED. W. LANDER.

Washington, July 21, 1856. Civil Engineer.

[This Report has been revised since its first transmission to the War Department.]

■

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
WAR DEPARTMENT.

HE POET

EXPLORATION OF A ROUTE FOR THE PACIFIC RAILROAD,

NEAR THE

THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE,

THE RED RIVER TO THE RIO GRANDE,

BREVET CAPTAIN JOHN POPE,

CORPS OP TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS.

1854.

Washington, D. C., October 17, 1854.

Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith a report and maps of the survey of a route for the
Pacific railroad, near the thirty-second parallel, from Eed river to the Eio G-rande.

My instructions required me to examine also the military features of the route ; and in this
fact, and the short time at my disposal, is to he found my apology for the voluminous character
of the report.

I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. POPE,

Brevet Captain Top. Engs., in charge of Exploring Expedition „

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War , Washington, D. C.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Page.

Methods pursued in determining the data upon which are based the maps and report of the survey . 1

CHAPTER II.

General description of the country along the route . 5

CHAPTER III.

Of the Indian tribes . 13

CHAPTER IV.

Military character of the route . . . 18

CHAPTER V.

Agricultural and mineral resources of the route . . . . . 25

CHAPTER VI.

Of boring or digging for water on the Llano Estacado . . . 35

CHAPTER VII.

Construction of a railroad along the route, and its estimated cost . . . . . . . 39

CHAPTER VIII.

General summary, business of the road, &c . . . . . . . . 47

APPENDIX.

A. — Diary of the expedition, by J. H. Byrne, assistant computer :

CHAPTER I.

From the Rio Grande, at El Paso, to the Pecos, at the thirty-second parallel.. . . . . . . . 51

CHAPTER II.

From the valley of the Pecos to the Sulphur Springs of the Rio Colorado of Texas . . . . 59

CHAPTER III.

From the Sulphur Springs of the Colorado to the Clear Fork of the Brazos . . . . . . . 73

CHAPTER IV.

From the Clear Fork of the Brazos to the valley of the Red river. . . . . . . . 86

B. — Preliminary report on the natural history, by Spencer F. Baird . . . . . . . 94

C. — Report on the specimens of soils and mineral waters, by Jas. C. Booth . . . . . . 96

iv CONTENTS.

Page.

D. — Note, on the geological report . 98

E. — Table of camping places along the direct line of survey . 98

F. — Tables of meteorological observations . 100

G. — Table of latitudes, longitudes, and magnetic decimations . 104

H. — Table showing the altitudes of stations above the sea-level.... . . . 105

I. — Observations for determining profile from El Paso to Preston, on Red river . . . 108

J. — Observations for determining the profile from the Emigrant Crossing of the Pecos to the Big Springs of the Colorado. Ill

K. — Observations for determining the profile through San Augustine Pass of the Organ mountains . Ill

L. — Tables of astronomical observations . 112

BOTANY.

Report on the botanical collection, by Dr. John Torrey and Prof. Asa Gray..... . . . . . 157

GEOLOGY.

Report on the geology of the route, by "William P. Blake.

REPORT.

CHAPTER I.

Methods pursued in determining the Data upon which are based the Maps and Reports of
the Survey.

To enable the department to judge advisedly of the amount of confidence due to the results
of an exploration of this character, it would seem proper to set forth the organization of the
exploring party, and to describe in full the instruments used and the methods pursued in
determining the data upon which these results are based.

As the object of this exploration was eminently practical in its character, and had in view
the investigation of a specific question, I have thought it advisable, in determining upon a plan
for the report, to give the prominent place to the practical results which have a direct hearing
upon the construction of the railroad, and to set them forth under proper heads, as briefly as
is consistent with clearness. For this purpose I have carefully avoided embarrassing the
subject with a narrative of the daily incidents of the expedition, which must he more or less
irrelevant, or involving it in obscurity by the introduction of detailed descriptions, under scien¬
tific and technical names, of the specimens collected in the various departments of science. I
have only introduced into the reports such extracts from these subjects as are necessary to
illustrate some point having an immediate and important hearing upon the question of the
railroad, and have collected into an appendix the diary of the expedition and the reports upon
the geology, botany, and natural history of the route.

Method of determining the geographical position of the route. — Of this duty I took charge
myself, and the following plan was adopted: Seven principal points were selected along the
line, as nearly at equal intervals as it was possible to place them, and at each of those points
the latitude and longitude were carefully and absolutely determined, by a complete series of astro¬
nomical observations. The sextant was the only instrument I had for this purpose, and it was
therefore necessary to determine the longitude by the method of “lunar distances.” At least
seventy lunar distances of the sun, and of stars east and west of the moon, were observed at
each principal point ; and the latitude was determined in all cases by at least one hundred and
fifty altitudes of stars north and south of the zenith. At each of these points the chronometer
was carefully rated by observing equal altitudes of the sun, and altitudes of east and west stars,
for several successive days. Twenty intermediate points were determined along the line by at
least sixty altitudes of north and south stars for latitude, and twenty altitudes of east and west
stars for the error of the chronometer. As the rate of the chronometer was carefully deter¬
mined at each principal point, and the chronometric longitudes of intermediate places were
referred directly and at short intervals to the points thus absolutely determined, the time obser¬
vations may be considered as furnishing at least very close approximations. Twenty-seven
points along the route, at intervals not to exceed twenty-five miles, were thus astronomically
determined ; and as the observations exhibit no error on tbeir face, and the results determined
by the computations of several able and experienced computers are in all respects satisfactory,
the position of the line of survey may be considered fixed with some considerable degree of
1 e

DETERMINATION OF THE PROFILES. — GEOLOGY.

accuracy. I have also, in the preparation of the maps, used some determinations of latitude
and longitude made by the boundary commission and by Colonel J. E. Johnson, of the topo¬
graphical engineers.

For tracing the line of survey over the short distances between the astronomical positions,
the compass fixed in position was used, and the lengths of the compass courses measured with
a viameter, which had been carefully compared with the measurements by the chain. As all
error in measurement or hearing was confined to the short distances between the fixed points,
the details of the route may, I think, he considered sufficiently accurate.

All the astronomical observations, with the results of the computations in each case, are
appended to this report. The instruments used were — sextant, eight inches diameter, by
G-ambey, Paris ; chronometer No. — , by Parkinson & Frodsham.

Determination of the profiles. — The profiles of the route, and of the experimental lines on
each side of it, were determined by a continuous series of angles of elevation and depression,
observed with a theodolite. This method is unusual in the survey of lines so extended, and is
a much more detailed and tedious process than that usually adopted.

Although liable to errors in the determination of absolute altitudes above the sea-level, this
method is probably more accurate than that by the barometer for determining the relative
heights of points not remote from each other ; and covering, as it does, every foot of the route,
it exhibits every feature of the country and every undulation of its surface with a detail abso¬
lutely unknown to any process other than that of the level.

The results, which have been compared at a few particular points with barometric determi¬
nations, exhibit an approximation sufficiently close to he convincing of their general accuracy.
With this duty, in connexion with the compass courses of the route, and of the prominent
features of the country contiguous to it, I charged Lieutenant Garrard, 1st dragoons, my prin¬
cipal assistant, and he executed it with a zeal and ability worthy of every commendation. A
table of the observations, with the deduced results, is appended. The instruments used were —
theodolite, made by W. & E. Jones, London; odometer, for measurement of distances.

The following maps accompany the report, viz :

1st. A general map on a scale of ten miles to one inch, or g-g-gg^, exhibiting the route sur¬
veyed, and the country contiguous to it. The lower side of the map is faced with a profile of
the route from El Paso to Preston, on the Bed river. On the left side will he found a short
profile from Dona Ana to the Hueco Tanks ; and on the right, a profile from the emigrant
crossing of the Pecos to the Big springs of the Colorado. These profiles are made upon the
same longitudinal scale as the map, with a vertical scale of 2,000 feet to the inch, or As

the line of survey has nearly an east and west direction, the prominent places on the map will
he found to he nearly above corresponding points on the section, which can thus he easily
referred to for the altitude and grades.

Map No. 2. A map and profile of the Guadalupe Pass, on a scale of 5,000 feet to the inch,
or gg£g(j; vertical scale of profile, g^Vir-

Map No. 3. Map and profile of the pass through the Hueco mountains, on a scale of 5,000
feet to the inch, or 0; vertical scale of profile, g^Vv

Geology and geological profile of the route. — It was impossible to secure the services of a geolo¬
gist to accompany the party ; and it became necessary, therefore, to adopt some method for
collecting specimens in this department of science, which would enable a skilful geologist, who
had not been over the country, to arrive at a sufficient knowledge of its geological structure.
The plan determined upon was in every respect satisfactory, as will he seen from the geological
report. Specimens were collected from the strata of the ridges and mountain-ranges, from all
outcrops, and from the surface of the ground and beds of streams, and were labelled as follows :
first, locality ; second, distance from summit ; third, position of the stratum from which it was
taken relatively to the others, and its inclination to the horizon. Many specimens of minerals

BOTANY. — NATURAL HISTORY. — SOILS.

and of mineral water were also collected ; and the results will he found fully set forth in the
forthcoming report of the geologist to whom they were submitted.

Captain C. L. Taplin, my second assistant, was charged with the duty of making this collec¬
tion, and its successful results are a sufficient evidence of his industry and intelligence.

Botanical department. — The collections in this department' of science were not restricted to
what was new or undescribed, as I considered it quite as interesting to know that the flora of
this region were the same as those common to other parts of the country, or that they were dif¬
ferent. It was, therefore, 'established as a rule to collect everything; it being as easy at the
conclusion of the survey to reject what was superfluous, as it would be difficult to replace what
was wanting.

A complete collection of the grasses of the country was made, as their quality and quantity
had an immediate and important bearing upon the determination of its agricultural character.

The entire collection, which is large, was made by Dr. W. L. Diffenderfer, who accompanied
the expedition as surgeon and naturalist ; and has been submitted for examination to Dr. John
Torrey, of New York, whose interesting report upon the subject will he found in a supplemen¬
tary volume.

Natural history department. — The collections in this department were divided among several
persons.

The birds and small animals, which required careful preparation to he safely transported,
were prepared and arranged by Dr. Diffenderfer ; and the collection of fishes, reptiles, and
insects was made by Lieutenant L. H. Marshall, 3d infantry, to whom I am greatly indebted
for the unceasing interest he manifested in the success of the expedition, and for his untiring
labors in completing a collection which has been pronounced excellent.

This collection was submitted to Professor S. F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institute, and his
preliminary report is attached.

Soils. — I considered it important to collect specimens of soils at all interesting points along
the line, and a full collection was therefore made both from the valleys and the table-lands.
The plan pursued was to collect at all places where the character of the surface changed, and
each specimen collected consisted of three bundles, attached together and labelled: 1st, surface
soil; 2d, soil six inches below the surface; and 3d, soil one foot below the surface. In this
manner the character and relative value of the soils from all the valleys and table-lands be¬
tween the Rio Grande and Red rivers were determined .

This collection, with the mineral waters, was placed in the hands of Professor James 0.
Booth, of Philadelphia, and his report, with the analysis in each case, will he found in the
appendix.

A full set of meteorological observations was kept by Dr. Diffenderfer. This table exhibits,
for the months of February, March, April, and May, the temperature of the air at sunrise, at
9 o’clock a. m., at 12 m., and at 3 and 9 o’clock p. m., for each day, and, at every camping
place, the temperature of the earth three feet beneath the surface; also the direction and char¬
acter of the winds, the state of the atmosphere, the condition and character of the vegetation,
and the temperature and description of the watering-places at each encampment.

I consider these tables eminently useful in exhibiting the climate of the country, and the
character and extent of the wood and water along the route.

The diary of the expedition, which is also appended, although it contains much that is irrele¬
vant and uninteresting, will nevertheless serve a useful purpose in filling up details of the
features of the country, and the character of the route for each day, and may he of service to
such persons as are inclined to pursue this route to the valley of the Rio Grande.

Such have been the persons employed, and, briefly, the instruments used and the methods
pursued in determining the data upon which the maps of this survey have been made, and upon
which are based the opinions expressed in the report.

As not only the results deduced from these data, hut the observations by which the data

OBJECT OF THE EXPEDITION.

themselves were determined, are appended in a tabular form to the report, the value of the
opinions, and the accuracy of the results to which they owe their weight, can he at once exam¬
ined and verified.

There are many other subjects which fell under the observation of the party, and concerning
which much information has been collected ; hut as their importance is remote from the ques¬
tion of the Pacific railroad, I have not thought it advisable to embody them in the report.
The object of the expedition was strictly and eminently practical, and the question to he solved
had been thoroughly examined for other localities in the United States, and was well under¬
stood in all its details ; and in conveying information upon such a subject, I have considered it
in all respects advisable to avoid embarrassing or encumbering it with any matter not directly
pertinent.

With these opinions, the report of this survey has been written, and I only regret that it is
not more perfect.

CHAPTER II.

General Description of the Country along the Route.

In glancing at the topographical features of the immense plains which extend westward from
the frontiers of Arkansas and Missouri, the first great peculiarity which strikes the attention
is the remarkable interruption to their vast monotony presented by the belt of country between
the 32d and 34th parallels of latitude. The great deserts, commencing about the meridian of
97°, extend over a distance of six hundred miles, to the eastern base of the Rocky mountains.

In this whole extent they are badly watered by the few sluggish streams which intersect
them, many of which disappear altogether in the dry season, and are destitute absolutely of
timber, except a sparse growth of dwarf cotton-wood along the streams.

From the northern frontier of the United States, at the parallel of 49°, this immense region
of desert country extends without interruption as far to the south as the parallel of 34°. At
this parallel its continuity is suddenly and remarkably interrupted.

Between the 32d and 34th parallels of latitude, a broad belt of well-watered, well-timbered
country, adapted in a high degree to agricultural purposes, projects for three hundred and
twelve miles, like a vast peninsula, into the parched and treeless waste of the plains, and, at
its western limit, approaches to within less than three hundred miles of the Rio Grande, at El
Paso. The eastern line of this immense region of fertile country is the western limit of the
timbered or well-watered country on the north ; and this striking peculiarity of the country
along the 32d parallel is most specially to be noticed, as a matter of paramount importance in
selecting any route for a railroad or wagon road across this continent.

The four great rivers of Texas — the Red river, the Trinity, the Brazos, and the Colorado —
taking their rise at the eastern base of the “Staked Plain,” intersect this wooded peninsula at
nearly equal distances apart ; and the Red river having its head of navigation far to the north
of it, the other three streams are navigable for steamboats to points not remote from its southern
limit.

In selecting any route for emigration, or for the construction of a railroad, and in the estab¬
lishment of the chain of military posts designed for its protection and for operations against
Indians, much time, labor, and expense are avoided, by so locating the route that it shall
approach, at as many points as possible, the navigable waters of the streams which drain the
country. This subject is so plain and so well understood as to require no detailed explanation,
and a glance at the country will suffice to exhibit what facilities of this kind are presented by
the route along the northern frontier of Texas.

We find that the navigable waters of the three principal streams of Texas — the Trinity, the
Brazos, and the Colorado — approach to within comparatively short distances of the line of the
32d parallel of latitude, and that this parallel intersects the Red river at a point very far below
the head of its navigation. The importance of this extremely favorable natural feature of the
country cannot be over-estimated.

With this brief reference to the two great peculiarities of the region west of the Mississippi,
which are observable at a glance, I will proceed to a general description of the southern portion
of New Mexico, and that portion of Texas contiguous to the line of survey, and which properly
come within the range of the exploration intrusted to my command.

This description will be as brief as in my judgment is consistent with clearness, and will

VALLEY OF THE EIO GRANDE. — MESILLA VALLEY.

only embrace such subjects as have an immediate bearing upon the duties with which I have
been charged.

The valley of the Eio Grande, between the parallels of 37° and 32° north latitude, comprises
more than nine-tenths of all the settlements of New Mexico, and contains a population of about
50,000 persons. The only other settlements in the Territory, with the exception of three or
four small villages west of the river, lie along and very near to the great road from Santa Fe
to Independence, and in no case are found further from the valley of the Rio Grande than
seventy miles.

That portion of the country which properly comes within the scope of this expedition extends
from the parallel of 32° 30' to the parallel of 31° 30', and embraces the extreme southern por¬
tion of New Mexico, including the Mesilla and Dona Ana valleys, with their villages, and a
portion of the county of El Paso, in Texas, including the village of Franklin, opposite the
Mexican town of El Paso, and the villages of Isletta and San Elizario, lower down on the
river.

The only arable land in this distance of eighty-five miles is that portion of the immediate
valley of the Rio Grande which can be irrigated from the river ; and, in consequence, the entire
population, not probably exceeding eight thousand, is confined within these limits. Consider¬
able crops of grain, principally corn and wheat, are raised; but the wealth of the inhabitants
is in their herds of cattle and mules, sheep and goats. The peculiarly favorable character for
grazing of the table-lands east and West of the valley of the river, induces, or rather renders
necessary, the herding of their stock many miles from the settlements ; and to protect these
people and their property thus exposed from the Indians who infest the country, the military
posts in this section of country have been established.

The Mesilla valley, so called, is about ten miles in length along the west bank of the river,
and from two to three miles in breadth to the base of the elevated table-lands which enclose the
valley of the Rio Grande. The two villages of Mesilla and San Tomas — the first with a popu¬
lation of about three thousand, the second of about three hundred — are the only villages of the
valley. A few detached settlements occur, and would probably swell the entire population of
the valley to three thousand five hundred persons.

Dona Ana, opposite the northern extremity of the Mesilla, is the oldest town in this part of
the country, having been first settled in 1842. Las Cruces, Las Tortugas, and the military
post of Fort Fillmore, are the only settlements between Dona Ana and El Paso, and the popu¬
lation of the valley opposite the Mesilla does not exceed fifteen hundred.

Molino, two miles above, and Franklin, opposite El Paso, are the first settlements which are
found south of Fort Fillmore ; the ranch of Frontera having been abandoned. With the town
of Isletta, twelve miles, and the town of San Elizario, twenty-five miles below Molino, they
number about three thousand souls.

The valley of the Rio Grande above Dona Ana, although by far the richest and best timbered
portion of New Mexico, has for many years remained uninhabited as far up as the little village
of San Antonio — one hundred and fifteen miles — in consequence of its peculiar position, mid¬
way between powerful bands of Apache Indians, occupying the mountains east and west, and
from obstacles of ground along the river, which have induced all the travel across the famous
“Jornada del Muerto,” which occupies two-thirds of the entire distance. The great highway
from New Mexico to Chihuahua leaves the river where the obstacles to travel along its banks
begfn to present themselves ; and, traversing a high, arid plain — without wood, with little
water, and with very indifferent grass — again descends upon the valley, at a distance of about
eighty miles ; having only effected a gain in distance of about fifteen miles. The military
commander of the department of New Mexico has constructed a good road along the banks of
the river, and has established a military post (Fort Thorne) in the valley, and opposite the
centre of the Jornada; and all government trains and movements of troops are now required
to pursue this route. These wise measures will soon put an end to the dangers and privations

COUNTRY BETWEEN THE VALLEYS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND THE PECOS. 7

of the road across the desert, and will speedily lead to a settlement of the richest portion of
the valley of the Eio Grande.

The full advantages of these measures, and the impolicy of undertaking any system of
improvements which shall interfere with them, will he fully set forth in a subsequent part of
this report.

Of the country betioeen the valleys of the Rio Grande and the Red river. — Of the country
between the valley of the Eio Grande at the 32d, and the valley of the Eed river at the 34th
parallel of latitude, nature has made three great divisions, which present characteristics distinct
from each other in every respect.

The first of these divisions embraces the region between the Eio Grande and the Pecos, a
distance of one hundred and sixty-nine miles ; the second the country occupied by the Llano
Estacado, between the valley of the Pecos and the well-watered and fertile lands of Texas, at
the headwaters of the Colorado, a distance of one hundred and twenty-five miles ; and the
third, considerably more extensive than the first two together, extends from the headwaters of
the Colorado to the valley of the Eed river, at the parallel of 33° 45'.

Of the country between the valleys of the Rio Grande and the Pecos. — The country between
the valleys of the Eio Grande and the Pecos consists of elevated table-lands destitute of wood
and water, except at particular points, but covered with a luxuriant growth of the richest and
♦most nutritious grasses known to this continent.

This region is intersected by three ranges of mountains, nearly parallel to each other, and
having a general direction north and south.

The first of these is the range of the Organ mountains, which, commencing on the east side
of the Eio Grande, about one mile north of the town of El Paso, extends to the northward
along the east side of the “ Jornada del Muerto,” until, under other names, it unites with the
immense ranges of the Eockv mountains which extend indefinitely to the north.

There are several passes through these mountains from the valley of the Eio Grande, but
they are rough and difficult of access from their abrupt inclinations. The approach from the
eastward, however, is effected without difficulty, by passing to the south of this range, and
intersecting the river about one mile above the town of El Paso. Next in order to the eastward
are the Hueco mountains, twenty-four miles from the river. This range extends much farther
to the south, but along the present travelled route presents passes easy of access. This ridge
unites itself at a short distance above the 32d parallel, with the Sacramento and White mount¬
ains, which, continuing to the north, are lost in the main chain of the Eocky mountains.
The most easterly range is that of the Guadalupe mountains, one hundred and eight miles from
the Eio Grande, and fifty-four miles west of the Pecos. This ridge, although higher and more
rugged than either of the others, seems isolated from any connexion with the mountains. It
extends with a decreasing altitude, but with more difficult passes, at least forty miles . south of
the route pursued by tbe survey, but sinks into the valley of the Pecos about sixty miles north
of the 32d parallel. The route through these mountains, although rough in some places for
want of work, is of easy passage, and offers grades which-, although steep and requiring heavy
work, are nevertheless practicable for a railroad. Three hard and elevated table-lands, ascend¬
ing in order to the eastward, occupy this region, their longest lines being to the southeast, and
their greatest width to the northeast, with a very gentle inclination through long distances to
the eastward, and an abrupt descent to the westward, their highest lines being in every case
very near their western limits. The three ranges of mountains above mentioned occupy the
summit-levels of these table-lands, and the highest point of the road between the Eio Grande
and the Pecos is the summit of the Guadalupe Pass.

Water is found at intervals, not to exceed twenty-eight miles, between the Eio Grande and
the Guadalupe mountains, and from the western base of the mountains to the Pecos abundant
springs of water, both fresh and mineral, occur at much shorter intervals.

Timber of large size is only found immediately contiguous to the 32d parallel on the east side

LLANO ESTACADO.

of the Guadalupe range, where abundance of pine of the largest size faces its eastern slope;
but fuel of the best quality, and which is alone used on the lower Rio Grande, is furnished by
the roots of the mezquite.

The table-lands are covered with the mezquite brush, whose roots are numerous beyond con¬
ception, and are of a size varying from one inch to five inches in diameter. As a fuel they
are uncommonly fine, and are alone used in the settlements from Dona Ana to San Elizario.
As many persons, from ignorance of this fact, have suffered for wood in the midst of this abund¬
ance, it is proper to state here that all the table-lands of Hew Mexico furnish this fuel, and that
it can be procured with very little trouble in any part of the country.

The grama-grass, which exists in the most profuse abundance over the entire surface of these
table-lands, is nutritious during the whole year, and the plains between the Rio Grande and
the Pecos seem intended by nature for the maintenance of countless herds of cattle. Although
little protection from Indian depredations has been afforded, and incalculable quantities of
stock have been driven off by them, the number appears to be undiminished ; and as the original
cost is small, and the expense of feeding nothing, cattle and horses are the most abundant pos¬
sessions of the people of New Mexico.

A good wagon-road, with water at convenient intervals, and offering facilities for travel
available at any season of the year, leads from the valley of the Rio Grande at El Paso to the
Pecos, near the 3 2d parallel. '

The valley of the Pecos at this parallel of latitude is a level plain of fertile soil, about two
miles in width, destitute of timber, and bordered on each side by table-lands about fifty feet
high, which descend into it by very gentle inclinations. The river itself is about forty yards
wide, and, with a general direction to the southeast, it traverses its valley from side to side in
a very tortuous course. Its bed is a compact limestone, over which it descends, with a depth
of about two feet, through numberless rapids, and at one point near the mouth of Delaware
creek, over a fall of two and a half feet. The valley is very fertile and susceptible of a high
state of cultivation, the uniformity of its surface and the peculiar character of the stream afford¬
ing unlimited facilities for irrigation.

A short distance below the 32d parallel the valley widens to several miles in extent; the rocky
bed of the river disappears, and is replaced by falling banks ten feet in height, and by a soft
muddy bottom. The few fording-places below the mouth of Delaware creek are very unfavor¬
able at the best season of the year, and during high water are absolutely impracticable. From
the accounts of those who have crossed the river by the route from San Antonio to El Paso, and
from my own examination of it for one hundred miles below the 32d parallel, it is quite certain
that no point below affords anything like the facilities for fording as does the crossing at the
mouth of Delaware creek.

Of the Llano Estacado. — Upon the eastern or left bank of the river commences the “Llano
Estacado,” or Staked Plain, which derives its name from a tradition that, in early times, the
Spaniards had staked a road upon it from San Antonio, in Texas, to Santa Fe, in New Mexico.
This famous desert, without wood or water, extends from the vicinity of the 30th to about the
35th parallel of latitude, is about one hundred and seventy-five miles across at its point of great¬
est width, and divides the Rio Grande and its tributaries from the affluents of the Mississippi
and the streams of eastern Texas.

From the statements of persons who had crossed it near its northern and southern limits, I
was prepared to find it a hard table-land, elevated from six hundred to one thousand feet above
the level of the streams which border it on both sides, and faced on the east and west by abrupt
rocky precipices. To my surprise, however, the inclination from the Pecos was exceedingly
gentle, and the summit-level was attained at a distance of thirty-five miles without an abrupt
ascent at any point, and without the appearance of any of the marked characteristics which
had been attributed to it. The descent from its summit to the head-waters of the Colorado was
so gentle as only to be perceptible to instrumental survey, and there was nothing to mark its

COUNTRY BETWEEN THE LLANO ESTACADO AND VALLEY OF RED RIVER.

eastern limit except the existence of the tributaries of that stream. Neither bluff nor uncom¬
mon swell of ground marks its existence as you approach from the east or west, nor is its uni¬
formity of surface disturbed at any point between the Pecos and the Colorado.

That this singularly favorable combination of circumstances only exists along the line of the
32d parallel is verified by the reports of Captain Marcy, who examined it at the head of Eed
river, and of Marcy and Simpson, who crossed it on the parallel of 35°, and by my own exam¬
ination of it to the south. To the north, its eastern side is faced by an abrupt precipice five
hundred or six hundred feet high, difficult of approach, and absolutely impracticable of ascent.
On the south it is intersected by a range of hills of white drift-sand, absolutely destitute of
vegetation, and seventy feet above the general level of the plain.

These hills, over a distance of thirteen miles, present steep ascents, through short distances,
in many places ; and the loose, movable character of the sand, and its depth, render the pas¬
sage through it with loaded wagons next to impossible. On approaching from the east or west,
these hills bear every appearance of the sand-ridges along the coasts of South Carolina and
Florida, and the first hard wind will destroy the traces of the most numerous party. The shift¬
ing character of the sand, and its great depth, would render the construction of a railroad
through it exceedingly difficult, and it would require constant labor to prevent the road from
being buried under the drifting sand.

The Llano Estacado along the line of the 32d parallel (as indeed everywhere else) is des¬
titute of wood and water, except at particular points during the rainy season ; but a close ex¬
amination of its geological features — the detailed results of which will he found in their appro¬
priate place — exhibits the practicability of boring artesian wells at as many points on its
surface as would he desirable. The peculiarly favorable character of the ground along the
route of the 32d parallel, the directness of this route over it, and the difficulties to the north
and south, would seem to present inducements eminently favorable to the construction of these
wells. For thirty miles east of the Pecos the surface of the plain is hard, and covered with
grama-grass ; and from thence to a point about thirty miles west of the head of the Colorado
the hard surface alternates with patches of dark red sand, covered with a coarse hunch-grass,
about two and a half feet high. Although the sand packs readily into a hard surface, the
passage over it for the first time with loaded wagons, and embarrassed by the hunches of high
grass, was laborious in the extreme.

The Llano Estacado presents no inducements to cultivation under any circumstances ; hut
with a supply of water at reasonable intervals, it would offer, though in a less degree than the
table-lands to the west, facilities for the raising of stock.

Of the country between the Llano Estacado and the valley of the Red river. — The space between
the eastern base of the Staked Plain and the Eed river, at the parallel of 34°, is occupied by
that portion of northern Texas drained by the tributaries of the Colorado, the Brazos, the
Trinity, and the Eed rivers. With rapidly increasing advantages as you proceed eastward
from the Llano Estacado, this region is well timbered, well watered, and possessed of a soil of
extreme fertility, capable of sustaining a dense population. The entire country is so gently
undulating in its surface, and presents such an abundant and well-distributed supply of wood
and water, that it can he traversed in any direction with trains of wagons, and is of so genial
a climate that little choice of the seasons is considered desirable in undertaking an expedition
through it. A great portion of the timber of the region intersected by the Colorado and its
tributaries along this route is the mezquite, which, about thirty feet in height, and from six to
ten inches in diameter, divides about equally with the prairie lands this entire district of
country. The Brazos and its tributaries are better supplied with oak timber of a larger size ;
the country is more undulating, and the water more abundant. Immense coal-beds, of good
quality, crop out along the valley of the river, and every natural advantage of soil and climate
is offered to the emigrant. A military post (Fort Belknap) has been established upon this
stream, near the 33d parallel. But by far the richest and most beautiful district of country I
2 e

VALLEY OF THE RED RIVER. — MILITARY POSTS.

have ever seen, in Texas or elsewhere, is that watered by the Trinity and its tributaries. Occu¬
pying east and west a belt of one hundred miles in width, with about equal quantities of prairie
and timber, intersected hy numerous clear, fresh streams and countless springs, with a gently
undulating surface of prairie and oak openings, it presents the most charming views, as of a
country in the highest state of cultivation, and you are startled at the summit of each swell of
the prairie with a prospect of groves, parks, and forests, with intervening plains of luxuriant
grass, over which the eye in vain wanders in search of the white village or the stately house,
which seem alone wanting to the scene.

The delusion was so perfect, and the recurrence of these charming views so constant, that
every swell of the ground elicited from the party renewed expressions of surprise and admira¬
tion.

It may seem strange that a region suggestive of such florid description should still remain so
nearly uninhabited ; hut it must he remembered that this part of Texas is yet hut partially
explored, that it is far from the markets, and that it is still infested hy hands of hostile Indians.
A full knowledge of its startling beauty, and of its amazing fertility, and the construction of
facilities of communication with a market, will soon convert this charming region into a reality,
of which nature has exhibited so beautiful a presentment.

Over a very gentle dividing ridge we descended upon the tributaries of the Eed river, and a
great increase in quantity and size of timber was immediately apparent. At least four-fifths of
the country drained by the tributaries of Eed river is covered with timber of a size and quality
to be favorably compared with any timbered region on this continent.

The immediate valley of Eed river is from two to five miles in width, without prairie in its
whole extent in the neighborhood of Preston, covered with large timber of every description,
and possessed of a soil of amazing fertility. At some points the surface is covered with a white
or red sand, about three inches in depth, below which is a fat, dark, vegetable mould, from
three to six feet thick, and of the most astonishing richness.

The valley is being rapidly settled by cotton-planters from Tennessee and Mississippi ; and
although the immediate bottom-lands along the river are exceedingly difficult of settlement and
culture, from the immense size and quantity of the timber, they are nevertheless preferred to
the prairie lands in the vicinity, in consequence of the exceeding fertility of the soil. The
river, at the 34th parallel, is about eight hundred yards wide, and is susceptible of steamboat
navigation for five or six months of the year.

Proceeding from this point to the eastward, over a country well watered, well timbered, and
of great fertility, and inhabited by whites and partially civilized Indians, who cultivate the
soil, we reach, at a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, the western frontier of Arkansas.

Of the seven hundred and eighty miles of distance from the western line of Arkansas to the
valley of the Eio Grande, at El Paso, nearly five hundred miles traverse a fertile, well- watered,
and abundantly timbered region; and of the remaining two hundred and eighty, one hundred
and sixty are through a country which, although of little agricultural value, except in the
immediate valley of the Pecos, is nevertheless admirably adapted to the raising of stock, and
offers every desirable facility for travel, at any season of the year.

There is but one military post (Fort Belknap, on the Brazos) along the immediate line of
this route — the chain of frontier posts in Texas gradually departing from it to the south. In
the southern part of New Mexico there is no post east of the valley of the Eio Grande ; and
the distance between the nearest posts in Texas and New Mexico is five hundred and eleven
miles.

A brief review of these remarks exhibits the fact that by procuring water on the Staked
Plain, a route for emigration or for military purposes is presented, from the frontiers of
Arkansas to the valley of the Eio Grande, which, for more than half the entire distance, tra¬
verses a region fertile, well watered, well timbered, and of mild climate.

The vast importance of such a route, and one which can be thus protected, cannot too forcibly

EXTRACTS EXHIBITING CHARACTER OF COUNTRY.

be dwelt upon, when the dreadful sufferings and hardships experienced by the immense emi¬
gration to California since 1849 are duly considered. The establishment of such a route will
put an end forever to dangers and privations which have proved fatal to so many of our citizens,
and will not only facilitate our military operations in the Indian country, but will open to set¬
tlement and cultivation a region eminently adapted to agricultural purposes.

To exhibit briefly the character of the country along the immediate line of survey, I append
a few extracts from the note-books of the expedition.

EXTRACTS.

February 21. — Hueco Tanks. Eain- water in natural tanks ; wood and grass. From El Paso
to Hueco Tanks, country has a very gentle slope ; is covered with fine grama-grass, and has a
sandy soil.

February 22. — Cerro Alto. No water; brush for wood; good grass. North and west of the
canon of the Cerro Alto, a range of hills with sloping sides. Road to-day rocky.

February 23. — Sierra de los Alamos. Springs on the side of the mountain; good grass;
cacti for wood; 'country gently undulating ; road good.

February 24. — Los Cornudos. Water in natural tanks; wood and grass; country rolling ;
road rocky in places.

February 25. — No water; cacti for wood ; fine grass; country level; road good.

February 26. — Ojo del Cuerbo. Fine springs — water slightly sulphureous ; small brush for
wood; poor grass; country gently rolling; road generally good; rocky in places. Ground
near the salt lakes covered with a white efflorescence of salt.

February 2*7. — West face of Guadalupe mountains. No water; cacti for wood; fine grama-
grass ; country ascending; road not very good; some sand.

February 28. — Head of canon in the Guadalupe Pass. Springs ; grass and wood not very
good ; road rocky and bad.

March 1. — Pinery on the east slope of the Guadaluph mountains. Water, wood, and grass
in the greatest abundance. Fine pine forests on the mountain-sides; road not very good;
rocky in places.

March 2. — Independence Spring. Fine springs; thickets of scsub-oak, and good grass; road
gravelly and good; country with a gently descending slope.

March 3. — Head of Delaware creek. Several mineral springs, and one remarkably fine one
of fresh water ; dwarf cedar in the vicinity ; good grass ; country rolling ; road rocky in places.

March 6 and 7. — On Delaware creek. Water, wood, and grass; country undulating; road
good.

March 8. — On the Pecos, at the mouth of Delaware creek. Water, (slightly brackish ;) fine
grass ; roots of mezquite for wood ; road good.

April 8. — On the Llano Estacado. No water; fine grass; brush and roots for wood; country
ascending and undulating ; road, for a few miles, rocky ; the remainder of it good and firm ;
from the Pecos to this camp, country covered with fine grama-grass.

April 9. — On Llano Estacado. No water; grass not very good; roots and brush for wood ;
country undulating ; sandy for a portion of the distance ; grass not very good in the sand, but
good elsewhere ; abundance of game where the grass is good ; saw chain of white sand-hills
towards the south, about thirty miles off.

April 10. — On Llano Estacado. No water ; good grass ; roots for wood ; country gently undu¬
lating and sandy. In the sand the grass was a coarse red bunch-grass, about two feet and a
half high. Range of white sand-hills towards the south, in sight all day.

April 11. — Sulphur springs of the Colorado. Water and grass good; roots in abundance in
the vicinity, for wood ; country nearly level ; road hard and good ; fine grass all day ; game
and mustangs seen all day.

EXTRACTS EXHIBITING CHARACTER OF COUNTRY.

April 12 and 13. — On tlie open plain. No water; wood and grass; country rolling, and
dotted with groves of mezquite; covered with grama-grass, and intersected with numerous
small streams — tributaries of the Colorado.

April 14. — Colorado river. Water, wood, and grass. The Colorado at this point is a run¬
ning stream — water of a reddish color; steep red-clay hanks, and about fifteen feet wide;
country undulating; rocky in places; near here there are many detached mounds of red-stone.

April 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. — Country gently undulating; large forests of mezquite; every
few miles small streams of water — tributaries of the Clear and Double Mountain forks of the
Brazos; fine grass everywhere; road good.

April 20. — On a large creek. Water, wood, and grass abundant ; country undulating, with
groves of mezquite scattered over it ; on this creek large elm trees ; good road.

April 21, 22, 23, and 24. — On Clear fork of Brazos. Water, wood, and grass good. Clear
fork is a running stream, of about twenty yards in width, and has a narrow valley heavily tim¬
bered with pecan, elm, and other trees ; country rolling and rocky ; few trees, except on the
Clear fork ; road not good.

April 25 and 26. — From the Clear fork of the Brazos to the Brazos. Country rolling, mostly
covered with trees ; oak of several varieties, mezquite, and other trees ; numerous -small streams;
good grass ; good road. The Brazos at this point is about ten inches deep in the channel ;
water brackish.

From April 26 to May 16. — Country between the Brazos and Preston, on Red river, is
gently undulating ; contains a rather larger proportion of timber than prairie, and is inter¬
sected with numerous clear running streams of fresh water, which descend into the Brazos and
Trinity on the south, and the Red river on the north. Fine grass and good camping places
everywhere; road good.

CHAPTER III.

Of the Indian Tribes.

The Apaches. — This is by far the most numerous tribe of Indians in Hew Mexico, and ex¬
tends along both sides of the Rio Grande, from the southern limits of the Navajo country at
the parallel of 34°, to the extreme southern line of the Territory, and from thence over the
States of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango, of Mexico. Their range eastward is as far as the
valley of the Pecos, and they are found as far to the west as the Pimos villages on the Gila.
They are divided into numerous hands, each of which takes its name from the district of
country in which it is most frequently found, and all of which are under the control of separate
and independent chiefs. They are greatly the most difficult to control of the Indians of New
Mexico, as they not only infest the entire southern portion of the Territory, hut carry their
plundering forays as far south as the city of Durango itself. The valley of the Rio Grande
helow the parallel of 33° 30' is midway between the haunts of the White Mountain or Mezca-
lero and Copper Mine or Gila Apaches ; and in consequence, along the valley of the river, and
along the route over the Jornada del Muerto, most of their depredations have been committed.
They lie in wait along that portion of the route remote from settlements, for small parties and
unprotected trains ; and having plundered both the men and the wagons, they retreat rapidly
to the fastnesses of the mountains east and west of the river. Their country is nearly destitute
of game — is little adapted to cultivation, even were the Indians disposed to till the soil, and no
treaties nor inducements can for any length of time restrain their plundering expeditions into
the settlements of New Mexico. These Indians are wholly different in their characteristics from
any with whom we have been brought into contact in the valleys of the Mississippi or Missouri.
They are much less intelligent and less bold than, and have none of the warlike tastes or accom¬
plishments of the Pawnee or the Sioux. Their sole object is plunder, and they are totally
destitute of the ambition or the courage to distinguish themselves by warlike achievements.
The principal aims of their greatest war expeditions have been directed to the plundering of
small ranchos, and the driving off of herds of stock, and the murder of a miserable and help¬
less shepherd is matter of immense exultation.

They carry off the children from these ravaged settlements, and either adopt them into the
tribe or make slaves of them.

In this habit they are closely imitated, or have been set the example, by the people of New
Mexico, and it is very doubtful whether a settlement can be found in the valley of the Rio
Grande not possessed of Indian slaves. These poor creatures are bought and sold like horses
or mules, and it seems rather too much to expect that the Indians shall deliver up the Mexican
prisoners in their possession to the authorities which countenance openly the sale and slavery
of numbers of their tribe. So far as three years’ experience in the country has enabled me to
judge, it has seemed to me that the amount of robbery is about equal between the lower classes
of New Mexicans and the Indians, whose herds of stock are frequently together, and that
protection from plunder, which we are expending so much money to secure the former, could
with equal justice be extended to the Indian.

It is difficult to say upon which side plundering predominates, although all depredations
committed by the Indians, tenfold exaggerated, are duly laid before the authorities.

Those tribes of Apaches which I have named, occupying the fastnesses of the mountains east
and west, descend upon the valley of the Rio Grande as far to the north as the town of Socorro,

LIPANS. — CAMANCHES.

and as far to the south as the San Elizario of Texas. They drive off great quantities of stock,
and make good their retreat to the mountains, before intelligence of their presence can be com¬
municated to the commanders of the military posts along the river. They have absolutely no
object but plunder, or perhaps the desire to recover their own, and have never, to my know¬
ledge, been known to attack a larger number of persons than ten. The great difficulty of con¬
trolling or chastising them has consisted in the impossibility of overtaking or bringing them to
an engagement. Upon the approach of a body of armed men, they scatter to all points of the
compass, over the mountains and by-paths of the country, and only reunite at some point far
removed from danger. On their wiry and active ponies they scale heights apparently imprac¬
ticable, and rush at headlong speed through the most difficult and dangerous passes of the
mountains.

A company of seventy-five men can traverse their country in any direction without encoun¬
tering danger or resistance. Against such Indians as these it is plain that military expeditions
cannot succeed, and instead of. endeavoring to punish, it would seem wiser to take measures to
prevent their depredations.

The changes in the present military arrangements which seem to me desirable for this object,
will be duly suggested. Efforts have been made to induce these Indians to settle in the vicinity
of the posts, and to cultivate fields, but so far without hope of success.

It is almost impossible to arrive at any correct notion of their number ; but from all I could
learn, they cannot exceed seven thousand persons.

The Lipans. — Of these Indians I know but little. Their range is far to the south of the 32d
parallel ; and although small parties have been occasionally seen in the valley of the Pecos and
near to the Guadalupe mountains, their visits have been so rare and seemingly so objectless as
to render it but little important that they should be enumerated among the tribes of Indians
who infest this region of country. They number, probably, five hundred souls.

The Camanches. — The Camanches — the Arabs of the deserts of North America — have long
occupied an important place among the Indian nations of this continent. In conjunction with
the Sioux or Dacotahs of the North, they have for many years maintained an almost undis¬
puted sway over the immense regions between the Rocky mountains and the frontiers of the
western States. They are variously estimated at from 15,000 to 40,000 persons; but probably
one-half of the larger estimate will fully include their entire population. Many small tribes
under different names, but speaking the same language, and fragments of bands whose power
and influence have long since passed away, live among them in friendly or dependent relations.
In their hunting expeditions among the buffalo, they roam as far to the north as the 38th
parallel of latitude ; and, passing the Rio Grande five hundred miles from their homes,
they invade the dominions of Mexico to within two hundred and fifty miles of her capital. In
small parties, and unsupported, they penetrate into the densest settlements of the northern
States of Mexico ; and in broad daylight, and nearly unopposed, they carry off into captivity
hundreds of human beings, and thousands of horses and mules, and lay under contribution
populous towns, and even large cities. They are objects of the extremest terror to the Mexi¬
can; and it is related that a single Camanche, even at mid-day, dashed at speed into the
public square of the city of Durango, and by his mere presence caused the hasty closing of the
stores and public places of the city, and the rapid retreat of a population of thirty thousand
souls to their barred houses. He remained an hour roaming through the deserted streets, and
was only captured by being lassoed from the window of a house as he was riding triumphantly
but carelessly from the suburbs. Such an occurrence must appear amazing to the last degree
to an American, who has been accustomed to deal with the Indian upon terms of advantage ;
but in the Mexican, the sight of a half-naked Camanche, with his shaggy horse and his quiver
of arrows, produces a paralysis of fear, from which he seems never to recover. These wretched
people, shut up in their barred and grated villages, will look forth despairingly, but without
even an inclination to resist, upon one-third of their number of half-armed Camanches, rav-

CAMANCHES.

aging the fields and haciendas under their very eyes, and carrying off into hopeless captivity
the miserable women and children who have not succeeded in making good their escape. Under
the uncontrollable influence of this singular and despicable apprehension, it does not seem
strange that they should have attached so much value to our protection from these Indians, nor
that they should have insisted with so much earnestness upon inserting such a provision into
the treaty of G-uadalupe Hidalgo. The women who are thus carried off from their homes
become the wives or servants of their captors ; and the men, after a probation more or less
lengthy, are adopted into the tribe, most generally in a dependent condition.

Of the many I have seen thus held in captivity, I have never yet met one who was willing to
return to his home or his country. In the women this feeling is not difficult to understand.
They have all been subjected to the inhuman but invariable outrages which are perpetrated by
Indians upon their female prisoners at the moment of capture ; and they afterwards most proba¬
bly form attachments to the warriors who have taken them to wife, and by whom they have
borne children, who enjoy every privilege of the most favored of the tribe. In the men the
feeling is more difficult to comprehend. Their cowed and sullen look, and shuffling, timid
manner, sufficiently betray the position they occupy ; and their avowed reluctance to return to
their homes is probably due to a fear of the punishment which the expression of such a wish
would be certain to bring upon them.

It would be tedious and out of place, in a report which has in view merely the military pre¬
cautions proper to be observed in reference to them, to enter into a detailed description of the
character and manners and customs of these Indians ; and my remarks concerning them will
probably be more brief than so prolific a subject would seem to justify. The description of
the route of this expedition has a direct bearing, however, upon this entire tribe of Indians, as
their nomadic and restless habits induce them to roam continually through the immense region
over which they claim control.

The Camanches are small of stature ; quick and sprightly in appearance and action ; and in
all cases, where I have seen them, they wear moustaches and heads of long hair instead of
shaving to the scalp-lock, as is the custom with the more northern races. Although sufficiently
courteous in their communications with the whites, they nevertheless exhibit a half-defiant,
half-scornful air, as if their friendly expressions were more the result of convenience than of
necessity. Over the subordinate bands of Indians who live among them they invariably main¬
tain an undisputed supremacy, neither consulting them nor allowing from them an expression
of opinion upon any matter which they have under consideration. During the summer months
nearly the whole tribe migrates to the north, to hunt buffalo and wild horses on the plains of
the upper Arkansas, but return in the autumn with the proceeds of their hunting expeditions
to pass the winter in the timbered country along the valleys of the upper Colorado, Brazos, and
Red rivers. Since the establishment of military posts on the frontiers of Texas, and the conse¬
quent advance of settlements into their country, the Camanches have been brought into much
more constant and familiar intercourse with the whites, and have begun to contract that passion
for ardent spirits which has proved so fatal to their race. The stringent laws of the United
States have prevented, as far as it has been possible, the introduction of spirituous liquors into
the Indian countries in the territories over which the general government has control ; but the
State of Texas recognises no Indian title to lands within her borders, and no laws interdict the
traffic of ardent spirits, which present an attraction entirely irresistible to the Indian.

To this fatal policy, or rather want of policy, on the part of the State, many of the late In¬
dian difficulties in Texas undoubtedly owe their origin ; and until some district of country is
set apart for the Indian tribes, governed by the same strict laws in reference to intercourse with
them which now prevail in the Territories of the United States, constant and harassing troubles
with the Indians will continue to mark the history of Texas.

Up to the period of the occupation of the country by the troops of the general government,
the Camanches were accustomed to equip large expeditions, which, traversing the State of

CAMANCHES. — KIOWAS.

Texas by various routes, and passing the Rio Grande at numerous points in its course, even as
low down as Matamoros, laid waste the northern States of Mexico. The establishment of a
chain of military posts enclosing the extreme settlements has seriously interrupted their hith¬
erto unmolested progress to the Rio Grande, and they have been compelled to conduct their
marauding parties to the frontiers of Mexico by routes much farther to the west. The broad
trail, which seems now in most constant use, crosses the Pecos at the Horse-head crossing, and,
skirting the eastern base of the Llano Estacado along the line of the extreme western watering-
places, conducts to the valleys of the upper Brazos and Red rivers, and to the plains of the
upper Arkansas, by a route which at no point approaches to within two hundred miles of a mil¬
itary post.

The good effect of the chain of military posts in Texas has been thus far exhibited, and it
would seem the part of wisdom to continue such a line as nearly as possible to the valley of
the Rio Grande. The present military stations, although continued in a southerly direction to
the river, leave a district of country unoccupied, at least five hundred miles in breadth, between
El Paso and the nearest post in Texas.

This • distance is by far too great to insure any efficient moral effect upon the Indians, whose
marauding parties now pursue a route traversing this unoccupied region ; and it would seem
that the continuation of the chain of military posts by the most practicable route to the Rio
Grande should be an object for early consideration. At the headwaters of the Colorado, and
on the broad trail along the eastern base of the Staked Plain, to which I have referred, we came
upon an encampment of about fifty Kiowa Indians, returning from a plundering incursion into
Mexico, with at least a thousand horses. They did not seem to relish our approach — in the
fear, probably, that we would relieve them of part of their plunder ; and immediately after we
came in sight, they hastily collected their baggage and animals, and took the trail to the north,
firing the prairies as they went off.

Heavy clouds of smoke during the day, and a lurid glow in the western sky at night, exhib¬
ited to us, for several days, the progress of the fire towards the valley of the Pecos. The only
Indian who approached us evidently did so to reconnoitre, and was exceedingly anxious to
know whether we had seen any Camanches, of whose vicinity he seemed to entertain a good
deal of anxiety. Although the Kiowas live with the Camanches upon friendly terms, it was
plain that this party was fearful of being compelled at least to disgorge a portion of their
plunder, in the way of tribute to their more powerful friends.

The range of the Camanche Indians extends over the plains of the Arkansas from the vicinity
of Bent’s fort, at the parallel of 38°, to the Gulf of Mexico, and they occupy the country
along the route of this expedition from the eastern base of the Llano Estacado to about the me¬
ridian of longitude 98th.

The Kiowas. — Of the many small bands and fragments of tribes which are found living with
the Camanches, by far the most powerful are the Kiowas, who probably do not number more
than fifteen hundred. Although similar in appearance, and almost identical in manners and
customs, with the Camanches, they are, doubtless, from their equivocal position, much more
deceitful and unreliable in their professions, and are absolutely destitute of most of the chiv-
alric characteristics which distinguish the Camanche brave.

They hunt the buffalo in company, and parties of the Kiowas always accompany the plunder¬
ing expeditions of the Camanches into the States of Mexico. They are divided into several sub¬
tribes, under the control of independent chiefs, and portions of them, even during the winter
months, occupy the valley of the upper Arkansas, and of its tributary, the Purgatory river.
The “Big Timbers” of the Arkansas, and the bushy shores of the Purgatory, afford them
fuel and shelter from the storms, and they find an abundant supply of food in the immense
herds of buffalo which pass the winter along the banks of the Arkansas. In common with all
the Indians of the plains, they maintain a continual warfare with the Indians of the mount¬
ains; and the Utah Indians, who inhabit the fastnesses of the Raton and Sangre de Cristo,

TONE AWA0, WACOS, WICHITAS, ETC.

frequently avail themselves of the absence of the Camanches, during the summer, to make
descents from the mountains upon the small parties of Kiowas who remain in the valley of the
Arkansas.

The surplus horses and mules which are brought from Mexico are traded among the Arapa-
hoes and Cheyennes, and with these Indians they maintain a kind of equivocal peace, which is
solely dependent upon the success of their plundering expeditions in the south.

A small fragment of what are known as the Apaches of the Plains also live among the Ca-
manches, hut are so few in number, and of so little influence, as to require but a bare mention
in this paper.

The TonJcawas, Wacos, Wichitas, Caddoes, &c. — The valley of the Brazos, and the country
from thence to the Red river, along the route, are occupied by the several small tribes of
Indians above mentioned, probably not numbering in all one thousand persons. They are
peaceable and friendly, and for several years past have committed no depredations.

In most cases they cultivate small farms, and are dependent fo. subsistence upon agricultural
products rather than the spoils of war or the chase. They are easily held in control by the
military post (Fort Belknap) established upon the Brazos.

The country between the Red river and the western frontier of Arkansas (one hundred and
fifty miles) is occupied by the semi-civilized tribes of Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Cherokees,
who, several years since, were emigrated to their present homes from Georgia, Alabama, and
Mississippi. They occupy houses, cultivate fields, and approach nearly, in the matter of cos¬
tume and manners, to the whites who live among them. They are fond of drinking and
gambling, and although occasional fatal quarrels occur with each other, they are in other
respects harmless.

It will be observed that in this brief account of the Indian tribes which are found along this-
route, I have confined myself to a mere statement of their estimated numbers and the districts
of country which they occupy.

My instructions required me to report upon the military features of the route, and in this
respect such information concerning the Indians was necessary to explain fully the military dis¬
positions which, in my judgment, will be advisable to insure security to the emigrant and the
settler.

I have therefore supposed, that however interesting to those curious in such matters might
be a detailed account of their manners and customs, their appearance and costume, a vocabu¬
lary of their languages and wild and irreconcilable traditions concerning their origin and his¬
tory, such things could have little practical bearing upon the duties with which I was charged,
and would, therefore, be little appropriate to this report.

CHAPTER, IV.

Military Character of the Route.

Prom the period of the establishment of this government, the policy to he observed in respect
to the Indian tribes within our borders, and the selection of sites for the military posts designed
to secure the objects of this policy, have been questions surrounded by difficulties.

Kind treatment, the payment of annuities which enable the Indian to live without resort to
plunder, and the maintenance of friendly and peaceful relations — which now seem the fixed
policy of the government— have to some extent simplified the question of military positions,
although neither the prosperity of the Indian nor the security of the white man seems to have
been greatly promoted.

So long as the Indians to be controlled occupied the fertile valleys of the Mississippi and its
tributaries, a glance at the map exhibiting the districts of country occupied by the various tribes
was sufficient to determine the positions of the military posts designed for their control. The
entire region then occupied by the Indians over whom we claimed jurisdiction was so amazingly
fertile, and of such vast natural advantages, that the military posts which insured even partial
security became at once nuclei for settlements, which increased in number and prosperity with
such surprising rapidity, and so soon superseded the necessity of military protection, that the
posts themselves became almost encampments of troops, whose movement to the westward was,
although gradual, uninterrupted. The incorporation of New Mexico and California, the occu¬
pation of Utah and Oregon, and the acquisition of the immense deserts which separate them
from the valley of the Mississippi, have surrounded this question with difficulties which, up to
this time, have not been entirely overcome.

The necessity of occupying, with the small force at our command, an immense region of
country doomed by nature to perpetual sterility, possessing not one requisite for the support of
a military post, and far from points where even the necessaries of life can be procured, yet
traversed by several great highways of travel and emigration to our possessions in New Mexico
and on the Pacific, and infested by bands of hostile Indians whose number is yet unknown to
us, has brought other and new elements into the consideration of our military arrangements.

Every j^a y renders more manifest the necessity of providing more ample means of accommo¬
dation and protection to the immense rush of emigration from the valley of the Mississippi to
the Pacific ocean ; and a consideration of this subject would seem to point to the establishment
of some one great highway for this purpose, which should be common to all the emigrants.

With, the small force of our regular army, and in view of the immense difficulty and enor¬
mous expense of supplying or maintaining a chain of military posts across the plains, it would
be clearly impossible to occupy or render secure more than one such line ; and the selection of
a route affording as many facilities as possible for travel, and for the supply of the posts, would
seem to be a matter of primary consequence.

While our possessions were confined to the fertile and comparatively limited region along the
valleys of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the establishment of routes for emigration was a
matter requiring little consideration ; but occupying, as we now do, the immense deserts which
extend from the frontiers of the western States to the .Rocky mountains — over which thousands
of emigrants are constantly pushing forward to the Pacific, who require protection in a country
in which it is next to impossible to establish military posts — the determination of a route which

ESTABLISHMENT OF MILITARY POSTS. 19

should accommodate their necessities and insure their safety should he a matter for careful
examination.

The immense ranges of the Rocky mountains, and the vast deserts to the eastward, extending
in uninterrupted barrenness to the frontiers of the western States, are hut partially explored,
and the Indian tribes yrhich roam through them almost unknown. The military posts which
have been established seem to have been mere experiments, which, judging from daily accounts
of the sufferings of the emigrants, and the repeated and fatal attacks of the Indians, appear
to have been attended with but partial success.

A brief statement of the important requisites to be considered in the establishment of military
posts in the Indian country, and in the selection of a great route to the Pacific for emigration
and for military purposes, seems to me necessary to the explanation of the suggestions which I
shall offer in reference to the establishment of military posts along the route, the exploration of
which has been intrusted to me.

Of the establishment of military posts in the Indian country. — There are several elements which
enter into the selection of a site for a military post among Indians: first, that it should be so
placed a£ to exercise the greatest amount of control over the Indians ; second, that it shall he
easy of access from its depots of supplies and military stores ; and, third, that it shall, if
possible, in view of these primary objects, be situated in a country adapted to settlement and
cultivation . To locate a post advisedly, therefore, a knowledge of the number, character, and
habits of the Indians, and of the districts where they most commonly live, and full information
of the agricultural and topographical features of the country, are important requisites.

Indian depredations are never committed in the vicinity of their homes, or the places where
they leave the women and children during expeditions for plunder. They organize parties far
from the points at which they design to commence their forays, and return, after months of
danger and hardship, to enjoy the spoils of their expeditions. A post in the immediate vicinity
of where they are in the habit of wintering, and of leaving their women and children during
these expeditions for plunder, would undoubtedly, in a great measure, restrain their incursions
far into the interior, since they fully understand that their outrages in the settlements would
be visited with equal severity upon those who were left behind defenceless.

A military post established with this view would be infinitely more conducive to the security
of the settlements in its rear than half a dozen posts within the settlements themselves.

The principal object of a military post in the Indian country is undoubtedly to restrain dep¬
redations by a display of military force ; but many results of equal or even greater importance
are the consequence of its establishment. The Indians are brought into familiar contact with
the whites, and an acquaintance springs up from which naturally results a traffic of commodi¬
ties which is mutually advantageous. The Indian begins to indulge in luxuries unknown to°him
before, and which he afterwards relinquishes with great reluctance. The supplies of presents,
provisions, &c., which are provided by the government, enable him to indulge in these luxu¬
ries, and in an idleness very attractive to him, and obviate entirely the necessities, hunger and
nakedness, which have prompted his expeditions for plunder.

With all these advantages to himself which result from the establishment of a post and the
payment of reasonable annuities, which enable him to live without work, and with the certainty
that his women and children are constantly in the power of the troops, it seems nearly incredi¬
ble that he should undertake expeditions for plunder, the very success of which would jeopard,
with such extreme probability of "destruction, his wife and family and possessions, and would
certainly deprive him of the power of indulging his indolence, and cut him off from the use of
luxuries which have become necessary.

There is no doubt but that judicious management at a military post in the Indian country
will completely effect these results. It would be well also for the mounted troops to be kept
moving about in the Country during the season for field service, keeping as nearly as desirable
in the vicinity of the Indians, and in fact, to some extent, conforming during the summer to

ESTABLISHMENT OF MILITARY POSTS.

their wandering habits. The moral effect of the troops would thus he continually felt, and the
Indians would he forced to keep their warriors constantly on hand to defend them from attacks
which might at any time he made upon them.

Another well known effect of military posts heretofore has been to attract settlers, who culti¬
vate the country in the vicinity, and who are able in a short time to supply most of the necessi¬
ties of the garrisons. A very few years (as experience lias already sufficiently demonstrated)
find these settlements so prosperous and with so large a population that military protection is
no longer required, and the garrisons can safely be moved farther into the Indian country, to
produce in time the same results.

The settlements not only commence in the immediate vicinity of the posts themselves, hut
gradually Creep along the routes from their depots of supplies, and the whole region between
the line of extreme settlements and the chain of posts would soon he occupied by the hardy
pioneers of western settlement. The Indians would, as has heretofore been the case, retire
before them, and. would, after the lapse of a very few years, find themselves beyond the line of
posts. By this process our western States have been settled, and hence the very great import¬
ance of establishing military posts, where it can he done with a view to military considerations,
in a fertile, well-watered region, adapted to settlement and cultivation. There are few places
to which the Indians of the plains can retire for protection against the hardships and sufferings
of a winter on the prairies, and the policy of occupying these positions with military posts is
sufficiently apparent. A state of war, or the commission of depredations, which almost always
occur in the winter months, when the difficulty of procuring supplies of food and clothing is
greatest, would effectually debar them from access to the shelter of the timbered region and
deprive them of the assistance of the government ; and it seems clear that a powerful influence
would he thus brought to hear in restraining their depredations.

In the establishment of a chain of military posts for combined action, a view must he had
also to the advantage of so locating the line of posts that it shall divide the tribes upon which
it is intended to operate, and thus prevent any combined action. The reluctance with which
wild Indians cross a well-beaten road for the purpose of committing depredations is well known
to all conversant with their habits, and the establishment of well-beaten routes to connect the
posts along the line is a matter of the first consequence. It enables the garrisons to concen¬
trate promptly should the necessity ever arise ; and being constantly traversed by troops, it
absolutely cuts off any party of Indians which has crossed it on plundering expeditions. This
route should be plain and well-beaten, and constantly traversed between the posts by an armed
force. The posts should he placed along it at intervals, certainly not to exceed one hundred
and seventy-five miles if it he possible to avoid it. With such a chain of posts through the
centre of the Indian country, the greatest moral effect is produced ; the safety of the route
between the posts is secured, and the Indian tribes are divided from any combined action
against the settlements. The chain of military posts along the frontier of Texas has already
exhibited the beginning of these results. The Camanches, who have been in the habit hereto¬
fore of traversing the State by various routes to the Rio Grande, are now confined to one which
carefully avoids crossing or approaching the chain of posts : their depredations have been of
much less extent or consequence ; and wherever the posts have been placed in a country adapted
to agriculture, settlements have been commenced. The Indians are beginning to frequent the
posts for trade, and are gradually assuming the dependent condition which I have stated above
to he the inevitable result of association with the whites and indulgence in their luxuries.

When people of such different races and of such diverse interests are brought into contact,
difficulties must be anticipated; hut the military arrangements I. have suggested would effectu¬
ally destroy the possibility of general warfare, or combined or powerful expeditions for plunder.

Such are some of the important elements which enter into the selection of sites for military
posts in the Indian country, and such are a few of the results which they produce. The estab¬
lishment of a line of posts across the plains would necessarily determine the travelled routes

SELECTION OF ROUTE ACROSS THE PLAINS.

across this continent, and I have therefore considered it proper to enter fully into the subject,
that the facilities for this purpose, presented hy the route'I have explored, may be fully estimated.

Of the selection of a route across the 'plains. — So long as the transportation to California by
sea continues to be so difficult and expensive, and the value of stock of all kinds in that State
so great, a vast excess of emigration, which is in a great measure confined to persons whose
means are limited, must pursue the overland routes. The emigrants expect and are entitled to
protection by the government, and the consideration of the measures to effect this object has
become of vast importance.

The almost insuperable difficulties which surround the establishment of a line of military
posts on the plains, which are exposed, without fuel or the means of constructing- shelters, to
all the rigors of the seasons, and far from points where even the necessaries of life are to be
procured, forced to occupy a region possessing neither agriculture nor miner ;T resources, and
doomed by nature to perpetual solitude, would seem to render it a matter of the extremest im¬
portance to shorten such a line as much as possible, and with that view to select a route which
should cross these deserts at their narrowest point.

A consideration of secondary, but still of great consequence, would point to the location of the
route through a region in which the extremes of heat and cold are least known, and in which
unexpected difficulties or unavoidable delays would not subject the emigrant to extreme suffer¬
ings from cold and hunger, which have proved fatal in so many instances.

In a military point of view this would seem nearly of equal importance. Although the
departure and movement of military expeditions across the plains can be arranged with a fore¬
sight which will secure- them against the probability of such exposure, yet, as a question of ex¬
pediency, it would be far wiser to select a military route which can be traversed without difficulty
at any season of the year.

A very hasty examination of the country exhibits the fact that the vast deserts between the
valley of the Eio G-rande and the frontiers of the western States contract to their least width
along the belt of country between the 32d and 34th parallels of latitude. The average distance
of six hundred and fifty miles over these vast deserts is here reduced to less than three hundred
miles, and along a route where the extremes of heat and cold are absolutely unknown.

For three hundred and eleven miles west of the eastern line of the prairies, the belt of country
along the 33d parallel presents absolutely a combination of all the favorable circumstances
which I have suggested as necessary to the establishment of a chain of military posts. The
line of posts along the route traverses the heart of the country occupied by the most powerful
tribe of Indians west of the Mississippi ; intersects the wooded districts in which they are forced
to seek shelter from the horrors of a winter on the prairies ; separates the Indians of Texas
from those of the northern plains ; presents numerous points, offering every facility of wood,
water, and grass, for the establishment of a military post ; crosses the principal rivers of Texas
at no great distance from the heads of their navigation, at which can be established depots of sup¬
plies; traverses a region of fertile soil and abundant timber, affording every advantage to the
settler, and of mild and genial temperature at every season of the year ; and, finally, avoids more
than one-half the desert country between the Eocky mountains and the valley of the Mississippi.
It commences on the Eed river at a point navigable by steamboats, and connects by a good road,
constantly travelled, with the Arkansas river below the head of its navigation.

The only obstacle on this route, and one which alone has prevented it from becoming the
great and only highway across the plains, is the want of water on the Llano Estacado, over a
distance of one hundred and twenty-five miles ; but this difficulty, as will be exhibited hereafter,
may be obviated so easily, and at so little expense, that it cannot weigh as a feather in the
balance against the unrivalled advantages of this route.

Of the three hundred miles of desert along the route, nearly two hundred are through a
region affording water in abundance and fuel entirely sufficient for camping purposes ; and the

PRESENT MILITARY POSTS AND PROPOSED CHANGES.

whole distance of three hundred miles is occupied by a country profusely overgrown with the
mezquite and grama grasses — hy far the best and most nutritious grasses on this continent.

It is quite unnecessary to dwell upon the importance of the remarkable advantages peculiar
to this route, and I therefore proceed, with these opinions, to suggest the military arrangements
which seem to me most judicious.

Of the present military posts, and proposed changes. — The military posts which now enclose
the settlements of Texas, considering the very large intervals between them, and the weakness
of their garrisons, have been attended with wonderful success, although not situated, as, in my
judgment, they should he, with a view to combined action with the military arrangements in
New Mexico. The chain of posts in Texas is separated from the line of posts in New Mexico
along the valley of the Rio Grande hy a distance of nearly five hundred miles ; and this great
space, hy far too extensive to he rendered secure hy the present military arrangements, is traversed
only once or twice during the year hy the trains of supplies and military stores for the posts on
the Rio Grande.

Any protection other than from their own combinations is, therefore, only afforded to the emi¬
grants and to the immense trains of the traders in New Mexico, Chihuahua, and Sonora, at long
intervals ; and the almost daily accounts of loss of life hy sufferings, and from the attacks of
Indians, are due to the defective disposition of the troops.

The post (Fort Belknap) which has been placed on the upper Brazos, near the 33d parallel,
is in all respects well situated upon the line which I have suggested, and is garrisoned hy two
companies of the 7th infantry and one company of the 2d dragoons.

Mounted troops are far more efficient than infantry at frontier posts ; and I would therefore
suggest the propriety of replacing one of the infantry companies hy a company of mounted men.
This post is about one hundred and seventy-five miles from Fort Washita, and a somewhat less
distance from Fort Arbuckle, on the verge of the Chickasaw and Choctaw country, and settle¬
ments have gradually advanced towards .it to a distance of fifty miles from the valley of the Red
river, at a little village of Preston. Settlements have been commenced in the vicinity of the
post, and also at a distance of thirty-five miles to the west, and in a few years the wants of the
garrison will he readily supplied hy them.

The Indians of the small friendly tribes I have mentioned have also established their villages
in the neighborhood.

For all the military purposes required, this post is admirably placed, and is only defective, as
I have stated above, in its garrison.

About one hundred and thirty-five miles to the southwest we find Fort Chadbourne, on a
small tributary of the Colorado, and about twelve miles from the river.

In view of the reasons I have suggested, •this post is out of position, and I therefore recom¬
mend that it he thrown forward in a northwest direction, to the intersection of the line from Fort
Belknap to El Paso, with the broad trail to the Rio Grande along the eastern base of the Llano
Estacado, and which is now the highway of the Camanches and Kiowas of the northern plains.
It would thus be brought more directly into contact with the Indians, and nearer to the tim¬
bered regions of the Brazos and Red rivers, in which they pass the winter ; would occupy the
broad trail of their plundering expeditions to the Rio Grande ; would separate the northern
from the southern Camanches ; and, independently of these advantages in a military view, it
would occupy a point on the proposed route of travel to the Rio Grande at El Paso.

The main Colorado and many of its tributaries offer desirable sites for a military post as far
west, at least, as the 101° of longitude, and somewhat farther if necessary. The mezquite, of
large size, is found forming extensive forests, and furnishing an excellent and abundant fuel.
Building-stone and lime exist on the spot, and water is found in springs and running streams
at almost any point. There is no timber so high up on the Colorado which is fit for the lumber
used in the construction of quarters ; hut as the buildings would necessarily he of stone, it
would he requisite to haul hut little lumber from points below.

PRESENT MILITARY POSTS AND PROPOSED CHANGES.

In view of the insufficiency of the military forces in Texas, I have suggested the throwing
forward of Fort Chadhourne to the northwest ; hut there is little question hut that another post
could he advantageously established between this new position and Fort Belknap, on some
tributary of the Double Mountain fork of the Brazos. Good roads should at once he made,
connecting these posts with each other, and with the heads of navigation of the Brazos and the
Colorado, by the valleys of these streams. I would also suggest, in this connexion, the removal
of Fort Arbuckle, which seems of little practical use in its present position, to a point in the
valley of the Red river, and considerably farther to the west, and of connecting it by good
roads with these two posts, and with Fort Smith or Fort Gibson, on the Arkansas. It would
he thus placed on the southern frontier of the “ Great Plains,” and in the region occupied by
the Camanches and Kiowas of the northern prairies during the winter months.

By these arrangements a very fertile and extensive region along the northern frontier of
Texas would he thrown open to settlements, which would soon supersede the necessity of the
posts. The interval of three hundred miles between the new position of Fort Chadhourne and
the valley of the Rio Grande could he occupied by a post to he established at or near the head
of Delaware creek, one hundred and seventy-six miles west of Fort Chadhourne, and one
hundred and forty-five miles east of El Paso.

At this point water is furnished in abundance from pure, and mineral springs, which form the
sources of this stream ; grass is good and very abundant over the entire country, and the build¬
ing-material, of stone or adobe, is furnished in the immediate vicinity. Sufficient wood for fuel
is found in the mezquite and dwarf cedar, which cover the ridges in the neighborhood, and
lumber to he used on the quarters could he procured from the forests of pine which line the
eastern face of the Guadalupe mountains, at a distance of twenty miles. I would suggest that
Fort Fillmore, on the Rio Grande, which can he advantageously broken up, as will he imme¬
diately exhibited, he removed to this point.

By these arrangements we have a continuous line of posts, at convenient intervals, from the
frontiers of Arkansas to the Rio Grande at El Paso, or Dona Ana, separating the Indians of
the prairies from those of Texas, confining the Apaches of New Mexico to the mountain ranges
on the north, and without increase of the military force. By procuring water on the “ Staked
Plain,” we have a route across the plains to the valley of the Rio Grande, more than half of
which traverses a well-watered, well-timbered and fertile country, and one which a very few
years will find settled to within three hundred miles of El Paso.

A brief examination of the approaches to this route from the east, and a comparison with the
present military road through Texas to El Paso, will readily exhibit its immense advantages.

The great route of emigration to Texas, from Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and
Tennessee, and the southern route to California, cross the Red river at the little village of
Preston, and at the town of Clarksville, one hundred miles lower down.

A broad and well-beaten road also leads from Preston down the valley of the Red river, con¬
necting the towns and settlements. The Red river, as I before stated, is navigable many miles
above the town of Preston, and steamboats yearly carry down the cotton and other products
of the valley. The point of departure from the Red river is easily accessible, both by land and
water, and the distance thence to the Rio Grande, at El Paso, over the route I have described,
is six hundred and thirty-nine miles.

The present depot of military supplies of Texas and the Rio Grande, as high up as the town
of Dona Ana, has been established at La Yaca bay, and from thence, by the present military
route. to El Paso, is a distance of seven hundred and fifty miles. Nearly five hundred miles of
this distance is through a country destitute of timber, and badly watered, and, although the
depot is more easily reached from the east than the proposed point of departure on Red river,
yet it is not only much farther from the frontier posts of Texas, but communicates with them by
a route far inferior in all respects.

For the defence of the Rio Grande settlements, from the northern terminus of the “ Jornada

PRESENT MILITARY POSTS AND PROPOSED CHANGES.

del Muerto” to El Paso, a distance of one hundred and forty-two miles, there are at present
four military posts, garrisoned by nearly half the military forces in the department of New
Mexico. Commencing at the north, these posts are, first, Fort Conrad, which, under another
name, has been moved down to the northern terminus of the “ Jornada;” Fort Thorne, in the
valley of the river and opposite the centre of the “ Jornada,” a distance of sixty miles from
Fort Conrad; Fort Fillmore, at the Bracita, fifty-four miles lower down; and Fort Bliss, oppo¬
site El Paso, and forty miles below Fort Fillmore.

The garrisons are in order as follows: Fort Conrad, one company of infantry and one com¬
pany of dragoons ; Fort Thorne, same garrison ; Fort Fillmore, three companies of infantry
and one company of dragoons; and Fort Bliss, four companies of infantry. We have distri¬
buted at intervals of less than sixty miles four military posts, comprising nearly one-half of
the troops in the Territory, and for the protection of about one-eighth of the population.

The establishment of Fort Thorne I consider in all respects a wise arrangement. A road
has been made connecting it with Fort Conrad, and with the town of Dona Ana, and all mili¬
tary movements and trains are required to pursue this route. The road over the “ Jornada”
has for many years been the scene of Indian depredations upon travellers and trains of wagons ;
and as, from its character, it can never he settled, it is likely to require for all times strong
military dispositions for its security. Water is very scarce, there is no wood, and the grass is
very indifferent.

The small gain in distance (fifteen miles) by no means compensates for these disadvantages,
and nothing hut the natural indolence of the Mexicans has ever diverted the travel from the
valley of the river. That portion of the valley which hounds the “Jornada” on the west is
among the finest portions of the arable country in New Mexico, and even partial security will
soon secure its settlement and cultivation. The route along the river will then he as safe as
any portion of the Territory, and the dangers of the “Jornada del Muerto” will only he me¬
mentoes of the past. It would be impolitic in the extreme to attempt any boring for water on this
desert, as the road along the river furnishes every possible facility of wood, water, and grass ;
and the constant use of this route would redeem from solitude the best portion of the Bio
Grande. The very success in supplying water on the “Jornada” would render necessary the
perpetual maintenance of a strong military force for the defence of the route over it, whereas
the settlement and cultivation of the valley of the river would soon leave the forces at Fort
Thorne disposable for other purposes. The commander of the department of New Mexico has,
in my judgment, exhibited great wisdom in establishing this post, and its good effects are
already beginning to he perceptible.

Fort Fillmore, which once occupied an important position opposite the valley and town of
Mesilla, has, since the late treaty, entirely lost its consequence, and since the establishment of
Fort Bliss, forty miles below, has become absolutely unnecessary. I therefore suggest that it
be at once moved to the head of the Delaware creek, east of the Guadalupe mountains, and
that its garrison he changed to two companies of dragoons and one of infantry. The establish¬
ment of this post would effectually cut off from the settlements below El Paso, and from the
route to that place, the Indians of the White and Sacramento mountains, who have been con¬
stantly in the habit of carrying their forays into that part of the country ; and with these
troops in their rear, and near their places of retreat in the mountains, they would he extremely
cautious about extending their depredations to the valley of the Rio Grande above.

I suggest these military arrangements after much reflection, and after careful examination of
the country and full knowledge of its necessities ; and, taken in connexion with a great highway
of travel across the plains, I think they will he found by experience to he in every respect
advantageous.

CHAPTER Y.

Agricultural and Mineral Resources of the Route.

As I have represented at some length in the preceding chapters the facilities presented by
this route for a great highway of travel across the plains, and for the establishment of military
posts for its security, and for military operations against the Indians, not only in view of the
great practicability of the country for such purposes, but in consequence of its extremely favor¬
able agricultural features, I consider it proper to enter in some detail into the examination of
this subject.

The opinions I shall express are not based upon the results of superficial observation, but
will be found confirmed by an analysis of the soils, and an examination and description of the
specimens of grasses and other vegetation which were collected at short intervals.

To the results of these examinations by scientific men, and which will be found under the
head of botany and soils, in the appendix to this report, I refer for the amount of confidence to
be placed in my statements.

It seems proper to state here that the region of the agricultural resources of which I am
about to give a hasty sketch, lies entirely to the west of the limits of possible settlement in the
Indian territories west of Missouri.

I will say, first, that with a considerable train of wagons, drawn by mules and heavily loaded,
I left Dona Ana on the 12th February — a season of the year the worst possible, when the old
grass was in its most unfavorable condition, and the new grass had not begun to spring up —
and traversed this route for the first time, over an unbroken country, without losing, during
the whole expedition, one single animal.

The mules arrived at Preston, on the Red river, after a journey of this character of six hun¬
dred and fifty miles, in better order than when they started ; and at no time during the entire
journey were they in worse condition than when they left the valley of the Rio G-rande.

This simple fact, which will be found confirmed in the journals of the expedition, speaks
more strongly than volumes of opinions in establishing the remarkable advantages of the
country for the support of stock.

The grama and mezquite grasses, which cover the entire surface, are short and curly,
growing very thickly and almost matted, and form a firm, spongy sod. They do not dry up
and lose their strength and nutriment during the winter, as is the case with the grasses further
east, but actually u cure” where they grow, like hay which has been prepared by the farmer.
To this singular fact, and to the extreme abundance of the grass, is undoubtedly due the com¬
plete success of the expedition ; and the journey across the plains with such successful results
during the most unfavorable months, exhibits conclusively the practicability of traversing this
route at any season of the year.

Of the valley of the Red river. — This valley is fourteen miles in width from the point at which
the route of survey intersected its first tributary, to the crossing of the river at Preston.

About four-fiftbs are covered with large timber — a few patches of prairie of limited extent,
only, sufficing to interrupt its continuity. The immediate valley of the river is about one hun¬
dred feet below the gently receding bluffs which border it, and is overgrown by timber of the
largest size and best quality — oak, pecan, hickory, elm, &c.

Although the bottom-land is covered with this timber, growing so thickly as absolutely to
4 e

VALLEY OP THE TRINITY. — VALLEY OF THE BRAZOS.

prevent any passage through it even on horseback without constant cutting, it is preferred by
cotton-planters who have the force to clear it, to the prairie or more sparsely timbered districts
to the west. It possesses a soil of black vegetable mould, of such astonishing fertility that it
well repays the labor of clearing the land ; and I was told by one of the planters who had just
commenced making a settlement, that there was no cotton land in America to compare with it.
The resources of the valley are so great, and the soil so exhaustless, that it is beginning to
attract planters from the cotton-growing States along the Mississippi ; and although it is
farther from the markets and remote from the conveniences of life, they find it to their interest
to make the change.

The occupation of the eastern side of the river by half-civilized Indian tribes who interpose
between it and the frontier of Arkansas, is a serious obstacle to the rapid settlement of the
valley.

It is of course forbidden to the whites to own land, or occupy themselves in making farms, in
the Indian country ; and the existence of the very unsatisfactory state of things in regard to
law and order on the eastern, seriously retards the settlement of the western side of the valley.

There is little or no security from robbery and outrage of any character, as the facilities for
escape into the Indian country east of the river, and the impossibility of securing or punishing
a fugitive from justice, have attracted, and will continue to attract, the outlaw and the vaga¬
bond.

The valley of the river between the 32d and the 34th parallels of latitude is a thickly tim¬
bered region of fertile soil, well watered, and possessing a mild and healthy climate. It pro¬
duces abundantly all the cereals, and is admirably adapted to the cultivation of cotton. The
pasturage is very fine, and is only interrupted by the seasons for two or three months of the
year.

Valley of the Trinity , and its tributaries. — The valley of the Trinity, between the waters of .
the Brazos and Red river, is about one hundred and seventeen miles in width, and contains
about equal proportions of prairie and timbered lands along the line of the survey, hut a con¬
siderably larger proportion of timber lower down. It is a gently rolling country of prairie
and oak openings, and presents the most beautiful undulations of surface. The groves of oak
timber are so agreeably distributed that each elevated summit of the country affords the most
beautiful landscapes, which seem far more appropriate to a well settled than to a sparsely popu¬
lated country. It is intersected by numerous fresh-running streams and countless springs, and
seems, in soil, climate, water, and timber, to present every attraction to the emigrant. It is
intersected by the two remarkable strips of very thick timber known as the Upper and Lower
Cross Timbers, extending from the “Canadian Fork” of the Arkansas to about the 32d parallel.

The first of these — the Lower Cross Timbers — is about fifteen miles through from east to
west, and commences about twenty miles west of the Red river, at Preston ; and the second,
about eight miles across, is about forty miles farther to the west. The principal growth of
these two belts of timber are the post-oak, black-jack, ash, hackberry, pecan, &c. It would be
very difficult to find a region of country in the United States of more fertile soil, or one in
which the timbered and prairie lands were more beautifully and advantageously distributed.
It is settled, though thinly, for fifty miles west of Preston, and connects with that place by the
military road, joining the chain of posts along the northern frontier of Texas. The small vil¬
lage of Gainesville is on a tributary of the Trinity, and about forty miles west of the Red
river.

Valley of the Brazos. — Separated by a very gentle dividing ridge, we find the valley of the
Brazos extending one hundred and fifty miles westward to the summit between its waters and
those of the Colorado. It is in all respects similar in character and natural features to the
valley of the Trinity, but rather more heavily timbered to a point near the head of the Clear
fork. Fort Belknap is placed on the east or left bank of the river, one hundred and seventy

VALLEY OP THE BRAZOS. — VALLEY OF THE COLORADO. 27

miles from Preston, and exercises a beneficial control over the Indian tribes which inhabit the
valley.

The river opposite the fort is seven hundred and thirty-eight feet in width, with a gravelly
bed; and when we passed, in April, with a depth of only a few inches. In the immediate
vicinity of the post the bluff banks of the stream approach each other to within six hundred
yards, and all the material for constructing a bridge is at hand.

The gently rolling country east and west dips with a gradual slope, in most cases of about
fifty feet, to the immediate bottom-lands along the river, which do not exceed a mile in width.
The valley of the Brazos is also being rapidly settled since the establishment of the post, and
thirty-four miles to the west, in the valley of the Clear fork, we came upon a house and a farm
of several hundred acres, under cultivation. As we proceed to the west from the Clear fork, the
oak and ash timber become much scarcer, until, near the last tributary of the Double Mountain
fork of the river, we lose it entirely. It is then replaced by dense groves of large mezquite,
which cover at least two-thirds of the country to a point a few miles east of the dividing ridge
of the waters of the Brazos and those of the Colorado.

Very extensive fields of bituminous coal crop out along the bluff banks of the main Brazos.
The coal is of good quality, and is used in the blacksmith shops at Fort Belknap. The abund¬
ance of timber of all kinds common to the valley of the river deprives these coal-beds of the
importance they would otherwise possess ; but a settlement of the country and the establishment
of factories would soon bring them into important notice.

The water of the river is slightly bitter and salty, in consequence of having cut through the
immense gypsum region to the west; but ani-mals prefer it to that of the springs of fresh-run¬
ning streams. Pure water is found in great abundance in the numerous tributaries of the river
which intersect its valley at every mile or two, and many springs are found throughout the
entire country. Water is readily obtained by digging wells at any point of the surface.

The country drained by the Brazos and its tributaries is more uneven in its surface, and more
densely timbered than either the Trinity to the east or the Colorado to the west, and with a
climate in all respects delightful ; it is a very fertile region, eminently adapted to agricultural
purposes.

Valley of the Colorado. — Passing the dividing ridge, we descend upon the tributaries of the
Colorado about twenty-seven miles from the main stream. This valley, from the summit of the
dividing ridge to the eastern base of the “Llano Estacado ,” is about sixty-seven miles in width,
and is intersected in that distance by many small running streams, tributary to the Colorado,
and from two to six miles apart. The east side of the valley is about equally divided into
“prairie” and forests of mezquite timber, and is much less undulating in surface than the
country to the east. The mezquite becomes less abundant on the west side of the river, probably
not occupying more than one-fourth of the country, until at the base of the “Staked Plain” it
disappears altogether. The soil of the valley of the Colorado is good, but less moist and fertile
than that of the valley of the Brazos. The rain is not so abundant as in the valleys of the
streams to the east, but falls in sufficient quantity to obviate the necessity of irrigation, as was
sufficiently evinced in the fact that although we traversed it at the very driest season of the
year, most of the small tributaries of the river were running streams, and few were without
water. The Colorado itself was about forty feet in width, and with a rapid current traversed
its valley from side to side in a very tortuous course. The low and gently sloping ridges on
each side were faced with red sandstone, and the soil was a rich, red loam, which, although
light, was very fertile.

Limestone and other building material, with the exception of timber large enough for joists
and planking, are readily obtained at any point of the valley ; and its agricultural features,
although not so eminently favorable as those of the country to the east, are nevertheless good.

The mezquite, a hard and durable wood, grows in extensive forests, is about thirty feet high,
and from four to ten inches in diameter.

VALLEY OP THE COLORADO. — LLANO ESTACADO.

For fuel, or for ties for a railroad, it is eminently adapted, and exists in an abundance which
many years will diminish but little. The yearly burning of the prairies has very seriously
obstructed the growth of this timber, as was sufficiently apparent in the scorched and blackened
forests west of the Colorado ; but settlement and a protection from these yearly conflagrations
will readily put a stop to this destruction, and will insure a vast increase of timber over this
region within a few years.

The entire region thus drained by the principal rivers of Texas is adapted, from soil and
climate, to the cultivation of cotton, hemp, corn, -wheat, and tobacco; but from its peculiar
character, cotton would doubtless be the most valuable and general of its productions.

I have not dwelt at much length upon the agricultural features of this region, since it differs
but little from the settled districts of Arkansas or Missouri ; and I refer those who are desirous
of more detailed knowledge of the character and productiveness of the soils to the tables of
analyses appended to this report.

From the valley of the Red river at Preston we have thus traversed, over a distance of three
hundred and fifty-four miles, a belt of well-timbered and fertile country, which projects, like a
great peninsula, into the vast deserts of the plains, and have reached a point within two hundred
and eighty-five miles of the Rio Grande at El Paso. This remarkable natural feature of the
country cannot have escaped the attention of the thousands of persons who, since the discovery
of gold in California, have been seeking, with constantly increasing interest, an easily practi¬
cable route to the Pacific; and the existence of the “Staked Plain,” without water, which
interposes between the western limit of this wooded peninsula and the valley of the Rio Grande,
has proved, in the absence of the labor and expense of boring for water, which are beyond the
means of the emigrant, an obstacle sufficient to counterbalance these advantages and to divert
the emigration to different routes. This obstacle is readily and easily removed, and it is to be
hoped, in every view, that the estimates for that purpose which I shall present will be favorably
considered by the department.

The Llano Escatado. — Of the agricultural resources of the “Staked Plain” but little can be
said. It is a high and nearly level table-land, elevated, at its highest line, about 4,700 feet
above the level of the sea, and about 500 feet above the headwaters of the Colorado of Texas.

It is nearly two hundred miles in width at its widest point, and extends from the vicinity of
the 30th to near the 35th parallel of latitude. On the line of survey it is one hundred and
twenty-five miles in width from the valley of the Pecos to the head of the Colorado, and is des¬
titute of water and of timber. Beds of dark-red sand alternate over its surface with patches of
hard, pebbly ground, upon which is imposed a thin layer of decomposed gypsum. Over the
hard surface the grama-grass is good and abundant, but the belts of sand are overgrown with a
coarse bunch-grass about two and a half feet high.

More than one-half of the surface of the plain, along the line of survey, is hard and firm, and
furnishes grama-grass in abundance, and the mezquite-root entirely sufficient to supply fuel
for all parties crossing it, in whatever numbers. There is no evidence, in natural features, of
its existence on approaching from the east or west, and the ascent to its summit and descent from
it are so gentle as only to be perceptible to instrumental survey. There are many beds of small
lakes and ponds which were dry in the month of March, but which probably contain water
during the rainy seasons. There is no living water in its entire extent. It presents remarkable
natural advantages of surface for a road, and a supply of water, which can be readily obtained
by boring, would adapt it in a high degree to the support of stock.

Although altogether deficient in important agricultural resources, it is nevertheless rich in
the immense beds of gypsum which crop out along the Pecos, in bluff banks of selenite fifty feet
high, and of a translucency which renders it valuable to the people of New Mexico, who use it
for glass. Numerous caves of pure gypsum, of dazzling whiteness within, are found in this
entire gypsum formation, which extends over a distance of one hundred and fifty miles along
the route, and forms probably the largest gypsum field in the world. As an article of commerc

VALLEY OF THE PECOS. — TABLE LANDS.

it would occupy an important place in estimating the resources of the country. With facilities
for reaching a market it would, in consequence of its immense extent and the remarkable ease
of procuring it, he of great value. It gives a hitter taste to the waters of the Pecos and to
some tributaries of the Colorado, hut not sufficient to make them unpalatable.

Valley of the Pecos. — The valley of the Pecos at the 32d parallel is from two to four miles in
width, and is bordered on the east by the u Llano Estacado,” and on the west by table-lands,
which descend into it by very gentle inclinations. The bottom-lands are level and very fertile,
and the river, with a general direction to the southeast, traverses the valley from side to side
in thousands of sinuosities.

Its bed has a very great inclination, which for thirty miles at least above the 32d parallel,
and fifteen below it, occasions continuous rapids, and in many places falls of two or three feet.
The soil of the level bottom-lands which occupy the bends of the river is, as will be seen from
the tables, of great fertility, and the peculiar character of the stream, and the great inclination
of its bed, offer unlimited facilities for irrigating the whole of the arable land of the valley.
There is no timber, other than the mezquite and a sparse growth of dwarf cedar ; but fuel suffi¬
cient for a climate so mild and equable could easily be procured, as is the case along the valley
of the Rio Grande, from the under-ground forests of mezquite-root on the table-lands.

About fifteen miles below the 32d parallel the river begins to change its character, passing
from its rocky bed and a depth of only two feet over the rapids, to a soft muddy bottom and fall¬
ing banks, and a depth probably at no place less than four or five feet, and in many places
fifteen or twenty feet. Very little rain falls in the valley except during the months of July and
August, and the same system of farming would be necessary as in the valley of the Rio Grande.
The expense of irrigation is very much over-estimated by those not conversant with such matters,
and as an evidence of this error it is only necessary to say that corn was worth but 60 cents a
bushel in the valley of the Rio Grande, above El Paso, during the months of February and
March, while in the Indian country, east of the Red river, and in the State of Arkansas, it
commanded a price varying from 70 cents to $1 50. It must be remembered, also, that but an
indifferent market for such products is offered in New Mexico, where the stock finds sufficient
grazing during the whole year, and where it is entirely unusual to feed corn to animals.

The only sales, or certainly four-fifths of the sales, are made to the government and for mili¬
tary purposes ; and it seems reasonable to suppose that a larger demand, by stimulating compe¬
tition and increasing the crops, would considerably reduce the present prices.

The valley of the Pecos is eminently adapted to this kind of cultivation, and with a demand
could supply corn or wheat in almost unlimited abundance. In common with all the low lands
in New Mexico, it is wonderfully favorable to the cultivation of the grape, and only needs pro¬
tection and a market to insure its settlement.

The river, although very tortuous in its course, has always sufficient depth of water for small
stern-wheeled steamers from its mouth to a point near the 32d parallel.

Table-lands between the Pecos and the Rio Grande. — Passing from the valley of the Pecos
along the northern bank of its tributary, the Delaware creek, we begin to ascend the elevated
table-lands, towards the east base of the Guadalupe mountains. The ascent is extremely gentle
along the banks of the creek to its head, about thirty miles from the Pecos ; but from thence to
the summit of the Guadalupe Pass, it is, although uniform, much more rapid. The valley of
Delaware creek presents agricultural features altogether similar to those along the Pecos, and
can be irrigated with almost equal facility. The creek itself is a succession of small lakes, ten or
fifteen feet deep, connected by a swift-running stream, and as it ascends from the mouth the dwarf
cedar becomes much more abundant along the ridges. It has its source in a limestone bluff about
fifty feet above its valley, and issues from the base of the bluff from seven or eight springs, both
pure and mineral. The largest of the pure springs bursts boldly out of the north side of the
hill in a stream as large as a barrel, and after a course of probably fifty yards it unites with
the small streams from the mineral springs. These springs, the analyses of which will be found

TABLE LANDS BETWEEN THE PECOS AND RIO GRANDE.

in the appendix, contain sulphur in various proportions — in some barely perceptible, while in
others it gives out an odor which is sufficiently perceptible at fifty yards. There are six of
these sulphur springs. From the south side of the bluff issues a spring strongly impregnated
with soda, and all the springs uniting in one of the small lakes or ponds of Delaware creek
form a compound detestable both in smell and taste. The animals, to my surprise, greatly
preferred this lake to the pure water of the spring.

That the mineral properties of these springs are very valuable and peculiar, there can ho
no question ; and the delightful air, and fine, bracing climate of the country will render them,
in the event of the construction of a railroad, a resort altogether preferable for health or plea¬
sure to any now frequented in the United States.

To this point it is proposed to remove the present post of Fort Fillmore, and it is to he doubted
if a more attractive spot in all respects can he found west of the Mississippi.

Beyond the immediate valley of Delaware creek, the table-lands, which extend uninterrupt¬
edly to the valley of the Rio Grande, are, from the absence of rains at convenient intervals,
entirely withdrawn from all prospect of cultivation ; hut overgrown as they are with the grama-
grass, abundantly supplied with water, easily accessible, and favored with a climate mild and
equable at all seasons of the year, they present advantages for raising and maintaining stock
as remarkable as they are limitless.

Sixteen miles from the head of Delaware creek we find the Independence springs, which hurst
from the surface of the ground in a small valley or depression in the table-lands. They are
two in number, and, igniting at a short distance below, they flow off to the southeast in a small
stream, which within a few miles becomes dry. There is a sparse growth of the hackherry and
dwarf cedar in the neighborhood. These springs are about five feet in diameter ; and although
a pole ten feet long was thrust into them, the bottom was not reached. Five miles further to
the west we reach the east base of the Guadalupe mountains, at a fine spring of pure water;
and four miles further, at the southern base of the high peak, we find another large spring,
which runs off to the south through a rocky ravine.

There is abundance of large pine timber in the ravines and gorges along the east face of the
mountains, and the ridges to the south are overgrown with the dwarf cedar.

Twenty-three miles to the west, and at the western base of the mountain, we come upon the
spring and two small lakes, slightly sulphureous, known as the ££Ojo del Cuerbo,” or Crow
spring. These lakes cover four or five acres of ground, and, although shallow, contain abund¬
ance of living water. Many wells have been dug in the vicinity, which supply water less im¬
pregnated with sulphur than the lakes. Twenty-seven miles to the west are the “ Cornudos,” or
Thorne’s wells. These are natural tanks of immense size, distributed through a mass of rocks
one hundred and fifty-feet high, piled upon each other in the most singular and grotesque con¬
fusion. The water which falls during the rainy season percolates through the crevices of the
rocks, and is received in immense rocky basins and reservoirs, capable of containing many
thousands of gallons, and entirely sheltered from the sun. Some of these reservoirs are reached
by the beds of streams which issue from them when the basins overflow ; others are in caves,
and some far up the sides of the rocks. By a little labor in deepening and increasing the num¬
ber of these cisterns, water could he accumulated to almost any extent. Eight miles further
are the wells of the ££ Alamos.” About five hundred yards from the route, and on the northern
face of an isolated hill, there are seven wells of living water, which, during the seasons of
rain, overflow, and are discharged by a small rocky stream along the face of the hill. Twenty-
five miles further are the ££Hueco tanks,” in all respects similar to the “Cornudos.” Twenty-
four miles from thence we reach the Rio Grande at El Paso.

These immense table-lands, covered with the grama-grass — nutritious at all seasons of the
year — and thus supplied with water, have been from time immemorial in undisputed possession
of the Apaches, who occupy the valleys among the mountains; and notwithstanding constant

VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE.

danger and enormous losses, the Mexicans cannot refrain from pasturing their stock in this
region of plenty.

The valleys between the Guadalupe mountains and the Hueco and Sacramento range, and
between these latter mountains and the Organ range, are occupied along their lowest lines by
the Salt lakes, which supply the whole country with that commodity, and which have been the
occasion of many hitter controversies.

The evaporation of the water leaves a deposite of pure salt several feet in depth, into which
trains of wagons are driven and loaded. It is quite impossible to estimate the extent or value
of these dry lakes ; but the quantity of salt is so enormous, and so easily obtained, that, with
cheap communications with a market, they would supply the United States at a cost far below
the present market prices.

The three ranges of the Guadalupe, the Hueco, and Organ mountains occupy the summits of
these table-lands, and are, so far as investigations have extended in constant apprehension of
attacks from Indians, prolific of the precious metals. The Sacramento and White mountains
(a continuation of the Hueco range) have long been marked in old traditions, and recent state¬
ments, as regions rich in gold and silver ; but the constant and immediate danger from Indians,
who are to the last degree jealous of any encroachments upon their lands, has hitherto prevented
any close examination.

On the west side of the Organ mountains, which bound the valley of the Kio Grande, valu¬
able silver and lead mines are found, extending over a continuous distance of twenty-five miles.
The want of means to open them, and the ignorance of mining, characteristic of the Hew Mex¬
ican, have altogether prevented any development of their richness, and it has only been within
the last eighteen months that anything like a serious commencement has been made.

Mr. Stevenson has opened a mine about fifteen miles from the river, at Dona Ana; and, not¬
withstanding the impossibility of getting an experienced miner, and the crude and imperfect
manner of smelting he has been compelled to adopt, the results have been exceedingly profitable.
The ore is powdered between two stones, and the smelting is done without one convenience com¬
mon to the States. The refuse probably contains half as much silver as the original ore; and,
notwithstanding this, from a mule-load of three hundred pounds of the ore he gets $18 of silver.

Many specimens from these mines were brought in, and their analyses will be found in the
appendix to this report.

Valley of the Rio Grande.— That portion of the valley of the Eio Grande, of the agricultural
resources of which I shall present a brief sketch, is embraced between the southern terminus of
the “Jornada del Muerto” and the town of San Elizario, in Texas. The only cultivated lands
within this distance of eighty-five miles are the immediate bottom-lands along the river, which
can be conveniently irrigated.

At the northern extremity is the town of Dona Ana, on the river and about seven miles
below the Jornada. Extending from this village a distance of fifteen miles along the east or
left bank of the river are the towns of Las Cruces and Las Tortugas, and the military post of
Fort Fillmore. Opposite we find the valley and town of Mesilla.

The settled portion of the Mesilla valley is about ten miles in length along the river, and
from one to three miles in width, to the base of the table-lands. It contains a population of
about 3,000, and notwithstanding its equivocal position during the disputed question of bound¬
ary, and the constant annoyances and discouragement to the inhabitants in consequence of so
precarious a condition, it has thrived wonderfully, and now raises nearly double the amount of
products of the valley on the east side of the river. The village of Mesilla contains a popula¬
tion of 2,500, although first settled as late as 1850, and doubtless the settlement of the vexed
question of jurisdiction will give a renewed impulse to its progress.

The oldest town in this part of New Mexico is Dona Ana, which, although settled as early
as 1842, is nevertheless the least populous and thriving of the villages I have named.

The post of Fort Fillmore has been established opposite the southern extremity of the Mesilla

VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE.

valley, and about fifteen miles below Dona Ana. The next settlements along the river, with
the exception of the abandoned ranch of “ Frontera,” are the town of Molino, at the rapids of
the Rio Grande, about fifty-four miles below Dona Ana and two miles above El Paso, and the
town of Franklin, two miles below.

Molino has been but recently laid out into lots, but occupying the point at which a railroad
must intersect the Rio Grande ; and presenting by far the most practicable point for crossing
the river within many miles, it bids fair to become a place of much consequence. Franklin,
opposite El Paso, is at present occupied by four companies of the 8tli infantry, and is almost
entirely the property of Mr. James McGoffin, a wealthy and enterprising citizen of El Paso
county.

The small villages of Isletta and San Elizario are twelve and twenty-five miles, respectively,
below El Paso.

At Frontera, about five miles above El Paso, the Rio Grande commences to make its passage
through the chain of mountains which intersect its course, and to a point immediately in the
neighborhood of Molino it is bordered closely on both sides by a range of high and rugged
mountains. At Frontera, four miles above, the range on the west side subsides into the vast
level table-lands, which extend with little interruption many miles to the westward ; but on
the east side the mountains gradually depart from the river, becoming more rugged and lofty,
until they unite on the “ Jornada del Muerto” with the continuous ridges of the Rocky mount¬
ains. The river cuts through them between Frontera and Molino, by a succession of rapids,
and at one place a perpendicular fall of two or three feet, and this passage has, from the
period of its discovery by the Spaniards, been known as El Paso. The Mexican town of that
name is about two miles below tbe debouchure of the river from the mountains.

With the exception of the limited strip between Frontera and Molino, the immediate valley
of the Rio Grande is from two to five miles in width, and perfectly level, and the river
traverses it from side to side in many sinuosities.

These level bottom-lands can be readily irrigated from the river, and possess a soil which,
although not deep, and containing rather too large a proportion of sand for the notions of
farmers in the United States, is nevertheless extremely fertile, and well adapted to the produc¬
tion of all the cereal grains.

The system of irrigation renews the fertility of the soil by spreading over it every year a fat
deposite several inches in thickness, which is brought down in suspension by the river, and to
this deposite is undoubtedly due the fact that the Mexicans, for so many successive years, have
been able to continue the same crops upon the land. The soil is only about four or five inches
deep, and for cultivating it the Mexican implements have been conclusively shown, by experience
of several years, to be the best.

The wooden plough which they use barely enters the earth sufficiently to turn up three or
four inches in depth, and they thus never pass below the yearly deposites of the river. The
iron plough,' on the contrary, passes several inches below this, and turns up a soil more than
four-fifths of which is sand, and consequently of little productiveness. ' As an evidence of the.
results, it will suffice to say, that of two fields of the same size contiguous to each other and
identical in soil, the one cultivated with great care by the government, after the American
fashion, the other the property of an old Mexican, who cultivated it himself, without assistance,
the products were little or nothing for the first, and a crop averaging from thirty to forty
bushels of corn to the acre for the last.

The immediate valley of the river between Dona Ana and Frontera contains about 128,000
acres of arable land ; and to form an estimate of its agricultural value, it will be sufficient to
exhibit the products of the little strip of cultivated ground in the Mesilla valley for the year
1853. This can scarcely be considered a fair test, as the land was first settled in 1850, and the
constant difficulties resulting from its equivocal relations with the two governments, and the
impressment of the men into the Mexican army, have seriously interfered with its agricultural

VALLEY OP THE RIO GRANDE.

productions. There are about 16,000 acres in what is commonly known as the Mesilla valley,
of which about 10,000 acres are under this partial cultivation.

The products for the year 1853 were as follows, viz:

Corn, 50,000 bushels, at 10 cents . . . $35,000

Wheat, 1,000 bushels, at $1 . . 1,000

Beans, 15,000 bushels, at $2 . . . . . 30,000

and melons, fruits, and vegetables, in the most unlimited profusion.

For a population, therefore, of about three thousand, we have products which, with a very
indifferent market, and under very unfavorable circumstances, have been worth about $80,000.

An approximate estimate can be formed from these data of what would be the value of the
products of these lands, with proper encouragement of security and good markets.

The most valuable feature, however, of the valley of the Rio Grande, is yet but partially
developed ; and as it ministers to the luxuries rather than to the necessities of life, it cannot, in
the absence of demand for sucb things, occupy a very important place in the present wealth of
New Mexico. I refer to the peculiar adaptation of the valley to the culture of the grape. The
east side of the Rio Grande is faced by chains of lofty mountains, at an average distance from
the river of fifteen miles, which, at San Felipe at the north and El Paso at the south, impinge
directly upon the banks. A semi-circular sweep of country is thus enclosed from the northern
and eastern winds, and in consequence we find within it a very mild and equable climate, little,
subjected to the changes of the seasons. The river having a general course to the southeast,
and the ranges of mountains on the east side being nearly parallel to it, the whole of this area
has a southern and western exposure, and with a soil sufficiently fertile, and of great warmth,
it is most wonderfully adapted to the culture of the grape. It attains here a flavor and richness
unknown to any grape I have ever seen in the United States, and is produced, where cultivated,
in the most profuse abundance.

An examination of tbe character and climate of this region exhibits a striking resemblance
to those of the south side of Madeira, and it is much to be doubted whether this portion of New
Mexico and Texas is at all surpassed in the quality of its grapes, even by that favored island.

As I said before, grapes and wine being articles of luxury rather than of necessity, the people
of New Mexico are little able to develop this rich agricultural feature of their country ; and
without facilities for reaching a market, this source of wealth is completely useless.

There are comparatively few vineyards in the country, but they produce most abundantly a
delicious grape, and the wine, although very rudely and imperfectly manufactured, and drunk
in the same year, and probably within a few months after fermentation, is of very fine flavor,
and of several varieties. It is, a matter of regret that no specimens of the wines were brought
in for examination.

I am convinced that one of the most important elements of the future wealth of New Mexico
is to be found in its peculiar adaptedness to the manufacture of wine, and it needs but oppor¬
tunity and encouragement to confirm the truth of this opinion.

The excellent pastoral character of the table-lands, which have been before referred to, has
made New Mexico, for the present, peculiarly a stock country ; and the expense of maintaining
all kinds of stock is so little, that the people are able to drive immense herds annually to Cal¬
ifornia, and sell them at a very large profit. These expeditions are attended with great diffi¬
culty and some danger, and it is with much reluctance that the New Mexican overcomes his two
besetting evils, timidity and indolence, sufficiently to induce him, even with the prospect of the
largest gains, to undertake the journey to California.

Sheep and mules, because more easily taken care of, are probably the most numerous of their
possessions of this kind ; but the country is remarkably favorable to any kind of stock, both in
climate and pasturage.

A brief review of this subject exhibits the three great natural divisions of the country along

VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE.

the route, to which I referred in the beginning of this report, and a detailed examination of
them has shown hut one strip of country which is not rich in wealth, either agricultural or
mineral.

It would certainly he difficult to find, over a district of such immense extent, less desert
country.

CHAPTER VI.

Of Boring or Digging for Water on the “ Llano Estacadof

The only natural obstacle presented by this route is the absence of water on the “Staked
Plain,” and to obviate this difficulty two methods can be proposed, and they will be considered
separately. The first is by digging wells, or constructing artificial tanks, and the second
by boring astesian wells.

To justify the opinions I shall express as to the practicability and relative advantages of
either process, a brief sketch of the conditions necessary to success in each case would seem to
be necessary.

There are two classes of springs from which the two descriptions of wells above mentioned
are supplied — first the shallow, and, second, the deep-seated springs. The first of these is
dependent for its supply of water upon the rains which fall upon the surface of the limited
district of country in which these springs are found.

The water falling upon the surface of the ground percolates through the soil until it encoun¬
ters a stratum of rock or clay, impervious to water, and follows the lowest lines of this stratum
until it appears at the surface. It follows from these conditions that shallow springs are
directly affected by the quantity of water which falls in the immediate neighborhood, and in
consequence, during seasons of drought, they frequently become dry.

There are, of course, basins or circumscribed tracts of land, in which the immediate surface
of the ground is’impervious to water, and in such districts we find lakes, ponds, or swamps.

Deep-seated springs, on the contrary, are found beneath the impermeable stratum, which is
the base of the shallow springs, and are only affected by the rain-fall remote from the points
at which the springs burst out. The strata of the earth, originally deposited in a horizontal
position, have been upheaved by natural causes along the lines of the mountain ranges, and the
strata thus dislocated present over many miles of country, and most generally in the vicinity of
the mountains, their edges exposed upon the surface.

Where the strata are composed of alternate beds of permeable and impermeable character,
the rain which falls upon the edges exposed by dislocations, and the descent of the water occa¬
sioned by the melting of the snows on the mountains, would completely saturate the permea¬
ble stratum, and the water would continue to follow its line of greatest descent.

If we suppose a permeable stratum of this character to be interposed between two impermea¬
ble strata, the water must continue between them, until the stratum containing it is exposed at
the surface at a lower level.

By boring, therefore, at any point of the surface of the upper stratum, water would be pro¬
cured as soon as the water-bearing stratum was reached, which would rise in the shaft to the
height of the point of exposure of the stratum at the upper surface, less friction and loss of
water through fissures.

There are many circumstances to qualify this state of things, such as “faults,” (or interrup¬
tion of the continuity of the strata by breaks,) the giving out, as is sometimes the case, of the
water-bearing stratum, &c. &c. ; but most generally there is no great difficulty in ascertaining
with some considerable certainty the prospects of success in these borings, before commencing
the work.

These deep-seated springs are not nearly so much affected by the rain-fall as the land springs,

GEOLOGY OF LLANO ESTACADO.

since they not only receive their supply of water at remote points from this source, and from
the melting of the mountain-snows, hut they are sheltered from the air and sun, and protected
from the consequent evaporation.

When the strata fulfilling these conditions, and out-cropping at high altitudes, can he traced
continuously without interruption, the boring of artesian wells will always be successful.

I will therefore, with this brief sketch, proceed to examine the Staked Plain, with a view to
the supply of water which can he procured from the two classes of springs above referred to.

Geological structure of the Llano Estacado . — The upper geological formations of this plain,
according to Mr. Jules Marcou,* are, first, the Jurassic, 700 feet thick; and, second, the Trias,
3,000 feet thick.

Beginning at the upper surface of the plain, the Jurassic consists of super-soil, white lime¬
stone with fossils, yellow sandstone, blue clay, compact white limestone, oolitic white sand¬
stone, and red and variegated soft sandstones: the Trias, of red friable sandstones, with red
and gray clay — in a word, variegated with interpositions of beds of sandstone and dolomite, or
magnesian limestone.

The strata of the Jurassic and Trias outcrop at the eastern base of the Guadalupe mount¬
ains, and at an altitude of 800 feet above the highest line of the Llano Estacado. From their
line of dislocation they have a very gradual dip to the east-southeast, and are uninterrupted
as far, at least, as the headwaters of the Colorado of Texas, at which point the white oolitic
limestone of the Jurassic outcrops, and from beneath it issue the springs forming the sources
of the Colorado.

These strata, alternately permeable and impermeable to water, fulfil all the conditions neces¬
sary for the success of artesian wells. They are cut through by the Pecos, which interposes
between the ‘ ‘ Llano ’ ’ and the Guadalupe mountains, down to the white oolitic limestone of
the Jurassic, which forms the bed of that river. In boring, therefore, upon the Staked
Plain, it would he necessary to pass entirely through the whole of the Jurassic above this
limestone, or a distance of from four to seven hundred feet.

In confirmation of the belief that boring would he thus successful, I quote from the report of
Mr. Marcou. t ‘‘These rocks of the Llano Estacado (the Jurassic and Trias) dip gently to
the east-southeast, and as the heads of the strata outcrop at the foot of the Rocky mountains,
called here Sierra Guadalupe, Sierra Sacramento, &c., in boring artesian wells on any point
of the Llano, abundant columns of water would he found to gush out over this immense plain ;
so that the want of water is not an objection to the establishment of a railroad on the Llano
Estacado, for it may he obtained anywhere.”

The upper surface of the “Llano” is very gently undulating, and contains many shallow
basins, which fill with water during the rainy season — the months of August and September.
The basins are so shallow, and so large a surface of water is exposed to evaporation, that these
ponds are dry during a great portion of the year.

It would he easy to dig wells or tanks in the beds of the lakes, and by conducting into them
by ditches and drains all the water which falls upon the surface, a very large supply could he
accumulated. It is impossible to say how much, hut certainly sufficient to supply all travelling
purposes for the whole year. This process would he somewhat cheaper than that of boring,
hut the supply of water would he less certain and much less abundant.

Wells, also, dug at any point of the plain, would supply water which has percolated through
the loose permeable soil, and which is retained by the impermeable stratum of limestone below.
The average depth of such wells would probably not exceed sixty feet, although at some points
it might reach one hundred and fifty.

In all respects the artesian wells would be preferable. The water would, from what I have
stated, be delivered at the surface, and would probably rise far above it ; and instead of arrange-
* See the preliminary report by Mr. Marcou upon the collection. Preliminary Reports, 1st edition, 8vo. Washington, 1854.
tlbid.

ESTIMATE FOR ARTESIAN WELLS. 37

merits for drawing it up — which, would require too much time and labor when large numbers
of animals were to he supplied — the artesian wells would he the sources of running streams.

The tanks would also require to he protected from animals, and the Llano Estacado could
only he occupied by the few domestic animals which could he watered by hand.

The process of boring artesian wells is well understood in this country ; and by such means
large districts of country have been redeemed from unproductiveness. The success of such
wells upon the Llano Estacado would not only be of incalculable value to the travelling
community, and in the construction of a railroad or wagon-road, but would open to occupation
an extensive grazing region which is now doomed to solitude.

In the outfit of a party sent for the purpose of boring or digging, the expenses would he
identical up to a certain point, and the number of persons required for each process about the
same. It would be both economy and expediency for the government to conduct the work
through its own officers, in preference to making contracts for that purpose ; and with this view
it would be well to purchase boring instruments, provisions, and transportation.

One set of boring tools would be sufficient for many such wells, unless under extraordinary
difficulties of ground, which are scarcely to be anticipated on the Llano Estacado.

The wagons would be nece/sary to haul water to the working-parties; and at the conclusion
of the work, both mules and wagons would command a price equal at least to two-thirds of
their original cost.

In boring upon the Llano Estacado it would be preferable, if only one experiment is to be
made, to establish the depot camp on the Pecos, for' the reason that the comparative proximity
of New Mexico would be an object in facilitating the supply of the party with materials and
provisions. Should an appropriation sufficiently large, however, be devoted to this object, it
would seem to me in all respects advisable to commence the work at both sides at the same time.

For entire convenience four wells, at intervals of twenty-five miles, would be necessary
between the head of the Colorado and the Pecos, and the whole number could be bored at the
same expense and in half the time as by commencing at one side only.

Allowing two months from the time of leaving the settlements to the commencement of the
work, which I would consider sufficient, and an average depth of boring of six hundred feet,
the time necessary for the completion of each well would be about six months. This time is
arrived at by allowing an average depth. of three feet for each day’s boring. Through hard
rock about eighteen inches a day can be made, and through sandstone and soft limestone about
six feet. From what I have stated concerning the Staked Plain, a great proportion of the
boring would be through soft sandstones and limestones. Some harder beds would be encoun¬
tered, but of extent comparatively limited.

It would seem to me in all respects advisable to appropriate for the boring of all the wells
required, at once, since eight-tenths of the expense would be in the purchase of tools and trans¬
portation, and the cost of each additional well would only amount to the cost of provisions and
the wages of the party.

I append below estimates for each process.

, ESTIMATE FOR ARTESIAN WELLS.

Tools, rods, augers, chisels, derrick-irons, &c., for boring TOO feet . $1,250 00

Travelling forge and equipments . 500 00

Wooden tubes for TOO feet . 250 00

Pay and subsistence of men for eight months . 8,016 00

Cost of wagons and mules for transporting provisions and tools . 9,500 00

19,516 00

38 ESTIMATE FOR ARTESIAN WELLS.

For each additional well . $5,472 00

Total cost of four wells . 35,932 00

From which deduct sale of mules, wagons, and -boring instruments.. . 7,400 00

Final cost . 28,532 00

The estimates for tanks or shallow wells would approach nearly to the same sum. The cost
of tools would he less, and the time would he somewhat shorter, hut there would he no import¬
ant difference in the estimates.

The estimated cost of artesian wells upon the Llano Estacado is very large, and has been
made with a view to every possible contingency which may arise. I consider it in all respects
sufficient, and with such an amount I would feel certain of success.

The construction of these wells on the Staked Plain is alone necessary for the establishment
of a route of travel across the plains in all respects favorable, and one which, with great advan¬
tage to our Indian relations, can be occupied by a chain of military posts, which, in their loca^-
tions, will fulfil every condition necessary or desirable in selecting sites for military posts in
the Indian country. The establishment of such a route, and one thus protected, will open to
settlement and cultivation an immense region of fertile country which is now alone occupied by
bands of wild Indians. It seems but proper, therefore, that I should invite the attention of the
department to the great importance of .considering favorably the estimates which I have
presented ; and I do so with the full conviction that the sum asked for will insure complete

CHAPTER VII.

Construction of a Railroad along the Route , and its Estimated Cost.

The construction of a railroad across the plains necessarily presumes the establishment of a
wagon road along the route, and of a chain of military posts for its protection. For the first,
certain facilities of ground, and the supply of wood, water, and grass, are absolutely requisite.
In the establishment of military posts, the agricultural capacities of the country, and the
effects of the posts upon Indian relations, are matters to be carefully examined. Before ap¬
proaching the question of the railroad, therefore, it has seemed to me desirable to enter fully
into the examination of these subjects ; and I have exhibited in the previous chapters a few
of the most important advantages presented by the route near the 32d parallel, and have
explained as clearly as possible the means for obviating certain natural obstacles which inter¬
pose to modify them. A determination of the bare question of practicable grades is by no means
sufficient, since easy grades may be obtained over immense districts of barren country, unfit for
human habitation, and in which it would be next to impossible to keep up the military stations
which, for all time, would be necessary for the security of the road. There are a few important
requisites absolutely indispensable, and I have thought it proper to give in detail the capacity of
the route I have examined for supplying them.

It appears from the preceding part of this report that a large proportion of the facilities which
may be considered as desirable are found along the route near the 32d parallel, and that the few
natural obstacles which present themselves are obviated with little labor and expense.

Three of the most important elements which enter into the construction of a railroad are —

1. The possibility of obtaining practicable grades.

2. The capacity of the country to supply material for construction and for daily use.

3. The facilities for delivering the iron for the road, and supplies for the working parties at
points along the line.

In considering these questions, the same natural divisions of the country to which I have
already referred, may be properly used, and will be examined in detail.

First Section, 352 miles — From Red river to eastern base of the Llano Estacado. — It is to be
borne in mind that the ascents and descents referred to in this chapter are along surface lines, and
are in every case steeper than it would be either necessary or desirable to establish the grades. For
convenient reference, I have appended to this chapter a table exhibiting more in detail the
ascents and descents for each section, and the distances between the stations.

The eastern terminus of the line surveyed was at Preston, on the south side of Red river, and
in latitude about 33° 45'. As I do not consider this point well selected, either for passing the
river or in view of a continuation of the railroad eastward, I shall omit any reference to the cost
or plan of a bridge to cross Red river.

In ascending from the immediate banks of the river to the u Divide” between its waters and
those of the Trinity, the route for the first six miles pursues, through heavy timber, a gentle
ridge, dividing the waters of two small streams which flow into Red river above and below
Preston. The surface line of ascent in this distance is quite regular, and amounts to 66.3 feet
to the mile, which could be reduced, by gaining more distance, to almost any desired grade.

From this point to the eastern edge of the Upper Cross Timbers the ascent is 616 feet in a
distance of 59.6 miles, or 9.8 feet to the mile. The country, about equally divided between

CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD.

prairie and timber, is gently undulating in surface, and no abrupt ascents or descents occur. A
grade of fifteen feet to the mile could be readily maintained over the entire distance. There are
three streams to cross, each of which is about twenty yards in width, and approachable nearly
on a level. All the materials for constructing the wooden bridges required are at hand at each
point. These streams are, first, Big Mineral, tributary to Bed river, and the Clear and Elm
forks of the Trinity.

The Upper Cross Timbers — 65.5 miles west of Preston — are about ten miles through from
east to west, and are bounded on the east by a bluff or table-land 256.5 feet above their lowest
line. The country is rough and broken in the Timbers, and the embankments and excavations
would be comparatively heavy.

Descending from their eastern edge, we pass for the first five miles through a descent of 256.5
feet, or a surface line of fifty' two feet to the mile.

From the lowest line of these Cross Timbers to the bluff banks of the Brazos, a distance of
85.2 miles, we ascend 304.9 feet, or an average ascent of 2.7 feet to the mile. The country
continues gently undulating along the line of survey, and contains a rather larger proportion of
timber. There are many small streams, or rather threads of water, which descend each way
into the Trinity and Brazos on the south, and the Bed river on the north. The excavations and
embankments would be very slight. The only stream to be crossed is the west fork of the
Trinity, about twenty yards in width, and with gentle approaches.

The Brazos is bordered on both sides by bluff banks of the same general level of the country,
and from which it would not be necessary to descend in order to pass the river. At the point of
crossing, the banks approach to within 1,600 feet of each other, and leave a water-way of 738
feet, occupied by the immediate bed of the river. All the materials for constructing a bridge,
both wood and stone, are found upon the spot. Along these bluff banks large coal-fields crop
out, and from them bituminous coal of good quality can be readily procured.

From the Brazos to the crossing of Clear fork the country is more undulating, and in this
distance of 32.4 miles we ascend 402.1 feet at the rate of 12.6 feet to the mile. The Clear fork
is about forty feet wide, and presents no obstacles to approach. Timber of large size is found
on its banks.

In passing from the Clear fork to the Double Mountain fork of the Brazos, an ascent is made
of 1,755.8 feet in a distance of ninety miles, or at the rate of 19.5 feet to the mile. It would be
difficult to reduce this grade much, as the whole surface of the country is so uniform that the
ascent is barely perceptible at any point. From thence to the “Divide” of the waters of the
Brazos and Colorado, an ascent is made over a distance of eight miles at the rate of forty-five feet
to the mile. This rate could be reduced as much as would be considered advantageous.

At the crossing of the Clear fork of the Brazos the oak timber disappears, and is replaced by
extensive forests of mezquite. This timber is hard and durable, and covers at least one-half of
the country between the Brazos and the dividing ridge between its waters and those of the
Colorado.

There are no streams of importance to cross, although many small tributaries of the Clear
fork and Double Mountain fork of the Brazos intersect the route at short intervals.

From this divide we descend to the Colorado 308.1 feet, in a distance of 22.8 miles; an aver¬
age descent along the surface of 12.1 feet to the mile. The timber (mezquite) is not so plenty
west of this divide as east of it; but abundance is found for construction and use.

The Colorado is about forty feet wide, and can be readily approached ; its banks being but
little below the general level of the country.

Water is abundant, although the water of the river itself is slightly brackish. From the
Colorado to the Sulphur springs, at the east base of the Llano Estacado, the ascent is 319 feet
in a distance of 44 miles, or 6.3 feet to the mile. The mezquite becomes much scarcer until,
about 10 miles east of the springs, it disappears. Water is abundant in the small streams tribu¬
tary to the Colorado.

TIMBER, BUILDING STONE, ETC.

Timber for building . — From the Red river to the Clear fork of the Brazos, 187.5 miles, the
timber is very abundant and of the same character as that found along the streams and ridges
of Arkansas and Missouri — oak, elm, ash, pecan, &c. The most valuable for use in construc¬
tion is the post-oak, which is entirely convenient at all points between the Brazos and Red
rivers. This oak is from eight to fourteen inches in diameter, and about thirty feet in the clear
or from the ground to the first branches. It 'is perfectly straight and without knots, and each
tree would furnish at least three ties.

The mezquite, which replaces the oak west of the Clear fork, although more durable, is not
so well adapted for ties. It is about thirty feet high, but more crooked and much more inter¬
rupted by branches, which grow out nearly horizontally. It is from eight to twelve inches in
diameter, and, although not so well adapted for ties as the oak, would, nevertheless, furnish
them immediately on the line at any point.

Of the building -stone. — For observations upon the characters of the stone found along the
route, and upon its adaptation to purposes of construction, I refer to the geological report of
Mr. Blake.

It is my opinion, therefore, that this section abounds in every desirable material for the con¬
struction and use of the railroad, and that grades are readily attainable which are in all respects
favorable.

The head of navigation of the Red fiver is far to the north of the eastern terminus. At fifty
miles west, the head of steamboat navigation of the Trinity approaches to within 40 miles ; at
170 miles west, the head of navigation of the Brazos approaches to within 85 miles ; and at the
eastern base of the Llano Estacado, 354 miles, the head of navigation of the Colorado is within
175 miles.

For this section, therefore, we find every combination of advantages which exist along any
railroad route'in the United States; and in estimating the cost of the road, it should not he
found to differ much from the most favored locations of railroads within the old States.

Estimated cost of first section. — The survey of this route was not, of course, sufficiently in
detail to enable any accurate computation for excavations and embankments, or plans or esti¬
mates for bridges, to he made; and therefore, in estimating the cost, a comparison must he made
with roads in the United States which have been constructed in a region nearly similar to that
in question.

It would he next to impossible to find a railroad in the United States, without going to the
prairies of northern Illinois, which can compare in facility of ground or other advantages with
this section of the route, near the 32d parallel ; hut it will answer the present purpose to make
the comparison with the New York and Erie railroad.

The total cost of this road per mile was $45,652. Assuming this amount, therefore, as a
basis, and adding ten per cent, for contingencies, we have $50,000 per mile (nearly,) and for
the whole distance of 352 miles $17,600,000.

This estimate I regard as very large, and one which will fully cover every possible contin¬
gency.

Second Section, 125 miles. — Llano Estacado.' — From the Sulphur springs of the Colorado the
ascent to the Staked Plain is so gentle and uniform as to he barely perceptible, and no bluff nor
unusual swell of ground marks its existence.

To the summit-level of the plain the ascent is 423.6 feet in a distance of 89.1 miles, or an
average ascent to the mile of 4.8 feet. Neither excavation nor embankment would he required
in this whole distance, as the ascent is both gradual and uniform, and uninterrupted by hill or
ravine.

The descent to the Pecos, although more rapid, is in all respects similar; and so well adapted
is this section to the construction of a railroad, that, with the exception of transporting the ties,
no work is required. The surface line from the summit-level to the Pecos descends at the rate
of 18.3 feet to the mile, over a distance of 35 miles.

BUILDING MATERIAL. — COST OF CONSTRUCTION, ETC.

There is neither timber nor water upon this section, and for the supply of the latter requisite
boring would be necessary. As I have explained, in a previous chapter, the process and cost
of the boring required, it is unnecessary to refer to it in this place.

Timber for ties and for fuel is found very near the east side of this section, and within fifty
miles of its western limit. It would therefore be requisite to transport the ties over an extreme
distance of eighty-seven miles, to the summit of the plain.

Rocks. — Building-material of limestone and sandstone is very abundant, and can be procured
at any point. The Pecos river, at its intersection with the 32d parallel, is about forty yards in
width, and descends through many rapids over a bed of compact silicious limestone. A stone
bridge could be constructed at little cost from material found on the spot.

Cost of construction. — In estimating the cost of a railroad over this section, it would be neces¬
sary to reduce very much the estimate which has been made for the section east of it, in conse¬
quence of the very great and very unusual facilities of ground. Instead, therefore, of adding
to, it will be in all respects advisable to reduce, the assumed basis.

Assuming, therefore, the cost of the road used in estimating for the first section, and reducing
it by ten per cent., we have for the cost per mile of the road over this section $40,000 (about,)
and for the total cost $5,000,000.

Although the additional expense of boring for water and transporting the ties will be neces¬
sary on this section, yet the work for grading is in all respects so much lighter as to compensate
certainly for double the expense required for these purposes.

Third Section, 169 miles — From the Pecos to the Rio Grande , at El Paso. — This section is in
all respects different in natural features from those which precede. It consists of elevated table¬
lands, whose highest lines are occupied by three ranges of lofty mountains — the Guadalupe,
the Hueco, and the Organ ranges. The latter is completely turned by the line at its southern
extremity, and need not, therefore, enter into the consideration. The controlling points of this
section are the Guadalupe Pass and the pass through the Hueco mountains.

In approaching the Guadalupe Pass from the Pecos, the line is nearly straight, and to the
head of Delaware creek ascends 102.6 feet in a distance of thirty miles, or 3.5 feet to the mile.

The country along Delaware creek is uniform, and the ascent is not abrupt at any point.
Water in abundance is'found along the creek, which is a constantly running stream.

Prom the head of Delaware creek to the summit of the Guadalupe Pass the ascent, though
rapid, is quite uniform, and the line straight. It might probably be considered advisable to
reduce the grade on this part of the line ; but as it could easily be overcome on the direct line,
it would be questionable whether any change would be advantageous. The pass is elevated
1,545 feet above the head of the Delaware creek, which gives, for a distance of 24.4 miles,
an average ascent of 61.8 feet to the mile. The eastern side of the mountains immediately
contiguous to the line is faced with pine timber of large size, and abundant springs of water
break out at several points. All the rocks of the u Trias,” before referred to, are found along
the line from the Pecos to the mountains, and furnish abundantly the building-material described
for the first section.

In descending from the Guadalupe Pass to the table-lands west of this range, the first serious
difficulty in the construction of a railroad was presented.

The summit of the pass is at the east base of the mountains, and from thence to the Ojo del
Cuerbo a descent of 1,824.8 feet is made in a distance of seventeen miles. The present wagon-
road descends abruptly from the summit of the pass to the bed of a rocky ravine, and at a dis¬
tance of 3.8 miles is 1,227.8 feet below it. The road then turns abruptly to the northwest, and,
crossing several spurs which project in a southerly direction from the high peak, descends to the
plain.

I at first thought it might be possible to descend more gradually into this dry bed, and to
pursue it to the plains on the west side of the mountains, but I found the bed of the stream so
much inclined as to make the grade impracticable. This ravine leads from the south point of

GRADES. — WATER — BUILDING MATERIAL, ETC.

the mountain in a southerly direction, and reaches the plain at a distance of eight miles — hav¬
ing accomplished a descent of 1,800 feet in that distance. Its eastern side is an abrupt rocky
precipice 1,000 feet above its bed, and on the west it is bounded by a narrow spur of the mount¬
ains, which descends to the plain with a slope even greater than that of the ravine. The west
face of the mountains is perfectly uniform, and interrupted neither by spur nor ravine, and has
a gentle slope to the plain of the salt lakes, along which, descending diagonally, any grade
could be obtained. It became very important, therefore, to find some method of passing, with
practicable grades, from the east to the west face of the mountains. This, after some examination,
was accomplished, by passing round the south point of the range, and close under the high
peak. This, however, would require some heavy work, principally the filling up or bridging
over of two narrow and deep rocky ravines, which penetrate to the very face of the precipice
which terminates, at the south, the high summits of the Gruadalupe mountains. Two short
curves and a deep cut at the point of entrance to the pass from the east would also be required.

By these means we reach the western face of the mountains at a distance of three miles from
the summit of the pass, and with a grade of 108 feet to the mile. From thence, descending
diagonally along the face of the mountains, the plain of the Salt lake is reached by any grade
which may be considered advantageous. The work over the short distance of three miles along
the south face of the mountain would be heavy, but all materials for embankments or bridges
are at hand.

A map and profile, on a large scale, exhibit the position of the line and of the wagon road,
with the descents along each.

It is proper to remark that the line of survey was not carried over this immediate line further
than the determination of the relative heights of the points on the east and west faces of the
mountains, and the distance between them was computed. A reconnaissance was made, how¬
ever, sufficiently close to be convincing of its practicability.

From the Ojo del Cuerbo, along the table-lands, we reached the “Cornudos,” at a distance
of twenty-four miles, and with a gradual and uniform ascent to the mile of 23.8 feet. At the
Cornudos are the immense natural tanks which I have already described, and which by enlarge¬
ment would supply abundance of water.

From the Cornudos to the “Alamos,” near the springs, the line still continues along the
table-lands, and over a distance of 8.2 miles ascends at the rate of 26 feet to the mile. The
springs of the Alamos supply water in abundance. From thence to the east base of the Hueco
mountains, a distance of 20.4 miles, the ascent is 0.9 foot to the mile. The ascent is quite
uniform, and no grading would be required.

From the east base of the Hueco mountains an ascent of 227.1 feet, over a distance of 1.7
mile along the wagon road, is presented, to the summit of the pass. Ho difficulty, however,
in obtaining any desirable grade occurs at this point. The faces of the hills are very uniform,
and descend gently to the plain, and are approachable from the east at any point. I have
therefore increased the length of ascent to 3.7 miles, which gives a grade of 57 feet to the mile.
From the summit of the pass the wagon road descends rapidly into the dry bed of a ravine,
which conducts to the table-land west of the mountains, at a distance of 3.8 miles, and through
a descent of 219.3 feet to the mile. The hills, however, which border the ravine on each side,
descend into it gently and with a slope quite uniform, and the line passes diagonally along
their face, with a grade of 79.8 feet to the mile, and a gain of seven miles of distance. The
descent to the plain is made at a point four miles north of the low, isolated range of hills in
which are found the Hueco Tanks. Water and building material of stone are readily obtained.
The cuttings along the face of the hill present little difficulty, and no lateral ravines interrupt
the uniformity of the slopes.

From the point at which the descent to the plain is made, the line is straight to the highest
line of the table-land near El Paso, passing close along the north face of the isolated hills
which contain the Hueco Tanks. An ascent is made of 56.5 feet over a distance of 27 miles,

BUILDING STONE. — COST.

or 2.1 feet to the mile. The distance between the Hueco and the Organ ranges is twenty miles,
and along the east face of the latter an abundance of large pine timber is found. From the
summit of the table-land the line descends along the plateau to the Eio Grande, at Molino,
passing close under the south base of the Organ mountains. No descent is made to the bottom¬
lands of the river ; as at Molino, the elevated table-lands extend down to the very hanks.
The descent from the summit of the Mesa to Molino is 161 feet in a distance of three miles, or
a descent of 53.1 feet to the mile. At this point the Rio Grande is closely bordered on both
sides by table-lands, and descends over rapids for the space of half a mile. The bed and hanks
of the river are rocky, and there is no doubt hut that this place presents greater facilities for
bridging than any point to the north within three hundred miles.

The table-lands appear to extend uninterruptedly to the west ; hut my instructions did not
authorize any examination west of the river. Major Emory, the present boundary commis¬
sioner, is of opinion that it would he impossible, from difficulties of ground, to connect this
point immediately with the table-lands, which extend as far to the west as the Rio Mimhres,
and that it will he better to continue the line up the immediate valley of the river, to a point
three miles above, and there cross. In either case, the best and only easily practicable approach
to the river is made at the town of Molino. By this means the whole range of the Organ
mountains is avoided, and the profile which accompanies the map will exhibit the impractica¬
bility of reaching Dona Ana, with allowable grades, through this range.

Timber. — Timber is found in this section on the east side of the Guadalupe mountains, upon
the immediate line of the road, and along the east face of the Organ mountains, about thirty
miles north of it.

The valley of the river Sacramento, which is at an average distance of thirty miles north of
the line, between the Guadalupe and the Hueco and Sacramento mountains, is said to contain
fine timber of almost every description, hut my orders did not justify me in attempting the
examination of it.

Stone. — Building material of this kind is very abundant along the line throughout this sec¬
tion, and for its character I again refer to the report of the geologist, Mr. Blake. It will be
seen that there is an abundance of excellent building-stone, such as granite and carboniferous
limestone. As regards the construction of a railroad, the rocks between the Guadalupe mount¬
ains and El Paso are very favorable. There are sandstone, limestone, and granite ; and it is
probable that artesian wells could he bored with success.

Cost. — In estimating the probable cost of this section, it will he necessary to compare the
country with a region as nearly similar in character as possible, through which railroads have
been built. The route of the Baltimore and Ohio road seems best to fulfil this condition, and
it is therefore adopted for the comparison.

It is to he remarked, however, that although the country along both routes is mountainous in
some places, yet the mountains are quite distinct in their topographical features, and the inter¬
vening valleys are wholly different.

The Alleghany mountains, through which the Baltimore and Ohio road has been constructed,
are approached over a very rough country, and numerous lofty spurs of the mountains project
far into the uneven valleys along which the road has been located. These spurs prevent the
location of the road along the faces of the mountains, and must he cut through or turned. In
either case the work is heavy, and the route very much lengthened. The mountains of New
Mexico, on the contrary, rise abruptly from a table-land comparatively level, and have few
spurs projecting from their faces. In the case of. the Guadalupe and Hueco Passes, there are
absolutely none. The descent along the lower faces of the mountains is very gradual and very
uniform, and conducts to table-lands nearly level, which separate the ranges of mountains.
Any heavy work in grading is therefore confined to the short lines through the passes. When
practicable passes through these mountains can he found, they present facilities for constructing
a railroad altogether superior to those attainable in the mountains east of the Mississippi.

RECAPITULATION.

The cost of the Baltimore and Ohio road was $56,000 to the mile (about.) Assuming this as
a basis, and adding ten percent, for transportation of material for building, and we have for the
cost of the road through this section $61,600 per mile, and a total cost of $10,400,000 (nearly.)

Labor can be procured on this sectionjnucb cheaper than it can in any part of the United States,
the wages in New Mexico for common laborers being very much below the charges in this
country.

RECAPITULATION.

For the First Section. — 1st. An air-line ; 2d. All requisites for construction ; 3d. A maximum
grade of 66.2 feet for six miles; 4th. An average grade of 20 feet to the mile for the
remainder.

For the Second Section. — 1st. An air-line; 2d. Maximum grade of 18 feet to the mile; 3d.
The whole line perfectly uniform ; 4th. No wood nor water.

For the Third Section. — 1st. A maximum grade of 108 feet to the mile for three miles; 2d.
A grade of 79 feet (about) for 32 miles; 3d. An average grade of 20 feet for the remainder;
4th. Water sufficient, and timber not remote from the line.

Cost.

Section.

Length in miles.

Cost to the mile.

Total cost.

Firrt

352

$50, 000

40, 000

61,600

$17,600, 000
5, 000, 000
10, 400, 000

Second

125

Third . . . . . .

169

Totai

33, 000, 000
7, 000, 000

To which add cnst of line iilonrr Red river to "Pul ton ('makins' total -distance from Fulton 779 miles'). _

Tntal pnsf. . __ _ __ _ _

40, 000, 000

I have preferred, in making these estimates of the probable cost of the road, to err on the side
of excess rather than deficiency, and I am fully satisfied that the estimated amount will
entirely cover every possible contingency which may arise under proper management.

The question of the time necessary for the construction of a railroad over this route is sur¬
rounded with so many uncertainties, and embarrassed with so many considerations Avhich it
was impossible to estimate, that it cannot be expected that I can give even an approximation to
the probable period required for the completion of the road.

It will suffice to say that the work can be prosecuted during the whole year, as the seasons
are not severe enough to offer any impediment.

I cannot properly dismiss this portion of my report without inviting the attention of the
department to two points, which seem to me of much consequence.

I would suggest, in the first place, an early examination of two additional lines from the
Pecos, at the 32d parallel, to the Rio Grande, at El Paso. One route diverges to the north,
and passing the Guadalupe mountains by the valley of the Sacramento, about thirty miles north
of the 32d parallel, unites with the line already surveyed in the vicinity of the Cornudos. It
is altogether probable that easier grades could be obtained through the Guadalupe mountains,
and the road, although lengthened at least forty miles, would for a portion of the distance
traverse the timbered valley of the Sacramento river.

The other line is much more advantageous. It diverges to the south, and turning the Guada¬
lupe and Hueco mountains at their southern extremities, conducts to the Rio Grande, at Molino.

I was informed at El Paso that a route had been hastily examined by intelligent persons in
this direction, and that it was more practicable than the present travelled road. The only
difficulty that was encountered was the want of water, but it is altogether probable that it
could be found by careful examination of the country. This proposed line would probably be

TABLE OF ASCENTS AND DESCENTS.

shorter than the one surveyed; and if the ranges of the Gfuadalupe and Hueco mountains
can he avoided, the route would unquestionably he in all respects more favorable.

These routes I consider it of consequence to explore, and I respectfully invite the attention of
the department to the propriety of doing so as early as possible in the spring.

It is also, as it seems to me, desirable to make a reconnaissance of the route from the crossing
of the Brazos in a direct line to the Bed river in the vicinity of Fulton. There are many
reasons for this change from the route already surveyed, among which may he stated that the
heavy work in the Upper Cross Timbers would probably he avoided, and that a more practica¬
ble crossing of Bed river could he found.

With a view to the continuation of the line to the eastward, the survey of this route would
he in all respects advantageous.

The country in the direct line from Preston to the Mississippi is very much broken, and very
rough through the range of the Ozark mountains, which would he completely turned at the
south by the route to Fulton. At this place, also, many lines of railroad, from different points
on the Mississippi, are rapidly concentrating, and would perfect the connexion with the east¬
ward without the heavy work and enormous expense of continuing in a direct line the route
already surveyed.

It would probably he only necessary to make a rapid reconnaissance of this line for the pur¬
pose of fixing the positions and determining the character of the crossing places of the Trinity
and its tributaries. It is well known that the country would offer no serious obstacle to the
construction of a railroad.

To the tables which accompany this chapter I refer for a condensed statement in detail of the
ascents and descents to the mile along this route. These are in all cases steeper than it would
he either necessary or advisable to establish grades of the railroad. The routes suggested for
examination are marked on the map with a dotted blue line.

Table of ascents and descents to the mile from Red river to the Rio Grande.

CHAPTER VIII.

* General Summary. — Business of the Road , &c.

I have set forth at some length, though, I fear, imperfectly, in the preceding chapters, the
advantages presented by the route I have surveyed for the location and construction of a rail¬
road, and which may he summed up as follows, viz:

1st. That easy grades can he obtained along the whole route.

2d. That the cost of construction is reasonable.

3d. That over more than half the distance timber and building material of every description
can he procured on the ground.

4th. That several points are presented on the line not far distant from the heads of naviga¬
tion of the streams of Texas.

5th. That the only obstacle to an abundant supply of water is easily removed.

6th. That over the most unfavorable portion of the route the grades are not difficult, and
timber for the ties is to he transported hut short distances.

7th. That the agricultural and mineral resources of the route are in all respects good.

8th. That the chain of military posts to he established for its protection would, both indi¬
vidually and collectively, combine all the necessary requisites to be considered in the establish¬
ment of military posts in the Indian country.

9th. That the country traversed is of mild and genial temperature, and but little subject to
the changes of the seasons ; and, finally, that the route presents every combination of advau-
tages and facilities, both for railroad and wagon-road, for military purposes or for emigration,
that can reasonably be expected west of the valley of the Mississippi.

There is, however, another element which enters into the consideration; and although of
little consequence should the government undertake the building of the road, has, nevertheless,
been the basis upon which all railroads heretofore constructed in the United States have been
projected. I refer to its prospective business.

I do not propose to speculate upon the trade of China and the East Indies, nor even upon the
exchange of commodities between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. I presume such matters are
better understood by the entire business community of this country than by myself, and I shall
therefore confine my remarks upon the subject to a rapid sketch -of the local trade at present
existing along the route, and of its prospective increase from the construction of a communica¬
tion with the markets of which the information is not so general.

I had proposed to furnish with this report statistics exhibiting all the facts connected with
this subject for a succession of years, but my time is so limited that it will be impossible to
arrange such information in an intelligible form. The brief sketch of the subject which I shall
give will, however, serve to attract the attention of those interested, and full information con¬
cerning all matters relating to it can be easily obtained.

By far the most important commercial feature of the country west of the frontiers of our
settled States is undoubtedly what is known as the “Sante Fe trade” — so called for the reason
that until very late years Sante Fe was the only port of entry for all goods coming from the
United States, whether sold in New Mexico, or in the States of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Du¬
rango.

It is not many years since the Sante Fe trail was regarded as something mysterious and

BUSINESS OF THE ROAD.

wonderful ; and the wild and reckless trader who wandered across the immense plains of the
.far west with his small stock of goods, was looked upon in our cities as a creature little less
savage and ferocious than the grizzly hear of the Rocky mountains. This strange overland
traffic across the trackless prairies, and through hordes of hostile Indians, was prosecuted under
difficulties and obstacles which have never before surrounded a trading enterprise ; and although
neither encouraged nor protected by the authorities of the United States or Mexico, it has
increased in value with each successive year.

Dp to the period of the occupation of New Mexico by the American forces jn 1846, the duties
collected upon the goods brought across the plains by these hardy adventurers were exactly
what the fancy or the interest of the governor of the Territory might dictate ; and his simple
dictum was sufficient to increase or depreciate the price of any foreign article brought to the
markets of New Mexico.

During the dominion of the famous General Armijo, the tariff upon the Santa Fe trade was
greatly simplified by the rule which he adopted of collecting $500 for every wagon-load of
goods, no matter of what value were the goods or what size the wagon ; and during his memo¬
rable reign, the traders were accustomed to halt on the borders of the settlements of New
Mexico, and concentrating all their property into as few large wagons as would hold it, they
abandoned the remainder until their return. As a matter of course, while the extortion of the
governor was so unrestricted, and the cost of transporting cheap as enormous as costly goods,
the Santa Fe trade was confined to an exchange of expensive articles of luxury for the gold and
silver of the mines, and but few of the inhabitants of the country had either the means or the
inclination to avail themselves of the opportunity of engaging in so expensive a traffic.

The purchase of the country by the United States, and the protection extended to the traders,
have wonderfully increased the value of this trade, and at this time it will not fall short of
$6,000,000 annually.

The expense of transportation is still enormous, amounting to $8 per hundred for goods
delivered at Santa Fe, and probably as much more for distributing them to points at which they
find a market; and the trade of the United States with New Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora, and
Durango is still confined to articles of luxury, exchanged for gold and silver. It is plain that
a trade so restricted, which amounts in annual value to $6,000,000, would be amazingly
increased could such facilities for transportation and communication be presented as would
enable the trader to throw into the country the most common and cheap of our fabrics, and, of
consequence, those most useful to the Mexican, and best adapted to his means of purchase.

It cannot be expected that the valuable agricultural features of these territories can be even
partially developed when no market for agricultural products is presented, and where nothing
but a resort to the mountains for gold or silver will enable the Mexican to purchase articles
which he both covets and requires.

So soon as an exchange of the products peculiar to the country, for the fabrics of the United
States, can be established by opening rapid and cheap communication by railroad, the Santa Fe
and Chihuahua trade will make a commerce which will contribute largely to the support of the
road. This trade is now carried on by two routes — one through Texas, and the other from the
Missouri river — which unite at El Paso, where the great highway leaves the Rio Grande and
conducts south into the northern States of Mexico.

Another element which would enter largely into the consideration of the business of the
road, would be the vast impulse given by its construction to the settlement of the fertile region
of northern Texas. This vast extent of country is so amazingly fertile and well watered, and
so well adapted in climate and character to the culture of cotton, that it is doubtful whether
the crops of this region will not, by the construction of a railroad, be the most important
element in the wealth of Texas. That a population would assemble along the road more
rapidly than it could be built, is rendered more than certain by the very remarkable agricul¬
tural resources of the country; and as the line of this road would monopolize the trade of the

BUSINESS OF THE ROAD. — CONNEXION WITH EASTERN ROADS.

fertile valleys of the rivers of Texas, both above and below, it seems not unreasonable to antici¬
pate from this source a very large increase to the business of the railroad.

The emigration to California and New Mexico would not only concentrate necessarily upon
the route, and contribute largely to its profits, but would tend, in a remarkable degree, to
develop the stock-raising advantages of New Mexico and western Texas. By pursuing this
route the emigrant would overcome eight hundred miles of distance, over the worst portion of
bis route to California, and a journey of two months would be reduced in time to as many
days. He would find himself in the valley of the Bio Grande, where stock of all kinds is
cheaper than at the points from which he started, and where wagons, provisions, and every
necessary could he readily and cheaply supplied, should the demand he sufficient to encourage
the production of such articles. From thence he would have a journey to California with
wagons of only eight hundred miles, and through a country where severity of climate is
unknown. It seems proper to consider this source of profit also as an important element in the
business of the road.

These sources of business would undoubtedly build up, at the point where the railroad
terminated on the Bio Grande, a populous town, which would he the depot of the immense
merchandise to he distributed over New Mexico and the States of Chihuahua, Sonora, and
Durango ; and as nature has marked unmistakably the point at which the road must approach
and cross the river at Molino, this point will undoubtedly add another instance to the rapid
growth of cities in the West.

The government annually expends very large sums for transporting troops and supplies to
the frontier posts of Texas, and to the military department of New Mexico, which expendi¬
tures, although considerably reduced by the less expensive charges on a railroad, could also he
fairly exhibited as a prospective source of profit.

I have neither the time nor the means at present to enter into detailed estimates of the value
of the business accumulated from the sources to which I have referred ; hut I am of opinion
that examination of the subject will fully justify the belief of which I am fully possessed, that
a railroad across northern Texas will he profitable, even if not continued beyond El Paso.

It seems proper also that I should refer in this place to the eastern terminus of this survey,
to which there are some objections as a terminus to a railroad which looks to a connexion with
the East.

The Bed river from Preston to Fulton, in Arkansas, has a direction very nearly east, and I
would suggest as forcibly as possible the continuation of this line in the direction of the latter
point. The dividing ridge between the waters of the Trinity and Bed rivers is in all respects
of extreme practicability for the construction of a railroad, and the eastern terminus would he
thrown forward to a point where a series of railroads from every direction is rapidly concen¬
trating. By this extension, also, the range of the Ozark mountains, which interpose in the
direct line between Preston and Little Bock, or Memphis, is completely turned at its southern
extremity, and the surveys of the route from Little Bock to Fulton, which had just been com¬
pleted when I reached the frontier of Arkansas, exhibited a route entirely favorable. It would
not he necessary to continue the examination of the route from Preston to Fulton, as the char¬
acter of the country and its practicability are well known.

In the consideration of a proposed eastern terminus of the Pacific railroad it has been urged,
as a point of much consequence, that it should he so placed as to insure the earliest and most
favorable connexion with the lines of railroad at present built, or in process of construction ;
and it therefore seems proper that I should exhibit what advantages of the kind are offered by
the route now in question. Fulton, in Arkansas, its proposed eastern terminus, is the centre to
which many lines of railroad are now concentrating, and which will undoubtedly he finished as
soon as the terminus of the Pacific railroad shall be established, and long before the road can
be built.

From Cairo, at the mouth of the Ohio, where it connects with the great Central road of mi¬
le

GRANT OF LANDS BY STATE OF TEXAS.

nois, a railroad is now in process of location and construction through Little Rock to Fulton.
At Little Rock it is met by a branch from Memphis. A road from Vicksburg and the New Or¬
leans and Shreveport road, along Red river, unite at Fulton ; and these various lines connect
at their eastern termini with the great chains of railroad which traverse nearly all the States
of the Union. In this respect, therefore, this route seems to combine all the requisites or
recommendations which seem desirable.

But there is one element, of a consequence not to he overlooked in estimating the advantages
of this route; and that is, the means now at hand without the aid of the government for build¬
ing it.

The State of Texas has granted something more than ten millions of acres of land to any
company which will undertake, under sufficient guarantees, to build a railroad along this route
as far as the Rio Grande. The company have the privilege of selecting the lands thus granted
from any unoccupied lands in the State ; and to one who understands the value of the arable
lands in Texas this grant seems altogether sufficient for the construction of the railroad. There
can he no doubt, if the company which undertakes its construction can, upon this basis of real
estate, borrow the funds necessary to complete the road before they are compelled to offer the
lands for sale, that the grant will not only he sufficient to pay the cost of the road, but will
make tbis company tbe richest corporation in America.

By tbis munificent contribution of Texas in aid of a great national enterprise, tbe question
of the Pacific railroad is reduced from tbe consideration of a line of 2,000 miles to one of 800
miles ; and to dwell upon tbe importance of tbis fact seems alogether superfluous.

I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. POPE,

Brevet Captain Top. Engs., in charge of Exploration.

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War.

APPENDIX A.

DIARY OP THE EXPEDITION.

BY J. H. BYRNE, ASSISTANT COMPUTER.

Chapter I. — From the Bio Grande, at El Paso, to the Pecos, at the 32c? parallel.

Tlie surveying party arrived at Dona Ana from Albuquerque on the 16th January, 1854.
In consequence of the judicious measures taken, the journey across the “ Jornada del Muerto”
was accomplished without any suffering either to men or animals. The latter were in good
condition when they reached Dona Ana.

It had been anticipated that a delay of not more than ten or twelve days would be necessary
to complete the arrangements requisite for the movement of the expedition. These anticipa¬
tions, however, proved fallacious. Orders had been issued that the transportation for the
escort should be supplied from El Paso ; the wagons and teams to be taken from the train that
had transported the four companies of the 8th infantry from Texas.

On making application to Brevet Lieut. Col. Alexander, who had the control of these
wagons, &c. , an unlooked for difficulty arose, which caused an embarrassing and expensive
delay of four weeks. Col. Alexander declined to supply the transportation, stating that he
had no authority to turn it over on the requisition made upon him. After many fruitless efforts
to change this opinion of the Colonel’s, it was determined to send a special express to the head¬
quarters of the department, at Albuquerque, for such orders as would set the matter at rest.
The express was accordingly despatched, with directions to make the trip to headquarters and
back in eight days : it returned within the time agreed upon. The orders brought by it were
immediately forwarded to Col. Alexander, who at once furnished the transportation.

During this detention, the valley of the Mesilla was surveyed and sketched ; and every
information of a scientific character, tending to illustrate the natural productions of this section
of country, was obtained. It is not necessary in this place to describe Dona Ana or its neigh¬
borhood ; it has been so often and so well depicted, that any notice of it is rendered totally
superfluous.

Every obstacle being now happily removed, the transportation for the escort arrived from El
Paso on Friday, the 10th of February, 1854. It comprised eight wagons with six mules each,
and one extra team of six mules, under the direction of wagonmaster W. B. Beylor. This
party brought with them from Fort Fillmore sixteen beeves and seventy head of sheep. The
most energetic exertions were at once made to forward the final preparations. The next day,
the 11th, was devoted to loading the wagons, repairs, &c., &c.

While remaining here, all the animals were turned out to graze from sunrise to sunset. We
hauled our wood from the vicinity with our own wagons.

Starting. — All being in readiness, the expedition left Dona Ana at 9 o’clock a. m. on Sun¬
day, 12th February, 1854. The party consisted of Captain John Pope, topographical engineers

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

United States army, commanding; Lieutenant K. Garrard, 1st dragoons, assistant engineer;

- , quartermaster and commissary of subsistence; Lieutenant L. H. Marshall, 3d

infantry, commanding escort; Captain C. S. Taplin, acting mineralogist; Dr. W. S. Diffen-
dorfer, surgeon and acting naturalist; John H. Byrne, computer; Thomas Mitchell, wagon-
master ; escort (twenty-five rank and file,) teamsters, herders — numbering in all seventy-five
persons. The party found it impossible to obtain a guide, or to collect any information in
reference to our route,' not one of the persons spoken to on the subject having ever traversed it.
Neither could a forge be obtained. The want of this indispensable article was severely felt.

Camp No. 1 — Sunday , February 12, 1854. — The command moved east from Dona Ana over
a road of about six miles deep sand ; the remaining portion of it (seven miles) was good, with
a gradual ascent for about ten miles before we reached the pass in the mountains. The road at
this point is rocky, with an abrupt rise. The cold was here intense, although in the valley
beneath it was comparatively warm. Descended the mountain for about five miles, having the
Organ peaks on our right hand, and encamped at San Augustin springs at 5 p. m. Water
plenty ; wood scarce ; grama-grass good, and in abundance. The mules were here hobbled and
turned out to graze during the night, having been previously fed with corn. Captain Pope
accompanied the command four miles from Dona Ana, and then took the road to El Paso, “to
transact some business and make some necessary surveys.” General direction, north 81°
east; miles, 18TV

Camp No. 2 — Monday , February 13, 1854. — Animals driven in to the wagons and fed with
corn at daylight. Command started at sunrise ; road good. Arrived at the Ojo de la Soledad
about noon. The wagons were here unhitched and the animals watered. The water is one and
a half mile to the right of the road. In consequence of the uneven and rocky nature of the
ground, wagons cannot reach it. The water is situated in a rocky ravine. The command
halted here for the remainder of the day. In anticipation of crossing the Jornada to the Hueco
mountains, the water-barrels were filled. This consumed much time, and cost a great deal of
labor, the water being at so great a distance, and so difficult of access. The animals were
hobbled and turned out to graze until sundown, when they were driven in and fed with corn,
after which they were herded and grazed during the night. Grama-grass good and plenty.
General direction, south 53° east; miles 85V

Camp No. 3 — Tuesday , February 14, 1854. — Animals driven in at daybreak and fed. Com¬
mand moved about sunrise. The road for upwards of seven miles was rocky and uneven; the
remainder through pretty deep sand. One wagon broke down during tbe day : it had to be
brought along on a slide. This accident occasioned a considerable delay. Two white mules
strayed away — supposed they went after water. Two of the Mexican herders were sent in
search of them. Encamped at sundown on the Jornada. No water nor wood; grass plenty.
Cooked with the brush that lay around upon the plain, sufficient for the purpose. As the
animals evinced signs of fatigue, they received an additional allowance of corn ; afterwards they
were hobbled, turned out to graze, and herded, as usual, during the night ; which was very
cold, with a high wind. General direction, south 49° east; miles, 13 TV

Camp No. 4 — Wednesday, February 15, 1854. — Animals driven in and fed before daybreak.
Command started a little before sunrise. It was hoped we would be able to reach the Hueco
Tanks before night. Lieutenant Marshall and Captain Taplin left the party in the early part
of the forenoon to find the trail. The road was over heavy sand ; several ridges of sand had
to be crossed. Having followed the road for about eight miles, we turned off to the left in the
direction of the Tanks. Nooned for two hours; animals turned out to graze. As we had now to
make our own road through deep sand and brush, our advance was slow. Having made about
twelve miles, the animals showed such symptoms of exhaustion that it was deemed advisable to
lighten the wagons. One hundred and twenty-five fanegas of corn were accordingly taken out
and left on the prairie. This was about 4 o’clock p. m. We travelled until nearly 11 o’clock
p. m. ; but, in the darkness, getting entangled in some sand-hills, we were obliged to halt for

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

the night. The animals were here fed with corn ; hut as they had been for sixty hours without
water, they did not eat. All eyes were turned in the supposed direction of the Hueco Tanks,
hoping to discern a light to serve as a guide, hut in vain. Neither Lieutenant Marshall nor
Captain Taplin had joined the command up to this hour. Wagonmaster Beylor started on
horseback to find the Tanks. He returned long after midnight unsuccessful. Animals turned
out to graze as usual. No wood; no water; grass plenty. General direction same as yester¬
day; miles, 17tV

Same Camp — Thursday, February 16, 1854. — At sunrise principal wagonmaster Mitchell,
accompanied by a soldier, (who stated he knew where the Tanks were situated,) left camp to
find them. During their absence, Lieutenant Marshall and Captain Taplin came into camp
about 9 o’clock a. m. They had found a trail, and reached the Hueco Tanks on the previous
night, hut had no means of communicating with us. We found we had camped upwards of
six miles to the west of them. All the animals were immediately driven to water. As they
had now been seventy-two hours without it, they quickly exhausted the tanks on the west side of
the mountain. That upon the east, however, afforded an ample supply. It was intended
to move the camp this day, hut the unavoidable delay in watering the mules and stock
prevented this intention from being carried into effect. An ambulance with six kegs brought
sufficient water hack to camp for cooking until the next day. The animals were fed, hobbled,
and turned out to graze during the night.

Camp No. 5 — Friday, February 17, 1854. — Left camp about 8 o’clock a. m., and moved to the
Hueco mountains, which we reached about 11 o’clock a. m. These mountains are composed of
a dark gray sandstone, scattered about in high masses in the most grotesque disorder and con¬
fusion. The tanks containing the water are immense reservoirs, hollowed out by the hand of
nature. That upon the west side is capable of holding about five hundred gallons ; the other,
upon the east side, would contain, when full, perhaps fifteen hundred gallons. The animals
were watered, hobbled, and turned out to graze. General direction, south 62° east; miles, 6TV

Same Camp — Saturday, February 18, 1854. — On examination many of the wagon-wheels
were found to require repairs ; they were taken off the wagons and sent to El Paso to have the
necessary repairs made. The want of a forge, already alluded to, was now sensibly felt.
Lieutenant Garrard left for the same place on business. Wagonmaster Beylor, with seven
wagons, returned for the corn that had been left on the Jornada, (see Wednesday, 15th instant,)
and arrived in camp with all the corn about 8 o’clock p. m. same day, having made twenty-eight
miles. About the same hour the Mexicans, who had been sent after the stray mules, (see
Tuesday, 14th,) came into camp, bringing the animals with them. They say that, with the
exception of a small quantity of bread, they have subsisted for four days upon a hawk which
they shot; they had to follow the mules to Camp No. 2, “Ojo de la Soledad,” where they had
to rest the animals, which were in a very weak condition. One mule missing ; it has gone
towards the “Pass,” as it can be tracked by the lariat. A Mexican herder sent in pursuit.
The animals fed, hobbled, and grazed, as usual. At this camp there is abundance of wood and
grama-grass.

Same Camp — Sunday, February 19, 1854. — The mule which strayed from camp (see Satur¬
day, 18th) returned by itself. Besides the water contained in the Tanks, there are numerous
holes and crevices in the mountains, which contain sufficient for every purpose to last for a con¬
siderable time. It is proper to remark that animals cannot drink from the Tanks ; the water is
taken out in buckets, and thrown down the rocks until all have been supplied: thus, watering is
a matter of time and labor. The peculiar formation of these mountains, their innumerable
caverns and hiding-places, seem to have been intended for a refuge for the Indians; nor have
they neglected to avail themselves of its advantages. In one instance, however, they “reckoned
without their host.” About fourteen years ago these Arabs of New Mexico, the Apaches, hav¬
ing made a desperate foray upon the Mexicans, retreated with their plunder to these mountains.
The Mexicans surprised and surrounded them, hemming them up in the rocky ravine forming

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OP THE EXPEDITION.

the eastern Tank. Here an engagement took place, in which the Indians were totally defeated
and nearly exterminated, only two or three escaping. It is said that upwards of one hundred
of them were killed. The water in the Tank is rapidly diminishing. At the present rate of
consumption, it cannot he calculated on longer than three or four days more; hut there is a
sufficient quantity of it in the nun%rous holes in the mountains to supply the command for cook¬
ing purposes for a considerable time longer. The animals fed, hobbled, and grazed, as usual.

Although the command has traversed through the very centre of the Indian country, we have
not up to this time seen an Indian. It is a matter worthy of remark that not one animal has
been lost. This happy result proceeds, no doubt, from the unceasing vigilance and care with
which the animals have been watched. A strong guard is posted, every night from sundown to
sunrise. To prevent any loss by a “ stampede,” the precaution has been taken to hobble the
animals whilst out grazing.

Same Camp — Monday , February 20, 1854. — The Mexican sent in pursuit of the stray mule
(see Saturday, 18th) arrived in camp. The men in camp were this day occupied in repairing
harness, wagons, &c., &c. The animals since our arrival at this camp have not been turned out
to graze at night. They are herded all day until sundown ; then driven in, fed with corn, and
tied to the wagons. This arrangement is considered a matter of necessity, and is adopted to
prevent any loss; The weather continues warm and pleasant in the day-time ; the nights are a
little frosty ; indeed, the only inconvenience felt in this respect is from the wind, which fre¬
quently sweeps through the canon with great violence. Water nearly exhausted.

Same Camp — Tuesday , February 21, 1854. — The teamsters still occupied in making repairs,.
&c. On examination it was found that the water will not hold out longer than to-morrow.
The wagons, which carried the wheels requiring repairs to El Paso, returned. Captain Pope,
Lieutenant Garrard, and the party which accompanied them, joined the command about 9
o’clock p. m. A man named Cutting, who had been sick for some time at Fort Fillmore,
returned with them. He had been attacked at Dona Ana with pleurisy, and sent to the above
post for medical treatment. All the water-kegs filled, and carried to the next camp.

Camp No. 6 — Wednesday , February 22, 1854. — Left camp at 2 o’clock p. m., and moved in
the direction of the Cerro Alto. The road winds through a deep ravine; it is a good gravelly
road. Reached the Cerro Alto at 5 o’clock p. m., where we camped. Ho water; grama-grass
good and abundant. Ho wood; a sufficient quantity of brush was found for cooking purposes.
Observations made at night for the latitude. On our arrival in camp the animals were turned
out to graze for a short time; then brought in, fed with corn, hobbled, and grazed during the
night. A strong guard was posted. It froze pretty hard during the night, with a strong wind.
General direction, north 30° east; miles,

Camp No. I — Thursday , February 23, 1854. — Left camp about sunrise, and moved in the
direction of the Sierra de los Alamos. From this camp there are two roads leading to them.
One runs south of the Cerro Alto, and is much shorter than the road we took. It is formed by
the dry bed of a creek, and is tolerably good ; but at one point it has a descent so steep and
abrupt, that it was deemed more safe and prudent to take the longer and more beaten track.
The latter (surveyed by Colonel Johnston) runs, for about two miles from our last camp, through
a deep and tortuous canon ; the road here is rocky. By doubling teams on some of the wagons
we surmounted three very steep hills, at the first of which one of our wagons broke down. It
was broken up, and such portions as were thought useful, in view of future accident, were put
into the other wagons and carried along ; the remainder was abandoned, as we had no means at
our disposal for repairing it. On leaving the canon we came upon a good gravel road, nearly
level, with the exception of some gentle undulations of the ground. Our camp for the approach¬
ing night (Los Alamos) could be seen during the whole day. We reached it, and encamped at
5^ p. m. The Sierra de los Alamos consists of three mountains, directly to the east of the Cerro
Alto. The water is situated on the north face of the mountain, about half a mile from the road.
There is a trail leading to it. Indeed, it cannot be mistaken, as there are a few cotton-wood

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

trees near the springs, and nowhere else in the vicinity. The water is difficult of access. It
issues from seven holes, and is supplied from springs in the rocks; there was sufficient for every
purpose. Good grass ; no wood ; brush around camp for cooking. The animals having been
watered, were fed with corn, and tied to the wagons until 2 o’clock a. m., when they were
hobbled and turned out to graze until after sunrise. Observations for the time were made
during the day. A strong guard posted as usual. General direction, north 70° east; miles,
20tV

Camp No. 8 — Friday, February 24, 1854. — Left camp at 9 o’clock a. m., moving in the
direction of the Cornudos mountain. There is a fine gravelly road from our last camp'fo this
mountain ; there are some hills in the course of it, but they do not present any difficulty. We
reached our camp, the Cornudos, about 2 o’clock p. m. This mountain is about five hundred
feet high, and consists of huge masses of rock scattered in the utmost disorder and confusion.
The water (as at the Huecos) is contained in reservoirs in the rock, and is very difficult to reach.
There was sufficient for all purposes. Grass good; wood plenty. On the east of the mount¬
ain there is a cavern, entered by an arched doorway, receiving light through an opening in the
roof, in which there was a well (now filled with sand) which, it is said, at one time contained
twelve feet of water. There are also many other places here equally curious and interesting.
The geological formation of these rocks differs from those of the Huecos, as they consist of a
kind of granite or gneiss. The weather was colder this day than we had experienced since we
left Dona Ana. The animals, immediately on our arrival in camp, were watered, hobbled, and
turned out to graze, having been first fed with corn. As usual, a strong guard was posted
during the night. Observations for the time were made during the day, and also at night for
the latitude, but without satisfactory results, as the night clouded up. As we could not reach
water on the next day’s march, the casks were all filled. Although a great quantity had been
used from the reservoirs, there did not appear to be any diminution of the water in them. A
little rain came down about 4 o’clock p. m. General direction, north 45° east ; miles, 9.

Camp No. 9 — Saturday, February 25, 1854. — Left camp at 11 o’clock a. m. The mules and
stock were allowed to graze until 10 o’clock a. m., when they were all watered. Before leaving
camp some requisite repairs were done to the wagons. The road for this day was good, over a
gravelly mesa. Reached camp, open prairie, at p. m. Ho water ; no wood ; brush enough
for cooking purposes ; grama-grass good and abundant. The animals were hobbled and turned
out to graze till sundown, when they were driven in and fed with corn, then turned out to graze
for the night ; a strong guard posted as usual. Up to this time we have not seen an Indian ;
still, every precaution that prudence can dictate is taken to prevent surprise. We have not lost
a single animal as yet. General direction, south 85° east ; miles, 12.

Camp No. 10— Sunday, February 26, 1854. — Left last camp at twenty minutes after 7 o’clock
a. m., and moved to our next camp, the Ojo del Cuerbo. Our road for this day was good ; for
about six miles it was gravel ; the remainder a firm red soil, until we approached within a mile
and a half of camp, when it became somewhat sandy. At about eight miles from camp we
came to a gradual descent, which continued until we reached the bed of the Salt lakes, about
one and a half mile west of the Ojo del Cuerbo. Encamped ten minutes past 2 o’clock p. m.
The mules travelled very well to-day, and are in very good condition. The Ojo del Cuerbo
consists of two sulphurous lakes. The surface of this valley is covered with a salty and sul¬
phurous efflorescence, which continues in a southerly direction until it reaches the Pecos, at a
point where it is joined by the Lymphia, a distance of nearly two hundred miles. The valley
around our camp, as far as the eye can reach, is dotted with patches, of considerable magnitude,
of a brilliant whiteness ; they are deposites of pure salt, formed by the evaporation of the
water. Many holes had been dug near our camp, the water in which does not taste very salty;
it loses much of the salt while filtering through the sand from the lakes. The grass is strongly
impregnated with salt, and cannot be nutritious. No wood; brush very scarce. Found here,
for the first time, bois de vache. On our arrival at camp the animals were watered, hobbled,

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

and turned out to graze; they were afterwards (at sunset) driven in, fed with corn, and tied to
the wagons until daybreak, when they were turned out to graze until 9 o’clock a. m., when they
were well watered. As we did not anticipate reaching water the next day’s march, the kegs
were filled, for the use of the command, from the holes already mentioned. Observations for
the time were made during the day. As the Ojo del Cuerbo is considered a dangerous camping-
ground, all were upon the qui vive; and, as a precaution against a stampede, the mules were
tied during the night to the wagons. A strong guard posted. General direction, north 82°
east; miles, 17

Galhp No. 11 — Monday , February 27, 1854. — Left last camp at half-past 9 o’clock a. m.
Our course for this day was, for about seven miles, through deep and heavy sand, along the base
of a range of low and very white sand-hills ; the remainder of the march was over a good grav¬
elly road. From many of the heights in the road we could see the Salt valley stretching away
to the southward, as far as the eye could reach. The left side of the road, for some distance
from camp, was dotted with small sand-hills of dazzling whiteness. Reached our encampment
on the prairie at ten minutes to 3 o’clock p. m. The animals were immediately hobbled and
turned out to graze until sundown, when they were driven in, fed with corn, and grazed until
sunrise. No water, nor wood ; brush sufficient for cooking purposes. Grama-grass good and
abundant. As we approach nearer to the Guadalupe mountains, (supposed to be the most
dangerous part of the road,) our vigilance is redoubled. General direction, south 60° east ;
miles, 12tV

Gamp No. 12 — Tuesday , February 28, 1854. — Left last camp at half-past 7 o’clock a. m., and
moved for the pass of the Guadalupe mountains. Our road to-day was bad and rocky. We
had to pass over some steep hills of the same character. Our course lay south fifty degrees
east for about seven miles, then turned north sixty-eight degrees east for upwards of three
miles, then for about one mile north forty-eight degrees east. Before entering the canon we
avoided a steep and difficult hill, by making a detour to the left of the road, striking at a short
distance the beaten track. We now entered the canon, and encamped about half way up it, on
a small and rocky plateau, at twenty minutes after 4 o’clock p. m. The passage through the
canon is along the dry bed of a stream, which has its source near the high peak of the Guada¬
lupe mountains, and is very rough and difficult to travel. One wagon broke down here, which
we abandoned, having no means of repairing it. Springs are found at the head of the ravine
under the highest peak, and about five hundred yards from the point at which the road ascends
the face of the bluff. We found plenty of wood (mezquite and brush) to answer all purposes.
The south peak rises in a bold outline, towering to the enormous height of two thousand feet;
it is composed of gray sandstone. The animals were watered, fed with corn, and turned out to
graze during the night. Grama-grass poor, and very scanty. Observations f6r the time were
made during the day, and also at night for the latitude: the latter were not very satisfactory,
as the northern stars clouded up. Miles, 18T80.

Gamp No. 13 — Wednesday , March 1, 1854. — Left camp at 8^ a. m. We moved up the canon,
breasting a steep and rocky ascent ; there is an abrupt turn to the right, which we were obliged
to take, which led us up a continuation of this hill for about a quarter of a mile before we
reached the summit. This task consumed considerable time, but it was accomplished without
doubling teams, or any accident occurring. From the summit the view over the surrounding
country was at once grand and picturesque — the southern peak of the Guadalupe towering
majestically above all.

Our march, until we reached the “ Pinery,” (our camp,) was over a good gravelly road. We
arrived here at half-past 11 o’clock a. m. There is an abundance of everything requisite for
camping at this place. The water (springs) is situated at the distance of five hundred yards
from the road, at the base of the mountain; timber and good grama-grass are plenty. We
were fortunate in obtaining a fine specimen of the “maguey” plant, the first we had yet seen;
it was earthed in a box and carried along. This encampment is by far the best we have yet

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

come to. On our arrival the animals were hobbled and turned out to graze until sundown,
when they were driven in, fed with corn, and tied to the wagons till sunrise, when they were
grazed a couple of hours before starting. As we are now in a dangerous locality, the animals
are tied to the wagons as a prudent precaution. Observations for the time taken during the
day, and for the latitude at night: the latter had to he discontinued, as it blew a perfect hurri¬
cane from about 4 o’clock p. m. until we left camp next morning. The night was excessively
cold and severe. A strong guard posted ; while the cattle are grazing (although hobbled) there
is a. guard placed over them. General direction, south 84° east; north 45° west; miles, 4TV-

Camp No. 14 — Thursday, March 2, 1854. — Left camp at 8| a. m., and moved in the direction
of Independence spring. Our road was a good gravelly one, with a gentle descent from camp
to camp. A black-tailed deer was shot, skinned, and stuffed; we were also fortunate in finding
some curious specimens of cactus. We reached camp — the above spring — at twenty minutes to
11 o’clock a. m. This is a spring of clear and pure water; it issues from a deep and large
hole, through a quicksand bottom, in a rapid stream. Means were taken to sound the depth of
this hole, hut without effect — a pole of considerable length going down without meeting any
obstruction. This spring is no doubt supplied from the mountains in its vicinity. Grama-grass
good and abundant. There is here a sufficient quantity of mezquite and brush to answer for
cooking purposes. On reaching camp the animals were watered and turned out to graze, being
hobbled as usual; brought in at sundown, fed with corn, and tied to the wagons during the
night. Ho observations taken. General direction, 89° east; miles, 6j3t.

Camp No. 15 — Friday , March 3, 1854. — Left last camp at 10 minutes past 7 a. m. Our road
for this day was over a rolling prairie, and, with the exception of one steep and rocky hill, was,
on the whole, .pretty good. There are, however, some deep and rocky gullies, worn from the
rain descending from the higher ground, which caused some little difficulty. At about twelve
miles from last camp we 'halted for a short interval to rest. The mules travelled well to-day;
taking all things into consideration, they are in good condition. Reached our camp, head of
Delaware creek, at fourteen minutes to 3 o’clock p. m. About one and a half mile from this
camp we crossed the dry bed of a creek. The wagons were halted here, and wood placed in
them for the use of the command. There is at this point an abundance of dry and good wood.

Along our line of march to-day we perceived several graves, over which were placed flat
stones. .No inscription told the names of those who “slept beneath,” nor recorded the manner
of their death. There is something so melancholy about these resting-places, removed as they
are from the habitations of civilized man, that reflections of a serious nature are called up in the
minds of the most volatile.

On our arrival at camp the animals were watered, hobbled, and turned out to graze. As it
is contemplated to remain here for a couple of days, they were not fed with corn, but were turned
out to graze under a strong guard. The grama-grass is good and plenty. Observations for
time and latitude taken this day. General direction, 84° east; miles, I6J5.

Same Camp — Saturday , March 4, 1854.' — Lieutenant Garrard left camp this morning with
one wagon, escorted by five soldiers and five men of the train; the former rode in the wagon,
the latter were mounted. All were well armed. Lieutenant Garrard’s object is to find a more
direct route south of the Guadalupe range, and to proceed until he could see the Alamos, one of
our former encampments. (See No. 7, Thursday, February 23, 1854.) It was decided that the
command would await his return at our present camp. The assistant wagonmaster was sent
to hunt up wood at a nearer point- than the place we had taken it from the previous day; hut
he was not successful. On his return, two wagons, under a guard, were ordered to bring wood
from the dry creek we passed yesterday.

Our present camp is twenty-six and five-tenths miles from the peak of the Guadalupe mount¬
ains, opposite to it and directly east. This camp presents some interesting features. On
examination we have found upwards of eight springs, located in a space of about two hundred
yards. One of these rushes out in a hold and rapid stream, over a limestone bottom. The

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

water is pure and good. There are also three more, nearly as good, at a short distance up the
creek. Several of them are clustered together at the head of the creek, within the space of a
few yards; four of them are strongly impregnated with sulphur, each of them differing in
strength; the whole of them (both sulphurous and pure) flow into the creek, forming a most
detestable compound. It is not presumptuous to suppose that a careful analysis of these sul-
pliureted springs would develop medicinal properties of a highly important character. A keg
of this water is carried along for the use of one of the command, who is afflicted with a painful
eruption on the face ; its effect will he noted in due time.

We cooked to-day a maguey plant. This plant is extensively cultivated in old Mexico, and
a wine called “ pulque” extracted from it by tapping. It is said that one plant will yield four
quarts of juice a day for four or five months. The Apache — who has not arrived at the degree
of civilization necessary to manufacture intoxicating liquors — cooks and eats it ; decidedly the
most sensible plan. The following is the modus operandi: The lower and sound portion of the
plant (not the root) is divested of all the leaves, stalk, &c., then placed into a hole dug in the
ground, covered completely with earth to the depth of an inch, and over all there is built
a good hut slow fire. It requires from twelve to eighteen hours to cook it thoroughly ; when
cooked thus it is extremely pleasant to the taste, and is a capital substitute in the absence of all
other vegetables; indeed, it is the only diet of this nature that these Indians possess. The
other way of cooking it is to pound or mash it up, and boil it until it becomes thick. This is
also very palatable and nutritious.

At a short distance from camp (down the creek) there are large quantities of gyps.um in a
state of decomposition. We found here a species of pepper-grass, having a sharp and pungent
taste. Since our arrival here we have added largely to our collection in natural history, min¬
eralogy, and botany.

The mules have been grazed since our arrival. The principal spring is called the “ Ojo de
San Martin.” Observations for the time taken to-day, and at night for the latitude and longi¬
tude. The day warm and pleasant ; the night clear and frosty; no wind.

Same Camp — Sunday , March 5, 1854. — The wagon yvhich accompanied Lieutenant Garrard
returned with the five soldiers who formed part of the escort. Lieutenant Garrard, with the
remaining part of his escort, came into camp at sunset. In pursuance of the arrangement,
(already mentioned,) he proceeded south of the Guadalupe range of mountains to find a pass
which, it is said, runs in the direction towards the Pecos. This country is a succession of bluffs,
rising from the mountains in a gentle ascent, to a point twenty miles below them. Here this
description of country terminates, and it becomes totally impassable — the descent as far as the
Salt lake being rocky and precipitous. There is no such pass as that stated by Captain Marcy
and Colonel Grey. The wagon had to be sent back, as it was found it could not proceed far¬
ther than the point above indicated.. Through the negligence of the man who carried the
theodolite, it was seriously injured. This man’s pay was stopped, and he was ordered to work
with the teams for his rations. In consequence of this serious accident, the whole command
was cautioned, and told that a similar punishment would be inflicted upon any who would per¬
form the duties assigned them in a careless or heedless manner. The soil around our camp is
deeply impregnated with sulphur. Ho observations taken ; the sky clouded during the day
and night. The animals were turned in at sunset, and fed with corn ; afterwards grazed during
the night, being, as usual, under a strong guard, and hobbled.

Camp No. 16 — Monday , March 6, 1854. — Left last camp' at half-past 8 o’clock a. m. Our
road for this day was a good gravelly one, with a gentle descent for the whole way. We had
some few hills, but they presented little difficulty. The principal wagonmaster, with three
men, started at daylight this morning to follow the course of the Delaware creek, and find a
practicable road for a wagon to the Pecos. The soil we passed over to-day is composed of sand
and gravel, mixed with gypsum. Many curious botanic specimens were this day obtained.

Our camp, which we reached at 3 o’clock p. m., is about half a mile to the right of the road,

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

on the Delaware creek. There is much difficulty in watering animals at this stream, the
greatest care being required to prevent them from miring. The water flows through a deep
basin about six hundred yards from camp, which is deeply strewed over with gypsum.

The day was remarkably warm, sultry, and cloudy, giving some indications of rain. At
night it rained heavily for a short time, with flashes of very vivid lightning, accompanied by
loud thunder, which could be heard reverberating through the mountains we had left behind us.

The grama-grass is good; wood, consisting of mezquite, cedar, and brush, is plenty. The
animals were brought in from grazing and fed with corn ; then turned out to graze for the
night. Reached camp at 3 o’clock p. m. ; general direction, north 38° east; miles, 12T\.

Camp No. 17 — Tuesday, March 17, 1854. — Left last camp at twenty minutes after 9 o’clock
a. m. At a short distance from camp we met the wagonmaster and party, who reported, “that
by following the creek on its left bank we would have a good road to the Pecos.” Reached the
“crossing of the Delaware creek” at 2 o’clock p. m., where we halted; the animals were
watered and allowed to graze for. a short time. We did not cross the creek, but continued down
the left bank; in this we did not experience any difficulty. The country is an open and nearly
level prairie, having a slight descent (nearly the whole way) towards the Pecos. We have now
to make our own road. At about ten miles from last camp, the nature of the soil changes; the
gypsum disappears. From this point to the river the soil is light sand mixed with gravel,
producing an abundance of excellent grama-grass. From the crossing of the Delaware to the
Pecos there is no growth of wood of any description whatever ; we found, however, along our
line of march, plenty of mezquite root, dry and good.

About a mile from our halting-place, (the crossing,) and on the opposite or right bank of the
creek, there is a valley of about eight hundred acres of good soil, which could be irrigated from
the creek at no very great cost of labor or money. The want of timber, and the difficulty of
irrigating the land, will no doubt prevent this section of country from being cultivated to any
great extent. The last obstacle might be surmounted, but the former appears irremediable.

Along our road to-day we discovered several caves. On examination they proved to be highly
interesting, their interior being composed of gypsum, the roofs and sides highly polished, and
of the purest white: they well repay the trouble (no easy matter) of entering them.

We reached our camp at half-past three o’clock p. m., situated on the creek. Here there is
an abundance of good grama-grass. The mezquite wood is plenty, and can be obtained without
much labor. We killed a rattle-snake (the first we have yet seen) on a hill near camp. It was
put in spirits and carried along.

The wagonmaster, on his return, (as above mentioned,) reports that at the Pecos lie discov¬
ered a fire — still burning — at which some Indians had been cooking. From their tracks they
were on foot, and appeared to have crossed the river. This was near the mouth of the Dela¬
ware creek, our proposed camp for to-morrow night. There is a plenty of wild ducks and hens
on the creek. On arriving at camp the animals were turned out to graze, hobbled as usual;
brought in at sunset, and fed with corn ; then turned out to graze during the night under a
strong guard. Ho observations made. General direction, north 50° east; miles, 13XV

Chapter II. — From the Valley of the Pecos to the Sulphur Springs of the Rio Colorado of Texas.

Camp No. 18 — Falls of the Rio Pecos, mouth of Delaware creek, Wednesday, March 8, 1854. — •
Left last camp at twenty minutes after 7 o’clock a. m. Our road to-day was through an open
and nearly level prairie, similar to that we travelled yesterday. The soil is good; gravel and
sand. In all directions on our line of march there is an abundance of mezquite root, but, as
before mentioned, no growth of wood. We reached our camp, Falls of the Rio Pecos, mouth
of Delaware creek, at five minutes to 10 o’clock a. m. We were fortunate enough at this point
to discover an excellent crossingj about one hundred yards from the mouth of the Delaware

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

creek. The water rushes over “falls,” in a hold and rapid current, at a rate of nine knots per
hour. The river at this point has a good rocky bottom ; is about eighty feet wide, and two and a half
feet deep. There are here seven little islands, through which the stream flows with great force.
This crossing presents no difficulties whatever, only requiring a few hours’ labor to cut down
the hanks on either side, -to permit wagons heavily loaded to cross over without trouble. Those
who are well acquainted with the several crossings of the Pecos below this say that it is by far
the best along the river. The animals were hobbled and turned out to graze. The grama-grass
is good and abundant. Sufficient mezquite around camp for cooking purposes. The water is
brackish, but not to such a degree as to affect the health. General direction, north 42° east;
miles, 6.

Same Camp — Thursday , March 9, 1854. — The soil of the valley, on examination, proves to be
fertile and of easy cultivation. It can be irrigated from many points of the river. All the way
up it, as far as we have gone, it is rapid, and varies from five to twenty feet in depth. Its
waters are discolored, and abound in catfish of a very large size. There are also, though not
plenty, some wild duck and water-hen along the banks.

The valley of the Pecos is about two and a half miles in width, enclosed by gently receding
table-lands, and, although nearly destitute of timber, yet supplies an abundance of mezquite
root for fuel. The surface of the table-lands and ridges present only the dwarf mezquite brush,
but beneath the whole earth is a network of the root, in some instances as large round as a
man’s leg, and furnishing the best fuel known to the country. The town of El Paso and its
vicinity are supplied entirely in this way. The Pecos traverses its valley in a very tortuous
course, and with a current of about two and a half miles to the hour, and from five to twenty
feet depth of water. In many places bluff banks of diluvium and gypsum, about fifty feet high,
impinge upon its banks. The river below the 32d parallel changes its character from a rocky
bed, with occasional rapids, to soft mud bottom and banks. Fording-places below this paralle
are very rare, and present in all cases a depth of water which, at any other than the dry season,
absolutely prevents the passage of wagons or wheeled vehicles. From the 32d parallel to its
mouth, the Pecos is always navigable for small stern-wheeled boats, the difficulties consisting
merely in its extreme crookedness and narrowness. The banks are perpendicular, about ten
feet high, and falling into the stream constantly — the deep water being uniform from one shore
to the other. The average width would not exceed one hundred feet.

It is not deemed advisable to encounter that terra incognita , the Llano Estacado, with the
whole command, until the practicability of such a measure shall have been tested by a previous
examination. Our very limited information respecting it points out the necessity of such an
examination, to avoid the danger to which so large a party would be exposed by encountering
this Jornada. Captain Taplin was intrusted with this important duty. The following is a copy
of his instructions :

Falls op the Pecos River, Mouth op Delaware Creek,

March 9, 1854.

Sir: You will please proceed to examine the “Llano Estacado,” from this point to the head¬
waters of the Colorado or Brazos river, on a line 20° east of north, noting particularly the
practicability of the country for wagons, and the intervals, as exactly as possible, between the
permanent watering places. You will continue your examination eastward until you strike
some stream flowing to the east or south.

Should you be successful in finding water at reasonably convenient intervals along your route
from this point, you will, after resting your animals one day, return by the same route; but if
not, you will please, after reaching any stream flowing eastward, and at a distance of more
than sixty miles from this place, to make twenty-five miles of southing, and from thence return
in a direct line to this camp.

Your party will consist of five mounted men of the topographical party, and five infantry

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION. 61

soldiers of the escort. You had better keep the mounted men scouring the country for a mile
or two on each side of the route you pursue, that np chance of finding water he lost.

The quartermaster and commissary of the expedition will supply you with two light wagons,
with eight mules each, and provisions for ten days, for the use of your party. Six water-kegs
will he filled here and carried with the party, and I cannot too strongly impress upon you the
necessity of economizing this supply of water. Two kegs will he amply sufficient to supply all
the absolute necessities of the party for five days, at least ; and in case of being three days
without water, or the failure of your mules for the want of it, the remaining four kegs can he
distributed among them. The other precautions for preserving the strength and efficiency of
your animals are as" well known to you as to myself.

Upon your return to this camp, you will please furnish me with a written report of your
expedition.

I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. POPE,

Brevet Capt. T. E. , Commanding Exploring Expedition.

Capt. C. L. Taplin,

Assistant on Survey.

This day we (for the first time since starting) became aware of the vicinity of the Indians.
About sundown we perceived the prairie on fire about two miles from camp, up the river; the
wind blowing from the northeast, and directly towards us. As the grass and weeds were dry,
and the wind strong, the flames rushed onward with great rapidity. Instant and prompt meas¬
ures were taken against this appalling danger. The prairie was fired round the camp, from
the river to the creek. We were thus in a triangle, the Pecos and Delaware being the sides — ■
the belt of prairie we had burned, the base. There can he no doubt whatever that this was an
act of the Indians, as we could clearly see the plain fired in many and different directions at the
same time. The fire swept on round the camp, and crossing the creek some hundred yards
above us, and seizing the dry grass on the right hank, illuminated the whole plain during the
night. Happily, our energetic proceedings defeated the designs of the Apaches. On the first
intimation of danger, the animals and stock were driven into camp — the former tied to the
wagons, the latter well guarded. It is intended to adopt this precaution every night while we
remain here, and also to increase the guard over them while they are grazing in the daytime.

No observations made this night; the sky cloudy and hazy. They were taken for the time
during the day.

Same Camp — Friday, March 10, 1854. — Lieutenant Garrard, accompanied by a party of five
mounted men, .left camp at half-past 7 o’clock a. m., in pursuance of the following instruc¬
tions :

Camp at Falls op Rio Pecos, Mouth op Delaware Creek,

March 9, 1854.

Sir : You will please proceed from this place, by the route we have just traversed, to the
spring in the canon near the high peak of the Guadalupe mountains; and having descended to
the valley of the Salt lakes, you will examine the western and southern faces of the low range
of hills which extend to the south and east from the high point of the Guadalupe range. It is
generally believed that a practicable and nearly level pass can he found to the head of Delaware
creek, by passing to the south of these hills ; and should you he successful in finding such a
pass, you will please return by it to this camp.

Should you prove unsuccessful in finding a pass better than the one at present in use, you
will please examine the valley of the Salt lakes towards the southeast, to ascertain whether a
good route cannot thus he found to the Pecos, which shall strike the river at a distance south of
this point, not to exceed sixty miles.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

You will please take, as accurately as possible, your compass courses and distances for tlie
entire survey, both going and returning, and will note every peculiarity of country, (timber,
grass, water, &c., &c.) When you arrive at a point from wbicb you can see the peaks of the
Alamos mountains, please take accurate bearings to them and to the high peak of the Guadalupe
mountains. It is absolutely necessary that a compass course and estimated distance be observed
for each marked change of direction ; as without a continuous set of courses and distances it
will be impossible to make a sketch of your route.

A party of five mounted men, with rations for six days, will be detailed to accompany you.

Upon your return to this camp, you will please furnish me with a written report of your
expedition.

I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. POPE,

Brevet Gapt. T. E ., Commanding Exploring Party.

Lieut. K. Garrard, 1st Dragoons ,

Assistant on Survey.

The prairie fires still continue to burn over the surrounding plain, but all fear of injury from
them has disappeared. Neither have we had any further Indian demonstration. The command
has abundance of fish to eat, and we have caught some weighing upwards of thirty pounds.
We saw some turtle floating down the stream, but were unable to catch them.

The animals and stock were driven in at sunset; the former got some corn, and were tied to
the wagons during the night, strongly guarded.

Observations for time taken this day, and at night for latitude and longitude.

Same Camp — Saturday , March 11, 1854. — Observations for time made in the forenoon;
heavens clouded up at night.

Same Camp — Sunday , March 12, 1854. — Heavens clouded during the day and night.

Same Camp — Monday , March 13, 1854. — Heavens clouded during the day and night.

Same Camp — Tuesday , March 14, 1854. — Heavens clouded in the forenoon and afternoon.
Observations for longitude and latitude taken at night. Lieutenant Garrard and party arrived
in camp at 3 o’clock p. m.

Same Camp — Wednesday , March 15, 1854. — Lieutenant Marshall, with seven men, rationed
for four days, proceeded up the Pecos with instructions to examine it as far as the Sacramento
river, which is supposed to be within two days’ travel of this point. The main object of this
expedition is to ascertain the correctness of the report that there is an abundance of large
timber of all descriptions on the banks of the Sacramento, and also (if such is the fact) to ascer¬
tain if it be possible to raft this timber down to the Pecos. Lieutenant Garrard, according to
his instructions, presented a report of his expedition, of which the following is a copy :

Camp on Falls of Rio Pecos, Mouth of Delaware Creek,

March 15, 1854.

Captain : In obedience to instructions conveyed to me in your letter of the 9th instant, on the
morning of the 10th I left this camp at 8 o’clock a. m., and reached the spring in the canon
near the high peak of the Guadalupe mountains at 10| a. m. the following morning, a distance
of about sixty miles. Leaving the spring at 11 a. m., I proceeded in a direction east of south
along the base of the western slope of the Guadalupe mountains, and encamped about eighteen
miles from the spring. During the whole distance the mountain range presented a rocky and
almost perpendicular side, intersected now and then by canons opening into the plain, which
proved, on examination, to narrow as you ascended them ; terminating in steep ravines, and
practicable only for horse or mule trails, being used as such by the Indians.

On the morning of the 12th instant I left camp at 6 o’clock a. m., and, continuing on the
same course I travelled yesterday, I crossed over a ridge near where this range of mountains

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

appears from the road to terminate; and descending again into the valley of the Salt Plain, I
found that what has been considered the terminus of the Guadalupe mountains is merely a
spur running out from the main range in a southwesterly direction into the Salt Plain — the
main range itself continuing uninterruptedly in the same course as it has north of the spur for
many miles. I proceeded on for about fifteen miles on a southeast course, and found the
mountains became higher and more rugged as I advanced along their base, retaining this
character for about thirty miles to the south, where they appeared to terminate against the
northeastern slopes of a range of mountains which extends from the northwest across their
course. Being now more than a day without water, and having travelled over a hundred miles
from our camp at the mouth of Delaware creek, and the object of the expedition having been
accomplished, I at this point turned hack, and, following my trail for about ten miles, bore off
northeast across . the mountains, direct for Delaware springs. Ascending canons, and leading
our animals up the almost perpendicular sides of the mountains, I encamped towards evening
near three beautiful natural tanks of water, which I discovered by following an Indian trail.

The next morning, (March 13,) starting a few moments before 6, and crossing the dividing
ridge of the Delaware valley and the Salt Plain, I followed, in a northeast direction for about
fifteen miles, a ravine which afterwards became a canon; then, hearing more to the north, and
crossing a succession of low hills, I struck the road near the head springs of Delaware creek,
and encamped at the springs at 2| o’clock p. m.

In conclusion, I have to report that there is not, within forty miles of the high peak of the
Guadalupe mountains, a pass through them more practicable than the one which the road now
traverses ; that which appears from the road to he the terminus of these mountains, and has
been generally considered as such, is a spur running out into the Salt Plain — the main range
itself continuing without interruption for seventy or eighty miles east of south from the high
peak, becoming more impracticable as you proceed to the southward ; that the chain of Salt
lakes which lie along the western base of the Guadalupe mountains, and which have been sup¬
posed to have their outlet into the Pecos around the southern and eastern bases of the range of
bluffs extending south and east from the high peak of the Guadalupe range, have no such
outlet.

I found grama-grass of good quality in great abundance along the entire route both going and
returning, and water in the following places, viz: in natural tanks about thirty-five miles south¬
west from the head springs of Delaware creek, and about twenty miles east of south from the high
peak of Guadalupe mountains ; and again in water-holes for three miles along the course of a
ravine in a direction north, and about five miles from the tanks. The water in all these places
was rain-water, collected in natural cisterns ; hut from their appearance, and the quantity of
water in them, it is likely it can he found there at all seasons of the year. These points are no
doubt the habitual resorts of the Apache Indians, as there were numerous well-beaten trails
leading to them from all directions, signs of frequent encampments in the neighborhood, and
figures drawn by the Indians upon the rocks, sketches of which are to he found in my note¬
book. We saw also at the tanks fresh tracks of a party of Indians who had evidently passed
only a few hours before uS.

There was no large timber of any kind along the routes, hut in many places along the ridges
there is a considerable growth of scruh-pine and cedar.

I transmit herewith a sketch of the route pursued by the party.

I am, Captain, respectfully, your obedient servant,

KENNER GARRARD,

Lieutenant First Dragoons , Assistant on Survey.

Brevet Captain J. Pope,

Top. Engineers , Commanding Exploring Party.

Observations for the time made during the day. The heavens cloudy at night. The mules

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

and stock driven across the creek, and allowed to graze during the night ; they, as usual, were
hobbled, and placed under under a strong guard. This course was adopted for the purpose of
economizing the corn. It is not anticipated that any injurious result will follow from this
arrangement, (during our stay here,) as every precaution that prudence can dictate is taken to
prevent surprise.

Observations for the time made during the day. The heavens cloudy during the night.

Same Camp — Thursday , March 16, 1854. — The following, is a copy of Lieutenant Marshall’s
instructions :

Falls of the Pecos River, Mouth of Delaware Creek,

March 14, 1854.

Sir: You will please proceed to examine the Pecos river as high up as the Sacramento, pro¬
vided' that point he not more than seventy miles distant from this place. It is reported in New
Mexico, by those who profess to know, that the valley of the Sacramento river is abundantly
supplied with large timber of every description, and you will investigate the truth of these
statements. Should such prove to he the fact, you will please examine the Pecos carefully from
the mouth of the Sacramento to this point, with a view to ascertain if the timber can he con¬
veniently floated or rafted down that stream. You will also note every peculiarity of country
along your routes as to timber, grass, water, &c., &c., and will keep a set of accurate compass
courses and estimated distances for the entire expedition. A party of seven mounted men,
with rations for four days, will he detailed to accompany you. Upon your return to this camp,
you will please furnish me with a written report of your expedition.

I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN. POPE,

Bvt. Copt. Top. Engs., Commanding Exploring Party.
Lieut. L. H. Marshall, 3d In antry,

Commanding Escort.

Lieutenant Marshall and party returned to camp at sundown. (For his report see Friday,
17th instant.) The weather for the last few days has been intensely warm — this day particu¬
larly so, the mercury rising to 97° Fah. in the shade. Many of the men have bathed in the
creek ; the temperature of the water pleasant and refreshing. The young grass is sponging up
on the ground that was fired a few nights ago. The prairie still continues to burn; the light
can he seen at a distance of 45 miles from camp, near the Sacramento river. The mules and
stock, (the former hobbled,) under a strong guard, grazed during the night. The animals
which returned with Lieutenant Marshall were the only ones fed with corn.

Although the water of the Pecos is somewhat salty, and that of the Delaware creek consid¬
erably impregnated (from the springs above) with sulphur, yet the use of it has not been fol¬
lowed by any injurious consequences to the health, of a serious character. Some few of the
party have been attacked, hut not seriously, with diarrhoea, which disappeared in two or three
days on applying simple remedies. It is observed that the animals prefer the sulphurous water.

Lieutenant Garrard made some surveys in the vicinity of camp, which will he duly noticed.
We have added largely to our collection in natural history, &c. All repairs to wagons,
harness, &c., are being made; indeed all hands are usefully employed. Observations for the
time made during the day, and at night for latitude and longitude.

Same Camp — Friday , March 17, 1854. — Lieutenant Marshall presented the following report,
in compliance with the concluding paragraph of instructions dated 14th instant :

Camp near Falls of Pecos,

March 17, 1854.

Captain : In obedience to instructions received from you on the 14th instant, I have the
honor to report the result of the expedition under my charge.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

I left camp on the morning of the 15th instant at 9 o’clock, and travelled in a northeast
direction, for the greater part of the time along the right or west hank of the river, until 6
o’clock p. m., when I camped, having marched thirty-seven miles. About three miles from
camp I met a party of Apache Indians, under their head chief, Negrite, who had a paper from
the commanding officer of Fort Fillmore, giving him a good character. * * * They

approached me with a white flag and said they were good Apaches, who wished to he at peace
with the whites; they informed me that the Sacramento was near.

The country over which I passed was a rolling prairie, similar in all respects to that tra¬
versed between the head of Delaware creek and the Pecos. The soil, a mixture of clay and
decomposed gypsum, evidently rests on a bed of limestone and a conglomerate of limestone and
clay, which outcrops at several points along the river. On the left or east hank of the river is
the broad plain of Llano Estacado, which evidently has for its basis the same conglomerate rock
mentioned above.

On the morning of the 16th I left camp at 6 o’clock, and travelled for about a mile along the
bank of the Pecos — passing through a grove of young ash-trees, the first and only timber I
have seen on the river. I then ascended to the plain, and at the distance of half a mile came
suddenly upon a stream, which I concluded to he the Sacramento. This river is about fifty
feet wide, and six feet deep at the mouth — a slight bar forming on the right bank : the bottom
is gravelly and hard; in some few places there are quicksands. The river varies from two to
fifty feet in width, and in depth from one to fifteen feet. Its course is in some places zigzag,
and there are three or four hackberry trees on the right hank, near its mouth. The water is
clear and good, having a slight metallic taste. There is plenty of cat-fish and suckers of a
large size near the mouth of the river. Trout can he caught higher up the stream.

I went up this river five and a half miles due west ; it then turned to the northeast. At the
bend of the river I found an Indian town, consisting of five or six wigwams.

I now determined to retrace my steps — not having found timber, nor seeing any probability of
finding it within a few miles. I went hack along the bank of the river to a point half a mile
east of the bend, and crossing the river there, I rode over an ascending plain directly north of
the ford until I reached a round mound, about three miles from the ford, from the top of which
I could see the G-uadalupe range sink into the valley of the Pecos. I could also perceive the
Sacramento enter the chain of high hills which rise out of the plain about ten miles on the
south side of, and continue until it connected with, the G-uadalupe range ; also the depression in
the Guadalupe chain, through which I supposed the Sacramento must pass. The country on
the right hank of the river is of precisely the same nature as that described above. On the left
the soil is a red clay, resting upon a stratum of gypsum. I passed some caverns on my way to
and from the hill. There are several falls in the Sacramento — one of them a fall of six feet.

In the Pecos there are six or eight rapids ; I refer you, for their locality, to the accompany¬
ing sketch of the route. I made a collection of such minerals and flowers as I thought would
exhibit the character of the country. I reached camp at sundown.

In conclusion, as far as I could see from the hill before mentioned, the timber (if there be
any on the Sacramento) must he north of the Guadalupe chain ; and, in my opinion, it would
be impossible to float even a small log down the Sacramento, although a very large one could
be very easily rafted down the Pecos.

I have the honor to he, respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. H. MARSHALL,

Second Lieutenant Third Infantry.

Brevet Captain John Pope,

Commanding Exploring Party.

Lieutenant Marshall further reported having seen a considerable quantity of deer, antelope,
and partridges along the route.

9 e

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

A stone monument was erected on the summit of a hill on the right hank of the Delaware
creek, for reference on the survey across the Llano Estacado.

The mules and stock grazed during the day and night, under a strong guard, on the south
side of the creek.

Ho observations taken this day ; the heavens cloudy at night.

Same Gamp — Saturday, March 18, 1854. — Some surveys made to find the levels of the river :
the result is a fall of three feet one inch in three hundred feet. The mules and stock grazed as
usual ; were brought in at sunset, fed with corn, and then turned out to graze during the night.

The principal wagonmaster, (Mitchell,) accompanied by a Mexican, came into camp, with a
letter from Captain Taplin. As this letter gives a mere outline of his expedition, it is not
copied in this place. (The full report of this expedition is given at page 73 of this journal.)
The following is a general statement of the route of the party over the Llano Estacado, as
given by the wagonmaster. He says: “ For about eighteen miles after leaving our camp the
road is good. At this point it becomes heavy sand, which continues the whole way across the
Staked Plain until about the same distance from water on the opposite side. The intermediate
plain is entirely destitute of water. The party accomplished the distance, (say one hundred
and forty-two miles) from water to water in five days. In consequence of the exhausted'condi-
tion of the animals, the wagons were abandoned on the fourth day, about forty miles from water.
After reaching the springs (which Captain Taplin supposed to be one of the sources of the
Colorado) the mules were rested a sday and a half, but were too much broken down to justify
Captain Taplin in attempting to rejoin the command. He therefore sent wagonmaster Mitchell
to report the fact, and his intention of attempting to rejoin us by the emigrant trail. Mitchell
brought a Mexican and three mules, one packed. Two kegs of water were carried along, half
a keg of which was left at the wagons for the use of those persons who would come for them.
He (Mitchell) left Captain Taplin on the 16th instant at 3 o’clock a. m., travelled until A\
o’clock p. m. ; camped; and started on the 17th at 4 o’clock a. m., travelled until 4 p. m., rest¬
ing during that time for half an hour, then proceeded until 8 o’clock p. m. ; camped; and started
on the 18th at 3 o’clock a. m., travelled until 10 o’clock a. m., resting an hour, then proceeded
to camp on Pecos, reaching it at sundown : thus making the whole distance (one hundred and
forty-two miles) in forty hours’ travelling. There are game, grass, and wood in abundance on
these plains, but not the slightest trace of water.”

The total impracticability of crossing the Llano with our wagons being now obvious, and
the command so much divided, it was decided to move down the east side of the Pecos to inter¬
sect the emigrant trail and meet Captain Taplin. Immediate preparations were made for this
movement.

Camp 19 — Sunday, March 19, 1854. — Left camp at daylight and crossed the river. As the
banks had been cut down to facilitate the crossing of the wagons, they passed over without any
accident, with the exception of one, which had its hounds broken, the repairing of which occa¬
sioned some delay. The bottom of the river at this point is rocky, and no difficulty whatever
is presented if proper care is taken.

About half, of our route to-day was over a rolling prairie, which was easy to travel ; the
remainder was level. The road was good, being composed of sand and gravel. For the second
time during the expedition we had a slight fall of rain, which commenced before we left camp
and continued until noon, when it cleared up, the weather becoming excessively hot.

At four miles from camp we came upon a deep-red soil, (sandy,) which continued until we
struck the level plains.

The greater portion of the soil passed over to-day is capable of extensive culture ; it can be
irrigated from the river. Along our route there was a considerable quantity of mezquite-root
and brush mezquite ; also the grama-grass was good and abundant.

Peached our camp on the “Bio Pecos” at 3 o’clock p. m. The banks of the river are here
steep and precipitous, rendering it impossible to water animals at it without cutting them down.

APPENDIX A.— DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

This was done with a little labor. We had an abundance of mezquite-root ; the grass was good
and plentiful. Immediately on our arrival in camp the animals were watered and turned out
to graze, the mules being hobbled, as usual. At sundown they were brought in, fed with corn,
and turned out for the night, strongly guarded.

No observations taken ; heavens cloudy during the day and night ; general direction, south
40° east; miles, 12T\.

Camp No. 20 — Monday, March 20, 1854. — Left last camp at 7 o’clock a. m. With the
exception of a short distance of rolling prairie, our route to-day was over a level and rich bot¬
tom, which widens as we descend the river. This valley can be easily irrigated, and would,
no doubt, amply repay the outlay and labor. The grass in the bottom is not so good as it has
been ; it is only tolerable prairie-grass ; but on the bluffs the buffalo-grass and grama-grass are
excellent. The under-ground and bush mezquite is abundant. On one of the bluffs, composed
of a deep-red sandstone, we found the sulphuret of lead, rich in silver.

We camped at 4 o’clock p. m. near a sloping bank of the river, where the animals could be
watered without the use of buckets. It is to be observed that the banks of the river are so
steep that the animals must, speaking generally, be watered by hand. At this camp we for
the first time met with an accident. One of the mules, getting into deep water and quicksand,
was drowned. The current was so swift and strong that it was impossible to save the animal.
The mules and stock, having been watered, were fed with corn, afterwards hobbled and turned
out to graze during the night, strongly guarded . Mezquite and brush plenty ; grass (prairie)
only tolerable.

During the day we saw several Indian trails, which had been travelled very recently.

No observations taken ; heavens cloudy during the day and night. General direction, south
35° east; miles, 19XV

Camp No. 21 — Tuesday, March 21, 1854. — Left camp at half-past 6 o’clock a. m. Our route
during this day’s march was over a slightly rolling prairie. We saw an abundance of under¬
ground mezquite. The grass has changed from grama to prairie grass of an inferior quality.
As on the previous day, we found excellent buffalo-grass on the bluffs. The flowers, before so
profuse, have entirely disappeared in the valley ; they, however, grew abundantly on the bluffs
and high gravelly ground. The soil to-day was good, and cau be cultivated by irrigation from
the river. The bluffs gradually recede as we proceed down the river. The last one we saw
before reaching camp is about three miles from it. We saw several Indian trails, which became
more defined as we approached camp, which we reached at twenty minutes after 2 o’clock p. m.
This camp is evidently a favorite resort of the Indians, as the deep trails leading to it suffi¬
ciently prove. Animals can be watered here with great facility, as the bank slopes gently down
to the water. The mezquite root is not very plenty in the immediate vicinity of camp. We,
however, found enough of it and brush to answer all purposes. The prairie-grass is tolerable.

On one of the bluffs (above mentioned) a gold-bearing quartz was found.

From evidences brought under our notice to-day and yesterday, there can be no doubt
that this section of country is rich in the precious metal. It remains for our more fortunate
successors to reap the benefit of this opinion.

We are now, it is believed, about twelve miles above “Marcy’s Crossing.”

The animals and stock were watered and turned out to graze — the former hobbled.

As we are now in a dangerous country, the following precaution is taken against surprise :
Six of the best animals are kept in the corral, so that, in the event of a stampede, they can be
made available to recover the other animals. For the future, except under peculiar circum¬
stances, the riding-mules will not be fed with corn.

No observations taken during the day or at night. General direction, south 80° east;
miles, 17tV

Camp No. 22 — Wednesday, March 22, 1854. — Left last camp at half-past 6' o’clock a. m.
Our route for about six miles was over a tolerably good prairie, the Soil being good — sand,

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

mixed with gravel. It then changed to a yellow, soft sand, covered thickly with chaparral.
The ground is much cut up hy mole and prairie-dog holes, which render the travelling fatiguing
to the animals, as they are constantly sinking into them.

We could distinguish an immense salt lake in our front for many miles before we arrived at
it, in which there appeared to he a large body of water. However, on crossing it, we found it
perfectly dry. It is upwards of two and three-quarter miles across, and is covered over with a
salty efflorescence. As the sun shone fiercely upon its dazzling surface, the effect upon our eyes
was most painful. On digging, the soil became moist. At the depth of two and a half feet
we came to water, the taste of which was intolerable.

We had here an interesting instance of the power of refraction. As the mounted party
arrived at the lake before the wagons, the men behind supposed we were standing in water.
When they reached the lake, they also appeared to he wading through water. We saw some
antelope here, hut did not succeed in killing any ; they were shy.

On leaving the lake, we proceeded to the river over a soft and heavy red sand. It was very
had travelling for the wagons. The grass became scanty and had. We reached camp at ten
minutes after 4 o’clock p. m. The most convenient place was selected for watering the animals,
yet we had to use buckets— it being dangerous to allow them to drink from the hank, which
was steep and miry. Mezquite-root scarce in the neighborhood of camp. We found some
drift-wood on the banks of the river. The grass being of an inferior quality, the mules were
fed with corn, hobbled, and grazed during the night, under a strong guard.

Until the last two or three miles, the mezquite and grass were abundant. Altogether, the
country to-day was far inferior to that we have traversed for some time past.

No observations taken during the day; the night cloudy, with a slight rain. General direc¬
tion, south 50° east; miles, 20TV

Camp No. 23 — Thursday , March 23, 1854. — Left last camp at twenty minutes to 7 o’clock.
At a short distance from it we found a long stake driven firmly into the ground on the bank of
the river, evidently intended as a mark or guide, but by what party put there we could not
ascertain. We now struck a wagon-trail, which we supposed to be Marcy’s. However, on
following it up for some miles, it terminated abruptly. After considerable search for it, without
success, the command halted and turned back, and, at a mile and a half distant, encamped near
the river. Two parties were sent out to hunt up the trails ; one of them struck it about three
miles from where., we halted.

Our road to-day was good ; the soil gravelly, and mixed with sand. The bluffs approach
nearly to the river’s edge. Indeed, at one point the road was barely broad enough to permit
a wagon to pass along the stream. This portion of our route was thickly covered with gypsum
and shells ; the former in larger masses than we had yet seen. Selenite was also abundant.
On cutting off a piece of it with a penknife, it was found to be as clear and transparent as glass.
Indeed, the poorer classes of the Mexicans, and all the pueblos in New Mexico, use selenite of a
much inferior quality as a substitute for this necessary article.

The soil to-day consisted of a firm red sand, mingled with clay ; the bluffs are red sand. The
grass assumed a completely different hue, becoming quite green ; the effect was pleasing to the eye.
There was prairie-grass in the bottom, grama and buffalo-grass on the bluffs — all excellent and
abundant. We reached camp at 11 o’clock a. m., on the bank of the river. The animals and
stock were driven about a mile from camp to an old camping-place, where they could be watered
without using buckets. On their return the mules were hobbled and turned out to graze ; the
wagon mules, and those retained in camp for the purpose already mentioned, only fed with
corn. Animals grazed at night, guarded as usual. Mezquite root and brush plenty along our
whole route to-day.

For the last few days the rattlesnakes are becoming numerous. The weather is oppressively
sultry, the thermometer ranging from 84° to 88° in the shade.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

Our botanical collection is increasing, every day disclosing some new and beautiful varieties
of flowers.

It is deeply to be regretted that our limited means of transportation does not permit us to
increase our geological and mineralogical collection to tbe extent we desire, as tbe country
affords us abundant opportunity of extending our researches in these branches of science. We
continue to be fortunate in our collection of natural history. Observations for tbe time taken
in tbe afternoon. Heavens cloudy at night, with a slight rain. General direction, north 82°
east; miles, 7TV

Camp No. 24 — Friday , March 24, 1854. — Left last camp at twenty minutes past 6 o’clock
a. m., and moved in the direction of the trail discovered yesterday. We struck the road at the
“Emigrant Grossing” about 9 o’clock a. m. ; distance from camp upwards of four miles. This
is an extremely bad crossing ; our oxen swam for upwards of thirty feet to the opposite bank. It
would be utterly impossible for wagons to cross without rafting. It cannot for a moment com¬
pare with the “Crossing of the Pecos,” (mouth of Delaware creek,) the former presenting many
difficulties — soft bottom, deep stream, and on the east side miry banks. The latter affords
many facilities, and is strongly recommended to emigrants. We halted here to water, which
had to be done with buckets. As we will not reach water until we strike the “Sand Hills,”
our kegs were filled. We are now upon the long-desired trail.

Our route was over a rolling prairie ; the soil is gravel, mixed with clay. Grama-grass good
and abundant. On both sides of the road there was plenty of mezquite-root and brush.

We reached camp at half-past 3 o’clock p. m. No water. Mules and stock turned out to
graze. The arrangement of the previous night continued.

Observations for the time taken during the afternoon; also for the latitude at night. The
latter had to be discontinued, as the heavens suddenly clouded up, with every indication of a
coming storm.

During the day we espied a mule grazing at some distance to the right of the road. We
approached him, but he evinced an evident dislike to our further acquaintance, taking to his
heels in gallant style, affording quite a hunt to the mounted party, which he certainly “dis¬
tanced.” However, we accomplished by stratagem what we failed to do by speed. After some
difficulty he was driven into the herd, and “lariated” by the Mexicans. He was at once put
in harness, and worked well, taking this sudden change in his condition most philosophically.
On examination we found him branded with the “U. S.” mark. Being in good order, the
animal was a valuable accession to our teams. General direction, north 16° east from the river ;
miles, iS

Camp No. 25 — Saturday, March 25, 1854. — Left last camp at twenty minutes after 6 o’clock
a. m., and moved in the direction of the Sand Hills. Our route to-day, for nine miles, was
over a level prairie; the road for this distance was excellent. Before reaching the “Hills” we
had nearly seven miles of bad, sandy road. We could perceive them at a distance of twelve
miles, stretching away as far as the eye could reach. For two miles, before camping, we passed
around their western base. We arrived in camp at twenty minutes after 2 o’clock p. m.

These “Hills” present a curious and interesting geological formation. They extend about
fifty miles from north to south, and fifteen miles east to west. They consist of white drift-sand,
thrown up into innumerable conical mounds, totally destitute of all vegetation. One would
suppose that this region of sand is the last place where water could be found ; yet, however
incredible it appears, there is an abundance of water in these hills, contained in basins of the
finest sand. When amongst the “Hills,” one would suppose there had been a heavy fall of
snow. Our camp was about a quarter of a mile from the water. The animals were driven up
to water, sinking to their knees in the sand. The team-mules were fed with corn ; six animals
picketed in camp for the purpose previously mentioned.

The soil for ten miles from the Pecos was good, with plenty of prairie grass and mezquite

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

root. As we near the “ Hills,” these "become scarce. At camp we had some brush. The grass
was very poor and scanty.

The weather changed suddenly to cold, with a high wind. A slight rain fell during the
night.

Our camp is thirty-one and two-tenths miles from the “ Emigrant Crossing” of the Rio Pecos.
No observations taken during the day. Heavens cloudy at night. General direction, north 7°
30' east; miles, 16TV

Camp No. 26 — Sunday , March 26, 1854. — Left camp twenty minutes to 7 o’clock a. m., and
proceeded in the direction of the next watering-place in the Sand Hills, five miles distant
from camp. There is a well marked trail here leading to the water, which can be obtained,
however, at any point in the “Hills,” hy driving the animals about half a mile from the road.
The mules and stock were watered and turned loose to graze some time. We passed from last
eamp from northeast to southwest in arriving at this point, over a deep sandy road, which was
very trying to the animals. From the great quantity of fragments of abandoned wagons, this
place has been evidently a general camping ground.

Having halted about an hour and a half, the command started. The remainder of our route
for this day was over a fine and deep sand ; we encountered many steep hills of the same nature.
There could not, indeed, he a worse road, as was sufficiently evident from the exhausted con¬
dition of our animals. We fortunately overcame all the difficulties of this miserable road with¬
out doubling teams or meeting with any accident. As we did not expect to reach water until
the following day, all the casks were filled at the above halting place. The grass is poor and
scarce; there is no wood, although we found enough of brush and weeds for cooking. In short,
there is no vegetation on this arid and sandy plain.

We reached camp after a laborious and fatiguing march at 3^ o’clock p. m., and camped with¬
out water. The, same arrangement as last night respecting the mules.

The weather continues cold; had it been as hot to-day as it has been for some time past, it is
doubtful if we could have succeeded so well.

A party under assistant wagonmaster Beylor was sent out at daylight to go ahead and find
water. By some inconceivable mistake they took the trail (at which we watered) instead of the
road ; and having wandered about for a number of hours, completely bewildered, they accidentally
came upon our trafck.

No observations taken during the day or at night. General direction for five miles to water¬
ing place, northeast to southwest; remainder of the day, north 20° east; miles, 12^.

Camp No. 27 — Monday, March 27, 1854. — Left last camp at twenty-five minutes after 6
o’clock a. m. For about five miles we encountered the same deep sand we had yesterday. The
remaining portion of our route to-day was over a good gravelly road. Lieutenant Marshall and
four of the party left the command early in the morning to find water. He met us near our
camping place in the evening, having gone thirty miles without discovering any. The grass
along our route is tolerably good ; the mezquite root is not so abundant as it was before we
struck the Sand Hills. We reached camp ten minutes after 5 o’clock p. m. No water;
grass (prairie) tolerable; the mezquite-root requires some trouble to collect. We had sufficient
water in kegs for cooking purposes, but it was used with economy, as we do not know if we will
strike water to-morrow. We saw a large number of antelope to-day; but they were so shy,
we did not succeed in killing any of them.

The soil, after leaving the sand, was composed of a fine sand mixed with clay; decomposed
gypsum was lying pretty thick in some places.

The day was not so hot as usual — a fortunate matter for the animals, which, as yet, do not
exhibit any particular sign of wanting water; they were halted at 10 o’clock a. m. and allowed
to graze for a short time.

The arrangement of the preceding night in respect to the mules is continued.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OP THE EXPEDITION. . 71

Observations for the time taken in the forenoon; afternoon and night cloudy. General
direction, north 50° east; miles, 18TV

Camp No. 28 — Tuesday, March 28, 1854. — Left last camp at 7 o’clock a. m. From various
accounts we anticipated meeting with water to-day in more than one pool on our route. In
these hopes we were sadly disappointed. Parties were sent out in every direction to look for it,
and our anxiety was increased as each of them returned with an unsuccessful report. The
animals were now showing symptoms of wanting it. The heavy dews of the last two nights
have, in some slight measure, relieved their thirst, and this, together with the fact that the days
have been cool, has enabled us to travel the frightful road we have traversed since Sunday last.

Every gully and pond where water was likely to be found were visited, but in vain. Our
only alternative to prevent the loss of our animals was to push on briskly for the ‘ c Mustang
springs.” We halted once during the day to rest our animals, and then proceeded at a steady
pace. The grass was good until within six miles of our camping place, when it changed,
becoming poor and full of weeds.

We saw a number of antelope and deer to-day; one of the party shot two deer. On a ridge
near camp we perceived a mustang, the only one we had yet met with.

The soil is much the same as yesterday; our road is an excellent one.

Reached camp at 5| o’clock a. m. bio water, the animals evincing signs of fatigue, having
been two days and nights without water; grass very poor; mezquite and brush plenty.

There was not sufficient water left in the kegs for cooking, through the injudicious conduct of
some of the command in drinking it during the day. The matter was investigated, and some
of the party punished to prevent a repetition of so serious an offence. Our good spirits do not,
however, fail us, as we hope to strike water to-morrow about 10 a. m. Same arrangement as
usual with regard to the animals.

No observations taken; day cloudy; it blew hard at night. General direction, north 52°
east; miles, 251%.

Camp No. 29 — Wednesday, March 29, 1854. — Left last camp at 6 o’clock a. m., and moved
for the Mustang springs, over a rolling prairie. About three miles from camp we met Captain
Taplin and party, all well and in good spirits. His report, and a detailed account of his pro¬
ceedings, will be given in the subsequent pages. We arrived at the Mustang springs at half¬
past 10 o’clock a. m. Last night all our sheep (thirty-two in number) were stampeded by the
wolves, and our exertions for their recovery were in vain. This is deemed an appropriate place
to take a retrospective glance at our road for the last few days.

From the point where we first struck the Sand Hills, we proceeded along their western base
and crossed the main ridge of sand at the lowest apparent point. At five miles across, we came
to the last known watering-place to the eastward. In this direction we passed over many ridges
of deep sand, separated by valleys of the same character. They are in reality impassable for
heavy-laden wagons. From the above point to the hard prairie east of the Sand Hills, a dis¬
tance of thirteen miles, we continued to cross deep sandy ridges, with intervening bottoms of a
similar description, totally destitute of vegetation. From the Pecos river to the level prairie
east of the Sand Hills, the road passes through about thirty miles of the heaviest sand. It is
the worst road to be found in New Mexico, on tbo Rio Grande, or indeed anywhere else. It
cannot be too strongly urged upon emigrant parties never to attempt travelling by this route,
except in the rainy season, from August to the middle of October, as the distance without water
from the Sand Hills to the first permanent water to the eastward is sixty-seven miles, thirteen
of which (immediately to the eastward of the hills) are through sand so deep and heavy as to
be absolutely impassable for heavy-laden teams. With animals perfectly fresh, and lightly-
loaded wagons, it requires all our exertions to overcome the difficulties of this dreadful road. It
is also to be observed that our animals were in fine order, with eight and ten mules to each
wagon.

The Mustang springs form several lakes or large pools, which are highly saline. The one

APPENDIX A. — DIAKY OF THE EXPEDITION.

on which, we camped, the most easterly, is less salty than the others, and is by far the best for
rise. It is slightly sulphurous, hut not very unpalatable. There are some holes dug around,
in which the water is somewhat better than in the bottom. These lakes are about three miles
in length, and run north 20° west, and south 20° east. They are enclosed by gentle eminences,
on which the grass is better than in the bottom.

We met a party of Kiowas, who had a large number of horses and ponies, and were return¬
ing with them to their own country from Mexico. It is needless to say these animals had been
stolen. The chief met us near our halting-place, and showed a friendly spirit. The Indians
encamped at a short distance from us. With the exception of a few words with the chief, no
further intercourse was held with them. They did come into our camp, hut departed hastily
towards the north.

The soil during this day’s march is generally good clay, mingled with sand, with occasional
gravelly places. The hills at the “Springs” are formed of decomposed limestone. There was
no growth of wood, or even brush, along our route. The mezquite root is plenty, hut difficult
to get at. The grass is improving.

The animals were watered and driven up on the hills to graze. They were all fed with corn,
and herded under a strong guard during the night, except six mules, which were picketed in
camp, to he used in case of emergency.

Observations for the time taken during the day, and for the latitude at night. General
direction, north 52° east; miles, 13.

Camp No. 30 — Thursday , March 30, 1854. — Left last camp at 10^ o’clock a. m. Our route
was over a rolling prairie; the road excellent. The animals, being now recruited, looked and
travelled well. As we do not expect to reach water this evening, our kegs were filled, and the
animals all watered before we started. On our whole route to-day we did not see any wood ;
the mezquite-root is plenty, hut more difficult to obtain than usual. As we proceed, the grass
improves. To the right of the road the plain was covered with young green grass, which the ani¬
mals ate with great avidity. This green grass is the result of firing the prairie, which is done by
the Indians on the grounds they most frequent. Occasionally the grass is fired accidentally;
a fresh and excellent crop replacing the dry grass.

We reached camp at fifteen minutes past 2 o’clock p. m. We found good grass and mezquite-
trees in considerable quantities.

The same arrangement in respect to the animals as on the previous evening.

Ho observations taken in the day ; the wind blew a perfect gale at night from the north.

The soil during this day’s march was a good clay and sand; we met with several places
covered with decomposed limestone. This land could, no doubt, he cultivated successfully if
there was either natural or artificial irrigation. Stock to an incredible extent could be raised
on these plains near the watering-places. This result will perhaps be accomplished at a future
day.

Camp No. 31 — Friday , March 31, 1854. — Left last camp at five minutes to 7 o’clock a. m.,
and moved in the direction of the Big Springs, over a rolling prairie. About four miles from
camp we descended into a fine valley, having a rich soil, covered with a fresh growth of grass.
As we proceed the country assumes a different and more fertile appearance. On our route to¬
day there is a great quantity of mezquite, which becomes particularly abundant as we approach
the “Springs.” We reached our camp, Big Springs of Colorado, at twenty minutes after 12
o’clock p. m.

These springs are surrounded by immense masses of limestone rock, and are situated in a
basin or reservoir of the same geological character, about sixty feet wide, and to all appearances
about thirty feet deep. The water is excellent. On exploring the rocky eminences in the vicinity,
we found large quantities of shell of the muscle species imbedded in the rock.

We have everything here requisite for camping — water, wood, and grass in abundance. It is
one of the best camps we have yet stopped at.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION. 73

The animals were turned out to graze ; they were not fed with corn, except the few retained
in camp. Corn was not necessary, as the grass is good, and the mules in capital order.

Observations for the time taken in the day, and also at night for the latitude. General
direction, north 52° east; miles, 10T8U.

Camp No. 32. — Saturday , April 1, 1854. — Left last camp at 9| o’clock a. m. Before starting,
all our kegs were filled, and the animals watered, as we do not expect to reach water this even¬
ing. Immediately on leaving camp we crossed the beaten road which we had traversed from
the Rio Pecos, and moved in a southwest direction. We at first encountered a succession of
ravines and gullies, composed of lime and sandstone ; but from these we did not experience
any difficulty. By following a ravine we came upon a fine hard bottom, over which the wagons
travelled well. It is to be borne in mind that we are now making our own road. Along our
route we perceived many salt lakes without water; they were, with one exception, on the left.
To the right of the bottom there is a table-land, which extended the whole way for this day’s
march. The wagons did not ascend, as the valley is the best road for travelling.

The soil is clay and sand, with gravel at intervals. In the immediate vicinity of the
Lagunas the surface is covered with a saline efflorescence; the grass also is tinged with salt.

We reached camp at ten minutes to 2 o’clock p. m., where we had plenty of wood and grass;
no water.

The same arrangements as last night in respect to the mules.

No observations taken in the day or at night. General direction, south 70° west; miles, 10j6ff.

Camp No. 33. — Sunday , April 2, 1854. — Left last camp at five minutes to 7 o’clock a. m.,
and moved in the direction of the Sulphur Springs of the Colorado, the first water reached by
Captain Taplin’s party; our road being over a hard and slightly rolling prairie.

The soil is a fine sand, gravelly in some places. The mezquite continues abundant. The
grass is generally good, with some exceptions, when it becomes dry and weedy.

We have seen a considerable quantity of antelope, deer, and pheasants for the last few days ;
the former are so shy, it is difficult to get near them.

Reached camp — Sulphur Springs of the Colorado — at 3 o’clock p. m. In the neighborhood
of the springs the mezquite root is scarce ; but wagons can be sent about two miles from them
where there is an abundance.

The usual arrangement respecting the mules continued.

No observations taken during the day or at night; general direction, north 70° west; miles?
about 16.

Chapter III. — From the Sulphur Springs of the Colorado to the Clear Fork of the Brazos.

The following, which is the first portion of Captain Taplin’s report of his exploration of the
Llano Estacado, was received at the Pecos March 18, 1854:

Sulphur Springs op the Colorado,

March 15, 1854.

Sir: In obedience to your instructions, dated March 9, 1854, to examine the Llano Estacado
from the falls of the Pecos river, mouth of Delaware creek, to the headwaters of the Colorado
or Brazos river, I have the honor to submit the following report.

On Thursday, March 9th, I crossed the Pecos at 11 o’clock a. m., in a direction north 70°
east. My command consisted of wagonmaster Mitchell, six of the topographical party, and
five men of the infantry escort — in all, thirteen persons — having two light wagons, with eight
mules each, rations for ten days, six kegs of water, and eight sacks of corn ; the number of
mules was twenty-two, six of the party being mounted. This day we made eighteen miles, and
encamped at 7| o’clock p. m.

10 e

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OE THE EXPEDITION.

About four miles from the Pecos we crossed a ravine with a grove of wild china trees upon
it; some of these were twenty feet high. Our road was hard and gravelly, with the exception
of the last three miles, which were sandy. This sand is red, and covered over with prairie-
mole holes, into which the mules sunk above the fetlock every few steps. Along our route saw
antelope, deer, and rabbits; there is an abundance of grass, dwarf mezquite, palmetto, and
cactus. No signs of water.

Friday , March 11.— Left camp at 6 a. m. ; our road continued sandy; mezquite-brush thick
in some places. At half-past 12 p. m. we stopped twenty minutes to rest the mules. We then
proceeded until 7 o’clock p. m., and encamped. An antelope and a rabbit were killed. The
mules evinced signs of fatigue. No signs of water; distance this day, twenty-four miles.

Saturday , March 11. — Left camp at half-past 5 a. m. Having travelled about three miles,
we struck a ravine leading to the south, in the bed of which were large boulders of sandstone ;
bluffs on each side. Two of the party were sent up and down this ravine to look for water, but
without success; the wagons in the mean time continuing their course. From this point the
face of the country changed to a hard and gravelly soil, with a rolling prairie, covered with
grama-grass. Antelope, deer, rabbits, owls, crows, prairie-hens, and small birds were quite
numerous. At half-past 1 p. m. the animals received one gallon of water each, and rested for
an hour and a half. We moved forward at half-past 3 p. m., and again struck the sand, which
is red and covered over with a coarse bunch-grass about two feet in height, and patches of
dwarf-oak about six inches high, loaded with acorns.

About 9 o’clock a. m. perceived a high bluff, bearing southeast, evidently fifteen or twenty
miles distant, facing to the west, and sloping gradually to the east; it serves as a landmark for
miles around. . From the abundance of game, there is no doubt water in that direction. We
had plenty of dwarf mezquite, wild china, and brush along our route to-day. The mounted
men are kept on the flanks, riding at a considerable distance, looking for water. Encamped at
half-past 7 p. m. on the plain. No sign of water. The weather is cool, with frost at night — a
cold wind blowing from the north nearly all the time. A fallow deer was killed to-day. Dis¬
tance, twenty-five miles.

Sunday, March 12. — Left camp at half-past 5 a. m., and resumed our course through the
sand-hills. The mules are much fatigued by the innumerable mole-holes. Stopped at half¬
past 12 p. m., and gave the mules the remainder of the water, except three gallons reserved for
the men. The country, as far as can be seen, is a perfect sea of tall, reddish grass, interspersed
with hillocks of sand. The mules are very much jaded; the water we brought from the Pecos
being somewhat saline, does not seem to benefit them. Encamped at half-past 6 p. m. We
have made but twenty miles in twelve hours ; no sign of water.

As the country ahead of us does not appear to improve, it was determined, for the safety of
men and animals, to leave the wagons and push on, being uncertain how far it may be to water.
An antelope killed to-day.

Monday, March 13.' — The men were called at 3 a. m. to arrange their packs; the escort were
mounted, blankets serving for saddles. They had one pack-mule to carry their rations. We
took two along, leaving the corn in the wagons. Started at 4 a. m. ; the road continued sandy
for about six miles. At this point we struck a hard, firm prairie, and again found grama-
grass. Proceeded until half-past 11 a. m., and rested the mules for twenty minutes. The
country is more rolling, with basins which evidently contain water in the rainy season. At
half-past 2 p. m. we came to a small pond of muddy water, where our mules had a little water
each, but the men could not drink it. Saw fresh mustang signs and two mustangs. Encamped
at 6 o’clock p. m., without any sign of water. As usual, some of the party kept on our flanks,
on the look-out for water; plenty of mezquite-root for fuel.

Tuesday, March 14. — Camp stirring at half-past 3 a. m. We started at 4 a. m. Although
our mules were counted at midnight, and found correct, yet, through the carelessness of the
escort, (who were on guard,) two of the mules got loose and strayed off. Every precaution was

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

taken against suck, a contingency; tkere was rope sufficient, and these men had keen cautioned
to be particular in picketing tkeir animals. Our mules were suffering so muck for water, we
could not delay to bunt up these animals.

The country is becoming rolling. After travelling for six miles we came upon a high ridge,
and saw to the north of our road a large ravine leading to the east ; along its hanks were stony
bluffs. Still farther to the northeast was another high ridge, having about the same course;
to the southeast high hills, apparently twenty-five or thirty miles distant. The whole face of
the country slopes to the eastward. We struck a fresh trail leading down to springs in the
ravine, which we reached at 9 a. m. Some of these are highly tinged with sulphur and salt¬
petre — others perfectly fresh and pure. They issue out from under a bed of limestone rocks.
These springs are no doubt one of the sources of the Colorado. About a hundred yards below
the head spring there is a large pond, at which animals can he watered with great facility.
There had been recently a large party of Indians at this place; it is their regular camp-ground.
The scarcity of grass and fuel in the vicinity is thus accounted for. They can, however, he
found in abundance at the distance of a couple of miles. We will remain here until night,
when we will move out for grass. At 4 p. m. moved out one and a half mile to good grama-
grass, keeping a good look-out for our mules.

Wednesday , March 15, 1854. — Last night was cloudy and warm; towards daylight a heavy
dew fell. At 11 a. m. moved hack to the springs, unpacked and watered our mules; we will
remain here till evening. The animals are so much broken down, it would he impossible for
them to return to the Pecos without resting for two or three weeks. Mitchell and a Mexican will
he sent hack on express to the Pecos; they will start early to-morrow morning, taking a pack,
with as much water as they can carry. Mitchell thinks he will reach the river on the third day,
which will he about, the twelfth since we started. In a couple of days the whole party will
return for the wagons, and bring them to this place. The corn (about five sacks) will he
issued as rations to the party ; as the grass is good, the animals will not feel the want of it. If
the party remain together we shall he on Captain Marcy’s trail, which is not more than twenty
miles from this point. It will require all our exertions to get the almost empty wagons here,
(from the weak condition of the mules ;) the distance going and returning is eighty-eight miles.
On our return the animals will remain here for rest. When we move, it will be for grass or
game, and then slowly. With the corn and the game we shall get, we will not, it is to he
hoped, he driven to extremities; if so, we shall kill a mule. Our animals will he recruited as
much as possible. In the event of not hearing from you soon, you will meet us on Marcy’s
trail. All have behaved well, with the exception of losing the two mules ; the particulars of
which are given above.

In concluding this portion of my report, I beg to state that I make the distance from the
Pecos to these “Springs” one hundred and thirty miles. This I consider a low estimate.
Throughout this whole distance there are no permanent watering-places. It is very doubtful
whether water can he depended upon at any time, except immediately after heavy rains. This
Llano presents many advantages for a railway ; it would (an important consideration) require
very little grading. I regret exceedingly that I cannot comply with your orders to return to
the Pecos, the exhausted state of my mules rendering it utterly impossible for me to do so. I
have, except in this unavoidable deviation from your wishes, endeavored to carry out the
instructions conveyed to me. I hope sincerely the course I have pursued will meet your
approbation.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHAS. L. TAPLIN,

Assistant on Survey.

Captain John Pope,

Top. Eng., U. S. A., Commanding Exploring Party.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

The above received at camp, mouth of Delaware creek, March 18, 1854. For particulars of
Mitchell’s return across the Llanco Estacado, see page 66. The following is the concluding
portion of this report :

Sulphur Springs of the Colorado,

April 2, 1854.

Sir : I have the honor to submit the continuation of my report from the 16th to the 29th ult:

Thursday , March 16. — This morning Mitchell and the Mexican started. My party now
consists of ten men, with seventeen mules. At 11 a. m. went hack to the springs and watered
our mules; encamped thereuntil 4 p. m., the mules again watered; filled our canteens and
started for the wagons. We followed our own trail for six miles and camped for the night.
This is a trail evidently used by the Indians, which we followed out, in hunting, ten miles ; it
no doubt leads to water.

Friday, March 17. — Started at 5 a m., keeping our old trail. At 10 a. m. we discovered our
two lost mules, about one mile south of the trail; they were soon caught. We reached the
wagons at half-past 5 p. m., and found everything safe. Mitchell left a note stating that he
arrived here last night at 5 p. m.,. and started on this morning; he left us half a keg of v*ater.
We have over four sacks of corn, which will be issued to the men as rations. Game wild;
nothing killed but a prairie-chicken.

Saturday , March 18. — Started with the wagons at half-past 5 a. m. for the springs. The
distance I estimate at forty-five miles. Game scarce; antelope and rabbit killed. Camped at
6 p. m. on prairie ; saw a large band of mustangs.

Sunday , March 19. — Dark and cloudy, with thunder and lightning ; every appearance of a
storm. Could not see the trail until 6 a. m., when we started for the springs; which we
reached at 10 am., and camped half a mile below several ponds, with water running between
them. The day misty and rainy ; an antelope killed.

Monday, March 20. — Cloudy, with misty rain all night. As yet we have no recent signs of
Indians. We, however, keep a vigilant look-out; our mules well guarded. Started at 11 a.
m., and followed the ravine down two miles and camped; grass good; scattering mezquite.
Here the bed of the ravine widens, and forms a saline bottom of salty grass ; the water, which
is brackish, stands in holes.

Tuesday, March 21. — This morning it cleared off, the wind changing to the westward. At
11 a. m. moved up to the vicinity of the springs, as the water is brackish here. In expectation
of a party from the Pecos, we do not wish to move to any distance from this place for three or
four days. Nothing killed ; game wild and hard to get at.

Wednesday , March 22. — Watered the mules; filled our kegs and moved out to where there
was good grass. One pint of corn issued to the men : this they boil or parch ; it is ground in a
coffee-mill. No game killed to-day.

Thursday, March 23. — At 11 a. m. moved to the springs. Since the 19th we have lived upon
a pint of corn per day, with the game we have killed. The men behave well ; no grumbling.
Eain and thunder at 10 p. m.

Friday, March 24. — It being the tenth day since Mitchell left for the Pecos, all idea of a
party coming across has been given up. We will start to-day for the road, keeping an east
course from this place. The mules are well rested and in good condition.

Travelled ten miles due west, and camped in a mezquite bottom ; plenty of large, dry mezquite
for fuel; no water. We passed two salt lakes to the south of our course; rolling prairie. The
oak and mezquite are becoming larger ; plenty of grass. Crossed the ravine about five miles
below the springs ; no water in the bed of it.

Saturday, March 25. — Morning cloudy; misty rain; wind north; not very cold. A high
range of hills in sight, a little south of east, about fifteen miles distant. I altered my course
towards Marcy’s trail, and struck it about six miles from last camp. This trail runs nearly

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

north and south ; followed it for four miles to the south, and encamped between the hills or
bluffs for the night. The water is in ponds; plenty of mezquite on the hills; large brush;
wild china in the bed of the ravine ; also plum and currant bushes.

Sunday and Monday , March 26 and 27. — We lay by in camp to rest the mules. It may be of
importance to have them in good condition when we meet the command.

The Sulphur Springs are about twenty miles distant from this point, in a northwest direction ;
we crossed the ravine leading from them at the base of the hills running off to the east, about
two miles from this camp. There are large banks of red clay and dirt a short distance down
the ravine. About half a mile above this point is the deep chasm spoken of by Captain Marcy,
as the “’Big Springs of the Colorado.” Near them are whole ledges of petrified oyster-shells;
the rock is principally lime and sand stone. The spring is at least fifteen or twenty feet deep,
and about twenty yards wide. Plenty of wild plum-trees in full bloom ; the grass is springing
up; trees budding. We have not lately come upon any Indian tracks. Two antelopes and one
rabbit killed. Rattlesnakes begin to show themselves in great numbers. Heavy frost last night.

Tuesday , March 28. — Left camp at 8 a. m. for the Laguna, twenty-three miles distant.
Passed over a rolling prairie. Saw several dry ponds in low places, where there is evidently
water in the rainy season ; also some large mezquite and hackberry.

I and Cloud (the hunter,) being in advance of the wagons, saw, as we supposed, some mus¬
tangs, but on a nearer approach they proved to be Indians. We stopped until the wagons
came up. All looked to their arms, and started to meet them. From the brush and breaks in
the hills, we knew it must be the Laguna at which the Indians were encamped. Upon coming
to the top of the hill we saw them driving off their horses in a northwest direction. Two of
the Indians came towards us. Their interpreter, a Mexican, who said he was taken captive
when a boy, stated that they were a stealing party of Kioways, returning from Mexico with a
large band of horses, colts, and mares. We saw but fifteen of this party. The interpreter
said there was a larger one coming up to-night, principally on foot. As they were hungry, we
gave them a few pints of corn.

Moved on to the Laguna. Having watered our animals and filled our kegs and canteens, we
proceeded farther, and encamped on the open prairie. The Indians fired the plain as they
went off. This signal was immediately answered by a fire about three miles distant to the south.

In an hour we perceived the party spoken of by the Mexicans. Some of them were driving
their loose animals off towards the lake ; but the principal part (twenty-three in number) came
to us. There were three of them mounted, and these on miserable animals. One of the In¬
dians rode ahead displaying an old white shirt, intended as a flag ; it certainly was not a white
flag. Our mules were tied to the wagons, the men standing to their arms. The Indians hav¬
ing been told not to come near the wagons, sat down in a circle and commenced begging, as
usual. We gave them a little corn. They started for the lake, where their animals were driven.
As soon as it was dark we geared up and moved about four miles, and encamped. The wagons
were driven close together, the animals tied to them. Kept a good look-out.

Wednesday , March 29. — At day-light turned our mules out to graze ; geared up at 8 a. m.
and started on. At 10 p. m. perceived a party ahead of us, which proved to be the command.
Three kegs of water which we had along were of great service to them. It gave me much
pleasure to report the recovery of the missing mules.

I cannot conclude without bringing under your notice the excellent conduct of the men under
my charge. It was highly praiseworthy ; each man aiming to assist and aid his comrade. All
bore the hardships which we unavoidably encountered with cheerfulness and good temper.

It now only remains for me to reiterate my hopes that the course I have pursued, in the exe¬
cution of your orders, will receive your approval. I am, sir, very respectfully,

CHAS. L. TAPLIN, Assistant on Survey.

Captain Jno. Pope,

Top. Eng., U. S. A., Commanding Exploring Party.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

Same Camp — Monday , April 3, 1854. — The following is a topographical outline of the
country from the Mustang Springs to the present camp. For about eight miles after leaving
the Mustang Springs, we continued to travel a road of the same character as we had previously;
at this distance we descended a bluff of fifty feet, to a level valley about seven miles across.
The valley, at its northwest extremity, contains a chain of salt lakes, which have a course a
little south of east, their outlet passing only a mile and a half east of the Big Springs of the
Colorado, which are tributary to it. At the northern extremity of this valley, also, the outlet
to the Sulphur Springs of the Colorado joins this chain of salt lakes.

The Big Springs of the Colorado issue from a ravine on the northeast slope of a range of
hills, 200 or 250 feet high, whose general direction is south 45° east ; at a distance of one and
a half mile the outlet of the springs joins the valley of the salt lakes, and becomes, at this
point, dry. Many of these lakes contain water, the beds, when we passed, being moist, the
water totally unfit for use.

An Indian trail leads from the Sulphur Springs of the Colorado, in a southwest direction, to
the Mustang Springs, and from them to the Horse Head crossing of the Pecos. It also extends
in a northeast direction from this point to the head of the Brazos. This trail is a very broad
and deep one, and is evidently in -constant use by the Indians in their forays into Mexico. It
leads, undoubtedly, along the eastern base of the Llano Estacado, and connects the extreme west¬
ern permanent watering-places. From the position of this trail, and the character of the
country to the northwest of the Sulphur Springs, there can be no question that this is the nearest
water to the Pecos in the direction of Delaware creek. The Kioways whom we met, as already
mentioned, came by a trail from the Horse Head crossing to the Mustang Springs, and continued
their journey homeward to the Arkansas by the same trail, passing the Sulphur Springs.

The Sulphur Springs of the Colorado, five in number, issue from one side of a ravine, the
water of one spring tinged slightly with sulphur ; the remainder contain pure and fresh water,
which holds a small portion of lime in solution. Below the springs there is a large pond, where
animals can be watered with much ease. The east side of this ravine is composed of layers of
limestone, which is found to be mixed (in a decomposed state) with the surrounding soil. The
grass is young and good ; it is eaten with much avidity by the animals. Our wood (mezquite-
root) is obtained in abundance by sending wagons a couple of miles from camp for it.

Our animals are out grazing all the time — loose during the day, but hobbled at night. Two
horses and two mules are held in hand all day, so as to be in readiness in the event of a stam¬
pede, or other emergency requiring their use. There is a strong guard placed over them day
and night; they are constantly moved about to fresh grass.

Rattlesnakes are abundant ; we have killed several, some of them of a monstrous size.

The soil is good clay, mixed with gravel. The country on all sides around us presents a
nearly unbroken level, covered with a young growth of short and nutritious grass.

No observations taken during the day or at night.

Same Camp — Tuesday , April 4, 1854. — Lieutenant Garrard left camp this morning at 6
o’clock to survey and take the levels of the Llano Estacado from the falls of the Pecos (our
former camping-place) to this point. His party consists of three mounted men and an ambu¬
lance driver, one ambulance with four mules, three riding and six pack-mules, supplied with
nine days’ rations, and two sacks of corn ; the six mules were packed with two kegs of water
each.

The lieutenant was accompanied as far as his first camp, thirty-five miles from this place, by
three men, and six mules packed with two kegs of water each; six of these kegs were used at
the point last mentioned, in watering the mules destined to cross the jornada, and six left there
to be used (for the same purpose) on their return from the Pecos. This last party are to start
for this camp on the morning of the 5th. It was not deemed judicious to send a large party
across, the difficulty of providing a sufficiency of water for a larger number being very great.
It is hoped that this arrangement will prevent much suffering to either men or animals.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

We anticipate that the lieutenant will join the command in about nine days. The animals
herded, &c., the same as usual. No observations taken to-day.

Same Camp — April 5, 6, and 7, 1854. — The weather is very changeable, the days being
exceedingly warm, the mercury rising as high as — , the nights and mornings cold. One day
the thermometer rose — ° in a few hours. There is, however, always a good breeze. For nearly
the first time since we left Dona Ana, we are free from dust and sand. No one can truly
appreciate this luxury hut those who have encountered the clouds of sand by which the traveller
is blinded, choked, and literally overwhelmed, on the hanks of the Rio Grande; and throughout
nearly every portion of this country. We appear to he getting rid of this frightful nuisance.

The same arrangement continued respecting the animals.

Extensive astronomical observations taken during these days. The party that accompanied
Lieutenant Garrard to his first camp returned on the 5th, at sundown.

Same Comp — Saturday , April 8, 1854. — Captain Taplin left the command this morning at 7
o’clock, with instructions to examine the country in advance of the train for about sixty miles.
He was accompanied by four men of the escort and six of the topographical party, all mounted,
with one pack-mule carrying four days’ rations.

The command in camp employed in repairing wagon, herding, &c.

Same Camp — April 9 and 10, 1854. — The weather still continues warm in the day, cold
nights and mornings, with occasionally strong winds. The absence of a large body of water
prevents the atmosphere from becoming damp and humid ; if it were otherwise, it would he
insupportable.

All are wishing for the word to start on our way, though the camp is good and supplied with
every requisite. All are more or less anxious to move forward. The level plain with which
we are surrounded as far as the eye can reach, without a single brush or tree to break the
monotony of the scene, is truly wearisome.

Animals grazed and herded as usual. Extensive astronomical observations taken these
days.

Same Camp — April 11, 1854. — Captain Taplin and party returned to camp at 1 p. m. His
report of the country ahead of us is highly favorable. He found, first day’s march, water in
holes twenty miles from camp ; next water fourteen miles farther ; from this point until the
termination of the second day’s march, it is about four miles from one watering-place to another.
The whole distance travelled by this party was sixty-one miles. Mezquite and hackberry
plenty at, or convenient to, all the watering-places. Grass generally good. Most of the ravines
on this route lead to the southeast. Lieutenant Garrard and party arrived in camp at 5 p. m.
He reports the distance from the fall of the Pecos, mouth of Delaware Springs, to this camp,
to be one hundred and twenty-five and one-tenth miles, and north 70° east. His report of the
Llano Estacado varies so little from the statement of Captain Taplin, that a reference to the
latter will answer every purpose as to the character of the country, vegetation, &c. Neither
the party nor the animals showed much sign of suffering ; the one being in good spirits, the
other (taking all things into consideration) in very good condition ; the arrangements for their
comfort and convenience proving successful.

The surveying of this dreaded Llano is now accomplished ; its reputed horrors, by no means
exaggerated, have been overcome ; it has been crossed safely by two of our parties without loss
or suffering. This jornada is no longer a sealed book; we have now a thorough and practical
knowledge of it in every respect. Everything considered, we have reason to congratulate our¬
selves upon the successful termination of this important portion of our survey.

Lieutenant Garrard and Captain Taplin having arrived, orders were issued to the command
to start on the following morning.

The animals that crossed the Llano fed with corn. The same arrangement regarding the
mules continued. Observations taken during the day and at night.

Gamp No. 34 — Wednesday , April 12, 1854. — Left camp at twenty minutes to 11 a. m., and

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OP THE EXPEDITION.

followed tlie Indian trail, (already mentioned ;) but as it bore too much to the north, we turned
off it at two miles from camp, and proceeded more to the eastward. We also left the route
pursued by Captain Taplin for a similar reason, taking a direct course for our destination,
Preston. For the first three miles our route was sandy and heavy ; the country considerably
broken by ravines and gullies. On advancing, our road was over a hard and firm ground.
The prairie is directly eastward of the Llano Estacado ; it is level and well defined, and covered
with a short thick grass, which the animals eat with much avidity. The mezquite-tree is most
abundant. There can be little doubt that during, or immediately after the rainy season, water
can be obtained in the numerous holes along this road.

The soil is good clay, mixed (slightly) with gravel, producing a variety of flowers. This,
with the fresh and green appearance of the landscape, forms a pleasing contrast to the parched
and arid prairie that we have generally been traversing. Antelopes and rabbits plenty ; the
former are so shy, they are hard to get at.

The day was warm, but tempered by a pleasant breeze. We encamped at fifteen minutes to
3 p. in., without water. This was not felt, as our mules had been watered before starting and
our kegs filled. Mezquite abundant ; grass good. ,

The mules we turned loose (unhobbled) until sundown ; then drove in, hobbled, and turned
out to graze during the night. Four animals kept picketed in camp, in case of emergency. A
strong guard over them, as usual.

No observations taken during the day or at night. General direction, north 55° east; miles,

HfV

Camp No. 35 — Thursday, April 13, 1854. — Left camp at five minutes to 7 a. m. Our route
for about three miles continued over a level and excellent prairie. We then began to descend
into a wide and pleasant valley. Our road was diversified by numerous gentle undulations.
Having proceeded about eight miles, we came to a deep ravine, in which we found water. At
this place we nooned for nearly two hours ; the animals were plentifully watered, and turned
loose to graze ; our kegs were filled. There is excellent grass here, besides a description of
wild Timothy grass, which the mules ate greedily. The water is neither good nor pure,
except in one or two holes, tasting strongly of weeds. The mules being hitched up, we pro¬
ceeded upon a nearly level prairie. We now perceived to the north of our course, about
eighteen miles distant, a high mound and some bluffs, where we suppose the Colorado takes its
rise. The prairie is slightly rolling, and covered over with white and yellow flowers, emitting
a fragrant perfume. The mezquite is green and grows in the utmost profusion ; indeed, one is
cheated into the belief that he is passing through an orchard. This is the only growing tim¬
ber we have seen since we left the Pinery. The sloping banks are clothed with violets, adding
to the variety and pleasure of the scene. The soil changes its color, and becomes a deep red;
it is good firm clay, mixed with sand. Saw plenty of antelope and deer, but did not succeed in
getting any. The Doctor shot a “bird of paradise;” its plumage is of the most exquisite del¬
icacy and color.

The day was not so warm as usual, but pleasant for travelling. We had an excellent road
the whole day, and reached camp at fifteen minutes to 4 p. m. No water; mezquite wood in
abundance; grass good.

The usual arrangements in respect to the animals continued.

No observations taken during the day or at night. General direction, north 70° east;
miles, 15tV

Camp No. 36 — Friday , April 14, 1854. — Left last camp at ten minutes after 6 a. m., and
resumed our course over a rolling prairie. The mules were fresh, and travelled well, our road
being firm and good. We nooned for about two hours, at eleven miles from last camp, on the
banks of an arroyo, where we watered the animals, and filled our kegs. During this day’s
route we passed five arroyos : two of them contained water ; the remainder were dry, but had
every appearance of having lately contained water. These ravines are generally rugged and

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

steep ; we did not experience, however, much difficulty in crossing them. They run off in a
northeast direction towards the mound and hluffs already mentioned, and eventually fall into
the stream on the hanks of which we camped, supposed to he one of the forks of the Colorado.

The soil passed over to-day is good red clay and sand ; we came upon two or three gravelly
places. There is an abundance of mezquite trees and roots ; the former growing same as
yesterday. The grass is green and abundant. Wild flowers are '’scattered profusely over the
plain. Saw a number of antelope ; killed one. Beached our camp on the Colorado fifteen
minutes after 4 p. m. Its banks are very steep ; the water is running, and not deep. This
encampment is about fourteen miles south of a mound and bluffs' we saw yesterday, and which
continue in sight throughout to-day. There is a plenty of mezquite and some hackberry ;
water brackish. In the neighborhood of camp there are many mounds of red sand ; the tops
and sides covered with red sandstone in great profusion. On the "summit of these hills we
found fossil sea-shells and portions of petrified trees : these hills stand apart from each other ;
one of them assumes the form of a pyramid. There is plenty of game here.

Animals grazed loose till sundown ; then driven in, hobbled, and "turned out for the night,
as usual — under a strong guard.

No observations during the day ; observations for time and latitude taken at night. General
direction, north 70° east ; miles, 18,%.

Camp No. 37 — Saturday , April 15, 1854. — Left last camp at fifteen minutes after 7 a. m., and
crossed the Colorado about four miles from camp, at the base of a red sandstone bluff. The
banks were steep and rocky. After some labor, a very good crossing was made. The banks
were cut down on both sides, and the rocks being thrown along the bottom, made it firm. The
stream was narrow and shallow ; the sides of it are of good firm clay.

Having effected a safe crossing, we ascended a high rolling prairie, passing over two deep
arroyos — one dry, the other with a stream of clear running water, which empties itself into the
Colorado. The sides of these arroyos are steep, but we succeeded in crossing them without
much difficulty. We encountered several ravines on our route, but none of them of a formida¬
ble character. A portion of our road (about three miles) was heavy sand; with these exceptions
it was excellent.

The soil is good clay, of a red color, mixed with gravel. The mezquite-tree still continues
abundant. Scrub-oak is beginning to appear in considerable quantities. The grass is generally
good, except in the vicinity of the sand, where it becomes coarse and scanty.

We nooned for two hours at the arroyo mentioned above as having the running water. Our
animals were watered here, and as we were uncertain of finding water at night, our casks were
filled.

When within a couple of miles of camp for the night, we met a party of Camanches. We
halted, and two of them approached us with a white flag. Immediately after the whole party
came up, headed by a most outre looking figure. This was Sanchoz, one of their chiefs, dressed
in an infantry captain’s uniform coat, silver epaulets, red sash tied over his shoulder, nonde¬
script pantaloons, and moccasins : add to this a military cap with an enormous red pompon,
and some idea may be formed of an exhibition at once ridiculous and humiliating. This man,
who is rather old, has an intelligent countenance and piercing eye. The party consisted of
about seventeen in number ; five of them were squaws, whose appearance was not very fasci¬
nating. One of them had a “ muchecho” on the saddle before her. Through their interpreter
(a Mexican captive boy) we learned that they had been to Fort Chadbourne, and were going to
hunt wild horses. The women rode a la mode des liommes. They all had good horses ; indeed
some of their animals were beautiful and in high condition. After the usual embracing, and
the customary vows of eternal friendship, the chief, though so well-dressed, commenced
begging. We gave them an ox. They then departed, as we devoutly hoped ; but some of
them came afterwards to our camp in time for supper. They were told not to come near camp
after night-fall.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

Reached camp at half-past 4 p. m., near a ravine, with water, running southeast. Water
not good ; grass excellent ; wood abundant. Same arrangement continued regarding the
animals. The vicinity of the Indians put all hands on the qui vive. No observations taken
during the day or at night. General direction, north 10° east ; miles, 12Ty

Camp No. 38 — Sunday , April 16, 1854. — Lieutenant Marshall, accompanied by five of the
topographical party and five soldiers, all mounted, with two pack-mules and four days’ rations,
started at half -past 6 a. m. for Fort Chadbourne, to get some articles necessary for the expe¬
dition, and also to explore the rivers, &c., in that direction. He will join us in four days on
the Brazos river.

Left camp and crossed the ravine, and proceeded over a good rolling prairie. We crossed
also, in a short distance, two dry ravines. At about six miles distance we passed over the
most eastern tributary of the Colorado. The banks of this stream are thickly covered with
timber — mezquite, hackberry, wild china, plum, willow, and scrub-oak. It contains an abund¬
ance of fish — trout, buffalo, catfish, sunfish, perch, and bass. We caught a great many of
them. The stream is deep ; the water beautifully clear and fresh.

We had to cut down the trees on both banks, and level them a little, to allow our wagons to
pass. This-, however, did not cause much delay or trouble. We nooned here for two hours on
excellent grass. We then moved forward over a firm prairie, and camped at half-past 5 p. m.
on the 1 ‘dividing ridge between the Colorado and Brazos rivers,” on a dry bed of a stream
which runs into the latter. No water ; wood and grass in abundance.

The country still continues to improve. The trees assume a greater variety, and are of a
larger growth. The grass is good and short ; speaking generally, it is of an excellent quality.
The scenery is varied and pleasing. The plain, clothed profusely in many places with flowers,
looks quite fresh and gay. Our animals travelled well, and looked in excellent condition ; same
arrangement in respect to them as usual. Observations for time taken in the day ; none at
night. General direction, north 71° east ; miles, 16^.

Camp No. 39 — Monday , April 17, 1854. — Left camp at half-past 6 a. m., crossing the dry
bed of the creek on which we camped. After proceeding about five miles over a very rolling
country, we struck Marcy’s trail ; crossed and left it to the north of our route. One mile
farther we came to a stream of running water ; this is a tributary of the Brazos, and a con¬
tinuation of the ravine we passed in the morning. This stream has an abundance of trout,
bass, sunfish, and catfish. We caught some of them. A moccasin snake was killed on the
bank. This reptile is as poisonous as the rattlesnake, and more dangerous, as it gives no warn¬
ing before attacking.

All of our animals were plentifully watered, and our kegs filled. We nooned about two
miles from this water for a couple of hours, on a dry bed of a ravine, which, though somewhat
steep, we crossed without difficulty. From the summit of a ridge the country to the eastward
appeared much broken, and difficult to travel ; we found, however, that it was not so bad as it
appeared. Reached camp on a tributary of the Brazos at 15 minutes after 4 p. m. : there was
water here, but it was brackish and bad ; the mules drank it freely ; wood and grass in abund¬
ance. The soil passed over to-day is excellent ; mezquite, hackberry, and scrub-oak abundant:
the former attains a large growth. The grass is also excellent, particularly along the sides and
bottoms of the ravines. Vegetation is very forward ; the face of the country improves as we
proceed. We have lately obtained some curious petrifactions — particularly some petrified teeth
,of an enormous size, belonging to an animal unknown to us. Mules grazed, &c., as usual. No
observations taken during the day ; some at night, for time and latitude. General direction,
north 70° east ; miles, 16.

Camp No. O— -Tuesday, April 18, 1854. — Left last camp at 20 minutes after 6 a. m., and
proceeded over a fine rolling prairie ; passing many dry ravines. At about six miles from
camp we came to a tributary ,of the Brazos — it had good water. The banks on both sides had
to be eut down ; the wagens passed oyer safely. All the ravines we crossed yesterday after-

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

noon run into this stream. The gypsum formation here is somewhat analogous to that of
Delaware creek. Our animals were watered, and our kegs filled. We resumed our route over
an undulating plain, and three miles farther came to another tributary of the Brazos ; the
hanks here had also to he cut down. The water in this ravine is intolerably saline. We
nooned here for about two hours ; turned the animals out to graze. Having proceeded about
fifteen miles, we intersected a wagon trail, running north and south ; this is supposed to he a
trail from some of the upper posts or towns in the northern part of Texas to Marcy’s trail. We
saw a trail which had evidently been traversed by a large party of Indians. Our route to-day
was over a fine country in every respect. We had timber of a great variety, and tolerably large
growth ; in fact, if the timber in this section of the country was not stunted in its growth by
the constant firing of the prairie, there could not he a better timbered country. We found
mezquite, oak, china, cotton-wood, &c., of a pretty large size. Beached camp at half-past 4
p. m., on the dry bed of a ravine ; wood abundant ; grass not so good as it has been. Immedi¬
ately before coming into camp we encountered some heavy sand. Ho water at camp. Animals
grazed, &c.,- as usual. Ho observations taken. General direction north, 60° east ; miles 17TV-

Camp No. 41 — Wednesday, April 19, 1854. — Left last camp at 15 minutes after 6 a.m.;
continued our course over an excellent road, and through a fine country. We did not encounter
so many ravines as we had for some days previous ; crossed two having a northerly direction.
After proceeding twelve miles, we descended about thirty feet from the plateau to a level plain.
The face of this descent is composed of limestone and red sandstone — the former in horizontal
strata ; decomposed gypsum was pretty thickly scattered around. A little to the south of
where we descended the bluff is nearly 100 feet high, and nearly perpendicular. The country
continues well wooded, with grass in abundance. It is to be observed that the mezquite-tree is
the principal growth — oak, cotton- wood, &c., scarce. Our road to-day was good and firm;
one or two places, some little sand. Found no water until we camped, at 15 minutes after 1 p.
m., on a ravine running northeast. This water is strongly impregnated with gypsum, tasting
bitter ; it appears to be permanent ; it is best where the rocks are thickest ; it was very saline
in some holes which we dug. Wood abundant ; grass excellent, both prairie and grama.
Animals grazed, guarded, &c., as usual. Ho observations taken ; the day and night cloudy,
with every appearance of rain. General direction, north 60° east ; miles, 18 fg.

Camp No. 42 — Thursday, April 20, 1854. — Left camp at 20 minutes to 7 a. m., and crossed the
ravine upon which we camped. We continued our course through a fine, well- wooded country,
over a hard, firm road. The appearance and character of the country is somewhat similar to
that of yesterday. Having passed a dry ravine, at 11T60 miles we came to a creek with tolerable
water, at which we nooned ; the water was rather scarce, but much better than where we stayed
last night. Our animals were watered, and turned loose to graze for two hours. The bed of
the creek is muddy and miry ; the banks are steep. This creek must have a very rapid and
deep current during the rainy seasons. Here, for the first time since we started, we found a
considerable growth of elm. This tree, though it grows here tolerably large, yet does not attain
the size to which it arrives in the States. Its thick foliage makes a pleasant shade from the
heat of the sun. We saw on the banks what appeared to have been a dragoon camp; it must
have been made two years since, probably by a scouting party.

Before nooning we started a wild turkey, which afforded a capital “run” — some of our best
animals were immediately after him. For a little time the chances for his escape seemed highly
probable ; the poor fellow scampered off in great style, baffling all pursuers but one, a Mexican,
named Jose, who lassoed or lariated him. The bird succeeded in slipping through the noose.
This rather novel proceeding seemed to astonish him (the turkey) so much, that he lost his
presence of mind. However that may be, he certainly lost the use of his legs, was captured,
and brought into camp amidst acclamations — his beautiful plumage exciting the utmost admira¬
tion. This bird weighed 16f pounds. The mules being hitched up, we found a good crossing
and passed the stream safely.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OP THE EXPEDITION.

Beached our camp, on a tributary of the Brazos, at ten minutes to 4 p. m. Wood and grass
good and abundant ; the water is nearly the same as where we nooned ; both are somewhat
tinctured with gypsum. Capital timber along its hanks ; the elm predominates. Altogether,
it is a charming camping-ground. Wild turkeys abundant. For the last two days we have
made a considerable descent, hut it has been very gradual.

We had some hopes that Lieutenant Marshall would join us to-day ; hut we were disap¬
pointed.

Mules grazed and herded, &c., as usual. Day cloudy ; no observations taken ; observed at
night for time and latitude. The streams mentioned above hear to the north. The weather
continues warm, with a pleasant breeze. General direction, north 60° east ; miles, lTYv

Camp No. 43 — Friday , April 21, 1854. — Left last camp at fifteen minutes to 7 a. m., and
proceeded on our course, parallel to the creek on which we camped, for one and a half mile, and
crossed it. This is a thickly-timbered stream, with steep hanks and soft bottom ; water not
running. We had to cut down the hanks and some of the trees on both sides ; filling up the
bottom, we were then enabled to cross. At eight miles from camp we descended into a valley,
and nooned near some permanent water. The sides of the ravine continuing in it are sloping
and rocky. The country in the immediate vicinity is not so fertile as that we have been passing.
There is here a pond or spring of excellent water, abounding in fish, many of which we
caught. Our animals were watered and turned loose to graze for two hours. Near this place
we intersected a well-defined wagon trail running north and south, evidently used by traders
from Texas in reaching Marcy’s trail.

We resumed our course over a rather rough and rolling prairie, following the last ravine to its
mouth until we struck another tributary of the Brazos. This stream runs along the base of a
high bluff. We followed the valley, which is narrow, along its hanks; our road was between
the bluff and the stream ; we were obliged to cut our way through the thick timber : this,
nearly always a tedious process, did not cause us much delay. We camped on the hank of the
stream at fifteen minutes after 4 p. m., in the only open place we found. The water is pure
and clear; the bottom firm. Catfish, sunfish, buffalo, trout, garr, &c., abundant; grass good
and plenty. This whole valley is extremely heavily timbered ; brush and small trees thick.
The streams passed to-day have a northeast direction.

In preparation for to-morrow, some trees were cut down on both hanks, and a capital crossing-
made.

The country we traversed to-day is, except in the instance above mentioned, nearly similar to
that we have been travelling for some days.

The weather is exceedingly warm, the mercury rising as high as ninety-eight degrees in the
shade. There is, however, always a breeze, which tempers the heat, so that it is not absolutely
intolerable.

Mules herded and grazed as usual. No observations taken during the day or at night. Gen¬
eral direction, north 60° east; miles, 12TV

Camp No. 44 — Saturday , April 22, 1854. — Left last camp at fifteen minutes after 6 a. m.,
crossing the stream where we cut down the hanks and trees the previous evening. We were
obliged to cross it three times. The narrow valley on its hanks is hounded on both sides
by bluffs and steep ascents leading to a high table-land. The stream running in a zigzag
course, required us to deviate considerably from our line, in order to avoid the many formidable
obstacles presented by the numerous elevations and ravines. We had to cut our way through*
with a great deal of labor. We encamped at 12 o’clock noon on its hanks. This tributary—
the Clear fork of the Brazos — is here a large stream, heavily timbered, about twenty-five yards
wide, and very deep ; the water is excellent, and abounds in fish. Wild turkeys visit this
place in great numbers to eat pecan nuts, of which they are fond. Grass excellent, particularly
along the bottoms.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION. 85

It was concluded to halt here for a day or two to take some astronomical observations, and
also to await the arrival of Lieutenant Marshall and party.

Having been cloudy all day, the night was ushered in by a violent storm of wind and rain.
It was the only rain we experienced since we started.

Animals herded, grazed, &c., as usual. No observations taken during the day or at night.
General direction, north 40° east; miles, 6^.

General remarks upon the country from the Sulphur springs to the Clear Fork of the Brazos. —
Between the Sulphur springs and the dividing ridge of the Colorado and Brazos we passed over
a country generally well timbered with the mezquite. The country is generally rolling for this
distance. Between the Sulphur springs and the main Bed fork of the Colorado it is intersected
by ravines, of easy ascent and descent, tributary to the Colorado, having a course about north¬
east! We found an abundance of water at distances of from three to ten miles ; we passed it
during the dry season, and no doubt water can be always obtained. The Bed fork, or main
stream of the Colorado, (almost forty-four miles east of the Sulphur springs,) runs in a very
zigzag course to the southeast, through a valley about one and a quarter mile in width, bor¬
dered on both sides with red sandstone bluffs, from which an easy ascent can be had to the
stream at any point.

The immediate bed of the stream is about twenty feet in width, with miry bottom and per¬
pendicular banks ten feet in height ; rendering its pass up for wagons, except at particular
points, very difficult. The water, which is slightly brackish, is found in pools or holes con¬
nected by a swift-running stream. From the main Colorado to the dividing ridge between it
and the Brazos (a distance of 28T\ miles) we encountered two principal tributaries, both having
rocky and gravelly beds, with pure water and a considerable growth of timber. The route
passed over a gently-rolling country, firm and hard, having an abundance of grass, intersected
with many ravines of easy ascent and descent, tributary to the main stream, and running in a
southerly and southwestern direction. The country is similar in all respects, except in having
a greater growth of mezquite timber, to that on the west of the Colorado.

The dividing ridge (between the waters of the Colorado and Brazos) is elevated probably 100
feet above the Colorado, and from the head of the most easterly tributary to that stream, along
the route, to the first tributary of the Brazos, is a fine high plain about 1^ mile in width.
About five miles east of this dividing ridge we crossed Marcy’s trail and the first tributary of
the Brazos, (supposed to be a tributary of the Double Mountain fork ;) from thence to a small
tributary of the Clear fork of the Brazos we passed through a country generally level, and
most of the way through a thick forest of mezquite timber. The only break in this line of
country occurs between a tributary of the Clear fork and a tributary of the Brazos: a high
mesa or table-land lies between them ; descending from which, in the exact line of our route to
the eastward, a descent of about 100 feet presents itself. This is easily avoided by passing about

a mile to the north. The first tributary of the Clear fork, which we struck at a distance of -

miles from the supposed Double Mountain fork, is about 20 feet wide, banks 10 feet high, having
a very tortuous course to the southeastward, through a level plain bordered on the east side by
a low ridge of sand about 1^ mile across. The waters of this stream are in many places quite
salty. The principal stream, which runs between this point and the Clear fork, is a much larger
one, and is tributary (in a northeast direction) to the main branch of the Brazos ; has abund¬
ance of timber, elm, hackberry, and other trees ; and traverses, in a very zigzag course, a beau¬
tiful and fertile valley, about three miles in width, bounded by very gentle elevations, covered
by forests of mezquite.

The Clear fork of the Brazos is a large stream, heavily timbered, about 20 yards in width,
and in many places 10 to 15 feet deep ; very pure and clear water. The stream runs in a zig¬
zag course, through a very narrow valley or canon, with rocky bluffs about 150 feet high, and
the surface of the stream is about that distance below the general level of the country.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

The country along these tributaries of the Brazos is in all respects superior to that of the Col¬
orado, and the whole of it as fine farming and stock-raising country as can he found in the world.

Chapter IY. — From Clear Fork of the Brazos to the Valley of the Red River.

Same Camp — Sunday, April 23, 1854. — Lieutenant Marshall joined the command this morn¬
ing at 9 o’clock with his party; all well. The animals were in tolerable condition, considering
the journey they had made. He found Fort Chadbourne to be about seventy-five miles distant
from the point where he left us ; (see journal of the 16th instant.) This post was commanded
by Assistant Surgeon Swift, U. S. A., all the other officers being absent on duty, and was gar¬
risoned by two companies (F and C) second dragoons, both of which were out scouting. The
lieutenant brought us some newspapers and books, from which we gleaned some items con¬
cerning the sayings and doings of the busy world. The command passed the day washing,
swimming, fishing, &c., for which the stream afforded all facilities. All necessary repairs to
wagons, &c., were made, and our specimens packed in a more commodious manner. For the
last few days we have added considerably to our collection of birds and fishes. To-day we suc¬
ceeded in catching a pole-cat, or skunk. It is a fine specimen, and required the use of only one
of the senses (smelling) perfectly to inform us of his vicinity. We also caught a garr-fish ; this
fish we had not seen until we struck the Clear fork. It is of a bright yellow color, and envel¬
oped in a hard, scaly covering, more like shell than cuticle. It bas a long pointed head, armed
with a numerous and formidable set of teeth, well adapted for seizing and holding its prey. As
before remarked, this stream is very heavily timbered with mezquite, hackberry, elm, oak,
pecan, cotton-wood, &c.

The appearance of the country about our camp is of the most picturesque and varied charac¬
ter. The animals grazed in the bottoms, where the grass is excellent and abundant. The day
was warm; the earlier part of it being cloudy. The night set in with a violent thunder-storm;
the rain poured down heavily till about 2 a. m. In consequence of the unfavorable state of the
weather, no observations could be made during our stay at this camp.

Camp No. 45 — Monday, April 24, 1854. — Started at half-past 1 a. m., and ascended a high
table-land, traversing a very rolling and broken country. The summits of the ridges we passed
over were very rocky, with some abrupt descents. We crossed many of the heads of ravines
which run into the Clear fork, but they did not present any serious obstacle. Having proceeded
about eight and a halt miles, we struck the military road which connects Preston, Forts Bel¬
knap, Chadbourne, Phantom Hill, and San Antonio. We nooned at a short distance from this
point for about two hours-; we commenced descending somewhat abruptly until we reached a
most beautiful valley.

Before reaching camp we perceived a log-house and farm. It requires an absence as long as
ours from all human habitations to realize the sensation this sight created. On arriving at it
we ascertained that it, with about twenty- two hundred acres of the surrounding valley, had
belonged to Col. Jefierson Stem, Indian agent, who was murdered by two Wichitas on the 12th
of February last. The perpetrators of this outrage were seized by some friendly Camanches
and killed. The Colonel was from Tippin, Seneca county, Ohio, and was a lawyer by profes¬
sion. This farm, though not long under cultivation, produced last year five thousand bushels
of corn.

We also encountered here a party of California emigrants, with a considerable amount of
stock and animals. They received such information from us as will, no doubt, be useful to them
on their journey.

Camped in the valley at 4 p. m. on a rivulet which flows into the Clear fork of the Brazos.
We are now thirty-five miles from Fort Belknap, and intend following the road if it does not
deviate much from our exact route. The country passed over to-day is well timbered, but not
so fertile on the liigh-lands as that we have been traversing. At camp we had excellent grass,

APPENDIX A.— DIARY OF 1 HE EXPEDITION. 87

■wood, and water; mules grazed and herded as usual. Observations at night for time and
latitude.

Camp No. 46 — Tuesday , April 25, 1854. — Left last camp at ten minutes after 6 a. m., and
continued our route along the military road through a rolling country. The road is excellent,
and, in consequence of the dryness of the season, is firm and hard. The animals being in good
condition, travelled well. We were obliged to deviate slightly from our direct course, to avoid
some difficult places. During this day’s march we descended considerably, hut gradually.
The soil all through is excellent ; the mezquite, oak, and other trees abundant, and of a large
growth ; the grass young and nutritious. Having proceeded about eleven miles, we nooned at
a spring near the road for about two hours; animals turned loose to graze. We then resumed
our route over a country similar to the above, and encamped at half-past 4 p. m. near a ravine
containing rain-water, of which there was an abundance for the animals, cooking, and other
purposes. The whole section of country is covered over with grasshoppers, in countless my¬
riads. They were very troublesome, and at night they completely filled our tents. They ap¬
pear to be going south ; and if they do so increasing in strength and numbers, an incalculable
amount of injury will be inflicted on the farmer. The day was remarkably warm. Our near
approach to the States, and the beauty of country through which we are passing, have the effect
of increasing the good humor and high spirits of the command. Good health and temper are
the order of the day. No observations made; mules hobbled, grazed, and herded as usual.
General direction, north 65° east; miles, 18TV

Camp No. 47 — Wednesday , April 26, 1854. — Left last camp at five minutes to 6 a. m., and
continued our course travelling the military road. The country is still rolling, with a good
soil, and heavily timbered — mezquite, oak, hackberry, &c., of a large growth ; grass excellent,
and abundant. We continue to descend gently. There is rain-water along- the road, at short
distances, in holes and ravines. For the last two days we have added to our collection of birds
and reptiles. Having travelled eleven miles, we nooned for about two hours in a delightful
shade formed by large trees, near some water. We resumed our route over a country same as
yesterday.

Lieutenant Marshall, with two men of the party, left the command early in the morning for
Fort Belknap, to procure some necessary articles. He joined us a little after sundown, accom¬
panied by Lieutenant Mclntire, seventh infantry, and Assistant Surgeon Vollum, U. S. A. The
fort is garrisoned by two companies of the second dragoons, and two companies of the seventh
infantry, and commanded by Major Steen, second dragoons. Reached camp at twenty minutes
after 3 p. m. It is a beautiful camping-place. The rain-water is in ravines near our camp.

We are one mile from the crossing of the Brazos, and about two from Fort Belknap. The
day has been excessively warm and sultry. Observations for the time and latitude made.
Mules grazed, &c., as usual.

Along our line of March to-day there were perfect groves of post-oak, which is a very valua¬
ble timber for many purposes. Scrub and live oak are also in abundance. General direction,
north 34° east ; miles, 16TV

Camp No. 48 — Thursday, April 27, 1854. — Left last camp at fifteen minutes to 6 a. m., and
moved to the crossing of the Brazos. We passed over without the slightest difficulty, the water
not reaching higher, in its deepest place, than the mule’s knees. The river at this point is
seven hundred feet from bank to bank, which are gently sloping. Its bed is gravelly and firm,
and the water is very salty. From the swiftness of the current (even with the small body of
water we crossed) there must be a rapid and violent current when the river is swollen.

At a short distance from the river we came to Fort Belknap. This post is beautifully located
in a finely wooded country, but is in a very unfinished and scattered state. There is here a
steam saw-mill ; but being out of order it is useless, the machinist not being competent to make
the necessary repairs. The gardens for vegetables, &c., were in a flourishing condition.

Captain Pope and Lieutenant Garrard remained a short time at the post, sending forward

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

the train, which took the wrong road. When the mistake was discovered, the wagons were
surrounded with brush and timber. We, however, rectified our error, and regained our correct
road without much trouble.

We camped at 12 o’clock noon on a stream of good running water, over which there is a
wooden bridge ; grass and wood in abundance.

We travelled through a densely wooded country; post and live oak, large mezquite, &c., in
profusion. We saw several small trees of the prickly-ash, and some large cotton-woods. The
grass along our route was excellent. Rain-water plenty in holes.

The day was not so warm as usual ; the wind changed to the north, and (in the earlier part of
the day) was very chilly.

We hoped to obtain some corn at Fort Belknap, hut we could not obtain any in consequence
of the extreme difficulty of supplying the post. The article is very scarce. It has to he trans¬
ported from Preston, a distance of two hundred miles. The dragoon horses are allowanced to
twelve ears of corn per diem.

Many of the mules were shod to-day, as their feet are getting tender from travelling on the
hard road.

There are extensive coal-mines in the neighborhood of Fort Belknap. This coal is used at
the post. It is needless to enlarge upon the importance of this fact.

Mules herded and grazed as usual. No observations made ; cloudy during the day, and very
hazy at night. General direction, north 25° east ; miles, 10TV

Gamp No. 49 — Friday, April 28, 1854. — Left last camp at five minutes to 6 a. m., and re¬
sumed our route along the military road. The country is similar to that passed yesterday, hut
somewhat more open. It is gently rolling. There were along our course large and dense
groves of oak of a very considerable size. The mezquite is also large and abundant. The soil
is capable of the most extensive cultivation. There can be little doubt, from the appearance of
the country, that there is sufficient rain for agricultural purposes. Though the season up to
this time has been a remarkably dry one, yet the innumerable pools along our route are gener¬
ally filled with water ; indeed, when the earth is dug to the depth of twelve or eighteen inches,
it is found to be damp and moist. Dew falls heavily. These remarks apply in general to the
country we have passed since we struck the first (western) tributary of the Brazos. Nature has
been prolific of her favors to this charming section of country. Having travelled about ten
and two-tenths miles, we nooned for two hours in a delightful shade.

About three miles from last camp we crossed a running stream with very steep banks — the
last eastern tributary of the Brazos. Six miles farther we surmounted the dividing ridge be¬
tween the Brazos and Trinity rivers. This ridge slopes gently on both sides. Reached camp
at half-past 3 p. m., near a stream; water not running. Wood and grass abundant and good.

About four miles before reaching camp we passed the first tributary of the Trinity, which has
a direction to the northeast. During the day we crossed many small ravines and gullies, con¬
taining more or less rain-water. The day has been remarkably chilly and unpleasant, the wind
from the north ; the night also cold.

Mules grazed, herded, &c., as usual; the day-guard over them is reduced to two men, exclu¬
sive of the herders. Observations for the time and latitude made. General direction, north
36° east; miles, llyV

Gamp No. 50 — Saturday, April 29, 1854. — Left camp at ten minutes after 6 a. m., and re¬
sumed our course over the. beaten road over a country similar to that of yesterday. The same
remarks in reference to soil, timber, grass, and water, will apply to our route to-day. We
crossed a considerable stream called the West Fork, a tributary of the Trinity. About seven
miles from the last camp we came upon a beautiful spring, which is covered over with rock
to protect it from the sun ; the water is pure and cold. Having proceeded 9^ miles, we nooned
two hours ; water in holes ; grass excellent. We resumed our route, and camped at ten minutes
after 2 o’clock p. m. near a ravine. Our camp is in a charming locality; wood, water in ra-

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

vine, and grass, all excellent and in profusion. We will remain here for three days, as it is
concluded to make this place one of our principal astronomical points.

Mules grazed and herded, &c., as usual. Observations made at night for time and latitude ;
day cloudy. General direction, north 70° east; miles, 13TV

Same Camp — Sunday, April 30, 1854. — All hands in the command busily engaged in such
work as may he requisite — repairing wagons, re-arranging the loading, shoeing and cropping
the mules, &c. As usual at halting-places, the men gladly avail themselves of the opportunity
for washing their clothing, &c. Our collections in mineralogy, geology, botany, and natural
history, are being repacked, and placed in as small a compass as possible. Great care is taken
to avoid injury to them. The collection in birds and plants is large. We have many new
specimens in both, which will no doubt he interesting to men of science. Our specimens of the
soils, very numerous indeed, will he found important. No opportunity has been lost, no labor
spared, in collecting and increasing our contributions to these departments of science. We
only regret that the limited transportation placed at our disposal prevented us from enlarging
our collection to the extent we wished; the country affording inexhaustible materials. To-day
we commenced an epitome of the expedition from its departure from Dona Ana to this place.
Although this report was much condensed, yet it was somewhat voluminous ; the great variety
and importance of the matter contained in it required a considerable amount of labor to abridge,
without in any material manner interfering with the facts. A profile of the country was pre¬
pared; also a summary, with a table, of the grading that may he required throughout the
whole route. When finished, these documents will he sent by express to Fort Washita for
transmission to Washington.

Mules herded and grazed, &c., as usual. In consequence of the unfavorable state of the
weather, no observations could he made.

Same Camp — Monday, May 1, 1854. — The greater part of the night was consumed in hasten¬
ing the preparation of the papers referred to in yesterday’s journal. At an early hour this
morning we resumed our work on these documents, and finished them about 10 a. m. The
express, consisting of an American and a Mexican, started immediately for Fort Washita.
This express will bring our mail to us : it is presumed we will meet it near Preston. No ob¬
servations made; the weather still continues cloudy. Mules herded, grazed, &c., &c., as usual.

Same Camp — Tuesday, May 2, 1854. — One of the escort having gone to hunt last evening,
had not returned during the night. The fact being reported, five men were sent in different
directions to find him. During their absence the man arrived in camp ; he had lost himself in
the thick timber, and could not extricate himself during the darkness. In the morning, after
much fatigue, he reached the camp. This will he a caution to others. During the last two
days we have added some beautiful specimens of birds to our collection. Rained last night, and
still continues cloudy, with occasional showers ; no observations can, therefore, be made. Mules
herded, grazed, &c., as usual.

Same Camp — Wednesday, May 3, 1854. — It rained heavily last night; we have had some
smart showers to-day, and there is every indication of another wet night. This inauspicious
weather precludes the possibility of astronomical observations. The heat is very oppressive.
It is intended to remain here until the weather clears up, if it does so in any reasonable time.
We, however, do not remain idle ; we are getting up the business of the expedition as far as iff*
can possibly be done. Our animals look remarkably well ; rest and good grass have com¬
pletely recruited them. Some of the command go out hunting; an antelope and some wild
turkeys have been killed. Game of all kinds is very plenty in this locality.

It is to he observed that the streams we have passed from Fort -Belknap to within five miles
of this place are tributaries of the Brazos, and run in a southwesterly direction.

Same Camp — Thursday, May 4, 1854. ■ — The weather still continues cloudy and rainy, pre¬
venting any observations from being made. We had a severe thunder-storm, with heavy rain,
during the night.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

Same Camp — Friday , May 5, 1854. — The weather still continues rainy and cloudy. The
necessary returns and papers pertaining to the expedition are being made out, and completed as
far as possible.-

Same Camp — Saturday , May 6, 1854. — To-day the weather cleared. Astronomical observa¬
tions for longitude and latitude made. These proving satisfactory, it is determined to resume
our journey to-morrow.

During our stay we added largely to our collections of specimens.

Camp No. 51 — Sunday , May 7, 1854. — We left last camp at fifteen minutes to 1 p. m., and
resumed our route along the road we had previously been travelling. The animals showed
that rest and good grass had been of service to them. They looked and worked remarka¬
bly well.

Our route to-day was through a country similar to that we had been already travelling. It
is in every particular as fine an agricultural country as can be found in the world. The post¬
oak is in the greatest abundance, and we passed through a thick wood of it for upwards of two
miles ; also some hackberry and scrub-oak. Grass excellent and abundant.

We crossed several creeks and ravines, generally with water, which run in a northeasterly
direction to Eed river.

Encamped at twenty minutes to 5 p. m., on a ravine with running water, which was slightly
brackish. Grass abundant.

Mules grazed and herded as usual. No observations made. General direction, north 80°
east ; miles, 11 TV

Camp No. 52— Monday, May 8, 1854. — Left camp at half-past 5 a. m., and resumed our
course. The country still continues gently rolling and open ; post-oak in abundance, with
hackberry, elm, scrub-oak, &c. We are looking for the return of our express, which is a little
behind its jtime. The distance to Fort Washita may be, however, greater than we had
imagined.

Rattlesnakes are disappearing gradually since we crossed the Colorado; but, in lieu of
these dangerous reptiles, we have the moccasin-snake, equally poisonous and much more
treacherous.

We encamped at five minutes to 6 p. m. on Turkey creek, a tributary of the Red river, two
and a half miles west of the Upper Cross Timbers. We had capital spring-water. Two bar¬
rels had been sunk by some of our predecessors, in which the water was delightfully pure and
clear.

The day and night were remarkably hot ; the latter cloudy and sultry to an insufferable
degree. For the first time we were annoyed by the dismal croaking of the bull-frog, which
made the night hideous with its never-ending and monotonous serenade.

The mules turned loose, unhobbled; grazed and herded as usual. No observations made.
General direction, north 40° east; miles, 27^.

Camp No. 53 — Tuesday, May 9, 1854. — Our express arrived before we left camp, bringing a
number of letters, but none of an official character.

We started at half-past 6 a. m., and resumed our course. At two and a half miles from
camp we struck the Upper Cross Timbers, the road through which is hilly and much cut up.
In many places it is sandy, and the ascents and descents very steep ; yet these do not present
any serious obstacle to wagons. There is here a perfect forest of large post-oak ; also elm,
hackberry, and other trees in abundance. In the open spaces the soil is of the best quality ;
grass excellent. The Cross Timbers are eight miles from west to east — that is, from the point
we entered until we left them.

Reached our camp, on the east edge of the Cross Timbers, at five minutes to 11 a. m., on a
well timbered ravine, in which there is a beautiful spring of water. Our encampment is
delightfully situated. There was, however, one serious drawback to its enjoyment. The
morning had been cloudy and threatening, raining slightly until we halted, when we had a

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

regular thunder-storm, the rain coming down in torrents, with hail-stones of an enormous size.
It continued until near sundown, gradually abating in violence ; then clearing off, the night
was bright and pleasant.

The streams which we passed during our route to-day, together with the ravine on which we
are camped, rim into the Eed river towards the north. The mules grazed and herded, &c., as
usual. No observations made. General direction, north 85° east; miles, 14,^.

Camp No. 54 — Wednesday , May 10, 1854. — The wagonmaster and a Mexican started, at
half-past 5 a. m., for Fort Washita, with official and private letters for the mail; also, to
select a house and encampment for the command by the time it reaches Preston, and to make
some preliminary arrangements for the sale of our mules, &c., &c.

Left camp at half-past 7 a. m., and resumed our course over a rolling and open country,
passing several small streams — sources of the Trinity — and encamped on the Elm fork of that
river at 11 a. m.

The soil on our route to-day is of a darker color, and appears richer than any we have yet
seen. The timber is not so abundant as it' has been for some time past. The country is more
open, with a most luxuriant growth of excellent grass.

Our camp is delightfully situated ; the banks of the creek are covered with elm, post-oak,
some walnut, and other trees ; water and grass abundant and good.

It is a matter of some surprise that this section of country, to which nature has been so
liberal of her favors, is not more settled. The soil and climate invite the farmer, assuring him
a rich return. The dread of Indians is, no doubt, the principal cause ; and also, perhaps, the
ignorance of the advantages which are offered to the emigrant and settler, may furnish another
reason. Our survey, by bringing its resources properly into notice, will remove the latter
cause ; the removal of the former will follow as an inevitable sequence.

Mules grazed and herded as usual, &c., &c. Observations made for longitude and latitude.
General direction, north 18° east; miles, 9T20.

Camp No. 55 — Thursday , May 11, 1854. — Left last camp at ten minutes after 7 a. m. There
was a heavy dew last night, and there would be little necessity for rain if such dews were fre¬
quent. We resumed our course over a high ridge ; the road was very muddy and heavy in
many places, the result of the late rain.

The country is more open than it has been for the last few days ; but the banks of the streams
along our route are covered with an abundance of timber. The richness of the soil cannot be
excelled ; the quality of the grass cannot be equalled.

We crossed several small tributaries of the Trinity, and encamped at 11 a. m. at Elm fork.
The bank on the west side is steep, being worn away by the action of the water ; that on the
east side is more sloping. We passed over it without any difficulty. The bottom is rocky and
firm, being composed of limestone and gravel ; the water is pure and clear — very deep in some
places, with plenty of perch, bass, sunfish, &c. From appearances there must be a swift and
overwhelming current after heavy rains, but it quickly subsides. We found here many curious
specimens of fossil. This stream is bordered by a growth of large timber ; elm and red, white,
and post-oak predominate. There are some few trees of hickory, dogwood, and walnut.

As the day was warm and sultry, many of the command refreshed themselves by swimming,
washing, &c. In anticipation of our speedy arrival at Preston, our razors were brought into
active requisition ; beards of the most patriarchal cut were trimmed down to ordinary dimen¬
sions, or totally demolished, and the cherished moustache disappeared beneath the ruthless
hand of the barber. These operations caused much pain and many an expression of regret ;
but whether occasioned by the loss of these “facial developments” or by the bluntness of the
razor, is a matter for conjecture.

About a mile from camp there is a farm-house, beautifully located. The owner, a person
named Hewitt, settled here last fall. This farm appeared well stocked. Two families live
here: there are six young children, who appeared sickly; indeed, two of them suffering from

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION.

ague. Many (to us) great luxuries were purchased here, such as chickens, eggs, hutter, and
milk. We were not able to obtain more than five bushels of corn, at $1 50 per bushel; the
owner, as he stated, had bought his corn, not having time to raise any since he settled.

Our animals were grazed until sundown; then driven in and fed with corn, herded, &c., &c.
No observations made; night cloudy. General direction, south 80° east; miles, 11.

Gamp No. 56 — Friday , May 12, 1854. — Left last camp at ten minutes after 6 a. m., and
resumed our course. Our route was similar to that of yesterday. In respect to soil and vegeta¬
tion, it was somewhat more timbered ; the road was heavy, hut our animals travelled capitally.
It was truly pleasant to see the farms, of which there were several along our course ; one par¬
ticularly was on a grand scale, having a large amount of land well fenced in and thickly planted
with fruit trees. All these farms appear well stocked.

About six miles from camp we reached Gainsville, which is beautifully located, and is no
doubt the nucleus of a flourishing and important city. It consists of about fifteen houses ; has
two groceries, with their inseparable companion, a court-house, and a couple of dry-goods
stores. We purchased ten bushels of corn, at $1 50 per bushel; this price is as exorbitant as
that charged for the same article in New Mexico. Everything else is dear in proportion. To¬
bacco, (very poor,) $1 ; sugar, 19 cents ; coffee, 24 cents ; tea, $2 per pound. This scale of
prices will, after a short time, find its level.

We did not see Gainsville under the most favorable circumstances, as it rained sharply
while we waited for the corn to he loaded. We noticed, however, some of the celebrities of the
place, among whom the “Doctor” was the most conspicuous. He sported white inexpressibles,
which contrasted strangely and strongly with the surrounding black and wet soil. It would
not be charitable or humane to wish him success, at least, in his legitimate profession. There
would appear to be some ague in this locality. Building-lots can be purchased in the town for $50.

Bidding adieu to Gainsville, we pursued our course, and encamped at 11 a. m. near a stream
of excellent water, a tributary of the Trinity. During our day’s march we passed a number
of small streams and rivulets, all the sources of this river. Our encampment is situated in a
dense grove of post-oak, which completely shelters us from the wind and rain. Along the
margin of the stream there is plenty of fine elm and red and white oak, of a large size. The
day was cloudy and rainy until near sundown, when it cleared off.

We were informed by a person who passed through our camp, that some Waco Indians had
stolen some horses from the neighboring settlements, and two of them killed the day previous;
the Bed river being very high at the time, prevented the rascals from crossing.

The mules were not fed with corn; they were grazed, herded, &c., as usual. No observa¬
tions made; night cloudy. General direction, north 50° east; miles, 12j£0. »

Camp No. 57 — Saturday , May 13, 1854. — Left last camp at ten minutes past 6 a. m., and
pursued our course over a rich, well -timbered, and gently-rolling country. In our day’s march
we passed a number of small creeks, with running water, tributaries of the Red river. About
seven miles from last camp we struck the Lower Cross Timbers, which consist of a dense growth
of red, white, and post-oak, elm, and some hickory. The timber is somewhat larger than that
in the Upper Cross Timbers. This place is about fifteen miles through. We encamped at
half-past 11 a. m., on the banks of a heavily-timbered ravine, which contained rain-water. It
is bordered with post-oak and elm of a tolerably large size. The grass is excellent, and in the
utmost abundance.

Our encampment is situated at a little distance from several very fine farms. One of the
most extensive belongs to a person named McCarthy. These farms, though but recently set¬
tled, present every indication of prosperity. They are well stocked, and the horses are partic¬
ularly fine. We purchased twenty bushels of corn, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per
bushel. The corn had not been raised here, but was bought at Preston and hauled to this
place. There is in this neighborhood an extensive coal-mine ; but it was too distant from camp
to obtain a specimen.

APPENDIX A. — DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION. 93

Mules driven in at sundown, fed with corn, hobbled, and turned out to graze as usual. Ob¬
servations made for time and latitude. General direction, - ; miles, 147V

Camp No. 58 — Sunday , May 14, 1854. — There fell during the night a very heavy dew; indeed
the heaviest we had yet experienced. This morning was cold and damp.

Left last camp at half-past 6 a. m., and resumed our course. Our road for some distance
was over a fine rolling prairie, with settlements scattered along, beautifully located. About
seven miles we entered a densely-timbered wood, the road through which was miserably had.
It appeared to have been recently covered over with water. At its eastern edge it is hounded
by a rapid and deep stream, with high and miry hanks, which must he nearly impassable after
heavy rains. It occasions a considerable amount of labor to cross it. This stream is called the
“ Big Mineral,” in consequence of its waters, when high, becoming brackish. Having crossed,
we resumed our march over a capital country. Soil excellent ; abundance of timber, (post-oak,
elm, &c.,) water, and grass.

Mitchell, the express, met us at about 9 a. m., bringing some letters from Washita. He had
selected the camp as directed. Reached camp, which is about six miles from Preston, at 12
noon, on the margin of a small running stream, evidently proceeding from a spring. The
water is slightly brackish. We had no occasion to use it, as there was plenty of rain-water in
the ravine round our camp. As on the previous day, we passed several small streams and
rivulets, all tributary to the Red river.

We met a gentleman, (Mr. Massie,) an extensive land-owner, from whom we received consid¬
erable information about the navigation of the rivers, &c. He remained with us some time in
camp.

Our encampment is situated at a short distance from an extensive farm. There is a large
number of peach-trees planted here. Mules treated as on the previous evening, &c. No obser¬
vations made. General direction, - ; miles, 14T4TJ.

Camp No. 59 — Monday , May 15, 1854. — Moved on to Preston, distance 5^ miles. Spent
nearly the whole day in crossing to the east side of the Red river. Preston is situated on a
bluff, one hundred and fifty feet above the bed of the river, and is a small, dilapidated place,
containing probably five hundred persons. Encamped near Tyson’s farm.

From May 15th to May 25th, employed in discharging the men and selling the animals and
wagons ; then moved forward to Fort Washita, where the field-work of the expedition was
closed. On the 10th of July moved forward to Fort Smith, and from thence to Washington
city.

APPENDIX B.

PEE LIMITARY REPORT ON THE NATURAL HISTORY.

Smithsonian Institution,

Washington , October 1, 1854.

Sir: I have duly received the zoological collections made during your exploration of the
country between El Paso and Fort Smith; and, in obedience to your request, herewith present
a brief memorandum of their character and extent. The materials thus gathered prove to he
of very high interest ; as, besides a number of very rare or hitherto undescrihed species, there
are many the geographical distribution of which can he determined with a degree of precision
hitherto unattainable. The most important of your contributions to natural science is to he
found in the department of ornithology, which, as will he seen, numbers one hundred and
twenty (120) species, including the collections made by Dr. Henry, United States army. The
mammals are in considerable variety, as are the reptiles and fishes likewise. The precise num¬
ber of the last-mentioned objects cannot now he given with exactness, as they are still in the
fourteen large jars in which they were received; from which they will, however, he transferred
and assorted as soon as suitable bottles can he procured. They are, of —

Specimens.

Species.

Mamina, Is _ _ _ _

283

120

Reptiles (about) . . . .

Fishes (about). _ _ _ _ _ _ ........... _ _ _ ..... _ ...................................

Inseets and other invertobrata, say _ _ _ _ _

200

Total . . . . . . . . ............................. _

572

230

Of these, probably thirty species are entirely new. I hope at the earliest possible moment to
present you with a full report on these various specimens, with the necessary descriptions and
illustrations. Until then, believe me,

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

SPENCER F. BAIRD.

Captain John Pope,

United States Army.

APPENDIX C.

REPORT ON THE SOILS AND MINERAL WATERS.

Philadelphia, October 24, 1854.

Dear Sir : I have completed the examination of the eighteen specimens of soils which you
forwarded to me ; and, although a more thorough examination might he made of them, and
with advantage, yet the limited time would not admit of it ; and perhaps the present results
may sufficiently meet your designs.

The annexed Table I, presents the per-centage composition of the soils in an absolutely dry-
state, together with the numbers and localities by which you designated them. (See Table I.)

Of Table I, I remark, first, that the amount of lime was determined in all cases where
there appeared to he about one per cent., hut its presence was proved in all other cases. The
deficiency in the total column is partly due to ingredients which were only tested for, hut
chiefly to the carbonic acid united with lime in the soil. In some of them, as in Nos. 1, 5, 6,
and 17, a portion of the lime only is carbonated ; the remainder being united with organic
matter, except the small quantity existing as sulphate of lime.

Magnesia, manganese, chlorine, phosphoric and sulphuric acids, were severally tested for,
but their quantities not determined. Their relative amounts, approximately determined, are
indicated by the figures 1, 2, and 3. The alkaline test, similarly indicated, is chiefly due to
lime. The organic matter is, in many cases, too high to express that portion which is generally
regarded as contributive to fertility ; and part of it is due to fine rootless, which were separated
with difficulty, and imperfectly. It may be observed, however, that the water originally in the
air-dried soil bears a proportion to the content of organic matter.

The analysis of No. 4 shows that it is not a soil, but chiefly gypsum, or plaster of paris.
The following is a better expression of its composition :

Dry sulphate of lime .

Water of the sulphate . .

Carbonate of lime . , .

Silica .

Alumina and oxide of iron.
Hygroscopic moisture .

71.23

18.85

0.46

8.44

0.74

0.45

Grypsum= 90.08 per cent.

100.17

Since silica forms the frame-work of every soil, I have calculated the annexed Table II from
the former, so as to compare the several ingredients with 100 parts of silex. No. 4, not being
a soil, is omitted. (See Table II.)

The texture of soils is due to their content of alumina and oxide of iron, and the state of
division of silex and silicates. Since the proportion of the two former varies from 3^ to 6 in 14
out of the 17 soils, is about 11 in No. 18, and is nearly 3 in No. 14, all except one (13) have a
good texture.

In the bases — lime, magnesia, and manganese — the soils are not in general deficient. The

APPENDIX C. — REPORT ON THE SOILS AND MINERAL WATERS.

most important (lime) is contained in all, and in some of them in large proportion. Magnesia
is wanting only in two cases, while more than one-half contain manganese, which is the least
important.

The soils contain only minute quantities of the acid constituents, as is usually the case.
Chlorine, indicative of common salt, is only wanting in two cases. Sulphuric acid, indicating
sulphate of lime, is contained in thirteen soils, and in sufficient quantity. The most important,
phosphoric acid, is found in only six specimens, and in one of these its presence is doubtful.
But I may remark of this acid, that exceedingly minute quantities are known to produce a fer¬
tilizing effect; and yet its detection, in such cases, lies just at the limit of our capacity of testing
its presence.

Judging from the mineral composition of the soils, as above developed by analysis, I would
consider them all either as good soils or capable of a high degree of improvement. Nos. 1, 2,
3, 5, and 13 are light soils, the last one of which is inferior. Nos. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 14 are
heavier loams, of good quality ; hut No. 6 appears to have hut little depth, and No. 8 is rather
too heavy. Nos. 12, 15, 16, 17, and 18 are similar in composition and texture, and appear to
contain available organic matter ; the first and last of these appear to he superior to the rest.
No. 18 contains all the ingredients requisite to a good soil except the alkalies, which were not
tested for.

Analysis of Waters. — The quantity of water was, in some cases, too small to make a thorough
analysis of the substances dissolved ; a qualitative examination of the constituents was there¬
fore made, in order to determine the peculiar character of each water. The gallon is here taken
at 60,000 grains.

No. 1. Head of Delaware creek, spring, temperature 60° Fahrenheit, March 4, 1854. This
water contains 330 grains of solid matter per gallon, and it consists of a large quantity of sul¬
phate and muriate of soda, of some sulphate of magnesia, of a small amount of sulphate of lime,
and of a portion of sulphuret of sodium. The annexed Table III exhibits the approximate quan¬
tities of the several substances named above in all the waters. (See Table III.)

Nos. 1, 2, 6, and 7 are strong enough to allow of a detailed examination of their constitu¬
tion, although the table sufficiently expresses their character.

I have the honor to he, your obedient servant,

JAS; C. BOOTH.

Captain John Pope,

U. S. Top. Engs., Washington, D. O.

TABLE I.

1 •

i !

I 1

i SB3t£S35iS«@£
1

1 . • .

‘I ’ ®

< "a

B$B!£ _ 3.

. . .

,i;l

•T

........

"i‘

APPENDIX C. — REPORT ON THE SOILS AND MINERAL WATERS.

TABLE II.

—

Remarks.

315

Aik.

The waters are alkaline previous to

■

APPENDIX D

NOTE UPON THE GEOLOGICAL REPORT^

The geological collection made by Captain Pope has been placed in the hands of Mr. Wm. P.
Blake for description and a report in detail, which is not now completed, hut will appear in a
supplementary volume. The preliminary report hy Mr. Jules Marcou, upon the collection,
published as Chapter XIII in the preliminary report in octavo, is therefore omitted in this
place. The reference on page 80 of the quarto edition of the Report of the Secretary of War,
under the^head of cc Building-stone,” refers to Chapter XIII of the preliminary report in octavo.

APPENDIX E.

TABLE OF CAMPING PLACES ALONG THE DIRECT LINE OF SURVEY.

Date.

Camp.

Distance from
camp to eamp.

Total distance
from El Paso.

Remarks.

Feb. 21

Miles.

24.3

Water, in natural tanks ; wood and grass.

No water ; brush for wood ; good grass.

Camp No. 2, in pass of the Cerro Alto ...

5.4

29.7

Camp No. 3, Sierra de los Alamos .

23.2

52.9

Spring water; grass good; cactus for wood, not very

Camp No. 4, Los Cornudos .

8.2

61.1

abundant.

Water in natural rock tanks; wood, small trees; grass.

Camp No. 5, on the open plain .

72. 1

No water ; cactus for wood, in abundance ; fine grass.

Camp No. 6, Ojo del Cuerbo .

13.1

85.2

Water in abundance ; fine springs, (sulphurous ;) grass

Camp No. 7, in pass of Guadalupe mount¬

11.6

96.8

poor ; small brush for wood.

No water; cactus for wood, in great quantities; fine

ains.

Camp No. 8, near bead of canon in Gua¬

10.7

107.5

grama-grass.

Fine spring water ; no wood ; grass, but not very good

Mar. 1

dalupe Pass.

Camp No. 9, pinery on the east slope of
Guadalupe mountains.

Camp No. 10, near Independence springs.

4.7

112.2

or abundant.

Water, wood, and grass, in the greatest abundance,

5.9

118.1

(fine springs;) pine groves; grama-grass.

Three fine and large springs ; thickets of scrub-oak and

Camp No. 1 1, head springs of Delaware

14.5

132.6

hickory ; good grass.

Several fine mineral and fresh-water springs; grass

creek.

Camp No. 12, on Delaware creek .

11.3

143.9

good ; no wood near.

Water, wood, and grass ; water sulphurous ; dwarf cedar

Camp No. 13, on Delaware creek .

156.9

for wood ; grass not very good.

Water of Delaware creek ; plenty of roots for wood ;

Camp No. 14, on Pecos river, at mouth

5.7

162.6

good grass.

Water, wood, and grass abundant; roots for wood.

April 8

of Delaware creek.

Camp No. 15, on the Llano Estacado _

187.6

No water ; grass good, and roots for wood.

Camp No. 16 . do .

36.5

224.1

No water; grass not very good ; roots for wood.

Camp No. 17 . do .

253.1

No water ; good grama-grass ; roots for wood.

Camp No. 18, Sulphur springs of the Col¬

34.2

287.3

Water plenty and good; grass good ; roots for wood.

orado.

APPENDIX E. — TABLE OF CAMPING PLACES.

TABLE OF CAMPING PLACES— Continued.

Date.

Camp.

Distance from

camp to camp.

Total distance

from El Paso.

Remarks.

April 12

Camp No. 19, on the open plain .

Miles.

11.9

Miles.

299.2

No water; good grass, and mezquite groves for wood.

Camp No. 20 . do . .

313.2

No water near ; grass good ; mezquite groves.

Camp No. 21, on the Colorado .

18.1

331.3

Water, wood, and grass.

Camp No. 22, on a creek with pools of

11.5

342.8

Water, wood, and grass ; mezquite for wood.

water.

Camp No. 23, on dry tributary of the

13.1

355.9

Mezquite for wood ; good grass; no water, but water in

Brazos.

Camp No. 24, on a creek with pools of

15.2

371.1

abundance ten miles west, and five miles east.

Groves of heavy mezquite for wood; grass tolerably

bitter water.

Camp No. 25, on dry tributary of Clear

16.8

387.9

good. Passed plenty of good water during the day
at convenient distances.

No water ; abundance of mezquite ; good grass.

fork of Brazos.

Camp No. 26, on large creek with pools

16.9

404.8

Abundance of water, wood, and grass.

of water.

Camp No. 27, on tributary of the Brazos.

16.2

421

Water, wood, and grass, (good.)

Camp No. 28, on Clear fork of the Brazos .

12.2

433.2

Water, grass, and wood, in abundance.

Camp No. 29 . do . .

3.2

436.4

Do do do.

Camp No. 30 . do .

15.5

451.9

Do do.

Camp No. 31, on a small creek...: .

16.8

468.7

Do do.

Camp No. 32, on west bank of Brazos

15.6

484.3

Do do.

river.

Camp No. 33, on a creek of running wa¬

10.1

494.4

Do do.

ter.

Camp No. 34, on a creek with pools of

16.2

510.6

Do do.

water.

Camp No. 35, near two creeks, with

12.6

523.2

An abundance of wood ; water good ; grass very good.

May 7

plenty of water.

Camp No. 36, on a creek with a rocky

534.2

Water, wood, and grass, all good.

bed.

Camp No. 37, on a creek with standing

26.1

560.3

Plenty of water, wood, and grass.

water.

Camp No. 38, on east edge of Upper

13.6

573. 9

Water in springs to the north of the road, and in a

Cross Timbers.

Camp No. 39, on Elm fork of the Trinity

8.8

582.7

ravine ; wood plenty ; grass good.

Water, wood, and grass, (good.)

Camp No. 40, on Clear fork of the Trini¬

10.5

593.2

Water, wood, and grass, good and abundant.

ty river.

Camp No. 41, on a creek of running wa¬

11.8

605

Do do.

ter.

Camp No. 42, near eastern edge of Lower

13.6

618.6

Water, wood, and grass, (good.)

Cross Timbers.

Camp No. 43, on a creek flowing into

13.5

632.1

Do do.

. 15

Eed river.

Preston, on Red river.

7.3

639.4

APPENDIX

100

APPENDIX F.— METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

APPENDIX P. — METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

101

102

APPENDIX F. — METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

103

it II I I Mil HI I

If II! 1 1 f

I 1 i

I ft II 1

i i

Hi l

TXT

H Mm

if S 111 i i

1 1 If ! 1

IJ 111 I

i ! i

i !

£ » e i g s

s £ g s $ s

s ® a s' s'

j if n i
j j a j i is a «

fin fi

s s s 2 s

S 2 S § £ Si a

104

APPENDIX G. — TABLE OF LATITUDES, LONGITUDES, ETC.

i — i

4 e

APPENDIX H. — ALTITUDES OF STATIONS.

105

APPENDIX H.

Altitudes of Stations above the sea-level .

Elevation above
sea, in feet.

Remarks.

station.

Molino, on the Rio Grande,

2870
2334. 3
1287.6

3860. 4
3897. 4
3904. 4

■382. 6
2793. 5

1505. 1
32616

472

9579

1097. 1
3061.6
1620

35945. 1
6709. 3
25154
892.9

3635. 4
2015. 5

1301. 1
1262. 8

684.7

2283. 2
1773

994.9
1224. 5

3911.8
3927. 2
3991.7

Summit of Mesa.

3986. 3

3975. 2
3975. 2

3955. 2

3948. 2

3935. 2

3935. 2
4000. 7

4035. 2

4058. 2
"4078
4086. 9
4122. 7

4190. 2
4245. 1
4289. 9

Hueco Tanks.

West edge of Hueco Pass
In Hueco Pass.

Do.

near El Paso.

1791.4

1530. 7
4974. 6

3826. 7

6683. 8

4757. 8

29784. 3

48981. 4

10765. 7

8881.3
4234. 8
9247. 8
7053. 9

3061.4
29312. 3

29133. 7
6518
4694
9617.7

19707. 4
16234. 1

7334. 4

20472. 7

38075. 4

9617.7
3214. 3

10382. 9
612.5
1785. 8

3210. 7

1581.7
9247. 8
2117

4762. 4

4811.8
4657
4584. 7

4650. 8
4697. 8
4695. 6

4738. 9
4568
4659. 4
4502. 9

In Hueco Pass.
Summit of Pass.
In Hueco Pass.

Sierra de los Alamos

4543. 9
4371.6
4361.8
4350
4346. 8
4468. 5

Los Cornudos.
Open plain.

4160.8

4164.8

3974

3893 Salt Lake.

3893 Ojo del Cuerbo.

3898

4063
4168. 5
4422

4451.1

4550. 2

4539. 5
4549. 9

West edge of Guadalupe Pass.
In Guadalupe Pass.

Do.

106

APPENDIX H. — ALTITUDES OF STATIONS.

Altitudes of Stations above the sea-level — Continued.

No. of sta¬
tion.

Distance in feet
from station to
station.

Elevation above
sea, in feet.

Remarks.

4592

4437. 8

In Guadalupe Pass.

1416

4511.4

Do.

11224.8

4472. 3

Do.

2143

4431.2

Foot of Canon, Guadalupe Pass.

18929. 2

5619. 7

In Guadalupe Pass.

1339.4

5659 •

Do,

1951.6

5716. 8

Summit of Pass.

3269. 4

5573. 3

In Guadalupe Pass,

15038. 9

5553. 3

Pinery.

31442. 4

4777. 8

Independence Spring.

73880. 2

4256

5268

4171.8

Head Springs of Delaware creek.

50584, 9

4421. 3

On high land near Delaware creek.

30847

4378. 6

Do do.

11794.8

4505. 8

Do do.

28457. 6

4290. 6

Do do.

7615, 1

4204. 3

Do do.

29040. 3

4069. 2

Pecos, mouth of Delaware creek.

14533. 3

4143.5

Llano Estacado.

12133.3

4222. 5

Do.

10400

4273. 3

Do.

22533. 3

4432. 3

Do.

57733. 3

4599

Do.

56800

4706. 9

Summit of Llano Estacado.

10000

4701.5

Llano Estacado.

31700

4612. 3

Do.

36400

4543. 2

Do.

27400

4483. 7

Do.

49533. 3

4564. 3

Do.

27333. 3

4654.7

Do.

9733. 3

4665. 2

Do.

17600

4627

Do.

46800

4563. 5

Do.

42333. 3

4540. 6

Do.

28866. 6

4509. 3

Do.

14466.6

4485. 8

Do.

27866. 6

4463. 2

Do.

100

32666. 6

4418.9

Do.

101

16666. 6

4409. 9

Do.

102

20600

4443. 4

Do.

103

23533. 3

4430. 2

Do.

104

18000

4277. 3

Sulphur Springs of the Colorado.

105

15179. 1

4343. 5

106

60461.3

' 4501. 6

107

9798. 4

4530. 3

108

15370

4452 7

109

22577. 7

4419. 9

Open plain.

110

37692. 7

4387. 1

111

40522. 3

4162.3

112

30067

3988. 9

Colorado river.

113

31002

4021. 1

114

13520.9

4013.4

115

45920

4146. 9

116

30868. 5

4236. 6

Divide of Colorado and Brazos rivers.

117

29975. 6

4149.5

118

11734.9

3875. 3

Tributary of Double Mountain fork of the
Brazos.

119

24363. 3

4023. 5

120

60206. 2

3673. 3

121

55861. 9

3543. 3

122

53073. 6

3359. 1

123

42986. 2

3170. 6

124

17985.5

3128. 8

125

15332. 2

3021. 8

126

27284. 1

2926. 6

127

38643. 6

2881.7

128

22334

2855. 8

129

15814. 5

2819

130

46366. 4

2697. 7

i High lalids westof Clear fork of the Brazos,

3. Of

tion

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

APPENDIX H — ALTITUDES OF STATIONS,

107

Altitudes of

Stations above the sea-level — Continued.

Distance in feet

Elevation above

Remarks.

from station to

sea, in feet.

station.

17207. 3
5740
34822
23672. 2

14987. 6

23087. 6
3316. 4

22050. 3
11403.5
11901
35804. 8

21301.7
35205. 4

3717. 8

2690

2646. 2
2119. 5

2314. 8
2277. 8

2173.8

2082. 2

2091. 9
2103. 5

2046. 4

1843. 4

1716.4
1614. 1

1611.5

High lands west of Clear fork of the Brazos.

Clear fork of the Brazos.

High lands east of Clear fork of the Brazos.

High land west of Brazos river.
High land east of Brazos river.

17666. 4
35588
10740
21416.6

19120.5
10003. 2

8252. 8

15944. 4

47774. 2

61170.2
18712. 3

14605. 2
82400. 9

7485°

11507. 8
42690
49997, 8

14987. 8
28126
23215. 1
10557. 6
39414
21557. 6
26595. 4
30423. 4

1706. 6
1524. 5

1652. 7
1640. 3

1573. 6

1556. 2

1539.4
1547. 9

1555. 2

1559. 7
1475. 9

1440. 1

1434.8

1447. 5

1782. 9

1716.2

1602. 2
1623.4

Divide of Brazos and Trinity rivers.
West fork of Trinity.

East edge of Upper Cross Timbers.
Elm fork of Trinity.

1369. 6

1461.7
1540. 1
1425. 6
1364. 9
1340. 4
1227. 9
1305
1189

790.2

641

Clear fork of Trinity.
Hill near Gainesville.

East edge of Lower Cross Timbers.
Big Mineral.

High land west of Red river.
Preston.

Red river.

108

APPENDIX I. — OBSERVATIONS FOR DETERMINING PROFILE.

APPENDIX I.

Observations for Determining Profile from El Paso to Preston , on Red River.

Observations.

Deduced results.

Remarks.

Number of
station.

Distance, in
feet.

Angle.

Elevation,
in feet.

Depres¬
sion, in feet.

< B....

2870

0 36 00

30.4

B. Back sights.

Mf-.

2334.3

0 54 30

F. Front sights.

„ 5 B....

1287. 6

0 19 30

2- \ F--.

382. 6

1 08 00

7.4

< B....

2793. 5

0 19 30

15.4

3- Jf....

1505. 1

3 36 00

94.5

4 5 B----

3201G

472

0 39 30

5.4

r ( B....

9579

5‘ \ F....

1097

0 35 00

11. 1

, J B....

3061.6

6- J F....

1620

0 29 30

13.9

7. F.. . .

35945. 1

0 02 30

26.1

6709. 3

8- \ ¥....

2515.4

( B....

892.9

9- \ F..:.

13890.8

in 5 B----

3635. 4

1 02 00

65.5

10, | F....

2015.5

0 59 00

34.5

n \ B----

1301.1

1 01 00

1L \ ¥....

1262. 8

0 54 00

19.8

in 5 B----

684.7

0 45 00

8.9

12' { F....

2283. 2

0 54 00

35.8

to < B-...

1773. 1

2 11 00

67.5

13‘ { ¥....

994.9

3 01 00

54.9

14 ( B....

1224.5

2 06 00

44.8

11 F....

1989. 8

9 40 00

334.1

i, 5 B....

1791.4

4 26 00

138.5

15‘ ) F....

1530. 7

1 51 00

49.4

ip J B....

4979. 6

1 54 00

164.8

16‘ { F..„

3826.7

0 56 00

62.3

17. F..A

6683. 8

0 34 00

66.1

18. F....

4757. 8

0 34 00

19. F....

1898. 4

0 04 00

2.2

20. F....

29784. 3

0 05 00

43.3

21. F— ,

48981. 4

0 12 00

170.9

99 5 B....

10765.7

0 26 00

81.4

22, \ F....

8881. 3

1 01 00

157.5

90 5 B....

4234. 8

0 53 00

65.2

23- J F....

9247. 8

0 09 00

24.2

94 5 B----

7053. 9

1 24 00

172.3

24‘ | F....

3061.4

5 B....

29312. 3

25. j F....

29133. 7

5 B....

6518. 1

0 51 00

96.9

26- | F....

4694. 1

l 00 00

81.9

S B....

9617. 7

1 20 00

223.8

27‘ | F....

19707. 4

i b....

16234. 1

0 40 00

188.8

28' I F....

7334. 4

0 38 00

29. F....

20472. 7

38075. 4

30- ( F....

9617. 7

0 59 00

165

( B.„.

3214.3

1 53 00

105.5

31 • i F....

10382. 9

1 24 00

253.5

99 5 B— -

612.5

3 12 00

34. 1

32' i F . . . .

1785. 8

3 11 00

99.1

„ 5 B....

3210. 7

2 00 00

112

33‘ \ ¥....

1581.7

0 49 00

22.5

APPENDIX I. — OBSERVATIONS FOR DETERMINING PROFILE.

109

Observations for Determining Profile from El Paso to Preston — Continued.

Observations.

Deduced results.

Remarks.

Number of
station.

Distance in
feet.

Angle.

Elevation,
in feet.

Depres¬
sion, in feet.

(B....

9247. 8

0 54 00

145.2

34‘ \ F....

21 17. 0

0 17 00

10.4

(B....

4592. 1

1 24 00

112. I

1416

2 59 00

73.6

5 B---‘

11224.8

0 12 00

39.1

36- { F....

2143

1 06 00

41.1

~ S B-.

18929. 2

3 36 00

1188.5

3/- { F . . . .

1339.4

1 41 00

39.3

no S B ....

1951.6

1 42 00

57.8

38- \ F ....

3269. 4

2 31 00

143.5

oo S B....

8342. 2

4974. 7

40. F-...

1722

41. B -

31442. 4

1 27 00

795.5

,0 S B....

105322. 6

0 43 00 «

1317. 3

To the Pinery.

5268

0 55 00

84.2

43. B ....

161549.2

0 25 00

1174.7

To the Pinery.

44. B....

203897. 6

0 18 00

1067. 5

To the Pinery.

.r SB....

2845. 7

0 26 00

215.2

45- [ F-...

7615. 1

0 39 00

•86.3

46. F....

29040. 3

0 16 00

135.1

.7 5B — -

13564.4

0 04 00

15.7

11324.4

0 24 00

48. F....

9706. 7

0 18 00

50.8

49. F....

21031

0 26 00

159

50. F....

53884. 4

0 10 00

156.7

51. F....

53013.4

0 07 00

107.9

52. F....

9333. 6

53. F ....

■ 29586. 8

0 11 00

94.6

54. F....

33973. 4

0 07 00

69.1

55. F....

25573. 4

0 08 00

59.5

56. F....

46231. 1

0 06 00

80.6

57. F....

25511. 1

0 13 00

96.4

58. F....

9084. 4

0 04 00

10.5

59. F....

16426. 8

0 08 00

38.2

60. F....

43680

0 05 00

63.5

61. F....

39511

0 02 00

22.9

62. F ....

26942.2

0 04 00

31.3

63. F....

13501.6

0 06 00

23.5

64. F....

26007. 9

0 03 00

22.6

65. F....

30490. 2

0 05 00

44.3

66. F — .

15555. 6

0 02 00

67. F ....

19226. 7

0 06 00

33.5

68. F,...

21964. 4

69. F-...

16800

0 34 00

166.1

70. F....

15179. 1

0 15 00

66.2

71. F....

60461.3

0 09 00

158.1

72. F ....

9798. 4

0 10 00

28.7

7o SB....

37947. 7

0 10 00

110.4

73’ [ F....

37692. 7

0 03 00

32.8

74. F ....

40522. 3

0 19 00

223.9

75. F....

61069. 1

0 08 00

142.1

76. F....

13520. 9

0 02 00

7.7

77 SB....

45920

0 10 00

133.5

77> IF....

30868. 5

0 10 00

89.7

78. F....

29975. 6

0 10 00

87.1

79. F....

36098. 2

0 12 00

126.1

8(k F....

60206. 2

0 20 00

350.2

81. F....

55861.9

0 08 00

130

53073. 6

0 12 00

185.2

(F....

42986. 2

0 15 00

187.5

83. F....

17985. 5

0 08 00

41.8

84 5B— -

15332.2

0 24 00

107

84, \ F....

27284. 1

0 12 00

95.2

110

APPENDIX I. — OBSERVATIONS FOR DETERMINING PROFILE.

APPENDIXES J AND K. — OBSERVATIONS FOR DETERMINING PROFILE. Ill

APPENDIX J.

Observations for Determining the Profile from the Emigrant Crossing of the Pecos to the Big
Springs of the Colorado.

APPENDIX K.

Observations for Determining the Profile through San Augustin Pass of the Organ Mountains.

Number of
station.

13.

F..

Observations.

Deduced results.

Distance, in
feet.

Angle.

Elevation,
in feet.

Depres¬
sion, in feet.

8099. 8

200.2

1942. 7

45. 1

7653. 8

111.3

40574. 8

306.9

4540. 9

118.7

5178.7

251.4

2104.7

144.9

2296

185.2

1326. 6

217.7

1288. 3

145

5612.4

422.3

1466

80.9

1755. 2

76.5

8176. 3

142.7

1657. 9

41.3

2580. 1

48.7

4490

104.3

4400. 8

47.3

11161

5982. 4

90.4

2576. 6

63.6

1520

31.3

2357. 8

16.4

2946. 6

18.8

Remarks.

B. Back sights.
F. Front sights.

Ojo de la Soledad,

112

APPENDIX L.- — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

APPENDIX L.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

AT DONA ANA, NEW MEXICO, FOR RATING THE CHRO¬
NOMETER.

Determination of time, January 28, 1851. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

10 18 04
10 20 37
10 21 35
10 23 49
10 24 21
10 26 47
10 27 17

07 45
05 44
04 30
03 05
01 32
00 00

Determination of time, February 1, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

10 30 30
10 31 55
10 32 08
10 34 28
10 35 49
10 37 12
10 38 24

69 56 10

70 14 20
70 38 40

70 46 10

71 02 30
71 19 10
71 34 20

Time, p. m.

1 56 48
1 53 38
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.

Determination of time, February 2, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun's upper limb .

Determination of time, January 29, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

Time, a. m.

10 15 44
10 17 04
10 18 32
10 20 06
10 21 40
10 23 46
10 25 23

d. m. s.
65 14 40
65 33 50

65 54 40

66 16 50

66 37 10

67 05 00
67 27 10

Time, p. m.

12 02
10 33
09 13
07 33
06 00
04 00
02 18

j Determination of time, January 30, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

h. m. s.
10 26 15

10 27 51
10 30 07
10 32 03
10 33 59
10 35 45
10 37 32

68 07 10
68 27 30

68 56 40

69 21 40

69 46 00

70 06 40
70 29 20

Time, p. i

l 01 47
l 00 12
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.
Lost.

Determination of time, January 31, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

10 21 18
10 22 46
10 24 14
10 26 01
10 27 32
10 29 22
10 31 18

d. m. s.
67 17 40
67 39 00

67 58 00

68 22 10

68 41 40

69 05 40
69 30 40

Time, p. m.

h. m. s.
2 06 46
2 05 10
2 03 44
Lost.

2 00 27
1 58 38
1 56 54

k. m. s.
10 31 40
10 33 18
10 34 36
10 35 56
10 37 00
10 38 54
10 39 10

d. m. s.

70 39 30

71 (JO 50

71 17 30

71 34 40

71 54 30

72 10 50
72 25 50

Time, p. i

h. m. s.
1 57 23
1 55 44
1 54 24
1 53 02
1 51 21
Lost.
Lost.

Determination of tin

, February 5, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

Time, a. m.

Altitudes.

Time, p. m.

li. m. s.

d m s.

h. m. s.

10 35 18

73 09 00 (?)

1 45 38

10 37 05

73 '21 40

1 47 07

10 38 26

73 37 50

1 48 26

10 39 44

73 54 00

1 49 59

10 41 18

74 12 40

1 51 17

10 42 36

74 29 00

1 52 38

10 44 06

74 46 30

1 53 36

AT CAMP, FOUR AND TWO-TENTHS MILES EAST OF THE
HUECO TANKS.

Determination of latitude, February 22, 1854. — Double altitudes
of Sirius, in the east.

Time, a. m.

Altitudes.

Thermometer 42° Fahrenheit.
Heavens very hazy, with heavy clouds.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

113

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

STATION ONE AND A HALF MILE EAST OE SIERRA DE
LOS ALAMOS.

Determination of time , February 24, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

STATION ONE AND A HALF MILE EAST OF THE SI¬
ERRA DE LOS ALAMOS.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Determination of time, February 21, 1854.

Altitudes.

h. m. s.

10 27 46

10 28 24

10 29 11

10 29 54

10 30 34

10 31 17

10 31 58

d. m. s.

84 33 00

84 43 00-

84 54 10

85 04 40

85 13 30

85 24 00

85 32 10

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

Altitudes.

li. m. s.

10 27 46

10 28 24

10 29 11

10 29 54

10 30 34

10 31 17

10 31 58

d. m. s.

84 33 00

84 43 00

84 54 10

85 04 40

85 13 30

85 24 00

85 32 10

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

STATION ON SUMMIT OF SIERRA ALTO.

Determination of time, February 23, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb .

CAMP AT CORNUDOS.

Determination of latitude, February 24, 1854 — Double altitudes
of Sirius, m the east.

10 35 16

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

POINT ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF MILES FROM THE
CERRO ALTO.

Determination of time February 23, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun's upper limb .

Thermometer 45° Fahrenheit.
Observations discontinued. Night suddenly clouded up.

Time, p. m.

85 32 50

84 53 20

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Thermometer 50° Fahrenheit.

114

APPENDIX L. - ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

AT CAMP TWELVE AND ONE-TWENTIETH MILES EAST
OP THE CORNUDOS.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Double altitudes of Polaris, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Determination of time, February 25, 1 854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb .

Altitudes.

h. m. s.

1 38 51

I 39 55

1 40 44

1 41 18

1 42 19

1 42 59

1 43 36

d. m s.

88 14 00

87 59 40

87 48 00

87 41 00

87 26 30

87 17 30

87 09 00

TO s

TO.

27 45

30 41

33 12

Thermometer 31° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, February 25, 1854.—

-Double altitudes of

the Sun’s upper limb .

Thermometer 51° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, February 25, 1854. — Double altitudes
of Sirius, in the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

6 37 25

6 39 16

6 40 48

6 42 44

6 44 51

6 45 58

6 -47 05

d. m. s.

72 45 30

73 08 10

73 25 10

73 47 20

74 12 40

74 26 30

74 38 10

Time, p. m.

h. m. s.

1 38 51

1 39 55

1 40 44

1 41 18

1 42 19

1 42 59

1 43 36

Altitudes.

Thermometer 51° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Procyon, in the east.

Time.

h. m.

6 53

6 54

6 55

6 56

6 58

7 00

7 02

99
99

100

101

102

Thermometer 31° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude. — Double altitudes of a XJrsce Majoris,
in the east.

Time.

h. m.
7 41

7 43

7 45

7 49

7 51

7 52

7 55

Altitudes.

75
75

BED OP SALT LAKE, THREE MILES WEST OP THE OJO
DEL CUERBO.

Determination of time, February 26, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun's upper limb .

h. m. s.

10 34 38

10 35 30

10 36 23

10 37 12

10 38 04

10 38 45

10 39 26

Altitudes.

Thermometer 59° Fahrenheit.

CAMP AT OJO DEL CUERBO, FEBRUARY 26, 1854.

Magnetic amplitude of the Sun’s centre at

his setting . 22° 00' 00" south.

Variation of compass . 11 09 30 east.

APPENDIX L.— ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

115

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

SAND HILLS, FOUR MILES EAST OF THE OJO DEL
CUERBO.

Detennination of time, February 27, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

CAMP IN CANON NEAR SOUTH POINT OF GUADA¬
LUPE MOUNTAINS.

Thermometer 69° Fahrenheit.

Thermometer 78° Fahrenheit.

NEAR THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS, ("WEST SIDE.)

Determination of time, February 28, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

Altitudes.

NEAR THE SOUTH POINT OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNT¬
AINS — EAST SIDE.

Determination of time, February 28, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

Altitudes.

h. m.
10 40

10 41

10 42

10 43

10 44

92
92
92

Thermometer 78° Fahrenheit.

h. m.
2 00
2 01
2 02
2 02
2 03

2 04

00 00
47 00

36 30

26 20
13 30

03 20

52 40

Thermometer 78° Fahrenheit.

NEAR THE SOUTH POINT OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNT¬
AINS — EAST SIDE.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

CAMP EAST SIDE OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS —
PINERY.

Determination of time, February 28, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

Time, p. m.

h. m. s.

2 00 49

2 01 40

2 02 22

2 02 54

2 03 39

2 04 14

2 04 53

Altitudes.

d. m.
P4 00
83 47

83 36

83 26

83 13

83 03

82 52

Thermometer 78° Fahrenheit.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Determination of time, March 1, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius, in the east.

Time.

h. m.

6 57

6 59

7 01

7 02

7 03

7 04

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

81 12 10

81 22 30

81 33 30

81 40 10

81 46 00

81 50 10

116

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double . altitudes of ft Orionis, in the west.

42 40 doubt-

Thermometer 40° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, March 1, 1854. — Double altitudes of the
Sun's upper limb .

Time, p. m.

Thermometer 59° Fahrenheit.

BED OE DELAWARE CREEK, THIRTEEN MILES FROM
INDEPENDENCE SPRINGS.

Determination of time, March 3, 1854. — Double altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

Double altitudes of Polaris, in the west.

Thermometer 55° Fahrenheit.

CAMP AT THE HEAD OF DELAWARE CREEK.

DETERMINATION OF LONGITUDE BE LUNAR DISTANCES.

Determination of time, March 4, 1854. — Double altitudes of Alde-
baran, in the west.

Thermometer 40° Fahrenheit.

Note. — Night suddenly clouded up, with high wind.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

117

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of i 8 Leonis, in the east.

h. m. s.

9 09 57

9 II 44

9 13 46

9 15 13

9 16 29

d. m. s.

85 18 00

86 03 10

86 54 40

87 30 40

88 02 20

Thermometer 37° Fahrenheit.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances, March 4, 1854.- —
The Moon’s western limb and Aldebaran, east.

Time.

Angular distances.

/(. m. s.

7 33 36

7 33 45

7 42 57

7 47 55

d. m. s.

13 23 40

13 21 00

13 19 10

13 17 10

Double altitudes of the Moon’s bright (lower) limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

h. m. s.

7 55 52

d. m. s.

78 20 20

Double altitudes of Aldebaran, in the icest.

Time.

Altitudes.

h. m. s.

8 04 04

d. m. s.

95 53 40

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

8 07 45

8 12 35

8 17 34

8 22 26

d. m. s.

13 10 40

13 08 50

13 06 50

13 04 20

Double altitudes of the Moon’s bright (lower) limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

h. m. s.

8 26 05

d. m. s.

65 25 20

Double altitudes of Aldebaran, in the west.

Time.

h. m.

8 28

Altitudes.

Time.

Angular distances.

m. s.

01 30

59 20

57 50

Thermometer 37° Fahrenheit.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Determination of time, March 3, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius, in the west.

Time.

h. m.
7 56

7 58

7 59

8 00

8 02
8 03

8 04

8 07

8 08

Altitudes.

15
31
48

16
41

53
26

Double altitudes of a Leonis ( Reg ulus, ) in the east.

Time.

h. m.
8 36

8 38

8 39

8 41

8 42

8 43

8 45

8 47

8 48

Altitudes.

23
22
39
09
26
59
45

24
50

107

108
108
109

109

110
111
111

Thermometer 32° Fahrenheit.

118

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued .

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

119

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

120

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Spica Virgi

Thermometer 42° Fahrenheit.

Time.

Angular distances.

35 doubt¬
ful.

Double altitude of the Moon's bright {lower) limb, in the west.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis , in the east.

11 58 01

81 49 55

Angular distances.

Thermometer 42° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time , March 14, 1854. — Double altitudes of Ca-
pella, in the west.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

121

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances , March 14, 1854.-
The Moon's western limb and Spica Virginis, east.

Double alt it u A of the Moon’s bright [upper) limb , in the et

Thermometer 49° Fahrenheit.

114 46 25

Double altitude of Spica Virginis , in the east.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Thermometer 52£° Fahrenheit.

Double altitude of Spica Virgini

11 31 43

80 00 25

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (upper) limb, in the east.

Double altitude of the Moon's bright (lower) limb, in the

11 33 48

119 34 45

122

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitude of Mars , in the west.

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis, in the ei

11 59 58

Angular distances.

Double altitude of Mars, in the west.

12 17 58

116 20 00

Double altitude of the Moon's bright {lower) limb, in the east.

12 20 45

86 38 00

Angular distances.

Thermometer 52£° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, March, 10, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Capella, in the west.

Thermometer 42° Fahrenheit?

Note. — Northern heavens very hazy.

Determination of time, March 14, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Capella, in the west..

85 22 55

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis, in the east.

83 52 55

Thermometer 49° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, March 14, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Polaris, in the west.

Northern stars clouded up.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

123

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Sirius, in the west.

Time.

h. to. s.

8 41 10

8 42 54

8 43 57

8 45 01

8 45 59

8 47 08

8 48 11

8 49 38

Altitudes.

d. TO.

68 23

67 58

67 43

67 27

67 13

66 56

66 41

66 19

Double altitudes of Procyon,

Time.

in the west.

Altitudes.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

54
11
09
07
01

55
45

115

116
116
117
117

117

118
118
119
119

35 35

06 25

40 25

04 35

35 25

59 35

23 05

44 55

07 25

27 05

Thermometer 49° Fahrenheit.

Northern heavens clouded up.

h. m. s.

9 21 11

9 22 27

9 23 29

9 24 36

9 25 39

9 26 30

9 27 28

9 28 47

d. to. s.

108 42 35

108 19 55

108 00 45

107 39 25

107 18 25

107 02 25

106 43 55

106 18 05

Thermometer 49c Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, March 14, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Capella, in the west.

8 59 49

9 02 48

9 03 53

9 05 05

9 06 12

9 07 It

9 09 03

9 10 04

9 11 09

9 12 02

89 37

88 36

88 14

87 48

87 25

87 03

86 25

86 04

85 42

85 22

Thermometer 49° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, March 14, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Spica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

h. to. s.

11 48 50

11 50 27

11 51 30

11 52 20

11 53 10

11 54 06

11 55 04

11 56 07

11 57 12

11 58 10

Altitudes.

d. to. s.

83 52 55

84 14 45

84 29 55

84 39 55

84 51 05

85 03 05

85 15 45

85 29 05

85 43 05

85 54 25

Determination of latitude , March 16, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Polaris , in the west.

Time.

h. TO. 5.

7 37 54

7 42 12

7 46 35

7 50 18

7 53 57

Altitudes.

d. TO. s.

63 31 40

63 27 40

63 24 30

63 22 00

63 19 10

Double altitudes of Capella, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

d. TO. 5.

93 56 30

93 24 00

93 02 50

92 41 50

92 18 30

91 45 20

91 18 10

90 48 00

Double altitudes of Procyon, in the west.

Time.

h. TO. s.

8 57 10

8 58 12

8 59 11

9 00 35

9 01 42

9 03 10

Altitudes.

d. to. s.

114 03 50

113 46 40

113 31 00

113 06 00

112 46 20

112 20 10

Thermometer 52£° Fahrenheit.

124

APPENDIX L. - ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

125

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of time, March 16, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

Time, a. m.

Altitudes.

Time, p. m.

h. TO. s.

d. TO. s.

h. TO. s.

10 15 28

100 17 30

1 20 06

10 16 17

100 29 10

1 19 16

10 17 10

100 43 00

1 18 22

10 17 56

100 53 50

1 17 39

10 18 43

101 06 20

1 16 52

10 19 34

101 18 20

1 16 03

10 20 36

101 35 20

1 14 55

10 21 30

101 48 20

1 14 02

Thermometer 89° Fahrenheit.

OBSERVATIONS

1 FOR THE VARIATION

r OF COMPASS.

Double altitude of Sirius, in

the west

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. TO. s.

d. m. s.

d. TO. s.

8 30 27

69 24 20

S. 21 30 00 W.

Double altitude of Polaris, in

the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. TO. s.

d. TO. s.

7 37 54

63 31 40

N. 14 00 00 W.

Thermometer 52£° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time , March 18, 1854.

Time, a. m.

Altitudes.

Time. p. m.

h. TO. s.

d. TO. s.

h. TO. s.

10 42 43

108 17 40

12 49 32

10 43 34

10 44 34

Clo

10 47 39

108 27 40 i

108 38 50

uds for a few rnome

109 12 40

Lost.

nts.

12 44 27

10 48 14

109 21 00

12 43 38

10 49 03

109 29 30

| 12 42 54

10 49 45

109 36 40

| 12 42 29

10 50 30

109 44 40

12 4L 46

Thermometer 82° Fahrenheit.

SULPHUR SPRINGS OP THE COLORADO.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Determination of time, April 5, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius, in the west.

Approximate latitude, 32° 28' 55".

Time.

h. m. s.

6 38 20

6 39 22

6 40 31

6 41 31

6 42 32

6 43 23

6 44 17

6 45 20

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

73 31 50

73 19 40

73 07 10

72 55 20

72 44 20

72 33 40

72 23 20

72 11 10

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Time.

h. to. s.

9 22 36

9 23 51

9 24 40

9 25 33

9 26 26

9 27 15

9 28 07

9 28 46

9 29 38

9 30 22

Altitudes.

d. to. s.

88 33 00

89 06 20

89 27 40

89 48 50

90 11 50

90 33 10

90 53 40

91 10 40

91 32 10

91 50 40

Thermometer 46£° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude , April 5, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Polaris, in the west.

Time.

h. to.
6 54

6 57

7 00

7 04

7 09

7 12

7 15

7 18

Altitudes.

42
45

d. TO.

63 48

63 46

63 43

63 41

63 37

63 35

63 34

63 32

126

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitude of Sirius, in the west.

Double altitudes of a Ursce Majoris,

in the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

117

118

119

Thermometer 46£° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Capella, in the west.

Double altitudes of n Ursce Majoris

, in the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

Thermometer 46£° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Procyon, in

the west.

the east.

Double altitudes of Arcturus. m

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

5:9

Thermometer 461° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

127

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis,

in the east.

Determination of latitude, April 6, 1854. — Double altitudes ofPola-

ris ,

in the west .

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

Thermometer 46J° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Capella, in i

the west.

Determination of time, April 6, 1854. — Double altitudes of Sirius,

III lilts

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

. 04

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in

the east.

Double altitudes of Procyon, in

the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

48'

•75

100

• 97

128

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Sirius, in the west.

m. s.

51 09

52 10

53 02

54 05

55 05

55 57

56 58

58 02

58 54

00 05

d. m.
70 12

69 59

69 48

69 35

69 22

69 09

68 55

68 41

68 29

68 13

s. h.

30 8

10 8

00 8

10 8

00 8

30 * 8

00 8

10 8

Double altitudes of Arctunis, in the east.

48 04

49 10

50 01

51 02

51 57

52 50

53 36

54 28

55 18

56 06

d. m.
75 29

75 59

76 19

76 45

77 09

77 31

77 51

78 12

78 33

78 56

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.
Double altitudes of a Ursce Majoris, in the east.

Time.

h. m. s.

7 41 38

7 42 48

7 43 54

7 45 08

7 46 14

7 47 21

7 48 23

7 49 22

7 50 21

7 51 35

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

Ill 43 00

111 53 50

112 03 50

112 13 20

112 23 30

112 33 40

112- 40 40

112 49 20

112 58 10

113 08 10

Double altitudes of n Ursa Majoris, in the east.

Time.

h. m.

7 55 11

7 56 21

7 57 20

7 58 12

7 59 09

8 00 07

8 00 59

8 01 50

8 02 41

8 03 36

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

81 16 40

81 38 20

81 58 00

82 15 10

82 33 40

82 52 10

83 08 30

83 25 40

83 42 10

83 59 30

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis, in the east.

k. m. s.

9 33 51

9 34 44

9 35 43

9 36 38

9 37 39

9 38 36

9 39 35

9 40 32

9 41 29

9 42 34

d. m. s.

73 50 30

74 05 40

74 22 30

74 37 00

74 54 30

75 10 10

75 26 00

75 41 40

75 57 30

76 15 10

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, April 8, 1854. — Double altitudes
Sirius, m the west.

Time.

h. m.
6 47

6 48

6 49

6 50

6 51

6 52

6 53

6 54

6 55

6 56

Altitudes.

43 67

47 67

m. s.
50 35

33 55

22 35

07 55

52 45

39 05

25 25

08 45

52 15

37 35

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

129

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS — Continued.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis , in the east.

94 50 25

Thermometer 50° Fahrenheit.

9 31 54

9 32 56

9 34 00

9 35 12

9 36 06

9 36 53

9 38 07

9 39 05

9 40 03

9 41 01

9 43 10

9 44 15

9 45 24

9 46 32

9 47 27

9 48 30

9 49 27

9 50 23

9 51 29

9 52 28

9 53 41

9 54 31

74 51 55

75 09 35

75 26 55

75 46 25

76 01 45

76 13 35

76 34 05

76 48 45

77 04 15

77 20 25

77 54 35

78 10 05

78 29 15

78 44 55

79 00 45

79 15 55

79 30 05

79 43 55

80 01 15

80 14 55

80 32 25

80 44 55

11 39

14 08

16 30

18 52

21 59

26 21
28 26
31 07

33 09

35 25

37 45

39 56

42 09

44 08

47 00

49 37

52 05

54 04

57 47

59 50

d. m.
63 30

63 28

63 27

63 24

63 21

63 19

63 17

63 16

63 14

63 13

63 11

63 10

63 08

63 06

63 04

63 03

63 02

63 01

62 59

Thermometer 50° Fahrenheit.

DETERMINATION OF LONGITUDE BIT LUNAR DISTANCES.

Determination of time , April 3, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius, in the west.

Approximate latitude, 32° 28' 55".

Time.

h. m. s.

6 34 29

6 35 52

6 37 03

6 38 34

6 39 37

6 40 32

Altitude.

d. m. s.

74 39 40

74 24 20

74 10 5d

73 54 50

73 42 40

73 32 50

17 e

130

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Time.

Angular distances.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

7 16 56

7 19 58

7 22 50

7 25 54

d. m. s.

39 48 30

39 49 40

39 50 50

39 51 40

h. to. s.

8 47 16

8 28 21

8 49 17

8 50 • 20

8 51 18

8 52 38

d. m. s.

72 45 10

73 13 20

73 37 30

74 03 50

74 27 50

75 01 30

Thermometer 62£° Fahrenheit.

The Moon’s western limb and Aldebaran , west.

Time.

Angular distances.

Thermometer 62£° Fahrenheit.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances , April 3, 1854. —
The Moon’s western limb and Saturn , west.

h. m. s.

7 27 51

7 30 44

7 33 41

7 36 35

d. m. s.

31 51 50

31 52 50

31 53 50

31 54 50

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

6 46 39

6 49 39

0 52 22

6 55 25

d. m. s.

39 37 20

39 38 40

39 39 50

39 40 50

Double altitude of the Moon's bright {lower) limb, in the west.

7 38 20

d. m. s.

115 27 # 40

Double altiVude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb , in the west.

Double altitude of Aldebaran , in the west.

h. m. s.

7 41 30

d. m. s.

50 32 20

h. i n. s.

6 57 24

d. m. s.

132 13 50

Time.

Angular distances.

Double altitude of Saturn , in the west.

h. m. s.

7 43 23

7 46 20

7 49 20

7 52 18

d. to. s.

31 57 20

31 58 50

31 59 50

32 01 00

7 00 32

53 07 40

Time.

Angular distances.

Double altitude of Aldebaran , in the west.

h. m. s.

7 02 26

7 05 08

7 08 11

7 11 32

d. m. s.

39 43 00

39 44 00

39 45 10

39 46 20

h. m. s.

7 54 11

d. m. s.

45 12 20

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb , in the west.

Double altitude of Saturn , in the west.

h. m. s.

7 55 52

d. m. s.

108 13 50

h. m. s.

7 13 47

47 36 10

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

7 57 39

8 00 28

8 03 22

8 06 20

d. TO. s.

32 02 40

32 03 30

32 04 40

32 05 50

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb , in the west.

h. m. s.

7 15 18

d. m. s.

124 54 50

Thermometer 62£° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

13L

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

72 55 20

Angular distances.

Double altitude of Aldebaran, in the west.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

7 43 55

48 41 00

Double altitude of the Moon's bright (lower) limb, in the west.

7 46 20

133 15 50

Thermometer 46£° Fahrenheit.

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

7 28 08

43 48 20

7 29 26

43 48 50

7 31 03

43 49 20

7 32 00

43 49 50

Angular distances.

Thermometer 46£° Fahrenheit.

The Moon’s western limb and Spica Virginis, east.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (lower) limb, in the west.

Angular distances.

Double altitude of Aldebaran, in the west.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (lower) limb, in the west.

132

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Angular distances.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances, April 6, 1854. —
Moon’s western limb, and, nearest limb of the Sun, west.

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

2 25 26

2 27 48

2 30 12

2 31 50

d. m. s.

104 02 40

104 03 30

104 04 10

104 05 00

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (upper) limb, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

2 35 49

d. m. s.

69 45 30

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb , in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

2 37 05

d. m. s.

79 51 20

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

2 38 20

2 39 38

2 40 59

2 42 24

d. m. s.

104 06 50

104 07 20

104 08 10

104 09 00

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb, in the icest.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

2 43 44

d. m. s.

77 12 50

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (upper) limb, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Double altitude of Spica Virgin

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb, in the west.

Angular distances.

Thermometer 46.J0 Fahrenheit.

9 56 10
9 56 56
9 57 33
9 58 15
1 9 58 57
9 59 41
10 00 24
10 01 09
10 01 43
10 02 27

113 03 30
113 15 30
113 28 40
113 41 40

113 53 10

114 07 10
114 18 00
114 30 50

Time, p. m.

1 05 29
1 04 40
1 04 05
1 03 25
1 02 27

1 01 56
1 01 19
1 00 30
12 59 55
12 59 10

2 45 34

Thermometer 92° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMIC A.L OBSERVATIONS.

133

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Moon’s western limb and, nearest limb of the Sun.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright ( upper) limb, in the east.

Time.

Angular .distances.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m, s.

2 47 02

2 48 25

2 49 56

2 51 25

d. m. s.

104 09 50

104 10 40

104 11 10

104 11 50

h. m. s.

3 36 43

d. TO. 5.

94 43 40

Time.

Angular distances.

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Second series. — April 6, 1854.

h. m. s.

3 38 03

3 39 37

3 40 56

3 42 41

d. TO. s.

104 26 40

104 27 20

104 28 00

104 28 50

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

3 15 16

3 17 12

3 19 08

3 20 51

d. m. s.

104 20 10

104 20 40

104 21 10

104 21 30

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances, April 6, 1854. —
The Moon's western limb and Spica Virginis, east.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {upper) limb, in the east.

Time.

Angular distances.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

9 02 43

9 04 30

9 07 08

9 09 06

d. to. s.

78 40 00

78 39 10

78 38 30

78 37 50

h. m. s.

3 27 01

d. m. s.

90 44 00

Double altitude of the Sun

's upper limb, in the west.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

3 2

d. m. s.

59 01 30

h. m. s.

9 10 29

d. TO. S.

1 17 52 40

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

Angular distances

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

3 29 36

3 30 52

3 32 25

3 33 51

d. m. s.

104 23 30

104 24 20

104 25 10

104 25 50

n. m. «.

9 12 09

d. TO. s.

67 23 40

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb, in the west.

Time.

Angular distances.

Time.

Altitude.

h. to. «.

9 14 23

9 16 08

9 18 03

9 19 57

d. TO. s.

78 3 » 40

78 35 00

78 34 20

78 33 30

k. m. s.

3 35 00

d. m. s.

56 18 20

134

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

9 21 34

d. m. s.

70 15 40

Double altitude of the Moon's bright {lower) limb , in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

9’ 23 33

d. m. s.

1 12 30 40

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

9 25 01

9 27 35

9 29 30

9 31 41

d. m. s.

78 30 50

78 30 00

78 29 20

78 28 30

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Second series, April 6, 1854. — The Moon's western limb and
Spica Virginis, east.

Time.

Angular distances.

9 50 03

9 51 58

9 53 47

9 55 36

d. m. s.

78 22 30

' 78 21 30

78 20- 40

78 19 50

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

9 57 05

d. m. s.

98 39 20

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

9 59 21

d. m. s.

80 32 40

Time.

Angular distances.

m s

17 10

58 '

16 20

15 39

14 50

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

10 09 00

Double altitude of the Moon's bright {lower) limb, in the west.

92 51 00

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

10 12 37

78 13 00

10 14 50

78 12 00

10 17 00

78 11 00

10 18 58

78 10 10

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, Aprils. 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

Time, a. m.

Altitudes.

Time, p. m.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

h. m. s.

10 17 45

119 33 55

12 46 52

10 18 25

119 44 35

12 46 06

10 19 03

119 54 35

12 45 27

10 19 41

120 04 35

12 44 50

10 20 21

120 14 45

12 44 08

10 21 10

120 27 45

12 43 20

10 21 56

120 39 05

12 42 33

10 22 42

120 51 05

12 41 45

10 23 30

121 03 05

12 40 57

10 24 25

121 13 35

12 40 13

Thermometer 80° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

135

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances , April 8, 1854. —
Moon's western limb and nearest limb of the Sun, west.

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

4 05 30

4 07 44

4 09 30

4 11 05

d. m. s.

127 15 15

127 16 05

127 16 45

127 17 35

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

/(. m. s.

3 35 18

3 36 50

3 38 00

3 39 05

127 04 05

127 04 35

127 05 15

127 05 45

Thermometer 50° Fahrenheit.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances, April 8, 1854. —
The Moon’s western limb and Pollux, west.

Double altitude of the Moon's bright (upper) limb , in the east.

Time.

Angular distances.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

9 58 56

10 01 00

10 02 42

10 04 38

d. m. s.

37 18 05

37 19 05

37 20 05

37 21 35

h. m. s.

3 47 08

d. m. s.

53 40 35

Double altitude of the Sun's upper limb , in the west.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (lower) limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

10 06 43

d. m. s.

126 32 25

h. m. s.

3 ' 50 03

d. m. s.

51 25 45

’

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

10 13 29

d. m. s.

71 28 25

h. m. s.

3 53 34

3 55 41

3 57 34

3 58 51

d. m. s.

127 10 55

127 1 1 55

127 12 35

127 13 05

Time.

Angular distances.

h. m. s.

10 16 29

10 18 29

10 20 13

10 22 01

37 26 25

37 27 25

37 28 15

37 28 55

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Double altitude of Pollux, in the west.

h. m. s.

4 00 33

d. m. s.

47 05 10

h. m. s.

10 26 38

d. m. s.

66 04 55

Double altitude of the moon’s bright (upper) limb, in the east.

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright (lower) limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

4 02 39

d. m. s.

59 00 05

h. m. s.

10 28 25

118 34 45

136

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Time.

Angular distances.

A. m. s.

10 32 58

10 34 43

10 36 50

10 39 03

d. m. s.

37 31 25

37 32 15

37 33 05

37 33 55

Thermometer 50° Fahrenheit.

The Moon's western limb and Spica Virginis, east.

Time.

Angular distances.

A. m. s.

10 46 20

10 48 13

10 50 02

10 52 02

d. m. s.

53 10 45

53 10 05

53- 09 15

53 08 35

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {lower) limb , in the west.

h. m. s.

10 53 31

d. m. s.

108 52 15

Double altitude of Spica Virginis , in the east.

A. m. s.

10 55 54

d. m. s.

91 53 25

Time.

Angular distances.

A. m. s.

10 57 50

10 59 38

11 01 34

11 03 46

d. m. s.

53 07 05

53 06 15

63 05 35

53 04 55

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

A. m. s.

11 06 05

d. m. s.

92 57 00

Double altitude of the Moon's bright {lower) limb , in the west.

d. m.

102 47

Time.

Angular distances.

m s

l(i

00 45

53'

00 05

59 15

58 45

Thermometer 50° Fahrenheit.

DETERMINATION OF TIME AND RATE OF CHRONOMETER.

Determination of time , April 3, 1 854. — Equal altitudes of Sun’s
upper limb.

Approximate latitude to be used in the first computation of
time, 32° 28' 55".

Time, a. m.

h. m. s.
9 57 56
9 58 38
9 59 18
9 59 59
10 00 41
10 01 30
10 02 28
10 03 27

Altitudes.

Ill 03 00
111 15 20
111 27 00
111 38 20

111 50 50

112 05 20
112 21 40
112 37 30

Time, p. m.

h. m. s.
1 04 11
Lost.
Lost.

1 02 12
1 01 27
1 00 35
12 59 32
12 58 43

Thermometer 79° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, April 4, 1854. — Double altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

Time.

A. m. s.

9 55 50

9 56 37

9 57 26

9 58 15

9 59 04

9 59 50

10 00 48

10 01 39

10 02 24

10 03 09

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

111 53 25

112 07 35

112 20 55

112 35 35

112 49 45

113 03 15

113 20 05

113 34 25

113 46 45

113 59 55

Thermometer 78° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

137

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of time, April 5, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

Determination of ti

■me, April 8, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb .

Time, a

in.

Altitudes.

Time, p

Time, a

. in.

Altitudes.

Time, p

. m.

h. m.

115

10 17

119

12 46

115

10 18

119

12 46

116

10 19

119

12 45

116

10 19

120

(

12 44

116

10 20

120

12 44

116

10 21

120

12 43

117

10 21

120

12 42

117

10 22

120

12 41

117

10 23

121

(

12 40

117

• TO 24

121

i 12 -40

Thermometer £4° Fahrenheit.

Thermometer 80° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, April !

), 1854. — Equal altitudes of the

Sun’s upper

limb .

Detcrminatiu

n of time, April 6,

854. — Equal altitude

of the

Sun's

upper limb .

Time, a,

.in.

Altitudes.

Time, p.

Time, a.

Altitudes.

Time, p

h. m.

9 52

112

1 13

9 53

112

1 13

9 53

112

1 12

112

9 54

113

1 12

112

9 55

113

1 11

113

9 55

113

1 10

113

9 . 56

113

1 10

113

9 57

113

1 09

113

9 57

114

1 09

113

9 58

114

1 08

114

9 58

114

1 07

114

9 59

114

1 07

114

10 00

114

1 06

10 00

115.

1 05

io oi

1 15

1 05

Thermometer 92° Fahrenheit.

10 02

115

1 04

10 02

115

l 03

10 03

115

1 03

10 04

116

1 02

10 04

116

1 01

Determination of lime

, April 1, 1854. — Equal altitudes

of the

Sun's unver limb.

Thermometer 62.A

0 Fahrenheit.

■

Determination of time, April 10, 1854. — Double altitudes of Si

Time, a.

Altitudes.

Time, p.

rius, in

ie ;

Time.

Altitudes.

114

]

114

m. s.

115

52 50

115

34 2t

)

115

50-

18 31)

115

04 50

115

49 20

116

35 40

116

23 30

(14

08 10

Thermometer 91c

1 Fahrenheit.

39 50

138

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Magnetic bearing.

S. 55 30 00 E.

Thermometer 49^° Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, April 11, 1854. — Equal altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

CAMP ON RIO PECOS, MARCH 20, 1854.
Observations for the variation of the compass.

CAMP ON RIO PECOS, SEVENTY-SIX MILES BELOW
MOUTH OP DELAWARE CREEK.

Determination of time, March 23, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb .

Time, p. m.

112 48 10

113 00 50
113 12 40
113 24 40
113 38 40

113 50 10

114 02 00
114 13 30
114 24 40
114 35 30
114 45 40

114 57 40

115 12 20
115 22 20
115 37 00

115 50 00

116 00 40
116 13 20

1 13 04
1 12 28
1 11 51

1 05 41
1 04 57
1 04 11
1 03 37

Thermometer 82° Fahrenheit.

CAMP ON MARCY S TRAIL, FIFTEEN MILES FROM
EMIGRANT’S CROSSING OF THE RIO PECOS, (east.)

DETERMINATION O

LATITUDE.

Thermometer 87° Fahrenheit.

Observations for the variation of the compass. — Double altitude
of Polaris, in the west.

Determination of time, March 24, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

Magnetic bearing.

N. 13 10 00 W.

Thermometer 88° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

139

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of latitude, March 24, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius, in the west.

CAMP AT MUSTANG SPRINGS.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Time.

h. m. s.

6 41 58

6 43 41

6 44 55

6 46 18

6 47 30

6 48 21

6 49 35

6 50 39

Double altitude of

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

82 33 55

82 23 05

82 17 15

82 09 05

82 00 05

81 58 05 d’btful.

81 50 55

81 44 55

Ursce Majoris, in the east.

Time.

h. m.
7 39

7 41

7 42

7 44

7 45

7 46

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

68 21 40

68 04 10

67 48 00

67 36 40

67 20 30

67 05 40

66 51 40

66 38 30

Double altitudes of Arciurus, in the east.

Time.

7 37

Altitude.

Observations discontinued; the heavens suddenly clouded up.

Observations for the variation of the compass. — Double altitude
of Sirius, in the west.

Time.

h. m.
9 21

9 22

9 24

9 25

9 26

9 27

9 28

9 29

Altitudes.

15
10
26
22
18

d. m. s.

74 10 30

74 47 50

75 26 10

75 46 40

76 19 00

76 43 50

77 06 20

77 30 40

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

6 41 53

82 33 55

S. 00 30 00 W.

Thermometer 72° Fahrenheit.

POINT ON EAST RIDGE OP THE SAND HILLS.
Determination of lime, March 27, 1854.

Determination of latitude, March 29, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius, in the west.

Time.

h. m.

7 . 39
7 41

7 42

7 44

7 45

7 46

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

Double altitudes of Capella, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

h. m.

9 56

9 57

9 58

9 59

10 00
10 00
10 01
10 02

10 02

103

104
104
104

104

105
105

Thermometer 74° Fahrenheit.

h. m. s.

7 53 21

7 54 38

7 55 38

7 56 27

7 57 30

7 58 24

7 59 23

8 00 19

d. m. s.

91 30 20

91 03 20

90 43 30

90 25 40

90 04 20

89 45 40

89 25 00

89 05 40

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

140

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of latitude , March 29, 1854. — Double altitudes of
a Geminorum (Castor,) in the west.

Time.

h. to. s.

8 42 50

8 44 07

8 45 17

8 46 50

8 48 J6

8 49 28

8 50 30

8 51 33

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

125 41 10

125 08 20

124 .38 50

123 59 50

123 22 50

122 52 00

122 27 10

122 00 10

Observations for the variation of the compass, March 29, 1854. —
Double altitude of Sirius, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. TO. s.

d. TO. s.

7 39 48

68 21 40

S. 22 30 00 W.

Double altitude of Capclla, in

the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

Double altitudes of a Ursce Majoris, in the east.

Time.

8 08 31

8 10 41

8 11 46

8 12 56

8 17 59

8 19 05

Altitudes.

d. to. s.

114 05 50

114 30 20

114 41 40

114 54 00

115 22 40

115 33 20

Double altitude of v Ursce Majoris, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitudes , March 29, 1854. — Double attitudes of
t) Ursce Majoris, in the east.

d. to.
79 19

s. d. TO. 5.

00 N. 37 50 00 E.

Time.

26 46

28 10

29 20

30 25

31 25

32 29

33 35

34 35

Altitudes.

d. to.
79 19

79 46

80 07

80 30

80 48

81 10

81 29

81 49

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Time.

28
29

Altitudes

15
10
26
22
18

77
77

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Double altitude of Arcturus , in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. TO. S.

d. TO. 5.

d. m. s.

9 21 45

74 10 30

N. 76 45 00 E.

Determination of time, March 29, 1854. — Double altitudes of the
Sun’s tipper limb.

Time, p. m.

110

109

Altitudes.

58
49
37
28
18
08

59
48
37
28

Thermometer 84° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L— ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

141

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of time, March 30, 1854. — Double altitudes of the

Determination of latitude, March 31. 1854.-

-Double altitudes of

Sun's upper limb.

Prtaris, ir

i the west.

Time, a m.

Altitude .

Time.

Altitudes.

102

103

Double altih/dfis of Stiviun. in. Ihp. 'input.

Time.

Altitudes.

BIG

SPRINGS OF THE COLORADO

' 53

DETERMINATION

OF LATITUDE.

Determination of time, March 31, 1854. —
Sirius, in the west.

Double altitudes of

20 error.
50

Thermometer 41° Fahrenheit.

Time.

Altitudes.

Determination of latitude, March 31, 1854-

-Double altitudes of

Uapella ,

2 the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

5(5

20 error.

£6

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis ,

in the east.

Double altitudes of a Ursa Majoris,

, in the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

Time.

Altitudes.

115

116

• 9

116

10 •

116

117

Thermometer 41° Fahrenheit.

142

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of time, March 31, 1854. — Double altitudes of
the Sun’s upper limb.

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Thermometer 55£° Fahrenheit.

CAMP FORTY-FOUR MILES EAST OF SULPHUR
SPRINGS OF THE COLORADO.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Thermometer 41° Fahrenheit.

Magnetic bearing.

07 01
08 19

11 05

12 03

13 29

14 29

15 27

N. 13 30 00 W.

Double altitude of Sirius, in the u-est.

57 44 50
57 32 40
56 35 00
56 18 00
55 53 30
55 37 00
55 IS 20
55 03 40
54 47 40
54 26 10

0 32 17.09

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Magnetic bearing.

5. 27 10 00 W.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the cast.

Magnetic bearing.

08 10
09 04
09 57

10 54

11 51

12 50

S. 59 00 00

70 33 21)

71 02 00
71 24 40

71 47 40

72 J6 30

72 39 50

73 02 00
73 23 10

Thermometer 47° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L - ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

143

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued .

7 5,8 00

63 27 00
63 25 50
63 24 30

63 22 00
63 20 50
63 19 30

63 18 10
68 17 00
63 16 10
63 14 50
63 13 50

63 12 30
63 11 20
63 10 30
63 09 00
63 08 10
63 07 10

Deduced latitudes.

32 34 44.22

Thermometer 47° Fahrenheit.

59 05 30
59 29 50

59 52 20

60 09 50
60 24 50

60 50 10

61 07 50
61 24 20
61 40 20

62 49 50

63 07 30
63 33 40
63 54 00

Deduced latitudes.

DETERMINATION (

Approximate latitude to be used in the first computation of
time, 32° 30'.

Determination of time , April 14, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Sirius , in the west.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Thermometer 47° Fahrenheit

MOST EASTERN TRIBUTARY OF THE COLORADO.
Determination of time, April 16, 1854. — Double altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

Thermometer 47° Fahrenheit.

Thermometer 80° Fahrenheit.

144

APPENDIX L - ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

CAMP ELEVEN AND FOUR- TENTHS MILES EAST OE
THE SCLPHUR SPRINGS OE THE COLORADO.
April 12, 1854.

d. m. s.

Magnetic amplitude of the Sun’s centre at his

setting . 00 00 00

Variation . ; . 9 58 50

CAMP ON DIVIDING RIDGE OE THE COLORADO AND
BRAZOS RIVERS.

April 17, 1854.

Magnetic amplitude of the Sun's cent re at his
.ising . , . N. 24 30 00

CAMP ON TRIBUTARY OF THE BRAZOS RIVER.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

6 36 44

6 37 46
6 38 41
6 39 50
6 40 52
6 41 51

62 31 00
62 12 40
61 47 40

60 27 10
60 10 10
59 52 40

Double altitudes of Arcturus in the east.

73 32 20

73 55 10

74 22 40

74 46 09

75 18 50

75 42 00

Thermometer 6i° Fahrenheit.

63 30 40

63 28 50
63 27 40
63 26 50
63 25 40
63 24 50

63 23 50
63 22 50
63 21 40
63 20 50
63 20 00
63 19 30

63 18 30
63 17 30
63 16 20
63 15 20
63 14 10

Deduced latitudes.

32 40 23.91

32 40 24.41

Thermometer 64° Fahrenheit.

8 52 01
8 52 59
8 53 51
8 54 44

d. m. s.

70 45 10

71 05 40
71 22 40
71 39 40

71 56 10

72 11 20
72 2.9 40
72 42 30

72 57 40

73 13 10
73 29 40

73 44 20

73 59 50

74 13 20
74 32 10

74 45 30
7,4 58 10

75 12 40
75 27 00
75 42 10

75 56 00

76 10 00

Deduced latitudes.

Thermometer 64° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L— ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

145

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

AT CAMP ON TRIBUTARY OP THE BRAZOS, TEN MILES
WEST OP THE CLEAR PORK.

Determination of latitude — Continued.

DEDUCTION OF LATITUDE.

Approximate latitude to be used in the first computation of
time, 32° 5P.

j Determination of time , April 20, 1854. — Double altitudes of Si¬
rius, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Deduced latitudes.

d. m. s.
63 47 00
63 46 00
63- 44 40
63 43 30
63 41 40

Time.

Altitudes.

Chronometer slow of

h. m.
6 24
6 25
6 26
6 27
6 28

mean time.

0 42 44.66

6 29 25
6 30 18
6 31 04
6 31 55
& 32 55

58 18 10
58 04 20
57 51 20
57 37 30
57 20 20

0 42 43.74

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

7 36 30
7 39 00
7 41 27
7 43 29
7 45 24
7 47 20

7 49 05
7 50 52
7 52 28
7 54 26
7 56 20

63 40 10
63 38 50
63 37 40
63 36 40
63 35 30
63 34 40

32 53 41.73

63 34
63 33
63 32
63 31
63- 30

32 53 37.87

Thermometer 69° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude , April 20, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Spica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

h. m.
7 58

7 59

8 00
8 01
8 02

Altitudes.

Chronometer slow of

15
13

16
15
26

mean time.

h. m.
8 37
8 33
8 39
8 40
8 41

Altitudes.

Deduced latitudes.

d. m. s.

75 46 30

76 06 20
76 21 10
76 33 20
76 49 50

d. to. s.

32 54 53

8 03 17
8 04 05
8 04 58
8 06 11
8 07 05

84 30 30

84 52 10

85 14 40

85 43 10

86 07 20

0 42 37.35

Thermometer 69° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude , April 20, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Polaris, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Deduced latitudes.

h. to. s.
7 14 26
7 15 56
7 17 37
7 19 48
7 22 01

d. to. s.
63 52 20
63 51 20
63 50 20
63 49 10
63 48 10

32 53 46.38

8 42 ~ 28
8 43 19
8 44 13
8 46 02
8 46 43
8 47 27

8 48 15
8 49 03
8 49 53
8 50 38
8 51 39
8 52 29

8 53 20
8 54 03
8 55 01
8 55 52
8 56 37

77 04 00
77 16 50
77 30 30

77 58 40

78 08 40
78 20 40

78 31 50
78 44 10

78 55 20

79 07 30
79 22 20
79 34 40

79 46 30

79 57 10

80 10 00
80 23 10
80 33 40

32 54 48

32 54 43

32 54 39

Thermometer 69° Fahrenheit.

146

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Observations for the variation of the compass, April 20, 1854. —
Double altitudes of Polaris , in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. ?i

d. n

i s

d. m. s.

7 36 30

63 40 10

N. 11 50 00 W.

Variation of compass, E. 10° 30'.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis

;, in the east.

Time,

a. m.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

n. s.

d. n

l. s.

d. m. s.

8 38 47

76 06 20

S. 49 20 40 E.

Variation of compass, E. 10°

30' 50".

Thermometer 69° Fahrenheit.

AT CLEAR FORK OF THE BRAZOS — CROSSING OF THE

ROAD.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Approximate latitude to be used in first computation of time,

32° 55'.

Determination of time , April 24, 1854 —

-Double altitudes of

Procyon ,

in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

111. S.

m. s.

43 20 ) error •

18 20 5 rej’d!

32 30

10 50

19 !

51 40

36 10

19 00

01 40

43 20

24 50

Double altitudes of Arcturus, h

2 the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

m. s.

13 :

49 00

22 10

40 10

00 00

20 10

39 00

59 40

100

20 40

100

39 40

100

57 20

Thermometer 55° Fahrenheit.

Deduced latitudes.

26 4!)
28 30
30 28
32 45
34 56

36 55
39 05
41 30

7 51 05
7 53 51
7 56 02

7 58 10

8 00 17

8 04 50
8 07 19
8 09 55
8 11 31

d. m. s.
63 45 40
63 44 50
63 43 50
63 43 10
63 42 00

63 41 00
63 40 00
63 38 50
63 38 00
63 36 40
63 35 30

63 34 40
53 33 40
63 32 50
63 32 00
63 31 10

63 30 10
63 29 10
63 28 20
63 27 20
63 26 30

Thermometer 55° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, April 24, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Spica Virginis, in the east.

8 49 53
8 50 45
8 51 28
8 52 07
8 53 08

8 53 54
8 54 42
8 55 22
8 56 08
8 56 48
8 57 27

8 58 07
8 58 48

8 59 36

9 00 15
9 00 58
9 01 36

9 02 17
9 03 03
9 03 44
9 04 23
9 05 08

d. m. s.
83 39 50

83 50 20

84 00 10
84 08 10
84 20 00

84 29 10
84 39 00
84 46 50

84 56 20

85 03 20
85 1L 10

85 18 40
85 27 00
85 35 30
85 43 40
85 51 40

85 58 00

86 06 00
86 14 20
86 21 20
86 28 10
86 36 00

Deduced latitudes.

Thermometer 55° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L.— ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

147

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Observations for the variation of the compass , April 24, 1854. —
Double altitude of Polaris, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. m. s.

7 32 45

d. m. s.

63 43 10

d. m. s.

N. 12 30 00 W.

Variation of compass, E. 11° 49'.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis , in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

8 51 28

d. m. s.

84 00 10

d. m s.

S. 40 00 00 E.

Variation of the compass, E. 10° 55' 40".
Thermometer 55° Fahrenheit.

T CAMP ON WEST SIDE OE THE BRAZOS, OPPOSITE
EORT BELKNAP.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Double altitudes of Procyon, in the west.

125 08 20
125 02 30

Thermometer 62° Fah. Clouds in the north obscured Polaris.

Determination of latitude, April 26, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Spica Virginis, in the east.

Thermometer 62° Fahrenheit.

148

APPENDIX L. - ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

d. m. 's.

71 23 00

d. m. s.

S. 53 30 00 E.

Deduced latitudes.

Thermometer 62° Fahrenheit.

CAMP FOUR MILES, EAST OF THE WEST FORK OF THE
TRINITY.

DETERMINATION OK LATITUDE.

Approximate latitude to he used in first computation of
time, 33° 10'.

Determination of time, April 28, 1F54. — Double altitudes of
Piocyon, west.

6 42 15
6 43 28
6 44 58
6 45 50
6 46 32

6 47 22
6 48 10
6 48 58
6 49 47
6 50 30

d. m. s.
90 20 10
89 53 10
89 20 10
89 02 20
88 46 20

88 28 20
88 10 20
87 53 10
87 34 00
87 18 40

Double altitudes of returns, in the east.

7 47 35
7 48 41
7 49 18
7 50 19
7 51 07

7 51 59
7 52 57
7 54 06
7 55 11
7 56 02

d. m. s.

95 43 50

96 10 40
96 30 00

96 51 40

97 11 10

97 33 10

97 57 00

98 25 20

98 53 20

99 13 50

1 56

16 10
18 00

19 14

20 58
22 18

26 00

28 07

29 48

31 05

32 45
34 25

64 42 40
64 40 50
61 39 50
64 39 10
64 38 30

64 37 40
64 36 50
64 36 20
64 35 50
64 35 10

64 33 40
64 33 00
64 32 20
61 31 40
64 31 00
64 30 10

64 28 30
64 27 50
64 27 10
64 26 20
64 25 40

Thermometer 48° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude, April 28, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Spica Virginis, in the east.

h. m. s.

7 59 50

8 00 45
8 01 32
8 02 22
8 03 10
8 03 59

8 04 45
8 05 31
8 06 17
8 07 07
8 07 50

8 08 . 29
8 09 10
8 09 55
8 10 4L
8 11 24
8 12 12

8 13 11
& 13 58
8 14 45
8 15 34
8 16 21

76 10 50
76 24 40
76 36 50

76 50 10

77 01 20
77 12 40

77 24 40
77 36 10
77 47 10

77 59 40

78 09 50

78 19 50
78 30 00
78 39 50

78 50 10

79 01 10
79 13 00

79 26 00
79 36 30
79 48 00

79 59 00

80 10 10

Deduced latitudes.

Thermometer 48° Fahrenheit.

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Observations for the variation of the compass , April 28, 1854.-
Double altitude' of Polaris, in the west.

Magnetic bearing.

Variation of compass, E. 10° 19' 40".

Double altitude of fpica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

8 00 45

76 24 40

. 47 30 00 E.

Note. — Continuous rain from the night of the 29th of April
to the morning of the 6th of May, 1854.

CAMP ON THE WATERS OF THE TRINITY.

DETERMINATION OF LONGITUDE BV LUNAR DISTANCES.

' Determination of time , May 6, 1854. — Double altitudes of the
Sun’s upper limb.

Time, p. m.

2 17
2 19
2 22
2 23
2 23
2 24
2 24
2 25
2 25
2 26
2 27
2 27

d. m. s.
85 44 55
84 44 55
83 42 55
83 2L 45
83 09 55
82 55 25
82 43 15
82 27 45
82 13 35
82 00 25
81 45 25
81 33 25

Thermometer 78° Fahrenheit.

Time, p. i

2 33 08
2 34 50
2 36 04
Lost.

Angular distances.

107 27 25
107 28 15
107 29 05
Clouds.

Deduced longitude,
(in arc.)

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {upper) limb, in the east.

2 45 44

69 57 15

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb, in the west.

73 18 25

Time, p. m.

2 48 59
2 50 10
2 51 41
2 53 04

Angular distances.

107 33 55
107 34 25
107 34 55
107 35 25

Deduced longitude.

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb, in the west.

70 19 25

Double altitude of the Moon’s bright {upper) limb, in the east.

2 57 41

74 46 15

150

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

Double altitude of the Moon’s l

1 right (upper) limb, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m.

3 45

; 39 25

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

h. m. s.

d. T>

% s

h. m. s.

3 46 30

107 53 45

3 48 15

107 54 15

3 49 44 .

107 54 45

3 51 15

107 55 15

6 35 10

Thermometer 66 Fahrenheit.

Determination of time, May 6, '

1854. — Double altitudes of Pro-

eyon, in

the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Chronometer slow of

mean time.

h. m. s.

d. r,

n. s.

h. m. s.

6 43 05

77 05 10

6 44 19

76 36 40

6 45 32

76 07 10

6 46 24

75 47 50

6 47 16

75 26 50

0 56 59.75

6 48 12

75 05 20

6 49 02

74 46 40

6 49 55

74 25 10

6 50 51

74 03 10

6 51 43

73 42 40

0 56 59.85

Double altitudes of Arcturus, i

n the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

Chronometer slow of

mean time.

h. m. s.

d. r.

n. s.

h. m. s.

6 53 26

87 32 40

6 54 15

87 52 20

6 55 05

88 12 50

6 55 48

88 31 00

6 56 28

88 48 10

0 56 56.33

6 57 12

89 05 40

6 58 26

89 36 50

6 59 14

89 57 (10

6 59 54

90 14 20

7 00 36

90 31 20

0 56 57.33

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

2 59 20

3 01 38

3 03 42
3 05 39

107 36 35
107 37 25
107 38 25
107 39 35

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

Double altitude of the Maoris bright {upper) limb , in the east.

3 31 19

Double altitude of the Sun’s upper limb, in the west.

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

h. m. s.

3 21 15

107 44 45

3 23 05

107 45 55

3 27 29

107 47 35

3 29 10

107 48 15

6 35 08

Time, p. m.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

h. m. s.

d. m.s.

h. m. s.

3 35 35

107 50 25

3 37 25

107 51 05

3 40 43

107 52 15

3 42 18

107 52 45

6 34 55

50 03 35

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

151

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances, May 6, 1854. —
The Moon’s western limb and Pollux, west.

Time.

Angular distances.

Time.

Angular distances.

h. to. a.

8 19 55

8 21 43

8 23 30

8 25 20

d. TO. 5.

44 29 30

44 30 10

44 31 00

44 31 50

h. m. s.

7 47 23

7 51 19

7 53 20

7 55 17

d. TO. s.

44 16 20

44 18 10

44 19 00

44 19 40

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

Determination of longitude by lunar distances, May 6, 1854. —
The Moon’s western limb and Spica Virginis, east.

Double altitude of the Moon’s upper limb, in the west.

Time.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

Time.

Altitude.

h. TO. s.

8 33 26

8 35 23

8 36 57

8 38 55

d. m. s.

46 15 10

46 14 40

46 14 00

46 23 10

h. TO. s.

6 34 41

h. m. s.

7 57 30

d. TO. s.

128 37 20

Double altitude of Pollux, in the west.

Double altitude of the Moon’s upper limb, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Time.

Altitude.

h. m. s.

8 00 31

d. TO. s.

70 01 20

h. TO. s.

8 40 31

d. TO. s.

114 21 10

Time.

Angular distances.

Double altitude of Spic

a Virginis, in the east.

h. m. s.

8 03 54

8 09 30

8 11 02

8 12 30

44 22 40

44 24 40

44 25 20

44 26 00

Time.

Altitude.

h. TO. s.

8 45 42

d. TO. s.

90 28 40

Double altitude of Pollux, in the west.

Time.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

Time.

Altitude.

h. TO. s.

8 50 12

8 53 19

8 55 29

8 57 32

d. TO. a.

46 08 20

46 07 00

46 06 10

46 05 20

h. TO. s.

6 35 52

h. TO. s.

8 15 24

d. TO. s.

64 00 10

Double altitude of the Moon's upper limb, in the west.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Time.

Altitude.

h. TO. s.

8 18 13

d. TO. s.

122 06 10

h. m. s.

9 01 05

d. TO. s.

91 36 00

152

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRON OMIC AL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitude of the Moon's upper limb , in the west.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

106 00 00

10 05 48
10 07 11
10 08 57
10 10 24

45 38 50
45 38 00
45 37 00
45 36 20

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the west.

9 07
9 09
9 11
9 13

Angular distances.

46 01 40
46 01 00
46 00 20
45 59 30

Deduced longitude.

10 11 47

Double altitude of the Moon's upper limb, in the icest.

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

Second series.— The Moon's western limb and Spica Virginis, east.

10 13 29

78 12 10

9 56 13
9 58 03
9 59 32
10 00 44

Angular distances. Deduced longitude.

45 42
45 42
45 41
45 40

10 15 12
10 16 38
10 17 59
10 19 45

Angular distances. Deduced longitude.

45 34 50
45 34 00
45 33 10
45 32 20

Thermometer 66° Fahrenheit.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Double altitude of the Moon's upper limb, in the west.

10 02 52

Determination of time, April 29, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Procyon, in the west.

82 30 30

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the west.

10 04 28

h. m. s.
6 39 14
6 40 44
6 41 34
6 42 30
6 43 26

6 44 19
6 45 07
9 45 54
6 46 46
6 47 34

d. m. s.
89 04 30
88 31 40
88 14 10
87 53 40
87 32 20

87 13 40
86 54 10
86 37 50
86 19 20
86 01 40

APPENDIX L. — ASTKONOMICAL OBSEKVATIONS.

153

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Determination of latitude— Continued.

24 39

25 47

26 40

27 34

28 21

29- 04

29 50

30 46

31 36

32 23

d. m. s.

88 47 40

89 16 30

89 38 50

90 00 50
90 21 40

90 38 40

90 57 50

91 21 20

91 41 50

92 01 40

0 56 17.27

0 56 17.57

Thermometer 54° Fahrenheit.

7 35 22
7 37 21
7 39 31
7 41 47
7 43 55

7 48 40
7 50 41
7 53 54

7 56 22

8 00 20

8 03 22
8 05 27
8 07 45
8 10 03
8 12 58
8 15 38

8 17 34
8 19 55
8 21 59
8 23 56
8 25 54

64 32 50
64 32 10
64 31 20
64 30 10
64 29 20

64 28 10
64 27 30
64 26 40
64 25 50
64 24 40

64 23 50
64 22 40
64 22 00
64 21 00
64 20 10
64 19 30

64 19 00
64 18 30
64 18 00
64 17 20
64 16 40

Deduced latitudes.

Thermometer 54° Fahrenheit.

Determination of latitude , April 29, 1854. — Double altitudes of
Spica Virginis , in the east.

8 28 10
8 29 17
8 30 55
8 31 38
8 32 23

83 52 10

84 04 20
81 23 40
84 32 10
84 40 50

Deduced latitudes.

8 33 06
8 33 48
8 34 34
8 35 19
8 36 05
8 36 56

8 37 45
8 38 40
8 39 29
8 40 18
8 40 59
8 41 48

8 42 25
8 43 15
8 43 59
8 44 48
8 45 33

d. m. s.
84 48 50

84 56 00

85 04 50
85 12 30
85 20 10
85 30 00

85 38 30
85 47 50

85 56 50

86 05 20
86 12 20
86 20 40

86 26 00
86 33 30
86 42 00
86 49 00
86 55 40

Deduced latitudes.

Thermometer 54° Fahrenheit.

h. m. s.
10 22 08
10 24 46
10 28 29
10 32 13
10 34 16
10 36 16
10 38 34
10 40 19
10 42 23
10 45 08
10 47 04
10 49 43
10 51 51
10 53 56
10 55 57
10 57 35

10 59 34

11 01 40
11 03 38
11 05 18
11 07 25

18 50

19 20

20 10
21 20
22 10
23 00

23 50

24 30

25 10

26 00

26 40

27 10

27 50

28 40

29 20

30 00

30 50

31 30

32 20

33 40

34 20

Deduced latitude.

Magnetic bearing.

N. 9 50 00 W.

Variation of compass, E. 10° 36' 40".

154

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS — Continued.

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Magnetic bearing.

74 59 30 S. 49 00 00 E.

Variation of compass, E. 10° 19' 12". Thermometer 66° Fah.

ON ELM FORK OF TRINITY RIVER.

DETERMINATION OF LONGITUDE BY LUNAR DISTANCES.

94 44 25
94 17 05
93 56 55
93 34 15
93 10 05
92 48 25
92 27 45
92 03 05
91 44 15
91 22 55

3 15.4
3 12.3
3 12.4
3 16.5
3 14.5
3 13.5
3 12.0
3 13.8
3 13.0

Double altitudes of Arcturus , in the east.

Time.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

h. m. s.

d, m. s.

h. m. s.

7 00 31

98 06 15

7 03 19

98 07 35

7 05 18

98 08 35

7 07 03

98 09 25

6 29 07

Double altitude of the Moon's upper limb , in the east.

Time.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

h. m . s .

7 13 17

98 11 45

7 15 00

98 12 55

7 16 55

98 14 05

7 18 59

98 15 05

6 29 08

Double altitude of Pollux , in the west.

48 23

49 22

50 27

51 13

51 57

52 53

53 47

54 34

d. m. s.
94 32 45

94 57 05

95 25 55

95 43 05

96 01 05
96 24 35

96 47 35

97 06 05
97 24 25
97 47 05

3 14.3
3 13.8
3 16.4
3 14.6
3 13.8
3 14.6
3 16.4
3 14.4
3 15.6
3 14.6

7 22 07

76 46 55

Double altitude of the Moon's upper limb , in the east.

Thermometer 56° Fahrenheit.

73 27 35

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

155

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Time.

Angular distances.

Deduced longitude.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

h. m. s.

7 26 10

98 IS 35

7 27 57

98 19 35

7 29 45

98 20 15

7 31 21

98 20 55

6 30 18.5

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Approximate latitude to be used iu first computation of time,
33° 45'.

Determination of time, May 10, 1854. — Double altitudes of Pollux,
in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Chronometer slow of

h. m.
6 38
6 39
6 40
6 41
6 42
6 43
6 43
6 44
6 45
6 46

mean time.

m. s. h.

44 25 1

17 05 1

56 55 1

34 15 1

10 05 1

48 35 1

27 45 1

03 05 1

44 15 1

22 55 1

3 15.3
3 12.3
3 12.4
3 16.5
3 14.5
3 13.4
3 12.5
3 13.8
3 12.8
3 11.8

Double altitudes of Arcturus , in the east.

Time.

Altitudes.

Chronometer slow of

h. m.
6 48
6 49
6 50
6 51
6 51
6 52
6 53
6 54
6 55
6 56

96
96

97
97
97

Thermometer 56° Fahrenheit.

mean time.

h. m. s.

1 3 14.3

1 3 13.8

1 3 16.4

1 3 14. 6

1 3 13. 8

1 3 14.6

1 3 16.7

1 3 14.4

1 3 15.6

1 3 14.6

Double altitudes of Polaris, in the

8 15 27
8 17 00
8 18 41
8 20 31
8 23 47
8 26 38
8 28 25

Deduced latitude.

d. m. s.

64 28 55
64 29 45
64 30 45 ,
64 31 25
64 29 15
64 29 55
64 30 25

Thermometer 56° Fahrenheit.

Observations for the variation of the compass, May 10, 1854. —
Double altitude of Polaris in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. m. s.

d. m. s.

8 23 47

64 29 15

N. 10 50 00 W.

Variation of compass, E. 10° 36' 00".

CAMP FOUR MILES EAST OF THE LOWER CROSS TIMBERS.

DETERMINATION OF LATITUDE.

Determination of time, May 13, 1854. — Double altitudes of Pol¬
lux, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

h. m. s.

6 48 02

6 48 59

6 50 12

6 51 00

6 51 47

6 52 42

6 53 42

6 56 40

6 57 30

6 58 25

d. m. s.

84 26 25 dbtfl.

84 07 15

83 48 05

83 18 15

82 58 15

82 35 45

82 12 25

80 58 55

80 37 15

80 16 15

Determination of latitude, May 10, 1854. — Double altitudes of
* Regulus, in the west.

Time.

Altitudes.

Deduced latitude.

h. m.
8 00
8 02
8 03
8 04
8 04
8 05
8 06
8 07
8 08
8 09

104

103

102

101

25
09
51
29
08
44

33 41 40

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

Time.

h. m.
6 38

6 39

6 40

6 41

6 42

6 43

6 44

6 45

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

96 55 25

97 16 35

97 35 05

97 51 55

98 12 55

98 29 15

98 44- 25

99 01 15

99 16 25

99 34 05

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

156

APPENDIX L. — ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS— Continued.

Observations suspended ; night wet and misty.

64 33 55

Observations discontinued; night wet and misty.
Thermometer 98° Fahrenheit.

Double altitudes of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Determination of time — Continued.

Double altitudes of Arcturus, in the east.

h. m. s.

7 11 40

7 12 35

7 13 19

7 14 13

7 15 10

7 16 03

7 17 07

7 18 00

7 19 02

7 20 03

7 21 22

7 22 35

7 23 37

7 24 52

7 25 42

7 26 25

7 27 05

7 27 50

7 28 38

7 29 18

7 30 06

7 31 04

d. m. s.

81 18 25

81 29 25

81 33 35

81 50 35

82 02 35

82 12 55

82 26 35

82 37 15

82 47 55

83 01 25

83 17 35

83 31 25

83 43 55

83 57 35

84 06 25

84 15 05

84 23 25

84 31 25

84 39 45

84 47 25

84 55 25

85 05 35

6 38 57

6 39 51

6 40 36

6 41 21

6 42 04

6 42 46

6 43 24

6 44 06

6 44 43

6 45 23

96 55 25

97 16 35

97 35 05

97 51 55

98 12 55

98 29 15

98 44 25

99 01 15

99 16 25

99 34 05

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

Observations for the variation of the compass, May 13, 1854.-
Double altitude of Polaris, in the west.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. m. s.

d m s

d. m. s.

8 12 52

64 33 55

N. 10 65 00 W.

Determination of time, May 13, 1854. — Double altitudes of Pol¬
lux, in the west.

Time.

h. m. s.

6 48 02

6 48 59

6 50 12

6 51 00

Altitudes.

d. m. s.

84 26 25

84 07 15

83 48 05

83 18 15

Double altitude of Spica Virginis, in the east.

Time.

Altitude.

Magnetic bearing.

h. m. s.

d. TO. S.

d. TO. s.

7 19 02

82 47 55

S. 39 30 00 E.

Thermometer 58° Fahrenheit.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
WAR DEPARTMENT.

REPORT

ON THE

BOTANY OF THE EXPEDITION:

JOHN TORREY AND ASA GRAY.

ROUTE NEAR THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE, UNDER THE COMMAND OF BREVET
CAPTAIN JOHN POPE, CORPS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS.

BOTANICAL REPORT

Catalogue of Plants collected on the Expedition. By John Torrey and Asa Gray.

RAHUHCTJL ACEiE.

Clematis Drummondii, Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 9. On the upper Colorado, Texas; April.

Anemone Caroliniana, Walt.; Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 12; Torr. in Marcy’s Bep. t. 1.
Delaware creek to the Sacramento, the Pecos, and the Colorado ; March, April.

Myosurus minimus, Linn. Head of the Colorado; April.

Delphinium azureum, Michx. FI. 1 , p. 314. Western Texas; April. Broad-leaved varieties.

BERBERID ACEiE.

Berberis trifoliolata, Moricand; Gray , PI. Lindh. 2, p. 142. Base of the Guadalupe
mountains, Hew Mexico ; March.

PAP AVER ACEiE & FUMARI ACEiE.

Argemone Mexicana, Linn. Western. Texas ; April.

Corydalis aurea, Willd. Delaware creek to the Sacramento and Pecos; March.

CRJJCIFERiE.

Streptanthus petiolaris, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 7. On the upper Colorado, Texas.

Streptanthus carinatus, Wriglit in Gray, PI. Wriglit, 2, p. 11. Rocky hills on the Pecos,
Hew Mexico; March. Smaller specimens than Wright’s, and, like those, in flower only.

Greggia camporum, Gray, PI. Wright, 1, p. 9, t. 1. On the Pecos, &c. ; March. In flower
only.

Sisymbrium canescens, Nutt. Delaware creek to the Colorado; March, April.

Erysimum asperum, DC.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 95. On the Pecos, Llano Estacado, and
upper Colorado ; March, April.

Ditthyrzea Wislizeni, Engelm. in Wist. N. Mex: p. 11; Torr. in Marcy’s Rep. t. 2. On
the Pecos, Llano Estacado, &c.

Vesicaria gracilis, Book. Bot. Mag. t. 3533 ; Gray, PI. Lindh. 2, p. 148. On the Pecos,
Llano Estacado, and upper Colorado; March, April. Except by its non-stipitate silicles, V.
angustifolia, Nutt., is apparently undistinguishable from V. gracilis; and there is some reason
to fear that this difference is not constant.

Vesicaria Gordoni, Gray, l. c., p. 149. Llano Estacado; April. There is reason to fear
that this also passes into the foregoing.

Vesicaria argyr^ia, Gray, PI. Lindh. 2 ,p. 146. Between Delaware creek and the Pecos;
March. Hot yet in flower.

160

BOTANY.

Vesicaria Fend leri, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 9 ; V. stenophylla, Gray, PI. Lindli. 2, p. 149.
Everywhere on Delaware creek, the Pecos, Llano Estacado, &c. ; March, April. To this, it is
now evident, belongs the Y. stenophylla ; and the species exhibits great diversities in its mode
of growth and foliage, as also in the size and even the shape of its pods. The name Y. Fend-
leri is the older one ; that of Y. stenophylla is applicable only to some of the forms which the
species assumes.

Yesicaria Ludoviciana, DO. Syst. 2 ,p. 297. On the Pecos; March. Not in flower.

Draba cuneifolia, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 108. Delaware creek to the Colorado.

Selenia dissecta, (n. sp., Plate I.) Leaves bipinnately divided, the segments linear; style
not longer than the ovary ; valves of the pod imperfectly one-nerved ; seeds on short and thick
funiculi. — In sandy or gravelly soil, from Delaware springs to the Llano Estacado; March and
April. In flower, and with some mature fruit. This second species of Nuttall’s genus Selenia
is perhaps the most interesting plant of the present collection. It is a sort of biennial, (like so
many of this region,) the plant having grown from the seed the preceding autumn, and begun
to flower early in the following spring. The earliest flowers, borne on slender peduncles, spring
directly from the crown, among the tufted radical leaves. Later, an ascending and sparsely
leafy stem rises to the height of from three to six inches, and hears a raceme of leafy-hracted
flowers, in the manner of L. aurea. The blossoms appear to he considerably larger than in
that species, at least the earlier ones, the petals being fully half an inch long; hut their form,
and apparently their color, is the same. The leaves are all pinnately divided, with their
primary divisions pinnately 3-9-parted. The anthers are linear, rather than oblong. The
style, although slender, is hardly as long as the ovary: stigma rather large, depressed. The
silicle is elliptical, slightly inclined to ohovate, very flat, seven to eight lines long, scarcely
stipitate, rounded at the summit, and abruptly tipped with the comparatively short style;
valves minutely reticulate-veiny ; a mid-nerve is usually evident from the base to the middle,
or sometimes even to the summit. Septum complete in the specimens examined, obscurely
two-nerved in the middle; the areolae large, and nearly as in L. aurea. The seeds resemble
those of that species, hut are borne on short and thick funiculi, the base of which is somewhat
adnate to the margin of the septum; and the ccecal pouch at the hilum is small, or indistinct.
Cotyledons orbicular; accumbent against the ascending radicle, which is on the side remote
from the placenta. As already shown, (in Gen. III. 1, p. 158,) the genus belongs to the Alys-
sineas.

Lepidum Alyssoides, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 10. Llano Estacado; April.

Lepidum Wrightii, Gray, PI. Wriglit. 2, p. 15. On the Pecos, Colorado, &c.

Lepidum intermedium, Gray, l. c. Near Fort Washita; April.

CIST ACE A3.

Lechea minor, Lam.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 153. On the Llano Estacado; March.
Without flowers or fruit.

CARYOPHYLLACEiE.

Silene Antirrhina, Linn. On the upper Colorado, Texas ; April.

Paronychia Jamesii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 170. Guadalupe mountains, New Mexico.
Without flowers.

MALYACE2E. •

Callirrhoe digitata, Nutt.; Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 17. On the upper Colorado, Texas;
April.

Callirrhoe involucrata, Gray, l. c. A small variety. On the upper Colorado; April.

U. S.P. R.R.Ex.& Surveys, 32?1 Parallel. . BOTANY, Plate!

. 3ELENIA EISSECTA.

■Sprague lei. T.S.I)uval&Co.iitii.Hnlai? . Kestde sc.

BOTANY. 161

Malvaltrum coccineum, Gray , PI. Fendl. p. 21. Everywhere between the Rio G-rande and
the Colorado; March, April.

SPHiERALCEA hastulata, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 17. On the Pecos and Colorado.

SPHiBRAiiCEA angustifolia, Spach; the small flowered variety, S. stellata, Torr. Pecos to
Llano Estacado ; March.

SPHiERALCEA Fendleri, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 21. Cotton-wood Springs, New Mexico.
Fruit only, without foliage.

GERANIACEiE.

Geranium Carolinianum, Linn. From Llano Estacado to Colorado, &c.

Erodium Texanum, Gray, PI. Lindh. 2, p. 157; and Gen. III. t. 151. From the Pecos to
the Colorado ; March and April.

OXALIDACEiE.

Oxalis Wrightii, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 27. On the Pecos; March.

LINACEAE.

Linum rigidum, Pursli, FI. 1, p. 210. On the Pecos, Llano Estacado, and upper Colorado ;
March, April.

Linum multicaule, Hook, in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1 , p. 678. Llano Estacado; April; Mr.
Garrard.

Linum perenne, Linn. From New Mexico to the Colorado ; March, April.

ZYGOPHYLLACEiE.

Larrea Mexicana, Moricand; Torr. in Emory’s Pep. p. 137, t. 3. From the Rio Grande to
Llano Estacado, &c. Not yet in flower.

RUT ACE.®.

Zanthoxylum Carolinianum, Lam.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 214. Western Texas ; April.
The variety characterized in PI. Wright, t. p. 31.

Rutosma Texanum, Gray, Gen. III. 2, p. 144, t. 155 ? On the Pecos, &c. ; March.

*** Captain Pope collected, on the Organ mountains, specimens, without flowers or fruit, of
a remarkable Rutaceous plant, which had been previously gathered there by Mr. Wright, and
afterwards by H. B. Gray, Esq. We have also received it from Dr. Edwards, of the United
States army, who found it on the Mimbres. Dr. J. M. Bigelow and Mr. Schott were so fortu¬
nate as to detect it in fruit, while they were engaged in the Mexican boundary survey, under
the command of Major W. H. Emory. The former gentleman collected it, in 1852, on the
Florence mountains, which, we believe, are in the southern part of New Mexico, near the Rio
Grande ; and Mr. Schott obtained it farther down the river. For want of the flowers, a com¬
plete description of the plant cannot he given ; but there are sufficient materials to show that it
is quite a distinct genus, of which a full account will he given in Dr. Torrey’s botany of the
Mexican boundary survey, under the name of Astrophyllum dumosum. The plant is a low,
much branched shrub, with opposite, palmately 7-10-foliolate, petiolate leaves; the leaflets
narrowly linear, coriaceous, marked (as are the petioles and younger branches) with large and
prominent glands. These glands on the leaflets are somewhat distant, and form a row along
each margin. They are filled with a strong-smelling, acrid, volatile oil. The flowers are her¬
maphrodite, solitary, on long pedicels, which are lateral and terminal. On one of the specimens
was a flower -hud, and on the other specimens were several pedicels supporting unfructified ova¬
ries, besides abundance of ripe fruit. The bud contained ten stamens in two series, with subu-
21 e

162

BOTANY.

late filaments from>a "broad base, and oblong 2-celled anthers. Opposite the shorter or interior
stamens, (and alternating with the exterior ones,) were five ovate scales or petals. The char¬
acters of the calyx were not satisfactorily determined. There was no disk perceptible in the
bud, and it is very inconspicuous in the flowers that had not matured their fruit. There are
five one-celled oblong ovaries, which slightly cohere towards the base, each produced into a short
incurved beak or horn. The styles are distinct, and arise from near the middle of the carpels
on the inside ; but the stigmas are united into an oblong 5-grooved head. Ovules two in each
cell, collateral, inserted at the origin of the style. Only two of the carpels ripen. They are
sessile, slightly united at the base, broadly ovate, compressed, dotted with small brown glands,
and mucronate with the persistent base of the style ; but the beak, which in the ovary was at
the summit of the cell, has now become a dorsal tooth. At an early period the capsule opens
nearly the whole lenglh of the ventral suture, and down the back as far as the tooth. The
endocarp also separates almost entirely from the epicarp. The seeds are usually solitary in
each cell. They are ovate-globose, black and shining. The embryo is broadly oval, slightly
curved, flattish, with a very short radicle ; and there is little or no albumen.

ANACARDIACEiE.

Rhus glabra, Linn. Near Fort Washita; April.

Rhus trilobata, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 219. On the upper Colorado, Texas;
April.

Rhus microphylla, Engelm. in PI. Wright. 1, p. 31. With the preceding species.

VITACEiE.

Vitia rupbstris, Scheele, in Linncea, 21, p. 591. Western Texas; April 21. In flower.

RHAMNACEflE.

Ceanothus ovatus, Desf. (C. ovalis, Bigelow.) Near Fort Chadbourne; also a downy variety
on the Colorado, Texas.

Zizyphus lyciodes, Gray, PI. Lindh. 2, p. 168. Western Texas; April.

Microrhamnus ericoides, Gray, PI. Wright. 1 , p. 34. Near Delaware Springs, &c.; March.

SAPINDACEAD.

Sapindus marginatus, Willd.; Gay, Gen. III. 2, t. 180. Pecos and Llano Estacado. Called
Wild China in Texas and Arkansas.

Ungnadia speciosa, Endl.; Gray, Gen. III. 2, t. 178, 179. Big Springs of the Colorado and
elsewhere; April.

POLYGrALACEiE.

Polygala alba, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 87. Llano Estacado, Colorado, &c.

Polygala macradenia, Gray, PI. Wright. 1 ,p. 38. On the Pecos ; March.

Krameria lanceolata, Torr.; Gray, Gen. III. t. 187, 188. Western Texas; April.

LE GrUMIN OSiE .

Vicia Leavenworthii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1 , p. 271. On the upper Colorado, Texas; April.

Vicia exigua, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, l. c.; Gray, PI. Wright. 2, p. 32. Llano Estacado;
March, April.

Tephrosia Virginiana, Pers. Syn. 2, p. 328. Western Texas ; May.

Amorpha fruticosa, Linn. var. On the upper Colorado; April.

BOTANY.

163

Psoralea esculenta, Pursh, FI. 2, pi. 475, t. 22. On the Colorado, Western Texas; April.
Psoralea obtusiloba, Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 300. Western Texas; May.

Psoralea floribunda, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 1. c. Western Texas; May.

Psoralea cuspidata, Pursh, FI. 2, p. 741. Western Texas; April.

Psoralea digit ata, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, l. c. Western Texas; April.

Dalea Formosa, Torr. in Am. Lye. N. York, 2, p. 78; and in Emory’s Pep. t. 1. Every¬
where between the Eio Grande and Western Texas.

Petalostemon vtolaceum, Michx. Near Fort Washita.

Petalostemon candidum, Michx. Near Fort Washita.

Astragalus mollissimus, Torr. in Am. Lyc. N. York, 2, p. 178; Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 53.
On the Llano Estacado, in sandy soil ; March, April. Plant sometimes considerably caules¬
cent, and a foot high.

Astragalus succumbens, Dougl. in Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. 1, p. 151. On the Pecos, Llano
Estacado, &c. ; March, April. The specimens are only in flower ; in which state they very
well accord with Douglas’ plant. Mr. Gordon also gathered it in flower on the Eaton mount¬
ains.

Astragalus pauciflorus, Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. 1, p. 129. High grounds at the head-waters
of the Colorado, Texas ; April.

Astragalus Missouriensis, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 99. Guadalupe mountains to the Colorado;
March, April.

Astragalus cyaneus, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 34. Between the Pecos and Llano Estacado.
Probably too near the preceding species.

Astragalus Nuttallianus, DC., var. trichocarpus and canescens, Gray, PI. Wright. From
the Pecos to the Colorado ; March, April.

Astragalus Lindheimeri, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 52. On the upper Colorado ; April.
Astragalus Candensis, Linn. Near Fort Washita; April.

Astragalus, n. spj In flower only. High ground, on the eastern border of the Llano
Estacado; April.

Oxytropis Lamberti, Pursh, FI. 2 , p. 740. Western Texas; May.

Stylosanthes elatior, Swartz.; DC. Prodr. 2, p. 381. Western Texas; May.

Desmodium canescens, DC. Prodr. 2, p. 238. Near Fort Washita.

Lespedeza Stuvei, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 107. Near Fort Washita.

Sophora sericea, Nutt. Gen. 1 , p. 280. Western Texas; April.

Cercis occidentalis, Torr. in PI. Lindh. 2, p. 177. Near Fort Chadbourne; May.
Hoffmanseggia stricta, var. demissa, Bentli. in PI. Wright. 1, p. 56. Llano Estacado to the
Colorado ; April. In flower.

Hoffmanseggia drepanocarpa, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 58. On the Pecos.

Hoffmanseggia brachycarpa, Gray, l. c. On the Pecos.

Hoffmanseggia Jamesii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 393; Torr. in Marcy’s Pep. t. 4. Llano
Estacado.

Cassia Pumilio, Gray, PI. Lindh. 2, p. 180; and PI. Wright. 1, p. 59. Llano Estacado, &c. ;
April.

Cassia Baujhinioides, Gray, l. c. Llano Estacado ; April.

Cassia Rcemeriana, Scheele; Gray, PI. Lindh. 2, p. 179. Western Texas; April.
Strombocarpa pubescens, Gray, PI. Wright. 1 , p. 60; (Prosopis, Benth.) Near Dona Ana.
The fruit only ; called Tornio, or Screw-tree ; in some districts, Screio-bean.

164

BOTANY.

Algarobia glandulosa, Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 399. Head-waters of the Colorado, Texas;
April. This is the celebrated Mezquit of Hew Mexico.

Desmanthus Jamesii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 402. Llano Estacado, &c. Foliage only.
Schrankia platycarpa, Gray , PI. Lindh. 2, p. 183. Western Texas; April.

Mimosa borealis, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 39. On the upper Colorado, and near Fort Chad-
bourne; April, May.

Acacia hirta, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1 , p. 404. Western Texas; April.

Acacia Texensis, Torr. and Gray , l. c. (Probably the A. cuspidata, Sclilecht.) Near Fort
Washita.

ROSACEiE.

Prunus Americana, Marsh.; Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 407. Big Springs of the Colorado ;
April.

Prunus Chicasa, Michx. ; Torr. and Gray , l. c. On the Colorado ; April.

Cercocarpus parvifolius, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 427. Dona Ana, New Mexico;
February. Foliage only.

Fallugia paradoxa, Torr. in Emory’s Rep. t. 2. Guadalupe mountains, New Mexico. Foliage
only.

Geum Virginianum, Linn. Western Texas ; May.

Rosa setigera, Michx.; Torr. and Gray , FI. 1 , p. 457. Fort Washita; April.

Rubus triyialis, Michx.; FI. 1, p. 296. Near Fort Washita.

ONAGRACE2E.

(Enothera layendul^folia, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1 , p. 501. Llano Estacado; April.
(Enothera Hartwegi, Benth. PI. Hartw. p. 1 ; the var. answering to (E. Fendleri ; Gray,
PI. Fendl. On the Pecos, Llano Estacado, and Colorado.

(Enothera tubicula, Gray, PI. Wright. 1 , p. 71. On the Pecos and Llano Estacado.
(Enothera albicaulis, Nutt. Gen. 1 , p. 245; Gray, PI. Wright. 1 , p. 59. On the Pecos.
(Enothera triloba, Nutt. Gen. 1. c. On the Pecos.

(Enothera serrulata, Nutt. 1. c. Big Springs of the Colorado to Fort Washita, &c. ; April.
(Enothera sinnata, Linn. Near Fort Washita; April. Western Texas; May.

(Enothera Wrightii, Gray, PI. Wright. 2, p, 57. On the Llano Estacado; April. In
flower.

(Enothera Missouriensis, Sims, Bot. Mag. t. 1592. Western Texas; May.

(Enothera speciosa, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1 , p. 496. Western Texas; April.
(Enothera Spachiana, Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 498. Western Texas; May.

Gaura parviflora, Dougl.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 519. Llano Estacado and Western
Texas.

Gaura suffulta, Engelm. in PI. Lindh. 2, p. 190. Western Texas.

Gaura coccinea, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 1, p. 518. Llano Estacado.

Gaura sinuata, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, l. c. Western Texas; April.

CUCURBITACEjE.

Sicydium Lindheimeri, Gray, PI. Lindl. 2, p. 196. On the Pecos, also Western Texas;
March, April.

Cucurbita perennis, Gray, l. c. Western Texas; April. Foliage only.

BOTANY.

165

PASSIFLORACEiE.

Passiflora incarnata, Linn.; Torr. and Gray , FI. 1. p. 538. Western Texas; May.
GROSSULACEiE.

Ribes aureum, Pursli. Big Springs of the Colorado, &c.; April.

CACTACEiE.

Cereus cajspitosus, Eceinocactus Texensis, and Opuntia frutescens, Engelm., occur in the
collection.

UMBELLIFER^b

AMMOSELINUM, n. gen. Margin of the calyx obsolete. Petals ovate, entire, nearly plane.
Stylopodium very short, as are the diverging styles. Fruit ovate, laterally compressed. Car¬
pels with five equal, prominent, corky, and scabrous ribs, in the intervals of which there are
single oil-tubes, and two in the commisure. Carpophore 2-parted. Seed straight, semiterete,
slightly concave on the face. — An annual diffuse herb; the leaves decompound with linear ulti¬
mate segments ; flowers in compound umbels, white ; leaflets of the involucre and involucels
simple or compound.

Ammoselinum Popei. — Sandy soil ; Llano Estacado, and head-waters of the Colorado ; March
and April. . Mr. Wright found it in Western Texas, hut he collected only a few specimens, and
it was not distributed with his plants. Some ripe seeds that he collected were cultivated in the
Cambridge Botanic Garden, and arrived at perfection. Dr. Parry, while engaged on the Mex¬
ican boundary survey, under Major Emory, sent home a single flowering specimen of the plant,
found at Eagle Pass in January, 1853. From no other sources have we received any specimens
of this apparently new genus. It grows about a span in length, and though usually diffuse,
some of Captain Pope’s specimens must have grown erect, and only a little branched; hut they
seem to have been crowded together. The stem and branches are angular, and the angles, as
well as the midribs of the leaves, are rough; in other respects the plaut is nearly glabrous.
The leaves are triternally divided, with narrowly linear segments. Umbels compound, or
sometimes decompound. Involucre of several leaves, which in strong-growing specimens are
large, and resemble the leaves of the stem, being cut into linear segments : the leaves of the in¬
volucels are sometimes cut also, hut more commonly they are almost entire. Rays of the umbel
seldom more than three or four, unequal: rays of the umbellets 8-10, very unequal. Flowers
very small. Fruit about two and a half lines long and two lines broad, compressed laterally,
so that the longer diameter is twice as great as the shorter; the ribs scabrous with little points.
The lateral ones are less prominent, and are confluent with an accessory, thick, corky margin,
which extends through the commissure. We have with reluctance added another genus to the
already extensive family of Umbelliferaa, already abounding with ill-defined genera, especially
as it is founded on a single species. It is most nearly allied to Chaerophyllum, hut differs in
the entire petals, ovate fruit with acute ribs, and shallow furrows of the seed, as well as in the
involucrum.

Cymopterus montanus , Nutt. in Torr. and Gray , FI. 1, p. 624 ; Gray , PI. Fendl. p. 56, and
PI. Wright , 1, p. 79. Eastern part of the Llano Estacado and on the upper Colorado; April.

Polytainia Nuttallii, DC. Prodr. 4, p. 196. On the Colorado, Texas; April. In flower.

Daucus pusillus, lick. FI. l,p. 164. On the Colorado, Texas; April.

166

BOTANY.

RUBIACEiE.

Oldenlandia (Houstonia) humifusa, Gray , PI. Wright. 2, p. 68. On the Llano Estacado and
Pecos; March. A vernal state.

Oldenlandia angustifolia, Gray, l. c. Fort Washita and Western Texas; April, May.

Galium Aparine, Linn. On the Colorado ; April. Not in flower.

VALERIANACEiE.

Fedia amarella, Lindh. in Gray , PI. Lindh. 2, p. 217. On the Colorado, &c., Texas; April,
May.

COMPOSITE.

Machasrantiiera tanacetifolia, Nees; Gray , PI. Wright. 1, p. 90. On the Llano Estacado
and Western Texas; March to May.

Erigeron strigosum, Mulil,.; Torr. and Gray , FI. 2, p. 176. Near Fort Washita; April.

Erigeron divergens, Torr. and Gray , l. c.; Gray , PI. Wright. 1, p. 91. From the Pecos to
the Colorado, Texas. Various forms.

Diplop appus ericoides, Torr. and Gray , FI. 2, p. 182. New Mexico to the Colorado; March,
April. Various forms.

Townsendia sericea, Hook, FI. Bor. -Am. 2, p. 16, t. 119. Guadalupe mountains, New Mex¬
ico; March.

Ciletopappa asteroides, DC. Prodr. 5, p. 301. Western Texas; April, May.

Apiianostephus ramosissimus, DC. Prodr. 5, p. 310 ; Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 93 ; Torr. in
Marcy’s Rep. t. 9. Big Springs of the Colorado; April.

Aphanostephus Arkansanus, Gray, l. c. Western Texas; May.

Bellis integrifolia, Michx. FI. 1 , p. 131. Western Texas; May.

Aplopappus spinulosus, DC. Prodr. 5 , p. 348. From the Pecos to the Colorado, Texas.

Xanthisma Texanum, DC. Prodr. 5, p. 94; Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 98; Torr. in Marcy’s
Rep. t. 10. Western Texas, May.

Solidago Canadensis, Linn. Near Fort Washita; April. Not in flower.

Calymmandra Candida, Torr . and Gray, FI. 2, p. 262. (Plate II.) Western Texas, on the
upper Colorado ; April. This has scarcely been collected since it was gathered by Drummond.

Filaginopsis multicaulis, Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 263. (Plate III.) On the Pecos and Llano
Estacado; March. Western Texas; April. Sterile corollas, naked at the summit, hut bearing
a few long wooly hairs near the base.

Parthenium Hysterophorus, Linn. Pecos and Llano Estacado.

Melampodium cinereum, DC. Prodr. 5 ,p. 518. Banks of the Pecos to the Colorado; March
to May.

Berlandiera lyrata, Benth.; Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 78. Llano Estacado, March.

Engelmannia pinnatifida, Torr. and Gray, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. and FI. 2, p. 283;
Torr. in Marcy’s Rep. t. 11. Western Texas to the head of the Colorado; April, May.

Lindheimeria Texana, Gray and Engelm. PI. Lindh. 2 p. 225. Western Texas; April.

Zinnia multiflora, Linn. Near Fort Chadbourne, Texas.

Echinacea angustifolia, DC. Prodr. 5, p. 554. Var. Western Texas; April.

Simsia (Barrattta) calva, Gray, PI. Lindh. 2, p. 228. On the upper Colorado; April.

Dracopis amplexicaulis, Cass.; DC. Prodr. 5, p. 558. Near Fort Washita; April.

CALYMMANDRA CANDIDA.

Sprague del .

P.gDuv?L&.Cp.Iiil&Hril?

Prestele sc.

U.S.E R.R.Ex.4 Surveys, 32"?Parallel.

BOTANY, Plate III.

FILAGINOPSIS iiSi|GA|tlS.

■Sprague 'del.

J. S.Duval &. CoJLffli.Pliladf

Prestele sc.

BOTANY.

167

Actinomeris helianthoides, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 181. Near Fort Washita; April.

Thelesperma pilieolia, Gray, in EooJc. Kew. Jour. Bot. 1 , p. 252, and PI. Wright. 1, p. 109.
Head-waters of the Colorado; April. Also probably T. gracilis; hut not yet in flower.
Coreopsis grandiflora, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 345. On the Colorado; April.
Coreopsis tinctoria, Nutt. Near Fort Washita; April.

Ciirysactinia Mexicana, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 93. Near Independence Spring; March. With¬
out flowers.

Hymenatherum (Aciphylljea) acerosum, Gray, PI. Wriglit. 1, p. 115. On the Pecos and
Llano Estacado; March, April.

Hymenatherum PENTACHiETUM, DC. Prodr. 5, p. 642. On the Pecos; March.

Agassizia suavis, Gray and Engelm. PI. Lindh. 2, p. 220. Western Texas; April.
GtAILLARdia amblyodon, Gray ; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 267 ; Gray, Chi. Bor. -Am. t. 4.
Western Texas ; April.

GtAILlardia pinnatifid a, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. New York, 2, p. 214; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p.
366. Llano Estacado to the Colorado ; March, April.

G-aillardia ptjlchella, Fougeroux; Torr. and Gray, l. c. Western Texas; April.
Hymenopappus corymbosus, Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 272. On the Colorado, &c.; April.
Bahia absinthifolia, Benth. var. dealbata, Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 121. On the Pecos ;
March.

Biddellia tagetina, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 262 ; Torr. in Emory’s Rep. t. 5.
Llano Estacado ; March.

Amblyolepis setigera, DC. Prodr. 5, p. 568 ; Gray, PI. Wright. 1, p. 121. From the Llano
Estacado to the lower Colorado ; March, April.

Actinella scaposa, Nutt, in Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 382. On the Pecos and Llano Esta¬
cado; March.

Actinella linearifolia, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, l. c. On the Pecos.

Actinella Richardsonii, Nutt. Picradenia Richardsonii, Hook. Near the Pecos ; March.
Helenium tenuifolium, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 385. Western Texas ; April.
Marshallia oespitosa, Nutt, in DC. Prodr. 5. p. 680. On the upper Colorado ; April.
Achillea Millefolium, Linn. Near Fort Washita and on the Colorado.

Artemisia dracunculoides, Pursh ; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 216. Sacramento river to
the Llano Estacado ; March.

Artemisia Lewisii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 217. Pecos to the Llano Estacado ; March.
Artemisia Ludoviciana, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 420. Cotton-wood Springs, New
Mexico, &c.; March.

G-naphalium luteo-album, Linn. New Mexico and Western Texas.

Senecio filifolius, Nutt. var. Jamesii, Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 444. On the Pecos and
upper Colorado.

Senecio lobatus, Pers.; Torr. and Gray, l. c. Western Texas ; April.

Cirsium Yirginianum, Michx. FI. 2, p. 90. Western Texas ; April.

Cirsium undulatum, Spreng.; DC. Prodr. 6, p. 651. Llano Estacado, &c.

Centaurea Americana, Nutt. Near Fort Washita ; April.

Perezia nana, Gray, PI. Fendl. p. 111. On the Pecos ; March. The foliage only.

Apogon humilis, Ell. Sk. 2, p. 267. Western Texas ; May.

Krigia occidentalis, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray, FI. 2, p. 467. Western Texas ; May.

168

BOTANY.

Pinaropappus roseus, Less .; DC. Prodr. 7, p. 99. Western Texas ; April.

Lygodesmia aphylla, DC. var. Texana, Torr. and Gray , FI. 2, p. 484. Western Texas ;
April.

Pyrrhopappus grandiflorus, Nutt.; Torr. and Gray , FI. 2, p. 495. Big Springs of tlie
Colorado, &c.; April.

CAMPANULACE2E.

Dysmicodon ovatum, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser.) 8, p. 256. Specularise sp.
Torr. Mss. Western Texas ; April to May.

Dysmicodon perfoliattjm, Nutt. 1. c. Campanula perfoliata, Linn. Specularia perfoliata,
Alph. DC. Prodr. 7, pars 2, p. 490, (in part.) With the preceding.

PLANTAGINACEiE.

Plantago Virginica, Linn. Llano Estacado, and on the Colorado ; March, April.

Plantago gnaphalioides, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 100. On the Pecos ; March.

PRIMULACEiE.

Dodecatheon Meadia, Linn. Western Texas ; May.

ACANTHACEiE.

Stenandrium barbatum, (n. sp.; Plate IY) : dwarf, multicipital, bearded all over with long
and shaggy white hairs ; scape at first shorter than the ohlanceolate, or narrowly spatulate,
entire, and scarcely petioled radical leaves ; hracts oblong-lanceolate, acute, entire, nearly
equalling the corolla ; anthers bearded on the hack and tip ; stigma funnel-form, its oblong
margin not ciliate ; capsule oblong, 4-seeded. On the Pecos ; March. First collected by Mr.
Wright on a lower part of the same river. It is No. 1428 of his distributed collection.

Dipteracanthus strepens, Nees in DC. Prodr. 11, p. 121. Western Texas ; April, May.

Calophanes oblongifolius, Don ; Nees in DC. Prodr. 11, p. 107, and var. Texensis, Nees.
Western Texas ; April, May.

SCROPHULARIACEiE.

Linaria Canadensis, Don. On the Pecos, Llano Estacado,. and Western Texas; March, May.

Veronica peregrina, Linn. Llano Estacado, &c.; March.

Pentstemon Cob^a, Nutt.; Benth. in DC. Prodr. 10, p. 326. Western Texas ; April, May.

Pentstemon grandiflorus, Nutt, in Fras. Cat.; Benth. in DC. 1. c. Near Fort Chadbourne ;
May.

Pentstemon albidus, Nutt. Gen. 2, p. 53. Upper Colorado, Texas ; April.

Pentstemon Fendleri, (n. sp.; Plate Y) : erect, glabrous throughout, glaucous; leaves cori¬
aceous, entire, the radical ones ovate or ohovate, and tapering into a short petiole, the cauline
ovate or oblong, and closely sessile ; flowers cymulose, or sometimes subsolitary in the axils of
the upper leaves and ohovate hracts, forming a strict interrupted panicle or series of apparent
verticils ; segments of the calyx ovate, with scarious margins ; corolla (blue or purple) funnel-
form, scarcely bilabiate, sparsely bearded or smooth in the throat ; sterile filament dilated and
densely (yellow) bearded at the summit. On the Pecos and Llano Estacado ; March, April. A
species which occurs in all the collections made in this region, and is considerably variable in
size, foliage, the number of the flowers, (which are handsome, and eight or ten lines long,) the
size of the bracts, &c. It is most nearly related to P. acuminatus and P. nitidus, especially to
the latter.

STSNANDRIUM BAEEATCM,

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F. S.Dnval kCo.Ii-th.TM?

Restate

BOTANY, 'Plate Y.

f U.SP.S.R.EX.& Surveys, 32nd Parallel. ■

PENTSTEMON FEEDLERI

P. S.Duyjl &CalT0i,-PHlaii .

Prestele sc.

U:.S.ER.R.Ex.& Surveys, 32!.’fParallel. BOTANY. Plate 711

Sprague del.

S TE G¥0 CARPUS .-CMISCENS.

• P.S.Dwal&CoXifl>.PMH.

Restele.sc.

BOTANY.

169

Pentstemon pubescens, Soland.; DC. Prodr. 10, p. 327. Western Texas ; May.

Castilleja purpurea, Don; DC. Prodr. 10, p. 531. Llano Estacado and Western Texas;
March, April.

VERBENACEiE.

Verbena bipinnatifida, Engelm. and Gray , PI. Lindh. 1, p. 49 ; Schauer , in DC. Prodr. 11,
p. 553. Glandularia bipinnatifida, Nutt. Delaware creek to the Colorado ; March, April.

Verbena Aubletia, Linn. Upper Texas, &c.; April.

Verbena bracteosa, Michx. FI. 2, p. 14. On the Pecos and Llano Estacado; March.

Verbena officinalis, Linn. V. spuria, Linn., etc. Western Texas ; April, May.

LABIATE.

Salvia farinosa, Benth. Lab. p. 274. On the Colorado ; April. Probably not distinct from
S. Pitcheri, Torr.

Salviastrum Texanum, Scheele, in Linncea. 22, p. 584. (Plate VI.) Gravelly soils, Llano Es¬
tacado ; April. A common plant in Texas and New Mexico.

Scutellaria resinosa, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. New York, 2, p. 232. On the Pecos and the head¬
waters of the Colorado ; April.

TeucRium Canadense, Linn.; Benth. in DC. Prodr. 12, p. 581. Hear Fort Washita.

Teucrium Cubense, Linn.; Benth. 1. c.; Torr. in Marcy’s Rep. p. 293. On the Pecos, &c.;
April.

Monarda aristata, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser .) 5, p. 186. In clayey soil ;
Western Texas. Annual.

Monardo mollis, Nutt. 1. c. Near Fort Washita. Seems to he distinct from M. fistulosa.

BOR AGIN ACEiE.

STEGNOCARPUS, DC. (a section of Coldenia). Calyx deeply 5-cleft ; the lobes lanceolate-
subovate. Corolla funnel-salverform ; the throat naked ; border 5-lobed, flat. Stamens five,
inserted into the tube of the corolla. Style filiform, terminal, 2-parted : stigmas capitate.
Ovary ovate, slightly 4-lobed. Fruit globose-quadrangular, depressed, consisting of four closely
joined nutlets which are even, glabrous, (except a slight hairiness at the summit when young,)
and at length separate. — A prostrate, much-branched, small under-shrub, canescent with ap-
pressed hairs. Leaves numerous, small, ovate, and petiolate. Flowers axillary, solitary or
somewhat clustered, sessile, white.

S. canescens, Torr. in Emory’s Rep. of Mex. Bound. Commiss. (ined.) Coldenia (sect. Steg-
nocarpus) canescens, DC. Prodr. 9, p. 559. (Plate VII.) In decomposing gypseous gravel, on
the Pecos. It is common in the valley of the Rio Grande, from El Paso to Monterey. Dr.
Edwards found it near the latter place. It is the same as No. 1554-1556 of Wright’s New
Mexican collection. De Candolle founded the species and subgenus on specimens collected in
Mexico by Berlandier, and numbered 2256* in his collection. He states that the stamens
are inserted at the summit of the tube of the corolla, and that the nutlets are silky-pubes¬
cent; whereas we found the stamens inserted near the base of the tube, and the nutlets
glabrous. We therefore at first supposed our plant to he a distinct species, and called it S.
leiocarpa. Having, however, recently obtained original specimens of Berlandier’s No. 2256,
we found that only the young fruit is a little pubescent near the summit. As to the insertion
of the filaments, no great reliance is to he placed on that character in this family, owing to the
tendency to a kind of dioicality that occurs in a number of the genera, such as has long been

* No. 2389 of Berlandier’s Collection is the same plant.

22 e

170

BOTANY.

known to exist in certain Labiatse and Rubiaceee. De Candolle (1. c.) asks whether his section
Stegnocarpus of Coldenia ought not to constitute a proper genus. If he had had as complete a
series of specimens as we possess, no doubt he would have made the separation. It belongs to
the tribe Ehretieaa, but has a fruit like that of some Eritrichia. The Stegnocarpus has a deci¬
dedly woody base, and seems to be usually prostrate. The leaves are 5-8 lines long (including
the petiole) and 1-3 lines broad, ovate or oblong, rather acute at each end, and thickly clothed
with appressed whitish hairs. The flowers are often solitary, but sometimes two or three
together. Calyx 5-parted below the middle ; the lobes subulate from a rather broad base. Co¬
rolla about four lines long ; the tube^ample, and a little longer than the calyx; the lobes cren-
ulate. Stamens five, rather unequal : filaments subulate, usually inserted near the base of the
corolla : anthers oblong. Ovary scarcely lobed : style compressed, about as long as the stamens,
cleft to the middle ; the segments filiform, erect, strongly capitate. Fruit consisting of four
closely fitting nutlets, which separate at maturity. When young, there is often more or less
pubescence towards the summit ; but it finally disappears, and the fruit becomes smooth and
shining on the back. The sides (where they come in contact) are somewhat wavy. The peri¬
carp is coriaceous, and there is little or no albumen.

PTILOCALYX, (n. gen.) Calyx 5-parted nearly to the base ; the segments subulate-filiform,
plumose with spreading hairs. Corolla campanulate-salverform ; the throat naked. Stamens
five, inserted near the base of the tube. Ovary somewhat 4-lobed, 4-celled, with an obscure
glandular ring at the base. Style filiform, terminal, 2-parted: stigmas minute, simple. Fruit
coriaceo-chartaceous, one-celled (by abortion), with vestiges of three other cells. Seed solitary,
terete ; the embryo with little or no albumen. A low, much branching shrub, with small, ovate,
entire, and somewhat fascicled leaves, and white flowers in short capitate terminal spikes. The
name alludes to the feathery segments of the calyx.

Ptilocalyx Greggii. (Plate YIII.) Western Texas ; April. Common in New Mexico ; Mr.
Wright and Dr. Parry. (It is No. 492 of Mr. Wright’s distributed collection.) Near Buena
Yista, &c., Mexico; Dr. Gregg. A shrub of an ashy gray color, sometimes attaining the height
of three feet, the bark separating in loose shreds. Leaves 3-5 lines long, thickish, on short
petioles, revolute when dry. Heads of flowers half an inch in diameter. Calyx longer than
the corolla ; the segments villous-plumose with spreading hairs. Corolla white ; the border
obtusely 5-lobed. Stamens equal, included; filaments subulate, glabrous; anthers ovate, 2-
celled. Ovary globose-ovate, glabrous, 4-celled, with an ovule suspended from the summit of
each cell. Style 2-cleft about one third of its length. Fruit brown and shining, retrorsely
hispid near the summit, crowned with the persistent style ; only one of the cells fertile, the
others very indistinct and collapsed; their place being indicated externally by a broad stripe on
one side. This plant, which seems to have been hitherto undescribed, agrees in many respects
with Ehretia; but differs in the remarkable fruit, which is unlike that of any other Boraginea.

EDDYA, (n. gen.) Calyx deeply 5-parted. Corolla salver-form, with the throat naked. Sta¬
mens inserted towards the summit of the tube of the corolla. Style terminal, elongated, 2-
cleft: stigmas capitate. Ovary 4-lobed. Nutlets 4, globose-ovate, cohering by the inner angle,
but finally separating, muriculate-scabrous. Cotyledons ovate, entire: radicle very short:
albumen none, or very thin. — A small, prostrate, much branched, and very hispid undershrub,
with crowded linear entire revolute leaves, and small axillary and solitary white flowers. Named
in memory of Caspar Wistar Eddy, M. D., formerly of New York, a zealous and promising
botanist, who died young, soon after publishing a catalogue of the plants growing around
Plandome, Long Island.

Eddya hispidissima. (Plate IX.) Ehretia? hispida, of the 1st edition of this report. Com¬
mon on the Rio Grande about El Paso. It is the same as No. 845 of Mr. Wright’s Texan col¬
lection, (1849) and No. 1557 of his New Mexican collection. The plant is much branched
from the base, which is decidedly woody. Leaves 3-5 lines long, acute, and very hispid with

BOTANY, Plate VIII.

3pra§U6 del.

gMiOCALYX' GREGG II

P- 3. Duval & Co.Lith PMkda

He stele sc.

||f • E.S.Imval&CoXifh.TM*. Presale u

BOTANY.

171

rigid whitish hairs: towards the summit of the numerous short branches they are much
crowded, so as to appear fasciculate. Flowers sessile, 2-3 lines long. Calyx hispid, like the
leaves; the tube somewhat indurated in fruit. Stamens unequal, included. Style cleft about
one third of the way down, about as long as the stamens. Nutlets scarcely one third of a line
in diameter, two or three of them usually abortive, of a dull gray color, roughened with very
minute papilllae ; the endocarp crustaceous and brittle. — Nearly allied to Tiquilia of Per-
soon, a genus very distinct from Coldenia, to which it was referred as a subgenus, with a mark
of doubt, by De Candolle. Both genera seem to he more allied to the tribe Borageaa than to
Ehretieas. *

Heliotropium Curassavicum, Linn.; DC. Prodr. 9 , p. 538. Pecos to Llano Estacado ; March
to April.

Onosmodium Bejariense, DC. Prodr. 10, p. 70. Western Texas; May.

Pentalophus longiflorus, Alph. DC. Prodr. 10, p. 86. Batschia longiflora, Nutt. Gen. 1 , p.
114. Gravelly soil ; Llano Estacado, &c. ; March to April.

Lithospermum breviflorum, Engdm. and Gray , PI. Lindheim, part 2, no. 278. Gravelly
soil,- on the Pecos ; April.

Eritrichium Jamesii, Torr. in Marcy’s Rep. p. 294. Myosotis suffruticosa, Torr. in Ann.
Lye., New York , 2 , p. 225. Sandy soil, Llano Estacado; March.

Eritrichium multicaule, Torr. in Marcy’s Rep. 1. c. On the Pecos; March.

Eritrichium crassisepalum, (n. sp.): annual, very hispid with spreading hairs; stem branch¬
ing from the base ; the branches ascending ; leaves obovate-lanceolate, rather obtuse ; racemes
bracteate (except the upper portion) ; flowers on short pedicles ; fructiferous calyx ventricose at
the base, closed and contracted above the middle, the segments thickened and indurated on the
back.; nutlets heteromorphous, ovate, acute, convex on the back, three of them muriculate-
granulate, the fourth larger and nearly or quite glabrous. On the Pecos, Llano Estacado, &c. ;
in sandy soil; March. A common species in Western Texas and New Mexico. It was found
by Fremont on the Upper Platte. It is the same as No. 640 of Fendler’s New Mexican collec¬
tion. The flowers are white and variable in size, being in some specimens minute, and not
much longer than the calyx, and in others quite conspicuous, as in the section Cryptantha of
Alph. DC. This species, however, belongs to the section Rutidocaryum, as does the fol¬
lowing.

Eritrichium pusillum, (n. sp.): annual, dwarfish, hispidly pilose; stem branching from the
base; leaves spatulate-linear ; racemes many-flowered, ebracteate; flowers sessile, approximate ;
calyx deeply 5-parted, the segments lanceolate and very hispid; corolla about as long as the
tube of the calyx; nutlets ovate-subtriangular, acute, verrucose-granulate on the back. Rio
Pecos to Llano Estacado ; March. It is the same as No. 1571 of Mr. Wright’s New Mexican
collection. A very small species, being not more than two or three inches high even in fruit.
It either branches from the base, or- throws up numerous simple stems, which are somewhat
spreading. The flowers are minute and white. The nutlets are light brown, scarcely one third
of a line long, and roughened with somewhat distant granules or papillse*.

Echinospermum patulum, Lelim.; DC. Prodr. 10, p. 137. Common in Western Texas.

Echinospermum strictum, Nees, in Maximill. Trav. App. Cynoglossum pilosum, Nutt. Gen.
1, p. 114? Llano Estacado ; March to April. The nutlets are armed with 6-8 strong and short
prickles on each side of an obtuse border surrounding a deep open cavity in front of each. Some¬
times one of the nutlets is of a different form from the others. De Candolle refers Nuttall’s
Cynoglossum pilosum to Pectocarya pencillata, not from having seen the plant, but because it
was said to resemble so strongly the figure of that species in the Flora Peruviana ; but Mr. Nut-
tall (in Plant Gamb.) says it is “a true Myosotis,” or rather an Eritrichium; so that it is
wholly unlike Pectocarya.

172

BOTANY.

HYDROPHYLLACEiE.

Phacelia integrifolia, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. New York, 2, p. 222, t. 3. Delaware creek to the
Pecos ; March. Barely commencing to flower.

Phacblia Popei, (n. sp.; Plate X): vicosely pubescent, hispidulous with spreading hairs;
leaves hipinnately parted, or pinnately cut, the circumscription linear-oblong ; segments oblong,
pinnatifid ; the lobes 5-9, short and obtuse ; spikes corymbose, densely flowered ; segments of
the calyx spatulate, about half the length of the campanulate corolla, and a little longer than
the globose capsule ; stamens somewhat exserted. On the Llano Estacado and Pecos, in grav¬
elly soil ; March and April. Stem four inches to a foot high from a biennial root, hispid, as
are the branches, &c. , with rather small and weak bristly hairs. Leaves 2-4 inches long ; the
primary divisions 3-10 lines long, or the lower ones more reduced in size, on the radical leaves
barely a line or so in length, clothed with a minute and almost viscid pubescence, with stronger
hairs intermixed ; the lobes oval or oblong, very obtuse, entire or 2-3-toothed. Spikes an inch
or more in length, not much elongated in fruit, dense ; the flowers sessile, or nearly so. Calyx
viscid-pubescent and hirsute rather than hispid ; the segments spatulate, obtuse, a line and a
half long, little increased in fruit. Corolla apparently white, about five lines in diameter when
expanded ; the rounded lobes entire or obsoletely crenulate ; the ten appendages at the insertion
of the filaments reduced to very short and rounded teeth. Filaments naked, at first slightly,
at length considerably exserted. Style nearly naked. Ovary hirsute-pubescent. Capsule a
line or a line and a half in diameter. Seeds four, oval, with the inner face strongly bilunate;
the central keel very prominent. Albumen conformed to the testa. Fruiting specimens of this
very distinct Phacelia are in Wright’s collection, (No. 1578.) An abundance of flowering spe¬
cimens were gathered by Dr. Garrard, as well as by Captain Pope, whose name we desire the
species to bear.

POLEMONIACEiE.

Gilia longiflora, Don; Torr. in Sitgreaves ’ Exped. t. 7. On the Pecos and Llano Estacado;
March.

Gilia rigidula, Benth. in DC. Prodr. 9, p. 312. Llano Estacado and upper Colorado.

Gilia coronopifolia, Pers.; Benth. in DC. 1. c. Llano Estacado and near Fort Washita;
March, April.

Phlox Drummondii, Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 3441 ; Bentli. 1. c. Western Texas ; May.

Phlox pilosa, Linn.; Benth. 1. c. Western Texas; May.

CONVOLVULACEiE.

Evolvulus argenteus, Pursh, FI. 1, p. 187. On the upper Colorado, Texas ; April.
Convolvulus lobatus, Engelm. and Gray, PI. Lindli. 1, p. 44. On the Colorado, Texas; April.

SOLANACEiE.

Solanum eljeagnifolium, Cavan. Ic. t. 243 ; Dunal in DC. Prodr. 13, p. 290. S. Texense,
Engelm. and Gray, PI. Lindh. 1, p. 19. S. Rcemerianum, Scheele in Linncea. 21, p. 767. S.
flavidum, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. New York, 1 , p. 227. Western Texas ; April, May.

Solanum - , the S. mammosum, Engelm. and Gray, PI. Lindh. 1. c., and the S. platy-

phyllum, Torr. in Ann. Lyc.? Western Texas; April. Not yet identified with any in De
Candolle’s Prodromus.

Solanum rostratum, Dunal, Solan, t. 24 ; and in DC. Prodr. 13, p. 329. S. heterandrum,
Pursh, FI. 2. p. 731, t. 7. Western Texas; May.

{j: S.P.PRPxp.& Surveys , 32^ParaIel.

BOTANY, Plate X.

PHACELIA POPEI.

E^.Droal&.ComM!

Restele sc.

BOTANY.

173

Physalis lobata, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. Neio York, 1 , p. 226. On the Pecos and Llano Esta-
cado ; March, April. Several forms, including, perhaps, more than one species. They are
not true species of Physalis. We know not what Dunal has done with them ; hut he must have
seen specimens in Berlandier’s and other collections. There is also a genuine Physalis from
Upper Texas, hut not in a condition to name.

Nicotian a rustica, Linn. ? Upper Colorado, Texas ; April.

GENTIANACEiE.

Sabbatia campestris, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc .; DC. Prodr. 9. p. 50. Near Fort
Washita ; April.

JASMINACEiE.

Menodora heterophylla, Moricand, in DC. Prodr. 8, p. 316 ; Gray , in Sill. Jour. 14, 1852.
Western Texas ; April. This is, doubtless, the Boliviara Grisebachii, Scheele in Linncea. 25,
p. 254.

APOCYNACEiE.

Amsonia ciliata, Walt. FI. Car. p. 98. On the upper Colorado ; April.

Amsonia salicifolia, Pursh, FI. 1, p. 184. On the Pecos. Only the broad-leaved form was
in the collection.

ASCLEPIADACEiE.

Asclepias tuberosa, Linn.; Michx. FI. 1, p. 117 ; var. angustifolia. Western Texas; May 10.

Acerates paniculata, Decaisne, in DC. Prodr. 8, p. 521. Anantherix paniculatus, Nutt.
Sandy soil, head- waters of the Colorado ; April. This is the snake- weed of the Camanche
Indians.

Acerates viridiflora, Ell. Sk. 1 , p. 317. Yar. 1. Leaves broadly ovate, mucronate, some¬
what fleshy, smoothish. Yar. 2. Leaves narrowly ovate, acute, somewhat hoary- pubescent.
Llano Estacado.

Acerates longifolia, Ell. 1. c.; Decaisne , l. c. Big Springs of the Colorado and Llano Esta¬
cado, in gravelly soil ; April.

Gonolobus biflorus, Nutt, in herb. DC. Chthamalia biflora, DC. 1. c. p. 605. With the
preceding.

CHENOPODIACEiE.

Obione canescens, Moq. Chenop.p. 74. Atriplex canescens, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 197. Mesilla
valley, and from Delaware creek to Sacramento river ; March.

Obione confertiflora, Torr. and Frem. in Frem. 2 d Report , p. 318. Gravelly soil, head¬
waters of the Colorado.

Obione argentea, Moq. Chenop. p. 76. Atriplex argentea, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 198. Llano
Estacado.

Anthrocnemum fruticosum, Moq. Chenop. p. Ill, and in DC. Prodr. 13, p. 181?; Torr. in
Stansb. Rep. p. 394. In a saline, decomposed, gypseous soil, also on the borders of a salt lake
on the Guadaloupe mountains.

Chenopodina maritima, Moq. in DC. Prodr. 13, (pars. 2 ,) p. 164. Sueda maritima, Dumort.
Chenopodium maritimum, Linn. Saline soils between the Pecos and Llano Estacado. Not in
flower.

174

BOTANY.

PIIYTOLACCACEiE.

Phytolacca decandra, Linn. Near Fort Washita; April.

POLYGONACEiE.

Polygonum lapathifolum, LinnJ Willd. Sp. pi. 2 , p. 442. Near Fort Washita. Perhaps
not distinct from P. Persicaria.

Eriogonum longifolium, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser.') 5, p. 164. E. Texanum,
Scheele. Gravelly soil, on the Pecos; April.

Eriogonium cernuum, Nutt, in PI. Gambel.? Llano Estacado, sandy soil. It differs in the
pubescence of the leaves being rougher and more persistent.

Rumex venosus, Pursh, FI. supp. 2, p. 733. Delaware creek, and along the Pecos; March.

Rumex Acetosella, Linn.; Pursh , FI. 1 , p. 249. Western Texas. Probably introduced.

Rumex Britannica. Linn.; Torr. FI. New York, 2, p. 155. Western Texas.

NYCTAGINACEiE.

Abronia cycloptera, Gray, in Sill. Jour. (n. ser.) 15; Torr. in Marcy’s Pep. t. 18. Llano
Estacado to Fort Chadhourne ; April, May. In flower only.

Oxybaphus angustifolius, Torr. in Amer. Lye. New York, 2, p. 237. On the upper Colorado;
April.

Oxybaphus hirsutus, Sweet ; Nook. FI. Bor. -Am. 2 , p. 124. On the Colorado ; April.

Acleisanthes Berlandieri, Gray, in Sill. Jour. 1. c. On the Pecos ; March, Foliage only.

EUPHORBIACEiE.

Tragia ramosa, Torr. in Ann. Lye. New York, 2, p. 245. Gravelly soils ; March.

Cnidoscolus stimulosus, Engelm. and Gray, PI. Lindl., part 1, p. 26. Sand-hills of Llano
Estacado and Western Texas; March to May. Flowers larger than in the eastern plant.

Stillingia lanceolata, Nutt, in Trans. Phil. Soc., ( n . ser.) 5, p. 176. Sandy soil, Western
Texas ; April to May.

Hendecandra crotonoides, Rook, and Am. Bot. Beech, p. 388. This is the same as No.
1800, Pl. Wright. It was found also by Fremont on the Gila. It is quite a distinct species
from H. procumhens. The Mexicans call it Yerba del Goto, and use it as a purgative.

Euphorbia Arkansana, Engelm. and Gray, l. c. no. 303. Intermediate between E. platy-
phylla and E. Helioscopia. Sandy soil. Collected in a journey to Fort Chadhourne, and on the
head-waters of the Colorado.

Euphorbia Geyeri, Engelm. and Gray, PI. Lindh. 1 , p. 52. Western Texas ; May.

Euphorbia Wrightii, (n. sp.) : stem herbaceous from a somewhat ligneous base, erect, much
branched; leaves opposite, sessile, narrowly lanceolate-linear, entire; involucres solitary, pe¬
dunculate, mostly terminal or in the uppermost forks of the stem, pubescent; glands trans¬
versely oblong, entire, with a large petaloid broadly ohovate denticulate appendage; capsule
very minutely papillose-pubescent; seeds glabrous. Head-waters of the Colorado; April. This
is the same as No. 1827 of Mr. Wright’s New Mexican collection, (1851-52). It is about a
foot high, branching from the base; the branches green and angular. Leaves an inch or more
in length, and 2-3 lines wide. Peduncles variable in length, occasionally 2-3 times longer than
the hemispherical involucre, hut usually shorter. Petaloid appendages conspicuous. Styles
very short, spreading, 2-cleft about half-way down. Capsule coriaceous. Seeds subglobose.

Euphorbia albomarginata, (n. sp.): perennial, slender, much branched, smooth; leaves stipu¬
late, opposite, suborbicular, subcordate, entire, distinctly petiolate; involucre solitary, shorter

BOTANY.

175

than the peduncles; glands transversely oval, with an entire or slightly crenate petaloid border,
which is twice as broad as the gland itself; seeds obovate, somewhat rugose transversely, dull,
gelatinous when moistened. In red sand and clay: with the preceding. Resembles the follow¬
ing, but more slender and of a more diffuse habit. It is readily distinguished by the broad
petaloid appendages of the involucral glands.

Euphorbia dilatata, (n. sp.): whole plant clothed with a soft pubescense; stem much branch¬
ing from a somewhat woody base, diffuse; leaves without stipules, opposite, ovate, sessile,
dilated and somewhat unequal at the base, rather obtuse, entire, (often purplish underneath)
thickish; involucres mostly solitary, axillary and terminal, nearly sessile, ovate; glands trans¬
versely linear-oblong, with a narrow petaloid crenate margin; capsule somewhat hairy; seeds
oblong, even, gelatinous when moistened. Western Texas. Not uncommon in New Mexico.
Resembles No. 1840 of Mr. Wright’s New Mexican collection, (1851-52); but that is hairy,
the leaves are lanceolate, tapering to a mucronate tip, and the petaloid appendages of the invo¬
lucral glands are much broader.

Euphorbia Fendleri, (n. sp.): branching and diffuse from a somewhat woody candex, smooth;
leaves stipulate, opposite, broadly ovate or orbicular-ovate, on very short petioles, subcordate
and oblique at the base ; involucres solitary, on short peduncles ; gland transversely oval, with
a narrow entire somewhat 2-lobed border ; capsule smooth ; seeds obovate, a little rugose trans¬
versely, gelatinous when moistened. Big Springs of the Colorado ; April. This species is No.
800 of Fendler’s New Mexican collection. It is a small plant, throwing off many branches that
spread on the ground, forming a little patch from three to six inches in diameter. The leaves
are 3-4 lines long, and are often of a purplish tinge, especially underneath.

SANTALACEiE.

Comandra umbellata, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 157. Gravelly soil. Big Springs of the Colorado,
&c., Texas ; April.

SALICACEiE.

Salix. Two undetermined species were found in the sand-hills of Llano Estacado.

CUPULIFER2E.

Quercus undue at a, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. New York , 2, p. 248, t. 4. Head-waters of the Colo¬
rado and Llano Estacado ; in sandy soil. In flower April 12.

Quercus palustris, Du Roi. Near Fort Chadbourne, Texas.

URTICACEiE.

Parietaria Pennsylvanica, Willd? Delaware creek to the Pecos ; March.

Celtis reticulata, Torr. in Ann. Lyc. New York , 2, p. 247. Upper Colorado, Texas ; April.

Planera Richardi, Michx. FI. 2, p. 248. Western Texas; April.

Morus rubra, Linn.? Near Fort Washita; April.

CONIFERS.

Ephedra antisiphilitica, Berland.; Endl. Conif. p. 263. High rocky and sandy places ; Llano
Estacado and on the Pecos. The fertile aments are 1-2-flowered ; but usually perfect only one
seed, which in that case is triangular. When two seeds ripen they are less angular, and the
opposite faces are flat. The scales of the ament become fleshy at maturity.

Juniperus Virginian a, Linn.; Michx. f. Sylv. 2, p. 253, t. 155. Head- waters of the Colorado,
and in various parts of Western Texas.

BOTANY.

SMILACEiE.

Smilax hastata, Willd. Sp.p. 782 ; Ell. SJc. 2, p. 696. High plains, Llano Estacado.
COMMELYNACEiE.

Tradescantia Virginian a, Linn.; Kunth , Enum. 4, p. 81. Head-waters of the Colorado and
on the Pecos ; March and April. Very variable as to size, pubescence, and breadth of the
leaves.

Commelyna an GUSTiFOLiA , Michx. FI. 1, p. 24. Hear Fort Washita.

IRIDACEiE.

Sisyrinchium Bermudiana, Linn.; var. anceps. S. anceps, Cav. Dry soils, Llano Estacado.
LILIACEiE.

Camassia Fraseri, Torn, in Whipple's Report, ined. Scilla esculenta, Gawl. in Bot. Mag., t.
1574; (excl. syn. Pursh.) /?. angusta. S. angusta, Engelm. and Gray, PI. Lindlieim. , part
1, No. 198. Western Texas.

Allium mutabile, Michx. FI. 1, p. 195. On the Pecos and the head-waters of the Colorado ;
March to April. Flowers varying from deep rose red to nearly white.

Pseudoscordum striatum, Herb. Nothoscordum striatum, Kunth, Enum. 4, p. 458. Allium
striatum, Jacq. With the preceding.

Yucca angustifolia, Pursh , FI. 1 ,p. 227. On the Pecos; April. Flowers in along, narrow
raceme, as large as in Y. filamentosa, greenish yellow mixed with purple.

JUNACEiE.

Juncus tenius, Willd.; Torr. FI. New York, 2 ,p. 329. Low grounds. Hueco Tanks.
NARIADACE2E.

Potamogeton prjelongus, Wulf.; Gray , Bot. North. States, p. 456. Western Texas.
CYPERACEiE.

Scirpus lacustris, Linn.; Torr. Cyp.,p. 321. In water; Llano Estacado ; March.
Eleocharis obtusa, Schultes; Torr. 1. c.,p. 302. With the preceding.

GiRAMINEiE.

Ceratochloa unioloides, Beauv. Agrost. p. 75, 1. 15, /. 7. Bromus Willdenovii, Kunth, Enum.
1, p. 416. Head- waters of the Colorado ; April.

Tripsacum dactyloides, Linn. fil. Decad. 17, t. 9; Steud. PI. Glum. p. 362. Llano Estacado.
A tall rank grass, affording good fodder.

Chloris verticillata, Nutt, in Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. (n. ser.) 5, p. 143. Sandy plains
northeast of the Pecos; April. /?.? aristulata ; spikes much shorter; awns scarcely half the
length of the paleae ; lower glume ohovate, rather obtuse. With the preceding. Not uncom¬
mon at the lower Rio Grande, where it was collected by Dr. Gregg, who says it is good fodder.
The spikes are usually purplish, hut sometimes yellowish.

Panicum pauciflorum, Ell. sic. 1, p. 120 ? On the Pecos; April.

Phalaris angusta, Nees; Trin. Gram. t. 78. Head-waters of the Colorado.

Poa aranifera, Torr. in Marcy’s Rep. p. 301. Head-waters of the Colorado; April 13. Also
the var. /?. With the preceding, and Big Springs of the Colorado.

BOTANY. 177

Festuca tenella, Willd. Enum. 1, p. 116. Higli sandy plains northeast of the Pecos, and
head-waters of the Colorado; March to April.

Festuca macrostachya, (n. sp.) On the Pecos. This is one of numerous Grama-grasses of
Texas and New Mexico.

Hordeum pusillum, Nutt. Gen. 1, p. 87; Kunth , Enum. 1, p. 457. Sandy soil; Llano Esta-
cado ; March.

Elymus Canadensis, Linn.; Kunth , Enum. 1, p. 457. Near Fort Washita.

FILICES.

Adiantum Capillus-Yeneris, Linn. Big Springs of the Colorado. We follow Hooker in
uniting this and several other allied forms of Adiantum.

Nothoohu/en'a sinuata, Kaulf. Between the Bio Grande and Llano Estacado.

Gymnogramma tartarea, Eesv. With the preceding.

Cheilanthes Lindheimeri, Hook. Spec. Fit. 2, p. 101, t. 107. Llano Estacado. This is the
same as No. 2126 of Wright’s New Mexican collection.

Pteris (Platyloma) ANDROMEDiEEOLiA, Kaulf, Enum. Fil. p. 188. Hueco Swamps, Texas.
This is a common fern in California.

EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES.

Plate I. Selenia dissecta. Page 160.

Fig. 1, a flower, moderately magnified ; fig. 2, a sepal ; fig. 3, a petal ; fig. 4, the stamens ;
fig. 5, the young pod ; fig. 6, the mature pod — all more magnified than fig. 1 ; fig. 7, seed,
still more magnified ; fig. 8, section of the same, equally magnified.

Plate II. Calymmandra Candida. Page 166.

Fig. 1, involucre and receptacle ; fig. 2, chaff of the pistillate flowers ; fig. 3, a pistillate
flower; fig. 4, a perfect flower, partly enclosed in its woolly chaff ; fig. 5, the same, without the
chaff ; fig. 6, chaff of the perfect flower ; fig. 7, corolla of the perfect flower laid open — all mod¬
erately enlarged ; fig. 8, a stamen, more magnified ; fig. 9, upper portion of the style from a
perfect flower, equally magnified ; fig. 10, the same from a pistillate flower ; fig. 11, achenium,
pretty highly magnified ; fig. 12, longitudinal section of the same.

Plate III. Filaginopsis multicaulis. Page 166.

Fig. 1, involucre and receptacle; figs. 2 and 3, paleae of a pistillate flower; fig. 4, a pistil¬
late flower; fig. 5, palea of a staminate flower; fig. 6, staminate flower ; fig. 7, corolla of the
same, laid open and showing the stamens; fig. 8, its abortive style; fig. 9, achenium; fig. 10,
vertical section of the same — all the figures variously magnified.

Plate IV. Stenandrium barbatum. Page. 168.

Fig. 1, plan of the flower; fig. 2, a flower; fig. 3, the corolla laid open, showing the stamens
and pistil; figs. 4 and 5, stamens, shown in two positions — all moderately enlarged ; fig. 6,
pistil, more magnified, the ovary laid open vertically, showing the ovules ; fig. 8, a capsule,
moderately magnified ; fig. 9, cross-section of the same; fig. 10, a seed, more highly magnified;
fig. 11, longitudinal section of the same.

23e

178

BOTANY.

Plate Y. Pentstemon Fendleri. Page 168.

Fig. 1, corolla laid open, and moderately enlarged; fig. 2, longitudinal section of a flower,
more magnified; fig. 3, a perfect stamen, still more magnified; fig. 4, upper portion of the
imperfect stamen; fig. 5, pistil, its ovary laid open vertically.

Plate VI. Salviastkum Texanum. Page 169.

Fig. 1, vertical section of a flower; fig. 2, the calyx laid open; fig. 3, corolla; fig. 4, a sta¬
men; fig. 5, pistil; fig. 6, vertical section of the ovary; fig. 8, vertical section of a seed — all
the figures variously magnified.

Plate VII. Stegnocarpus canescens. Page 169.

Fig. 1, a flower, enlarged; fig. 2, the corolla laid open, showing the stamens and pistil,
equally magnified; fig. 3, a stamen, more magnified; fig. 4, pistil, with the ovary cut longi¬
tudinally; fig. 5, an ovule, highly magnified; fig. 6, the fructiferous calyx, moderately en¬
larged; fig. 7, cross-section of the fruit; fig. 8, a nutlet, more magnified; fig. 9, vertical sec¬
tion of the same.

Plate VIII. Piilocalyx Greggii. Page 170.

Fig. 1, a flower, magnified; fig. 2, the corolla laid open vertically; fig. 3, a stamen, more
magnified; fig. 4, the pistil, equally magnified; fig. 5, an ovule, highly magnified; fig. 6,
fructiferous calyx; fig. 7, the fruit and persistent style; fig. 8, transverse section of the fruit,
showing one perfect cell containing a seed, and three abortive, collapsed cells; fig. 9, embryo —
the last five figures moderately magnified.

Plate IX. Eddya hispidissima. Page 170.

Fig. 1, leaves, showing the upper and lower surface, magnified; fig. 2, a flower, equally
magnified ; fig. 3, the corolla laid open vertically; figs. 4 and 5, stamens, front and back views;
fig. 6, pistil, with the ovary cut vertically ; fi . 7, cross-section of the ovary ; fig. 8, fructiferous
calyx; fig. 9, a nutlet; fig. 10, embryo.

Plate X. Phacel.a Popei. Page 172.

Fig. 1, flower enlarged; fig. 2, corolla laid open, showing the stamens and pistil; fig. 3,
stamens, more magnified; fig. 4, calyx and pistil; fig. 5, pistil, with the ovary vertically divi¬
ded; fig. 6, transverse section of the ovary; fig. 7, ovule, more magnified; fig. 8, fruit scarcely
matured, with the persistent calyx; fig. 9, seed, more magnified; fig. 10, vertical view of a
seed transversely divided ; fig. 11, embryo, still more magnified.

INDEX

Alamos . .

Alexander, Brevet Lt. Col . . . .

Altitude of stations above sea-level _

Analyses of soils . .

Analyses of mineral waters .

Apache Indians —

General history of . .

Possessions of . .

Fight with Mexicans .

Resorts of . .

Interview with .

Apache Indians of the plains . .

Arapahoe Indians .

Armijo, Gen., reign of . .

Artesian wells on the Llano Estacado —

Practicability of .

Estimated cost . .

Benefits resulting from .

Astronomical observations —

Instruments used .

Tables of . .

Abronia .

AcacSa . .

Acanthacese . ;• .

Acerates . .

Achillea . .

Aciphyllaea . . . .

Acleisanthes . „ .

Actinella .

Actinomeris . .

Adiantum . . . .

Agassizia . .

Allium . .

Algarobia . .

Alyssinese .

Amblyolepis . . .

Ammoselinum .

Amorpha . . . . .

Amsonia . .

Anacardiacese . .

Anantherix .

Anemone . . .

Anthrocnemum . . . .

Aphanostephus . . . . . .

Aplopappus . .

Page.

Apocynaceae . 173

Apogon . 167

Argemone . 159

Artemisia . 167

Asclepias . 173

Asclepiadacese . 173

Astragalus . 103

Astrophyllum . 101

Atriplex . 173

Baird, Prof. S. F.—

Natural history collection submitted to . 3

Preliminary report on natural history . 94

Big Mineral creek . 93

Big Springs of the Colorado . 72, 77, 78

Blake, W. P., reference to geological report of. ....41, 44, 99

Booth, Prof. Jas. C. —

Soils analyzed by . 3

Report on soils and mineral waters . 95-97

Botanical department —

In charge of. . 3

Nature of collection . . . . 3

Specimens examined by . 3

Torrey & Gray’s report . 157-178

Boundary commission . 2

Brazos river —

Description of . . . 9, 40

Description and resources of its valley . 9, 26-27, 88

Byrne, J. H. —

Detail of. . A . 52

Diary of expedition . 51-93

Bahia . 167

Batschia . 171

Beilis . 166

Berberidacese . 159

Berberis . 159

Berlandiera . - . 166

Borage® . - . 171

Boraginacese . . . 169

Boliviara . 173

Bromus willdenovii . 176

California emigrants . 86

Caddoe Indians . 17

Page.

11,30

105-107

96-97

53-54

9, 35-37

37-38

112-156

174

164

168

173

167

174

167

177

167

176

164

160

167

165

162

173

162

173

159

173

166

180

INDEX,

Camanche Indians—

History of population, &c.... . .... ..

Position of .

Interview with party of . . . .

Caves .

Cherokee Indians . . .

Cheyenne Indians . . .

Chickasaw Indians . . — . .

Choctaw Indians . . . . .

Clear Fork of the Brazos .

Coal beds, valley of the Brazos . .

Colorado river and valley . .

Cornudos wells .

Cornudos mountain . . .

Construction of railroad along the route —

Recapitulation . .

Estimated cost . . .

Suggestions .

Table of ascents and descents . .

Cactaceae .

Calix .

Callirroe .

Calophanes . . . .

Calymmandra . - .

Camassia .

Campanula . . . . .

Campanulaceae . .

Carophyllaceas .

Cassia .

Castilleja . . . .

Ceanothus . . . . ...

Celtis .

Centaurea .

Ceratochloa .

Cercis .

Cercocarpus .

Cereus . -.

Chasrophyllum . .

Chsetopappa .

Cheilanthes .

Chenopodina . . .

Chenopodiaceae . .

Chloris .

Chthamalia .

Chrysactinia .

Cirsium .

Cistaceae .

Clematis .

Cnidoscolus . . .

Comandra .

Commelyna . .. .

Commelynaceae .

Compositae . . .

Coniferae . . .

Convolvulaceae . . .

Convolvulus .

Coreopsis .

Corydalis . . .

Cruciferas . . .

Pago.

Cryptantha . . . 171-

Cucurbita . . 164

Cucurbitaceae . 164

Cupuliferae . 175

Cympterus . 165

Cynoglossum . 171

Cyperaceae . . 176

Delaware creek, and valley of . . 29-30

Springs . 11, 29, 97

Diary of Expedition, by J. H. Byrne . 51-93

Object of . 3

Diffenderfer, Dr. W. L.—

Charge of botanical collection . 3

Meteorological observations by . 3

Detail of . 52

Dona Ana . 6

Dalea . 163

Daucus . 165

Delphinium . 159

Desmanthus . 164

Desmodium . 163

Diplopappus . . 166

Dipteracanthus . 168

Ditthyraea . 159

Dodecatheon . .., . 168

Draba . 160

Dracopis . 166

Dysmicodon . 168

Elm fork of the Trinity . 91

ElPaso . 32

“ Emigrant Crossing” . 69

Emory, Major, reference to opinion of . 44

Expedition —

Organization of. . 1,51-52

Object of . 4

Exploration, suggestion in relation to future . 45-46

Echinacea . 166

Echinocactus . 165

Echinospermum . 171

Eddya . 170,178

Ehretia . 170

Eleocharis . . 176

Elymus . 177

Ephedra . 175

Engelmannia . 166

Erigeron . •, . . . . 166

Erigonum . 174

Eritrichium . . 171

Erodium . 161

Erysimum . 159

Euphorbia . 174, 175

Euphorbiaceae . 174

Evolvulus . . . 172

Page.

14-16

84,85

9, 40, 88

11,30

165

175

130

168

166, 177

176

168

160

163

169

162

175

167

176

163

164

165

166

177

173

176

173

167

160

159

174

175

176

166

175

172

167

159

INDEX.

181

Fire on the prairie . 61-62

Fish.... . . . ...... . . . — . . 62,65

Fort Arbuckle . . 23

Fort Belknap.. . 9,22

Fort Bliss . 24

Fort Chadbourne —

Position of . 22, 86

Suggested change of . 23

Fort Conrad . 24

Fort Fillmore —

Position . 6

Proposed removal of . 23

Fort Gibson . 23

Fort Smith . 23

Fort Thorne . 6,24

Franklin . 6, 32

Fuel. — (See Wood.)

Fallugia . 164

Festuca . 177

Filaginopsis . 166, 177

Filices: . 177

Fumariaceae . 159

Gainesville.. . 92

Game . . . . . . 59, 60, 65

Garrard, Lieut. K. —

Charge of barometrical determinations . 2

Detail of. . 52

Proceeds in search of new route . 57

Success . . . 58

Instructions to, for exploring Guadalupe moun¬
tains . 61-62

Report of exploration of Guadalupe mountains . . 62-63

General summary . 47

Geographical position of route, mannerof determining 1

Geology —

Plan of geological profiles . 2

In charge of . 3

Reference to report of W. P. Blake . 41, 44, 99

Note in reference to preliminary report of Jules

Marcou . 98

Grades —

From Red river to Llano Estacado . 40-41

Llano Estacado . 41-42

Pecos to Rio Grande . 42-45

Average on route . 45

Table of . 46

Grapes, cultivation of. . 33

Grass —

Along the route . 11-12, 98-99

Between valley of Rio Grande and Pecos river.. 7, 8

On line of 32d parallel . 21

Near head of Delaware creek . . . 23

On Jornada del Muerto . 24

Between Red river and Rio Grande . 25

Graves . 57

Guadalupe mountains . 7,63

Page.

Gypsum on Llano Estacado . 28, 29, 58, 59

Gaillardia . 167

Galium . 166

Gaura . 164

Gentianace® . 173

Geraniace® . 161

Geranium . 161

Geum . 164

Gilia . 172

Gnaphalium . 167

Gnolobus . 173

Grama-grass. . 177

Gramme® . 176

Greggia . 159

Grossulace® . 165

Gymnogramma . 177

Henry, Dr., natural history collection by. . . 94

Hueco mountains. . 7,52

Hueco tanks . 7,11,30

Heleuium . 167

Heliotropium . /„... 171

Hendecandea . 174

Hoffmanseggia . 163

Hordeum . 177

Houstonia . 166

Hydrophyllace® . 172

Hymenatherum . 167

Hymenopappus . 167

Indians —

Apaches .

Apaches of the plains

Arapahoes .

Caddoes .

Camanches .

Cherokees .

Cheyennes . .

Chickasaws .

Choctaws .

Kiowas .

Lipans .

Tonkawas .

Utahs .

Wacoes . .

Wichitas .

Indian slavery .

Independence springs ....

Johnston, Col. J. E .

Jornada del Muerto .

Isletta . .

Jasminaceae .

Iridace® . . .

Junace® .

Juncus .

Jimiperus . .

13, 30,53-54,63, 65

. 17

. . 14-16,20, 81

. 17

. . 16-17, 72, 77

. 14

. 17

. 16

. 17

. 11, 30

. 2

. 6,24

. 6, 32

173

. 176

.., . 175

182

INDEX.

Kiowa Indians—

General history of...... . 16-17

Meeting with parties of . 72, 77

Krameria . 162

Krigia . 167

Las Cruces . 6, 31

Las Tortugas . 6,31

Latitudes —

Determination of . 1

Table of. . 104

Lipan Indians . 14

Llano Estacado —

Artesian wells on . 9, 35-37

Description of . 8-9, 66

Geological structure of . . . .- . . 9, 36

Eesources of . 11,28-29

Longitudes —

Determination of .— . 1

Table of . 104

Lower Cross Timbers . . . 26, 92

Labiatse . 169

Larrea . 161

Lechea . 160

Leguminosae . 162

Lepidum . . . . 160

Lespedeza . - . 163

Liliaceae . 176

Linaceae . 161

Linaria . 168

Lindheimeria . 166

Linum . 161

Lithospermum . 171

Lygodesmea . 168

Maguey plant, and manner of cooking . 58

Magnetic declinations, table of . 104

Maps, list and explanation of . 2

Marcou, Jules, reference to report of, on geology of

Llano Estacado . 36

Marcy, Capt., reference to report of . 9

Marshall, Lieut. L. H. —

Charge of natural history collection.. . . 3

Detail of . 52

Instructions to, for examination of the Pecos

river . 64

Eeport of examination . • 64-65

Departure for Fort Chadbourne . 82

Eeturn . 86

Massie, Mr . 93

Meteorological observations, kept by . 3

table of . 100-103

Mesilla . 6,31

Mesilla valley . . . 6, 31, 32-33

Page.

Military posts—

Establishment of, in the Indian country . 19-20

Objects and effect of . 19-20

Present positions and proposed changes . . 22

(See Forts.)

Minerals . 31,67

Mineral springs.. . . . 29-31

Mineral waters, report on analyses of . - . 96-97

Molino . 6, 33

Mustang springs . . . . 71, 97

Machaeranthera . 166

Malvaceae . 160

Malvaltrum . . 161

Marshallia . . 167

Melampodium . 166

Menodora . 173

Mezquit . . 164

Microrhamnus . 162

Mimosa . . . . . 16

Monarda . 169

Monardo . 169

Morus . 175

Myosotis . 171

Myosurus . 159

Natural History —

Collections by . 3, 94

Preliminary report . - . . . 94

Table of species and specimens . 94

Nariadacese . . . 176

Nicotiana . 173

Nothochlsena . 177

Nothoscordum . . 176

Nyctaginaceee . 174

Ojo del Cuerbo . 11,30, 55

Ojo de la San Martin . 52

Ojo de la Soledad . 52

Ojo del San Martin . 58

Organization of party . 1-4, 51-52

Organ mountains . 7

Obione . 173

Oenothera . 164

Oldenlandia . 166

Onagraceae . 164

Onosmodium . 171

Opuntia . 165

Oxalidaceae . 161

Oxalis . 161

Oxybaphus . . 174

Oxytropis... _ _ 163

Pecos river and valley . 8, 29, 56, 60, 66

Falls of . 59-60

Profiles —

Determination of . . . 2

In charge of . 2

INDEX ,

183

Pa c.

Profiles —

Instruments used in determination . . 2

Table of observations for determining from El

Paso to Preston . 108-110

Table of observations for determining from Em¬
igrant Crossing of Pecos to Big Springs of the

Colorado . Ill

Table of observations for determining through
San Augustine Pass of the Organ mountains. Ill

Panicum . 176

Parietaria . 175

Paronychia . - . 160

Parthenium . 166

Passaveraceae . . . 159

Passiflora . 165

Passifloraceas . 165

Pectocarya . 171

Pentalophus . 171

Pentstemon . 168, 169, 178

Perezia. . 167

Petalostemon . . . 163

Phacelia . 172,178

Phalaris . 176

Phlox . 172

Physalis . 173

Phytolacca . 174

Phytolaccaceae . 174

Picradenia . . . 167

Pinaropappus . 160

Planera . 175

Plantaginaceae . 168

Plantago . 168

Poa . 176

Polemoniaceae . 172

Potamogeton . 176

Polygala . 162

Polygalaceae . 162

Polygonaceae . 174

Polygonum . . . 174

Polytaenia . 165

Primulaceae . 168

Prosopis . 163

Prunus . 164

Pseudoscordum . 176

Psoralea . 163

Pteris . 177

Ptilocalyx . 170,178

Pyrrhopappus . . 168

Quercus . 175

Eed fork of the Colorado . 85

Eed river and valley . . . 10, 25-26, 29

Eio Grande and valley . 6, 31-34

Ranunculaceae . 159

Ehamnaceae . 162

Ehus . 162

Eibes . 165

Page.

Eiddellia . 167

Eosa . 164

Eubiaceae . . . 166

Eubus . 164

Eumex . 174

Eosaceae . 164

Rutacese . 161

Eutidocaryum . . . 171

Eutosma . 161

Sacramento mountains . 31

Sacramento river . 65

SanElizario . 6,32

San Tomas village . 6

Sanchez, chief of Camanches . 81

Santa Fe trade . 47-48

Sand-hills . 69

Character of, on hills adjoining Llano Estacado. 9

Selection of route across the plains . . . 21

Selenite . 68

Settlement of Texas . 48

Sierra de los Alamos . 54

Simpson, Captain, reference to report of. . 9

Soils —

Plan of collecting . 2

Submitted to . 3

Preliminary report on . 95-97

Analyses of . . . 95-97

Springs —

Delaware . 11,29,97

Independence . 11, 30

Mineral. . 2-32

Mustang . 71,97

Ojo del Cuerbo . 11, 30, 55

Ojo del San Martin.^ . 52

Ojo de la Solidad.. .. . 52

Sulphur, of the Colorado . . . 11, 78, 97

(See Tanks.)

Staked Plain. — (See Llano Estacado.)

Stem, Colonel Jefferson, Indian agent . 86

Stone for building, near head of Delaware creek .... 23

Colorado valley . 27

on Delaware creek . 29

between Eed river and Llano Es¬
tacado . 40-41

Llano Estacado . 41-42

between Pecos river and Eio

Grande . 42-45

Sulphur springs of the Colorado . 11, 78, 97

Sabbatia . 173

Salicacese . 175

Salvia . 169

Salviastrum . 169, 178

Santalacese . - . 175

Sapindacese . 162

Sapindus . 162

Schrankia . 164

Scilla . 176

INDEX.

184

Page.

Scirpus ...... . 176

Screw-bean . 163

Screw-tree . 163

Scrophulariacem . 168

Scutellaria . 169

Selenia . 160, 177

Senecio . 167

Sieydium . 164

Silene . 160

Simsia . . . 166

Sisymbrium . . 159

Sisyrinchium . . . 176

Smilaceae . 176

Smil'ax . 176

Solanaceae . 172

Solanum . 172

Solidago . 166

Sopbora . .. . 163

Sphaeralcea . 161

Stegnocarpus . 169, 178

Stenandrium . 168,177

Stellingia . 174

Streptantbus . 159

Strombocarpa . 163

Stylosantbes . 163

Sueda . 173

Tables —

Cost, length, &c., of road . 45

Ascents and descents.. . . 46

Natural history collection . 94

Analyses of soils . . 95, 96, 97

Analyses of mineral waters . 97

Camping places on line of survey . 98-99

Meteorological observations... . 100-103

Latitude, longitude, and magnetic declinations.. 104

Altitude of stations above sea-level . 105-107

Observations for determining profile from El

Paso to Preston . 108-1 1 0

Observations for determining profile from Emi¬
grant Crossing of the Pecos to Big Springs of

Colorado . 1 . Ill

Observations for determining profile through San

Augustine Pass of the Organ mountains . Ill

Astronomical observations . 112-156

Tanks —

Alamos . 11,30

Cornudos, or Thome’s wells . . . 1 1, 30

Hueco . - . 7,11,30

(See Springs.)

Taplin, Captain C. L. —

Charge of geological collection . 3

Detail of . 52

Instructions to for examining the Llano Estacado 60

Report . 73

Terminus (eastern) of the road. . . 49

Texas—

Grant of land by . 50

Settlement of . 48

Page.

Thorne’s wells . 30

Timber —

Between 32d and 34th parallels . 5

32d parallel, near Guadalupe mountains . 7, 8

Valley of the Pecos . 8, 29

Valley of Eed river . 9, 24, 25

V alley of the Brazos . . ^ . . 9, 26-27, 40, 88

Country drained by tributaries of Red river.... 10

Between Arkansas and Rio Grande valley _ _ 10

33d parallel . 22

Colorado valley . 22, 27, 28

East face of Guadalupe mountains . 11,44

West face of Guadalupe mountains . 11

Trinity River valley . 26

Llano Estacado . 28, 41-42

Between Red river and base of Llano Estacado. 40-41

Between Pecos river and Rio Grande . 42-45

(See Wood.)

Tonkawa Indians . 17

Trinity river and valley . 26

Tephrosia . 162

Teucrium . 169

Thelesperma . 167

Tiquilia . . 171

Tornio . 163

Townsendia . 166

Tradescantia . 176

Tragia . 174

Tripsacum . 176

Upper Cross Timbers . . . 26, 40, 90

Utah Indians . 17

Umbelliferse . 165

Ungnadia . 162

Urticacese . . . 175

Valerianaceae . 166

Verbena . 169

Verbenacese . 169

Veronica . 168

Vesicaria . 159, 160

Vicia . . . . 162

Vitaceae . - . . . 162

Vitia . 162

Waco Indians . 17

Water —

Between 32d and 34th parallels . 5

Between valley of Rio Grande and Red river ... 6

Between valley of Rio Grande and Pecos river. 6, 42-45

Between Arkansas and Rio Grande valley . 10

Along the route . 11-12, 21, 98-99

In Llano Estacado _ ....... _ 11,21,28—29,35—38

Route from La Vaca bay to Dona Ana . 23

Valley of Delaware creek . 23, 29-30

Jornada del Muerto . 24

Between Eed river and Llano Estacado . 40-41

INDEX.

185

Page.

Water-

Report and analyses of mineral waters . . . 96-97

(See Tanks and Springs.)

West fork of the Trinity . 88

White mountains . . 31

Wichita Indians . . . . . . 17

Wine, manufacture of ...... . . . . . 33

Wood —

Along the route . . . 11-12, 98-99

Between valley of Rio Grande and Pecos . 7, 8, 42, 45

Between Rio Grande and Guadalupe mountains. 7

Between Guadalupe mountains and Pecos river.. 7

Cerro Alto . - . . . 11

Sierra de los Alamos _ ...... ...... _ ..... 11

Los Cornudos . . . 11

Ojo del Cuerbo . 11

Guadalupe mountains . . . 11, 23

Delaware creek . 11

Llano Estacado . . . 11, 12,28,29, 41, 42

Sulphur springs, Colorado . . 11

Colorado river . 12, 22, 27, 28

Clear fork of Brazos .... .... ...... ...... .... 12

Wood—

Brazos river . . . .

Red river . .

Line of 32d parallel .

Jornada del Muerto . . .

Pecos river _ _ _

Between Red river and Llano Estacado.
(See Timber.)

Wild china . . . . . .

Xanthisma

Yerba del Gato . .

Yucca . .

Zanthoxylum ..

Zinnia .

Zizyphus .

Zygophyllacete

40-41

162

166

174

176

161

166

162

161

EXPLANATORY NOTE TO GEOLOGICAL REPORT.

Washington, February 18, 1857.

The mineralogical collections made by me were placed in the hands of M. Jules Marcou for
examination, and carried by him to France. They were subsequently returned in a confused
condition, and with many of the labels displaced. This fact will account for many errors in
the report, map, and section prepared by Mr. Blake.

JOHN POPE,

Captain Topographical Engineers.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE PROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WAR DEPARTMENT.

ROUTE NEAR THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL, FROM THE RED RIVER TO THE RIO GRANDE,

EXPLORED BY BYT. CAPT. JOHN POPE, TOP. ENGINEERS, IN 1854.

REPORT

THE GEOLOGY OF THE ROUTE,

NEAR THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL:

PREPARED FROM THE COLLECTION AND NOTES OF CAPT. POPE,

WILLIAM P. RLAKE,

GEOLOGIST OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES PACIFIC RAILROAD SURVEYS.

WASHINGTON, D. C.
1856.

Washington, D. C., December, 1855.

Sir: I herewith submit some observations upon the geology of the region explored by
Captain Pope, near the 32d parallel, in 1854, based upon the collection of rocks and fossils
which were placed in my hands by you for description.

This collection of rocks, taken from various points along the route, is very interesting and
complete, and doubtless presents a fair view of the mineral characters of the formations. A
list of the collection, and descriptions of the most important specimens, will he found in this
report. The fossils, although not numerous, are from interesting localities ; hut there are no
species which have not been previously described and figured.

I have made free use of the descriptions of the main features of the country contained in
Captain Pope’s report ; and in the absence of all geological sections, I have been guided by
the topographical and general descriptions in assigning the boundaries of the different
formations.

Respectfully, yours,

WILLIAM P. BLAKE,

Geologist of the Office of the U. S. Pacific

Railroad Explorations and Surveys.

Captain A. A. Humphreys,

U. S. Topographical Engineers , in charge of the

Office of U. S. Pacific Railroad Explorations and Surveys.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OP THE REGION EXPLORED.

Page.

Extent and boundaries of the region. — Mountain ranges. — Trend and elevation.— Table lands, their extent and
elevation. — Llano Estacado.— Two slopes of the plain. — Altitude. — Bluff character of its northern borders.- —

Limit of the Llano on the east. . . . 7 — 11

CHAPTER II.

GEOLOGY OP THE MOUNTAIN RANGES.

Ranges probably granitic, with Carboniferous limestone. — Organ mountains. — Hueco mountains. — Los Cornu-
dos.- — Polished rocks. — Guadalupe mountains. — Trend towards the Witchita mountains.- — Sierra de los Alamos
and Los Cornudos.- — Probable shallowness of the valleys in the granite. — Natural tanks or reservoirs of water. —

Similar tanks in the African deserts. — Probable origin . 12 — 15

CHAPTER III.

GEOLOGY OP THE LLANO ESTACADO AND THE PLATEAUX BETWEEN THE MOUNTAIN RANGES PROM
THE RIO GRANDE TO THE COLORADO.

Red sandstone and Gypsum formation of Delaware creek and the Pecos. — Gypsum of the Andes and of Iowa.—

Of Nova Scotia and Virginia.- — Of Tuscany, Italy. — Extent of the American formation. — Geology of the plains
between the Rio Grande and the Guadalupe mountains.- — Sand-hills.— Saline lakes. — Springs. — Artesian wells 16 — 23

CHAPTER IV.

REMARKS ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE ROUTE, PROM THE LLANO ESTACADO TO PRESTON.

General description of the country. — Red sandstone and gypsum. — Age of the Gypsum formation. — Absence of
fossils. — Probable Cretaceous or Carboniferous age. — Gypsum of Nova Scotia in the Carboniferous. — Fort Belk¬
nap to Preston. — Section of strata at Belknap. — Coal. — Carboniferous limestone.- — Cross timbers. — Cretaceous.- —

Loess . . 24 — 28

CHAPTER V.

BUILDING -STONE. — COAL . — GYPSUM . — LEAD . — SULPHUR .

1. Building-stone. — Description of the principal specimens in the collection. — Remarks upon them and their 29 — 30

distribution _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. Coal. — Fort Belknap. — Carboniferous formation. — Lignite on the Brazos. — Probable extent of the coal-. . 31 — 32

3. Gypsum. — General description of the mineral. — Its composition and uses. — Anhydrite. — Varieties of gypsum in
the collection. — Description of a specimen containing carbonate of lime. — Gypsum of Plaister Cove, N. S. —
Applications of gypsum in the arts. — Quantity mined and shipped to the United States. — Remarks on the origin

and formation of the beds. — Gypsum in the Tertiary strata of California - - - - . - . 32 — 36

4. Lead. — Lead and silver mines of the Organ mountains. — Description of the specimens. — Galena. — Cerusite 36 — 38

5. Sulphur. — Analysis of a dry powder from Delaware creek . 38

CONTENTS

CHAPTER VI.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOSSILS COLLECTED BY CAPTAIN JOHN POPE.

Page.

Exogyra. — Grypheea. — Productus. — Remarks in conclusion . 39 — 40

CATALOGUE OF THE GEOLOGICAL COLLECTION.

1. Rocks and minerals. — 2. Fossils . . . . . . 41 — 42

NOTE IN EXPLANATION OF THE MAP AND SECTION.

INDEX . 45—47

ILLUSTRATIONS.

GEOLOGICAL MAP OF THE ROUTE.

GEOLOGICAL SECTION FROM PRESTON TO THE RIO GRANDE, NEAR EL PASO.

REPORT.

CHAPTER I.

General Remarks on the Physical Geography of the region explored.

Extent and boundaries of the region. — Mountain ranges. — Trend and elevation. — Table-lands, their extent and elevation. —
Llano Estacado. — Two slopes of the plain. — Altitude. — Bluff character of its northern borders. — Limit of the Llano on
the east.

The strip of country explored by Captain Pope, extending from Preston, on the Red river
of Texas, in a direction south of west, to the Pecos river, and thence nearly west to the valley
of the Rio Grande at El Paso and Dona Ana in New Mexico, embraces within its limits geologi¬
cal formations of great variety and interest. Its western end is crossed by the ranges of the
great central mountain chain of the continent ; its eastern reaches to the comparatively low
plains of the Red river ; while the central portion of the route is upon the extended and elevated
desert plain of the Llano Estacado.

As it is very desirable and interesting to note the' connexion of the geology with the promi¬
nent physical features of the region, I purpose to precede the more particular geological de¬
scriptions by some general remarks, based upon the observations of the survey, and which are
given in the profile of the route.

The physical features of the region, though strongly marked, are very simple. On the west,
the mountain ranges break the monotony of the plains, and form, by their numbers and parallel¬
ism, a series of longitudinal valleys extending nearly north and south ; but to the eastward of
these, and over the greater part of the country Captain Pope traversed, an almost unbroken
horizontal plain is found.

These mountain ranges are three in number, and are there known by the following names:
Organ mountains, Hueco mountains, and Guadalupe mountains. The prolongations of these
ranges towards the north at Albuquerque and Santa Fe have other and local names — Sacramento
mountains, Sierra Blanco, &c.; hut the whole series form a part of the main central chain,
known in its northern portions as the Rocky mountains. The general direction or trend of the
Organ mountains and the Hueco mountains is north and south — the former deflecting slightly
towards the west. The Guadalupe range, however, does not conform to this direction, but
diverges and trends towards the east; its mean direction, as it is given upon Captain Pope’s
map, being N. 38° E. According to the report of Lieutenant Garrard1, this range extends
southeasterly for seventy or eighty miles beyond the high peak, becoming more impassable as
you proceed southward, and finally uniting with a chain of mountains having a northwest and
southeast trend. The point which has generally been considered as the termination of the
range, he found to be a spur running out into the Salt Plain. The northern terminus, accord¬
ing to Captain Pope’s observations, is about sixty miles north of the 32d parallel, where it
1 Report of Captain Pope, page 63.

MOUNTAIN RANGES.— TABLE-LANDS. — LLANO ESTACADO.

sinks into the valley of the Pecos. I do not find an estimate of the general elevation of the
range, hut the summit of the Guadalupe Pass, one of the lowest, was found to he 5,717 feet
above the sea;1 while the Hueco Pass is 4,811 feet; and the pass in the Organ mountains,
between Dona Ana and San Augustin spring, is 5,467. In fact, the Guadalupe Pass is the
highest point Captain Pope reached on his whole line. It is important to note here, that the
Witchita mountains, explored by Captain Marcy and Doctor Shumard, and found to he of granite,
are located directly in the line of trend of the Guadalupe mountains, and their geological con¬
nexion is thus indicated. The outcrop is, however, very distant; hut other knobs of granite
in a line with, or parallel to, the Witchita mountains, indicate that the general trend of the
granitic axes or elevations of that region is N. E. and S. W. ; and this favors the supposition
of the prolongation or connexion of the Guadalupe chain with the Witchita. We should thus
expect to find either more outcrops of granite between the end of the Guadalupe and the Witchita
mountains, or a very perceptible modification of the surface of the Llano.

The intervals between the mountain ranges, which are crossed by the line of survey, being
occupied by high table-lands, the altitude of these ranges above the surrounding surface is not
great. Captain Pope has described three table-lands, rising one above the other towards the east ;
their greatest width being at the northeast, and their inclination being very gentle towards the
southeast ; while on the west they terminate in abrupt descents, the three mountain ranges just
described forming their western limits. Two of these table-lands are west of the Guadalupe
mountains, and are comparatively narrow ; the first, from the Rio Grande to the Hueco mountains,
being 25 miles ; and the second, from the Hueco mountains to the Guadalupe Pass, being about
80 miles in width. The average elevation of the first, deduced from Captain Pope’s numerous
observations for altitude, is 3,963 feet, being the mean of 12 determinations at distant points.
This plain must he remarkably level, and well deserves the title of Mesa, which it receives.; for
the greatest difference in altitude between the 12 stations, from the summit or edge of the
plain to the Hueco mountains, is only 56 feet; the highest station being 3,991 feet, and the
lowest 3,935. The second plain is more elevated ; and yet its lowest point, at the Ojo del Cuerbo,
(3,893 feet above the sea,) is lower than any recorded on the first, and is, at its eastern side,
near the Guadalupe mountains. The slope of the plain, from the summit of the pass eastward,
appears to he very gradual, and, with one or two exceptions, is remarkably regular. One of
these exceptions is at the base of the Sierra de los Alamos, which consist of isolated mountains
rising above the general level of the plain. The mean altitude of this plain on that line,
according to the measurement of the survey, may he considered as 4,250 feet.

The western limit of this plain is the range of the Guadalupe mountains, and beyond them,
to the east, is the broad area of table-lands and semi-deserts, reaching to the Cross Timbers of
Texas. We here find the great Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain, an elevated treeless waste, 125
miles in width, on the line of Captain Pope’s survey. The observations for altitude show that
this plateau is remarkably level, and is unbroken by hills or sudden undulations of the surface.
The profile shows one great swell of the surface between the Pecos and the Colorado, forming
two long, hut very gentle slopes, similar to the slopes and counter-slopes of mountains and
continents ; that on the east being 130 miles in length, while on the west it is only about
eighteen miles. The two extremes of this undulation at the beds of the rivers appear to have
nearly the same elevation — about 4,000 feet; and the highest point between them — the
‘‘summit” of the Llano, as it is called by Captain Pope — is 4,706 feet. From Captain Pope’s
observations of the general bluff character of all the plateaux towards the west, and the con¬
sideration of the topography of the country further north, I have been disposed to regard this
shorter or western slope as resulting from the erosion of the river Pecos, and to consider the
gradual slope eastward from the summit as formerly continuous up to the base of the Guadalupe
mountains, forming a uniform slope, similar to the two further west, which have been before
described. It is, however, possible that this great undulation of the Llano, represented in the

The elevation of this Pass is reported by Mr. A. B. Gray to be 4,897 feet. [Railroad Record, No. 136, Oct. 1855, p. 27.]

LLANO ESTACADO. — ITS MEAN ALTITUDE “EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES.

profile, is not caused Toy erosion alone, but that a gentle curvature of tbe strata exists in con¬
sequence of the presence of a line of elevation in the « older rocks parallel with the Guadalupe
range. Such a line of elevation, although far beneath the surface, is very probable; and the
extended and gradual, but decided, elevation shown in the surface of the Llano, if it be not
due entirely to the denudation and erosion of the Rio Pecos, favors the supposition. 'Such a
line of elevation would produce a basin-shaped or trough-like disposition of the upper strata,
even if they rested undisturbed, as originally deposited; and thus the conditions necessary to
the success of artesian wells would be obtained.

The mean altitude or general elevation of the great plateau of the Llano has never yet been
given. The numerous measurements of the survey, however, furnish the means of determining
this elevation, at least for that portion along the route near the parallel of 32°. If we take
the mean of the altitudes of 22 stations, from two to seven miles apart, between the Pecos, at
the mouth of Delaware creek, and the Sulphur springs of the Colorado, we obtain, in round
numbers, 4,500 feet as the mean altitude of the Llano along the line explored. A consideration
of the courses of the rivers— the Pecos, Colorado, and Brazos — and the observations concerning
the slope of the Llano, lead to the conclusion that the surface rises towards the north and
northwest; or, in other words, that the Llano is highest in the northwestern portions, and
descends gently, not only east, but southeasterly, towards the Gulf of Mexico. The sources of
the Pecos river, at Hurrah creek, according to the observations of Lieutenant Whipple, who
passed along the Canadian river, near the parallel of 35°, are at an altitude of about 5,000
feet ; and this is over 200 miles north of the point at which Captain Pope crossed the stream.
His observations upon the altitude of a portion of the Llano, between Amarillo and Rocky Dell
creek, (longitude 102° 30',) range from 4,128 to 4,400 feet; while the observations of the
altitude of the summit, on the 32d parallel, almost directly south of that point, shows a height
of 4,700 feet. These results are not consistent with the conclusion of the descent of the surface
of the plain from the north to the south.

The formation of the Llano Estacado is one of the most marked physical features of the Ameri¬
can continent. Its surface, rising over a broad area to an altitude, in almost every part, of over
4,000 feet, at the lowest estimate, and but little broken or traversed by river valleys, constitutes
one of the most perfect examples of an elevated plateau, or mesa, that is found. The Great Basin,
although generally supposed to be the broadest and most extensive plateau of the country, is
entirely different in its character, being formed, not of extended and horizontal layers of rock,
but of the debris and wash from the thousand mountains and ranges that rise at intervals from it's
surface, and only by their intersecting slopes produce that general elevation of the surface which
has been regarded as a plateau. The Llano, on the contrary, is not broken by a single peak;
and there is nothing to break the monotonous desert character of its surface, except an occa¬
sional river gorge or canon, invisible from a distance, and often apparent only when the traveller
stands on its brink.

According to the observations of Lieutenant Whipple, this great plateau continues beyond
the valley of the Canadian far to the northward, and, although much cut and denuded by rivers,
the table-like hills, with mural faces seen on all sides, show its former continuity. The borders
of the plateau at the northward, along the Canadian and Red rivers, are well defined by a long
line of vertical bluffs, rising like walls above the general level of the bordering country or river
valleys. • These are described by Captain Marcy in his report,1 and were seen by Lieutenant
Whipple as he approached the Llano-from the east. Captain Pope has, however, ascertained
that along the line of his survey this characteristic of the plain at the north is absent, and that,
instead of a mural face on the west and east, the ascent from the level of the Pecos is very
gentle, and “ the summit-level was attained at a distancenf thirty-five miles, .without an abrupt
ascent at any point, and without the appearance of any of the marked characteristics which had

1 Exploration of tlie Red river of Louisiana, by Captains Marcy and McClellan,' U. S. A. [Ex. Doc., 33d Cong., 1st gess. :
Washington, 1854.]

LIMIT OF THE LLaNO ON THE EAST.— ESCARPMENTS OF ROCK.

been attributed to it. The descent from its summit to the headwaters of the Colorado was so
gentle as only to be perceptible to instrumental survey; and there was nothing to mark its eastern
limit, except the existence of the tributaries of that stream. Neither bluff nor uncommon swell
of the ground marks its existence as you approach from the east or west, nor is its uniformity
of surface disturbed at any point between the Pecos and the Colorado.”1 These observations
are exceedingly interesting, and of importance to the question of the location of a railroad. If
is possible, however, that this gentle inclination or descent from the surface of the Llano, both
on the east and west, is local, and caused by peculiar erosions or degradation of the plain at those
points. The Colorado river, at the eastern border of the plain, has numerous affluents ; and it is
to their continued wearing action that we may look for the destruction of the abrupt precipices
which mark the Llano at other places. The regular swell of the Llano, as exhibited on Capt.
Pope's profile, may thus result entirely from extensive lateral erosions along that portion of
the Pecos, and not be due to the presence of a subterranean ridge of older rocks, as has been
suggested.

According to the profile which Captain Pope has presented, the elevated plain of the Llano
maybe considered to extend from the Guadalupe mountains, or the Pecos, to a point beyond the
Colorado, or the divide between it and the Brazos river. This point is 4,236 feet in altitude, and
from it the surface descends very regularly for nearly 275 miles, to the banks of Red river, at
the termination of the line of survey, only 641 feet above the tide-level.

In the descriptions by Captain Pope, however, he regards the sources of the Colorado, or the
Sulphur springs, as the eastern limit of the Llano; and the character of the country indicates a
change in the nature of the rocks and soil. I have, therefore, concluded that the geological for¬
mation composing the surface of the Llano does not extend on the line of the trail to the east
of the Sulphur springs, and I have so represented it upon the geological map.

Rivers and streams. — The principal streams which traverse or take their rise in the Llano,
are the Canadian and Red rivers, the Brazos and Colorado, and the Pecos. The first named
flows from its sources in the mountains near Santa Fe, almost directly east, and intersects
the Llano; the Pecos, also rising in the same place, flows not across the plain, but southerly,
parallel with the mountain ranges, forming a long valley of erosion. The other rivers ap¬
pear to rise near the eastern margin of the plain, and are formed by the union of nume¬
rous minor affluents, after they emerge from the caflons of the plateau. With very few
exceptions, wherever these streams traverse or intersect the Llano, they are characterized
by bold, bluff banks or walls, on either side, which are almost impassable, and confine the
traveller to the tortuous course of the stream ; while, above, the level surface of the plain stretches
out and affords a boundless prospect in every direction. The vertical banks near the sources of
Red river are graphically described by Captain Marcy in his report, as follows: “ The gigantic
escarpments of sandstone, rising to the giddy height of 800 feet on each side, gradually closed
in until they were only a few yards apart, and finally united overhead, leaving a long, narrow
corridor beneath, at the base of which the head spring of the principal branch of Red river takes
its rise.” * * * * “ The stupendous escarpments of solid rock rising precipitously from

the bed of the river to such a height as for a great portion of the day to exclude the rays of the
sun, were worn away by the lapse of time, and the action of the water and the weather, into the
most fantastic forms, that required but little effort of the imagination to convert into works of
art, and all united in forming one of the grandest and most picturesque scenes that can be im¬
agined.” * * * * “ Occasionally might be seen a good representation of the towering

walls of a castle of the feudal ages, with its giddy battlements pierced with loop-holes, and its
projecting watch-towers standing out in bold relief upon the azure ground of the pure and trans¬
parent sky above. In other places, our fancy would metamorphose the escarpments into a bas¬
tion front, as perfectly modelled and constructed as if it had been a production of the genius of
a Yauban, with redoubts and salient angles all arranged in due order.”2

1 Report of Captain Pope, p. 9. 2 Exploration of the Red river by Captain Marcy. [33d Cong., 1st sess., pp. 55, 56.]

GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS OF THE REGION SURVEYED.

The region embraced in Captain Pope's explorations is thus divisible into three portions, dif¬
fering very considerably in their physical configuration. We have, first, the mountain ranges,
with their intervening plateaux, extending from the valley of the Eio Grande to the Pecos ;
secondly, the elevated plateau of the Llano Estacado, from the Pecos to the Sulphur springs of
the Colorado ; and, thirdly, the descent or slope from this plain over the undulating and fertile
valleys of the Texan rivers to the Bed river at Preston.

CHAPTER IT.

Geology of the Mountain Ranges.

Ranges probably granitic -with Carboniferous limestone. — Organ mountains. — Hueco mountains. — Los Cornudos. — Polished
rocks. — Guadalupe mountains. — Trend towards the Witchita mountains. — Sierra de los Alamos and Los Cornudos. —
Probable shallowness of the valleys in the granite. — Natural tanks ot reservoirs of water. — Similar tanks in the African ,
deserts. — Probable origin.

I do not find many specimens from the mountain ranges in the collection, and their geologi¬
cal characters along the route are, therefore, not very fully represented. These ranges are the
southern continuations of those hordering the valley of the Eio Grande, opposite Albuquerque
and Santa Fe, and which are known to he composed chiefly of granite and gneiss, with overlying
Carboniferous limestone hearing the usual fossils. The observations of the gentlemen connected
with the United States and Mexican boundary commission at the south of the Guadalupe Pass,
have shown that the southern prolongation of the chain, from which the Guadalupe range
diverges, is composed chiefly of granitic rocks ; the presence of Carboniferous limestone and
eruptive rocks has also been shown at the southern end of the Organ mountains, near El Paso
and Fort Bliss.

Organ mountains. — I do not find many recorded observations upon the rocks which compose
the Organ mountains, or the Sierra de los Organos — so called, it is said, from the fancied resem¬
blance of the highest peaks to the pipes of an organ. Captain Marcy states that they are of
Trap formation, and somewhat columnar in structure, with the columns standing vertically, and
in some cases rising to the height of a thousand feet, and terminating in sharp points.1

The southern part of this range is, however, known to he granitic, and to he partly composed
of Carboniferous limestone, which, perhaps, presents mural faces; and these, seen from a distance,
might he mistaken for bluffs of trappean rock. There are two small specimens of a dark-blue
limestone from the Organ mountains in the collection, and they are evidently fossiliferous.
They resemble specimens of the Carboniferous or Mountain limestone, to which formation they
may he safely referred.

Hueco mountains. — The specimens which Captain Pope brought in from the Hueco mountains
show that they are composed of granite ; and if the great mass of rock is like the specimens, it is
fine-grained and compact, and probably eruptive, not formed by the alteration of stratified rocks.
It is, however, possible, and very probable, that the rocks usually called metamorjohic are
present in that range, and the presence of a small mass of white crystalline limestone with the
specimens may he regarded as an indication of them. In the Diary of Mr. Byrne, I find it
stated that the Hueco mountains at the tanks “are composed of a dark-grey sandstone scattered
about in high masses, in the most grotesque disorder and confusion.”2

I find very nearly the same observation made in the report of Captain Marcy, who traversed
the range in 1849. He writes : “ The road passes between the two mountains, which approach
within a few rods of each other, leaving a level pass, bordered by immense ledges of rocks
standing out in hold relief directly over the road. The rocks composing the mountains are

1 Report on the Route from Fort Smith to Santa Fd, p. 198.

* Report of Captain Pope, Appendix A — Diary of J. H. Byrne, p. 53.

HUECO MOUNTAINS. — LOS CORNUDOS.

large masses of dark-grey sandstone -thrown up in the utmost disorder and confusion, having
numerous holes and caverns which have often served the Apaches as hiding-places.”1

It is not impossible that these dark-grey blocks, although resembling sandstone, were the
compact and fine-grained granite just described, or possibly Carboniferous limestone. Mr.
Byrne afterwards states that the natural wells of the Cornudos were, as at the Hueco tanks,
reservoirs in the rOck, which was similarly piled up in confusion and disorder. He also states
that these rocks are of a kind of granite or gneiss. Mr. Bartlett, the former boundary commis¬
sioner, who examined the Hueco mountains carefully, found them to be composed chiefly of
granite. He says : “The formation here is granite in place, rising from 100 to 150 feet above
the surrounding plain, and covered with large boulders piled up in every imaginable form. In
many places, the rock projects or overhangs; and in others, frightful chasms, as though rent
asunder by some violent concussion, appear.”2 At other places he found the deep, circular
holes in the rock, made by Indians in pounding their corn; and these were in granite, and from
twelve to fifteen inches deep. Such holes as these are exceedingly common in California, and
are always in the most compact granite, as, undoubtedly, any granular rock like sandstone
would be constantly abraded and fill the meal with grit. The descriptions which Mr. Bartlett
gives of the overhanging rocks with their broad, flat surfaces, upon which many inscriptions have
been made, indicate the presence of stratified rocks, although it is not at all iinprobable that such
surfaces are presented by the masses of granite. When travelling through the Hueco Pass,
however, Mr. Bartlett mentions the occurrence of grey limestone, which rose up on each side of
the way like walls. At the same time, the great mountain could be seen half a mile beyond,
with perpendicular sides of granite.

From these facts, and other evidences, I conclude that the Hueco mountains are principally
granitic and metamorphic, and that stratified rocks occur on the flanks of the range ; whether
these are the Carboniferous strata, or not, it is of course impossible to decide without specimens
and fossils.3

The peculiar broken character of this granite, the masses being of great size, and lying piled
together in confusion, has resulted from the gradual breaking up of the mass in situ, and not
from the action of floods, by which the blocks have been transported like boulders to their pres¬
ent positions. It is probable that the whole mountain is traversed by fissures in several direc¬
tions, so that the whole rock is, in a manner, cut up into blocks, which become loosened and
detached by weathering, and roll down its sides, accumulating in rude piles around the base of
the cliffs.

Los Cornudos. — According to Mr. Byrne, this mountain is about five hundred feet high, and
consists of huge masses of rock, scattered about in the utmost disorder and confusion. It was
also his opinion, as has already been stated, that they were composed of a kind of granite or
gneiss. I find the following observations on this rocky elevation in the narrative of Mr.
Bartlett: “This wonderful mountain, of which it is impossible to convey any adequate idea
by description, is a pile of red granite boulders of gigantic size, thrown up abruptly into the
plain. The boulders are mostly of an oblong shape, with their largest diameter vertical; they
are rounded, and often highly polished.”4 It is evident that, in respect to the broken, loose
character of the rock, it much resembles that of the Hueco mountains at the wells, and, like
it, appears to be a quantity of boulders piled together. This, as I have shown, arises from the
decomposition of the rock, and its gradual breaking up along lines of fissure or of cleavage.
Mr. Bartlett’s description will apply very truthfully to an erupted rock somewhat basaltiform;
and I am inclined so to regard it. Moreover, I find in the collection one specimen from this
locality — Ho. 73 of the catalogue and description. The label states that it was taken from the

1 Report on the Route from Fort Smith to Santa Fd, p. 199. 3 J. R. Bartlett, Personal Narrative, i, p. 170.

3 Lieutenant Bryan states that the rocks on each side of a part of this pass are in regular layers, and consist of limestone

and granite. [Reconnaissances in New Mexico and Texas, p. 23.]

4 J. R. Bartlett, Personal Narrative, i, p. 129.

ROCKS WITH HIGHLY POLISHED SURFACES.— GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS.

vicinity of Los Cornudos, (Thorne’s wells.) It is a peculiar porphyritic rock, of a light-grey color,
with a faint shade of lilac. It is evidently eruptive, and may he called trachyte, the feldspar
being in glassy crystals, and apparently imbedded in a less crystalline base of the same mineral.
Hornblende is present in small black crystals, and a small hexagonal plate of dark-red mica is
also visible. It is entirely different from the granite found at the Hueco mountains, and its
characters are more nearly like those of recent erupted rocks, such as occur in dykes, and not
in broad, extensive masses.

Mr. Bartlett noticed a peculiarly polished surface on all the rocks of that locality; in one
place, it was so distinct that it appeared “to have been done by the hand of man.” (p. 130.)
This phenomenon was again presented near the Hueco tapks, where are some isolated granite
precipices standing alone in the plain ; the surface was so highly polished, that Mr. Bartlett
remarked it particularly, and says that they were as smooth “as if they had been submitted to
some artificial process. It was probably the effect of their exposure for ages to the weather.”1
I have very little doubt that this peculiar polished condition of the surface is precisely like that
of the rocks on and around the Colorado desert of California. There, the rocks, as I have shown
in a recent report,2 3 4 receive their smoothness and high polish by the long-continued aetion of the
grains of sand and of dust which are carried over their surfaces with velocity and force by the
winds. This is probably the cause of the polished surface of the rocks of the mountains under
consideration. On the desert, the climate is such that there is little or no perceptible disinte¬
gration of the rock, even after ages of exposure. This is peculiarly favorable to the production
of the polished surface ; for the cause is continually acting, and there are no opposing influences.

Guadalwpe mountains. — The specimens from the Guadalupe mountains are all of limestone
and sandstone, and I do not find any of the erupted rocks represented. From the general
topographical indications, I am led to regard this range as having a granitic axis, or as being
on the crest of an uplift of granite and the allied rocks, although they may not appear upon
the surface. The specimens (particularly Nos." 5 and 6, see catalogue and description,)8 are,
however, of stratified rocks ; and in the absence of any evidence of the presence of the Plutonic
rocks, I have not represented them upon the map or section at the point crossed by the trail.
The peculiar divergence of the mountains towards the northeast, and their apparent prolonga¬
tion in the Witchita mountains, which has already been noticed, and the connexion of the range
on the south with a range known to be granitic, together with its great elevation and rugged
character, lead me to consider it highly probable that granite will ultimately be found in some
parts of the range, north or south of the part explored. Although there are no fossils in the.
specimens of limestone from the Guadalupe, and thus there is no evidence of the age of the
rocks, I cannot but regard them as Carboniferous, and I have colored the range near the trail
accordingly.

This opinion is strengthened by the following description, by Col. A. B. Gray, of the Guada¬
lupe peak, which rises on the north side of the Pass: “There is an abrupt and precipitous cliff
of columnar rock upon vast limestone terraces, attaining a height of 1,000 to 1,500 feet above
its base, with a general elevation of several thousand feet above the plain. It can be seen at a
great distance, owing to the clear and rarified atmosphere of the country. The face of this
stupendous structure is perpendicular, and looks as if it had been shaped by some sudden and
powerful convulsion of nature into the form of a large edifice or church, from which we gave it
the name of Cathedral rock. Viewed from the deep gorge below, it is truly sublime and beauti¬
ful ; its lofty peak towering to so great an altitude, and crowning the terminal point of an exten¬
sive range of mountains.”1 Messrs. Bartlett and Marcy give similar descriptions of this
locality, and there is little or no doubt of the stratified character of the mountains.

1 Bartlett, p. 175.

- Preliminswy Geological Report in connexion with the report of Lieut. R. S. Williamson. See also the final report.

3 For a description of these specimens, see a subsequent portion of this report.

4 Report of A. B. Gray. [Railroad Record : Cin., October, 1855, vol. iii, whole No. 136, p. 13.]

NATURAL TANKS OR RESERVOIRS OF WATER.

The plain, between the Hueco and the Guadalupe mountains is broken by several short ridges
or isolated mountains of moderate height, and shown on the map under the names of Sierra dc
los Alamos , Sierra Alto, .and Los Cornudos. As these mountains are probably all granitic, we
may conclude that the foundation of granitic rock, or its subterranean surface, is not far from
the surface of the plain ; or, in other words, that the valleys in the granite are comparatively
shallow, and that there is not a very great dhickness of stratified or palaeozoic formations rest¬
ing in them. The topography and the probable Carboniferous strata of the Guadalupe moun¬
tains lead me to consider this highly probable, and to regard the country between the two
ranges — the Hueco and Guadalupe ranges — as a broad axis or summit of granite and me tamo r-
phic rocks overlaid by sedimentary accumulations, similar to those of the Llano Estacado.

Natural tanks or reservoirs of water. — The natural tanks or wells which were visited are
an interesting and peculiar feature, and seem to be placed in those desert plains for the comfort
of the traveller. These tanks are found principally in the Hueco mountains, but occur at Los
Cornudos and other similar localities. The tank in the Hueco mountains, near the trail, is
described by Mr. Bartlett as a great cavity in the rock, containing about fifty barrels of pure,
sweet Avater. Tins' cavity was covered by a huge boulder weighing some hundred tons, and its
lower surface was only four or five feet above the water.1

It is difficult to understand by what action the rocks, if of. granite, were symmetrically hol¬
lowed out so as to form these well-like reservoirs. It would seem, from some of the descriptions,
that they were in sedimentary rocks or strata of sandstone; and, if so, decomposition may have
been the principal cause of their formation. Large cavities and irregularly-formed depressions
are very common on the surface of granite — and probably this is the character of the tanks — the
water being overshadowed and preserved from rapid evaporation by piles of rocky debris. Mr.
Byrne states in his Journal that the water is not found in the tanks alone, but that there are
numerous holes and crevices in the mountains, which contain enough for the use of travellers.
This Avould indicate that the water collects in the irregular depressions of the rock, and not in
holes worn out by the action of running water.

Similar reservoirs of water were found in the mountains of the African deserts by Bayard
Taylor, who describes one in the Beyooda desert, as a vast natural hollow in the porphyry rock,
in the centre of a basin or valley near the top of the mountain. “ The water is held in a tank ;
it is from twenty to thirty feet deep, and as clear as crystal. . The taste is deliciously pure and
fresh.”2

It is very probable that some of these reservoirs are constantly fed by the condensation of
moisture upon the surrounding rocky summits ; and others may be springs supplied through
fissures in the rock, the evaporation from the surface being so rapid as to prevent their over¬
flow. A great quantity of water is derived from the melting of snow which falls on these
mountains and on the surrounding plains in the winter season.

1 Bartlett, Personal Narrative, i, p. 134.

2 Journey to Central Africa, &c., by Bayard Taylor, p. 414, lOtli edit.: New York, 1854.

CHAPTER III.

Geology of the Llano Estacado and the Plateaux between the Mountain Ranges , from
the Rio Grande to the Colorado.

Horizontal character of the strata of the Llano. — Section of the strata.— Absence of bluffs. — Character of the strata
underlying the Llano. — Gypsum and red clays. — Probable Cretaceous age of the upper strata of the Llano. — Fossils. —
Cretaceous at Dona Ana. — Possible presence of Tertiary strata.— Absence of Jurassic fossils. — Bed sandstone and Gypsum
formation of Delaware creek and the Pecos. — Gypsum of the Andes and Iowa. — Of Nova Scotia and Virginia. — Of
Tuscany, Italy. — Extent of the American formation. — Geology of the plains between the Eio Grande and the Guada¬
lupe mountains. — Sand-hills.— Saline lakes.— Springs. — Artesian wells.

The regular horizontal character of the Llano, and the form of its river valleys, are sufficient,
without further evidence, to satisfy the geologist that it consists of horizontal strata of rock ; a
conclusion which is supported by the observations of all who have visited the region. The
sketches of the borders of the Llano, accompanying the report of Captain Marcy, all show, with
beautiful distinctness, the stratification of the rock in horizontal planes. So also the sketches
brought in by Lieutenant Whipple exhibit successive layers of rock cropping out on the sides
of gorges and canons, and again resting upon the tops of mounds, in broad, tahle-like summits.
Dr. G. G. Shumard, the geologist who accompanied Captain Marcy in his expedition to the
sources of the Red river, has described the horizontal strata of the Llano, and we are indebted
to him for the first geological section of the formation. This section was taken at the borders
of the plateau, near the south fork of the Red river, in latitude 34° 30', where the bluffs have a
height of 600 feet above the prairie below. The base of the bluffs was formed of a deposite of
red clay 400 feet thick, with a layer of saccharoid gypsum twenty feet thick above it ; this was
surmounted by strata of grey and yellow sandstone, alternating with thin seams of non-fossil-
iferous limestone ; and the upper stratum, about 100 feet thick beneath the soil, is of drift with
small boulders.1

As on the. line of survey there were no abrupt or precipitous borders to the Llano, the oppor¬
tunities for .observing the character of the strata were not as favorable as are presented further
north. Mr. Byrne, in his Diary, under date of March 6th, mentions the occurrence of gypsum
along the borders of Delaware creek, and the next day he describes several caves in gypsum.
Lieutenant Marshall, who examined the Pecos river as high up as the Sacramento, reports that
the country over which he passed was a rolling prairie, and the soil was a mixture of clay and
decomposed gypsum, evidently resting on a bed of limestone, and on a conglomerate of lime¬
stone and clay, which outcrops at several points along the river. “ On the left or east bank of
the river is the broad plain of the Llano Estacado, which evidently has for its basis the same
conglomerate rock mentioned above.”2 He also found red clay and gypsum on the banks of the
Sacramento river. Captain Pope also mentions immense outcrops of gypsum and selenite in
‘ ( bluff banks fifty feet high along the Pecos ; ’ ’ and states further, that ‘ ‘ numerous caves of pure
gypsum of dazzling whiteness within, are found in this gypsum formation, which extends over
a distance of 150 miles along the route.”3 From these facts, and the configuration of the Llano,
I am led to regard its substrata as similar to those further north, where it has been more

J Eeport of an Exploration of Eed river in 1852, by Captain Marcy. [Appendix D, Geology, p. 168, pi. 10.]

2 Eeport of Captain Pope, p. 66. -Ibid, p. 28.

GEOLOGY OF THE LLANO. — CRETACEOUS FOSSILS.

thoroughly examined. According to Lieutenant Whipple and Mr. Jules Marcou, the geologist
who accompanied him, the base of the Llano along the Canadian is composed of the red and
blue clays or marls containing gypsum ; above them are white and yellowish sandstones and
limestones, also in horizontal strata.

The geological age of these strata of red clays, sandstones, and gypsum, has not yet been
satisfactorily determined; the formation appears to he singularly devoid of fossils, and, as yet,
the only indications of its place in the geological series are its mineral characters and relative
positions. The age of the overlying rocks of a lighter color is also obscure, hut there is much
reason to regard them as Cretaceous and Tertiary. The only fossils which I find in the collec¬
tion from the Llano are Cretaceous, and serve to indicate the development of that formation at
the Big springs of the Colorado, and a point on the Llano twenty miles east of the Sand hills.
There are no fossils from the gypsum formation, nor any specimens which serve as a guide to
its age. The fossils referred to are well preserved specimens of Gryphcea Pitcheri and Exogyra
Texana; several specimens of limestone from the bluff at the Big springs of the Colorado, which
contain a small Gryphcea like G. vomer; and a mass of shells much broken, but containing frag¬
ments of Gryphcea from a point twenty miles east of the Sand hills. Descriptions of these fossils
will be found accompanying this report. They are all characteristic of the Cretaceous forma¬
tion ; Gryphcea Pitcheri being a well-known fossil of wide distribution in the Cretaceous forma¬
tions of the United States. The altitude of this locality of Cretaceous fossils at the Big springs,
according to the profile from the Pecos to the Big springs, is 3,844 feet above the sea.

The existence of the Cretaceous formation in the valley of the Bio Grande, between El Paso
and Dona Ana, has been determined by Major Emory, by observations in connexion with the
United States boundary survey. That part of the valley has an elevation of near 4,000 feet
above the sea, and the west edge of the mesa opposite Dona Ana is 4,460 feet, which, according
to the profile, is about the mean elevation of the Llano Estacado. The identification of hori¬
zontal Cretaceous formations at this point, at the same elevation with the formations of the
Llano, also horizontal, is good evidence of their similarity in age. We have, therefore, three
points at nearly the same elevation, yet separated by many miles, which are shown to be Creta¬
ceous by the fossil remains. Two of these localities are upon the Llano, and the other is on the
Bio Grande river, and the elevation of each is that of the general surface of the Llano in that
latitude. It would appear, therefore, that its upper strata are of the age of the Cretaceous.
Further observations and collections of fossils from the plain are, however, very desirable to
verify these indications and probabilities.

The specimens of the rocks from the Llano Estacado have a general resemblance to each
other, and show the nearly uniform nature of the geological formation. They consist, for the
most part, of light-colored, whitish, or grey calcareous sandstones, with specimens of compact
amorphous limestone, which resembles the specimens containing the Cretaceous fossils from the
Big springs. Three or four specimens consist of sand and gravel united by a calcareous cement,
and looking as if these materials had been exposed to the infiltration of water highly charged
with carbonate of lime. (See descriptions and catalogue Nos. 23 and 24.) These have a very
modern aspect, and much resemble the sandstones and conglomerates of the Tertiary age. Indeed,
all the specimens of the sandstones of the Llano are so much like those of the Tertiary, that if
it were not for the presence of the Cretaceous fossils, I would have been led to regard them as of
that period.

Mr. Jules Marcou, who passed over the Llano with Lieutenant Whipple, near the parallel of
35°, regards the base of the Llano, or the formation of red clays, sandstone, and gypsum, as
of the age of the Trias, and the upper strata — the light-colored sandstones and limestones — as
Jurassic. In the preliminary observations he made upon this route, based upon Captain
Pope’s notes and collections, and published in the preliminary 8vo. edition of his report, he
assigns the same ages to the corresponding parts of the Llano on the line ; and says that the
rocks covering the variegated marls of the Trias, and forming the whole plain of the Llano

18 GYPSUM FORMATION ALONG DELAWARE CREEK. — OF NOYA SCOTIA, AND ITALY.

Estacado as far as the Pecos river, belong to the Jurassic epoch. I do not find in the collection
any specimens or fossils which present evidence of the existence of these formations, and I do
not know the foundation for Mr. Marcou’s assertion.

The collection which Captain Pope made along the hanks of Delaware creek is entirely
different in character from that made on the Llano. The color of the sandstones is not light huff
and grey, hut is red ; and the frequent occurrence of the specimens of opaque and transparent
gypsum shows clearly that the creek has worn its way downwards in the great gypsum forma¬
tion. This is also true of the Pecos, for it is indicated hy the specimens; and Captain Pope
has described a great bed of gypsum, which appears along its hanks, and is fifty feet thick.1
This is said to he translucent, and sufficiently so to he used hy the people of New Mexico
instead of glass. Captain Pope also states, in addition, that “ numerous caves of pure gypsum,
of dazzling whiteness within, are found in this entire gypsum formation.” This indicates
that a large part, if not the greater portion of this great bed, is the opaque amorphous variety.
This is truly an enormous bed, and exceedingly interesting in many points of view. Much
thicker deposites are, however, found in South America, along the western slope of the Andes,
where, according to Mr. Darwin, beds of gypsum alternate with red sandstone and shales,
and, in some instances, are not less than six thousand feet thick.2 Thick beds are also found
in the Carboniferous formation of Iowa, where, according to Dr. Owen, the beds are from
twenty to thirty feet thick.3 The enormous deposites of gypsum in Nova Scotia are well
known as the sources of the vast quantities used in agriculture and the arts in the United
States. These deposites occur among the shales and sandstones of the Carboniferous period,
and are well described in a recent volume hy Mr. Dawson.4 The gypsum is found there in
many varieties, in thin seams of selenite, in reddish and fibrous veins, and in opaque and
amorphous masses ; often containing anhydrite in seams and crystalline nodules. In the dis¬
trict of Colchester, on the Shuhenacadie, there is an immense mass of gypsum, named White’s
or the Big Plaster rock, which once presented a “snowy front of gypsum, nearly 100 feet in
height;” hut which has been greatly reduced hy the operations of the quarry-men, who bring
down enormous quantities hy blasting.5 The great deposite at Plaister Cove, Cape Breton,
contains a bed which Mr. Dawson estimates at fifty yards in thickness.6

Extensive deposites of gypsum are also found in the Preston Salt valley of Virginia, where,
according to Prof. H. D. Rogers,7 it occupies an extensive fault or break in the Umbral or Car¬
boniferous strata of that region.

According to W. J. Hamilton, esq.,8 the great gypsum beds of Italy, which furnish the
masses of beautiful alabaster used for various ornamental purposes, are found in the Tertiary
strata of Tuscany, associated with a blue marl. Fossils of the genera Dentaliwm , Cardium,
Venus , Centillium, Pleurotoma, Turritella, and a large Ostrea, occur in the formation. The
gypsum occurs in detached, irregular masses of great size, and also in continuous beds. Regu¬
lar strata are found near Castellina, where it is mined extensively. The beds have a slight
inclination, and consist of regularly-alternating strata of blue clay and grey gypsum ; the
latter containing nodules or spheroidal blocks of the pure white alabaster. He states: “In the

1 Report of Captain Pope, p. 28. 2 Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle.

s With respect to these beds, Dr. Owen makes the following statement : “ For thickness and extent, this is by far the
most important bed of plaster-stone known west of the Apalachian chain, if not in the United States. It is seen at
intervals for three miles, exposed, on both sides of the Des Moines, in mural faces of from eighteen to twenty-five feet,
always overlying pink shales, from beneath which copious springs of excellent water issue. It has been traced in the
ravines, back from the river, for nearly three-quarters of a mile, where it is finally lost under the deep alluvion of the vast

plains that stretch away to the west. There is every reason to believe that it occupies an area of from two to three miles
square, retaining an average thickness of twenty feet ; perhaps double that thickness at certain points.” [Report of a
Geological Survey of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. By Dr. D. D. Owen : Phil., 1852, p. 126.]

4 Acadian Geology. By J. W. Dawson : Edinburgh, 1855. 6 Ibid, p. 232. 6 Ibid, p. 279.

7 Report on the Salt and Gypsum of the Preston Salt Valley of Virginia. By Prof. H. D. Rogers : Boston, 1854.

8 Quarterly Journal of the Geol. Soc. Lond., vol. i, p. 273.

GEOLOGY OF THE ELEVATED PLAINS. — SAND HILLS.

shaft of the mine, I observed five distinct beds of gypsum alternating with the blue clay, and
varying in thickness from five to twenty feet.”1

The formation which was partly traversed by the survey, although, perhaps, equalled in the
thickness of the beds by other localities, is nevertheless the most remarkable for its extent, and
for the number and variety of the gypseous beds of all degrees of transparency and of many
colors. Captain Pope observes that it extends over a distance of one hundred and fifty miles
along the route. It was found along Delaware creek, the Pecos, and again at the sources of
the Colorado, at the eastern margin of the Llano. The same formation is largely developed
along Red river and the Canadian ; and the explorations of Captain Marcy and of Lieutenant
Whipple have added greatly to our knowledge of its character and extent in that direction.
Captain Marcy, in a letter to Professor Hitchcock in 1852, 2 observes that he has “ traced this
gypsum belt from the Canadian river, in a southwest direction, to near the Rio G-rande in Hew
Mexico. It is about fifty miles wide upon the Canadian, and is embraced within the 99th and
100th degrees of west longitude. Upon the North, Middle, and South forks of Red river it is
found, and upon the latter is about one hundred miles wide, and embraced within the 101st
and 103d degrees of longitude.”

With regard to the geological age of this interesting formation, we are yet without full and
satisfactory evidence. Observations on this subject, and additional remarks upon the gypsum,
its uses, value, &c., will he found in a subsequent portion of this report.

Plains between the Bio Grande and the Guadalupe mountains. — It is difficult to form a satisfac¬
tory conclusion regarding the geological character of the plains between the Guadalupe, the
Hueco, and the Organ mountains. The collection is without specimens from the strata underly¬
ing this part of the route. It is only possible, therefore, to infer the geology from the topog¬
raphy and the general character of the regions as compared with the adjoining plains, the geo¬
logical character of which is already indicated by fossils. These determined points are the
Llano Estacado on one side, and more particularly the well-known Cretaceous plains of the Rio
Grande, at Dona Ana, on the other. This locality of the Cretaceous was well determined by
the collections of the United States boundary survey, many Cretaceous fossils having been
obtained. The elevation of the locality is nearly that of the plains under consideration ; and
I am led to infer that they are formed of Cretaceous strata, and have so colored them on the
map. Further explorations of the region will, perhaps, lead to the discovery of Tertiary strata
overlying the Cretaceous, and the exact limits of the formations will only then become known .

Sand hills. — Hills of dry, blown sand, appear to be a prominent characteristic of the surface
of the Llano, and must greatly add to its desert-like and barren appearance. From the Diary
of Mr. Byrne, it appears that they were encountered before reaching the Llano, and on the west
side of the Hueco mountains. Between camps 11 and 12, on the plateau between the Hueco
and Guadulupe mountains, a long belt of sand hills was also found, and the wagons travelled
for seven miles at their base. Smaller hills were also seen for a long distance from camp, all
composed of fine white sand. But these accumulations of sand do not compare in magnitude
or extent with those encountered on the broad Llano, where, according to the same observer, the
hills extend for fifty miles from north to south, with a breadth of fifteen miles from east to
west. This is the great accumulation of sand on the Llano, and forms a conspicuous feature on
the map ; it is certainly the most extensive accumulation yet known in the interior ; the belts
of sand hills on the Colorado desert of California being much inferior in magnitude. In the
remarks of Captain Pope upon the Llano Estacado, he states that the Llano is bordered on the
south by a range of sand hills of white drift-sand, absolutely destitute of vegetation, and rising
seventy feet above the general level of the plain. He further observes : “These hills, over a
distance of thirteen miles, present steep ascents through short distances in many places ; and
the loose, moveable character of the sand, and its depth, render the passage through it with

1 Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. London, vol. i, p. 282.

2 See Report of Captain Marcy— Appendix D. — Geology by Prof. Hitchcock, p. 172.

SAND HILLS. — SALINE LAKES.

wagons next to impossible. On approaching from the east or west, these hills hear every
appearance of the sand ridges along the coast of South Carolina and Florida, and the first hard
wind will destroy the traces of the most numerous party.”1 Mr. Byrne states an interesting
fact, that water is found in abundance among these hills, resting in basins of the purest sand.
It appears that water could be at any time procured by going about half a mile from the road
among the hills. This fact is somewhat difficult to explain, but it is probable that the water
occupies a depression in the subjacent rock, and that it serves to retain the sand as it blows over
the plain; and the sand, in turn, protects the water from the complete evaporation which would
probably result if the surface was fully exposed to th'e air. The fact that the sand hills have
accumulated in that place, shows the existence of some natural obstacle, or a peculiar configu¬
ration of the surface ; for when driven before the wind, sand does not come to rest, except under
the lee of some obstacle. In all cases where sand progresses before the wind in drifts, one of the
slopes — that towards the wind — is more gentle than the other; that slope turned from the
wind, or on the lee side of the drift, being the most abrupt. This sand is doubtless derived from
a superficial covering of drift upon the Llano, or from the sandstone strata. Mention is fre¬
quently made of a hard gravelly surface before the belt of sand hills was reached, and I do not
doubt that this sand is swept out from the gravel and small boulders by the wind, and perhaps
derived in part from the disintegration of the soft sandstones of the upper part of the mesa.
This view is supported by the examination of the specimen of the sand which Captain Pope
brought, in No. 77. It is very clean and white, and consists chiefly of silicious grains, much
rounded by attrition. They are colorless, and some are transparent. When treated with
chlorohydric acid, effervescence takes place, and continues for some moments, showing the pres¬
ence of a considerable amount of carbonate of lime. This indicates that the sand is derived from
the decomposition of the white calcareous sandstone of the region. The sand of the hills on the
Colorado desert also contains a very considerable amount of carbonate of lime. It is proba¬
bly derived from the calcareous cement which invests the pebbles, forming a conglomerate
on the surface of the plain, above the alluvial formations of the Desert. This conglomerate is
Tertiary, or Quarternary ; and the sand is swept from it by the wind, leaving a clean surface of
pebbles, like a pavement.

Saline lakes. — A. very peculiar and interesting feature of the surface of the Llano and the
table-lands west of the Guadalupe range, is the presence, in the lowest parts of these plains, of
shallow ponds or lakes, which are generally sulphurous or saline. Of this character are the
Mustang springs, consisting of several lakes or pools with highly saline water. The Ojo del
Cuerbo, or Crow spring, at the western base of the Guadalupe Pass, is in connexion with two
small lakes covering four or five acres of ground, which are sulphurous ; and about one and a
half mile west of them two salt lakes are found.2 Mr. Byrne also describes a dry salt lake,
two and three-quarters miles across, near camp 22 on the Pecos river. It was covered with a
salty efflorescence, and, on digging through it and the soil to a depth of two and a half feet,
water was obtained highly charged with salts.

It thus appears that lakes or ponds of this character are quite numerous on the Llano, or in
the vicinity of the route. Captain Pope’s general observation doubtless gives the true expla¬
nation of the origin of most of them. He states that they were dry in the month of March, but
that they probably contain water during the rainy season. The salt is derived from the sub¬
strata or porous rocks of the plain, being dissolved out by the rain water in its percolation
through them, or passage over the surface ; thus, each successive evaporation of the water in
the low grounds adds to the accumulation of salt.

I find in the collection a specimen (No. 72) taken from the bed of one of the salt lakes, 15 miles
west of the Guadalupe mountains. It is a light, porous earth, nearly white, and resembling
some forms of travertin. It crumbles readily in the fingers, and dissolves partially in chlorohy¬
dric acid with violent effervescence. The solution thus obtained contains a large quantity of car-
report of Captain Pope, p. 9. 2 Report of Captain Pope — Diary of.J. H. Byrne, p. 55.

SALT AND SULPHUR SPRINGS. — SULPHUR.

bonate of lime, a little magnesia and alumina, with traces of oxide of iron. A large insoluble
residue remains. The specimen is apparently a remnant of a rock — probably a silicious lime¬
stone — altered by the action of sulphuric acid.

Small salt ponds and dry lake-beds in crusted with white salt, are very common on the plains
and valleys of California, especially in the vicinity of Tertiary strata. It is possible that some
of the deposits Captain Pope observed have a similar origin ; but there is no evidence in the
collection of the existence of Tertiary formations. The drift deposit, which has been described
by Doctor Shumard as covering the rocks of the Llano, may, and very probably does, belong to
the age of the Tertiary ; but the materials and facts that were procured by Captain Pope are not
sufficient to warrant any conclusions on this point.

Springs. — Other sources of these accumulations of saline water, and which appear to be very
common in the region examined, are the springs at different points of the route, which, for
volume and persistence of flow, are truly remarkable for that region, which is so arid and
desert-like. Several of these springs are in direct connexion with salt lakes or ponds. The Ojo
del Cuerbo has already been mentioned, and another example is found in the Big springs of the
Colorado, which, according to Captain Taplin, “issue from a ravine on the northeast slope of
a range of hills 200 or 250 feet high, whose general direction is S. 45° E. At a distance
of one and a half mile, the outlet of the springs joins the valley of the salt lakes, and becomes at
this point dry. Many of these lakes contain water ; the beds when we passed being moist, and
the water totally unfit for use.” 1

He again observes, in relation to a valley about eight miles from the Mustang springs, that
it contains at its northwest extremity a chain of salt lakes, “ which have a course a little south
of east, their outlet passing only a mile and a half east of the Big springs of the Colorado, which
are tributary to it. ’ ’ At the northern extremity of the same valley, the outlet to the Sulphur
springs of the Colorado joins this chain of lakes. This Sulphur spring is described as “at
least fifteen or twenty feet deep, and about twenty yards wide.”

Captain Pope’s observations on the springs and lakes or ponds of Delaware creek, are inter¬
esting in this connexion. He describes the creek as a “ succession of small lakes, ten or
fifteen feet deep, connected by a swift running stream.” “It has its source in a limestone bluff,
about fifty feet above its valley, and issues from the base of the bluff from seven or eight springs
both pure and mineral. The largest of the pure springs bursts boldly out of the north side of
the hill in a stream as large as a barrel, and, after a course of probably fifty yards, it unites with
the small streams from the mineral springs. These springs contain sulphur in various propor¬
tions — in some barely perceptible, while in others it gives out an odor which is sufficiently
perceptible at fifty yards. There are six of these sulphur springs. From the south side of the
bluff issues a spring strongly impregnated with soda, and all the springs uniting in one of the
small lakes or ponds of Delaware creek form a compound detestable both in smell and taste.
The animals, to my surprise, greatly preferred this lake to the pure water of the spring.”2

Prof. James C. Booth has made some interesting observations upon the specimens of the
water from these springs, which were submitted to him by Captain Pope, and the results are
found in the table appended to his report.3 It appears that they contain very considerable
quantities of sulphide of sodium and common salt. The earth which Captain Pope collected,
and which had a sulphurous odor, I have had examined, and it was found to contain over 18 per
cent, of sulphur.4 Alumina, oxide of iron, lime, magnesia, and sulphuric acid were found in
the aqueous extract.

Captain Pope also describes the Independence springs, sixteen miles from the head of Dela¬
ware creek, as bursting out from the surface of the ground in a small valley or depression of
the table-lands. There are two springs, and by their union they form a small stream, which
becomes dry a few miles below. “These springs are about five feet in diameter, and, although

1 Report of Captain Pope, p. 78. 2 Report of Captain Pope, p. 30.

8 Report of Captain Pope, Appendix C, p. 95. 4 See description, under the head of “Sulphur.”

ARTESIAN WELLS ON THE LLANO ESTACADO.

a pole ten feet long was thrust into them, the bottom was not reached.” Five miles further
west another spring was found, and still another large one four miles beyond, which gave rise
to a stream.

Lieutenant Garrard reports numerous localities of good water at the eastern base of the Guada¬
lupe range, south of Captain Pope’s main line of survey. He found it in natural tanks, about
thirty-five miles southwest from the head-springs of Delaware creek, and in several water-holes.
These were all filled with rain-water, and, from its quantity and other appearances, it was con¬
sidered probable that a supply would be found at all seasons of the year.1

Artesian wells. — The frequent occurrence of springs with such a volume of water as Captain
Pope describes, shows the existence of vast quantities of subterranean water, which probably
flows below or between the nearly horizontal strata of the Llano. In fact, it would appear that
the Colorado and Brazos rivers, or their affluents, which take their rise at or in the borders of
the Llano, are supplied by springs gushing out in the ravines. These facts are of great value
and importance, and leave scarcely a doubt that water can he obtained on the Llano by boring.
The nearly horizontal or slightly undulating position of the strata, and the variation in their
mineral character which is known to exist, especially the alternation of compact beds of lime¬
stone, sandstone, and clays, present all the requisite conditions for retaining the water under
pressure. All descriptions of the strata of the Llano agree in placing at their base a thick form¬
ation of red clay, and above it more sandy and porous rocks. We have, therefore, in the clay
an impervious substratum, serving to retain the subterranean water in the more porous beds
above. These pervious beds are believed to. alternate with impervious ones, and thus the under¬
ground flow of water is confined. In order, however, that water should rise to the surface, or
overflow from artesian borings, the strata which confine it must he inclined, or formed into
basin-shaped depressions, so that one portion of the water-hearing stratum is higher than the
point pierced by boring. On the Llano the strata, although described as horizontal, doubtless
present not only a considerable degree of inclination towards the east and southeast, as shown
by the gradual inclination of the surface, already described ; hut flexures or extended bends and
depressions in the strata doubtless exist. Such variations from a horizontal plane are found
in every extended sedimentary deposite, even where the strata have not been disturbed by con¬
vulsive changes of the earth’s crust. Indeed, a perfectly horizontal mass of strata over broad
areas is unknown to geologists. The occurrence of the dry salt lakes and the ponds on the
surface of the plain ; the depressions which become filled with water during the rainy season
only, all indicate the existence of corresponding depressions in the underlying strata. I do not
find any evidence in Captain Pope’s observations, or in those of his party, to justify me in the
conclusion that the strata of the Llano are upheaved, dislocated, or distorted by the uprising of
the Guadalupe mountains. This appears to he Captain Pope’s impression, based, perhaps, upon
the statement of Mr. Marcou, who did not visit the district Captain Pope explored. The con¬
figuration of the Llano, its topography and generally level character, are, to me, insurmountable
objections to this view. The intrusion or the uplift and folding of such a mass of mountains as
the Hueco range and the Guadalupe, in whatever manner it took place, would have produced
most decided flexures and abrupt folds of the strata of the Llano, so as to completely destroy its
character as a plain. The configuration of the region is opposed to the opinion that the moun¬
tain ranges are more recent than the strata of the Llano. A disturbance of this nature is not,
however, necessary, as has already been shown, to the production of the uneven condition of
the strata requisite for obtaining water by boring. The gentle inclination of the plain and the
strata from the mountains eastward, amounting in the whole breadth of the Llano to at least
400 feet, according to Captain Pope’s measurements, is sufficient to give water at the surface of
the eastern margin from a depth equally great, provided the permeable strata were fully charged,
and the water did not suffer retardation by friction. It is possible, however, and indeed most
probable, that the difference of elevation is much greater than 400 feet; and, if so, water could

Report of Captain Pope — letters of Lieutenant Garrard, p. 63.

ARTESIAN WELLS ON THE LLANO ESTACADO.

be obtained at the surface from a correspondingly greater depth. We must not expect to gain
water at the surface from a depth greater than the difference between the elevation of the western
edge of the Llano and the point of boring. This observation is made on the assumption that it
is to the western edge of the Llano alone to which we must look for the supply of water. It is
possible that the strata are supplied with water from the northern or northwestern borders of
the Llano, and in this case water may be obtained from depths much greater than those men¬
tioned. The difference of elevation of the plain from north to south is not yet known, but, as
we have already shown, it is probable that the surface gradually rises from the south towards
the north and west, although the measurements along the 35th parallel, when compared with
those of Captain Pope, do not exhibit a very striking difference of elevation.

It is very possible that water-bearing strata may be found nearer to the surface than the
underlying clay formation — the red marls and clays of the gypseous series ; and that basins and
depressions of the strata, of a comparatively local character, will furnish water at the surface from
a slight depth. To me, the existence of the springs at the borders of the Llano is the best evi¬
dence that is presented in favor of the presence of water in the strata. Its configuration alone
does not appear remarkably favorable to the success of deep artesian wells. .

CHAPTER IY.

Remarks on the Geology from the Llano Estacado to Preston.

General description of the country. — Red sandstone and gypsum. — Age of the Gypsum formation. — Absence of fossils. —
Probable Carboniferous or Cretaceous age. — Gypsum of Nova Scotia in the Carboniferous. — Fort Belknap to Preston. —
Section of strata. — Coal. — Carboniferous limestone. — Cross Timbers. — Cretaceous. — Loess.

This portion of the survey embraces a strip of country extending in a northeasterly and
southwesterly direction, and over 300 miles in length. I cannot better introduce the few
observations it is possible to make on the geology, than by quoting the general description of
the section given in Captain Pope’s report:

£ ‘ The space between the eastern base of the Staked Plain and the Red river, at the parallel
of 34°, is occupied by that portion of northern Texas drained by the tributaries of the Colorado,
the Brazos, the Trinity, and the Red rivers. With rapidly-increasing advantages as you pro¬
ceed eastward from the Llano Estacado, this region is well timbered, well watered, and possessed
of a soil of extreme fertility, capable of sustaining a dense population. The entire country is
so gently undulating in its surface, and presents such an abundant and well-distributed supply
of wood and water, that it can he traversed in any direction with trains of wagons, and is of so
genial a climate that little choice of the seasons is considered desirable in undertaking an
expedition through it. A great portion of the timber of the region intersected by the Colorado
and its tributaries, along this route, is the mezquite, which, about thirty feet in height, and
from six to ten inches in diameter, divides about equally with the prairie lands this entire
district of country. The Brazos and its tributaries are better supplied with oak timber of a
larger size, the country is more undulating, and the water more abundant. Immense coal-beds,
of good quality, crop out along the valley of the river, and every advantage of soil and climate
is offered to the emigrant. A military post (Fort Belknap) has been established upon this
stream, near the 33d parallel. But by far the richest and most beautiful district of country I
have ever seen, in Texas or elsewhere, is that watered by the Trinity and its tributaries. Occu¬
pying east and west a belt of one hundred miles in width, with about equal quantities of
prairie and timber, intersected by numerous clear, fresh streams, and countless springs, with a
gently undulating surface of prairie and oak openings, it presents the most charming views, as
of a country in the highest state of cultivation ; and you are startled at the summit of each
swell of the prairie with a prospect of groves, parks, and forests, with intervening plains of
luxuriant grass, over which the eye in vain wanders in search of the white village or the stately
house, which seem alone wanting to the scene. The delusion was so perfect, and the recurrence
of these charming views so constant, that every swell of the ground elicited from the party
renewed expressions of surprise and admiration.”1

A vivid contrast is here presented by this beautiful and fertile region with the arid plateau
of the Llano ; and the change is coincident with the marked variation in the configuration of
the country. The difference in altitude is not alone the cause of the change ; the character of
the soil is doubtless very different from that of the Llano ; and this, with the number of streams
giving abundance of water, and the climatic conditions incident to a lower level and greater
proximity to the Gfulf, are sufficient to explain this extraordinary fertility.

1 Report of Captain Pope, p. 9.

AGE OF THE GYPSUM FORMATION.

The observations on the nature of the strata of this portion of the survey are very few, and I
cannot, therefore, present many remarks upon them. In the Diary of Mr. Byrne, under date
of April 15th, bluffs of red sandstone at the crossing of the Colorado are mentioned. Again, on
one of the tributaries of the Brazos the G-ypsum formation is mentioned, and its resemblance to
that of Delaware creek is noted. April 19th, Captain Pope passed over a bluff or bank show¬
ing limestone and red sandstone in horizontal strata, with decomposed gypsum strewed thickly
about. The water, too, was strongly impregnated with gypsum, or probably with- salts of mag¬
nesia. From these facts, and the peculiar topography and the vegetation, I conclude that, from
the time of leaving the Llano, at the springs of the Colorado, east, to the vicinity of the Clear
fork of the Brazos, the route was upon the red sandstone formation, containing the enormous
deposits of gypsum, and underlying the lighter-colored sandstones and limestones of the Llano —
the continuation, in fact, of the same deposits which were traversed along the Pecos and Dela¬
ware creek, already noted and described. The quantity of gypsum, however, which is met with
in this part of the formation, does not at all compare with that found on the Pecos, but the
characteristic peculiarities of the formation were preserved.

Age of the Gypsum formation. — As in the first part of this report no observations upon the
geological age of the Gypsum formation were presented, I now propose to briefly consider this
subject, before passing to a description of the rocks around Fort Belknap, and from thence to
Preston.

Much light has already been thrown upon the geology of this region by the labors of Doctor
G. G. Shumard, in connexion with the exploration made by Captain Marcy.1 The Bed-sand¬
stone and Gypsum formation has also been described by President Hitchcock;2 but he does not
decide upon its age, both from the absence of fossils, and the want of sufficient observations
upon its position relatively to other formations, the age of which is well determined. For
the same reasons, I shall not attempt to establish its geological age. Its position relatively
to the Carboniferous formation, which it overlies, indicates that it may belong to the upper
portion of that series. It may also be of Permian or Triassic age, to which formations it bears
great resemblance in its mineral characters. It may also be Cretaceous, and fossils of this
period only, have been brought from that region. That it is of the age of the Trias is the opinion
of Mr. Marcou, who traversed the formation along the Canadian river with Lieutenant Whip¬
ple; and in the preliminary report on Captain Pope’s collection, which he prepared, he distinctly
states it to be Triassic, and overlaid by Jurassic strata. We have already seen that the evi¬
dence of the geological age. of the upper strata of the Llano favors the conclusion that they are
Cretaceous ; and there is no evidence or indication of their Jurassic age, nor is there in the
collection any fossil from the underlying red clays and sandstones by which their age can be
established. Dr. Shumard, in his geological section from Arkansas to Fort Belknap, has
represented the Cretaceous strata at Fort Washita as resting directly upon the coal-measures;
and Professor Tuomey,'the geologist of the State of Alabama, finds them in the same position,
and without any intervening Triassic or Jurassic strata. The section which Dr. Shumard pre¬
sents does not show whether the Cretaceous strata correspond in dip, or are conformable with
the coal-measures below ; nor is it easy to decide, from the descriptions, whether the coal-
measures are horizontal or have a slight dip. An outcrop of bluish-grey limestone, about one
hundred miles southwest of Fort Smith, is said to dip at an angle of '30°. A ridge of granite
succeeds, and then sandstone is found nearly to Fort Washita, where it is covered over by the
Cretaceous strata. The Carboniferous sandstones at Fort Belknap are described as nearly hori¬
zontal. It would thus appear that the Cretaceous formation of that region is found to lie con¬
formably upon nearly horizontal Carboniferous strata. If this is true, may we not consider the
red clays and sandstones of the Gypsum formation, upon which the Cretaceous of the Llano rests,
as portions of the Carboniferous series? It is true, we are entirely without adequate data upon

1 See Report of Captain R. B. Marcy, of an Exploration of the Red River in 1852 — Appendix D, Geology, p. 179.

2 Ibid, p. 164:.

AGE OP THE GYPSUM FORMATION.

which to base an opinion or conclusion respecting the part of the Carboniferous series to which
these strata may he referred; but, whether upper or lower, the group, if Carboniferous, differs
materially from the Carboniferous formation as developed further to the north and east. The
same difficulty arises if we consider the G-ypsum formation as Triassic ; the same apparent defi¬
ciency of strata, well characterized at other localities, exists.

There are many reasons for referring the formation to the age of the Cretaceous, for this is
the only period represented by fossils ; and from the wide extent of the strata, we are compelled
to believe that they attain a very considerable thickness — a thickness greater than that of the
light colored strata of the Llano above the red clay and gypsum. The whole series, from the
surface of the Llano, of Cretaceous age, down to the underlying Carboniferous sandstones, might
be regarded as Cretaceous. If we admit the mineral characters of the strata as evidence of the
age of the formation, they will favor the conclusion that it is Carboniferous.

Dr. D. D. Owen (as has already been noted, page 18,) reports the existence of great beds of
gypsum in the Carboniferous shales of the coal-basin of Iowa ; the beds being from twenty to
thirty feet thick. So, also, the great beds of Nova Scotia, which supply such large quantities of
massive gypsum and alabaster for exportation, are in the Carboniferous formation, and not in
the new red sandstone, or “ Trias.” Mr. Dawson, in his recent able and interesting work, enti¬
tled “Acadian Geology,” gives detailed descriptions of these beds, and of their association with
the marls, sandstones, and limestones of the coal period. The well-known gypsum-beds of
Windsor, Nova Scotia, are found in connexion with a limestone containing fossils of the lower
Carboniferous formation, of the genera Productus, Spirifer , and Terebratula. Mr. Dawson
makes the following observations in regard to the position of the gypsum: “Above this lime¬
stone, in the order of succession, we have alternations of marls and limestones, and next a
bed of white crystalline gypsum, contrasting strongly in its purity and whiteness with the
other beds of mere mechanical origin. Here the shore becomes low, and no rock is seen; but
a little to the eastward we find the great gypsum quarries of Windsor, excavated in the out¬
crop of a very thick bed, the strike of which would bring it to the shore just where our section
fails, and where the gypsum has been removed, partly by the river, and partly by the quarry-
men who earliest dug this rock for exportation. A little further to the southward, at the next
bluff point, there is a very thick bed of limestone, filled with, or rather made up of, fossil shells
of various species and genera, affording a remarkably perfect display of the shelly coverings of
creatures that inhabited the Carboniferous seas.”1 The following species are enumerated, and
figures given : Productus Lyelli , Fenestella membranacea, Terebratula elongata, Ceriopora spon-
gites, and new species of Orthoceras, Spirifer, and Conularia. The bivalve shells are very
numerous, especially four or five species of Terebratula, three of Spirifer, and three of Produc¬
tus. The Carboniferous age of this Gypsum deposit is thus established ; and I have been par¬
ticular to present the evidence upon which the conclusion is based, as Mr. Jules Marcou, who
regards the red marls and gypsum of New Mexico as Triassic, has affirmed their synchronism,
or connexion with the Nova Scotia deposits of Windsor and Plaister Cove.2

I do not regard the physical and mineral characters of a formation as sufficient to establish
its geological age, or relative position in the scale of paleeozoic formations. In the absence of
fossils, I do not, therefore, assign the age of the Gypsum formation ; but its relative position,
and its mineral characters, unite in showing it to be Carboniferous, or Cretaceous, rather than
Triassic.

Fort Belknap to Preston. — According to Dr. Shumard,3 the geological formations in the
vicinity of Port Belknap consist of nearly horizontal strata of fine-grained sandstone, shale,
and soft, drab-colored, non-fossiliferous limestone, whose relative positions correspond with

1 Acadian Geology. By John William Dawson : Edinburgh, 1855, p. 218.

2 Report of Explorations for a Railway Route, &c., by Lieutenant A. W. Whipple. House Doc. 129 : Washington, 1854,
p. 42.

3 Report of Captain Marcy df Exploration of the Red River in 1852. — Appendix D, p 182.

CARBONIFEROUS AND CRETACEOUS FORMATIONS AT FORT BELKNAP. 27

strata of tlie same character, largely developed between Fort Washita and Fort Smith. He
also gives the following section, taken at a point about one mile from the fort:

1. Arenaceous subsoil of a red color; thickness _ 3 to 10 feet.

2. Black shale, soft, and rapidly disintegrating . . . . . . 4 “

3. Seams of bituminous coal, Jrom _ 2 to 4 “

4. Fine-grained sandstone of a yellowish-grey color, and containing fossil ferns ; thickness variable.

5. Grey non-fossiliferous limestone ; thickness unknown.

A number of seams of bituminous coal, varying in thickness from two to four feet, have been
opened along the river, and the coal made use of at the fort. Dr. Shumard also states that
the characteristic fossil ferns of the Carboniferous era have been found with this coal, and con¬
siders the age of the formation established.

I learn from Colonel Loomis, the commanding officer at Fort Belknap, that there is an abun¬
dance of hard blue or grey limestone about three miles below the fort, and that a quarry has
been opened there, and several thousand bushels of good lime burned from the rock. It would
appear that the Carboniferous limestone occurs at this point ; and I am confirmed in this opinion
by a Productus which was taken from the quarry.1 The Carboniferous age of the coal is thus
rendered more certain. Further observations on the coal will be found in Chapter Y of this
Report.

Between Fort Belknap and Preston, the remarkable belts of wooded country, known as the
Upper and Lower Cross Timbers, indicate a change of soil, if, indeed, they do not mark out
the borders of a geological formation. Dr. Shumard found that the Cretaceous formation
developed at Fort Washita was continuous to the southwestern margin of the Cross Timbers.2
I find in the collection several fragments of Gryphcea, a Cretaceous fossil, from the Elm fork
of the Trinity ; and a mass of broken shells, probably of Exogyra Texana , also of Cretaceous
age, from the banks of Red river, near Preston. From these facts, I have ventured to conclude
that the route was upon the Cretaceous, from the western margin of the Cross Timbers to
Preston, and have so indicated it upon the map and section.3

From the preceding observations, it appears that, after leaving the strata of the Llano
Estacado, on the western border of the Colorado river, the route was upon the Red-clay and
Gypsum formation until it reached the Clear fork of the Brazos, where it is probable the coal-
measures commence, and continue to a point a few miles east of Fort Belknap, and are then suc¬
ceeded by Cretaceous strata to the termination of the line of exploration at Preston, on the Red
river. There is nothing in Captain Pope’s report to indicate the exact boundary or limit of
the coal-measures between Belknap and the Gypsum formation ; and I have been guided by the
topography alone in assigning this line to a point near the intersection of Captain Pope’s trail
with the Clear fork of the Brazos.

The great fertility of the soil found through this region is thus explained by the number of
the geological formations, all traversed by numerous streams and their tributaries, which
transport and mingle the detritus from all the strata, so that a soil of complex composition is
produced. It is more than probable that formations more recent than the Cretaceous are
developed along the line east of the Colorado. We should expect to find horizontal strata of
the Tertiary period imposed upon the Cretaceous beds, but the collection does not indicate that
the formation was passed over.

I I am indebted to Mrs. Loomis for this fossil, which removes all doubt of the Carboniferous age of these deposits.

* Marcy’s Report, p. 181.

? I have marked the boundary of the Cretaceous as far west as the western margin of the Cross Timbers with some
reluctance, as the general statement of Dr. Shumard does not permit the limit of the formation to be accurately plotted ;
and I have been led, from a consideration of the position of the outcrops of Carboniferous limestone, to consider that the
Carboniferous strata were extended in a northeasterly direction from Fort Belknap for several miles beyond the first or
most western belt of Cross Timbers — the Upper Cross Timbers. In the absence, however, of any more definite information,
I have been guided by Dr. Shumard’ s statement.

FORMATIONS AT PRESTON. — LOESS.

Dr. Sliumard found on tlie Red river, twenty-six miles from Fort Washita, a deposit of
ash-colored loam, twenty-five feet thick, containing terrestrial and fluviatile shells of the genera
Lymnea Physa, Planorbis, Pupa , and Helix; the whole resembling species found in the loam at
New Harmony, Indiana, and elsewhere in the Mississippi valley.1 This formation along the
Mississippi constitutes what are known as the 11 Bluffs,” and is a fluvia.tile accumulation laid
down hy the river when the region was at a lower level. In other words, it is an ancient allu¬
vion. Its thickness and known extent along the Mississippi render it very prohahle that it
will he found along most of the principal tributaries of that river. A similar deposit is found
along the valley of the Rhine. Its thickness is from 200 to 300 feet, and it is a yellowish-grey
loam, consisting chiefly of clay, combined with sand and carbonate of lime. The same deposit
is found along most of the principal valleys or tributaries of the Rhine ; it evidently having been
contemporaneously deposited. It is known in Germany under the name of loess.

The occurrence of a formation along the Red river similar to those described, leads me to
believe that it will be found along most of the rivers which are tributary to the Mississippi, and
it is quite probable that, in the environs of Preston, and even over broad tracts of that region,
there are extensive superficial alluvial deposits, whioh afford a soil that can scarcely he sur¬
passed for its richness and fertility,

3 Report of Captain Mai'cy — Appendix D, p. 183,

CHAPTER Y.

Building -stones. — Coal. — Gypsum. — Lead. — Sulphur.

I.— BUILDING STONE.

Description of the principal specimens in the collection. — Remarks upon them and their distribution.

I present under this head a brief description of some of the most interesting roclc-specimens
in the collection, especially those indicating deposits which can he made use of for purposes of
construction. These specimens are described according to their numbers in the catalogue, and
the same descriptions will serve the purposes of the geologist.

No. 3. Granite from JBueco mountains. — This is a very fine-grained and compact grey,
sienitic granite, the crystals of hornblende being very small, and appearing as small black
grains. The feldspar is white and glassy. A fragment of white limestone accompanies these
specimens.

No. 5. Limestone from head spring of Delaware creek. — This is a very compact, dark-colored
rock, and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. The weathered surface is grey. When struck, or
if cut with a knife, a peculiar bituminous and offensive odor is produced.

Nos. 6 and 8 are similar to No. 5.

No. 17. Limestone from foot of Guadalupe mountains. — This is a very compact, firm rock, of a
greyish- white color, and sub-crystalline grain — saccharoidal. It contains some slight cavities,
rendering it somewhat porous, hut it may he regarded as a good and elegant building material.

No. 9. Sandstone from Guadalupe mountains. — This is one of the firmest and hardest sand¬
stones in the collection. It has an even grain and pleasing drab color, hut weathers with a
dark, rusty brown surface. The mass, when held in certain positions, reflects the light as if
from a cleavage surface of carbonate of lime. It effervesces violently with chlorohydric acid,
and is, evidently, highly charged with carbonate of lime.

No. 36. Sandstone from Llano Estacado. — This specimen much resembles No. 9, hut is more
compact, and probably contains more lime. The brilliant reflections noticed in No. 9 are very
evident here, and are manifestly due to a partial crystallization of the carbonate of lime. The
color of this specimen is a rusty brown, and darker than No. 9.

No. 27. Sandstone from east side of the Pecos. — This is a firm, compact specimen, of a uniform
grain, and sufficiently tough for building purposes. It does not, however, look very durable.

No. 30. Sandstone from Llano Estacado. — This specimen is coarse-grained and quite friable.
It contains a notable quantity of carbonate of lime, and probably is not very durable if exposed
to the weather. It resembles the Tertiary sandstones of the Bernardino Sierra, California.

Nos. 19, 20, 23, 24. Sandstones. — These specimens have a general resemblance. No. 23 has a
reddish color, due to the presence of oxide of iron, hut in other respects it much resembles No. 30,
and, like it, may he crumbled away by the fingers on the thin edges. No. 19, from near the
river, is peculiar. The little grains of sand are cemented by a thin white crust, which is carbon¬
ate of lime ; and when the grains are crumbled out, small cavities are left in the calcareous mass.
No. 20 is similar, hut contains same large pebbles. No. 24 has the same general characters, hut
is much coarser. All these specimens have a modern look, and resemble the Tertiary sandstones
along the margin of the Colorado desert, where some of the upper beds are highly charged with
carbonate of lime in the form of travertin, or calcareous tufa.

DESCRIPTION OF BUILDING-STONES.

No. 59. Sandstone, from head waters of the Colorado. — This is a very fine-grained red sand¬
stone, resembling in texture and color the red sandstone of New Jersey and Connecticut. It is
friable, and small fragments may be crumbled in the fingers.

No. 52. Sandstone, from south side of the Brazos. — This is a fine-grained stone of a light-grey
color, and sufficiently compact and tough for ordinary building purposes. This specimen con¬
tains a large per centage of carbonate of lime.

No. 53. Sandstones from head waters of the Colorado. — These two specimens are alike in grain
and hardness, but differ in color ; one is red, and the other grey. They are not very tough, and
both contain a large portion of carbonate of lime.

Nos. 56 and 57. Ferruginous sandstone, from between the head waters of the Trinity and the
Brazos. — These specimens are interesting from the quantity of oxide of iron which they contain.
The iron oxide appears to be the cementing material, and constitutes the principal portion and
weight of the specimens. They are both very hard, and are not easily broken, but are not suit¬
able for building purposes.

No. 69. Ferruginous conglomerate, from near Fort Washita. — This specimen is very rich in
iron, and, indeed, may very properly be called an iron ore. Its association, however, with the
silicious sand is not favorable for the manufacture of iron. It is not at all suitable for
buildings.

No. 51. Conglomerate, from affluent of the Trinity. — This specimen is interesting, inasmuch as
the material by which the pebbles are held together is silex. This silex invests each pebble, and
fills up the spaces between them ; it has a semi-opaline character, and in some places successive
layers on the walls of the cavities are visible, showing a structure like agate. The silex has
evidently been deposited by the infiltration of silicious water, which has thus produced a hard,
firm rock. The specimen is a good illustration of the extent to which rocks may be changed
and modified in their chemical and physical characters by the slow and quiet agency of infiltra¬
tion of water holding foreign substances in solution.

It is thus evident that a considerable variety is found in the building materials along Captain
Pope’s route. The light-grey colored sandstones, however, appear to predominate, and are found
at several points. The specimens of the best quality were from the following places : Guadalupe
mountains, (where there is also limestone of good quality ;) Llano Estacado, thirteen miles east
of the Sand-hills, (No. 36 ;) on the east side of the Pecos, (No. 27 ;) south side of the Brazos, (No.
52.) From the Hueco mountains the specimens of granite are very fine, and show that a very
superior building-stone can be obtained there. It is by far the best building material' in the
collection, and probably can be obtained in any desired quantity. I believe, however, that
many localities of sandstone will be found at convenient points along the route ; and although
many may not be of the hardest and toughest description, they are sufficiently firm and com¬
pact to endure for long periods in favorable situations. At Fort Belknap building-stone is
not readily obtained in large quantities at any one point. When the quarters were in pro¬
cess of erection, considerable difficulty was experienced for want of good stone, and that which
was used was taken from many different places, at a distance of one-half to one mile from the
post.

The limestone which occurs a few miles down the river furnishes excellent caustic lime, and
over 2,000 bushels have been burned there. I judge, from the descriptions, that good building-
stone could be procured at the quarry.

The limestone specimens from the Llano do not give much promise ; they are not sufficiently
homogeneous and compact.

COAL AT FORT BELKNAP.

II. COAL.

Fort Belknap. — Carboniferous formation. — Lignite on the Brazos. — Probable extent of the coal.

The only locality of coal mentioned in Captain Pope’s report is that at Fort Belknap, on the
Brazos, and which has already been noticed in a general way (p. 27). There are no specimens
of this coal in the collection, nor of any other from other localities. I learn, however, from
Col. Loomis, the commanding officer at Fort Belknap, that this coal is of fair quality and burns
freely, leaving a white or grey ash. It does not cause any trouble by slaging. This coal has
been in use at that post for a long time, and excavations over twenty yards deep are already
made into the hank, on the course of the vein or bed. The vein is horizontal, and about four
and a half feet thick, and is divided in the middle by a thin layer of slate from one to four inches
thick. It is found at many places along the river, and several places have been opened into,
and good coal taken out. A layer of hard blue clay is found under the bed. An attempt to
procure water by a well about sixty feet deep, which was made by General Belknap, at a point
three-quarters of a mile from the river, resulted in the discovery of a bed of similar coal, which is
probably the continuation of the same bed. When the coal was reached, the well was abandoned.
The coal is taken from the mine in large blocks and masses, hut when exposed to the air they
fall to pieces.

Dr. G. G. Shumard is very positive in his opinion that this coal is of the true Carboniferous
period, and says that it is characterized by the fossil ferns of that era. The description of the
adjoining strata seems to indicate a more recent age for this deposit ; in fact, according to the
descriptions of the strata, they more nearly resemble Tertiary than Secondary deposits. Dr.
Hitchcock has observed this, and in his report to Captain Marcy says: “Now, at first view, it
would seem almost certain that we have here a description of a genuine coal formation of the
Carboniferous period, not less than three hundred and fifty miles long, associated, moreover,
with those valuable iron-ores which, in other parts of the world, are connected with such
deposits; for, in descending through the formation, we find, first, overlying shale; then, coal;
then, coal sandstone, or perhaps millstone grit ; and then, perhaps, Carboniferous limestone. But
it is well known that coal occurs in other rocks besides the Carboniferous, as in eastern Virginia
in Oolitic sandstone, and in other places in Tertiary strata. These more recent coals are often
of great value, as in Virginia, hut they are not generally as good as those from the Carboniferous
strata. It becomes an important question, therefore, to determine to what geological period the
coal under consideration belongs. A few specimens of the fossil ferns would decide the matter,
and I trust that Dr. Shumard is right in referring them to the Carboniferous era ; hut it is well
known that analogous species occur in the higher rocks ; and so coal, even in the Tertiary strata,
is sometimes more or less bituminous. The evidence, however, appears to me to he strong in
favor of this deposit being of the Carboniferous age. But in your letter of April 1st,1 you state
some facts respecting this coal that have thrown a little doubt over my mind. You say that
‘the coal formation of the Brazos is found in a coarse, dark sandstone rock, which is a solid
stratum, hut is easily removed in consequence of being so soft. In excavating for a well, we
passed through the sandstone and the coal. The greater part of the stone was removed with
the mattock ; and in the coal, which was here about sixty feet below the surface, we found
fossil ferns, which, unfortunately, were not preserved.’ The ease with which this sandstone
was removed, requiring only a mattock, corresponds better with the hardness of Tertiary than
of Carboniferous rocks; yet, in some parts of the world, distant from igneous rocks, the sedi¬
mentary strata are hut little indurated.”2

Beds of lignite or Tertiary coal are found at many places in Texas. A bed, four feet thick,
is found on the Colorado river, near Bastrop, beneath a layer of Eocene fossils.3 It also occurs
on the Brazos, at the mouth of the Little Brazos. These localities are, however, nearly two

1 Letter from Captain Marcy. 2 Report of Captain Marcy, pp. 164, 165.

3 Verbal communication from Dr. Moore, of Texas. June, 1855.

GYPSUM.

hundred miles distant from Fort Belknap, and probably have no connexion with the deposit at
that place. It appears to me most probable that Dr. Shumard’s opinion is entirely correct, and
that the coal of Fort Belknap is of the Carboniferous era. The occurrence of the Carboniferous
limestone in the vicinity, as shown by the Productus already mentioned, renders the Carbonif¬
erous age of the coal nearly certain.1 It is most probable that this coal deposit is of great
extent, underlying a broad area in Texas, and extending into Hew Mexico, under the great
Llano Estacado , and possibly outcropping on the eastern flanks of the Hueco and Organ
mountains.

III. GYPSUM.

General description of the mineral. — Its composition and uses. — Anhydrite. — Varieties of Gypsum in the collection. —
Description of a specimen containing carbonate of lime. — Gypsum of Plaister Cove, Nova Scotia. — Applications of gyp¬
sum in the arts. — Quantity mined and sent to the United States.- — Remarks on the origin and formation of the beds.

The geological peculiarities and relations of the Gypsum deposits which were passed during
the survey, have already been described in the preceding portions of this report. The great
extent of the deposit, however, and the wide distribution of the material, demand more than
a consideration of its geological position and characters, as compared with other deposits. The
peculiar and varied forms under which the gypsum appears, the phenomena of its formation,
and its economical value, should be considered. As this Report will fall into the hands of many
who are not familiar with the composition and properties of the mineral, I present a partial
miner alogical description of the species and its varieties.

The mineral species Gypsum consists of sulphuric acid, lime, and water, combined, when pure,
in the following proportions :

Sulphuric acid (S 03)

Lime (CaO). . .

Water (HO) .

100.00

46.51

32.56

20.93

Its formula is Ca O, S 03-|-2H O. It crystallizes in beautiful transparent crystals, which
belong to the monoclinic system, and are found with various modifications. These crystals
may be split (cleaved) very readily in one direction, into beautiful and perfectly transparent
thin plates, like mica, but not elastic, which are sometimes used instead of glass. These
crystals are very soft, and may be scratched by the finger-nail, being a little softer than rock
salt, or 1.5 — 2 on the scale of hardness adopted by Mohs. The specific gravity (of crystals) is
about 2.3, being less than the gravity of carbonate of lime or limestone. It occurs of various
colors, generally white, but sometimes grey, flesh-red, honey-yellow, ochre-yellow, and blue;
while impure varieties are of various shades of black, brown, and red. It dissolves, without
effervescence, in chlorohydric acid, and is soluble in 500 parts of pure water.

It appears in nature under many different aspects, as will be seen from the number of colors
given above. It has also many varieties of form, being found in the small and perfect crystals;
in broad thin plates, like glass ; in fibrous masses, with a peculiar silky lustre ; and in granular
masses of different degrees of fineness of grain, both translucent and opaque. These varieties
have received different names; the transparent plates are called selenite, from selene, the moon;
the fibrous masses are called satin-spar; and the white and fine-grained amorphous varieties,
suitable for carving, are known as alabaster. The ordinary compact opaque masses, which are

1 Since the above was written, I have received a collection of fossils from the vicinity of Fort Belknap, made by Dr.
Shumard, when with Captain Marcy, on his exploration of the country of the Witchita Indians. These fossils consist of
two or three species of Productus and Terebratula ; there are also many Encrinites and Cyathophyllce, and a Pleurotomaria, from
the coal-bed. They were collected at Belknap, and nine miles below, and at a point forty miles west. I have therefore
marked the Carboniferous limestone on the map at these places.

ANHYDRITE— GYPSUM.

used in agriculture and the arts, are very generally known under the name of gypsum, or
plaster; which latter name, however, is more appropriate when applied to the powdered mineral.

When the masses of gypsum are heated, the water which is in combination is given off, and
they are converted to a dry, white powder, like flour, which is called plaster of Paris, and has
the important property of hardening when mixed up with a small quantity of water. The
operation of expelling the water is called “boiling,” although no water is used in the opera¬
tion. The escape of the water in the form of steam keeps the mass in continual agitation.

Sulphate of lime also occurs in nature without any water, and forms another mineral species,
called anhydrite. This has the following composition in 100 parts:

Lime (Ca 0) . 41.2

Sulphuric acid (S 03) . 58.8

100.0

It is generally found associated with gypsum, and the two species are often found to pass into
each other, forming a compound, with a smaller quantity of water than pertains to gypsum.

Captain Pope observed many of these varieties of gypsum on the line of survey, and it is
possible that beds of anhydrite were also passed. The specimens which I find in the collec¬
tion consist of the pure, transparent selenite (Nos. I and 25) ; a red, fibrous variety (No. 15) ;
and a new and peculiar mass (No. 14), which is different from any hitherto described.

The descriptions already given of selenite will suffice for Nos. I and 25, but No. 14 deserves
more than a place in the catalogue.

The specimen is about five inches long and two thick, and was taken from the banks of Dela¬
ware creek. It at first appears to be a stratified mass, being marked with regular lines like the
divisions between strata. The main portion of the mass is white, opaque, and amorphous gyp¬
sum, but it is in combination with transparent selenite.

The white amorphous portions are in thin and parallel layers, about one-tenth of an inch
thick, and they are separated by thin sheets of a different color, and about as thick as a stout
card. The examination of these thin sheets shows them to consist of carbonate of lime. This
result, which was unexpected, is very curious and interesting, and the formation of the mass
cannot be readily explained. On the weathered surfaces of the specimen these layers of carbon¬
ate of lime are more distinct than on a freshly fractured surface, appearing at first as if they
resisted decomposition better than the sulphate. A closer examination shows that the decom¬
position is most rapid at the line of junction between the carbonate and the gypsum, so that
both layers stand out from the surface.

The transparent selenite, which traverses this mass, cuts obliquely across the opaque layers,
both of the gypsum and the carbonate, cutting them off like a dyke traversing stratified rocks.
Some of the layers of carbonate are, however, found in the mass of the selenite, preserving
their parallelism and general characters, but not exactly parallel with the outer layers. The
principal cleavage of the selenite is oblique to the layers, being inclined at an angle of
•about 45°.

An hypothesis which will explain all these phenomena is not easily formed. The whole
appearance of the specimen, its stratified character, suggests its origin by successive deposition ;
but the extreme regularity-in the thickness of the layers, and the absence of all granular struc¬
ture, forbid this conclusion. It may, however, have been deposited from solution in successive
layers, and the crystalline portion may have been subsequently formed from the material so laid
down. It appears more probable that the whole mass is due to a segregating or crystalline
force acting while the solution of lime was diffused in the strata of earth or sand, and bringing
the particles together in one seam, as water, during its crystallization, is sometimes separated
in layers from a bank of earth or clay.

GYPSUM AND ALABASTER OP ITALY.

Another specimen (No. 13) is very similar to No. 14, but the layers of sulphate of lime are
thicker, and the specimen appears to have been broken from a different and a large mass.

The collection made along the 35th parallel, partly in the valley of the Canadian, contains
several specimens from this same extensive Grypsum formation, which are peculiar for their
deep-red color and the well-defined crystalline structure, showing that the color is not due to
an ordinary mechanical mixture. The greater part of the mineral on the route, especially that
on the Pecos, appears to be the white granular variety, the same in which the beautiful white
caves are found. Captain Pope, however, mentions the selenite as if it existed in large quanti¬
ties also. It would be very interesting to determine whether any portion of these beds are of
anhydrite, or whether it is found isolated in the strata, apart from the gypsum. The occur¬
rence of large quantities of anhydrite with the gypsum in the Carboniferous strata of Nova
Scotia renders the inquiry still more interesting, as another mineral character might be added
to the already numerous points of resemblance. I quote from Mr. Dawson’s book a description
of a part of the gypsum deposit of Plaister Cove: “ About two-thirds of the thickness of the
bed consists of crystalline anhydrite, and the remaining third of very fine-grained common gyp¬
sum. The anhydrite prevails in the lower part of the bed, and common gypsum in the upper;
but the greater part of the bed consists of an intimate mixture of both substances, the common
gypsum forming a base in which minute crystals of anhydrite are scattered, and bands in which
anhydrite prevails, alternating with others in which gypsum predominates. It is traversed by
veins of compact gypsum, but I saw no red or fibrous veins like those of the marl. In some
parts of the bed, small rounded fragments of grey limestone are sparingly scattered along layers
of the gypsum.”1

The applications of gypsum in the arts, both in its raw state and prepared, or ground into
plaster, are multiplied and various. It is an interesting fact, that selenite was well known to
the ancients, who, according to Pliny, made bee-hives out of it, in order to see the bees at work
within. According to Dr. Hitchcock, it was used by the wealthy and in palaces for windows,
under the name of Phengites, and “has the curious property of enabling a person within the
house to see all that passes abroad, while those abroad cannot see what passes within. Hence
Nero employed it in his palace.”2 The uses of alabaster are well known. Large quantities
are worked into ornamental objects — vases, statuettes, &c. — in the establishments of Florence
and other places' in Europe.3 The fibrous variety, or satin-spar, is sometimes used for making
ornaments and beads, called Roman jpearls. But by far the most important applications of
gypsum in the arts, are those of plaster of Paris. In this state it is used for moulds, casts,
statues, as a cement, for plastering walls, and for ornaments on ceilings. The crude, unburnt
gypsum, when powdered, is largely used in agriculture as a fertilizer. Enormous quantities
of this substance are thus annually consumed in the United States. It is brought from the
quarries of Nova Scotia, and finds its way, by rivers, canals, and railroads, to nearly all parts of

Acadian Geology, p. 280. 2 Marcy’s Report, p. 173.

3 The following description, by W. J. Hamilton, esq. , of the gypsum and alabaster mine near Castellina, in Tuscany, is
interesting in this connexion :

“We entered the mine by an inclined path, and, passing under ground, soon reached an open well, or large inverted
cone, around which the inclined path is carried, and where the section of marls and gypsum is well exposed. As the
descending road passes through the third and fourth gypsum beds, galleries are seen striking into the rock in all directions.
The first and second gypsum beds are of a uniform character and grey color, and do not contain any alabaster blocks.
These are found, principally, in the third and fourth beds, and occur as irregular, isolated, spherical masses, imbedded in the
gypsum, from which they are, mineralogically speaking, distinctly separated by a thin black crust, which indicates to the
workman the existence of the finer nodules. These nodules are most frequent in the lower part of the stratum, and occur
in regular layers, never touching, although varying much in their distances from each other. In bed number 3 there are
two layers of these nodules, and in number 4 there are three. They vary much in size, weighing from 20 or 30 pounds
to upwards of 2,000 pounds. When the workman discovers the black crust, he is at once aware that he is near a block of
alabaster, and, by following the direction of the crust, he removes the gypsum all round until he has nearly detached the
whole nodule, which is at last carefully separated from the parent rock. Gunpowder is occasionally used to blast the rock,
when no black crust indisates the existence of the alabaster. This crust, in connexion with the pure alabaster, is, perhaps,

ORIGIN OF BEDS OF GYPSUM.

the country. It is even taken in quantities from the sea-hoard, hy railway, far into the interior,
to the hroad fields of northern Virginia, situated on the new red sandstone or “Trias.” Some
idea of the extent to which this substance is used in agriculture may he obtained from a know¬
ledge of the amount taken from the quarries of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and exported
to the United States in 1851. This, according to Mr. Andrews, was 40,592 tons, and valued
at $28,145. And in the year 1850, the quantity quarried reached the enormous amount of
79,195 tons.1 According to Dawson, the quantity quarried in Hants and Colchester districts
in 1851 was 78,903 tons, having a value of £10,000 at the ports of shipment, the greater part
of which is exported to the United States for agricultural purposes.2

It is thus seen that there is an immense and inexhaustible supply of this valuable mineral in
convenient proximity to all parts of the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is readily
quarried at little cost, and can he loaded directly into vessels without land transportation.
This is sufficient to show that the deposits of Texas and New Mexico cannot become valuable
as a source of gypsum for export. The expense of quarrying in horizontal beds is greater than
in vertical ones, where they are exposed in bluffs ; and the distance of the Texas deposits from
seaports will confine the use of the gypsum to its immediate vicinity.

Origin of the gypsum beds. — The origin of these great beds of gypsum has excited much
speculation, and numerous hypotheses have been formed hy different writers to account for their
formation. Some suppose the thick beds to have a mechanical origin — they having been depos¬
ited at the same time with the adjoining strata, and in a similar manner. Their igneous origin
was formerly advocated — the absence of stratification in some beds being regarded as evidence
of their once melted or fluid condition, and of their intrusion between the strata, as volcanic
rocks or lavas are found to traverse stratified deposits. The doctrine of the chemical character
or origin of the deposits is now, however, very generally accepted. Although not now pre¬
pared to enter into a full investigation and consideration of this difficult subject, I would re¬
mark, that when in California, in 1853, I was led to some conclusions respecting the formation
of gypsum beds, hy the study of phenomena presented in the Tertiary strata of Ocoya or Pose
creek, where beautiful seams of transparent and fibrous gypsum occur.

Veins and layers of oxide of iron, produced hy infiltration, are found at that place ; also
large beds of the same substance where there had formerly been accumulations of fossils, their
casts only being left in .the firm oxide, while all the lime had been removed. Still further
below we find layers of crystalline gypsum, presenting in their structure full proof of an origin
subsequent to the deposition of the strata.3 These conditions were evidently the result of the
infiltration of acid waters downwards through the strata ; the lime of the shells having been
dissolved, and a simultaneous deposition of iron produced.

I am inclined to regard all the great beds of gypsum of the G-ypsum formation underlying
the Llano as formed by the percolation through the strata of water charged with free sulphuric

one of the most curious features of the mine. On close examination, it appears to be laminar and concentric, and to con¬
sist of layers of blue clay and gypsum. Now the whole formation of gypsum contains a small portion of clay, which gives
it the greyish color ; and it is probable that when that peculiar principle, whether crystallization, attraction, or electricity,
which caused the aggregation of the particles of gypsum in greater purity and in a more crystalline statf was in operation,
one of its chief effects was to expel to the circumference all the particles of argillaceous matter previously mixed up with
the gypsum ; a process which would continue until either the crust itself opposed a resistance to the further action of this
principle, or until two opposing spheres nearly came in contact with each other.”

“Very fine crystals of selenite, and sometimes of a large size, are not unfrequently found in the fissures of the gypsum.
They are used for the purpose of making the fine scagliola cement, and are consequently sold at a much higher price than
the ordinary gypsum. The price of the fine alabaster is 5 Tuscan lires the 100 lbs. Tuscan at the quarry, or 8 if delivered
in Leghorn.” [Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. Lond. vol. i, p. 282.]

1 Andrews’s Report on the Colonial and Lake Trade : Washington, 1854, pp. 491 and 493.

2 Acadian Geology, p. 238.

* Other interesting facts and observations upon the gypsum will be found in detail in the writer’s forthcoming report of a
Geological Reconnaissance in California.

ORIGIN OF BEDS OF GYYSUM.— LEAD.

acid, or with sulphate of iron, derived from the decomposition of pyrites. When such a mix¬
ture of acid and water passes downwards through the strata, and comes into contact with carbon¬
ate of lime, either disseminated in the strata or in the form of beds, it produces decomposition,
and the sulphate of lime is formed, which crystallizes either at the place of decomposition, or at
a still lower point, where the gypseous solution accumulates. This accumulation or concentration
of the percolating fluid may be caused by the presence of a layer of impervious clay, which
prevents its further progress. When the infiltrating fluid is charged with sulphate of iron, a
double decomposition ensues, sulphate of lime and carbonate or oxide of iron being formed ; the
latter being deposited at the point of decomposition as a red or brown powder. The origin of
the red marls and sandstones may be thus explained. I do not doubt the formation of many
gypsum veins and thin layers in this manner — hy the infiltration of acid water, and the subse¬
quent and gradual crystallization of the solution in the strata, separating itself in clear plates
from the earthy materials which hold the solution. This is accomplished by the crystalline
forces, precisely as water in crystallizing in a bank of earth and sand will separate into clear
sheets of ice with such tremendous force as to elevate banks of superposed earth many feet thick.
If a thin seam of selenite or ice may be formed in this manner, it is not unreasonable to believe
that beds many feet thick may have the same origin. A larger supply of material only is
required. Abundance of lime for the formation of such beds would be found in the thick beds
of limestone, or, disseminated with the sands and clays of the great mass of the strata. Whole
beds of limestone may have been transformed from the carbonate to the sulphate. With respect
to the sources of the sulphuric acid, its origin is indicated to us by the highly sulphurous nature
of the water constantly being poured out on the surface of the Llano, or in the valleys of the
streams on its borders. These waters contain much sulphuretted hydrogen in solution, which,
on exposure to the oxygen of the air, becomes converted into sulphuric acid. These springs
may have once been much more numerous and powerful, and may have been charged with free
sulphuric acid. The water may either have risen to the surface, or permeated the strata from
below. Another source of sulphuric acid may have been found there in entombed organic
remains, which, by their decomposition, give rise to sulphuretted hydrogen.

I am pleased to find that Mr. Dawson also regards the action of free sulphuric acid upon beds
of limestone as the probable cause of the formation of the gypsum beds. In relation to this
subject, he makes the following observations: “For the gypsum of hTova Scotia, occurring, as
it does, in thick and extensive beds, interstratified with marl and limestone, there appears to
me to be but one satisfactory theory — that of the conversion of beds of calcareous matter into
sulphate of lime by free sulphuric acid, poured into the sea by springs or streams issuing from
volcanic rocks. Modern volcanoes frequently give forth waters containing sulphurous and
sulphuric acid. In the volcanic region of Java, for instance, there is a lake of sulphuric acid,
from which flows a stream in which no animal can live. The water of this stream being,
probably, more dense than sea-water, will naturally flow along the bottom of the sea, and, if it
meets with beds of calcareous matter, will convert them into gypsum.”1

IV. LEAD.

Lead and silver mines of the Organ mountains. — Description of the specimens.— Galena. — Cerusite.

I find several large and fine specimens of lead ores in the collection, but they are without
labels. In Captain Pope’s Report, however, mention is made of “ valuable silver and lead
mines” on the west side of the Organ mountains, “extending over a continuous distance of
twenty-five miles.”2 He also states that specimens from these mines were obtained and
brought in. I therefore .conclude that the specimens are from the above locality.

As our knowledge of these mines is so limited, and every fact concerning them is of the
1 Acadian Geology, pp. 223, 224. 2 Report of Captain Pope, p. 31.

ARGENTIFEROUS GALENA. — CERUSITE. 37

greatest interest, especially in connexion with the analyses of the ore, I quote the observations
upon the locality given in the Report :

“ The want of means to open these mines, and the ignorance of mining characteristic of the
New Mexican, have altogether prevented any development of their richness ; and it has only been
within the last eighteen months that anything like a serious commencement has been made.
Mr. Stevenson has opened a mine about fifteen miles from the river, at Dona Ana, and, notwith¬
standing the impossibility of getting an experienced miner, and the crude and imperfect man¬
ner of smelting he has been compelled to adopt, the results have been exceedingly profitable.
The ore is powdered between two stones, and the smelting is done without one convenience
common to the States. The refuse, probably, contains as much silver as the original ore ; and,
notwithstanding this, from a mule-load of three hundred pounds of the ore, he gets $18 of
silver.”1

These descriptions will apply to a silver mine rather than to one of lead. The specimens
brought in are of lead, and contain but a small portion of silver. It is, however, possible that
there is a large quantity of loose friable ore in connexion with the more compact masses, such
as Captain Pope obtained, and which is much more rich in silver. Silver is a common associ¬
ate of lead ores, especially of galena, with which it is so combined that it is generally separated
by smelting and cupellation. The following is the description of the specimens :

No. 78. Galena, from Organ mountains ? — The specimen is a very fine mass of galena, (a
sulphuret of lead,) and it contains a small nodule of iron pyrites, and some fragments of car¬
bonate of lead. Galena, when pure, consists of —

Sulphur . 13.4

Lead . 86.6

100.0

It crystallizes in cubes and in modifications of the monometric system, the cleavage of which
is very distinct in the specimens. This ore of lead generally contains a small quantity of silver,
and the specimen is labelled “ argentiferous.” The specimen was examined by cupellation to
determine the quantity of silver. An average of three trials yielded 0.165 per cent., or 48 troy
ounces to the ton. It yielded 85.62 per cent, of lead.2

No. 79. Cerusite, (specimen marked IC Plornb argentifere,”) from the same locality as No. 73. —
This is a mass of compact carbonate of lead, containing some small cavities in which the crys¬
talline planes of the mineral can be seen. The amount of lead was determined as sulphate,
giving 72.48 per cent, of the metal. An examination was made for silver, but not a trace could
be found.

Carbonate of lead is known in mineralogy under the name of cerusite , and, when pure, has

the following composition :

Carb onic acid . . 16.5

Oxide of lead . . . 83.5

100.0

This mass is remarkably large, and shows that very considerable deposits of ore exist at the
locality from which it was taken. The mineral has resulted from the decomposition of the
vein, which probably consists of the sulphuret. It is a very valuable ore of lead, and is very easily

1 Report of Captain Pope, p. 31.

2 The examination of these specimens for silver was made for me by Doctor J. D. Easter, of Baltimore.

SULPHUR FROM DELAWARE CREEK.

smelted. This mineral is found in beautiful crystallizations at the Wheatley mines in Chester
county, Pennsylvania. It also accompanies the ores of lead in Cornwall and Alston Moor,
England, and in Scotland at Leadhills and Wanlockhead.

V. SULPHUR.

Analysis of a powder from Delaware creek.

No. II. A greenish earthy powder , from the bed of Delaware creek , at the springs. — This
specimen contains 18.28 per cent, of free sulphur; the residue consisting of sand and clay, with
other earthy ingredients in small proportions. The determination was made hy igniting a
weighed portion, previously dried at 212°, in a porcelain crucible.1

An aqueous extract contains :

Alumina and oxide of iron, lime, magnesia, and sulphuric acid.

This quantity of sulphur is sufficient to render the earth very valuable ; hut its distance from
water-transportation and a market is so great, that it probably will not he available even if
found in large quantities. From the chemical examination of the waters of the spring hy Dr.
Booth, it appears that chloride of sodium (salt) is the principal solid ingredient, hut considera¬
ble quantities of sulphide of sodium are present, and in one the amount was considered equal to
the quantity of salt. The water also contains carbonate of soda and sulphates of lime and mag¬
nesia.2 It is probable that the waters, as they issue from the springs, become changed, and
their ingredients undergo recomposition on exposure to the air or hy mingling together. The
waters from the springs examined hy Dr. Booth were alkaline, hut it is possible that some of
the springs are acid ; and in this case the precipitation of sulphur would ensue on the mixture of
•the acid waters with those charged with the alkaline sulphurets, and the origin of the deposit
of sulphur in powder would thus he explained.

1 This examination was made for me by Dr. J. D. Easter, of Baltimore.

2 See Table III, “Mineral Waters,” p. 97 of Captain Pope’s Report.

CHAPTER YI.

Description of the Fossils collected by Captain John Pope.

EXOGYRA TEXANA?

No. 80. From the banks of Red river , near Preston. — This specimen is labelled Ostrea carinata,
from the ‘ ‘ Neocomian,” hut consists of a confused mass of fragments of fossil shells, in which the
specific characters are completely lost. Traces of plication are visible on one of the edges of
the specimen, hut they are not sufficiently well defined to permit of a determination of the
species. They are not so sharp and angular as in 0. carinata, hut are more rounded, and more
nearly resemble the plications of Exogyra Texana. If it were possible to identify 0. carinata
in this specimen, it would indicate a Cretaceous age for the deposit, for this species is charac¬
teristic of the Lower greensand, Upper greensand, and Chalk marl — the three divisions of the
Cretaceous. Its occurrence, therefore, cannot be regarded as an evidence of the Neocomian age
of the deposit from which it was taken.

No. 84. From Big springs of the Colorado. — This lot consists of three specimens of Exogyra
Texana, Roemer,1 a fossil species common in the Cretaceous formation of Texas. It has been
obtained by Dr. Gr. Gr. Shumard, at the Cross Timbers, Texas,9 and by Dr. Roemer, in the
Cretaceous deposits near Fredericksburg and New Braunfels.

No. 85. This specimen appears to be a valve of Exogyra Texana, but it is much worn, and no
label was appended showing the locality.

GRYPHiEA.

No. 83. From the Big springs of the Colorado. — This lot of shells consists of four specimens
of Gryphcea Pitcheri, Mort. They are rather small, but are well characterized, and indicate a
Cretaceous age for the formation. One of the specimens contains, among fragments of shells
adhering to its interior, a portion of a shell resembling a Pecten, but its specific character cannot
be recognised.

No. 81. This specimen is labelled “Outcrop of horizontal strata, 20 miles east of the Sand
hills, on the Llano Estacado.” It is also said to form the highest stratified rock. Like No. 80,
it consists of a confused mass of fragments of shells, but their characters are more distinct, and
Gryphcea can be easily recognised. It is, however, not possible to determine the species, but it
is probably G. Pitcheri.

Nos. 86, 87, 88, 89, and 90. From the Big springs of the Colorado. — These specimens are
granular limestone, friable and porous, and of a light-drab or buff color. They are said to
be taken from the base and top, and the intermediate portions of the bluff at the springs.
One specimen, from near the base, is more compact than the others, and contains a large amount
of crystallized carbonate of lime in little seams. Specimen 89, from near the top of the bluff, con¬
tains a small Gryphcea, which resembles G. vomer, but it is not well enough preserved to be
identified. This is the ohly fossil that can be detected, but the formation may be regarded as
Cretaceous.

1 F. Roemer, Texas, 396 ; also, Roemer’s Kreid. Tex., 69, Taf. x, fig. 1, a-e.

2 Marcy’s Report — Appendix E, 205.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOSSILS.

In the letter of Charles L. Taplin, addressed to Captain Pope, mention is made of ledges of
petrified oyster-shells from this locality.1

No. 82. A specimen labelled “ Neocomian limestone from the Elm fork of the Trinity river.” — It
consists of fragments of Gryphcea , firmly impacted together, and so obscure that the species
cannot he determined. It resembles G. Pitcheri, and in the mineral characters so closely simu¬
lates specimens obtained by Major Emory, and containing Cretaceous fossils, that it must be
regarded as coming from the same formation. There is certainly no evidence of its being of
the age of the Neocomian division.

PRODUCTUS.

No. 91. From the bed of an affluent of the Elm fork of the Trinity river. — These two speci¬
mens are compact limestone, of a dark color, and much stained with oxide of iron. They are
marked by casts of fossils, which, though obscure, are of Producti, and indicate, for the speci¬
mens, the age of the Carboniferous. They are, undoubtedly, transported fragments from out¬
crops of the Carboniferous limestone.

REMARKS.

The fossils which Captain Pope has collected, with the exception of No. 91, are all such as
characterize the Cretaceous formation. This formation is well represented by Gryphcea Pitcheri
and Exogyra Texana from the Big springs of the Colorado. These fossils are well known in
the Cretaceous formation of Texas. The former was first described by Dr. Morton, of Phila¬
delphia,2 who received his specimens from the plains of Kiamesha, Arkansas. He also states
that he has seen other specimens from the falls of Yerdigris fiver, in the same territory.

These fossils serve to indicate the development of the Cretaceous formation at the following
points : Banks of the Bed river, near Preston ; Big springs of the Colorado ; Elm fork of the
Trinity river ; and a point twenty miles east of the Sand hills, on the Llano Estacado. I have
therefore colored these places as Cretaceous upon the map.

1 Report of Captain Pope, p. 77. 2 Morton’s Syn. Org. Rem. Cret. Groups U. S., p. 55.

Ill:

No.

CATALOGUE

THE GEOLOGICAL COLLECTION

MADE BY

BREVET CAPTAIN JOHN POPE, 1853.

I.— ROCKS AND MINERALS.

Name.

‘ 1 Carboniferous limestone ” - - - . . .

Limestone, “probably Carboniferous.” (2 specimens) -

Granite and limestone. (4 specimens) .

White granular earth . . . - .

Limestone . - .

Limestone- . . . . . .

Transparent selenite _ _ _ — .

Dark limestone - - -

Compact sandstone _ _

Limestone _ _ _

Gypsum _ _ _

Gypsum in layers _

Gypsum in layers and plates _ _

Red fibrous gypsum _ _

Limestone ( 1 f Jurassique ” ) _

Compact, white, granular limestone _ _

Reddish sandstone _

Grey sandstone . . .

Coarse-grained grey sandstone, with pebbles — calcareous _
Limestone of a'light-drab color, with small spherical cavi¬
ties.

Pebbles of agate quartz and red porphyry _

Sandstone, reddish and coarse-grained — calcareous _

Large pebble and coarse grains of sand cemented by a
calcareous matrix.

Selenite, (rough crystal) _

White calcareous sandstone _

Sandstone, brown, compact and hard _

Red sandstone, fine-grained . . .

White calcareous sandstone, containing much carbonate
of lime.

Grey sandstone . . . .

Limestone, greyish-white, amorphous . . . -

White flint, with reddish seams and grains disseminated _
Calcareous mass _ _ - . .

Calcareous mass, resembles 33. . . .

Mass of pebbles, incrusted and cemented by carbonate
of lime.

Hard calcareous landstone, brownish red and very com¬
pact

Limestone, fossiliferous ; resembles 31, and has casts of
shells, probably Gryphcea.

6 h

Locality.

Mesilla valley.

Organ mountains.

Hueco Tanks, from different parts of the mountain.

Ojo del Cucrbo, west side of Guadalupe mountains.

Head spring of Delaware creek.

West and south side of Guadalupe peak.

Do. do.

Guadalupe mountains.

Do.

Found near Ojo de San Mar tine, (head waters of Del¬
aware creek.)

Ojo de San Mar tine.

Do.

Banks of Delaware creek.

Delaware creek.

Do.

Independence springs, Delaware creek.

Foot of the Guadalupe mountains.

12 miles below Delaware creek, east side of the Pecos —
large masses.

Pecos river, near its banks.

Pecos river, (mouth of Delaware creek.)

Came with No. 20.

Bluffs along the Pecos, March 20, 1854.

Bluffs along the east bank of the Pecos, March 20, 1854.
Bluffs east side of the Pecos.

Pecos river, east side.

10 miles from Pecos river, direct route, Llano Estacado.
East side of Pecos river, 20 miles from the mouth of
Delaware creek.

East side of the Pecos river, 24 miles below the mouth of
Delaware creek.

Surface of the Llano Estacado, 40 miles east of the
Pecos.

Llano Estacado, 41 miles east of the Pecos.

Outcrop on the Llano Estacado, 40 miles east of the
Pecos.

Llano Estacado, 50 miles east of the Pecos river, direct
route.

10 miles east of the Pecos, (Marcy’s trail,) March 24,
1854.

Surface of the Llano Estacado, direct route.

Llano Estacado, 11 miles east of the Sand hills ; March
27, 1854.

Llano Estacado, 13 miles east of the Sand hills ; March
27. 1854.

Llano Estacado, about 15 miles east of the Sand hills ;
March 27, 1854.

CATALOGUE OF THE GEOLOGICAL COLLECTION.

No.

Name.

Locality.

White calcareous sandstone - - -

From the bluffs between the Big springs and Sulphur
springs of the Colorado.

Silicious and calcareous mass, white, and containing a
seam of semi-opal.

Sulphur springs of the Colorado.

Amorphous opaque mass, chiefly carbonate of lime -

Between Mustang springs and Big springs of the Colo¬
rado.

Compact calcareous sandstone. The grains are in a firm

Cedar bluffs, ledge between Mustang springs and Big

investment of carbonate of lime.

springs of the Colorado.

Compact and fine-grained red sandstone .

Bluffs below the Big springs of the Colorado. (Horizon¬
tal strata.)

Mass of pebbles cemented by oxide of iron -

Big springs of the Colorado.

Nodular concretion, sand and oxide of iron _

Near Big springs of the Colorado.

Flint stained with oxide of iron _ - _

Vicinity of the Ojo del Cuerbo. (Crow springs.)

Sandstone charged with oxide of iron _

Llano Estacado, east of White Sand hill.

Sandstone - - -

Head waters of the Colorado, 25 miles from the Sulphur
springs.

Gypsum and sandstone _

Red fork of the Colorado river.

White sandstone, (similar to 41 — “Carboniferous.”) -

Cross Timbers of the Trinity river.

Limestone, light-drab color, and compact -

Head waters of the Clear fork of the Brazos.

Conglomerate, silicious _

Affluent of the Trinity.

Sandstone, compact, fine grained, and light-grey color,
calcareous.

High bluffs of the Brazos.

Sandstone, two specimens, grey and red _ _

Head waters of the Colorado, 20 miles from the Sulphur
springs, being the lower strata of a bluff on- a ravine.

Flint nodule - - - - -

Dividing ridge between the Colorado and Brazos.

Limestone . : . . .

High bluffs, head waters of the Brazos; horizontal strata.

Sandstone, highly charged with iron, hard and heavy.

Between head waters of the Colorado and the Brazos.

Conglomerate, charged with iron like 56 .

Same locality as 56.

Flint . . .

Clear fork of the Brazos.

Eed sandstone, fine grained, and compact . - . .

Head waters of the Colorado.

Grey and reddish sandstone . . . . .

Do.

Grey sandstone, compact _ _ _

Between Clear fork and the Brazos.

Gypsum - - - -

Head waters of the Brazos.

Sandstone _

North side of the Brazos.

Limestone of a blueish color, containing on one side peb¬
bles of red and white quartz.

Head waters of the Brazos.

Sandstone and gypsum _ _ _

Head waters of the Brazos river.

Argillaceous sandstone _

Near Clear fork of the Brazos, in a ravine.

Limestone _ _ _

Tributary of the Brazos.

Red and grey sandstone, three specimens _

Bluffs on the head of the Brazos river.

Ferruginous sandstone, full of almond-shaped cavities...

From the vicinity of Fort Washita.

Silicified wood _

Cross Timbers of the Upper Trinity.

Sulphur _

Bed of Delaware creek at the springs.

Porous friable rock _

Bed of Salt lake, 15 miles east of the Guadalupe motm*
tains.

Trachy tic rock . . . . . .

Near Los Comudos.

Limestone and . . . . . .

Sierra Alto.

Limestone and sandstone . . . .

Head waters of the Colorado.

White limestone and sandstone _ _

25 miles east from Sulphur springs, March 23, 1854.

Sand _

Sand hills, west side of the Guadalupe mountains.

Galena _

Organ mountains.

Cerusite, carbonate of lead _

Do.

II. FOSSILS.

No.

Name.

Locality.

Mass of broken shells, probably Exogyra Texana _

Banks of the Red river near Preston.

Mass of shells, consisting of fragments of Gryphcea _

Llano Estacado, 20 miles east of the Sand hills.

Mass of fragments of Gryphcea _ _ _

Elm fork of the Trinity, high ridge outcropping from
the surface.

Gryphcea Pitcheri, four specimens . . .

Big springs of the Colorado.

Exogyra Texana, three specimens _

Do. do.

Exogvra Texana, much worn _

No locality given.

Several specimens of a drab-colored limestone, contain¬

Big springs of the Colorado, from different parts of the

ing Gryphcea like G. vomer.

bluff.

Carboniferous limestone, two specimens, (boulder) .

Affluent of the Elm fork of the Trinity.

NOTE

EXPLANATION OF THE MAP AND SECTION.

The Geological Map which I have prepared to accompany this Report exhibits the line sur¬
veyed hy Captain Pope, with its relations to the Mississippi river and the shore of the Gulf.
The scale is the same with that of the General Map of the United States Territories now in
preparation in the Office of the Pacific Railroad Explorations and Surveys. The ranges of
mountains are indicated hy a broken line, instead of the ordinary shading used hy topographers.
The width of the map has been made to correspond with the quarto page, so that it need
not he folded in more than one direction.

The section is drawn to an equal scale for heights and distances, or half an inch to the mile.
The direction of the section corresponds with the line of survey as marked on the map, except
the extreme western end, which follows the parallel of 32° of latitude from the Eio Grande
river to the Hueco mountains, where they are crossed hy the trail.

The western portion of the section is nearly transverse to the trend of the mountains and the
strata, and therefore gives a true representation of the strata, so far as they are known. The
eastern portion, however, is believed to he nearly, or approximately, parallel with the trend of
the Carboniferous rocks near Fort Belknap, and the direction of their dip cannot, therefore, he
shown with any accuracy. In coloring this section, I have distinguished between the Creta¬
ceous rocks of the surface of the Llano, and the subjacent red marls, clays, and sandstones
which contain the gypsum. They are also distinct from the Carboniferous, although it is my
opinion that further investigations will connect these strata with one of the two formations,
probably with the former, if they are found to he unconformable in the Guadalupe Pass and at
other places. In either case, the separate coloring is desirable, as there is sufficient difference
of mineral characters to authorize a division for convenience of description, even if the strata
are not separable hy a difference in their organic remains.

Tertiary strata are not represented upon the Llano and the plains beyond, for the reason
that there is no evidence of their presence. It is probable, however, that they occur either on
or near the line of survey, hut they may have been entirely removed hy denudation. The
detrial accumulations, or the wash and debris from the mountains, are also unrepresented. It is
probable that they are quite thick about the mountains, and especially at the base of the Organ
and of the Hueco mountains ; and they may extend over a great part of the plains between the
ranges, so as to hide the older formations — the Tertiary or Cretaceous — from view. In repre¬
senting the upper or light-colored strata of the Llano — and, indeed, all the formations — it was
found desirable to distort them in thickness, so that their relations would he more apparent
to the eye.

It is, of course, impossible to represent accurately the position and thickness of strata under¬
lying the surface, and which are not exposed at short intervals, hy sections. The section, and
especially that part representing the Carboniferous rocks below the surface, is to a great extent
ideal, and is not presented as accurate, hut will, it is hoped, serve the purpose of giving a

NOTE IN EXPLANATION OF THE MAP AND SECTION.

general view of the relations of the strata, until further and' more extensive explorations fur¬
nish the material for a better representation. The Carboniferous limestone is represented as
dipping eastwardly from the Hueco mountains ; hut as there are no observations respecting an
outcrop further east until the Guadalupe range is reached, I have not brought it to the surface
in the section, hut terminated it at the base of the granite outcrop of the Alamos.

As there is no mention of the occurrence of Carboniferous strata on the east slope of the Organ
mountains, nor on the west of the Hueco range, I have not represented them on the section
between those ranges.

Since the section was finished, I have learned from Hr. Antisell that the Carboniferous lime¬
stone of the Organ mountains is overlaid by a sandstone, which is probably of the same age.
I did not venture to bring it to the surface in the section, although confident it was present
below.

It was deemed so desirable to have the whole section on one sheet, of a width not greater
than the quarto page, that the spaces between each line were contracted as much as possible.
It. is hoped that the explanation will he a sufficient excuse for the crowded appearance of the
sheet.

INDEX

TO THE

REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OE THE ROUTE

NEAR THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL.

Page.

Acadian Geology, by J. W. Dawson _ 26

African deserts, wells in . . . . . . . . 15

Alabaster _ 18, 32, 34

Andes, gypsum of . - . - . - . . 18

Andrews, J. D., quoted.. . . . . . . . . . . 35

Anhydrite _ _ _ 18, 33, 34

Apaches - 13

Armarillo creek _ 9

Artesian wells _ _ _ _ _ 22 — 23

Bartlett, J.R . . . . . . . 13

Bastrop, coal at _ 32

Beyooda Desert . . . . . . . 15

Big Plaster rock, N. S. . 18

Big Springs of the Colorado _ _ .' _ 17, 21

Bituminous coal . 27,31

Bluffs, on Redriver . 9,10

Llano . . . 9, 10

Booth, Professor _ 21,38

Boulders _ 13

Boundary Commission . 12

Bryan, Lieutenant, quoted _ 13

Building stone _ _ : _ 29 — 30

Byrne, J. H., quoted . . . 12, 13, 19

Canadian river _ 9

Cathedral rock _ 14

Carboniferous limestone _ 12

of Guadalupe mountains . . . . . . 14

near Fort Washita _ 25

fossils of Windsor, N. S . . 26

suitable for buil dings . . 29

Carboniferous sandstone _ 25

Carboniferous strata, containing gypsum . . . - . . 18,26

Carbonate of lead . 37

Castellina, Tuscany, gypsum at . . . . . 18,34

INDEX

Page.

Caves , in gypsum . . . 16, 18

Ceriopora . 26

Cerusite . - . 37

Coal . 27,31

Colorado Desert _ _ _ _ 14, 19, 29

Conglomerate, silicious . . 30

Conularia . - . 26

Cretaceous . . . . . . . - . 17,19,25,27

at Dona Ana _ 17,19

fossils . 17,27,39—40

of Alabama _ 25

between Fort Belknap and Preston . . . 27

Crow Spring _ : _ 20,21

Cross Timbers _ 27

Cyathophyllce _ 32

Darwin, Charles _ 18,26

Dawson, J. W . - . 18,26

Delaware creek _ _ - 21

Des Moines, gypsum of _ - _ _ _ _ _ 18

Doha Ana _ 17

silver mine near . . . - 37

Drifting sand _ 20

Drift _ 16, 21

Master, Dr. J. D . . . - . 37,38

Efflorescence of salt . 20

Emory, Major W. H. . . . - . - . 12,17,40

Encrinites _ 32

Exogyra Texana _ 17, 27, 39

Fenestdla _ 26

Ferruginous sandstone . . 29

Fort Washita, Cretaceous at . 25

Fort Belknap - 24,25

section of strata at. _ _ 27

Gr.

Galena - - - - 36 — 37

Garrard, Lieutenant - - - 7, 22

Geological section, note on - 42

Geological map, note upon . 42

Granite . - . . . 8,12,13,14,30

for building purposes - 29,30

Gray, A. B - 14

Great Basin - 9

Gryphxm-. - 17,27,39,40

Guadalupe mountains, extent and direction of . . . . . . 7

elevation of _ 8

geology of . . 14

water at the base _ 22

Guadalupe Pass, elevation of. . . . . . . . 8

Gypsum formation _ 16,17,18,19,25,34

of South America _ _ _ 18, 26

of Nova Scotia . 18, 26

INDEX

Page.

Gypsum, formation, of Italy - - - - - - - * — . 18

extent of . 19

boundaries of _ 25

age of . - . . . - . . . 25,26

on the Canadian river - - - - - - - 34

of Plaister Cove, N. S . 34

Gypsum, on Red river - - - - - . . . - . . 16

on Delaware creek _ 16,18

of the Andes - - - 18, 26

of Iowa _ 18, 26

of Nova Scotia _ 18, 26

fibrous _ 18

used as glass - - - . . . . . - . 18

quantity of . - . . . . . . 25

composition and characters . . . . . . . - . . . . 32

at Plaister Cove, N. S . - . 34

quantity exported to United States - - - - - - — . . 35

origin of . 35 — 36

in California _ _ 35

Hamilton, W. J _ 18,34

Helix _ . . 28

Hitchcock, Professor . . . . . . . _ . . . _ . . 25,31

Hueco Pass, elevation of _ 8

Hueco mountains _ _ _ . _ _ 8

geology of . . 12

Hueco Tanks _ 15

Hurrah creek . . . . . . . _ . . . 9

Independence Springs _ _ _ 21

Iowa, gypsum of . . . . . . . . . 18

Italy, gypsum beds of- . . . . . . . . . . 18

Jurassic .

Los Cornudos . . . . . 13,15

Lead . - . 36,37

argentiferous _ _ _ _ _ 37

Lignite . . . . . * . . 31

Limestone, crystalline _ 12

carboniferous . . . . . . . 12 14 26 27

for buildings _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 29 30

Lime, caustic . . . . . . 27 30

Llano Estacado, description of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ g

elevation . . . . . . . . . . g 9

undulations . g

extent . . . . . . . . • g iq

rivers and streams _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ 10

bluff borders _ 10

Seol°gy . - . - . . . 16,17

fossils . yi

sandstone . 17

possibility of obtaining water on, by boring _ _ _ - . . . 22

building stones . . ^ . . . . 39

INDEX

Page.

Loess , of Eed river _ - _ _ . _ _ _ 28

of the Mississippi and the Rhine _ _ _ 28

Loomis, Colonel G. A _ _ . _ _ _ _ 27 31

Lower Cross Timbers _ * _ .... _ _ 27

I/ymnea . 28

Map of the route, note on . . __ . 42

Marcy, Captain R. B . . . 9,10, 12, 32

Marcou, Jules . . . . . . . 17 25, 26

Marshall, Lieutenant _ _ _ _ _ 46

Mesa _ g

Metamorphic rocks . . . . . . 42

Mezquit timber _ 24

Mineral waters . 21, 38

Mines, of alabaster . . . . . 34

of lead. . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Mississippi, ancient alluvium of . 28

Moore, Dr., of Texas . . . . . 32

Mustang Springs _ 21

Nova Scotia, gypsum . . . . . . . . . . . 18,26

Oak openings _ _ _ _ _ _ ■ 24

• Ocoya creek, gypsum of _ 35

Ojo dd Cuerho . 8, 20, 21

Organ mountains _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7,12

trend of . 7

lead in the . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Origin of beds of gypsum . . . . . . 35

Orthoceras.. . . . . . . . . . 26

Ostrea carinata _ _ 39

Owen, Dr. D. D _ 18

Oyster shells, ledges of . . . . . . . . . 40

Pecos river _ _ _ _ _ _ 9

Permian _ 25

Phengites _ 34

Physical geography, remarks on _ 7

Physa . - . . . . . 28

Plains between the Rio Grande and the Guadalupe mountains _ 19

Plaister Cove, N. S . 26, 34

gypsum of . 18

Planorbis.. - 28

Plaster of Paris - 33

Pleurotomaria _ 32

Polished rocks, at the Hueco Tanks . . - . 14

on the Colorado Desert _ 14

Pope, Captain, quoted — . 18,19,24

Preston - - - - - - - - 25, 28

Preston Salt Valley, Virginia, gypsum - - - - - - - - . . 18

Productus . . . . . j . 26, 27, 32, 40

Pupa _ 28

Redriver . . . . . . . - . 9

Reservoirs of water in the deserts . . . . . . . . . . 15

INDEX,

Page.

Rhine, loess of . - - - . 28

Rivers and streams of the Llano - . . . - . - . - . . 10

Rocky Dell week . . - - - - - . - - - - 9

Rogers, H. D . . 18

Roman pearls ........ — - - - - - - - - - 34

Sacramento river, gypsum on . . . - . - . 16

Saline lakes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 20,21

of California _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 21

Sand hills . 19

of the Colorado Desert . . . 19

water among . - . 20

Satin spar - - - - - - - - - - - 32,34

Section of the Llano - - - - - - . . . . . 16

of strata at Port Belknap . . . . . . . 27

note on . 43

Selenite . 16, 18, 32, 33

Shubenacadie, gypsum _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18

Shumard, Dr. G. G . 16, 25, 31

Silver, in lead ores . 37

Sierra Alto _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15

Sierra de los Alamos . . . 8

Snow _ 15

Soil, along the Brazos . . . . . . 27

Spirifer _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ — . . 26

Springs .... _ _ _ _ .... . . . 10,21

at the borders of the Llano . . . . 23

Staked plain _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 24

Stevenson, Mr . 37

Sulphuric acid _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 21,36

Sulphide of sodium, in the water of springs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 21

Sulphur . 21,38

Sulphur Springs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10, 21

Sulphurous lakes ......... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 20

Table lands _ ........ _ _ _ _ — .... — - - - - - - ....... 8

elevation of . . . . . 8

Tanks qf water - - - - - . 12,13,15

in African deserts . . . . . . — . . . 15

Taplin, Charles L., quoted . . . . . . . 40

Taylor, Bayard, quoted . . . . . . . . . . 15

Terebratula - 26,32

Tertiary - - - 17,19,28

fossils of Tuscany . . . . . . . — . . 18

conglomerate of the desert.. . . . . . 20, 29

drift of the Llano . . . . . . . . . 21

reason for not representing it in the map and section . . . . . - . 43

sandstone of the Bernardino Sierra, California . 29

coal in . 31

Texas, Tertiary coal in . 31

Thome's wells _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ........................................ 14

Trap rock . 12

Trias . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,25

Trinity river, Cretaceous on . 40

Tuomey , Professor.. _ _ _ _ _ _ ..... . . . . 25

Tiscany, gypsum . 18

INDEX.

Page.

Upper Cross Timbers - - - - - - - 27

Water among the Sand hills . 20

in natural tanks . - . - . - . - . - . 15,22

salt . 20

springs . 21

at the base of Guadalupe mountains _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22

in the strata of the Llano . . 23

mineral . 21,38

Wheatley mines, cerusite at . . . . . . . . - . - . 38

Whipple, Lieutenant A. W. _ _ _ _ _ _ - . . . 9

Windsor, Nova Scotia, gypsum of . . 26

Witchita mountains _ 8

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS EOR A RAILROAD ROUTE EROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WAR DEPARTMENT.

REPORT

EXPLORATIONS FOR THAT PORTION OF A RAILROAD ROUTE,

NEAR THE

THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE,

LYING BETWEEN

DONA ANA, ON THE RIO GRANDE,

AND

PIMAS VILLAGES, ON THE GILA.

LIEUT. JOHN G. PARKE,

CORPS TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS.

REPORT.

Instructions from the Secretary of War — Organization of party. — Route from San Diego to Pimas villages. — Pimas. and Mari-
copas Villages, and Indians. — El Picacho mountain. — First appearance of cotton-wood after leaving the Gila. — Tuczon ; its
inhabitants and their occupation. — Meteorite found in canon of Santa Rita mountains. — Its analysis by Prof. Charles U.
Shepard. — Attentions received from commanding officers at Tuczon. — Country between the Tuczon and San Pedro rivers. —
San Pedro valley. — Dos Cabezas. — Playa de los Pimas. — Trails of Caballados. — Visits from Indians. — Characteristics of the
valleys. — Cook’s trail. — Ojo de Vaca. — Rio Mimbres. — Startling intelligence from Fort Webster. — Mesilla valley. — Mesilla. —
Explanation of map. — Profile of country. — Timber. — Building-stone. — Water. — Barometrical measurements with reduced
approximate altitudes. — Appendix.

Washington, D. C., August 22, 1854.

Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the party intrusted
to my charge, for the examination and survey of railroad route to the Pacific, in obedience to
the following instructions :

“War Department,

“ Washington, November 18, 1853.

“Sir: The President of Mexico has given to this government authority to make surveys
within the Mexican territory, in connection with examinations of railroad routes to the Pacific,
and you are selected to make such a survey, in accordance with the instructions below, provided
a suitable party can, as is believed, he organized with the means which will be placed at your
disposal.

“For this purpose a draft on the assistant treasurer at San Francisco for five thousand dollars
is herewith enclosed to you, and orders have been given to Lieutenant Williamson to supply
you with all the funds he can spare, and all the animals, equipments, &c., which may be dis¬
posable for the object, on the disbanding of his party.

“A similar order has been given to Lieutenant Whipple, though it is hardly expected that
aid from him will be necessary should these instructions reach you before the party of Lieu¬
tenant Williamson is disbanded." If, however, Lieutenant Williamson should have sold his an¬
imals and equipments, you may find Lieutenant Whipple’s assistance essential to your success.
It is to be distinctly understood that neither of those officers is to deprive himself of anything
necessary to the prompt completion of his report. The organization and outfit of your party
are to be completed on the most economical scale that can be prudently adopted.

“The necessary orders have been given for the detail of an escort, and supplies for the same.
“You will confer with Lieutenant Williamson upon everything relating to the organization
and outfit of your party, and to your plans for the prosecution of the work.

“You will use the utmost despatch in commencing and prosecuting the duty assigned to you,
and observe the following instructions in regard to it :

“Referring to a sketch from the office of the Mexican boundary survey, hereto annexed, you
will commence the barometric levellings on the Gila, a little above ‘ Pimas village,’ at a place
marked ‘Dry creek;’ follow the line by ‘ Tucson,’ thence by blue line marked ‘Nugent’s wagon
trail,’ to angle in red dotted line marked ‘ Brackish pools,’ east of Salt lake.

“It may be that a shorter and better line exists from the point of departure on the Gila to
the point on the San Pedro where blue line, or Nugent’s wagon trail, strikes at. The mount¬
ains in that cut-off are described to be generally parallel to the river San Pedro, and the belief
exists that a goood route can be found through them on the line indicated.

ORGANIZATION OF PARTY.

“From the point marked ‘ Brackish pools/ just east of Salt lake, as far east as the first
stream marked £ Sienega,’ along the dotted red line, a survey and line of barometric levellings
has been carried by the Mexican boundary survey. But it would he well to make the survey
continuously along the red and blue line eastwardly until it strikes Cook’s wagon trail, and
thence by the shortest distance and most practicable route to the valley of the Bio Bravo, to
some point between ‘ Dona Ana’ and ‘Frontera,’ eight miles north of El Paso.

“ A more eligible and direct route from the region of the said Salt lake to the point indicated
on the Bio Bravo may he found. If information or observation on the ground shall so suggest,
you will not confine yourself to the wagon trail described, hut depart from the line indicated
at any convenient point.

“Bear in mind these wagon trails are faint, and not as broad or well marked as the great
emigrant trail known as Cook’s route, which, having been sufficiently explored, will not re¬
ceive your attention. The levels have been carried continuously by Major Emory along the
valley of the Gila, and it might facilitate the operations not to unpack the barometer until the
party shall have reached the point of departure from the Gila.

“As the whole, country between the Gila and the Bio Bravo embraced in the parallels of lati¬
tude 32° and 34° has been well covered with astronomical observations, it will probably not he
necessary for you to impede your progress in checking the run of your work by elaborate astro¬
nomical observations. A sextant and chronometer, by which you can obtain your latitudes, will,
it is believed, prove sufficient to check your work.

“The profile of the region traversed, showing the gradients which a road passing over it
must encounter, is the information most wanted. It is therefore recommended that you take
the barometric height at every point on the line to he surveyed which may he important in the
elucidation of this subject.

“On reaching the Bio Bravo, it may add little to the expense of your party to bring it all the
way in to the settlements on the Bed river. If so, you will take some new route from Dona
Ana, passing through the northern part of Texas, and make a barometric levelling of the same. .

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“ JEFFEBSON DAVIS,

“ Secretary of War.

“ Lieut. J. G. Parke,

“ Corps of Topographical Engineers, San Diego, California .”

These instructions, with passport accompanying them, were received in San Diego, California,
December 20, 1853,* on my return from an examination of the Jacum Pass, made under orders
from Lieut. Williamson, corps topographical engineers. After receipting to Lieut. Williamson
for so much of his property, including instruments, as was serviceable and necessary, I com¬
menced the organization and equipment of a party, hut found it imperative on me to repair to
San Francisco for the purpose of securing the services of an assistant, and procuring funds and
additional instruments ; in all of which I succeeded, with the exception of obtaining a mountain
barometer, there not being a single one available in that section of the country. Having re¬
turned to San Diego and completed the outfit of the party, which numbered in all fifty-six souls,
we took our departure from the quartermaster’s depot on the afternoon of January 24, 1854.
The party was organized as follows : Mr. Henry Custer, assistant and topographer ; Dr. A. L.
Heermann, physician and naturalist; Lieut. George Stoneman, first dragoons, commanding
escort of twenty-eight men, and also undertook the duties of quartermaster and commissary of
the expedition, in the discharge of which were employed eighteen men ; five additional men
assisted in carrying barometers and tripods.

From San Diego we followed the emigrant route known as the Southern, via Warner’s rancho,
in the coast range, across the Colorado desert, to Fort Yuma, at the junction of the Gila and
* See “ A, ” in the Appendix.

PIMAS AND MARICOPAS VILLAGES AND INDIANS.

Colorado rivers, and thence up the G-ila to jthe Pimas villages. To Fort Yuma the road is
good, and presents no ohstacle to rapid transportation with wagons excepting a steep ascent in
the mountains and occasional sands on the desert.

Up the Gila our route lay upon the left hank of the river, with the exception of a short dis¬
tance, where we were forced to cross to its right hank, the river having, in the last few years,
changed its hed, and now washes the base of the mesas, which it was impracticable to pass
without much labor.

The road is not confined entirely to the river-bottom, because of the close proximity of the
river to the mesas, which often forced it to cross over terminating spurs that jut out from the
south, thus cutting off many deep bends of this sinuous river.

The travelling upon the mesas was hard and firm, whilst that in the bottom was generally
heavy. We moved under favorable circumstances, there having been quite a fall of rain since
the last party passed, which not only laid the dust, but hardened the surface of the roadway.

While on the Grila the great scarcity of grass and other forage was a constant source of
anxiety, and caused much night travelling. The few patches of grass near the watering-places
were cropped close by the herds of stock driven to the California market, and the mezquite-
bean, upon which the emigrant almost solely depends for the existence of his animals, was now
out of season ; but by dint of great care and attention on the part of Lieut. Stoneman, taking
advantage of every bunch of cane growing at the water’s edge, and the sparse tufts of a dry
bunch-grass found on the mesas at a distance from the roadside, we succeeded in reaching the
first of the Pimas and Maricopas villages, with all our animals, on the 13th of February, having
just crossed a jornada of thirty-eight miles, and camped by a rain-water pool, surrounded by a
large area of dry bunch and salt grass, three hundred and ninety miles from San Diego. To
rest our animals and give them an opportunity to feed, we remained in camp a day, and on the
following day moved through the villages, camping near the point where the emigrant trail,
turning southward, leaves the river-bottom. We had numerous visits from the Pimas and
Maricopas. Their chiefs and old men were all eloquent in professions of friendship for the
Americans, and were equally desirous that we should read the certificates of good offices
rendered various parties while passing through their country.

In order the more fully to describe the country traversed, with a view of facilitating the solu¬
tion of the question of practicability of constructing a railroad through it, I will first transcribe
the journal of our operations, setting forth the general features of the country, which may
possibly be of service to any whose duties should hereafter require, or interest dictate to visit
this region, and then subtend a memoir showing the gradients to be overcome along the route
travelled, as illustrated by the accompanying map and profile.

While in San Francisco I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Nugent, and am much indebted
to him for a copy of his notes made during a trip across this country ; and as his trail, as plotted
upon a sketch sent me, so ill accords with his notes, (in one instance crossing inaccurately what
I deem an impracticable ridge,) it is proper for me to remark that where 1 departed from the
line indicated in my instructions, I pursued that which, on examination, presented the fairest
prospects for, and least obstacles to, the construction of a practicable profile, bearing in mind
its directness.

February 16, 1854. — On turning from the river we have to encounter a long stretch of about
seventy miles where the finding of water is very uncertain, it being dependent upon the rains
and seasons. As is found by experience to be most advantageous on setting out upon these
jornadas, we started from camp, on the left bank of the Gila, about six miles above the Pimas,
at 1 p. m., and after travelling 3.5 miles in the river-bottom, took a course tangent to the
eastern base of the ridge on our right, and skirting a mezquite growth, interspersed with small
patches of bunch-grass, extending southeastward from the Gila. As we progressed the road
became hard and firm, leading over a gradually ascending plain of a red gravelly surface,
destitute of all vegetation excepting the grease-wood and occasional mezquite. In the distance

EL PICACHO MOUNTAIN. — TUCZON.

on the right were low lost mountains, and on the left a low ridge, increasing in altitude towards
the south. Camped at 11 J p. m., upon the hard clay surface of the drain for this vast area,
without water or grass, having made twenty-three miles.

February l^. — Started at sunrise, continuing on our general course south 35° east. In front
are two gaps, separated by a peculiarly castellated mountain, El Picacho, rising abruptly from
the plain, through the eastern one of which passes our road. During the morning a few scat¬
tering hunches of grass were seen on either side of the road, affording a happy relief to the
painful monotony of this almost desert. The road, still hard and firm, continues up the smooth
drain with an apparently uniform ascent to the eastern gap, which we reached at 1 p. m., and
fortunately found some pools of rain-water, surrounded by quite a dense growth of mezquite.
This gap is not a notch or depression in the crest of a continuous ridge, hut an extension of the
plain narrowed down by hare, rugged peaks of almost solid rock, rising abruptly from the
plain. Leaving the gap at 5 p. m., we continued over the same character of country until 10 p.
m., camping by the road-side without grass or water — distance twenty-eight miles.

February 18. — A smart shower aroused the camp at an early hour this morning. The teams
were soon harnessed, and we were again on the road at daylight. On the clearing away of the
clouds, we found ourselves travelling directly for a gap separating a low ridge on the west from
one probably two thousand five hundred feet high at its terminus, and extending eastward
until lost below the horizon. The summits of this ridge are whitened with this morning’s fall
of snow, which was confined to those high altitudes. El Picacho looms up, with its well-defined
and angular profile, a most prominent landmark.

At half-past 9 we struck the sandy bed of a stream leading from the gap, and hearing towards
the Gila in a northwesterly course. Crossing the bed, we turned the point of a low ridge on
the right of the gap — made up of huge, shapeless masses of trachytic rock, with a few scattering
argillaceous nodules — and found, a short distance beyond, another pool of rain-water ; hut there
not being a sufficiency of grass, and finding that it increased in quantity and improved in
quality as we advanced, we pushed on still further, following the valley of the dry stream, and
camped about noon by a water-hole with abundance of grass and wood. We have here not only
the hunch-grass, hut also the grama, which, although dry, possesses a great deal of nourish¬
ment. The cotton-wood makes its appearance — the first we have seen since leaving the Gila.

From the river to the entrance of this gap there extends a plain of gradual and apparently
uniform ascent towards the south, with a surface free from washes and deep drains, hut studded
with isolated peaks and ridges, (lost mountains,) which, seen from a distance, have the appear¬
ance of continuity, and impress the traveller with the idea of being in the centre of a vast basin
surrounded by chains of mountains. The soil of this plain changes from a dry, ashen loam at
the Gila, through a reddish argillaceous sand, to a gravel as we approached the ridges and
peaks ; and yields a growth of stinted artemisia and larrea, with mezquite in the low portions,
and cereus giganteus, midst other varieties of the cactus, upon the uplands. Scattered patches
of grass were found by the roadside. These mountains are of peculiar form and shape. Their
serrated crests and faces, often vertical and cliff-like, surmounting the slopes of the debris, give
the whole, particularly when aided by mirage, a semblance to the crumbling towers of a fallen
castle. The rock is volcanic, vesicular, and of a reddish color, which throws over the ridges of
the distant landscape quite a purplish tint, forming a pleasing contrast with the glare and
reflection from the parched plain. Within this gap we find the deep sand-bed of a dry stream,
whose hanks and terraces increase in altitude as we ascend ; being at camp from fifteen to twenty
feet high, and extending hack to the mountains on either side.

February 19. — Remained in camp to-day, and took repeated readings of the barometers.

February 20.— Got under way at sunrise. Seven miles of good road, through the mezquite
growth adjacent to the stream-bed, brought us to Tuczon. In order to allay any fears and cor¬
rect all misapprehensions on the part of the inhabitants with reference to our movements and
probable connexion with the lawless expedition then on foot for the seizure of this country, we

METEORITE — ITS ANALYSIS BY PROF. SHEPARD.

halted the party outside the limits of the town.* Lieutenant Stoneman and myself rode in,
and, on inquiring of the guard, found the comandante of the presidio, Captain Hilarion Garcia,
and also the inspector of the troops of the State of Sonora, Captain Bernabe Gomez; to whom
we made ourselves known, and, stating the object of the visit, presented them our passport.
The party then moved through the town, and encamped about two and a half miles beyond on
the bank of a clear running brook, with abundance of grass and wood.

February 21. — Remained in camp. — Rest and a good feeding of corn, which we fortunately
can obtain, will be of great service to our animals, some of them already beginning to fail.
Tucson (properly Tuczon) is a one-storied flat-roofed adobe town of about six hundred inhabit¬
ants, whose sole pursuit is agriculture; the much dreaded Apaches having interfered greatly
with their pastoral occupation. They raise chiefly corn and wheat, cultivating about three
hundred acres of rich soil by irrigation from a stream which has its source near the mission of
San Javier del Bac, 8.5 miles to the south; and although it flows past our camp with a depth
of one foot, and width of six feet, its waters nevertheless disappear a short distance below the
town, either consumed by irrigation or absorbed by the sands. At sunrise the temperature of
this stream was 62°, while that of the air was 32°. Timber is scarce in this locality, that used
in building, a species of pine, being found in canons and narrow gorges of the distant mount¬
ains ; while the cotton-wood, willow, and mezquite, of the immediate vicinity, is barely suffi¬
cient for fences and fires. From the summit of a conical hill about half a mile to the west of
Tuczon, a very extended prospect is presented. On our back trail El Picacho stands near the
horizon’s verge, with its fine proportions distinctly visibly. To the north and northeast is
Sierra Santa Catarina, high, rugged, and with numerous spurs, extending eastward to the San
Pedro. South of east is the gap through which we pass, bounded on the south by Sierra Santa
Rita, which extends around to the south point. In this direction lies the valley of San Javier
del Bac. To the southwest and west are a series of “lost mountains.” This conical hill is
covered with angular fragments of scoriae, varying in size from that of an egg to a cubic yard,
more or less vesicular and compact. Descending the hill, an amygdaloidal volcanic earth is
found overlying a mass of metamorphic limestone, much contorted. At the base is found a
coarse-grained granite, and apparently a conglomerate of all the above ingredients, decomposed
where exposed, giving the whole a whitewashed appearance. The commandant showed us two
specimens of a meteorite found in a canon in Santa Rita mountain, about twenty-five or thirty
miles to the. south of Tuczon. They are both used as anvils, and were lying, one in the presidio
or garrison, and the other in front of the alcalde’s house. That in the garrison is of a very
peculiar form, being annular and somewhat like a signet ring of large dimensions, its exterior
diameter being about three and a half feet, and interior about two, and weighs near 1,200
pounds. The other piece weighs about 1,000 pounds, and has an elongated prismatic form,
serving well the purposes of an anvil, it being partially buried, and standing nearly two feet
above the surface of the ground. By permission of the authorities our blacksmith undertook to
cut off some specimens for us, in which he almost entirely failed, the metal being so tough and
hard ; still, by dint of two hours’ hard work and the use of a cold chisel of the best temper, and
a most weighty sledge, we procured a few small chippings, sufficient for the purposes of analysis.
The fracture is crystalline, resembling that of cast-iron. It yields to the hammer, and has a
clear ring not unlike bell-metal.

Note. — Having submitted a specimen of the above meteorite to Professor Charles U. Shep¬
ard, I received from him the following, bearing date July 31, 1854, in relation to its analysis:
“I have already so far submitted a portion of it to examination as to become fully satisfied of
its meteoric character. It contains nickel, phosphorus, and magnesia, in addition to the iron.
Sulphur is not thus far evinced, though probably present. I should add silver also to the list of
ingredients. Its specific gravity is 6.66, which is rather below the average; but, most unex¬
pectedly, I find that its entire mass is finely amygdaloidal, with an earthy white mineral

See “ B, ” in the Appendix.

ATTENTIONS FROM COMMANDING OFFICERS AT TUCZON. — DOS CABEZAS.

analogous to a meteoric mineral that I described as forming the chief part of the Bishopsville
(S. C.) meteoric stone. It is this feature that makes your iron entirely peculiar. To see this
trait, you have only to polish a little surface, and etch with hydrochloric acid, when the surface
becomes speckled over with the white earthy mineral, imparting to it a porphyritic character;
but to see this well , will require the aid of a microscope.

“Large quantities of the white mineral remain undissolved after the solution of the main
mass in the acid ; and floating among the residuum maybe seen also a dark gray flocculent
matter, which I took to be the meteoric mineral I have named Dyslytite. • Much of the white
earthy mineral is thus seen to be in grains, perfectly rounded ; some of which are transparent
and resemble hyalite; other portions of them are milk-white and nearly opaque. These last
are soft, and precisely resemble chladnite.”

February 22. — Again got under way, starting about noon; but, instead of taking the emi¬
grant route via the mission of San Javier del Bac to the Cienega de los Pimas, thereby making
a great detour, travelling first south, and then due east, we took a course direct for the gap,
there intervening apparently a smooth and uniformly ascending plain ; camped without water,
but an abundance of grass. The officers of the garrison, and Inspector General Gomez, ac¬
companied us to the camp ; thus adding another to the list of polite attentions and serviceable
offices rendered us by these gentlemen, for which we are under many obligations.

February 23. — Soon after leaving camp this morning, we were compelled to diverge from our
course, owing to the thick growth of cactus, and were finally compelled to cut a road through it.
Beaching the emigrant road, we turned almost due east, and travelled over an undulating
country, the swells increasing as we neared the entrance of the gap, where we encountered a
canon debouching from this pass and opening out into a broad drain or valley to the northwest.
Entering this canon we commenced its ascent, travelling through deep and heavy sand, alter¬
nating with contracted meadow patches, hemmed in by walls, approaching verticality, of
irregular, shapeless masses of rock, generally of a metamorphic character ; limestone, granite,
copper-green, and a pudding-stone, all being found without any marked characteristics or
apparent order of superposition. Camped at the first water, with grass and wood, having made
18.4 miles.

February 24. — Made an examination of the country adjacent to the camp, and found that
this canon is the main drain of the gap or depression, and that the slopes on either side are
rough and broken up by deep ravines and washes. Our teams started at nine and a half, and
were soon forced to the hills by the narrowing of the canon, rendering it impassable for wagons
without much labor bestowed on removing the obstacles. Avoiding this canon by a rough and
rugged road, we again entered the valley, and thus continued through long, smooth meadows,
and over rough and steep pitches (fortunately not high) for nine miles, when we ascended the
table-land on our left and commenced the approach to the divide, following a set of wagon-trails.
On the table-land had a good road over a red gravelly soil of decomposed igneous rock, yielding
a rich growth of grama grass, which, although not in season, is nevertheless very nutritious,
being perfectly cured hay, standing as it grew. Camped near the divide between the waters of
the Tuczon and those of the San Pedro, without water and but little wood, having made 13.5
miles.

February 25. — Last night was cold and squally, a rain setting in immediately after dark.
Started early and soon made the summit of the divide, whence we had a view of the San Pedro
valley — a dry, parched-looking plain, bounded on the east by a low, bare ridge, beyond which
loomed up in the blue distance the Dos Cabezas, the most striking and prominent landmark in
this region. The trail bearing too much to the south, we left it, and turning eastward de¬
scended to the San Pedro, where we camped. From the summit there is a gradual slope to the
valley proper, or bottom, which we entered by an abrupt descent of about sixty feet. This
bottom is bounded on both sides by an irregular zigzag step, much indented by deep washes,
and is at this point about three miles wide. It is covered with a growth of grass, now dry and

PLAYA DE LOS PIMAS.

crisp. The stream is about eighteen inches deep and twelve feet wide, and flows with a rapid cur¬
rent, at about twelve feet below the surface of its hanks, which are nearly vertical, and of a
treacherous miry soil, rendering- it extremely difficult to approach the water, now muddy and
forbidding. The banks are devoid of timber, or any sign indicating the course or even the
existence of a stream, to an observer but a short distance removed. Made eleven miles.

February 26. — Started down the stream about two miles to the ford, Lieutenant Stoneman
having despatched a fatigue party to improve it ■ but in spite of this and the great exertion of
Lieutenant S., we had no little trouble in effecting a crossing. There being no trail leading
eastward from the river, the party again encamped, while I started to examine the several gaps
in the ridge on our front. Leaving the river-bottom, we followed up a lateral valley ; but find¬
ing it narrowing as we advanced, becoming a tortuous dry sand-bed or arroyo, bounded by steep
slopes, we took to the table-land ; and after a few miles of rough riding reached the gap im¬
mediately to the east of our camp, and found it not only impracticable for our wagons, but pre¬
senting no advantages for our profile beyond the mere direction. We then skirted the western
base of this ridge southerly, and found a canon leading directly through it, with walls of
rounded masses of granite, which formed in many places, also, quite a step-like bottom. Pass¬
ing through this canon, we continued on the east slope, southward, and found that the ridge
terminated, leaving a very inviting and apparently feasible pass between it and the terminus
of an overlapping ridge from the south. In this pass we found comparatively fresh wagon-
trails. Returned by following these trails to the river, and thence down to camp, arriving
at midnight with our mules broken down.

February 27. — Lieutenant Stoneman and myself examined the fourth gap on the north of
those examined yesterday, through which I am now satisfied that Mr. Nugent must have passed.
We found the approaches difficult and hazardous to attempt with loaded wagons, according
well with Mr. Nugent’s notes : “a succession of steep hills and rocky ravines.”

From the river bottom to the base of this ridge extends a foot-slope, appearing as if once
smooth and of uniform ascent, but now cut up into a perfect labyrinth of washes and gullies,
ramifying and branching into a multitude of arms as we ascend. Returning to camp, I deter¬
mined to take the gap through which we passed last night. Packing up, we followed the river
until striking the wagon trails, then turned eastward up a large sandy ravine, and camped at
sundown without water, but a sufficiency of grass. Made fourteen miles.

February 28. — Left the ravine near the mountains, the road leading over a smooth, rolling,
prairie-like surface through the pass, the summit of which we reached at 11 o’clock. Before
us lay an extended plain, in the middle of which is the Salt lake, Playa de los Pimas, and
beyond this the Chiricahui ridge, with its lofty Dos Cabezas ; to the north the massive Mount
Graham, with an apparently continuous ridge extending northwestward till lost below the
horizon. Between this ridge and that over which we have just passed there is a wide
opening towards the mouth of the San Pedro, apparently a continuation of the plain Playa de
los Pimas. To the north of the Chiricahui ridge is a wide gap between it and Mount Graham ;
and immediately to the south of the Dos Cabezas is a third gap, Puerto del Dado, which is very
inviting, and, lying directly on our course, I determined to travel through it.

From the summit we had a perfectly smooth road over a reddish soil, covered with grass,
and devoid of trees with the exception of a few scattering palmettos down to the Playa, which,
at present, is a hard, smooth, and apparently level area of about fifteen miles in length by
nearly ten in width, without a particle of vegetation, it being the perfection of sterility. These
playas, in my opinion, have no outlet, and are so nearly level that the rain and drain waters
are spread over a large surface ; and there being but little absorption and very rapid evapori-
zation, it is left smooth and baked. In some places it is much cracked, and covered by a
nitrous efflorescence, which gives rise to the ordinary name for all like places — “Salt lake.” On
the Playa we crossed two very large trails leading from south to north, doubtless those of

VISITS FROM INDIANS.

Caballados, once the property of the Mexican ranchero, and now furnishing rations tor the
ruthless Cay oteros.

We commenced the ascent of the slope beyond, and camped at sunset without water, having
made 25.5 miles. During the day parties were out hunting water, hut returned unsuccessful;
one party completely turning the southern end of the playa, where water is indicated upon the
sketch, and another going in search of the “brackish pools” on its eastern margin.

March 1. — Glot oif at 1 a. m.; took a straight course for the point of the mountains, expecting
to find water, in accordance with the statement of our guide, in a canon to the right of the Dos
Cabezas. Here again disappointment met us, and left us now the only alternative to reach the
spring in the Puerto del Dado, for which we immediately set out, having at the same time
parties penetrating the canadas and valleys on our left,- with, however, hut faint hopes of finding
that which our animals stood so much in need of. During the night we passed over a per¬
fectly smooth hut gradually ascending grassy plain ; hut while skirting the bases of the foot-
slopes from the Dos Cabezas, it became, as we advanced, somewhat undulating, our trail cross¬
ing valleys and their divides. At 1 p. m. we reached the summit of the pass, heyond which
we encountered really a rough country. Still continuing on our course, we crossed a great
number of valleys and canadas near their sources, having much difficulty with our wagons
upon the steep descents and ascents. Finding the much desired water, we encamped in a small
triangular valley with an abundance of grass and wood, about 2.3 miles from the summit.
While crossing the divide a few Apaches made their appearance, showing themselves only to
the rear of the train. Two or three of our men approached them, and were saluted with cries
of££muchos amigos.”

After a short parley they were satisfied of our peaceable disposition, and followed us into
camp. Made to-day twenty-three miles — in all, without water, fifty-five miles.

March 2. — Remained in camp to-day; took hourly observations of the barometer. The
weather was cold and disagreeable, with raw and high winds coming down from the summits
to the southeast of us. Our animals are now doing well, having an abundance of fine grama
grass, and, by husbanding, a sufficiency of water. The spring is situated near the head of a
lateral Canada, about five hundred yards from camp. The water is cool and good-tasted, hut
unfortunately the supply is limited, the small basin being emptied last evening before our
mules were satisfied. Happily there is another in a valley near by, which was shown us by
the Indians. Judging from the number and depth of trails in this vicinity, these springs are
much frequented by the Apaches. Around camp there grows an evergreen oak, generally
dwarfish, and of hut little service other than for fire-wood. At and near the summit of the
pass large masses of granite and volcanic rocks are found, outcropping and heaped up into
lofty peaks on either side. During the day many Indians visited our camp, some to beg and
others to sell mules. They are about to move their camp, the water giving out on the other
side of the summit, according well with our experience.

March 3. — Again took up our line of march, the road leading down the dry bed of a Canada,
in places narrow and tortuous. Opening out on the plain of the valley of Sauz, there lies in
our front, about twenty-four miles distant, a low range of mountains, hare, rugged, and
peaked, extending from the Gila southward. On our left a continuation of the ridge from the
Dos Cabezas northward, while on our right the view was intercepted by this same ridge extend¬
ing 11.5 miles eastward. From the mouth of the Canada our trail passes close to the base of
this ridge, crossing at right-angles the slopes and valleys making from it.

Reaching the extremity of the ridge, or rather the point of its turning to the south, our road
makes directly for a sharp peak crossing the valley, diagonally passing over a uniform slope
down to the stream, which we reached just at dark, having made twenty-five miles.

In this vicinity there are neither trees nor hushes to indicate the course of the stream. There
is no main bed or channel, the water ramifying through small narrow ditches, or spreading

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VALLEYS.

itself over the surface of the bottom, rendering it marshy and miry. Grass is scarce and salty.
The chief growth upon the plain is larrea, agave, and artemisia.

While on the road an Apache family passed us, all mounted. The head of the party informed
us there were hut two passes through the ridge in front. Towards one we are now hearing,
and through the other, which lies to the north, passed the boundary surveying party.

March 4. — Crossed the stream, hut not without much trouble. The mules mired badly — so
much so that they were unhitched, and the wagons passed over by hand. Followed up the
stream a short distance, and again encamped. In order to ascertain the practicability of the
passes, two parties were sent out, to each of which I gave a description of the canon through
which Mr. Nugent passed, taken from his notes. Lieutenant Stoneman kindly assisted me,
and examined the gap towards which we were travelling yesterday. He found wagon trails
leading through it, and the general features of the canon corresponding with Mr. Nugent’s
notes, hut no spring, as he stated, “ under a large cedar tree.” Here again were we disap¬
pointed. Surely we are crossing this country in its dryest season. Towards evening the
parties returned, reporting no trails nor passes between this one and that referred to above.

This morning was intensely cold ; quite a skimming of ice even upon the running water.
The northern slopes of the peaks of Chiricahui are whitened with snow.

March 5. — Expecting another long stretch without water, the kegs and canteens were filled
and mules all watered. A few miles brought us again into our old trail leading up the foot-
slope of the ridge, and towards the same gap we were travelling upon, two days since. By a
gradual and uniform ascent we reached the mouth of the canon which leads directly through
the ridge, and heading close to the plain on the eastern side.

Near the entrance of this gap lies an outcrop of metamorphic, secondary limestone, under¬
lying huge masses of granite, heaped up throughout the canon in most beautiful confusion.
From the stream to this ridge extends a slope displaying a rich growth of grama-grass in
patches. From the crest of this ridge had a view quite analogous to that obtained from those
already crossed, hut somewhat tamer; an immense plain, or rather valley, extending north and
south, and hounded by a low ridge on the east, the Gila mountains on the north, and detached
mountains on the south, having the appearance of continuity. The ridge on the east gives out
towards the north, leaving a continuous plain extending around its northern end. Our course
hears, for a depression in the low Hills, to the north of a rounded conical peak, and leads us,
as before, diagonally across the valley, the bottom being dry, and covered with a dwarfish
growth of mezquite, sage, and hunch-grass.

The characteristics of these valleys are their great similarity one with another, and the per¬
fect uniformity in the individual features. The foot-slopes are gentle and smooth up to within
a short distance from the ridges, where they assume gradually a greater degree of inclination ;
and, of a consequence, are rough and indented by drains, the frequency and depths of which
depending, in a great measure, upon the altitudes of the parent mountains.

The soil of these slopes is made up of the detritus of the rocks in place in the ridges. Near
their bases the surface is strewn with angular fragments, which become ground up and disin¬
tegrated the further they are removed from the original rocks, until they are reduced to an
impalpable ashen soil, as is generally the case in the bottoms. When near the divide of the-
low hills, we found on the right of the road, in the bed of a dry gully, a hole made by some of
our predecessors, containing about a bucket-full of water. After a little digging, the supply
was found to he constant, hut at the same time very small. We, however, encamped, having
made 21.6 miles. This Spring is indicated upon the sketch; hut I scarcely think it is perma¬
nent, the surrounding features giving it more the appearance of a blind drain of the surface-
water collected in the immediate vicinity. Lieutenant Stoneman had it deepened about two or
three feet, and then managed, by great care and attention, to give each team-mule a bucket¬
ful — an operation requiring at least three hours. Some of the men were up at intervals during

COOKS TRAIL. — OJO DE VACA.

the night, each watching his turn to give his riding-animal another sip. We found near camp
a greenish rock, with a slightly malachitic coating, closely resembling an ore of copper.

March 6. — Had during the night high winds, accompanied hy a slight shower. Soon after
leaving camp we had spread before us another plain of similar character to those before encoun¬
tered. The road was firm, over a surface strewn with fragments of a compact chocolate-colored
igneous rock, with small whitish crystals imbedded. On the right was a large mass of much
weather-worn metamorphic scoriae. In the bottom crossed another playa, (lake of the sketch,)
the surface of which was apparently as level as a floor, and so dry and hard that the wagons
scarcely made an impression. A joking teamster remarked, “Here is your country for a rail¬
road.”

While ascending the slope beyond the playa, we struck into a plain wagon road, crossing
from the northwest, made hy the boundary surveying party. Following this road we turned
the point of the ridge, having, however, two or three knolls on our right. We passed over an
uneven country, the drains and ravines all making southward, in which direction is apparently
a prairie extending from the playa around the terminus of this ridge to the eastward. Our
plain road divided up into a number of trails, leading off into various directions ; and finally
losing all traces of them, we took a course eastward, expecting soon to reach the emigrant road,
(Cook’s wagon trail.) Having made 2*7.9 miles, we camped without water, being again
unsuccessful in finding an indicated spring. Grass in abundance, hut a scarcity of wood.
Throughout the day the wind was high and weather squally.

March *7. — Continued on the course of last evening about a mile, and struck Cook’s trail
at the very point where Nugent departed from it; the surrounding topography according with
the sketches ; and, in addition, there were visible faint traces of an old wagon trail. This road
is here broad and well beaten, being through this region the only route travelled hy the southern
emigration to California. From this point there extends eastward a prairie, unobstructed hy a
continuous ridge, over which I should, in accordance with my instructions, take a direct course
to the Rio Bravo. But, as this would involve the necessity of another ninety miles’ march
without water, and there being no doubt about the practicability of a railroad over it, I have
determined to follow for the present the emigrant road into Mesilla, deeming the other an
undertaking too hazardous with our animals in their present condition, completely fagged and
leg-weary, the results of a succession of long stretches without water which we have encountered
since leaving the Pimas, and over which we were obliged to travel with rapidity hy night as
well as day.

Following the road a short distance, we struck the arroyo or valley coming down from the
Ojo de Inez ; but, not finding here any water, we pushed on to the Ojo de Vaca, passing over
a gently undulating prairie, the slopes and drains of which run southward. Camped, having
made 12.6 miles, with fine grass, slightly brackish water, and no wood — the roots of the dwarf
mezquite serving all the purposes of cooking. This spring is situated in a slight depression in
the prairie, with rounded knobs or knolls on the north, and an insulated rock-capped excres¬
cence on the south. The water, flowing hut a few yards, forms quite a marsh, surrounded hy
rushes and cane ; the drain or valley making from it, like those we have encountered since
leaving the point of ridge east of the playa, (lake,) spreading out into the broad prairie.

March 8. — Sent this morning two men to Fort Webster, near the copper mines, and about
fifteen miles north of the crossing of the Mimbres, to report our arrival in this vicinity, and
invite the officers of the garrison to visit us at our camp on the Mimbres, where we expect to
remain during to-morrow. From these gentlemen I expect to gain much additional inform¬
ation respecting the section of country lying south of the boundary line, parallel 32° 22' and
extending to the Rio Bravo.

Allowed our mules to graze until 10, when we started for the Rio Mimbres, having a
most excellent road over a swelling grassy prairie, crossing at right-angles, as a general
thing, the line of greatest declivity. Approaching the Rio Mimbres from the west, one unac-

STARTLING INTELLIGENCE FROM FORT WEBSTER.

quainted with its locality is completely deceived, finding himself, when apparently ascending
the slope from the Picacho de los Mimhres, very unexpectedly on the summit of a low divide,
at the bottom of which lies a meandering line of cotton-woods and willows, indicating the
river’s course. Although these trees are now destitute of foliage and have a very wintry
aspect, the trunks and hare branches nevertheless afford a very pleasing relief. Camped a
short distance above the crossing, the grass having been burned in that vicinity. The stream
is now about six feet wide, and one foot deep. The water is clear and cold, and flows over a
pebbly bottom, with a rapid current ; and, like most of the streams throughout this country,
although dignified by the title of rio, (river,) its waters disappear soon after leaving the mount¬
ains, sinking into the sands a short distance below the road.

Shortly after Lieutenant Stoneman and I had turned in, the men sent to Fort Webster
returned, bringing strange and somewhat startling intelligence. Instead of finding a flour¬
ishing post, garrisoned by three companies, as was expected, they found not a soul, and the post
in ruins, most of the buildings burned to the ground, and the remaining ones sacked — all a
perfect wreck; and from the facts of the embers still smoking, and the great number and fresh¬
ness of the Indian tracks, the depredation has been committed within the last few days. Hot
an Indian was to he seen, although frequent fires were seen while coming down the river. We
must he more cautious and circumspect in our movements hereafter. To be in such close prox¬
imity to Indians and not see any of them, indicates clearly that all is not right. Soon after the
establishment of this post, these Indians located themselves in its immediate vicinity and com¬
menced cultivating. This whole affair is wrapped in uncertainty, which will not he cleared up
until we arrive at Fort Fillmore.

March 9. — Remained in camp to-day, being a fine opportunity for our animals to graze and
rest, both of which they stand much in need of, having performed trying and severe duties.

March 10. — Passed a cold night, the thermometer being at sunrise 20°. The Apaches did
not disturb us. Left camp at half-past 6 o’clock, and, crossing the stream, we followed the
road, which is equal to a turnpike, on a course tangent to the southern end of the Picacho de
los Mimbres. On nearing this mountain, we found that, instead of turning it, the road, after
passing over two or three ravines, crosses a low spur by a steep ascent, hut gradual descent, to
Cook’s spring, at its base, where we camped, having made nineteen miles. This spring is a
hole, or rather a pond, of sulphureous water, which disappears a short distance from its source.
There are no trees, not even hushes, to indicate the existence of this spring. Wood is very
scarce, “bois de vache” being called into requisition.

Around the terminus of this ridge extends a plain, the continuation of that which absorbs the
waters of the Mimhres. How this plain is connected or disconnected with the Rio Bravo bot¬
tom, remains to he seen.

March 11. — Having now before us a long stretch, by report sixty miles to the river, without
water, we did not leave camp until noon, thus affording our animals an opportunity to graze
and take a long draught prior to entering upon this jornada.

From the spring our road lay across a plain, sloping southward, in which direction the view
was unbroken by mountain ridges or peaks. So smooth was it, that we had frequent examples
of the delusive mirage. ' Crossing this plain, we ascended a divide, from the crest of which we
had spread before us another plain of similar character, but sloping, singularly enough, to the
north. Beyond this is a system of mesas, encrusted with a black, volcanic rock, the surface of
which is nearly horizontal. In many places this whole crust has been removed, leaving rounded
and gently swelling hills. By easy descent we reached the divide beyond, and camped at eight
in the evening, having fine grass, but no water nor wood. Distance twenty-three miles.

From Cook’s spring there appears to be a break in the ridge of hills to the east, south of the
wagon road, and directly opposite the opening between the southern end of the spurs from
Picacho de los Mimbres and the Sierra Florida. Should this plain extend to the river, a great
advantage will be gained over the route at present travelled.

MESILLA VALLEY. — MESILLA.

March 12. — G-ot off by early dawn, and encountered the same description of country as that
of yesterday. Broad, smooth valleys, separated hy low ridges, the ascents and descents of
which were easy and gentle, except where we came in contact with the volcanic covering of the
mesas. As we neared the river our road became rough, encountering, while descending from
the mesas, gullies and drains with steep slopes, and a long, dry, sandy ravine, leading down to
the bottom of the Kio Bravo del Norte. We camped at sundown on the hank of the river, at
the mouth of this ravine, and near the parallel of 32° 22', the boundary between the United
States and Mexico, as settled hy the commissioners empowered hy the treaty of Gfuadalupe
Hidalgo.

We are now in the well-known Mesilla valley, a small portion of the Bio Bravo bottom lying
between the river and the low table-land (Mesilla) on the west ; Dona Ana is in sight on the
opposite side of the river. Made twenty-seven miles, the entire distance from Cook’s spring
being fifty miles.

March 13. — Followed down the river, and soon got into the fields, the wagon road passing
directly through them, there being no other obstacles than the numerous and ramifying
acequias, (irrigating ditches,) many of which had been bridged.

The town of Mesilla is, although new, a very thriving and busy place, and has a rapidly-
increasing population. Passing through the town, we crossed the river and encamped in a
grove of cotton-woods in view of Fort Fillmore. Although the route just passed over from
Cook’s spring to the river is practicable for the construction of a railroad, and at the same time
being satisfied that the gaps or breaks bearing southeast from the spring present another
equally so ; still, wishing to compare the two, I determined to retrace our steps in order to
make a profile of the latter. Accordingly, on the 17th of March I started with an escort,
commanded by Lieut. B. Bansom, 1st dragoons ; having obtained from the post fresh animals,
both riding and pack, for which, and other assistance, I am much indebted to Major E. Backus,
commanding, and to Lieut. J. C. McFerran, acting assistant quartermaster.

Betracing our steps, we camped at the last water, the point where the road leaves the river.

March 18. — Showery during the night. Packed up, and soon after leaving camp the showers
of last night turned into a settled rain, rendering the travelling anything but comfortable.
We, however, pushed on till half-past 3, when luckily finding two or three cedar bushes in a
ravine on the right of the road, (wood being an exceedingly scarce commodity,) we deemed it
advisable to make camp. Succeeding in making a fire, we huddled around it, alternately
steaming our knees and backs until 9 o’clock, when we turned in with a fair prospect of getting,
if possible, more thoroughly soaked, there being no cessation in the rain; and we started with¬
out a single tent, the only shelter or protection being one India-rubber poncho.

March 19. — All hands contributed towards the making up of a very sorry picture; even the
horses and mules looked most forlorn.

It remained cloudy and threatening during the morning, but at noon the sun made his
appearance — a very welcome visitor. We halted to dry our blankets and packs. At sundown
we reached the spring.

March 20. — Started southward, skirting the bases of the spurs making from the Picacho de
los Mimbres. Continued on this course seven and a half miles, reaching a point in the gap
between the Picacho and the Sierra Florida, from which I could see westward, over an almost
perfectly level plain, the conical hills to the south of the Ojo de Yaca, while towards the east
lay a continuation of the same character of country. Started eastward, bearing towards the
middle of a gap between the mesas, over which the wagon road passes, and the low hills to the
south. Took several barometric readings ; camped at sundown, encountering thus far no obsta¬
cle whatever to the construction of a very easy grade. In fact, it was difficult in many places
to detect a slope ; and if any, the direction. Camped in the open prairie with fine grass, but
without wood and water; distance 18.5 miles.

March 21. — Wishing to reach the river before night, we started at 2 a. m., and after con-

EXPLANATION OF MAP. — PROFILE. 15

tinuous travelling readied the river-bottom at noon. After halting a couple of hours, we moved
on to our camp at the post; distance thirty-five miles.

The map has been constructed simply from hearings taken by a prismatic compass, and
distances along' the route measured by a viameter. Before entering upon the field of the survey,
my chronometer most unfortunately met with an accident, rendering it unserviceable. For the
latitude and longitude of the point of departure on the Gila, of Tuczon, and of the point of
striking the Bio Grande, I am indebted to Major W. H. Emory, topographical engineers, in
charge of Mexican boundary survey.

The red full line is the line of survey over which the wagons passed. The red dotted is the
line of survey made by returning from camp on Bio Bravo., having a small party with pack-
mules. The full blue line indicates where, and how, obstacles encountered upon the full red
may he avoided, as shown in the profile and notes ; and although it does not indicate a line
actually passed over and surveyed, it nevertheless is located from observations made while on
the field. The blue dotted is suggestive, and indicates where still further improvements may
jprobably he made, depending upon other explorations and detailed surveys. By referring to
the map it will he seen that the dry bed of stream passing Tuczon has, after leaving the point
of the hill at camp No. 12, station 2, a slope and direction towards the northwest, which,
according to information obtained at Tuczon, it retains until reaching the Bio Gila, Opening
out into its bottom at a point about twenty-five miles below camp No. 10. In that case a saving
of distance will he had, and a continuous grade obtained from the Gila to Tuczon.

In the Puerto del Dado it may be found practicable and advantageous, after a minute survey,
to pursue the blue dotted line, crossing the ridge of a low spar, and thus obtain a less curved
trace ; and in case the cutting and embankments upon either of the lines in the Puerto require
too much work, the whole ridge may he turned on the north, the maximum elevation to he over¬
come being not more than 4,862 feet, the approximate altitude of camp Castro, in the foot-hills
of Mount Graham, furnished me by Major W. H. Emory, topographical engineers ; but this
detour will he made greatly at the expense of distances. From the plain of the Play a de los
Pimas a gap was seen extending towards the mouth of the San Pedro, apparently a continuation
of the plain.

Should a practicable descent he found in this direction to the San Pedro, and thence to the
Bio Gila, this route will possess decided advantages when taking into consideration the questions
of water and distance.

After turning the Chiricahui mountains, a more direct route eastward may he had, depend¬
ing upon the practicability of the gaps in the ridge to the east of the Yalle de Sauz.

From camp No. 24, station 4, an open plain extends in the direction of blue dotted line, pre¬
senting, as far as could he observed, no other obstacle than the lack of water, to the running of
an almost direct route tangent to the northern end of Sierra de Florida.

When reaching the Bio Bravo I found that to pursue the survey through northern Texas, as
was suggested in my instructions, would involve the necessity of incurring a debt equal to the
amount of appropriation allowed me ; and as Captain Pope, of topographical engineers, had
started about one month previous on this line, I deemed it advisable to close my work, discharge
such of my party as could he dispensed with, and start to this city by the most direct and ex¬
peditious route via San Antonio and Indianola, Texas.

PROFILE.

No. 1, the lower, is the profile of line passed over by the wagons during the survey, indi¬
cated upon the map by a full red line, and is constructed from altitudes measured by Green’s
cistern barometer 387 and 392, and distances measured by a viameter attached to a wheel of the
instrument wagon, by assuming the altitude of the starting point on the Bio Gila as zero, and
referring the altitudes of the several points along the line to it. It therefore gives approximately

PROFILE.

the relative elevations of not only tlie camps, the main summits or divides encountered and
valleys crossed, hut also the various intermediate accidents or changes in the surface passed
over, the barometer being put up and reading taken at every apparent deviation from the
uniform slope.

No. 2, the upper, is constructed with reference to the sea-level, and shows the average grades
with which the several sections of the route may he passed. The dotted lines being those at¬
tainable by deviating from the red line at points indicated, and following the blue, thereby the
grades are improved and the line shortened ; hut at the same time the question of water is
thrown out of consideration.

Commencing at the Rio Gila, we have from camp No. 10 a smooth, plain country extend¬
ing as far as camp No. 15, station 1, presenting a stretch of ninety-seven miles of easy grades,
requiring hut little work, the maximum grade being fifty feet per mile from camp No. 14, station
1, to camp No. 15, station 1, a distance of nineteen miles.

At camp No. 15, station. 1, we entered a canon leading from the Cienega de los Pimas, in the
gap, by descending abruptly from the plain on its left bank to its dry sandy bottom. By a side¬
cutting this canon can be entered with a grade of nineteen feet. Reaching camp No. 16, the
summit of the divide between the Cienega and the Rio San Pedro can be attained without
trouble ; but it is impracticable to continue on this line (the red) to the river. This difficulty
can he overcome by deviating at camp No. 16, station 3, and following blue line through camp
No. 17, station 1, and camp No. 17, station 3, and skirting along the bases of the hills bound¬
ing the valley to a point near camp No. 19, station 1, where, crossing the river, the ascent of
the dry ravine leading from the range beyond is commenced. Through the canon above camp
No. 16, there will be required rock-cutting at points where, it becoming narrow and tortuous,
rocky projections are presented as obstacles to either a right line or gently curving trace. The
walls of this canon being, however, in no instance over eighty feet, and seldom over fifty feet
high, and at many points, where it widens out to a valley, they are replaced by low, rounded
hills, no insurmountable obstacle to an average grade of thirty-eight feet per mile is encoun¬
tered as far as the summit, camp No. 17, station 1. From this point, by pursuing the line indi¬
cated, the bottom of the San Pedro may be reached by a grade not exceeding sixty-one feet per
mile, and will require but light cutting, the slopes of the foot-hills being of a loose clay. The
river can be bridged by a single short span, the water-way being about twenty-five feet wide.

Between the San Pedro and the Playa de los Pimas a low ridge intervenes, the approach to
which is by a dry arroyo' or drain leading from a gap in its crest, bounded by rounded hills and
occasional walls, varying from twenty to fifty feet in height, made up of a semi-hardened con¬
glomerate mass of debris of granitic and volcanic rocks. In the gap there lies a rolling prairie¬
like country, extending in an unbroken plain down to the playa. This divide can be crossed
with an average ascending grade of sixty-two feet, and a descending one not exceeding fifty-
four feet.

From the Playa de los Pimas the line crosses the Chiricahui range, passing through the
Puerto del Dado. By the line travelled, the ascent to the summit of this pass lay over a smooth
plain until reaching the foot-slopes of the mountains, when it became undulating, crossing val¬
leys and their divides ; whereas by curving to the southward these foot-slopes will be avoided,
and a continuously ascending slope is found, giving, after making a sixty-feet cutting at the
summit, a grade less than forty-six feet per mile, that obtained by following the direct red and
blue lines. Leaving the summit and following the red line, we find that in the distance 4.7
miles to camp No. 22, station 1, a descent of seven hundred feet is made; and that thence to
camp No. 22, station 4, distant seven miles, there is an additional descent of one hundred and
eighty-one feet. The line in this descent crosses lateral ravines making from the summits
on the right until reaching a point a few yards below camp No. 22, where it enters the main
drain, and follows down its bed to the opening on the plain at camp No. 22, station 1. It
thence passes to station 4, along the base of the ridge projecting eastward from the Puerto.

PROFILE.

Starting from the summit with the above cutting, and hugging the ridge with a curving trace,
as indicated by the blue line, station 4, or the level of that station, can he reached by a grade
not exceeding seventy feet per mile. This will require, in addition to the rock-cutting at the
summit, heavy side-cutting and embankment. At and near the summit large masses of granite
are out-cropping, while below camp No. 22 the walls of the canon are made up of a much tilted
and contorted stratification of a slaty sandstone and limestone.

From this station 4, our route lay over a smooth plain, descending apparently uniformly to
the stream at the bottom of the Valle de Sauz. Upon this plain a continuous grade of about
thirty feet per mile can be constructed with but little labor, the ground being already, as it
were, graded. The stream is no obstacle. But from it, at camp No. 23, to the summit of the
gap in the ridge beyond, there is an ascent of seven hundred and seventy-one feet, requiring,
after making a sixty-feet cutting at the summit, a continuous grade of about ninety feet to over¬
come it, following either of the lines indicated; but as the approach to the entrance of this gap
is over an unbroken slope, this grade can be reduced by ascending the slope diagonally, thus
increasing the distance.

The gap is wide and open, with the exception of about a hundred yards at the summit, where
it narrows down to a canon, with granite wall.

No difficulty is found in crossing the valley, which is made up of smooth slopes lying between
camp No. 24, station 4, and camp No. 25, station 1. The maximum grade is but sixty-eight
feet per mile, the natural slope ascending to camp No. 25, station 1.

Beyond this point lies another bottom, bounded by a low spur, giving out and sinking into
the plain towards the south.

For considerations of water we continued eastward, hugging and skirting the extremities of
the spurs of this ridge until reaching Cook’s trail, which we followed to the Ojo de Vaca, and
then pursued the trail to the Bio Bravo. By observations made on the ground, it was found
perfectly practicable to construct a line of grades answering the purposes of a railway commu¬
nication along or near the route travelled, the maximum grades being encountered in ascending
the summit of camp No. 25, station *7, and at the Bio Mimbres; in the first case, *78. 7 feet, and
in the second 89 feet, allowing sixty feet for cutting and the same for embankment, and even
these grades can be greatly reduced by a slight deviation to the south at these points. But,
since the several spurs, valleys, and slopes crossed make southward and amalgamate, forming a
continuous plain unobstructed by rough ridges, the line or route to the river can be improved,
not only in its grades, but also be shortened by diverging at camp No. 25, station 3, and pur¬
suing a general direction, as indicated by the blue line, to its junction with the red dotted, and
thence following it to the river; the profile of this latter having been determined barome¬
trically.

Profile No. 2 gives, in the dotted line, the average grade attainable by following the course
above indicated, the maximum being about fifty feet, that required in making the ascent from
the point of divergence to “A” on the horizontal curve, passing through camp No. 25, station
6, and thence ascending to B, the approximate altitude of which is five thousand one hundred
and seventy-seven feet, after assuming that the fall of the ravine from camp No. 26, station 2,
to the point “B,” is at least ten feet per mile. But little work will be required throughout
this stretch, deep cutting being avoided by gently curving the trace.

From Cook’s spring, camp No. 29, to the river, the profile of wagon route shows no
great altitudes to be overcome, the chief obstacles being the abrupt ascent at camp No. 29,
stations 3 and 4, crossing the ridge at camp No. 30, stations 1, 2, and 3, and descending to the
river-bottom from camp No. 30, station 8. At these points heavy grades are necessary, but the
difficulties can be entirely avoided by pursuing, instead of the red full line, the red dotted line ;
the profile of which is given in No. 2, connecting with the dotted or profile of blue line from C.
This indicates a smooth, prairie-like surface, according well with the observations made on the
ground, that it was difficult to tell, in many places, the direction of slope. This smooth sur-

TIMBER — BUILDING STONE — WATER.

face, or mesa, has an average altitude above the river-hottom of three to six hundred feet, and
is connected with it by an irregular step of a loose, light soil, extending to a point opposite,
and a short distance below Fort Fillmore, where, in place of the deep-washed, loamy slope, is
found an outcrop of a black, igneous rock, with a foot-slope of its angular debris. To descend
to the river-hottom will require a diagonal trace, hugging the mesa slope, until a distance is
made sufficient to overcome the difference in altitude ; the direction of this depending upon
location of route to the eastward, whether leaving the valley at the pass near Dona Ana, or on
the south at El Paso.

The supply of timber along the route is very limited. Cotton-wood, the only growth of size
sufficient to answer the purposes of sills, is found in hut four localities ; on the Gila, at Tuczon,
on the Mimhres, and Rio Bravo. Water being so essential to the very existence of this tree, it
only grows on the hanks of streams, and disappears with the sinking of the waters, as is the
case at Tuczon and Rio Mimbres. At Tuczon I was informed that a variety of the pine is found
in the canadas of Sierra de Santa Catarina to the east and northeast of the town. In the mount¬
ains, about fifteen or twenty miles north of the crossing of the Mimhres, the pine also exists.
But the plains are entirely destitute of trees of any description, and the mountains have a general
appearance of sterility and ruggedness, yielding in the concealed nooks and valleys a meagre
growth of cedar and dwarfish evergreen oak.

The rocks are generally of a metamorphic character, hut there is found at many points along
the line stone answering well the purposes of construction. Granite appears in the Cienega de
los Pimas, in the ridge to the east of the San Pedro, outcropping in the Puerto del Dado, and
overlying masses of secondary limestone in the ridge east of the Valle de Sauz. Sandstone and
limestone are both found in the Puerto del Dado. Near the Rio Bravo both limestone and
gypsum are found, the veins or seams of the anhydrous variety of the latter being exposed in
the clayey walls of the ravine leading down to the river.

There is a great scarcity of water along the line, there being but nine localities where the
supply could be said to be permanent. These are : 1st, at Tuczon — a clear running stream,
but disappearing a few hundred yards below the town ; 2d, in the Cienega de los Pimas — fine
springs, but the water soon sinks into the sand, as is the case at camp No. 16 ; 3d, the Rio San
Pedro, a turbid stream, winding its way to the Gila; 4th, a spring near camp No. 22, in the
Puerto del Dado — the water cold and very palatable, but the supply very limited, our animals
having entirely exhausted the basin before they had a sufficiency ; 5th, in the bottom of the
Valle de Sauz — a stream of clear but slightly brackish water, spreading out into a marsh' and
extending towards the Gila in a succession of pools ; 6th, a hole near camp No. 25, where, al¬
though the water rose in the bottom, still every other feature would indicate that a blind drain
of mere surface-water had been tapped ; 7th, the Ojo de Vaca — a spring of slightly sulphureous
water, rising in the open plain and forming a marsh, beyond the limits of which there is no
appearance or indication of the existence of water ; 8th, Rio Mimbres — a rippling mountain
stream of clear cold water at the crossing, being the more beautiful from the contrast with the
state of things a few miles below, where the water is absorbed by the parched plain, the trees
disappear, and there is nothing left but the dry, gaping bed; 9th, Cook’s spring — is of similar
character to the Ojo de Vaca, and bears more of a resemblance to a pond-hole than to a spring.

In addition to the above constant waters, there are holes or depressions on the plains inter¬
vening, which are filled by the rains of the wet season, and thus often afford relief to the anx¬
ious and solicitous traveller. These holes are lined with a clay allowing but little absorption;
but, being generally shallow and broad-surfaced, evaporization soon empties them of that neces¬
sary which one requires, but has to be deprived of in order fully to appreciate it.

At Tuczon the rainy season commences in April, and continues for three or four months ; so
that the emigrant who passes this point during the summer months finds himself in this coun¬
try in the most favorable season with water abundant and grass green and nourishing, whereas
we yrere there, and en route , about the end of the dry season, as our experience proved, meeting

TABLE OP BAROMETRICAL MEASUREMENTS. 19

a different state of tilings; so that one’s views and opinions of this country depend entirely
upon the season during which he visits it.

Whether water can he obtained on these plains by digging within reasonable limits, is a
question purely problematical, to he solved in every case by experiment, owing to the geological
structure of the country. This experiment I consider worthy of attention, not only on account
of its great and all-important hearing upon the question of locating a line for railroad over
this country, where are intervals of fifty and seventy miles between permanent waters, hut
also, if successful, on account of the relief rendered the various parties crossing during the dry
season, whose sole and great anxiety now is, when entering upon these jornadas, to get their
animals through to the next water.

Before closing this report, I take great pleasure in expressing my thanks for the many kind
offices and valuable assistance rendered throughout the trip by Lieutenant Greorge Stoneman,
1st dragoons, and commanding escort, an officer full of expedients and experience, the results
of eight years’ campaigning; also to Dr. A. L. Heermann, physician and naturalist, and to
Mr. Henry Custer, assistant; both of whom displayed a proficiency in their professions only
equalled by the zeal bestowed upon the discharge of their respective duties.

I have the honor to he, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. G-. PARKE,

Lieutenant Corps Topographical Engineers.

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War.

TABLE OF BAROMETRICAL MEASUREMENTS, WITH THE REDUCED APPROXIMATE ALTITUDES.

First column of heights. — Those entered in this column were obtained by referring the prin¬
cipal camps to each other, and the intermediate stations to the nearest well-determined camp.
The barometric reading was first reduced to 32°. After which, a correction was applied, on
account of hourly variation, taken from the following table, prepared by L. Blodget, Esq., of
the Smithsonian Institution, after a careful and close investigation of hourly observations made
during the survey of the Mexican boundary ; and that of Lieutenant Whipple, topographical
engineers, in corresponding longitudes and neighboring latitudes.

6 a. m

7 a. m,

8 a. m,

9 a. m,

10 a. m,

11 a. m,

12 m....
1 p. m
2p. m,

3 p. m

4 p. m

5 p. m

6 p. m

7 p. m,

8 p. m,

9 p. m.

—.010
—.040
—.045
—.050
—.057
—.070
—.032
+.009
+.030
+.040
+.050
+.045
+.035
+ .025
+.010
+.005

Second column of heights — Contains the elevations obtained by referring each observation to
the sea-level; barometer assumed to he- 30.050; thermometer, 64°. The barometer was cor¬
rected for temperature and horary variation, as in column 1st.

LETTER OF MR. BLODGET ON BAROMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS.

These reductions were made by D. G. Major, Esq., under the direction of Mr. Blodget, who
furnished the tables and formulae, and, at my request, the following communication referring
to their application :

“ Smithsonian Institution, July 16, 1854.

“ Dear Sir: At your request, I make the following note of the direction given to the reduc¬
tion of the barometric observations made on your line of survey from the Pimas villages, on the
Gila river, to El Paso. They were reduced in part by the aid of new constants and new modes
of correction, which require some explanation.

“ Determinations of elevation by the barometer are subject to error from two causes not con¬
sidered in the formulas and tables usually employed, or those providing for this determination,
though simultaneous observation on a vertical line.

“ The survey of an extended surface-line necessarily involves liability to those errors, and it
cannot be accurately made by the principles applicable to vertical and simultaneous comparisons
alone.

“The sources of error are, first, variable constants of atmospheric pressure, both in the
changes for the day and among the months ; and, second, non-periodic changes, or variations
without regularity or definite recurrence.

“ To avoid the first error, or that arising from horary variations of pressure, a scale of cor¬
rection for the observations made at each hour has been applied, reducing each reading to a
mean position for the day. This scale is a new one, of larger range of variation than that ap¬
plicable in the eastern United States and in Europe ; and it was determined from hourly obser¬
vations made by the survey under Lieutenant Whipple, corrected and confirmed by reference to
the results of hourly observations by the boundary survey, which were made accessible for this
purpose by Major Emory and Mr. Chandler. The scale is given in connexion with the compu¬
tation and results.

“ To correct the work for non-periodic variations of pressure, the principal camps are referred
to each other consecutively, and each to a principal camp ; correcting the determination by the
mean of these results. Each camp is also referred directly to the sea-level, assuming a mean
pressure at sea-level in those latitudes of 30.050 inches, with the barometer corrected to the
reading at freezing-point, and the air temperature at 64°. These results agree very nearly with
those obtained by the first and preferable mode.

“ The intermediate stations and minor camps are first referred to the nearest principal camp;
and the line formed by successive differences from such point of departure is corrected, if found
not to agree with the single difference determined from camp to camp by a proportional correc¬
tion of the intermediate elevations. The result of elevations are still liable to error, from a
measure of non-periodic variation that cannot be determined, but they are the best possible in
this description of survey, without simultaneous observations at stations very near each other.

“ The correction for monthly variation of pressure would be very small at the date of this
survey.

“It is proper to say that the greatest error probable in the determination of the absolute
elevation of any camp by those methods cannot exceed one hundred feet, and the error of any
grade would be wholly unimportant.

£ £ Respectfully , yours,

“ L. BLODGET.

“ Lieutenant Parke,

“ In charge of Survey of Line from Gila river to El Paso.”

Barometrical Observations and approximate Altitudes of camps and stations along the line from the Pimas vil¬
lages, , on the Rio Gila , to Mesilla, on the Rio Bravo.

TABLE OF BAROMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Barometrical Observations and approximate Altitudes , <fbc.-

TABLE OP BAROMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Barometrical Observations and approximate Altitudes , c be. — Continued.

APPENDIX.

Gamp near Mission San Diego,

December 20, 1853.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of instructions from the War Department,
November 18, 1853, detailing me for the prosecution of a survey uin connection with examina¬
tion of railroad routes to the Pacific,” through Northern Mexico and Texas, together with the
passport, and a copy of the instructions relative to the organization of an escort. They arrived
at a most opportune moment; Lieut. Williamson about completing his field-work, and Lieut.
Stoneman encamped at this place with his escort. Of Lieut. Whipple’s movements or wherea¬
bouts we have heard nothing definite; and I will, therefore, proceed to organize and equip my
party, without counting upon any assistance from the latter officer, receipting to Lieut. Wil¬
liamson for such instruments and property as I shall need, and at the same time can be spared
by him.

But, to complete my outfit, it is absolutely necessary that I should go to San Francisco,
mainly to procure barometers. This trip I shall make with all possible despatch.

In my instructions no mention is made of either an assistant or a physician.

Deeming both of these essential to the rapid prosecution of the work and well-being of the
expedition, I will secure their services, in case they can be obtained at such salaries as will not
cause my expenditures to exceed the amount of appropriation allowed me.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. G. PARKE,

Bvt. 2d Lieut., Corps Top. Engineers.

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War.

War Department,
Washington , December 9, 1853.

Sir: On the eighteenth ultimo, instructions were addressed to you at San Diego, from this
department, to make preparations for, and take charge of a survey for a railroad route from a
point on the Gila, near the Pimas villages, to the Rio Grande, partly passing through Mexican
territory, for which authority had been obtained from the Mexican government. Since those
instructions were despatched, intelligence has been received here of a hostile expedition against
the Mexican province of Sonora having sailed from California; and it is apprehended that this
lawless conduct on the part of our misguided citizens may excite a feeling among the Mexican
people which would render it unsafe for your party, with its military escort, to make its appear¬
ance among them, especially as it is not known whether the Mexican government has advised
its officers or people along the line of your route that the survey is made by permission.

APPENDIX.

Although the examination of the route in question is a matter of much importance, and
earnestly desired hy the department, it is unwilling to incur any serious risk of a collision
between your party and the Mexicans. You are, therefore, directed to consider well all the
circumstances before proceeding to carry into effect the instructions above referred to; and
unless you are fully satisfied that you can perform the exploration without any serious inter¬
ruption, you will relinquish the undertaking for the present. With this general direction, the
matter must he left to your discretion, with the injunction to let no undue confidence lead you
to overlook or underrate the possible danger before you; and as you will, when these instruc¬
tions reach you, he in possession of information later, hy from thirty to sixty days, than that
which has reached this city, it is to he hoped that it may he of such a character as will enable
you to form a correct and safe conclusion as to the course to he pursued.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JEFFERSON DAVIS,

Secretary of War.

Lieut. John G. Parke,

Corps Topographical Engineers.

P. S. — Accompanying your instructions was sent a passport from the State Department,
which it was intended to have countersigned hy the Mexican minister. His absence, however,
prevented it. Herewith you will find a duplicate with the countersign of General Almonte.

INDEX

Apache Indians .

visits from . - . . .

family of, mounted. . .

Almonte, General . .

Backus, Major E .

Blodget,L . -•» . --

letter from, to Lieut. J. G. Parke . ..

Barometrical measurements with reduced approximate altitudes .

Custer, Henry . . . .

Cottonwood, first appearance after leaving the Gila . .

Chiricahui mountains . .

Characteristics of valleys . . . . .

Cook’s trail .

Chandler, Mr . . . . .

Davis, Jefferson, (Secretary of War,) instructions to Lieut. J. G. Parke.

letter to, from Lieut. Parke .

Dos Cabezas . . . .

Dona Ana . . . . . . .

ElPicacho mountains . . . . . . . , .

Emory, Major W. H . . . . . . .

Fort Webster, startling intelligence from. .

Fort Fillmore . . . . . .

Gila river . . . . .

Garcia, Captain Hilarion . .

Gomez, Captain Bernabe . . .

Heerman, Dr. A. L . .

Hostile expedition against a Mexican province . . .

Indians, Pimas . . .

Maricopas .

Apaches . . .

Letters, Secretary of War to Lieut. Parke . . . .

Lieut. Parke to Secretary of War. . . . .

L Blodget to Lieut. Parke .

Maricopas Indians .

villages .

Meteorite found in canon of Santa Eita mountain . . .

analysis by Prof. Shepard .

Mount Graham .

Mesilla valley . . . . .

Mesilla . . .

McFerren, Lieut. J. C .

Map of the route, explanation of. .

Major, D. G .

Nugent, Mr .

Ojo de Vaca .

Pimas Indians . . .

villages . . . . . . . . .

Play a de los Pimas . . .

Puerto del Dado .

Pope, Captain .

Page

7
10
11
26
14

19, 21 to 24
4,19

9,11

3.26
26

8
14

6.7

... 15,20

13
17

7.8
7,8

4,19

6.26
5
5

... 7,10,11

3,25

15
20

5, 9,11
12
5
5
9
9
15

INDEX.

Page.

Profile of route . 15

Eio Mimbres . 13

Eio Bravo del Norte . . 14

Bansom, Lieut. E . 14

Stoneman, Lieut. George . 4,7,9,11,19

Sierra Santa Catarina . 7

Sierra Santa Eita . 7

Shepard, Prof. Charles U . 7

San Javier del Bac . 7

San Pedro river . 8

Salt Lake . 9

Sauz valley . 10

Smithsonian Institution . 19

Tuczon . 6, 7

inhabitants . 7

Williamson, Lieut. E. S . 3,4,25

Whipple, Lieut. A. W . . 3, 19, 20, 25

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR A RAILROAD ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WAR DEPARTMENT.

ROUTE NEAR THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE.

REPORT

EXTRACT

FROM

OF A MILITARY RECONNAISSANCE,

MADE IN 1846 AND 1847,

BIT

LIEUT. COL. W. H. EMORY.

Sir : For the purpose of giving completeness to the railroad reports of the route near the
thirty-second parallel, the following extract is made from the report by Lieut. Col. Emory, of
his reconnaissance in 1846 and 1847, from Fort Leavenworth, Missouri, to San Diego, California.

The extract is from that portion of the report describing the route from the junction of the
San Pedro with the Gila, to the junction of the latter with the Colorado of the West.

This connects Lieutenant Parke’s survey (from Dona Ana to the Pimos villages) with Lieu¬
tenant Williamson’s surveys in the southern part of the State of California.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. A. HUMPHREYS,
Captain Topographical Engineers.

Hon. Jefferson Davis,

Secretary of War.

■

EXTRACT FEOM LT. COL. EMORY’S EEPOET.

From the junction of the San Pedro with the Gila , to the junction of the Gila with the
Colorado of the West.

Junction of the San Pedro and Gila rivers. — Formation along the Gila. — Stormy night.— Visits from Indians. — Game. — Minerals. —
Willows. — Formation of rocks. — Plants. — Atmosphere. — Soil. — Remains of Indian settlements. — Hieroglyphics. — Pimos
Indians. — Tradition. — Manner of cultivating land. — Dress. — Traffic. — Character of the Pimos Indians ; their advancement in
civilization. — Depredations of Apache Indians. — Maricopas Indians; their character, &c. — Maricopas women. — Mirage. —
Scarcity of grass and water. — Loss of mules. — Remains of Indian works. — Hieroglyphics. — Game. — Mexican camp ; capture
of the party with their horses. — Navigation of the Colorado and Gila rivers. — Remains of a Spanish church. — Settlers. —
Capture of a Mexican with the mail from California ; interesting news.— Lassoing horses. — General sketch of the country
from the Arkansas to the Colorado. — Mexican peonage. — Apaches and Navajoes. — Colorado river.

About two miles from our camp tbe San Pedro joins the Gila, just as tbe latter leaps from
tbe mouth of the canon. The place of meeting is a bottom three miles wide, seeming a contin¬
uation of that of the Gila. It is principally of deep dust and sand, overgrown with cotton¬
wood, mezquite, chamiza, willow, and the black willow. In places there are long sweeps of
large paving-pebbles, filled up with drift-wood, giving the appearance of having been over¬
flowed by an impetuous torrent. The hills on both sides of the river, still high, but now
farther off, and covered to the top with soil producing the mezquite and pitahaya, as the day
advanced, began to draw in closer, and before it closed had again contracted the valley to a space
little more than sufficient for the river to pass ; and at halt, a^ter making seventeen miles, we
found ourselves encompassed by hills much diminished in height, but not in abruptness. The
road, except the deep dust which occasionally gave way and lowered a mule to his knee, was
good — that is, there were no hills to scale. The river was crossed and recrossed four times.
At twelve and fourteen miles there were good patches of grama, burned quite yellow, but for
most of the way, and at our camp, there was little or no grass, and our mules were turned
loose to pick what they could of rushes and willow along the margin of the stream.

Wherever the formation was exposed along the river, it was a conglomerate of sandstone,
lime, and pebbles, with deep caverns.

Nearly opposite our camp of this date, and about one-third the distance up the hill, there crop
out ore of copper and iron, easily worked, the carbonate of lime and calcareous spar. A con¬
tinuation of the vein of ore was found on the side where we encamped, and a large knoll
strewed with what the Spaniards call “guia,” the English of which is “guide to gold."

The night has set in dark and stormy ; the wind blows in gusts from the southwest, and the
rain, falling in good earnest, mingled with the rustling noise of the Gila, which has now
become swift and impetuous, produces on us, who have so long been accustomed to a tranquil
atmosphere, quite the impress of a tempest. We have been so long without rain as to cease to
expect, or make provision against it ; and the consequence is, the greatest difficulty in getting the
men to provide coverings for the destructible portion of our rations.

GAME. — FORMATION OF ROCKS.

Three Indians hailed us just before making camp, and after much parley were brought in.
They feasted heartily, and promised to bring in mules. At first they denied having any ; hut
after their appetites were satisfied their hearts opened, and they sent the youngest of their
party to their town, which was at the head of the dry creek of our camp of the night before last.
The fellow went on his way, as directed, till he met the howitzers, which so filled him with sur-
prise and consternation that hp forgot his mission and followed the guns to camp in mute won¬
der. These people are of the Pinon Lano (pinon wood) tribe, and we had been told by the
Pinoleros (pinole eaters) that the chief of this hand had mules.

Flights of geese and myriads of the blue quail were seen, and a flock of turkeys, from which
we got one.

The river-bed at the junction of the San Pedro was seamed with tracks of deer and turkeys ;
some signs of heaver, and one trail of wild hogs.

Our camp was on a flat, sandy plain, of small extent, at the mouth of a dry creek with deep
washed hanks, giving the appearance of containing, at times, a rapid and powerful stream,
although no water was visible in the bed. At the junction, a clear, pure stream flowed from
under the sand. From the many indications of gold and copper ore at this place, I have named
it Mineral creek ; and, I doubt not, a few years will see, flat-boats descending the river from this
point to its mouth, freighted with its precious ores.

There was a great deal of pottery about our camp, and just above us were the supposed
remains of a large Indian settlement, differing very slightly from those already described.

November 8. — The whole day’s journey was through a canon, and the river was crossed
twelve or fifteen times. The sand was deep, and occasionally the trail much obstructed by
pebbles of paving-stone. The willow grew so densely in many places as to stop our progress,
and oblige us to look for spots less thickly overgrown, through which we could break.

The precipices on each side were steep ; the rock was mostly granite and a compact sandy
limestone, with occasional seams of basalt and trap ; and towards the end of the day, calcareous
sandstone, and a conglomerate of sandstone, feldspar, fragments of basalt, pebbles, &c. The
stratification was very confused and irregular, sometimes perfectly vertical, hut mostly dipping
to the southwest, at an angle of 30°. Yast boulders of pure quartz at times obstructed our way,
and the river in places was paved with those of less magnitude.

About two miles from camp our course was traversed by a seam of yellowish-colored igneous
' rock, shooting up into irregular spires and turrets, one or two thousand feet in height. It ran
at right angles to the river, and extended to the north and to the south, in a chain of mountains
as far as the eye could reach. One of these towers was capped with a substance, many hundred
feet thick, disposed in horizontal strata of different colors, from deep red to light yellow. Par¬
tially disintegrated, and lying at the foot of the chain of spires, was a yellowish calcareous
sandstone, altered by fire, in large amorphous masses.

For a better description of this landscape, see the sketch by Mr. Stanly.

To the west, about a mile below us, and running parallel to the first, is another similar seam,
cut through by the Grila, at a great butte, shaped like a house. The top of this butte appears
to have once formed the table-land, and is still covered with vegetation. Through both these
barriers the river has been conducted by some other means than attrition. Where it passes the
first, it presents the appearance of a vast wall torn down by blows of a trip-hammer. Under
to-day’s date, in Appendix No. 2, will be found many interesting plants, but the principal
growth was, as usual, pitahaya, acacia, prosopis, Fremontia and obione canescens.

The latitude of this camp, which is within a mile of the spot where we take a final leave of
the mountains, is, by the mean of the observations on north and south stars, Polaris and beta
Aquarii, 33° 05' 40"; and the height of the river at this point above the sea, as indicated by the
barometer, 1,751 feet.

At night, for the first time since leaving Pawnee fork, I was interrupted for a moment in my
observations by moisture collecting on the glass of my horizon shade, showing a degree of

ATMOSPHERE. — SOIL.

humidity in the atmosphere not before existing. In the States there is scarcely a night when
the moisture will not collect on the glass exposed to the air, sufficient in two or three minutes
to prevent the perfect transmission of light.

November 9. — The effect of last night’s dampness was felt in the morning, for, although the
thermometer was only 37°, the cold was more sensible than in the dry regions at 25°.

We started in advance of the command to explore the lower belt of mountains by which we
were encompassed. The first thing we noticed in the gorge was a promontory of pitch-stone,
against which the river impinged with fearful force, for it was now descending at a rapid rate.
Mounting to the top of the rock, on a beautiful table, we found sunk six or eight perfectly sym¬
metrical and well-turned holes, about ten inches deep and six or eight wide at top; near one,
in a remote place, was a pitch-stone, well turned and fashioned like a pestle. These could
be nothing else than the corn-mills of long extinct races. Above this bed of pitch-stone a butte
of calcareous sandstone shot up to a great height, in the seams of which were imbedded beauti¬
ful crystals of quartz. Turning the sharp angle of the promontory, we discovered a high per¬
pendicular cliff of calcareous spar and baked argillaceous rock, against which the river also
abutted, seamed so as to represent distinctly the flames of a volcano. A sketch was made of it,
and is presented with these notes. On the side of the river opposite the igneous rocks, the
butte rose in perpendicular and confused masses.

This chain continued, not parallel, as I supposed, to the first described barrier, but circled
round to the east, and united with it. It also united on the north side, forming a basin three or
four miles in diameter, in which we encamped last night. Except a few tufts of larrea Mexi-
cana, these hills were bare of vegetation. Away off to the south, and bordering on the banks
of the river, covering the surface of the ground for one or two feet, was an incrustation of black
cellular lava or basalt, like that seen about the Raton. Nothing more was wanted to give the
idea of an immense extinct volcano. Through the centre of the crater the Gila now pursues its
rapid course.

The Gila at this point, released from its mountain barrier, flows off quietly at the rate of
three miles an hour into a wide plain, which extends south almost as far as the eye can reach.
Upon this plain mezquite, chamiza, the green acacia, prosopis, artemisia, obione canescens, and
pitahaya, were the only vegetation. In one spot only we found a few bunches of grass. More
than four-fifths of the plain was destitute of vegetation ; the soil, a light-brown, loose, sandy
earth, I supposed contained something deleterious to vegetation.*

We made our noon halt at the grass patch. At this place were the remains of an immense
Indian settlement ; pottery was everywhere to be found, but the remains of the foundations of
the houses were imbedded in dust. The outlines of the acequias, by which the soil was irrigated,
were sometimes quite distinct.

The soil was moist, and wherever the foot pressed the ground the salts of the earth effloresced,
and gave it the appearance of being covered with frost. In this way the numberless tracks of
horses and other animals, which had at times traversed the plains, were indelible, and could be
traced for great distances by the eye, in long white seams.

We found fresh trails of horses, which might be those of General Castro, or of the Indians.
When leaving California, Castro’s determination, as we learn from Carson, was to go to Sonora,
beat up recruits and return. Our route might easily be reached, for we are now marching along
a road everywhere accessible, and within three days’ march of the settlements of Sonora and
the fort at Tucson, said to be regularly garrisoned by Mexican soldiers.

We passed the deserted lodges of Indians, and, at one place, remote from the lodges, we saw
thirteen poles set up in a sort of incantation formula — twelve on the circumference of a circle

* A specimen of this soil was submitted to Professor Fraser, who says : “ It is a light-brown, loose, sandy earth, containing
scarcely anything soluble in water, the solution giving only faint indications of common salt and carbonite of lime. A very
small portion of iron pyrites is also contained in it, but I imagine its want of fertility may more properly be attributed to its de¬
ficiency in organic matters.”

REMAINS OF INDIAN SETTLEMENTS. — PIMOS INDIANS.

twenty feet in diameter, and one in the centre. Radii were drawn on the ground from the
centre pole to those in the periphery of the circle. It was the figuring of some medicine
man of the Apaches or Pimos, we could not tell which, for it was on neutral ground, about the
dividing line of the possessions claimed by each.

After leaving the mountains all seemed for a moment to consider the difficulties of our jour¬
ney at an end. The mules went off at a frolicsome pace, those which were loose contending
with each other for precedence in the trail. The howitzers, which had nearly every part of
their running gear broken and replaced, were, perhaps, the only things that were benefited by
the change from the mountains to the plains. These were under the charge of Lieutenant
Davidson, whose post has been no sinecure. In overcoming one set of difficulties we were now
to encounter another. In leaving the mountains we were informed that we hade adieu to grass,
and our mules must henceforth subsist on willow, cotton-wood, and the long green ephedra.

November 10. — The valley on the southern side of the Grila still grows wider. Away off in
that direction the peaks of the Sonora mountains just peep above the horizon. On the north
side of the river, and a few miles from it, runs a low chain of serrated hills. Near our encamp¬
ment a corresponding range draws in from the southeast, giving the river a bend to the north.
At the base of this chain is a long meadow, reaching for many miles south, in which the Pimos
graze their cattle ; and along the whole day’s march were remains of zequias, pottery, and
other evidences of a once densely populated country. About the time of the noon halt, a large
pile, which seemed the work of human hands, was seen to the left. It was the remains of a
three-story mud house, sixty feet square, pierced for doors and windows. The walls were four
feet thick, and formed by layers of mud two feet thick. Stanly made an elaborate sketch of
every part ; for it was, no doubt, built by the same race that had once so thickly peopled this
territory, and left behind the ruins.

We made a long and careful search for some specimens of household furniture or implement
of art, hut nothing was found except the corn-grinder, always met with among the ruins and
on the plains. The marine shell, cut into various ornaments, was also found here, which
showed that these people either came from the seacoast or trafficked there. No traces of hewn
timber were discovered ; on the contrary, the sleepers of the ground-floor were round and unhewn.
They were burnt out of their seats in the wall to the depth of six inches. The whole interior
of the house had been burnt out, and the walls much defaced. What was left bore marks
of having been glazed, and on the wall in the north room of the second story were traced the
following hieroglyphics : [Lost.]

Where we encamped, eight or nine miles from the Pimos village, we met a Maricopa Indian
looking for his cattle. The frank, confident manner in which he approached us was in strange
contrast with that of the suspicious Apache. Soon six or eight of the Pimos came in at full
speed. Their object; was to ascertain who we were, and what we wanted. They told us the
fresh trail we saw up the river was that of their people, sent to watch the movements of their
enemies, the Apaches. Being young, they became much alarmed on seeing us, and returned
to the town, giving the alarm that a large body of Apaches were approaching.

Their joy was unaffected at seeing we were Americans, and not Apaches. The chief of the
guard at once despatched news to his chief of the result of his reconnaissance. The town was
nine miles distant, yet in three hours our camp was filled with Pimos, loaded with corn, beans,
honey, and zandias (water-melons.) A brisk trade was at once opened. This was my observing
night ; hut the crowd of Indians was great, and the passing and repassing at full speed so
continuous, that I got an indifferent set of observations.

The camp of my party was pitched on the side nearest the town, and we saw the first of
these people and their mode of approach. It was perfectly frank and unsuspicious. Many
would leave their packs in our camp and he absent for hours, theft seeming to he unknown
among them. With the mounted guard, which first visited us, was a man on foot, and he
appeared to keep pace with the fleetest horse. He was a little out of breath when he reached

INDIAN TRADITION. — MANNER OF CULTIVATING LAND. — DRESS.

us; but soon recovering, told us he was interpreter to Juan Antonio Llunas, chief of the Pimos.
We were taking some refreshments at the time, and invited him to taste of them. The effect
was electric ; it made his bright, intelligent eye flash, and loosened his tongue. I asked him,
among other things, the origin of the ruins of which we had seen so many. He said, all he
knew was a tradition amongst them, “that in by-gone days a woman of surpassing beauty
resided in a green spot in the mountains near the place where we were encamped. All the men
admired and paid court to her. She received the tributes of their devotion — grain, skins, &c.,
hut gave no love or other favor in return. Her virtue and her determination to remain un¬
married were equally firm. There came a drought which threatened .the world with famine.
In their distress people applied to her, and she gave corn from her stock, and the supply
seemed to he endless. Her goodness was unbounded. One day as she was lying asleep with
her body exposed, a drop of rain fell on her stomach, which produced conception. A son was
the issue, who was the founder of a new i*ace, which built all these houses.”

I told the interpreter repeatedly he must go and report to the general ; hut his answer was,
“Let me wait till I blow a little.” The attraction was the aguardiente. At length he was pre¬
vailed on to go to head-quarters, leaving at our camp his hows and arrows and other matters,
saying he would return and pass the night with us.

November 11. — Leaving the column, a few of us struck to the north side of the river, guided
by my loquacious friend, the interpreter, to visit the ruins of another Casa Montezuma. In the
course of the ride I asked him if he believed the fable he had related to me last night, which
assigned an origin to these buildings. “No,” said, he, “but most of the Pimos do. We
know, in truth, nothing of their origin. It is all enveloped in mystery.”

The casa was in complete ruins, one pile of broken pottery and foundation-stone of the black
basalt making a mound about ten feet above, the ground. The outline of the ground-plan was'
distinct enough.

We found the description of pottery the same as ever, and among the ruins the same sea-shell,
one worked into ornaments ; also a large bead, an inch and a quarter in length, of bluish mar¬
ble, exquisitely turned.

We secured to-day our long-sought bird, the inhabitant of the mezquite, indigo-blue plu¬
mage, with top-knot and long tail ; its wings, when spread, showing a white ellipse.

Turning from the ruins towards the Pimos village, we urged our guide to go fast, as we
wished to see as much of his people as the day would permit. He was on foot, but led at a
pace which kept our mules in a trot.

We came in at the back of the settlement of the Pimos Indians, and found our troops en¬
camped in a cornfield, from which the grain had been gathered. We were at once impressed
with the beauty, order, and disposition of the arrangements for irrigating and draining the
land. Corn, wheat, and cotton are the crops of this peaceful and intelligent race of people.
All the crops have been gathered in, and the stubbles show they have been luxuriant. The
cotton has been picked and stacked for drying on the tops of sheds. The fields are subdivided
by ridges of earth into rectangles of about 200 X 100 feet, for the convenience of irrigating.
The fences are of sticks, wattled with willow and mezquite, and, in this particular, set an
example of economy in agriculture worthy to be followed by the Mexicans, who never use
fences at all. The houses of the people are mere sheds, thatched with willow and corn-stalks.

With the exception of the chief, Antonio Llunas, who was clad in cast-off Mexican toggery,
the dress of the men consisted of a cotton serape of domestic manufacture, and a breech-cloth.
Their hair was very long and clubbed up. The women wore nothing but the serape pinned
about the loins, after the fashion of Persico’s Indian woman on the east side of the Capitol,
though not quite so low.

The camp was soon filled with men, women, and children, each with a basket of corn,
frijoles, or meal, for traffic. Many had jars of the molasses expressed from the fruit of the
pitahaya. Beads, red cloth, white domestic, and blankets, were the articles demanded

TRAFFIC. — CHARACTER OF THE PIMOS INDIANS.

in exchange. Major Swords, who had charge of the trading duty, pitched a temporary
awning under which to conduct the business, which had scarcely commenced before this place
formed a perfect menagerie, into which crowded, with eager eyes, Pimos, Maricopas, Mexicans,
French, Dutch, English, and Americans. As I passed on to take a peep at the scene, naked arms,
hands, and legs protruded from the awning. Inside there was no room for bodies, hut many
heads had clustered into a very small space, filled with different tongues and nations. The
trade went merrily on, and the conclusion of each bargain was announced by a grunt and a
joke, sometimes at the expense of the quartermaster, but oftener at that of the Pimos.

November 12. — We procured a sufficiency of corn, wheat, and beans from the Pimos, hut
only two or three bullocks, and neither horses nor mules. They have but few cattle, which are
used in tillage, and apparently all steers, procured from the Mexicans. Their horses and mules
were not plenty, and those they possessed were prized extravagantly high. One dashing young
fellow, with ivory teeth and flowing hair, was seen coming into our camp at full speed, on a
wild, unruly horse, that flew from side to side as he approached, alarmed at the novel apparition
of our people. The Maricopa — for he was of that tribe — was without saddle or stirrups, and
balanced himself to the right and left with such ease and grace as to appear part of his horse.
He succeeded in bringing his fiery nag into the heart of the camp. He was immediately offered
a very advantageous trade by some young officer. He stretched himself on his horse’s neck,
caressed it tenderly, at the same time shutting his eyes, meaning thereby that no offer could
tempt him to part with his charger.

The general gave a letter to Governor Llunas, stating that he was a good man, and directing
all United States troops that might pass in his rear to respect his excellency, his people, and
their property. Several broken-down mules were left with him to recruit, for the benefit of
Cook’s battalion as it should pass along.

To us it was a rare sight to be thrown into the midst of a large nation of what are termed
wild Indians, surpassing many of the Christian nations in agriculture, little behind them in
the useful arts, and immeasurably before them in honesty and virtue. During the whole of
yesterday our camp was full of men women, and children, who sauntered amongst our packs
unwatched, and not a single instance of theft was reported.

I rode leisurely in the rear, through the thatched huts of the Pimos. Each abode consists of a
dome-shaped wicker-work, about six feet high, and from twenty to fifty feet in diameter,
thatched with straw or corn-stalks. In front is usually a large arbor, on top of which is piled
the cotton in the pod for drying.

In the houses were stowed watermelons, pumpkins, beans, corn, and wheat, the last three
articles generally in large baskets; sometimes the corn was in baskets covered with earth, and
placed on the tops of the domes. A few chickens and dogs were seen, but no other domestic
animals except horses, mules, and oxen. Their implements of husbandry were the axe, (of
steel,) wooden hoes, shovels, and harrows. The soil is so easily pulverized as to make the
plough unnecessary.

Several acquaintances, formed in our camp yesterday, were recognised, and they received me
cordially, made signs to dismount, and when I did so, offered watermelons and pinole. Pinole
is the heart of Indian corn, baked, ground up, and mixed with sugar. When dissolved in water,
it affords a delicious beverage ; it quenches thirst, and is very nutritious. Their molasses, put
up in large jars hermetically sealed, of which they had quantities, is expressed from the fruit of
the pitahaya.

A woman was seated on the ground under the shade of one of the cotton sheds. Her left leg
was tucked under her seat, and her foot turned sole upwards ; between her big toe and the next
was a spindle about eighteen inches long, with a single fly of four or six inches. Ever and
anon she gave it a twist in a dexterous manner, and at its end was drawn a coarse cotton thread.
This was their spinning jenny. Led on by this primitive display, I asked for their loom by
pointing to the thread and then to the blanket girded about the woman’s loins. A fellow

DEPREDATIONS OF APACHE INDIANS. — MARICOPAS INDIANS.

stretched in the dust, sunning himself, rose up leisurely and untied a bundle which I had sup¬
posed to he a how and arrow. This little package, with four stakes in the ground, was the
loom. He stretched his cloth and commenced the process of weaving.

We travelled fifteen and a half miles and encamped on the dividing ground between the
Pimos and Maricopas. For the Avhole distance we passed through cultivated grounds, over a
luxuriantly rich soil. The plain appeared to extend in every direction fifteen or twenty miles,
except in one place about five miles before reaching camp, where a low chain of hills comes in
from the southeast, and terminates some miles from the river. The bed of the Gila, opposite
the village, is said to he dry, the whole water being drawn off by the acequias of the Pimos for
irrigation ; hut the ditches are larger than is necessary for this purpose, and the water which is
not used returns to the bed of the river with little apparent diminution in its volume.

Looking from our camp north, 30° west, you see a great plain, with mountains rising in the
distance on each side. This prospect had induced some travellers to venture from here in a
direct line to Monterey, in California, hut there is neither grass nor water on that passage, and
thirst and distress overcame, undoubtedly, those who attempted it.

In almost an opposite direction north, 50° east, there is a gap in the mountains, through
which the Salt river flows to meet the 'Gila, making with it an acute angle at a point ten or
fifteen miles distant from our camp, hearing northwest. A little north of east, another gap,
twenty or thirty miles distant, shows where the Rio San Francisco flows into the Salt river.
From the best information I can collect, the San Francisco comes in from the north; its valley
is narrow and much cartoned; good grass abounds all the way. Le Vonoceur, one of my party,
came down that river in 1844 with a trapping party of forty-eight men. He states that they
were much annoyed the whole way by the Apache Indians, a great many of whom reside on
that river. Every night they were fired upon, and an attempt made to stampede their mules.
Many of their traps were stolen, and one of their party, an old man, who had been in the
mountains forty-five years, was killed by the Indians in this expedition.

Near the junction of the Gila and Salt rivers there is a chain of low serrated hills coming in
from both sides, contracting the valley considerably. Around the south spur the Gila turns,
making its course in a more southerly direction. To the east, except where the spurs already
mentioned protrude, the plain extends as far as the eye can reach. A great deal of the land is
cultivated, but there is still a vast portion within the' level of the Gila that is yet to be put
under tillage. • The population of the Pimos and Maricopas together is estimated variously at
from three to ten thousand. The first is evidently too low.

This peaceful and industrious race are in possession of a beautiful and fertile basin. Living
remote from the civilized world, they are seldom visited by whites, and then only by those in
distress, to whom they generously furnish horses and food. Aguardiente (brandy) is known
among their chief men only, and the abuse of this, and the vices which it entails, are yet
unknown.

They are without other religion than a belief in one great and overruling spirit.

Their peaceful disposition is not the result of incapacity for war, for they are at all times
enabled to meet and vanquish the Apaches in battle, and when wo passed they bad just returned
from an expedition in the Apache country to revenge some thefts and other outrages, with
eleven scalps and thirteen prisoners. The prisoners are sold as slaves to the Mexicans.

The Maricopas occupy that part of the basin lying between camp 97 and the mouth of the
Salt river, and all that has been said of the Pimos is applicable to them. They live in cordial
amity, and their habits, agriculture, religion, and manufactures, are the same. In stature
they are taller ; their noses are more aquiline, and they have a much readier manner of speaking
and acting. I noticed that most of the interpreters of the Pimos were of this tribe, and also
the men we met with in the spy-guard. Though fewer in number, they appear to be superior
in intelligence and personal appearance.

Don Jose Messio is their governor, and, like the governor of the Pimos, holds his. office by

MARICOPAS WOMEN.

the appointment of the Mexican governor of California. The people have no choice in the
selection. Both of these Indians are respectable-looking old men, and seem to he really worthy
of the trust reposed in them.

We had not been long in camp before a dense column of dust down the river announced the
approach of the Maricopas, some on foot, hut most of them on horseback. They came into camp
at full speed, unarmed, and in the most confident manner, bringing watermelons, meal, pinole,
and salt for trade. The salt is taken from the plains ; wherever there are bottoms which have
no natural drainage, the salt effloresces, and is skimmed from the surface of the earth. It was
brought to us both in the crystallized form and in the form when first collected, mixed with
earth.

My camp was selected on the side towards the village, and the constant galloping of horses
rendered it difficult for me to take satisfactory observations, which I was desirous of doing, as
it is an important station. When I placed my horizon on the ground, I found that the gallop¬
ing of a horse five hundred yards off affected the mercury, and prevented a perfectly reflected
image of the stars, and it Avas vain to hope for these restless Maricopas to keep quiet. News
got about of my dealings with the stars, and my camp was crowded the whole time.

The latitude of this camp, by such observations as the Maricopas would allow me to make,
was 33° 09' 28".

November 13 and 14. — With the morning came the Maricopas women, dressed like the Pimos.
They are somewhat taller, and one peculiarity struck me forcibly — that while the men had
aquiline noses, those of the women were retrousses. Finding the trade in meal had ceased,
they collected in squads about the different fires, and made the air ring with their jokes and
merry peals of laughter. Mr. Bestor’s spectacles were a great source of merriment. Some
of them formed the idea, that with their aid he could see through their cotton blankets. They
would shrink and hide behind each other at his approach. At length I placed the spectacles
on the nose of an old woman, who became acquainted with their use, and explained it to the
others.

We were notified that a long journey was to be made without finding water, (to cut off an
elbow in the river,) and the demand for gourds was much greater than the supply. One large
gourd cost me four strings of glass beads, which was thought a high price. The interpreter
who guided us to the Casa Montezuma, on the north side of the Gila, said that on the Salt
river, about one and a half day’s journey, there was one of those buildings standing, complete in
all respects except the floors and roof. He said it was very large, with beautiful glazed walls ;
that the footsteps of the men employed in building the house could yet be seen in. the adobe,
and that the impression was that of a naked foot. Whenever a rain comes, the Indians resort
to these old houses to look for trinkets of shells and a peculiar green stone, Avhich I think is
nothing more than verde antique.

At 12 o’clock, after giving our horses a last watering, we started off in a southwestern direc¬
tion to turn the southern foot of the range of hills pointing to the Salt river. Five miles
brought us into a grove of the pitahaya, which had yielded a plentiful supply of fruit to the
Indians. Our way was over a plain of granitic sand, ascending gradually and almost imper¬
ceptibly. After leaving the pitahaya, there was no growth except the larrea Mexicana, and occa¬
sionally, at long intervals, an acacia or inga.

We travelled till long after dark, and dropped down in a dust-hole near two large, green-
barked acacias. There was not a sprig of grass or a drop of water, and during the whole night
the mules kept up a piteous cry for both.

There was nothing but the offensive larrea, which even mules will not touch Avhen so hungry
as to eat with avidity the dry twigs of all other shrubs and trees. As soon as the moon rose,
at 3 a. m., the bugle sounded to horse, and we were up and pursuing our way. A little after
sunrise we had passed the summit, and were descending towards the Gila. This summit was
formed by a range of granite hills running southeast, and standing in pinnacles.

MIRAGE. — SCARCITY OF GRASS AND WATER. — LOSS OF MULES.

As the sun mounted, the mirage, only seen once before since leaving the plains of the
Arkansas, now began to distort the distant mountains, which everywhere hounded the horizon,
into many fantastic shapes. The morning was sharp and bracing, and I was excessively
hungry, having given my breakfast, consisting of two biscuits, to my still more hungry mule.
I was describing to Mr. Warner how much more pleasant it would he to he jogging into Wash¬
ington after a fox hunt, with the prospect of a hot breakfast, when up rose to our astonished
view, on the north side of the Gila, a perfect representation of the Capitol, with dome, wings,
and portico, all complete. It remained for full twenty minutes with its proportions and outline
perfect, when it dwindled down into a distant butte.

We went on briskly to the Gila, whose course, marked by the green cotton-wood, could he
easily traced. It looked much nearer than it really was. We reached it after making forty
miles from our camp of yesterday.

Our poor brutes were so hungry they would drink no water, hut fell to work on the young
willows and cane. After letting them bite a few minutes we moved down the river five
miles farther, to a large and luxuriant patch of paspalum grass, shaded by the acacia and
prosopis.

. My eyes becoming sore with dust, I took a large object for my southern star to-night, the
planet Saturn. Sixteen circum-meridian altitudes of Saturn, and nine altitudes of Polaris, give
the latitude of the camp 35° 59' 22".

November 15. — In the morning the general found the mules so much worsted by the forty-
five miles’ journey without food or water, that he determined to remain for the day. Most of
the mules belonging to my party have travelled 1,800 miles, almost continously. Two or three
times they have all appeared on the eve of death; hut a mule’s vitality recuperates when life
seems to be almost extinct, so I am in hopes the day’s rest will revive them sufficiently to
enable them to undertake what will he the most distressing part of the journey. From informa¬
tion collected from the Indians and others, it appears that we shall meet with no more grass
from this spot to the settlements, estimated to he three hundred miles distant.

This has been a gloomy day in the dragoon camp. The jornada cost them six or eight mules,
and those which have survived give little promise of future service. The howitzers make severe
draughts on them. Yesterday, within five miles of the river, Lieutenant Davidson was obliged
to hitch his private mules to them. An order has been given to-day to dismount one-half the
command and reserve the animals for packing.

From all accounts there is no difficulty in following the route of the river from camp 91 to
this place, and the journey is but a trifle longer ; I would, therefore, recommend parties in our
rear to get a Coco Maricopa guide and keep the river.

Our trail crossed the remains of an old acequia, and the plains were covered with broken
pottery. About us there are signs of modern Indian tenements, and the acequia may possibly
have been the work of their hands. We know the Maricopas have moved gradually from the
gulf of California to their present location, in juxtaposition with the Pimos. They were found
so late as the year 1826 at the mouth of the Gila; and Dr. Anderson, who passed from Sonora
to California in 1828, found them, as near as we could reckon from his notes, about the place
we are now encamped in. The shells found to-day were, in my opinion, evidently brought by
the Maricopas from the sea. They differ from those we found among the ruins.

Observed for time to-night and obtained the rates of my chronometers ; that of chronometer
No. 183, 12s. per day, showing a very satisfactory consistency in rate since leaving the
mountains.

November 16. — The valley on the south side continues wide, and shows continuously the
marks of former cultivation. On the north side the hills run close to the river.

After making ten miles we came to a dry creek, coming from a plain reaching far to the
south, and then we mounted the table-lands to avoid a bend in the river, made by a low chain
of black hills coming in from the southeast. The table-land was strewed with fragments of

REMAINS OF INDIAN WORKS. — HIEROGLYPHICS. — GAME.

black basalt, interspersed witb agate, chalcedony, vitrified quartz, and carbonate of lime.
About the summit was a mound of granite boulders, blackened by augite, and covered witb
unknown characters, the work of human hands. These have been copied. On the ground near
by were also traces of some of the figures, showing some of the hieroglyphics, at least, to have
been the work of modern Indians. Others were of undoubted antiquity, and the signs and
symbols intended, doubtless, to commemorate some great event. One stone bore on it what
might be taken, with a little stretch of the imagination, to be a mastodon, a horse, a dog, and a
man. Their heads are turned to the east, and this may commemorate the passage of the
Aborigines of the Gila on their way south.

Many of the modern symbols are in imitation of the antique, and doubtless the medicine
men of the present day resort to this mound to invoke their unseen spirits, and work the mira¬
cles which enable them to hold their sway amongst their credulous race. There are many more
weird and mysterious-looking places than this to be found along the banks of the Gila, and the
first attraction to the modern Indian was, without doubt, the strange characters he saw in¬
scribed.

Some of the boulders appear to have been written and re-written upon so often, it was impos¬
sible to get a distinct outline of any of the characters.

We descended into the broad valley of the Gila, skirted on the south side by the table-land,
black with basalt pebbles, resting on a stratum of the carbonate of lime, upon which the river
impinged at every flood and widened its valley.

The hills on the north side were of red and gray rocks, probably granite, irregular in form,
varying from five hundred to one thousand feet. Finding no grass, we loosened our mules
among the willows and cane.

November 17. — The route to-day was over a country much the same as that described yesterday.
Wherever we mounted to the table-lands to cut off a bend in the river, we found them dreary
beyond description, covered with blocks of basalt, with a few intervals of dwarf growth of larrea.
Now and then a single acacia raised its solitary form and displayed its verdure in the black
expanse. We crossed the dry beds of two creeks- with sandy bottoms. Under the crust of basalt
are usually sandstone and a conglomerate of pebbles, sandstone, and lime. This last is easily
undermined by the river, and the basalt or lava then caves in.

The bottoms of the river are wide, rich, and thickly overgrown with willow and a tall aromatic
weed, and alive with flights of white brant, (wing tipped with black,) geese, and ducks, with
many signs of deer and beaver.

At night I heard the song of the sailors calling the depth of the water, and presently Wil¬
liams, Lieutenant Warner’s servant, who had been missing all day, came out of the river with
the hind quarters of a large buck, perfectly intoxicated with his unexpected success. Twelve
miles back he let his mule loose, went in pursuit of deer, and killed a buck. After lugging the
whole of it for two miles, he lightened his load by leaving one-half.

We encamped down in one of the deserted beds of the Gila, where the ground was cracked
and drawn into blisters. The night was cold, the thermometer at 6 a. m. 20°. Latitude of
the camp 32° 55' 52".

November 18. — High wind from the northwest all day, showing that there was still a barrier
of snow-clad mountains between ourselves and Monterey, which we must turn or scale.

Carson pointed to a flat rock covered with fir, and told that he had slaughtered a fat mule
there. The names of several Americans were inscribed on the same rock.

After travelling some ten or twelve miles through the valley, we mounted to the table-land,
and at 12| o’clock stopped to graze our horses at a little patch of dried spear-grass. Leaving
this, the ground, as far as the eye could reach, was strewn with the black, shining, well-rounded
pebbles. The larrea even was scarcely seen, and dreariness seemed to mantle the earth. The
arroyo by which we descended to the river was cut from a bed of reddish pebbles twenty or

HIEROGLYPHICS. — GAME. 15

thirty feet deep, and as we neared the river they were soldered together into a conglomerate, of
which lime was the cement.

We saw to-day on the rocks other rude carvings of the Indians, hut their modern date was
apparent.

To-day there was a dead calm, about meridian intensely hot, and the dust rose in volumes
as our party advanced.

We found the river spread over a greater surface — about one hundred yards wide — and flow¬
ing gently along over a sandy bottom, the banks fringed with cane, willow, and myrtle.

Last night I took an involuntary plunge into it, for my mule sunk in a quicksand while I
was searching for a place to cross my party. To-night I took a swim, but found the waters
disagreeably cold.

The chain of broken hills still continued on the north side, and, when near our camp of this
date, circled in an amphitheatre, with its arch to the north. The basaltic columns, rising into
the shape of spires, domes, and towers, gave it the appearance, as we approached, of a vast
city on the hills. The distance of the crown of this amphitheatre, determined by angulation,

is - miles, and Francisco informs me that against its north base the Colorado strikes. So at

this point, which is about six miles below our camp of this date, the Gila and Colorado must
be near together. The hills and mountains appeared entirely destitute of vegetation, and on
the plains could be seen, only at long intervals, a few stunted tufts of larrea Mexicana and
wild wormwood, artemisia cana.

November 19. — The table-lands were the same as those described yesterday, but the valley
widens gradually, and for most of the way is six or eight miles wide, and the soil excel¬
lent. Some remains of former settlements in broken pottery, corn-grinders, &c., but much
fewer in number than above. Nine miles from camp a spur of mountains of an altered silicious
sandstone came in from the southeast, sharp as the edge of a case-knife, and shooting into pin¬
nacles. At their base we passed for half a mile over the sharp edges of a red, altered sand¬
stone, dipping southwest about 80°, indeed nearly vertical.

On this spur was killed a mountain sheep, one of a large flock, from which we named it
Goat’s spur. We encamped on an island where the valley is contracted by sand buttes into what
had been very recently the bed of the river. It was overgrown with willow, cane, Gila grass,
flag-grass, &c. The pools in the old bed of the river were full of ducks, and all night the swan,
brant, and geese, were passing; but they were as shy as if they had received their tuition on
the Chesapeake bay, where they are continually chased by sportsmen. The whole island was
tremulous with the motion of the mules grazing, and my observations were, therefore, not very
satisfactory.

Eleven circum-meridian altitudes of Procyon, and twelve altitudes of Polaris, give the latitude
of the camp 32° 43' 38".

November 20. — The table-lands were of sand, and the bottom of the river constantly received
deposites from them, which changed its bed frequently, as might be seen from the different
growths of cotton-wood marking the old land. Our road, about five miles from last night’s
camp, was traversed by a spur of coarse-grained granite, underlaid by old red sandstone, dipping
some eighty degrees to the south and west. The direction of the spur was nearly parallel to
those before noted, northwest and southeast, which is the direction of the axis of the maximum
elevation of most of the mountains traversing the course of the Gila.

Our camp was pitched on a little patch of grass two miles from the river ; night came on
before the horses reached it, and they were without water for twenty-four hours ; there was a
pond near the camp, but so salt that the horses could not drink it.

At noon the thermometer was 74°, at 6 p. m. 52°, and at 6 o’clock the next morning 19°,
which has been about the average range of temperature for the last two weeks.

November 21. — To-day we marched only eight and a half miles, and halted for a patch of

MEXICAN CAMP.

grama, which was an agreeable and beneficial change to our mules, which had been living on
cane and willow for some days past.

The plains are now almost entirely of sand, and composed of sandy and calcareous loam with
iron pyrites and common salt, covered sparsely with chamiza, larrea Mexicana, and a shrubby
species of sage, (Salvia.)

I observed at night for latitude and time, and there being two occultations of Jupiter’s satel¬
lites, I was tempted to observe them with our inferior telescope, which only gave us another
proof, of its uselessness for the purpose.

November 22. — Mr. Warner and I started before the advance sounded, and climbed the sharp
spur of a continuous comb of mountains coming from the southeast, to try if we could see the
Colorado of the west. The mountains rose abruptly from the plains, as they mostly do in this
region, resembling in appearance large dykes terminating at top in a sharp ridge which a man
could, at any part, straddle. They were of hard granite, pepper-and-salt colored, traversed by
seams of white quartz. This spur gives the river Gila quite a bend to the north, and from that
point to its mouth, which we reached at night, the river is straight in its general direction ; hut
its course is crooked and dotted with sand-bars, by incursions from the sand-hills which now
flank both its sides. The sand is brought down by the winds from the valley of the Colorado.
Its volume seemed, I think, a little diminished, probably absorbed by the sand.

The day was warm, the dust oppressive, and the march, twenty-two miles, very long for our
jaded and ill-fed brutes. The general’s horse gave out, and he was obliged to mount his mule.

Most of the men were on foot, and a small party, composed chiefly of the general and staff,
were a long way ahead of the straggling column, when, as we approached the end of our day’s
journey, every man was straightened in his saddle by our suddenly falling on a camp which,
from the trail, we estimated at 1,000 men, who must have left that morning. Speculation was
rife, but we all soon settled down to the opinion that it was General Castro and his troops ; that
he had succeeded in recruiting an army in Sonora, and was now on his return to California.
Carson expressed the belief that he must be only ten miles below, at the crossing. Our force
consisted only of one hundred and ten men. The general decided we were too few to be attacked,
and must be the aggressive party; and if Castro’s camp could be found, that he would attack it
the moment night set in, and beat them before it was light enough to discover our force.

The position of our camp was decided, as usual, with reference to the grass. The lives of
our animals were nearly as important as our own. It was pitched to-day in a little hollow
encircled by a chain of sand-hills, overgrown with mezquite.

The sergeant of the general’s guard was behind, his mule having broken down; and when
he came in, reported having seen two Indians about five miles back. For a short time we sup¬
posed this immense trail was a band of Indians returning from a successful marauding expedi¬
tion in Sonora or California ; but this conjecture was soon dispelled by the appearance of a
mounted Mexican on a sand butte overlooking our camp, who, after taking a deliberate survey,
disappeared. The camp was arranged immediately for defence, and a cordon of sentinels sta¬
tioned on the sand-hills.

The two howitzers did not arrive till nine o’clock, and the officer in charge, Lieutenant Ham¬
mond, reported that he had seen large fires to the right, apparently five miles distant, on the op¬
posite side of the Gila.

The general said it was necessary for him to know who occupied the camp, its force, character,
and: destination. He ordered me to take my party and fifteen dragoons, for the purpose of recon¬
noitring. After beating about in the mezquite for some time, we struck a slough of the Gila,
where grew some tall willows. Up one of these I sent a dragoon, who saw no fire, but whose ears
were gladdened by the neighing of horses. He slipped down the tree much faster than he
climbed it, quite enchanted with the hope of exchanging his weary mule for a charger. In¬
stead of reporting what he had seen, he exclaimed, “Yes, sir, there are enough for us all.”
“Did you see the fires?” “Ho! but they are all on horses; I heard them neighing, and

NAVIGATION OF THE GILA AND COLORADO RIVERS.

they cover much ground.” He pointed in the direction, and after proceeding a short distance
we all heard distinctly the noise of the horses, indicating a large number.

Silence was enjoined, and we proceeded stealthily along for some time, when a bright fire
blazed before us. I halted the guard, and with two dragoons, Londeau and Martinez, pro¬
ceeded unobserved until within a few feet of the fire. Before it stood an armed Mexican. I
sent Londeau and Martinez with orders to assume the occupation of trappers, and ascertain
who, and what, the man guarded. The conference was short; other Mexicans advanced, and
I sent in man for man. It was not Castro, as we expected, but a party of Mexicans with five
hundred horses from California, on their way to Sonora for the benefit of Castro.

I took the four principal men to the general, and left a guard to watch the camp and see
that no attempt was made to escape. The men were examined separately, and each gave a
different account of the ownership and destination of the horses.

The chief of the party, a tall, venerable-looking man, represented himself to be a poor
employe of several rich men engaged in supplying the Sonora market with horses. We sub¬
sequently learned that he was no less a personage than Jose Maria Leguna, a colonel in the
Mexican service.

November 23. — We did not move camp to-day, in order to make a refit from last night’s
capture, and give our mules an opportunity to pick what little grass they could before taking
the desert of ninety miles, which lies on the other side of the Colorado, and between us and
water.

Warner, Stanly, and myself saddled up to visit the junction of the Grila and Colorado, which
we found due north from our camp, and about a mile and a half distant. The day was stormy,
the wind blowing fiercely from the north. We mounted a butte of feldspathic granite, and,
looking 25° east of north, the course of the Colorado was tracked by clouds of flying sand.
The Grila comes into it nearly at right-angles, and the point of junction, strangely chosen, is
the hard butte through which, with their united forces, they cut a canon and then flow off due
magnetic west, in a direction the resultant due to the relative strength of the rivers.

The walls of the canon are vertical, and about fifty feet high and one thousand feet long.
Almost before entering the canon, in descending the Grila, its sea-green waters are lost in the
chrome-colored hue of the Colorado. . For a distance of three or four miles below the junction
the river is perfectly straight, and about six hundred feet wide; and up at least to this point,
there is little doubt that the Colorado is always navigable for steamboats. Above, the Col¬
orado is full of shifting sand-bars, but is, no doubt, to a great extent susceptible of navi¬
gation.

The Grila, at certain stages, might be navigated up to the Pimos village, and possibly with
small flat-boats at all stages of water.

Near the junction, on the north side, are the remains of an old Spanish church, built near the
beginning of the seventeenth century, by the renowned missionary, Father Kino. The mission
was eventually sacked by the Indians, and the inhabitants all murdered or driven off. It will
probably yet be the seat of a city of wealth and importance, most of the mineral and fur
regions of a vast extent of country being drained by the two rivers. The stone butte, through
which they have cut their passage, is not more than a mile in length. The Grila once flowed to
the south, and the Colorado to the north of this butte, and the point of junction was below.
What freak of nature united their efforts in forcing the butte is difficult to say. During
freshets, it is probable the rivers now discharge their surplus waters through these old channels.
Francisco informs me that the Colorado, seven days’ travel up from the butte, continues pretty
much as we saw it.

There a canon is reached, impassable for horses or canoes. The country between is settled
by the Coyotaros, or wolf-eaters, cochinears, (dirty fellows;) Los Tontears, or fools; and the
G-arroteros, or club Indians. These cultivate melons, beans, and maize.

On our return we met a Mexican, well mounted and muffled in his blanket. I asked him

CAPTURE OF MEXICAN WITH MAIL FROM CALIFORNIA.

where he was going; he said to hunt horses. As he passed, I observed in each of his holsters
the neck of a bottle, and on his croup a fresh-made sack, with other evidences of a preparation
for a journey. Much against his taste, I invited him to follow me to camp; several times he
begged me to let him go for a moment — that he would soon return. His anxiety to be released
increased my determination not to comply with his request. I took him to General Kearney,
and explained to him the suspicious circumstances under which I had taken him, and that his
capture would prove of some importance. He was immediately searched, and in his wallet was
found the mail from California, which was of course opened.

Among the letters was one addressed to General Jose Castro, at Alta, one to Antonio Castro,
and others to men of note in Sonora. All suspected of relating to public affairs were read,
and we ascertained from them that a counter revolution had taken place in California ; that the
Americans were expelled from Santa Barbara, Puebla de los Angeles, and other places ; and
that Robideaux, the brother of our interpreter, who had been appointed alcalde by the Ameri¬
cans, was a prisoner in jail. They all spoke exultingly of having thrown off “the detestable
Anglo-Yankee yoke,” and congratulated themselves that the tri-color once more floated in
California.

Captain Flores was named as the general and governor pro tem., and the enthusiasm of the
people described as overflowing in the cause of emancipation from the Yankee yoke. One letter
gave a minute and detailed account of a victory stated to have been obtained over the Ameri¬
cans. It stated that 450 men landed at San Pedro, and were met, defeated, and driven back
to the fort at San Pedro. This last was attributed by us to Mexican braggadocio, as it is usual
with them to represent their defeats as victories ; but that there was a disturbance of a serious
kind in the province we could not doubt, from the uniformity of the accounts on that head.
We also learned that the horses captured were in part for General Castro. Nothing more was
wanting to legitimize our capture, and Captain Moore was directed to remount his men.

The letters contained precise information, but being dated so far back as the 15th October,
left us in great doubt as to the real state of affairs in California ; and the Mexicans played their
parts so dexterously, it was not in our power to exact the truth from them. One of the party,
who had received some little favor from Carson in California, was well plied with brandy, but
all that could be extorted from him was the advice that we should not think of going to the
Puebla with our small force — counsel that our friend soon learned we had not the slightest
intention of following.

The position of our camp, about one mile and a half south of the junction of the Colorado
and Gila rivers, determined by 12 circum-meridian altitudes of Sirius, 6 of Saturn, and 12 alti¬
tudes of Polaris, is latitude 32° 42' 09".

The clouds,, together with my military duties, interfered with taking a more elaborate set of
lunar distances. An inspection of the individual observations for latitude will show that the
latitude of the camp may be relied on, but I regret it was not in my power to measure the exact
distance of my camp from the mouth of the Gila.

At night, passing my arm over the surface of the fur robe in which I was enveloped, electric
sparks were discharged in such quantities as to make a very luminous appearance, and a noise
like the rattle of a snake.

November 24. — We visited the camp of our Mexican friends, whom the general determined
to release, and found there was a woman with the party in the agonies of childbirth. She was
at once furnished from our stores with all the comforts we possessed. This poor creature had
been dragged along, in her delicate situation, over a fearful desert. ’

The captured horses were all wild, and but little adapted for immediate service, but there
was rare sport in catching them, and we saw, for the first time, the lazo thrown with inimitable
skill. It is a saying in Chihuahua that “a Californian can throw the lazo as well with his foot
as a Mexican can with his hand,” and the scene before us gave us an idea of its truth. There
was a wild stallion, of great beauty, which defied the fleetest horse and the most expert rider.

LASSOING HORSES. — MEXICAN PEONAGE.

At length a boy of fourteen, a Californian, whose graceful riding was the constant subject of
admiration, piqued by repeated failures, mounted a fresh horse, and, followed by an Indian,
launched fiercely at the stallion. His lariat darted from his hand with the force and precision
of a rifle-hall, and rested on the neck of the fugitive. The Indian at the same moment made
a successful throw ; hut the stallion was too stout for both, and dashed off at full speed, with
both ropes flying in the air like wings. The perfect representation of Pegasus, he took a sweep,
and, followed by his pursuers, came thundering down the dry bed of the river. The lazos were
now trailing on the ground, and the gallant young Spaniard, taking advantage of the circum¬
stance, stooped from his flying horse and caught one in his hand. It was the work of a moment
to make it fast to the pommel of his saddle, and by a short turn of his own horse he threw the
stallion a complete somerset, and the game was secure.

We travelled over a sandy plain a few miles, and descended into the wide bed of the Colo¬
rado, overgrown thickly with mezquite, willow, and cotton-wood. After making about ten
miles, we encamped abreast of the ford, on a plateau covered with young willows, of which our
horses were to lay in a sufficient supply to last them over the desert. Since writing the above
we have found a good patch of grass, and our people have been ordered to cut a ration for each
mule to carry along.

The night was excessively cold and damp, and in the morning our blankets were covered
with a little dew. For the first time the bugle calls were distinctly reverberated, showing the
atmospheric change as we approach the coast and descend into the neighborhood of the sea-
level. In New Mexico, even when surrounded by hills and perpendicular walls, the report of
fire-arms and the sound of the bugle were unattended with any distinct echo. The reports
were sharp and unpleasant — not rounded, as here, by the reverberation.

The country from the Arkansas to this point, more than twelve hundred miles, in its adap¬
tation to agriculture, has peculiarities which must forever stamp themselves upon the population
who inhabit it. All of North Mexico, embracing New Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora, and the
Californias, as far north as the Sacramento, is, as far as the best information goes, the same in
the physical character of its surface, and differs hut little in climate or products.

In no part of this vast tract can the rains from Heaven he relied upon, to any extent, for the
cultivation of the soil. The earth is destitute of trees, and in great part also of any vegetation
whatever.

A few feeble streams flow in different directions from the great mountains which in many
places traverse this region. These streams are separated, sometimes by plains, and sometimes
by mountains, without water and without vegetation, and which may be called deserts, so far as
they perform any useful part in the sustenance of animal life. The cultivation of the earth is
therefore confined to those narrow strips of land which are within the level of the waters of
the streams, and whenever practised in a community with any success, or to any extent, involves
a degree of subordination and absolute obedience to a chief repugnant to the habits of our
people.

The chief, who directs the time and the quantity of the precious irrigating water, must he
implicitly obeyed by the whole community. A departure from his orders, by the waste of
water or unjust distribution of it, or neglect to make the proper embankments, may endanger
the means of subsistence of many people. He must, therefore, be armed with power to punish
promptly and immediately.

The profits of labor are too inadequate for the existence of negro slavery. Slavery, as prac¬
tised by the Mexicans — under the form of peonage, which enables the master to get the
services of the adult while in the prime of life, without the obligation of rearing him in
infancy, supporting him in old age, or maintaining his family — affords no data for estimating
the profits of slave labor as it exists in the United States.

No one who has ever visited this country, and whp is acquainted with the character and value
of slave labor in the United States, would ever think of bringing his own slaves here with any

APACHES AND NAY A JOES. — COLORADO RIVER.

view to profit ; much less would lie purchase slaves for such a purpose. Their labor here, if
they could he retained as slaves, among peons nearly of their own color, would never repay the
cost of transportation, much less the additional purchase money.

I made many inquiries as to the character of the vast region of country embraced in the
triangle formed by the Colorado of the west, the. Del Norte, and the Gila; and the information
collected will, at some future time, he thrown into notes for the benefit of future explorers, hut
are not given in this work, as I profess to write only of what I saw.

From all that I learn, the country does not differ materially in its physical character from New
Mexico, except, perhaps, being less denuded of soil and vegetation. The sources of the Salinas,
the San Francisco, Azul, San Carlos, and Prieto, tributaries of the Gila, take their rise in it.
About their headwaters, and occasionally along their courses, are presented sections of land
capable of irrigation.

The whole extent, except on the margin of streams, is said to he destitute of forest trees.
The Apaches, a very numerous race, and the Navajoes, are the chief occupants ; hut there are
many minor hands, who, unlike the Apaches and Navajoes, are not nomadic, hut have fixed
habitations. Among the most remarkable of these are the Soones, most of whom are said to
he Albinos. The latter cultivate the soil, and live in peace with their more numerous and
savage neighbors.

Departing from the ford of the Colorado in the direction of Sonora, there is a fearful desert
to encounter. Altar, a small town, with a Mexican garrison, is the nearest settlement.

All accounts concur in representing the journey as one of extreme hardship, and even peril.
The distance is not exactly known, hut it is variously represented to he from four to seven days’
journey. Persons hound for Sonora from California, who do not mind a circuitous route, should
ascend the Gila as far as the Pimos village, and thence penetrate the province by way of
Tucson.

November 25. — At the ford the Colorado is 1,500 feet wide, and flows at the rate of a mile
and a half per hour. Its greatest depth in the channel, at the ford where we crossed, is four
feet. The hanks are low, not more than four feet high, and, judging from indications, some¬
times, though not frequently, overflowed. Its general appearance at this point is much like
that of the Arkansas, with its turbid waters and many shifting sand islands.

The ford is entered at the lower extremity of the plateau upon which we encamped, and leads
down the river, crossing three sand islands, which we sketched ; hut as they are constantly
shifting, the sketch will perhaps afford no guide to the traveller, and may even lead him into
error. It is therefore not furnished. The ford is narrow and circuitous, and a few feet to the
right or left sets a horse afloat. This happened to my own horse.

INDEX

Page.

Apache Indians, depredations of . 11

country occupied by . 20

Atmosphere, peculiarity of . - . 6

changes of, and eifect upon sound . 19

Contents . 5

Corn mills, ruins f . . . 7, 15

Colorado river, junction with the Gila . 17, 20

navigability . 17

Coyotaros (wolf eaters) Indians . 17

Cochinears (dirty fellows) Indians . 17

Country, general description of between the Arkansas and Colorado rivers . 19

Colorado Desert . 20

Davidson, Lieut . 8

Game . -• . . . . 6,14,15

“ Guia,” (guide to gold) . 5

Gila river, junction with the San Pedro . 5

course through a crater . 7

campon . 13

junction with the Colorado . 17

navigability . 17

Garroteros (club) Indians . 17

Humphreys, Capt. A. A., letter to Secretary of War . 3

Hieroglyphics . 14,15

Inscriptions . 14,15

Indians, visits from . 6

Pinon Lanos . 6

Maricopas . j . 8, 11

Pimos . 8,9,10,11

Coyotaros . 17

Cochinears . 17

Garroteros . 17

Los Tontears . •. . 17

Apaches . 20

Navajoes .

Soones .

Indian settlements, remains of . 7, 8, 15

spinning jenny . 9

tradition . 10

Incantation formula . = . 7

Kearney, General . 13, 18

Llunas Antonio (chief of the Pimos) . 9, 10

Los Tontears (fools) Indians . 17

Letter, Capt. Humphreys’ to Secretary of War . - . 3

intercepted Mexican letters from California . 18

Lassoing horses, expertness of the Californians, exciting sport . 19

Maricopas Indians . . 11

women . 12

Messio Jos6, (governor of the Maricopas) . 11

Mirage . 13

§ §

INDEX.

Mexican camp .

Mexican, capture of, with California mail .

Mineral Creek . -

Navajoe Indians .

Potteries, ruins of .

Pinole .

Pimos Indians, traffic with .

manner of cultivating land, dress .

character, huts .

possessions, religion, disposition..

Peonage of the Mexicans .

Ruins of potteries .

corn mills .

Indian settlements .

zequias . *

casa montezuma .

Spanish church .

Rio San Francisco .

San Pedro river, junction with the Gila .

Storm . - .

Spinning jenny .

Shell - .

Swords, Major . . .

Soones Indians .

Salt river . ... . ... — . —

Zequias, remains of .

Pagp.

6,7,8, 9, 15
10

... 8,9,10
9
10
11

6,7,8,9,15
7,15
... 7,8,15
8,13
9
17
11
5
5
10
8,13
10

20
11

8,13

H.R .EXP 0 C.N? 56-36™ CONG. I" SE S S .

jiiutle Was I

EXPLORATION'S AND SURVEYS FOR. A RAIL, ROAD
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO TOE PACIFIC OCEAN
WAR.DEPARTMENT .

»jj<l slanty

I SOTH ERMAi , CHART

OftheKcgwnSortliofflw 36''!tPa/-aZM. &c&g between the

ATLANTIC R PACIFIC OCEANS,

Compiled under the Direction. of

ISAAC I. STEVENS,

■Goy^f of Wasliin^l o n Territory

►PtKem iic

Hetijonsporf

Scale. 1: 7,450,000 .

- J^rar/zcaMeftmlroad Lines.

The Tied Lines are isothermal? of mean Hummer '/hnperdlirte
j, Bhtr „ ... ~ Winter

Saromy Ma j or dr Knapp ,Li?hM49Broad? NX

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Full text of "Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean"

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