Class F6'.Q^ 
 
'^'■^ NARRATIVE 
 
 OF 
 
 THE EXPLORING EXPEDITIOI 
 
 TO 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 
 
 IN THE YEAR 1842, 
 
 AND TO 
 
 OREGON AND NORTH CALIFORNIA 
 
 IN THE YEARS 1843-44. 
 
 BT 
 
 BREVET CAPTAIN J. C. FREMONT, 
 
 OF THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS, 
 
 UNDER THE ORDERS OP COL. J. J. ABERT, CHIEF OF THE TOPOGRAPHICAL BUREAU. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM THE OF^ICIA;, COPT. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 200 BROADWAY. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 GEO. S. APPLETON, 148 CHESNUT STREET. 
 
 CINCINNATI .—DERBY, BRADLEY, & COMPANY, 113 MAIN STREET 
 
 1846. 
 

^ 
 
 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 The immense region west of the Rocky Mountains, extending to the 
 Pacific ocean, and bounded by the Russian frontier on the north, and Cali- 
 ibrnia on the south, now attracts so much of popular regard, and is com- 
 mingled with so many important national interests, that an accurate and 
 minute acquaintance with the general topic is essential to every American 
 citizen. 
 
 < Several exploring tours of the western portion of our continent, within the 
 geographical boundaries of the wilds now commonly known by the title, 
 Oregon, have taken place during the present century. 'President Jefferson, 
 in 1804, directed the first scrutiny in that country under the superintendence 
 of Messrs. Lewis and Clarke, who devoted the larger part of three years to 
 the examination of those trackless forests, and who were the pioneers of 
 the movements which arc now extending the limits of civilization, where 
 Indians, or deer, bears, or buffaloes only roamed. The second expedition by 
 Major Pike to survey the West, forty years ago, was restricted to the eastern 
 side of the Rocky Mountains, and consequently communicated little direct 
 intelligence concerning the lands, the possession of which is now the subject 
 of controversy between the United States and Britain. 
 
 The other subsequent travellers in the western territory confined their 
 researches within the country through which the Upper Mississippi and 
 Missouri flow ; and therefore imparted no information of any importance 
 concerning the Oregon lands, rivers, and other topics of public interest. 
 
 During several years, however,- from 1833 to 1838, Mr. Nicollet, a scien- 
 tific tourist, explored a very extensive portion of the western country beyond 
 the northern branches of the Mississippi. At the close of his amateur travels,, 
 the government of the United States engaged him to repeat his journey in 
 another region ; and Captain Fremont was united with him to assist his 
 efforts. After an absence of two seasons, they returned and exhibited the. 
 
if PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 result of their discoveries and astronomical observations and topographical 
 admeasurements to the government at Washington. 
 
 It being desirable for the Federal authorities to become fully acquainted 
 with the state of the territory between the southern geographical boundary 
 of the United States and the Rocky Mountains, around the head-waters of 
 the Missouri, Captain Fremont was appointed to superintend that exploring 
 tour. That enterprising and scientific traveller is now absent on his third 
 expedition to enlarge our acquaintance with the western uninhabited districts. 
 
 The ensuing narratives include the Reports of the two tours which have 
 already been made by Captain Fremont, as they were presented to the Con- 
 gress of the United States, and originally pubhshed by their command ; ex- 
 cluding only the portions which are altogether astronomical, scientific, and 
 philosophical, and therefore not adapted for general utility. Captain Fremont 
 states that the whole of the delineations both " in the narrative and in the 
 maps," which constitute the official publication, are " the result of positive 
 observation." From a survey of the researches thus presented, it appears, 
 that the entire map of Oregon has been amply drawn out, so far as at present 
 is requisite for all the purposes of geographical inquiry and national arrange- 
 ment. With these claims on public attention, and the deep interest which 
 the subject itself now offers, this authentic edition of Captain Fremont's 
 extensive and protracted researches in the western dominions of the United 
 States, is confidently recommended to the perusal of our fellow-citizens. 
 
 Wbw York, November 11, 1845. 
 
A REPORT 
 
 AN EXPIX)RATION OF THE COUNTRY 
 
 LTINC BETWEEN THE 
 
 MISSOUM RIYER AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 
 
 ON THE LINE OF 
 
 THE KANSAS AND GREAT PLATTE RIVERS. 
 
 Washington, Marcli 1, 1843. 
 To Colonel J. J. Abekt, 
 
 Chief of the Corps of Top. Eng : 
 
 Sir : Agreeably to j'our orders to explore 
 and report upon the country between the 
 frontiers of Missouri and the South Pass in 
 the Rocky mountains, and on the line of the 
 Kansas and Great Platte rivers, I set out 
 from Washington city on the 2d day of May, 
 1*^42, and arrived at St. Louis, by way of 
 New York, the 22d of May, where the ne- 
 cessary preparations Vv'cre completed, and the 
 expedition commenced. I proceeded in a 
 steamboat to Chouteau's landing, about four 
 hundred miles by water from St. Louis, and 
 near the mouth of the Kansas river, whence 
 vre proceeded twelve miles to Mr. Cyprian 
 Chouteau's trading house, where we com- 
 pleted our final arrangements for the expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 Bad w^eather, which interfered with astro- 
 nomical observations, delayed us several 
 days in the early part of June at this post, 
 which is on the right bank of the Kansas 
 river, about ten miles above the mouth, and 
 six beyond the western boundary of Missouri. 
 The sky cleared off at length, and we were 
 enabled to determine our position, in longi- 
 tude 94o25' 46", and latitude 39° 5' 67". 
 The elevation above the sea is about 700 
 feet. Our camp, in the meantime, presented 
 an animated and bustling scene. All were 
 busily occupied in completing the necessary 
 arrangements for our campaign in the wil- 
 derness, and profiting by this short delay on 
 the verge of civilisation, to provide ourselves 
 with all the little essentials to comfort in the 
 nomadic life we were to lead for the ensuing 
 Bummer months. Gradually, however, every- 
 thing — the materiel of the camp, men, 
 horses, and even mules — settled into its 
 place, and by the 10th we were ready to de- 
 
 part ; but, before we mount our horses, I will 
 give a short description of the party with 
 which I performed this service. 
 
 I had collected in the neighborhood of St. 
 Louis twenty-one men, principally Creole and 
 Canadian voyageurs, who had become fami- 
 liar with prairie life in the service of the fur 
 companies in the Indian country. Mr. 
 Charles Preuss, a native of Germany, was 
 my assistant in the topographical part of the 
 survey. L. Maxwell, of Kaskaskia, had 
 been engaged as hunter, and Christopher 
 Carson (more familiarly known, for liis ex- 
 ploits in the mountains, as Kit Carson) was 
 our guide. The persons engaged in St. 
 Louis were : 
 
 Clement Lambert, J. B. L'Esperance, J. 
 B. Lefevre, Benjamin Potra, Louis Gouin, 
 J. B. Dumes, Basil Lajeunesse, Francois 
 Tessier, Benjamin Cadotte, Joseph Clement, 
 Daniel Simonds, Leonard Benoit, Michel 
 Morly, Baptiste Bernier, Honore Ayot, Fran- 
 9ois Latulippe, Francois Badeau, Louis Me- 
 nard, Joseph Ruelle, Moise Chardonnaia, 
 Auguste Janisse, Raphael Proue. 
 
 In addition to these, Henry Brant, son of 
 Col. J. B. Brant, of St. Louis, a young man 
 of nineteen years of age, and Randolph, a 
 lively boy of twelve, son of the Hon. Thomas 
 H. Benton, accompanied me, for the develop- 
 ment of m.ind and body which such an expe- 
 dition would give. We were all well armed 
 and mounted, with the exception of eight 
 men, who conducted as many carts, in which 
 were packed our stores, with the baggage 
 and instruments, and which were each drawn 
 by two mules. A few loose horses, and four 
 oxen, which had been added to our stock of 
 provisions, completed the train. We set out 
 on the morning of the 10th, which happened 
 to be Friday — a circumstance which our men 
 did not fail to remember and recall during 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 the hardships and vexations of the ensuing 
 journey. Mr. Cyprian Chouteau, to whose 
 kindness, during our stay at his house, we 
 were much indebted, accompanied us several 
 miles on our way, until we met an Indian, 
 whom he had engaged to conduct us on the 
 first thirty or forty miles, where he was to 
 consign us to the ocean of prairie, which, we 
 were told, stretched without interruption al- 
 most to the hase of the Rocky mountains. 
 
 From the belt of wood which borders the 
 Kanfas, in which we had passed several 
 good-looking Indian farms, we suddenly 
 emerged on the prairies, which received us 
 at the outset with some of their striking cha- 
 racteristics ; for here and there rode an In- 
 dian, and but a few miles distant heavy clouds 
 of smoke were rolling before the fire. In 
 about ten miles we reached the Santa Fe 
 road, along which we continued for a short 
 time, and encamped early on a small stream ; 
 having travelled about eleven miles. Dur- 
 ing our journey, it was the customary prac- 
 tice to encamp an hour or two before sunset, 
 ■when the carts were disposed so as to form 
 a sort of barricade around a circle some 
 eighty yards in diameter. The tents were 
 pitched, and the horses hobbled and turned 
 loose to graze ; and but a few minute? 
 elapsed before the cooks of the messes, of 
 which there were four, were busily engaged 
 in preparing the evening meal. At night- 
 fall, the horses, mules, and oxen, were driven 
 in and picketed — that is, secured by a halter, 
 of which one end was tied to a small steel- 
 shod picket, and driven into the ground ; tlie 
 halter being twenty or thirty feet long, which 
 enabled them to obtain a little food during 
 the night. When we had reached a part of 
 tlie country where such a precaution became 
 necessary, the carts being regularly arranged 
 for defending the camp, guard was mounted 
 at eight o'clock, consisting of three men, 
 who were relieved every two hours ; the 
 morning watch being horse guard for the day. 
 At davbreak, the camp was roused, the ani- 
 mals turned loose to graze, and breakfast 
 generally over between six and seven o'clock, 
 when we resumed our march, making regu- 
 larly a halt at noon for one or two hours. 
 Such was usually the order of the day, ex- 
 cept when accident of country forced a varia- 
 tion ; which, however, happened but rarely. 
 We travelled the next day along the Santa 
 Fe road, which we left in the afternoon, and 
 encamped late in the evening on a small 
 creek, called by the Indians Mishmagwi. 
 Just as we arrived at camp, one of the Jiorscs 
 set oif at full speed on his return, and was 
 followed by others. Several men wore sent 
 in pursuit, and returned with the fugitives 
 about midnight, with the exception of one 
 man, who did not make his appearance until 
 morning. He had lost his way in the dark- 
 
 ness of the night, and slept on the prairie. 
 Shortly after midnight it began to rain hea- 
 vily, and, as our tents were of light and tliis 
 cloth, they offered but little obstruction to 
 rain ; we were all well soaked, and glad when 
 morning came. We had a rainy march on 
 the 12lh, but the weather grew fine as the 
 day advanced. We encamped in a remarka- 
 bly beautiful situation on the Kansas blufls, 
 which commanded a fine view of the river 
 valley, here from three to four miles wide. 
 The central portion was occupied by a broad 
 belt of heavy timber, and nearer the hills the 
 prairies were of the richest verdure. One 
 of the oxen w^as killed here for food. 
 
 We reached the ford of the Kansas late 
 in the afternoon of the 14th, where the river 
 was two hundred and thirty yards wide, and 
 commenced immediately preparations for 
 crossing. I had expected to tind the river 
 fordable . but it had been swollen by the late 
 rains, and was sweeping by with an angry 
 current, yellow and turbid as the Missouri. 
 Up to this point, the road we had travelled 
 was a remarkably fine one, well beaten, and 
 level — the usual road of a prairie country. 
 By our route, the ford was one hundred 
 miles from the mouth of the Kansas river.. 
 Several mounted men led the way into the 
 stream, to swim across. The animals were 
 driven in after them, and in a few minutes 
 all had reached the opposite bank in safety, 
 with the exception of the oxen, which swam 
 some distance down the river, and, returning 
 to the ri.oht bank, were not got over until 
 the next" morning. In the meantime, the 
 carts had been unloaded and dismantled, and 
 an India-rubber boat, which I had brought 
 with me for the survey of the Platte river» 
 placed in the water. The boat was twenty 
 feet long and five broad, and on it were 
 placed the body and wheels of a cart, witli 
 the load belonging to it, and three men witli 
 paddles. 
 
 The velocity of the current, and the incon- 
 venient freight, rendering it difficult to be 
 managed, Basil Lajeunesse, one of our beet 
 swimmers, took in his teeth a line attached 
 to the boat, and swam ahead in order to 
 reach a footing as soon as possible, and as- 
 sist in drawing her over. In this manner, 
 six passages had been successfully made, 
 and as many carts with their contents, and 
 a greater portion of the party, deposited on 
 the lelt bank ; but night was drawing near, 
 and, in our anxiety to have all over before 
 the darkness closed in, I put upon the boat 
 the remaining two carts, with their accom- 
 panying load. The man at the helm was 
 timid on water, and, in his alarm, capsized 
 the boat. Carts, barrels, boxes, and bales, 
 were in a moment floating down the current; 
 but all the men who were on the shore 
 jumped into the water, without stopping to 
 
184a.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 think if they could swim, and almost evory- 
 tiiing — even heavy articles, such as guns 
 and lead — was recovered. 
 
 Two of the men, who could not swim, 
 came nigh being drowned, and all the sugar 
 belonging to one of the messes wasted its 
 sweets on tiie muddy waters ; but our hea- 
 viest loss was a bag of coffee, which con- 
 tained nearly all our provision. It was a 
 loss v/hich none but a traveller in a strange 
 and inhospitable country can appreciate ; and 
 oflen afterward, when excessive toil and long 
 marching had overcome us with fatigue and 
 weariness, we remembered and mourned 
 over our loss in the Kansas. Carson and 
 Maxwell had been much in the water yes- 
 terday, and both, in consequence, were taken 
 ill. The former continuing so, I remained 
 ia camp. A number of Kansas Indians 
 visited us to-day. Going up to one of the 
 gi-oups who were scattered among the trees, 
 I found one sitting on the ground, among 
 Bome of the men, gravely and fluently speak- 
 ing French, with as much facility and as 
 little embarrassment as any of my* own 
 parly, who were nearly all ofFrench origin. 
 
 On all sides was heard the strange lan- 
 guage of his own people, wild, and harmon- 
 izing well with their appearance. I listened 
 to him for some time with feelings of strange 
 curiosity and interest. He was now appa- 
 tently thitty-five years of age ; and, on in- 
 quiry, I learned that he had been at St. Louis 
 wlien a boy, and there had learned the 
 French language. From one of the Indian 
 women I obtained a fine cow and calf in ex- 
 change for a yoke of oxen. Several of them 
 brought us vegetables, pumpkins, onions, 
 beans, and lettuce. One of them brought 
 butter, and from a half-breed near the river 
 I had the good fortune to obtain some twenty 
 or thirty pounds of coffee. The dense tim- 
 ber in which we had encamped interfered 
 with astronomical observations, and our wet 
 and damaged stores required exposure to the 
 sun. Accordingly, the tents were struck early 
 the next morning, and, leaving camp at six 
 o'clock, we moved about seven miles up the 
 river, to a handsome, open prairie, some 
 twenty feet above the water, where the fine 
 grass afforded a luxurious repast to our 
 horses. 
 
 During the day we occupied ourselves in 
 making astronomical observations, in order 
 to lay down the country to this place ; it 
 being our custom to keep up our map regu- 
 larly in the field, which we found attended 
 with many advantages. The men were 
 kept busy in drying the provisions, painting 
 tlie cart covers, and otherwise completing 
 our equipage, until the afternoon, when pow- 
 der Was distributed to them, and they spent 
 some hours in firing at a mark. We were 
 now fairly in the Indian conntry, and it be- 1 
 
 gan to be time to prepare for the chances of 
 
 the wilderness. 
 
 Friday, June 17. — The weather yesterday 
 had not permitted us to make the' observa- 
 tions I was desirous to obtain here, and I 
 therefore did not move to-day. The people 
 continued their target firing. In the steep 
 bank of the river here, v.-ere nests of innu- 
 merable swallows, into one of which a large 
 prairie snake had got about half his body, 
 and was occupied in eating the young birds. 
 The old ones were flying about in great dis- 
 tress, darting at him, and vainly endeavoring 
 to drive him off. A shot wounded him, and, 
 being killed, he was cut open, and eighteen 
 young swallows were found in his body. A 
 sudden storm, that burst upon us in the af- 
 ternoon, cleared away in a brilliant sunset, 
 followed by a clear night, which enabled us 
 to determine our position in longitude 95S 
 38' 05", and in latitude 39° 06' 40" 
 
 A party of emigrants to the Columbia 
 river, under the charge of Dr. Wliite, an 
 agent of the Government in Oregon Terri- 
 tory, were about three weeks in advance of 
 U6. They consisted of men, women, and 
 children. There were sixty-four men, and 
 sixteen or seventeen families. They had a 
 considerable number of cattle, and were 
 transporting their household furniture in 
 laro-e heavy wagons. I understood that there 
 had been much sickness among them, and 
 that they had lost several children. One of 
 the party who had lost his child, and whose 
 wife was very ill, had left them about one 
 hundred miles hence on the prairies ; and as 
 a hunter, who had accompanied them, visited 
 our camp this evening, we availed ourselves 
 of his return to the States to write to our 
 friends. 
 
 The morning of the 18th was very unplea- 
 sant. A fine rain was falling, with cold 
 wind from the north, and mists made the 
 river hills look dark and gloomy. We left 
 our camp at seven, journeying along the foot 
 of the hills which border the Kansas valley, 
 generally about three miles wide, and ex- 
 tremely rich. We halted for dinner, alter a 
 march of about thirteen miles, on the banks 
 of one of the many little tributaries to the 
 Kansas, which look like trenches in the 
 prairie, and are usually well timbered. Af- 
 ter crossing this stream, I rode off some 
 miles to the left, attracted by the appearance 
 of a cluster of huts near the mouth of the 
 Vermillion. It was a large but deserted Kan- 
 sas village, scattered in an open v.ood, along 
 the margin of the stream, on a spot chosen 
 with the customary Indian fondness for beauty 
 of scenery. The Pawnees had attacked it 
 in the early spring. Some of the houses 
 were burnt, and others blackened with 
 smoke, and weeds were already getting pos- 
 session of the cleared places. Riding up 
 
8 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843, 
 
 the Vermillion river, I reached the ford in 
 time to meet the carts, and, crossing, en- 
 camped on its western side. The weather 
 continued cool, the thermometer being this 
 evening as low as 49" ; but the night was 
 Bufliciently clear for astronomical obsen'a- 
 tions, whicli placed us in longitude 90" 04' 
 07', and latitude 39° 15' 19". At sunset, 
 the barometer was at 28.845, thermometer 
 64". 
 
 We breakfasted the next morning at half 
 past five, and left onr encampment early. 
 The' morning was cool, the thermometer 
 being at 45". Quitting the river bottom, 
 the road ran along the uplands, over a roll- 
 ing country, generally in view of the Kan- 
 sas from eight to twelve miles distant. 
 Many large boulders, of a very compact 
 sandstone, of various shades of red, some of 
 them four or five tons in weight, were scat- 
 tered along the hills ; and many beautiful 
 plants in flower, among which the amorpha 
 cancscens was a characteristic, enlivened the 
 green of the prairie. At the heads of the 
 ravines I remarked, occasionally, thickets 
 of salix longifolia, the most common willow 
 of the country. We travelled nineteen 
 miles, and pitched our tents at evening on 
 the head waters of a small creek, now nearly 
 dry, but having in its bed several fine springs. 
 The barometer indicated a considerable rise 
 in tlie country — here about fourteen hundred 
 feet above tiie sea — and the increased eleva- 
 tion app/eared already to have some slight 
 influence upon the vegetation. The night 
 was cold, with a heavy dew ; the thermome- 
 ter at 10 p. m. standing at 46°, barometer 
 28.483. Our position was in longitude 96° 
 14' 49", and latitude 39° 30' 40', 
 
 The morning of the 20th was fine, with a 
 southerly breeze and a bright sky ; and at 
 Bcven o'clock v/e were on the march. The 
 country to-day was rather more broken, ris- 
 ing still, and covered everywhere with frag- 
 ments of siliceous limestone, particularly on 
 the summits, where they were small, and 
 thickly strewed as pebbles on the shore of 
 the sea. In these exposed situations grew 
 but few plants ; though, whenever the soil 
 was good and protected from the winds, in 
 the creek bottoms and ravines, and on the 
 slopes, they flourished abundantly ; among 
 them the amorpha, still retaining its charac- 
 teristic place. We crossed at 10 a. m., the 
 Big Vermillion, which has a rich bottom of 
 about one mile in breadth, one-third of which 
 is occupied by timber. Making our usual 
 halt at noon, after a day's march of twenty- 
 four miles, we reached the Big Blue, and 
 encamped on the uplands of the western 
 side, near a small creek, where was a fine 
 large spring of very cold water. This is a 
 clear and handsome stream, about one hun- 
 dred and twenty feet wide, running, with a 
 
 rapid current, through a well-timbered val- 
 ley. To-day antelope were seen running 
 over the hills, and at evening Carson brought 
 us a fine deer Longitude of the camp 96' 
 32- 35", latitude 39° 46' 08." Thermome- 
 ter at sunset 75". A pleasant eoutheriy 
 breeze and fine morning had given place to 
 a gale, with indications of bad weather; 
 when, after a march of ten milee, we halted 
 to noon on a small creek, where the water 
 stood in deep pools. In the bank of the 
 creek limestone made its appearance in a 
 stratum about one foot thick. In the after- 
 noon, the people seemed to suffer for want 
 of water. The road led along a high dry 
 ridge ; dark lines of timber indicated the 
 heads of streams in the plains below ; but 
 there was no water near, and the day was 
 very oppressive, with a hot wind, and the 
 thermometer at 90°. Along our route the 
 amnrpha has been in very abundant but vo/- 
 riable bloom — in some places bending be- 
 neath the weight of purple clusters ; in oth- 
 ers without a flower. It seems to love best 
 the sunny slopes, with a dark .soil and south- 
 ern exposure. Everywhere the rose i.s met 
 with, and reminds us of cultivated gardens 
 and civilisation. It is scattered over the 
 prairies in small bouquets, and, when glitter- 
 ing in the dews and waving in the pleasant 
 breeze of the early morning, is the most 
 beautiful of the prairie flowers. The arte- 
 misia, absinthe, or prairie sage, as it is va- 
 riously Ciilled, is increasing in size, and glit- 
 ters like silver, as the southern breeze turns 
 up its leaves to the sun. All these planta 
 have their insect inhabitants, variously color- 
 ed ; taking generally the hue of the flower 
 on which they live. The artemisia has its 
 small fly accompanying it through every 
 change of elevation and latitude ; and wher- 
 ever I have seen the asclepias luberosa, t 
 have always remarked, too, on the flower a 
 large butterfly, so nearly resembling it ia 
 color as to be distinguishable at a little dis- 
 tance only by the motion of its wings. Tra- 
 velling on, the fresh traces of the Oregon 
 emigrants relieve a little the loneliness of 
 the road ; and to-night, after a march of 
 twenty-two miles, we halted en a small 
 creek, v/hich had been one of their encamp- 
 ments. As we advance westward, the soil 
 appears to be getting more sandy, and the 
 surface rock, an erratic deposite of sand and 
 gravel, rests here on a bed of coarse yellow 
 and grey and very friable sandstone. Even- 
 ing closed over with rain and its usual at- 
 tendant hordes of musquitoes, with which 
 we were annoyed for the first time. 
 
 June 22. — We enjoyed at breakfast this 
 morning a luxury, very unusual in this 
 country, in a cup of excellent coffee, with 
 cream from our cow. Being milked at 
 night, cream was thus had in the morning. 
 
. 1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 Our mid-day halt was at Wyeth's creek, in 
 the bed of whicli were numerous boulders 
 of dark ferruginous sandstone, mingled with 
 others of the red sandstone already men- 
 tioned. Here a pack of cardj, lyin^r loose 
 on the grass, marked an encampment of our 
 Oregon emigrants ; and it was at the close 
 of the day when we made our bivouac in the 
 midst of some well-timbered ravines near the 
 Little Blue, tvvenly-four miles from our 
 camp of the preceding night. Crossing the 
 next morning a number of handsome creeks, 
 with clear water and sandy beds, we reached, 
 at 10 a. m., a very beautiful wooded stream, 
 about thirty-tive feet wide, called Sandy 
 creek, and sometimes, as the Ottoes fre- 
 quently winter there, the Otto fork. The 
 country has become very sandy, and the 
 plants less varied and abundant, with the 
 exception of the amorpha, which rivals the 
 grass in quantity, though not so forward as 
 It has been found to the eastward. 
 
 At the Big Trees, where we had intended 
 to noon, no water was to be found. The bed 
 of the little creek was perfectly dry, and, on 
 the ad_,acent sandy bottom, cacLi, for the tirst 
 time, made their appearance. We made 
 here a short delay in search of water ; and, 
 alter a liard day's march of twenty-eight 
 tniles, encamped, at 5 o'clock, on the Little 
 Blue, where our arrival made a scene of the 
 Arabian desert. As fast as they arrived, men 
 and horses rushed into the stream, where 
 they bathed and drank together in commfin 
 eujoyment. We were now in the range of 
 the Fawnees, who were accustomed to infest 
 this part of the country, stealing horses from 
 companies on their way to the mounUiins, 
 and, when in autlicient force, openly attack- 
 ing and plundering them, and subjecting 
 tiiem to various kinds ot insult. For the 
 first tiini\ therefore, guard was mounted to- 
 night. Oar route the ne.xt morning lay up 
 the valley, which, bordered by hills with 
 graceful slopes, looked uncommonly green 
 and beauli.ul. The stream was about fifty 
 feet widi', and three or four deep, fringed by 
 col ton wood and willow, with frequent groves 
 of o:ik tenanted by flocks of turkeys. Game 
 her-, too, made its appearance in greater 
 jpleuty. Elk were frequently seen on the 
 LiiU, and now and then an antelope bounded 
 ■a TOSS oar path, or a desr broke from the 
 provos. T:it* roid in t'le afternoon was over 
 tiiC Ujiper priires, several miles from the 
 •river, and we enoamped at sunset on one of 
 its '.nil frii)uiaries, where an abundance of 
 ,|)e e (^ri'dsi'u/n) aftbrded fine foragi^ to our 
 tireJ a.juuals. We had travelled thirty-one 
 In 1'^^. A heavy bmk of black clouds in the 
 Wi'Stcima on u-i in a storm bet:\veen nine 
 tinJ ten, j)receleJ by a violent wind. The 
 rain fe I m such torrents that it wa-; difficult 
 *o brc-atue facing the wind, the thunder rolled 
 
 incessantly, and the whole sky was tremu- 
 lous with lightning ; now and then illumin- 
 ated by a blinding flash, succeeded by pitchy 
 darkness. Carson had the watch from ten 
 to midnight, and to him had been assigned 
 our young compagnons de voyage, Messrs. 
 Brant and R. Benton. This was tlieir first 
 night on guard, and such an introduction did 
 not augur very auspiciously of the pleasures 
 of the e.xpedition. Many things conspired to 
 render their situation uncomfortable ; stories 
 of desperate and bloody Indian fights were 
 rife in the camp; our position was badly 
 chosen, surrounded on all sides by timbered 
 hollows, and occupying an area of several 
 hundred feet, so that necessarily the guards 
 were far apart ; and now and then I could 
 hear Randolph, as if relieved by the sound 
 of a voice in the darkness, calling out to the 
 sergeant of the guard, to direct his attention 
 to some imaginary alarm ; but tley stood it 
 out, and took their turn regularly after- 
 ward. 
 
 The next morning we had a specimen of 
 the false alarms to which all parties in these 
 wild regions are subject. Proceeding up 
 the valley, objects were seen on the oppo- 
 site hills, which disappeared before a glass 
 could be brought to bear upon them. A 
 man, who was a short distance in tlie rear, 
 came spurring up in great haste, shouting 
 Indians ! Indians ! He had been near 
 enough to see and count them, according to 
 his report, and had made out twenty-seven. 
 I immediately halted ; arms were examined 
 and put in order ; the usual preparations 
 made ; and Kit Carson, springing upon one 
 of the hunting horses, crossed the river, and 
 galloped off into the opposite prairies, to ob- 
 tain some certain intelligence of their move- 
 ments. ^^ 
 
 Mounted on a fine horse, without a Sradle, 
 and scouring bareheaded over the prairies, 
 Kit was one of the finest pictures of a horse- 
 man I have ever seen. A short time ena- 
 bled him to discover that the Indian war 
 party of twenty-seven, consisted of six elk, 
 who had been gazing curiously at our cara- 
 van as it passed by, and were now scamper- 
 ing off at full speed. This was our first 
 alarm, and its excitement broke agreeably 
 on the monotony of the day. At our noon 
 halt, the men were exercised at a target ; 
 and in the evening we pitched our tents at a 
 Pawnee encampment of last July. They 
 had apparently killed buffalo here, as many 
 bones were lying about, and the frame.^ 
 where the hides had been stretched were yet 
 standing. The road of the da^ had kept 
 the valley, which is sometimes rich and well 
 timbered, though the country is generally 
 sandy. Mingled with the usual plants, a 
 thistle (carduiLS leucop-aphus) had for the 
 last day or two made its appearance ; and 
 
10 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1&42, 
 
 along the river bottom, iradescanlia (virgini- 
 ca) and milk plant (asclepias syriaca*) in 
 considerable quantities. 
 
 Our march tc-<lay had been twenty-one 
 miles, and the astronomical observations 
 gave us a chronometric lonpitude of 98° 22' 
 12", and latitude 40° 26' 50". We were 
 moving forward at seven in the morning, and 
 in about five miles reached a fork of the 
 Bine, where the road leaves that river, and 
 crosses over to the Platte. No water was to 
 be found on the dividing riJge, and the casks 
 were filled, and the animals here allowed a 
 short repose. Tlie road led across a high 
 and level prairie ridge, where were but few 
 plants, and those principally thistle (carduus 
 leucdgraphiis), and a kind of dwarf artemi- 
 sia. Antelope were seen frequently during 
 the morning, which was very stormy. 
 Squalls of rain, with thunder and lightning, 
 were around us in every direction ; and 
 ■while we were enveloped iil one of them, a 
 flash, which seemed to scorch our eyes as it 
 passed, struck in the prairie within a few 
 hundred feet, sending up a column of dust. 
 
 Crossing on the way several Pawnee 
 roads to the Arkansas, we reached, in about 
 twenty-one miles from our halt on the Blue, 
 what is called the coast of the Nebraska, or 
 Platte river. This had seemed in the dis- 
 tance a range of high and broken hills ; but 
 on a nearer approach were found to be ele- 
 vations of forty to sixty feet, into which the 
 wind had worked tlie sand. They were co- 
 vered with the usual fine grasses of the 
 country, and bordered the eastern side of 
 the ridge on a breadth of about two miles. 
 Change of soil and country appeared here 
 to have produced some change in the vege- 
 tation. Cacti were numerous, and all the 
 plants|^f the region appeared to flourish 
 among the warm hills. Among them the 
 amorpha, in full bloom, was remarkable for 
 its large and luxuriant purple clusters. 
 From the foot of the coast, a distance of two 
 miles across the level bottom brought us to 
 our encampment on the shore of the river, 
 about twenty miles below the head of Grand 
 Island, which lay extended before us, cover- 
 ed with dense and heavy woods. From the 
 mouth of the Kansas, according to our reck- 
 oning, we had travelled three hundred and 
 twenty-eight miles ; and the geological form- 
 ation of the country we had passed over 
 
 * "This plant is very odoriferous, nnd in Canada 
 charms the Iravfllcr. eepccially vvhtn pnstiiiig lliroui;h 
 woods in llic (.Vfiiing. The French there eat (he tender 
 ehoota in the spring, as we do asparnu'n;^. The natives 
 make a sugar of ihc flowers. EalherinK them in llie 
 marn'wg when they are covered with dew, and collect 
 the cotton from their pixis to fill their beds. On account 
 of the eilJtineFS of this cotion, Parkinson calls the plant 
 Virginian Kilk." — Loudon's Encyclopedia of Plants. 
 
 The Sioux Indians of the Upper Platte eat the ymirg 
 pods of this plant, boiling thetn with the meat of ibe 
 buffalo. 
 
 consisted of lime and sandstone, covered by 
 the same erratic deposite of sand and gravel 
 which forms the surface rock of the prairies 
 between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. 
 Except in some occasional limestone bould- 
 ers, I had met with no fossils. The eleva- 
 tion of the Platte valley above the sea is 
 here about two thousand feet. The astro- 
 nomical observations of the nighi placed ue 
 in longitude 98° 46' 49", latitude 4Co 41' 
 OG". 
 
 June 27. — The animals were eomewhat 
 fatigued by their march of yesterday, and, 
 after a short journey of eighteen miles along 
 the river bottom, I encamped near the hea3 
 of Grand Island, in longitude, by observa- 
 tion, 99° 05' 24", latitude 40" 39" 32". 
 The soil here was light but rich, though in 
 some places rather sandy ; and, with the ex- 
 ception of a scattered fringe along the bank, 
 the timber, consisting principally of poplar 
 (popnlus monilijera), elm, and hackberry 
 (celiis crassifoUa), is confined almost entirely 
 to the islands. 
 
 June 28. — We halted to noon at an open 
 reach of the river, which occupies rather 
 more than a fourth of the valley, here only 
 about four miles broad. The camp had been 
 disposed with the usual precaution, the 
 horses grazing at a little distance, attended 
 by the guard, and we were all sitting quietly 
 at our dinner on the grass, when suddenly 
 we heard the startling cry " du monde .'" la 
 an instant, every man'« weapon was in his 
 hand, the horses were driven in, hobbled and 
 picketed, and horsemen were galloping at 
 full speed in the direction of the new comers, 
 screaming and yelling with the wildest ex- 
 citement. " Get ready, my lads ! " said the 
 leader of the approaching party to his men, 
 when our wild-looking horsemen were dis- 
 covered bearing down upon them ; " nous 
 alloiis attraper des coups de baguelle." They 
 proved to be a small party of fourteen, under 
 the charge of a man named John Lee, and, 
 with their baggage and provisions strapped 
 to their backs, were making their way on 
 foot to the frontier. A brief account of their 
 fortunes will give some idea of navigation in 
 the Nebraska. Sixty days since, they had 
 left the mouth of I^aramie's fork, some three 
 hundred miles above, in barges laden with 
 the furs of the American Fur Company. 
 They started with the annual flood, and, 
 drawing but nine inches water, hoped to 
 make a speedy and prosperous voyage to St. 
 Louis ; but, after a lapse of forty clays, found 
 themselves only one hundred and thirty 
 miles from their point of departure. They 
 came down rapidly as far as Scott's bluflfe, 
 where their difficulties began. Sometime* 
 they came upon places where the water waa 
 spread over a great extent, and here thsy 
 toiled from moruing until night, endeavoring 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 H 
 
 •to drag their boat through the sands, making 
 only two or three miles in as many days. 
 Sometimes they would enter an arm of the 
 river, where there appeared a fine channel, 
 and, after descending prosperously for eight 
 or ten miles, would come suddenly upon dry 
 Band-;, and be compelled to return, dragging 
 their boat for days against the rapid current ; 
 and at others, , they came upon places where 
 ■tlie water lay'in holes, and, getting out to 
 -float off their boat, would fall into water up 
 to their necks, and the next moment tumble 
 over against a sandbar. Discouraged, at 
 length, and finding the Platte growing every 
 "day more shallow, they discharged the prin- 
 cipal part of their cargoes one hundred and 
 thirty miles below Fort Laramie, which they 
 secured as well as possible, and, leaving a 
 few men to guard them, attempted to con- 
 tinue their voyage, laden with some light 
 furs and their personal baggage. After fif- 
 teen or twenty days more struggling in the 
 eands, during which they made but one hun- 
 dred and lorty miles, they sunk their barges, 
 made a cache of their remaining furs and 
 property, in trees on the bank, and, packing 
 on his back what each man could carry, had 
 commenced, the day before we encountered 
 tliem, their journey on foot to St. Louis. 
 
 We laughed then at their forlorn and vag- 
 abond a[)pearance, and, in our turn, a month 
 iOr two afterwards, furnished the same occa- 
 .eion for merriment to others. Even their 
 ..stock of tobacco, that sine qvd non of a votj- 
 . ageuy, without which the night fire is gloomy, 
 was .entirely exhausted. However, we 
 shortened their homeward journey by a small 
 supply jfom our own provision. Tliey gave 
 us the vveicome intelligence that the butialo 
 were abundant some two days' march in ad- 
 vance, and made us a present of some choice 
 pieces, which were a very acceptable change 
 tvom our salt pork. In the interchange of 
 nevvs, and the renewal of old acquaintance- 
 Bhips, we found wherewithiil to fill a busy 
 hour; tlum we mounted our horses, and 
 they shouldered their packs, and we shook 
 hands and parted. Among them, I had 
 -found an old companion on the northern 
 j)rairie, a hardened and hardly served veteran 
 o\ tiie mountains, who had been as much 
 hacked and scarred as an old mouslache of 
 Napoleon's "old guard." He flourished in 
 the sobriquet of La Tulipe, and his real 
 name I never knew. Finding that he was 
 goiui^ to the States only because his compa- 
 ny was bound in that direction, and that he 
 wa.s niliier more willing to return with me, 
 I took him again into my service. We 
 travelled this day but seveutren miles. 
 
 At our evening camp, about sun-et, three 
 
 figures were di.^covered approaching, which 
 
 our glasses made out to be Indians. They 
 
 ^ proved to be Cheyennes — two men, and a 
 
 boy of thirteen. About a month since, they 
 had left their people on the south fork of the 
 river, some three hundred miles to the west- 
 ward, and a party of only four in number 
 had been to the Pawnee villages on a horse- 
 stealing excursion, from which they were 
 returning unsuccessful. They were miser- 
 ably mounted on wild horses from the Ark- 
 ansas plains, and had no other weapons than 
 bov/s and long spears ; and had they been 
 discovered by the Pawnees, could not, by 
 any possibility, have escaped. They were 
 mortified by their ill success, and said the 
 Pawnees were cowards, who shut up their 
 horses in their lodges at night. I invited 
 them to supper with me, and Randolph and 
 the young Cheyenne, who had been eyeing 
 each other suspiciously and curiously, soon 
 became intimate friends. After supper, we 
 sat down on the grass, and I placed a sheet 
 of paper between us, on which they traced 
 rudely, but with a certain degree of relative 
 U-uth, the watercourses of the country which 
 lay between us and their villages, and of 
 which I desired to have some information. 
 Their companions, they told us, \\: taken a 
 nearer route over the hills; but t.iey had 
 mounted one of the summits to spy out the 
 country, whence they had caught a glimpse 
 of our party, and, confident of good treat- 
 ment at tlie hands of the whites, hastened to 
 join company. Latitude of the camp 40* 
 39' 51". 
 
 We made the next morning sixteen milea. 
 I remarked that the ground was covered in 
 many places with an efflorescence of salt, 
 and the plants were not numerous. In the 
 bottoms were frequently seen Iradescanlia, 
 and on the dry lenches were rarduus, cacJus, 
 and amarpha. A high wind during the 
 morning had increased lo a violent gale from 
 the northwest, which made our ai'ternooo 
 ride cold and unpleasant. We had the wel- 
 come sight of two buffiiloes on one of the 
 large islands, and encamped at a clump of 
 timber about seven miles from our noon halt, 
 after a day's march of twenty-two miles. 
 
 The air was keen the next morning at 
 sunrise, the thermometer standing at 44o, 
 and it was sufficiently cold to make over- 
 coats very comfortable. A few milea brought 
 us into the midst of the buffalo, swarming 
 in immense numbers over the plains, where 
 they had left scarcely a blade of grass stand- 
 ing. Mr. Preuss, who was sketching at a 
 little distance in the rear, had at first noted 
 them as large groves of timber. In the 
 .sight of such a mass of life, the traveller 
 feels a strange emotion of grandeur. We 
 had heard from a distance a dull and con- 
 fused murmuring, and, when we came in 
 view of their dark masses, there was not one 
 among us who did not leel his heart beat 
 ' quicker. It was the early part of the day, 
 
13 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1849, 
 
 when the herda are feeding ; and every- 
 where they were in motion. Here and there 
 a huge old hull was rolling in the grass, and 
 clouds of dust rose in the air from various 
 parts of the bands, each the scene of some 
 obstinate tight. Indians and buffalo make 
 the poetry and life of the prairie, and our 
 camp was full of their exhilaration. In place 
 of the quiet monotony of the march, relieved 
 only by the cracking of the whip, and an 
 " amnce done ! enfant dc garce .' " shouts 
 and songs resounded from every part of the 
 line, and our evening camp was always the 
 commencement of a fcasf, which terminated 
 only with our departure on the following 
 morning. At any time of the night might 
 be seen pieces of the most delicate and 
 choicest meat, roasting en appolas, on sticks 
 around the fire, and the guard were never 
 without company. With pleasant weather 
 and no enemy to fear, an abundance of the 
 most e.xcellent meat, and no scarcity of 
 bread or tobacco, they were enjoying the 
 oasis of a voyagenr's life. Three cows were 
 killed to-day. Kit Carson had shot one, and 
 was continuing tiie chase in the midst of 
 another herd, when his horse fell headlong, 
 but sprang up and joined the flying band. 
 Though considerably hurt, he had the good 
 fortune to break no bones ; and Ma.xwell, 
 who was mounted on a fleet hunter, cap- 
 lured tlie runaway after a hard chase. He 
 was on the point of shooting him, to avoid 
 the loss of his bridle, (a handsomely mount- 
 ed Spanish one), when he found that his 
 horse was able to come up with him. Ani- 
 mals are frequently lost in this way ; and it 
 is necessary to keep close watch over them, 
 in the vicinity of the buffalo, in the midst of 
 which they scour off to the plains, and arc 
 rarely retaken. One of our mules took a 
 sudden freak into his head, and joined a 
 neighboring band to-day. As we were not 
 in a condition to lose horses, I sent several 
 men in pursuit, and remained in camp, in 
 the hope of recovering him ; but lost the 
 afternoon to no purpose, as we did not see 
 him again. Astronomical observations 
 placed uf5 in longitude lOOo 05' 47", latitude 
 40o 49' 55". 
 
 July 1 . — Along our road to-day the prairie 
 bottom was more elevated and dry, and the 
 hills which border the right side of the river 
 higher, and more broken and picturesque in 
 the outline. The country, too, was better 
 timbered. As we were riding quietly along 
 the bank, a grand herd of buffalo, some seven 
 or eight hundred in number, came crowding 
 up from the river, where they had been to 
 drink, and commenced crossing the plain 
 slowly, eating as they went. The wind was 
 favorable; the coolness of the morning in- 
 vited to exercise ; the ground was apparently 
 good, and the distance across the prairie (two 
 
 or three miles) gave us a fine opportunity to 
 charjre them before they could get among the 
 river hills. It was too fine a prospect for a 
 chase to be lost ; and, halting for a few mo- 
 ments, the hunters were brought up and sad- 
 dled, and Kit Carson, Ma.xwell,and I, started 
 together. They were now somewhat less 
 than half a mile distant, and we rode easily 
 along until within about three hundred yards, 
 when a sudden agitation, a wavering in the 
 band, and a galloping to and fro of some 
 which were scattered along the skirts, gave 
 us the intimation that we were discovered. 
 We started together at a hand gallop, rWing 
 steadily abreast of each other, and here the 
 interest of the chase became so engrossiugly 
 intense, that we were sensible to nothing else. 
 We were now closing upon them rapidly, and 
 the front of the mass was already in rapid 
 motion for the hills, and in a few seconds the 
 movement had communicated itself to tlie 
 whole herd. 
 
 A crowd of bulls, as usual, brought up the 
 rear, and every now and then some of them 
 faced about, and then dashed on after the 
 band a short distance, and turned and looked 
 again, as if more than half inclined to stand 
 and fight. In a few moments, however, du- 
 ring which we had been quickening our pace, 
 the rout was universal, and we were going 
 over the ground like a hurricane. When at 
 about thirty yards, we gave the usual shout 
 (the hunter's pas de charge), and broke into 
 the herd. We entered on the side, the mass 
 giving way in every direction in their heed- 
 less course. Many of the bulls, lees active 
 and less fleet than the cows, paying no at- 
 tention to the ground, and occupied solely 
 with the hunter, were precipitated to the earth 
 with great force, rolling over and over with 
 the violence of the shock, and hardly dis- 
 tinguishable in the dust. We separated on 
 entering, each singling out his game. 
 
 My horse was a trained hunter, famous ia 
 the west under the name of Proveau, and, 
 with Jiis eyes flashing, and the foam flying 
 from his mouth, sprang on after the cow like 
 a tiger. In a few moments he brought mo 
 alongside of her, and rising in the stirrups, I 
 fired at the distance of a yard, the ball enter- 
 ing at the termination of the long hair, and 
 passing near the heart. She fell headlong 
 at the report of the gun, and, checking my 
 horse, I looked around for my companions. 
 At a little distance. Kit was on the ground, 
 engaged in tying his horse to the horns of 
 a cow which he was preparing to cut up. 
 Among the scattered bands, at some distance 
 below, I caught a glimpse of Maxwell ; and 
 while I was looking, a light wreath of while 
 smoke curled away from his gun, from which 
 1 was too far to hear the report. Nearer, 
 and between me and the hills, towards which 
 they were diroctiug their course, was the 
 
 I 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 13 
 
 body of the herd, and, giving my horse the 
 rein, we dashed after them. A thick cloud 
 of dust hung upon their rear, which filled 
 my mouth and eyes, and nearly smothered 
 me. In the midst of this I could see nothing, 
 and the bufTalo were not distinguishable until 
 within thirty feet. They crowded together 
 more densely still as I came upon them, nnd 
 rushed along in such a compact body, that I 
 could not obtain an entrance — the horse al- 
 most leaping upon them. In a few moments 
 the mass divided to the right and left, the 
 horns clattering with a noise heard above 
 everything else, and my horse darted into 
 the opening. Five or six bulls charged on 
 us as we dashed along the line, but were left 
 far behind ; and, singling out a cow, I gave 
 her my fire, but struck too high. She gave 
 a tremendous leap, and scoured on swifter 
 than before. I reined up my horse, and the 
 band swept on like a torrent, and left the 
 place quiet and clear. Our chase had led us 
 mto dangerous ground. A prairie dog-vil- 
 .age, so thickly settled that there were three 
 or four holes in every twenty yards square, 
 occupied the whole bottom for nearly two 
 miles in length. Looking around, I saw only 
 one of the hunters, nearly out of sight, and 
 the long dark line of our caravan crawling 
 along, three or four miles distant. After a 
 march of twenty-four miles, we encamped at 
 nightfall, one mile and a half above the lower 
 end of Brady's Island. The breadth of this 
 arm of the river was eight hundred and 
 eighty yards, and the water nowhere two 
 feet in depth. The island bears the name of 
 a man killed on this spot some years ago. 
 His party had encamped here, three in com- 
 pany, and one of the number went off to hunt, 
 leaving Brady and his companion together. 
 These two had frequently quarrelled, and on 
 the hunter's return he found Brady dead, and 
 was told that he had shot himself accident- 
 ally. He was buried here on the bank ; but, 
 as usual, the wolves had torn him out, and 
 some human bones that were lying on the 
 ground we supposed were his. Troops of 
 wolves, that were hanging on the skirts of 
 the buffalo, kept up an uninterrupted howling 
 during the night, venturing almost into camp. 
 In the morning, they were sitting at a short 
 distance, barking, and impatiently waiting 
 our departure, to fall upon the bones. 
 
 July 3. — The morning was cool and smoky. 
 Our road led closer to the hills, which here 
 increased in elevation, presenting an outline 
 of conical peaks three hundred to five hun- 
 dred feet high. Some timber, apparently 
 pine, grows in the ravines, and streaks 
 of clay or sand whiten their slopes. We 
 crossed during the morning a number of hol- 
 lows, timbered principally with box elder 
 (acer negundo), poplar and elm. Brady's 
 island is well wooded, and all the river aiong 
 
 which our road led to-day may, in general, 
 be called tolerably well timbered. We pass- 
 ed near an encampment of the Oregon emi- 
 grants, where they appeared to have reposed 
 several days. A variety of household arti- 
 cles were scattered about, and they had pro- 
 bably disburdened themselves here of many 
 things not absolutely necessary. I had left 
 the usual road before the mid-day halt, and 
 in the afternoon, having sent .several men in 
 advance to reconnoitre, marched directly for 
 the mouth of the South fork. On our arri- 
 val, the horsemen were sent in and scattered 
 about the river to search the best fording 
 places, and the carts followed immediately. 
 The stream is here divided by an ishwid into 
 two channels. The southern is four hundred 
 and fifty feet wide, having eighteen or twenty 
 inches water in the deepest places. With 
 the exception of a few dry bars, the bed of 
 the river is generally quicksands, in which 
 the carts began to sink rapidly so soon as 
 the mules halted, so that it was necessary to 
 keep them constantly in motion. 
 
 The northern channel, two thousand two 
 hundred and fifty feet wide, was somewhat 
 deeper, having frequently three feet water in 
 the numerous small channels, with a bed of 
 coarse gravel. The whole breadth of the 
 Nebraska, immediately below the junction, is 
 five thousand three hundred and fifty feet. 
 All our equipage had reached the left, bank 
 safely at G o'clock, having to-day made twenty 
 miles. We encamped at the point of land 
 immediately at the junction of the N3rth and 
 South forks. Between the streams is a low 
 rich prairie, extending from their confluence 
 eighteen miles westwardly to the bordering- 
 hills, where it is five and a half miles wide. 
 It is covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, 
 and along the banks is a slight and scattered 
 fringe of cottonwood and vvillow. In the 
 buftklo trails and wallows, I remarked saline 
 efflorescences, to which a rapid evaporation 
 in the great heat of the sun probably contri- 
 butes, as the soil is entirely unprotected by 
 timber. In the vicinity of these places there 
 was a bluish grass, which the cattle refuse 
 to eat, called by the voyageurs" hsrbe salee'* 
 (salt grass). The latitude of the junction is 
 41° 04" 47", and longitude, by chronometer 
 and lunar distances, 100° 49' 43". The ele- 
 vation above the sea is about two tliousand 
 seven hundred feet. The hunters came in 
 with a fat cow ; and, as we had labored hard, 
 we enjoyed well a supper of roasted ribs and 
 houdins, the chef-dfcRuvre of a prairie cook. 
 Mosquitoes thronged about us this evening; 
 but, by 10 o'clock, when the thermometer had 
 fallen to 47°, they had all disappeared. 
 
 July 3. — As this was to be a point in our 
 homeward journey, I made a cache (a term 
 used in all this country for what is hidden in 
 the groaod) of a barrel of pork. It was Im- 
 
14 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 possible to conceal such a proceeding from 
 the sharp eyes of our Cheyenne companions, 
 and I therefore told them to go and see what 
 it was they were burying. They would oth- 
 erwise have not failed to return and destroy 
 our cache in expectation of some rich booty ; 
 but pork they dislike, and never eat. We 
 left our camp at 9, continuing up the South 
 fork, the prairie bottom affording us a fair 
 road ; but in the long grass we roused myri- 
 •ads of mosquitoes and flies, from which our 
 horses suffered severely. The day was 
 smoky, with a pleasant breeze from tiie south, 
 s.nd the plains on the opposite side were co- 
 vered with buftUlo. Having travelled twenty- 
 five miles, we encamped at 6 in the evening; 
 and the men were sent across the river for 
 wood, as there is none here on the left bank. 
 Our tires were partially made of the bois de 
 vache, the dry excrement of the buffalo, 
 which, like that of the camel in the Arabian 
 deserts, furnishes to the traveller a very good 
 substitute for wood, burning like turf. 
 Wolves in great numbers surrounded us 
 during the night, crossing and recrossing 
 from the opposite herds to our camp, and 
 howling and trotting about in tlie river until 
 morning. 
 
 July 4. — The morning was verj- smoky, 
 the sun shining dimly and red, as in a thick 
 fog. The camp was roused with a salute at 
 daybreak, and from our scanty store a portion 
 of what our Indian friends called the " red 
 fire water" served out to the men. While 
 we were at breakfast, a buffiilo calf broke 
 through the camp, followed by a couple of 
 wolves. In its fright, it had probably mis- 
 taken us for a bana of buffalo. The wolves 
 were obliged to make a circuit around the 
 camp, so that the calf got a little the start, 
 and strainetl every nerve to reach a large 
 herd at the foot of the hilLs, about two miles 
 distant ; but first one, and then another, and 
 another wolf joined in the chase, until his 
 pursuers amounted to twenty or thirty, and 
 they ran him down before he could reach his 
 friends. There were a few bulls near the 
 place, and one of them attacked the wolves, 
 and tried to rescue him ; but was driven off 
 immediately, and the little animal fell an 
 easy prey, half devoured before he was dead. 
 We watched the chase with the interest al- 
 ways felt for the weak ; and had there been 
 a saddled hor.«e at hand, he would have fared 
 better. Leaving camp, our road soon ap- 
 proached the hills, in which strata of a marl 
 like that of the Chimney rock, hereafter de- 
 Bcribod, make their appearance. It is proba- 
 bly of this rock that the hills on the right 
 bank of Uie Platte, a little below the junction, 
 are composed, and which are worked by the 
 winds and rains into sharp peaks and cones, 
 giving them, in contrast to tiie surrounding 
 level region, something of a picturesque ap- 
 
 pearance. We crossed (his morning nume- 
 rous beds of the small creeks which, in the 
 time of rains and nielting snow, pour down 
 from the ridge, bringing clown witli them al- 
 ways great quantities of sand and gravel, 
 which have gradually raised their beds four 
 to ten feet above the level of the prairie, 
 which they cross, making each one of them 
 a miniature Po. Rjiiscd in this way above 
 the surrounding prairie, without any bank, 
 the long yellow and winding line of their 
 beds resembles a causeway from the hills to 
 the river. Many spots on the prairie aro 
 yellow with sunflower (heliantkus). 
 
 As we were riding slowly along this after- 
 noon, clouds of dust in the ravines, among 
 the hills to the right, suddenly attracted our 
 attention, and in a few minutes column after 
 column of buffalo came galloping down, 
 making directly to the river. By the time 
 the leading here's had reached the water, the 
 prairie was darkened with the dense masses. 
 Immediately before us, when the bands first 
 came dowry into the valley, stretched an un- 
 broken line, the head of which was lost 
 among the river hills on the opposite side ; 
 and still they poured down from the ridge on 
 our right. From hill to hill, the prairie bot- 
 tom was certainly not lees than two miles 
 wide; and, allowing the animals to be ten 
 feet apart, and only ten in a line, there were 
 already eleven thousand in view. Some 
 idea may thus be formed of their number 
 when they had occupied the whole pJain. 
 In a short time they surrounded us on every 
 side; extending for several miles in the rear, 
 and forward as far as the eye could reach ; 
 leaving around us, as we advanced, an open 
 space of only two or three hundred yards. 
 This movement of the buffalo indicated to 
 us the presence of Indians on the north 
 fork. 
 
 I halted earlier than usual, about forty 
 miles from the junction, and all hands were 
 soon busily engaged in preparing a feast to 
 celebrate the day. The kindness of our 
 friends at St. Louis had provided us with a 
 large supply of excellent preserves and rich 
 fruit cake ; and when these were added to a 
 maccaroni soup, and variously prepared dish- 
 es of the choicest bulSilo meat, crowned 
 with a cup of coffee, and enjoyed with prai- 
 rie appetite, we felt, as we sat in barbaric 
 luxury around our smoking supper on the 
 grass, a greater sensation of enjoyment lliau 
 the Roman epicure at his perfumed feast. 
 But most of all it seemed to please our In- 
 dian friends, who, in the unrestrained enjoy- 
 ment of the moment, demanded to know if 
 our " medicine days came often." No re- 
 straint was exercised at the hospitable lx)ard, 
 and, to the great delight of his eldcru, our 
 young Indian lud made himself extremely 
 drunk. 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 15 
 
 Our encampment was within a few miles 
 of the place where the road crosses to the 
 north fork, and various reasons led me to di- 
 vide my party at this point. The north fork 
 was the principal object of my survey; but 
 I was desirous to ascend the south branch, 
 with a view of obtaining some astronomical 
 positions, and determining the mouths of its 
 tributaries as far as St. Vrain's fort, estimat- 
 ed to be some two hundred miles further up 
 H the river, and near to Long's peak. There 
 I Iwped to obtain some mules, which I found 
 would be necessary to relieve my horses. In a 
 military point of view, I was desirous to form 
 some opinion of the country relative to the es- 
 tablishment of posts on a line connecting the 
 settlements with the south pass of the 
 Rocky mountains, by way of the Arkansas 
 and the south and Laramie forks of the 
 Platte. Crossing the country northwest- 
 wardly from St. Vrain's fort, to the Ameri- 
 can company's fort at the mouth of the La- 
 ramie, would give me some acquaintance 
 with the affluents which head in the moun- 
 tains between the two ; I therefore deter- 
 mined^to set out the next morning, accompa- 
 nied by Mr. Preuss and four men, Maxv/ell, 
 Bemier, Ayot, and Basil Lajeunesse. Our 
 Cheyennes, whose village lay up this river, 
 also decided to accompany us. The party I 
 left in charge of Clement Lambert, with or- 
 ders to cross to the north fork ; and at some 
 convenient place, near to the Coulee des 
 Frtnes, make a cache of everything not ab- 
 solutely necessary to the further progress 
 of our expedition. From this point, using 
 the most guarded precaution in his march 
 through the country, he was to proceed to 
 the American company's fort at the mouth 
 of the Laramie's fork, and await my arrival, 
 which would be prior to the 16th, as on that 
 and the following night would occur some 
 occultations which I was desirous to obtain 
 at that place. 
 
 July 5. — Before breakfast all was ready. 
 We had one led horse in addition to those 
 we rode, and a packed mule, destined to car- 
 ry our instruments, provisions, and baggage ; 
 the last two articles not being of very groat 
 weight. The instruments consisted of a 
 sextant, artificial horizon, &c., a barometer, 
 spy glass, and compass. The chronometer I 
 of course kept on my person, I had ordered 
 the cook to put up for ua some flour, coffee, 
 and sugar, and our rifles were to furnish the 
 rest. One blanket, in addition to his saddle 
 and saddle blanket, furnished the materials 
 for each man's bed, and every one was pro- 
 vided \v'\\.\\ a change of linen. All were 
 armed with rifles or double barrelled guns ; 
 and, in addition to these. Maxwell and my- 
 self were furnished with excellent pistols. 
 Tlius accoutred, we took a parting breakfast 
 with our friends, and set forth. 
 
 Our journey the first day afforded nothing 
 of any interest. We shot a buflalo tov/ara 
 sunset, and having obtained some meat fof 
 our evening meal, encamped where a little- 
 timber afforded us the means of making a 
 fire. Having disposed our meat on roasting 
 sticks, we proceeded to unpack our bales in 
 search of coffee and sugar, and flour for 
 bread. With the exception of a little parch- 
 ed coffee, unground, we found nothing. Our 
 cook had neglected to put it up, or it had 
 been somehow forojotten. Tired and hun- 
 gry, with tough bull meat without salt (for 
 we had not been able to kill a cow), and a 
 little bitter coffee, we sat down in silence to 
 our miserable fare, a very disconsolate party ; 
 for yesterday's feast was yet fresh in our 
 memories, and this was our first brush with 
 misfortune. Each man took his blanket, 
 and laid himself down silently ; for the worst 
 part of these mishaps is, that they make 
 people ill-humored. To-day we had travel- 
 led about thirty-six miles. 
 
 July 6. — Finding that our present excur- 
 sion would be attended with considerable 
 hardship, and unwilling to expose more per- 
 sons than necessary, I determined to send 
 Mr. Preuss back to the party. His horse, 
 too, appeared in no condition to support the 
 journey ; and accordingly, after breakfast, 
 he took the road across the hills, attended 
 by one of my most trusty men, Bernier. The 
 ridge between the rivers is here about fifteen 
 miles broad, and I expected he would proba- 
 bly strike the fork near their evening camp. 
 At all events he would not fail to find tlieir 
 trail, and rejoin them the next day. 
 
 We continued our journey, seven in num- 
 ber, including the three Cheyennes. Our 
 general course was southwest, up the valley 
 of the river, which was sandy, bordered on 
 the northern side of the valley by a low 
 ridge ; and on the south, after seven or eight 
 miles, the river hills became higher. Six 
 miles from our resting place we crossed the 
 bed of a considerable stream, now entirely 
 dry — a bed of sand. In a grove of willows, 
 near the mouth, were the rem.ains of a con- 
 siderable fort, constructed of trunks of large 
 trees It was apparently very old, and had 
 probably been the scene of some hostile en- 
 counter among the roving tribes. Its soli- 
 tude formed an impressive contrast to the 
 picture which our imaginations involunta- 
 rily drew of the busy scene which had been 
 enacted here. The timber appeared to have 
 been much more extensive formerly than 
 now. There were but few trees, a kind of 
 long-leaved willovv, standing; and numerous 
 trunks of large trees were scattered about 
 on the ground. In many similar places I 
 had occasion to remark an apparent progres- 
 sive decay in the timber. Ten miles far- 
 ther we reached the noouth of Lodge Pole 
 
1& 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1848. 
 
 creek, a clear and handsome stream, run- 
 ning through a broad valley. In its course 
 through the bottom it has a uniform brcadtii 
 of twenty-two feet, and six inches in depth. 
 A few willows on the banks strike pleasant- 
 ly on the eye, by their greenness, in the 
 midf^t of the hot and barren sands. 
 
 The amorpha was frequent among the 
 ravines, but tlie sunflower (helianlhiLs) was 
 the characteristic ; and flowers of deep 
 warm colors seem most to love the sandy 
 soil. The impression of the country travelled 
 over to-day was one of dry and barren sands. 
 We turned in towards the river at noon, 
 and gave our horses two hours for food and 
 rest. I had no other thermometer than the 
 one attached to the barometer, which stood 
 at 89°, the height of the column in the ba- 
 rometer being ;26.235 at meridian. The sky 
 was clear, with a high wind from the south. 
 At 2, we continued our journey ; the wind 
 had moderated, and it became almost unen- 
 durably hot, and our animals suffered severe- 
 ly. In the course of the afternoon, the wind 
 rose suddenly, and blew hard from the south- 
 west, with thunder and lightning, and squalls 
 of rain ; these were blown against us with 
 violence by the wind ; and, halting, we 
 turned our backs to the storm until it blew 
 over. Antelope were tolerably frequent, 
 with a large grey hare ; but the former were 
 Bhy. and the latter hardly worth the delay of 
 stopping to shoot them ; so, as the evening 
 drew near, we again had recourse to an old 
 bull, and encamped at sunset on an island in 
 the Platte. 
 
 We ate our meat with a good relish this 
 evening, for we were all in hue health, and 
 had ridden nearly all of a long summer's 
 day, with a burning sun reflected from the 
 sands. My companions slept rolled up in 
 their blankets, and the Indians lay in the 
 grass near the fire ; but my sleeping place 
 generally had an air of more pretension. 
 Our rifles were tied together near the muz- 
 zle, the butts resting on the ground, and a 
 knife laid on the rope, to cut away in case 
 of an alarm. Over this, which made a kind 
 of frame, was thrown a large India rubber 
 cloth, which we used to cover our packs. 
 Tills made a tent sufficiently large to receive 
 about half of my bed, and was a place of 
 shelter for my instruments ; and as I was 
 careful always to put this part against the 
 wind, I could lie here with a sensation of 
 satisfied enjoyment, and hear the wind blow, 
 and the rain palter close to my head, and 
 know that I should be at least half dry. 
 Certainly I never slept more soundly. The 
 barometer at sunset was 26.010, thermome- 
 ter 81", and cloudy: but a gale from the 
 west sprang up with the setting sun, and 
 in a few minutes swept away every cloud 
 from the sky. The evening was very fine, 
 
 and I remained np to take some astronomi- 
 cal observations, which made our position 
 in latitude 40° 51' 17", and longitude 103" 
 07' 00". 
 
 Jul;/ 7. — At our camp this morning, at 6 
 o'clock, the barometer was at 26 183, ther- 
 mometer 69°, and clear, with a light wind 
 from tiie southwest. The past ni^ht had 
 been squally, with high windt-, and occasion- 
 ally a tew drops of rain. Our cooking did 
 not occupy much time, and we left camp 
 early. Nothing of interest occurred durijig 
 the morning. The same dreary barrenness, 
 except that a hard marly clay had re|>Jace'i 
 the sandy soil. Buffalo absolutely covered the 
 plain on both sides the river, and whenever 
 we ascended the hills, scattered herds gave 
 life to the view in every direction. A small 
 drove of wild horses made their appearance 
 on the low river bottoms, a mile or two to 
 the left, aid I sent off one of the Indiana 
 (who seemed very eager to catch one) on my 
 led horse, a spirited and fleet animal. The 
 savage manoeuvred a little to get the wind 
 of the horses, in which he succeeded — ap- 
 proaching within a hundred yards without 
 being discovered. The chase for a few 
 minutes was interesting. My hunter easily 
 overtook and passed the hindmost of the wild 
 drove, which the Indian did not attempt to 
 lasso; all his cfK>rts being directed to the 
 capture of the leader. But the strength of 
 the horse, weakened by the insufficient nour- 
 ishment of grass, failed in a race, and all the 
 drove escaped. We halted at noon on the 
 bank of the river, the barometer at that time 
 being 26 192, and the thermometer 103'', 
 with a light air from the south, and clear 
 weather. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon, dust rising 
 among the hills at a particular place, at- 
 tracted our attention ; and, riding uj). we 
 found a band of eighteen or twenty buffalo 
 bulls engaged in a desperate fight. Though 
 butting and goring were bestowed lil)eraJly, 
 and without distinction, yet their efrort.-> were 
 evidently directed against one — a Uwiio patmt 
 old bull, very lean, while his adversaiics 
 were all fat and in good order. He n|'|)eared 
 \ery weak, and had already received some 
 wounds, and, while we were looking on, was 
 several times knocked down and badly hurt, 
 and a very lew moments would have put an 
 end to him. Of course, we tof>k the side of 
 the weaker party, and attacked the liord ; but 
 they were so blind with rajje, that thoy 
 fought on, utterly regardless ot our presence, 
 although on foot and on hotsehack we were 
 firing in open view within twenty yards of 
 them. But this did not last long. In a very 
 few seconds, we creati'd a commotitvi auKiig 
 them. One or two, which wrrc knocked 
 over hy the balls, jumped up and ran off into 
 the hills; and they began to retreat slowly 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 17 
 
 aJongf a broad ravine to the river, fighting 
 furiously as they went. By tlie time they 
 Iwd reached the bottom, we had pretty well 
 dispersed them, and the old bull hobbled ofi* 
 to lie down somewhere. One of his enemies 
 remained on the ground where we had first 
 fired upon them, and we stopped there for a 
 short time to cut fnjm him some meat for our 
 supper. We had neglected to secure our 
 horses, thinking it an unnecessary precaution 
 in their fatigued condition ; but our mule 
 took it itito his head to start, and away he 
 went, followed at full speed by the pack 
 horse, with all the baggage and instruments 
 on his back. They were recovered and 
 brought back, after a chase of a mile. For- 
 tunately, everything was well secured, so 
 that nothing, not even the barometer, was in 
 the least injured. 
 
 The sun was getting low, and some nar- 
 row lines of timber four or five miles distant 
 promised us a pleasant camp, where, with 
 plenty of wood for fire, and comfortable shel- 
 ter, and rich grass for our animals, we should 
 find clear cool springs, instead of the warm 
 water of the Platte. On our arrival, we 
 found the be<l of a stream fifty to one hun- 
 dred feet wide, sunk some thirty feet below 
 the level of the prairie, with perpendicular 
 banks, bordered by a fringe of green cotton- 
 wood, but not a drop of water. There were 
 several small forks to the stream, all in the 
 fsame condition With the exxeption of the 
 Platte bottom, the country seemed to be of a 
 clay formation, dry, and perfectly devoid of 
 any moisture, and baked hard by the sun. 
 Turning ofFtowards the river, v/e reached the 
 bank in about a mile, and were delighted to 
 find an old tree, with thick foliage and 
 spreading branches, where we encamped. 
 At sunset, the barometer was at 25.950, 
 thermometer 81°, with a stronof wind fromS. 
 2()° E., and the sky partially covered with 
 heavy masses of cloud, which settled a little 
 towards the horizon by 10 o'clock, leaving it 
 sufficiently clear for astronomical observa- 
 tions, which placed us in latitude 40° 33' 26", 
 and longitude 103° 30' 37". 
 
 July 8. — The morning was very pleasant. 
 The breeze was fresh from S. 50° E. with 
 few clouds; the barometer at 6 o'clock stand- 
 ing at 25.970, and the thermometer at 70°. 
 Since leaving the forks, our route had passed 
 over a country alternately clay and sand, 
 each presenting the same naked waste. On 
 leavinof camp this morning, we struck again 
 a sandy region, in which the vegetation ap- 
 peared somewhat more vigorous than that 
 which we had observed for the last few days ; 
 and on the opposite side of the river wer^ 
 some tolerably large groves of timber. 
 
 Journeying along, we came suddenly upon 
 a place where the ground was covered with 
 horses' tracks, which had been made since 
 
 the rain, and indicated the immediate pres- 
 ence of Indians in our neighborhood. The 
 buffalo, too, which the day before had been so 
 numerous, were nowhere in sight — another 
 sure indication that there were people near. 
 Riding on, we discovered the carcass of a 
 buffalo recently killed — perhaps the day be- 
 fore. We scanned the horizon carefully 
 with the glass, but no living object was to be 
 seen. For the next mile or two, the ground 
 was dotted with buffalo carcasses, which 
 showed that the Indians had made a surround 
 here, and were in considerable force. We 
 went' on quickly and cautiously, keeping the 
 river bottom, and carefully avoiding the hills • 
 but we met with no interruption, and began 
 lo grow careless again. We had already 
 lost one of our horses, and here Basil's mule 
 showed symptoms of giving out. and finally 
 refused to advance, being what the Canadians 
 call resti. He therefore dismounted and 
 drove her along before him ; but this was a 
 very slow way of travelling. We had inad- 
 vertently got about half a mile in advance, 
 but our Cheyennes, who were generally a 
 mile or two in the rear, remained with him. 
 There were some dark-looking objects among 
 the hills, about two miles to the left, here low 
 and undulating, which we had seen for a 
 little time, and supposed to be buffalo coming 
 in to water : but, happening to look behind, 
 Maxwell saw the Cheyennes whipping up 
 furiously, and another glance at the dark 
 objects showed them at once to be Indians 
 coming up at speed. 
 
 Had we been well mounted, and disen- 
 cumbered of instruments, we might have set 
 them at defiance ; but as it was, we were 
 fairly caught. It was too late to rejoin our 
 friends, and we endeavored to gain a clump 
 of timber about half a mile ahead ; but the 
 instruments and the tired state of our horses 
 did not allow us to go faster than a steady 
 canter, and they were gaining on us fast. 
 At first, they did not appear to be more than 
 fifteen or twenty in number, but group after 
 group darted into view at the top of the hills, 
 until all the little eminences seemed in mo- 
 tion, and, in a few minutes from the time 
 they were first discovered, two or three hun- 
 dred, naked to the breech cloth, were sweep- 
 ing across the prairie. In a few hundred 
 yards we discovered that the timber we were 
 endeavoring to make was on the opposite 
 side of the river ; and before we could reach 
 the bank, down came the Indians upon us. 
 
 I am inclined to think that in a few sec- 
 onds more the leading man, and perhaps 
 some of his companions, would have rolled 
 in the dust ; for we had jerked the covers 
 from our guns, and our fingers were on the 
 triggers; men in such cases generally act 
 from instinct, and a charge from three hun- 
 dred naked savages is a circumstance not 
 
18 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [184S: 
 
 well calculated to promote a cool exercise of 
 judgment. Just as he was about to fire, 
 Maxwell recognized the leading Indian, and 
 shouted to him in the Indian language, 
 " You're a fool, G — damn yon, don't you 
 know me?" The sound of his own lan- 
 guage seemed to shock the savage, and, 
 swerving his horse a little, he passed us like 
 an arrow. He wheeled, as I rode out toward 
 him, and gave me his hand, striking his 
 breast and exclaiming "Arapaho!" They 
 proved to be a village of that nation, among 
 whom JVIaxwell had resided as a trader a year 
 or two previously, and recognized him ac- 
 cordingly. Wc were soon in the midst of 
 the band, answering as well as we could a 
 multitude of questions; of which the very 
 first was, of what tribe were our Indian com- 
 panions who were coming in the rear? They 
 seemed disappointed to know that they were 
 Cheyennes, for they had fully anticipated a 
 grand dance around a Pawnee scalp that night. 
 
 The chief showed us his village at a grove 
 on the river six miles ahead, and pointed out 
 a band of buffalo on the other side of the 
 Platte, immediately opposite us, wliich ho 
 said they were going to surround. They had 
 seen the band early in the morning from their 
 village, and had been making a large circuit, 
 to avoid giving them the wind, when they 
 discovered us. In a few minutes the women 
 came galloping up, astride on their horses, 
 and naked from their knees down, and the 
 hips up. They followed the men, to assist 
 in cutting up and carrying off the meat. 
 
 The wind was blowing directly across the 
 river, and the chief requested us to halt where 
 we were for awhile, in order to avoid raising 
 the herd. We therefore unsaddled our horses, 
 and sat down on the bank to view the scene ; 
 and our new acquaintances rode a few hun- 
 dred yards lower down, and began crossing 
 the river. Scores of wild-looking dogs fol- 
 lowed, looking like troops of wolves, and 
 having, in fact, but very little of the dog in 
 their composition. Some of them remained 
 with us, and I checked one of the men, wliom 
 I found aiming atone, wliich he was about to 
 kill for a wolf. The day had become very 
 hot. The air was clear, with a very slight 
 breeze ; and now, at 12 o'clock, while the ba- 
 rometer stood at 25.920, the attached thermo- 
 meter was at 108°. OurChcyenne.shadlearn- 
 ned that with the Arapaho village were about 
 twentylodges of their own, including their own 
 families ; they therefore immediately com- 
 menced making theirtoilette. After bathing in 
 the river, they invested themselves in some 
 handsome calico shirts, which I afterward 
 learned they had stolen from my own men, and 
 f-mt some time in arrangingtheir htir and 
 iting themselves with some vermilion I 
 Tiven them. While they were engaged 
 1 satiflEactory manner, one of their half- 
 
 wild horses, to which th€ crowd of prancing 
 animals which had just passed had recalled 
 the freedom of her existence among the wild 
 drove.s on the prairie, suddenly da-shed into 
 the hills at the top of her speed. She was 
 thoir pack horse, and had on her back all the 
 worldly wealth of our poor Cheyennes, all 
 their accoutrements, and all the little articl«e 
 v/hich they had picked up among ue, witli 
 some few presents I had given them. The 
 loss which they seemed to regret most were 
 their spears and 8hield,s, and some tobacco 
 which they had received from me. However, 
 they bore it all with the philosophy of an In- 
 dian, and laughingly continued their toilette. 
 Tliey appeared, however, a little mortified at 
 the thought of returning to the village in such 
 a sorry plight. " Our people will laugh at 
 us," said one of them, " returning to the vil- 
 lage on foot, instead of driving back a drove 
 of Pawnee horses." He demanded to know 
 if I loved my sorrel hunter very much ; to 
 which I replied, he was the object of my 
 most intense affection. Far from being able 
 to give, I was myself in want of horscw; and 
 any suggestion of parting with the few I had 
 valuable, was met with a peremptory refusal. 
 In the meantime, the slaughter was about tO' 
 commence on the other side. So soon as 
 they reached it, the Indians separated into 
 two bodies. One parly proceeded directly 
 across the prairie, towards the hills, in an 
 extended line, while the other went up the 
 river ; and instantly as they had given the 
 wind to the herd, the chase commenced. The 
 buffalo started for the hills, but were inter- 
 cepted and driven back toward the river, 
 broken and running in every direction. The 
 clouds of dust soon covered the whole scene, 
 preventing us from having any but an occa- 
 sional view. It had a very singular appear- 
 ance to us at a distance, especially whea 
 looking with the glass. We were t»o far to 
 hear tiie report of the guns, or any sound ; 
 and at every instant, through the clouds of 
 du.st, which the sun made luminous, we could 
 see for a moment two or three buffalo dashing 
 along, and close behind them an Indian with 
 his long spear, or other weapon, and instantly 
 again they disappeared. The apparent si- 
 lence, and the dimly seen figures fiitting by 
 with such rapidity, gave it a kind of dreamy 
 efilct,and seemed more like a picture than a 
 scene of real life. It had been a large herd 
 when the rern? commenced, probably three 
 or four hundred in number ; but, though I 
 watched them closely, I did not see one 
 emerge from the fatal cloud where the work 
 of destruction was going on. After remain- 
 ing here about an hour, we resumed cur 
 journey in the direction of the village. 
 
 Gradually, as we rode on, Indian after In- 
 dian camo drojyjing along, laden with moat ; 
 aad by the time we had neared the lodges, 
 
1843.] 
 
 GAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 19 
 
 the backward road was covered with the re- 
 turning horsemen. It was a pleasant con- 
 trast with tfie desert road we had been trav- 
 elling. Several had joined company with 
 us, and one of the chiefs invited us to his 
 lodge. Tlie village consisted of about one 
 hundred and tweni-y-five lotlges, of which 
 twenty were Cheyennes ; the latter pitched 
 a little apart from the Arapahoes. They 
 were disposed in a scattering maimer on both 
 ©ides of a braad irregular street, about one 
 hundred and fifty feet wide, and running 
 along tlie river. As we rode along, I re- 
 marked near some of the lodges a kind of 
 tripod frame, formed of three slender poles of 
 birch, scraped very clean, to which were 
 affixed the shield and spear, with some other 
 weapons of a chief All were scrupulously 
 clean, the spear head was burnished bright, 
 and the shield white and stainless. It re- 
 minded me of the days of feudal chivalry ; 
 and when, a.s I rode by, I yielded to the pass- 
 ing impulse, and touched one of the spotless 
 shields with the muzzle of my gun, I almost 
 expected a grim warrior to start from the 
 lodge and resent my challenge. The master 
 of the ledge spread out a robe for me to sit 
 upon, and the squaws set before us a large 
 wooden dish of buffalo meat. He had lit his 
 pipe in the mean while, and when it had 
 been passed around, we commenced our din- 
 ner while he continued to smoke. Grad- 
 ually, five or six other chiefs came in, and 
 took their seats in silence. When we had 
 finished, our host asked a number of ques- 
 tions relative to the object of our journey, of 
 which I made no concealment ; telling him 
 eirnply that I had made a visit to see the 
 country, preparatory U) the establishment of 
 military posts on the way to the mountains. 
 Although this was information of the high- 
 est interest to them, and by no means calcu- 
 lated to please them, it excited no expres- 
 sion of surprise, and in no way altered the 
 grave courtesy of their demeanor. The 
 others listened and smoked. I remarked, 
 tliat in taking the pipe for th« first time, 
 each had turned the stem upward, with a 
 rapid glance, as in offering to the Great 
 Spirit, before he put it in his mouth. A 
 storm had been gathering for the past hour, 
 and some pattering drops on the lodge 
 warned us that we had some miles to our 
 camp. Some Indian had given Maxwell a 
 bundle of dried meat, which was very ac- 
 ceptable, as we had nothing; and, springing 
 upon our horses, we rode off at dusk in the 
 face of a cold shower and driving wind. 
 We found our companions under some 
 densely foliaged old trees, about three miles 
 up the river. Under one of them lay the 
 trunk of a Ijirfje cotton-wood, to leeward of 
 which the men had kindled a fire, and we 
 sat here and roasted our meat in tolerable I 
 
 I shelter. Nearly opposite was the mouth of 
 I one of the most considerable affluents of the 
 Soutli fork, la Fourchs aux Castors (Beaver 
 fork), heading off in the ridge to the south- 
 east. 
 
 Jtdy 9. — This morning we caught the 
 first faint glimpse of the Rocky mountains, 
 about sixty miles distant. Though a toler- 
 ably bright day, there was a slight mist, and 
 we were just able to discern the snowy sum- 
 mit of " Long's peak" (" les deux oreilles " 
 of the Canadians), showing like a small 
 cloud near the horizon. I found it easily 
 distinguishable, there being a perceptible 
 diiference in its appearance from the white 
 clouds that were floating about the sky. I 
 was pleased to find that among the traders 
 and voyageurs the name of "Long's peak " 
 had been adopted and become familiar in the 
 country. In the ravines near this place, a 
 light brown sandstone made its first appear- 
 ance. About 8, we discerned several per- 
 sons on horseback a mile or two ahead, on 
 the opposite side of the river. They turned 
 in towards the river, and we rode down to 
 meet them. We found them to be two 
 white men, and a mulatto named Jim Beck- 
 with, who had left St. Louis when a boy, 
 and gone to live with the Crow Indians. 
 He had distinguished himself among them 
 by some acts of daring bravery, and had 
 risen to the rank of a chief, but had now, for 
 some years, left them. They were in search 
 of a band of horses that had gone off from a 
 camp some miles above, in charge of Mr. 
 Chabonard. Two of them continued down 
 the river, in search of the horses, and the 
 American turned back with us, and we rod^ 
 on towards the camp. About eight milps 
 from our sleeping place we reached Bijou's 
 fork, an aflluent of the right bank. Where 
 we crossed it, a short distance from tlie 
 Platte, it has a sandy bed about four hun- 
 dred yards broad ; the water in various 
 small streams, a few inches deep. Seven 
 miles further brought us to a camp of some 
 four or five whites (New Englanders, I be- 
 lieve), who had accompanied Captain Wyeth 
 to the Columbia river, and were independent 
 trappers. All had their squaws with them, 
 and I was really surprised at the number of 
 little fat buffalo-fed boys that were tumbling 
 about the camp, all apparently of the same 
 age, about three or four years old. They 
 were encamped on a rich bottom, covered 
 with a profusion of fine grass, and had a 
 large number of fine-looking horses and 
 mules. We rested with them a few min- 
 utes, and in about two miles arrived at Cha- 
 bonard's camp, on an island in the Platte. 
 On the heights above, we met the first Span- 
 iard I had seen in the country. Mr. Chabo- 
 nard was in the service of Bent and St. 
 Vrain's company, and Iiad left their fort 
 
20 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 eome forty or fifty milee above, in the spring, 
 with boats laden with the furs of the last 
 year's trade. He had met the same fortune 
 as the voyageurs on the North fork, and, 
 finding it impossible to proceed, had taken 
 up his summer's residence on this island, 
 which he had named St. Helena. The 
 river hills appeared to be composed entirely 
 of sand, and the Platte had lost the muddy 
 character of its waters, and here was toler- 
 ably clear. From the mouth of the South 
 fork, I had found it occasionally broken up 
 by small islands ; and at the time of our 
 journey, which was at a season of the year 
 when the waters were at a favorable stage, 
 it was not navigable for anything drawing 
 six inches water. The current was very 
 gwift — the bed of the stream a coarse gravel. 
 From the place at which we had encoun- 
 tered the Arapahoes, the Platte had been 
 tolerably well fringed with timber, and the 
 island here had a fine grove of very large 
 cotton-woods, under whose broad shade the 
 tents were pitched. There was a large 
 drove of horses in the opposite prairie bot- 
 tom ; smoke was rising from the scattered 
 fires, and the encampment had quite a pa- 
 triarchal air. Mr. C. received us hospita- 
 bly. One of the people was sent to gather 
 mint, with the aid of which he concocted 
 very good julep ; and some boiled bwffalo 
 tongue, and coffee with tlic luxury of sugar, 
 were soon set before us. The people in his 
 employ were generally Spaniards, and 
 among them I saw a young Spanish woman 
 from Taos, whom I found to be Beckwitfa's 
 wife. 
 
 July 10. — Wf? parted with our hospitable 
 host a(te: breakfast the next morning, and 
 reached St. Vrain's Fort, about forty-five 
 miles from St. Helena, late in the evening. 
 This post is situated on the South fork of 
 the Platte, immediately under the moun- 
 tains, about seventeen miles east of Long's 
 peak. It is on the right bank, on the verge 
 of the upland prairie, about forty feet above 
 the river, of which the immediate valley is 
 about six hundred yards wide. The stream 
 is divided into various brandies by small 
 islands, among whxh it runs with a swift 
 current. The bed cf the river is sand and 
 gravel, the water very clear, and here may 
 be called a mountain stream. This region 
 appears to be entirely free from the lime- 
 stones and marls which give to the Lower 
 Platte its yellow and diriy color. The Black 
 hills lie between the stream and the moun- 
 tains, whose snowy peaks glitter a few 
 milfis beyond. At the fort we found Mr. St. 
 Vrain, who received us with much kindness 
 and hospitality. Maxwell had spent the last 
 two or three years between this post and the 
 village of Taos ; and here he was at home, 
 and among his friends. Spaniards frequently 
 
 come over in search of employment ; and 
 several came in shortly after our arrival- 
 They usually obtain about six dollars a 
 month, generally paid to them in goods. 
 Thoy are very useful in a camp, in taking 
 care of horses and mules ; and I engaged 
 one, who proved to be an active, laborious 
 man, and was of very considerable servicQ 
 to me. The elevation of the Platte here is 
 five thousand four hundred feet above the 
 .sea. The neighboring mountains did not 
 appear to enter far the region ol perpetual 
 snow, which was generally confined to the 
 northern side of the peaks. On the south- 
 ern, I remarked very little. Here it appear- 
 ed, so far as I could judge in the distance, 
 to descend but a few hundred feet below tho 
 summits. 
 
 I regretted that time did not permit me to 
 visit them; but the proper object of my sur- 
 vey lay among the mountains lurtber north ; 
 and I looked forward to an exploration of 
 their snowy recesses with great pleasure. 
 The piney region of the mountains to the 
 south was enveloped in smoke, and I was 
 informed had been on fire for several months. 
 Pike's peak is said to be visible from this 
 place, about one hundred miles to the soutli- 
 ward ; but the smoky state of the atmosphere 
 prevented my seeing it. The weather con- 
 tinued overcast during my stay here, so that 
 I failed in determining the latitude, but ob- 
 tained good observations for time on the 
 mornings of the 11th and 12th. An assum- 
 ed latitude of 40° 22' 30" from the evening 
 position of the 12th, enabled me to obtain, 
 for a tolerably correct longitude, 106° 12* 
 12''/, 
 
 July 12. — The kindness of Mr. St. Vrain 
 had enabled me to obtain a couple of horses 
 and three good mules ; and, with a further 
 addition to our party of the Spaniard whom 
 I had hired, and two others, who were going 
 to obtain service at I^aramie's fork, we re- 
 sumed our journey at 10, on the morning of 
 the r2th. We had been able to procure 
 nothing at the post, in the way of provision. 
 An expected supply from Taos had not yet 
 arrived, and a few pounds of cofTee was all 
 that could be spared to us. In addition to 
 this, we had dried meat enough for the first 
 day ; on the ne.xt, we expected to find buf- 
 falo. From this post, according to the esti- 
 mate of the country, the fort at the mouth 
 of Laramie's fork, which was our next 
 point of destination, was nearly due north, 
 distant about one hundred and twenty-five 
 miles. 
 
 For a short distance, our road lay down 
 the valley of the Platte, which resembled a 
 garden in the splendor of fieWa of varied 
 flowers, which filled the air wjpi fragrance. 
 The only timber I noticed, consiflted of poj>- 
 lar, birch, cotton-wood, and willow, la 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 21 
 
 something less than three miles, we crossed 1 
 Thompson's creek, one of the affluents to the I 
 left bank of the South fork — a fine stream 
 about sixty-five feet wide, and three feet 
 deep. Journeying on, the low dark line of 
 the Black hilis lying between us and the 
 mountains to the left, in alwut ten miles 
 from the fort, we reached Cache d la Poudre, 
 v/here wo halted to noon. This is a very 
 beautiful mountain stream, about one hun- 
 dred feet v.'ide, flowing with a full swift cur- 
 rent over a rocky bed. We halted under 
 the shade of some cotton-woods, with which 
 the stream is wooded scatteringly. In the 
 upper part of its course, it runs amid the 
 wildest mountain scenery, and, breaking 
 through the Black hiiis, falls into the Platte 
 about ten miles below this place. In the 
 course of our late journey, I had managed 
 to become the possessor of a very untracta- 
 ble mule — a perfect vi.xen — and her I had 
 turned over to my Spaniard. It occupied us 
 about half an hour to-day to get the saddle 
 opon her ; but, once on her back, Jose could 
 not be dismounted, realizing the accounts 
 given of Mexican horses and horsemanship; 
 and we continued our route in the after- 
 noon. 
 
 At evening, we encamped on Crow (?) 
 creek, having travelled about twenty-eight 
 miles. None of the party were well ac- 
 quainted with the country, and I had great 
 difficulty in ascertaining what were the 
 names of the streams we crossed between 
 the North and South forks of the Platte. 
 This I supposed to be Crow creek. It is 
 what is called a salt stream, and the water 
 stands in pools, having no continuous course. 
 A fine-grained sandstone made its appear- 
 ance in the banks. The observations of the 
 night placed us in latitude 40o 42', longi- 
 tude 104° 67' 49". The barometer at sun- 
 set was 25.231 ; attached thermometer at 
 66°. Sky clear, except in the east, with a 
 light wind from the north. 
 
 July 13. — There being no wood here, we 
 tised last night the hois de vache, which is 
 very plentiful. At oar camp this morning, 
 the barometer was at 25.235 ; the attached 
 thermometer 60°. A few clouds were mov- 
 ing tlirough a deep blue sky, with a light 
 wind from the v/est. After a ride of twelve 
 miles, in a northerly direction, over a plain 
 covered with innumerable quantities of c«c/?, 
 we reached a small creek in which there was 
 water, and where several herds of buffalo 
 were scattered about among tlie ravines, 
 which always afford good pasturage. We 
 seem now to be passing along the base of a 
 plateau of the Black hills, in which the for- 
 mation consists of marls, some of them white 
 and laminated ; the country to the left rising 
 suddenly, and falling off gradually and uni- 
 formly to the right. la five or six miles of 
 
 a northeasterly course, we struck a high 
 ridge, broken into conical peaks, on whose 
 summits large boulders were gathered in 
 heaps. The magnetic direction of the ridge 
 is northwest and southeast, the glittering 
 white of its precipitous sides making it visible 
 for many miles to the south. It is composed 
 of a soft earthy limestone and marls, resem- 
 bling that, hereafter described, in the neigh- 
 borhood of the Chimney rock, on the North 
 fork of the Platte, easily worked by the winds 
 and rains, and sometimes moulded inio very 
 fantastic shapes. At the foot of the northern 
 slope was the bed of a creek, some forty feet 
 wide, coming, by frequent falls, from the 
 bench above. It was shut in by high per- 
 pendicular banks, in which were strata of 
 white laminated marl. Its bed was perfectly 
 dry. and the leading feature of the whole re- , 
 gion is one of remarkable aridity, and perfect 
 ireedom from moisture. In about six miles 
 we crossed the bed of another dry creek; and, 
 continuing our ride over a high level prairie, 
 a little before sundown we came suddenly 
 upon a beautiftil creek, which revived us 
 with a feeling of delighted surprise by the 
 pleasant contrast of the deep verdure of its 
 banks with the parched desert we had passed. 
 We had suffered much to-day, both men and 
 horses, for want of water ; having met with 
 it but once in our uninterrupted march of 
 forty miles, and an exclusive meat diet cre- 
 ates much thirst. 
 
 " Las bestias tienen mucka hambre" said 
 the young Spaniard, inquiringly ; " y la genie 
 tambKU,'" said I, " amigo, we'll camp here." 
 A stream of good and clear water ran wind- 
 ing about through the little valley, and a 
 herd of buffiilo were quietly feeding a little 
 distance below. It was quite a hunter's pa- 
 radise ; and while some ran down toward the 
 band to kill one for supper, others collected 
 bois de vache for a fire, there being no wood ; 
 and I amused myself with hunting for plants 
 among the grass. 
 
 It v/ill be seen, by occasional remarks on 
 the geological formation, that the constitui- 
 ents of the soil in these regions are good, 
 and every day served to strengthen the im- 
 pression in my mind, confirmed by subse- 
 quent observation, that the barren appear- 
 ance of the country is due almost entirely to 
 the extreme dryness of the climate. Along 
 our route, the country had seemed to increase 
 constantly in elevation. According to the 
 indication of the barometer, we were at our 
 encampment 5,440 feet above the sea. 
 
 The evening was very clear, with a fresh 
 breeze from, the south, SOo east. The baro- 
 meter at sunset was 24.862, the thermometer 
 attached showing 68". I supposed this to 
 be a fork of Lodge Pole creek, so far as I 
 could determine from our uncertarn measi9 
 of information. Astronomical observotifldS 
 
22 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 gave for the camp a longitude of 104° 39' 
 37", and latitude 41° 08' 31 ". 
 
 Juhj 14. — The wind continued fresh from 
 tlie same quarter in the morning; the day 
 bcinpr clear, with the exception of a few 
 clouds in the horizon. At our camp at 6 
 o'clock, the height of the barometer was 
 24.830, the attached thermometer 61° Our 
 course this morning was directly north by 
 compass, the variation being 15° or 16° east- 
 erly. A ride of four miles brought us to 
 Lodge Pole creek, which we had seen at its 
 mouth on the South fork ; crossing on the 
 way two dry streams, in eighteen miles from 
 our encampment of the past night, we readi- 
 ed a high bleak ridge, composed entirely of 
 the same earthy )imestone and marl previ- 
 ously described. I had never seen anytiiing 
 which impressed so strongly on my mind a 
 feeling of desolation. The valley, through 
 which ran the waters of Horse creek, lay in 
 view to the north, but too far to have any in- 
 fluence on the immediate view. On the peak 
 of the ridge where I was standing, some six 
 or seven hundred feet above the river, the 
 wind was high and bleak ; the barren and 
 arid country seemed as if it had been swept 
 by fires, and in every direction the same dull 
 ash-colored hue, derived from the formation, 
 met the eye. On the summits were some 
 stunted pines, many of them dead, all wear- 
 ing the same ashen hue of desolation. We 
 left the place with pleasure ; and, after we 
 had descended several hundred feet, halted 
 in one of the ravines, which, at the distance 
 of every mile or two, cut the flanks of the 
 ridge with little rushing streams, wearing 
 something of a mountain character. We 
 had already begun to exchange the compara- 
 tively barren lands for those of a more fertile 
 character. Though the sandstone formed the 
 broken banks of the creek, yet they were 
 covered with a thin grass; and the fifty or 
 eixty feet which formed the bottom land of 
 the little stream were clothed with very luxu- 
 riant grass, among which I remarked willow 
 tnd cherry {cerasus tirginiana) ; and a 
 quantity of gooseberry and currant bushes 
 occupied the greater part. 
 
 The creek was three or four feet hroad, 
 iind about si.x inches deep, with a swift cur- 
 •xent of clear water, and tolerably cool. We 
 had struck it too low down to find the cold 
 water, which we should have enjoyed nearer 
 to its sources. At 2, p. m., the barometer 
 was at 25 050, the attached thermometer 
 104°. A day of hot sunshine, with clouds, 
 and moderate breeze from the south. Con- 
 tinuing down the stream, in about four miles 
 we reached its mouth, at one of the main 
 branches of Horse creek. Looking back 
 upon the ridge, whose direction appeared to 
 be a little to the north of cast, we saw it 
 seamed at frequent intervals with the dark 
 
 lines of wooded streams, affluents of the river 
 that flowed so far as we could see along \ta 
 base. We crossed, in the space of twelve 
 miles from our noon halt, three or four forks 
 of Horse creek, and encamped at sunset on 
 the most easterly. 
 
 The fork on which we encamped appeared 
 to have followed an easterly direction up to 
 this place ; but here it makes a very sudden 
 bend to the north, passing between two 
 ranges of precipitous hills, called, as I was 
 informed, Goshen's hole. There is some- 
 where in or near this locality a place bo call- 
 ed, but I am not certain that it was the place 
 of our encampmc-nt. Looking back upon 
 the spot, at the distance of a few miles to the 
 northward, the hills appear to shut in the 
 prairie, through which runs the creek, with 
 a semi-circular sweep, which might very na- 
 turally be called a hole in the hills. The 
 geological composition of the ridge is the 
 same which constitutes the rock of the Court- 
 house and Chimney, on the North fork, which 
 appeared to me a continuation of this ridge. 
 The winds and rains work this formation into 
 a variety of singular forms. The pass into 
 Goshen's hole is about two miles wide, and 
 the hill on tlie western side imitates, in an 
 extraordinary mannw, a massive fortified 
 place, with a remarkable fulness of detail. 
 The rock is marl and earthy limestone, white, 
 without the least appearance of vegetation, 
 and much resembles masonry at a little dis' 
 tance ; and here it sweeps around a level 
 area two or three hundred yards in diameter, 
 and in the form of a half moon, terminating 
 on either extremity in enormous bastions. 
 Along the whole line of the parapets appear 
 domes and slender minareLs, forty or fifty 
 feet high, giving it every appearance of an 
 old fortified town. On the waters of White 
 river, where this formation exists in great 
 extent, it presents appearances which excite 
 the admiration of the solitary voyageur, and 
 form a frequent theme of their conversation 
 when speaking of the wonders of the coun- 
 try. Sometimes it offers the jjcrfectly illu- 
 sive appearance of a large ciiy, with nume- 
 rous streets and magnificent buildings, among 
 which the Canadians never iail to see their 
 cabaret ; and sometimes it takes the form of 
 a solitary house, with many large chamber.?, 
 into which they drive their horfoe at night, 
 and sleep in these natural defences perrc<;tly 
 secure from any attack of prowling savages. 
 Before reaching our camp at Goshen's hole, 
 in crossing the immense detritus at the foot 
 of the Castle rock, we were involved amidst 
 winding passages cut by the waters of the 
 hill ; and where, with a breadth scarcely 
 large enough for the passage of a horse, the 
 walls rise thirty and forty feet perpendicular- 
 ly. This formation supplies the discoloration 
 of the Platte. At sunset, the height of tlio 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 S3 
 
 meTCurial column was 25.500, the attached 
 thermometer 80°, and wind moderate from 
 S. 38° E. Clouds covered the sky with the 
 r>ae of the moon, but I succeeded in obtain- 
 ing the usual astronomical observations, 
 which placed us in latitude 41° 40' 13", and 
 longitude 104° 24' 3G". 
 
 July 15. — At 6 this morning, the barome- 
 ter was at 26.515, the thermometer 72° ; the 
 day was fine, with some clouds looking dark 
 on the south, with a fresh breeze from the 
 same quarter. We found that in our jour- 
 ney across the country we had kept too 
 much to the eastward. This morning, accord- 
 ingly, wc travelled by compass some 15 or 
 20 to the west of north, and struck tlie 
 Platte some thirteen miles below Fort Lara- 
 mie. The day was extremely hot, and 
 among the hills the wind seemed to hjve 
 JQst issued from.an oven. Our horses were 
 rai>ch distressed, as we had travelled hard ; 
 and it was with some diificulty that they 
 were all brought to the Platte ; which we 
 reached at 1 o'clock. In riding in towards 
 the river, we found the trail of our carts, 
 which appeared to have passed a day or two 
 eince. 
 
 After having allowed our animals two 
 hcHira for food and repose, we resumed our 
 journey, and towards the close of the day 
 came in sight of Laramie's fork. Issuing 
 from the river hills, we came first in view of 
 Fort Platte, a po<?t belonging to Messrs. Sy- 
 billc, Adams & Co., situated immediately in 
 the point of land at the junction of Laramie 
 with the Platte. Like the post we had visited 
 on the South fork, it was built of earth, and 
 etill unfinished, being enclosed with walls 
 {or rather houses) on three of the sides, and 
 open on the fourth to the river. A few hun- 
 dred ya»ds brought us in view of the post of 
 the American Fur Company, called Fort 
 John, or Laramie. This was a large post, 
 having more the air of military construction 
 than the fort at the mouth of the river. It 
 is on the left bank, on a rising ground some 
 twenty-five feet above the water; and its 
 lofty walls, whitewashed and picketed, with 
 the large bastions at the angles, gave it quite 
 an imposing appearance in the uncertain 
 light of evening. A cluster of lodges, which 
 the language told us belonged to Sioux Indi- 
 ans, was pitched under the walls, and, v/ith 
 the fine back ground of the Black hills and 
 the prominent peak of Laramie mountain, 
 strongly drawn in the clear light of the west- 
 ern sky, where the sun had already set, the 
 whole formed at the moment a strikingly 
 beautiful picture. From the company at St. 
 Louis I had letters for Mr. Boudeau, the 
 gentleman in charge of the post, by whom I 
 was received with great hospitrility and an 
 ofBcient kindness, which was invaluable to 
 me daring my stay in the country. I found 
 
 our people encamped on the bank, a short 
 distance above tlie fort. All were well: 
 and, in the enjoyment of a bountiful supper, 
 which cofFee and bread made luxurious to us, 
 we scon forgot the fatigues of the last ten 
 days. 
 
 Juhj 16. — I found that, during my absence, 
 the situation of affliirs had undergone some 
 change ; and the usual quiet and somewhat 
 monotonous regularity ol' the camp liad given 
 place to excitem.ent and alarm. The cir- 
 cumstances which occasioned this change 
 will be found narrated in the following ex- 
 tract from the journal of Mr. Preuss, which 
 commences with the day of our separation 
 on the South fork of the Platte. 
 
 Extract from the journal of Mr. Preuss. 
 
 "July 6. — We crossed the plateau or high- 
 land between the two forks in about six 
 hours. I let my horse go as slow as he 
 liked, to indemnify us both for the previous 
 hardship ; and about noon we reached the 
 North fork. There was no sign that our 
 party had passed ; we rode, therefore, to 
 some pine trees, unsaddled the hoi-ses, and 
 stretched our limbs on the grass, awaiting 
 the arrival of our company. After remain- 
 ing here two hours, my companion became 
 impatient, mounted his horse again, and rode 
 off down the river to see if he could discover 
 our people. I felt so marode yet, that it was 
 a horrible idea to me to bestride that saddle 
 again ; so I lay still. I knew they could not 
 come any other v/ay, and then my, compa- 
 nion, one of the best men of the company, 
 would not abandon me. The sun went 
 down ; he did not come. Uneasy I did not 
 feel, but very hungry; I had no provisions, 
 but i could make a fire ; and as I espied two 
 doves in a tree, I tried to kill one ; but it 
 needs a better marksman than myself to kill 
 a little bird with a rifle. I made a large 
 fire, however, lighted my pipe — this true 
 friend of mine in every emergency — lay 
 down, and let my thoughts wander to the far 
 east. It was not many minutes after when 
 I heard tlie tramp of a horse, and my faithful 
 companion was by my side. He had found 
 the party, v;ho had been delayed by making 
 their cciche, about seven miles below. To 
 tl'.e good supper which he brought with him 
 I did ample justice. He had forgotten salt„ 
 and I tried the soldier's substitute in time of 
 war, and used gunpowder ; but it answered 
 badly — bitier enough, but no flavor of kitchen 
 salt. 1 slept well ; and was only disturbed 
 by two owls, which were attracted by the 
 fire, and took their place in the tree under 
 which we slept. Their music seemed as 
 disagreeable to my companion as to myself; 
 he fired hia rifle twice, and then they let us 
 alone. 
 
24. 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 " Jmij 7. — At about 10 o'clock, the party 
 arrived ; and we continued our journey 
 througli a country whicii offered but little to 
 interest the traveller. The soil was much 
 more sandy than in the valley bciow the con- 
 fluence of the forks, and the face of tiie 
 country no longer presented the refreshing 
 green which had liitherto characterized it. 
 The rich grass was now found only in dis- 
 persed spots, on low grounds, and on tlie 
 bottom land of the streams. A long drought, 
 joined to extreme heat, had so parched up 
 the upper prairies, that they were in many 
 places bald, or covered only with a thin 
 growth of yellow and poor grass. The na- 
 ture of the soil renders it extremely suscep- 
 tible to the vicissitudes of the climate. Be- 
 tween the forks, and from their junction to 
 the Black hills, the formation consists of 
 marl and a soft earthy limestone, with grani- 
 tic sandstone. Such a formation cannot give 
 rise to a sterile soil ; and, on our return in 
 September, when the country had been wa- 
 tered by frequent rains, the valley of ihe 
 Platte looked like a garden ; so rich was the 
 verdure of the grasses, and so luxuriant the 
 bloom of abundant flowers. The wild sage 
 begins to make its appearance, and timber 
 is so scarce that we generally made our tires 
 of the bois d'e vache. With the exception of 
 now and then an isolated tree or two, stand- 
 ing like a light-house on the river bank, 
 there is none whatever to be seen. 
 
 " July 8. — Our road to-day was a solitary 
 one. No game made its appearance — not 
 even a ])utFalo or a stray antelope ; and 
 nothing Occurred to break the monotony 
 until about 6 o'clock, when the caravan 
 made a sudden halt. There was a galloping 
 in of scouts and horsemen from every side — 
 a hurrying to and fro in noisy confusion ; 
 rifles were taken from their cover ; bullet 
 pouches examined : in short, there was the 
 cry of ' Indians,' heard again. I had be- 
 come so much accustomed to these alarms, 
 that now they made but little impression on 
 me ; and before I had time to become excited, 
 the new comers were ascertained to be 
 whites. It was a large party of traders and 
 trappers, conducted by Mr. Bridger, a man 
 well known in the history of the country. 
 As the sun was low, and there v.'as a line 
 grass patch not far ahead, tliey turned back 
 and encamped for the night with us Mr. 
 Bridger was invited to supper ; and, after the 
 lable cloth was removed, we listened with 
 eager interest to an accoimt of tiieir adven- 
 tures. What they had met, we would be 
 likely to encounter ; the chances which had 
 befallen them, would probably happen to us ; 
 and we looked upon their liie as a picture 
 of our own. Me informed us tiiat the con- 
 dition of the country had become exceeding- 
 ly dangerous. The Sioux, who had beeu 
 
 badly disposed, had broken out into open 
 hostility, and in the preceding autumn his 
 party had encountered them in a severe en- 
 gagement, in whicli a number of lives had 
 been lost on botii sides. United with the 
 Cheyenne and Gros Ventre Indians, they 
 were scouring the upper country in war par- 
 ties of great force, and were at this time in 
 the neighborhood of the Red Butles, a fia.- 
 mous landmark, which was directly on our 
 path. They had declared war upon every 
 living thing which should be found westward 
 of that point ; though their main object was 
 to attack a large camp of whites and Snake 
 Indians, who had a rendezvous in the Sweet 
 Water valley. Availing himself of his inti- 
 mate knowledge of the country, he had 
 reached Laramie by an unusual route througlj 
 the Black hills, and avoided coining into 
 contact with any of the scattered parties. 
 This gentleman offered his Services to ac- 
 company u.s so far as the head of the Sweet 
 Water ; but the absence of our leader, which 
 was deeply regretted by us all, rendered it 
 impossible for us to enter upon such ar- 
 rangements. In a camp consisting ol inen 
 whose lives had been spent in this country, 
 I expected to find every one prepared tor oc- 
 currences of this nature ; but, to my great 
 surprise, I found, on the contrary, tlial tliis 
 news had tiirown them all into the greatest 
 consternation ; and, on every side, 1 heard 
 only one exclamation, ' 11 ny aura j;as de vie 
 1)our nous.' All the night, scattered groups 
 were assembled around the lires, smoking 
 their pipes, and listening with the greaiest 
 eagerness to exaggerated details ot Indian 
 hostilities ; and in the morning I found liie 
 camp disjjirited, and agitated by a variety of 
 conllicting Ojiinions. A majoniy ot the peo- 
 ple were strongly disposed to return ; but 
 Cl6ment Lambert, with some hve or 3t.\ oth- 
 ers, professed their determination to lollow 
 Mr. Fremont to the uttermost limit of nia 
 journey. The others yielded to their re- 
 monstrances, and, somewhat ashamed of 
 their cowardice, concluded to advance at 
 least so far as Laramie fork, eastward of 
 which they were aware no danger was to be 
 apprehended. Notwithstanding the coniu- 
 sion and excitement, we were very eany oo 
 the road, as the days were extremely liot, 
 and we were anxious to proht by tlie ire.'-h- 
 ness of the morning. The solt mariy lona- 
 ation, over which we were now joiinn'ying, 
 frequently offers to the traveller views ol re- 
 markable and |)icturesqiie beauty. To seve- 
 ral of these localities, where the winds and 
 the rain have worked the bliilx- into curious 
 shapes, the voyageurs have given names ac- 
 cording to some landed resemblance. One 
 of these, called the Cuurt-.iou.-e. we passed 
 about six miles from our eiica iipmeni ol last 
 night, and toward noon came in siglii oi the 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREI^^'^NT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 25 
 
 celebrated Chimney rock. It looks, at thip 
 distance of about thirty miles, like what i. ;. | 
 called — the long chimney of a steam factory 
 establishment, or a shot tower in 'Baltimore. 
 Nothing occurred to interrupt the quiet of 
 the day, and we encamped on the river, after 
 a march of twenty-four miles. Buffalo had 
 become very scarce, and but one cow had 
 been killed, of wiiich the meat had been cut 
 into thin slices, and hung around the carts 
 to dry. 
 
 " July 10. — We continued along the same 
 fine plainly t)eaten road, which the smooth 
 surfiice of the country afforded us, for a dis- 
 tance of six hundred and thirty miles, from 
 the frontiers of Missouri to the Laramie fork. 
 In the course of the day we met some whites, 
 who were following along in the train of 
 Mr. Bridger ; and, after a day's journey of 
 twenty-four miles, encamped about sunset at 
 the Chimney rock. It consists of marl and 
 earthy limestone, and the weather is rapidly 
 diminishing its height, which is now not 
 more than two hundred feet above the river. 
 Travellers who visited it some years since 
 placed its height at upwards of 500 feet. 
 
 " July 11.— The valley of the North fork 
 is of a variable breadth, from one to four, 
 and sometimes six miles. Fifteen miles 
 from the Chimney rock we reached one of 
 those places where the river strikes the 
 bluffs, and forces the road to make a con- 
 siderable circuit over the uplands. This 
 presented an escarpment on the river of about 
 nine hundred yards in length, and is fami- 
 liarly known as Scott's bluffs. We had 
 made a journey of thirty miles before we 
 again struck the river, at a place where 
 some scanty grass afforded an insufficient 
 pasturage to our animals. About twenty 
 miles from the Chimney rock we had found 
 a very beautiful spring of excellent and cold 
 water ; but it was in such a deep ravine, and 
 so small, that the animals could not profit by 
 it, and we therefore halted only a few min- 
 ■utes, and found a resting place ten miles 
 further on. The plain between Scott's bluffs 
 and Chimney rock was almost entirely co- 
 vered with drift wood, consisting principally 
 of cedar, which we were informed, had been 
 supplied from the Black hills, in a flood five 
 Of six years since. 
 
 "July 12. — Nine miles from our encamp- 
 ment of yesterday we crossed Horse creek, 
 a shallow stream of clear water, about se- 
 venty yards wide, falling into the Platte on 
 the right bank. It \yas lightly timbered, 
 and great quantities of drift wood were piled 
 up on the banks, appearing to be supplied 
 by the creek from above. After a journpy 
 of twenty-six miles, we encamped on a rich 
 bottom, which afforded fine grass to our ani- 
 mals. Buffalo have entirely disappeared, 
 and we live now upoa the dried meat, v/hich 
 
 is exceedingly poor food. The marl and 
 eanhv limestone, which constituted the 
 formation for several days past, had changed 
 during the day into a compact white or grey- 
 ish white limestone, sometimes containing 
 hornstone ; and at the place of our encamp- 
 ment this evening, some strata in the river 
 hills cropped out to the height of thirty or 
 forty feet, consisting of a fine-grained gra- 
 nitic sandstone ; one of the strata closely 
 resembling gneiss. 
 
 " July }3. — To-day, about 4 o'clock, we 
 reached Fort Laramie, where we were cor- 
 dially received; we pitched our camp a lit- 
 tle above the fort, on the bank of the Lara- 
 mie river, in which the pure and clear water 
 of the mountain stream looked refreshingly 
 cool, and made a pleasant contrast to the 
 muddy, yellow waters of the Platte." 
 
 I walked up to visit our friends at the fort, 
 which is a quadrangular structure, built of 
 clay, after the fashion of the Mexicans, who 
 are generally employed in building them. 
 The walls are about fifteen feet high, sur- 
 mounted with a wooden palisade, and form a 
 portion of ranges of houses, which entirely 
 surround a yard of about one hundred and 
 thirty feet square. Every apartment has its 
 door and window — all, of course, opening on 
 the inside. There are two entrances, oppo- 
 site each other, and midway the wall, one 
 of which is a large and public entrance ; the 
 other smaller and more private — a sort of 
 postern gate. Over the great entrance is a 
 square tower with loopholes, and, like the 
 rest of the work, built of earth. At two of 
 the angles, and diagonally opposite each 
 other, are large square bastions, so arranged 
 as to sweep the four faces of the walls. 
 
 This post belongs to the American Fur 
 Company, and, at the time of our visit, was 
 in charge of Mr. Boudeau. Two of the 
 company's clerks, Messrs. Galpin and Kel- 
 logg, were with him, and he had in the fort 
 about sixteen men. As usual, these had 
 found vrives among the Indian squaws ; and, 
 with the usual accompaniment of children, 
 the place had quite a populous appearance. 
 It is hardly necessary to say, that the object 
 of the establishment is trade with the neigh- 
 boring tribes, who, in the course of the year, 
 generally make two or three visits to the 
 fort. In addition to this, traders, with a 
 small outfit, are constantly kept amongst 
 them. The articles of trade consist, on the 
 one side, almost entirely of buffalo robes ; 
 and, on the other, of blankets, calicoes, 
 guns, powder and lead, with such cheap or- 
 nansents as glass beads, looking-glasses, 
 rings, vermilion for painting, tobacco, and 
 principally, and in spite of the prohibition, of 
 spirits, brought into the country in the form 
 of alcohol, and diluted with water before 
 sold. While mentioning this fact, it is but 
 
23 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 justice to the American Fur Company to 
 state, that, throughout the country, I have 
 always found them strenuously opposed to 
 the introduction of spirituous liquors. But, 
 in the present state of things, when the coun- 
 try is supplied with alcohol, when a keg of it 
 will purchase from an Indian everything he 
 possesses — his furs, his lodge, liis horses, 
 and even his wife and children — and when 
 any vagabond who has money enough to 
 purchase a mule can go into a village and 
 trade against them successfully, without 
 withdrawing entirely from the trade, it is 
 impossible for them to discontinue its use. 
 In their opposition to this practice, the com- 
 pany is sustained, not only by their obliga- 
 tion to the laws of the country and the wel- 
 fare of the Indians, but clearly, also, on 
 grounds of policy ; for, with heavy and ex- 
 pensive outfits, they contend at manifestly 
 great disadvantage against the numerous in- 
 dependent and unlicensed traders, who enter 
 the country from various av*enues, from the 
 United States and from Mexico, having no 
 other stock in trade than some kegs of li- 
 quor, which they sell at the modest price of 
 thirty-six dollars per gallon. The difference 
 between the regular trader and the cojireur 
 des bois (as the French call the itinerant or 
 peddling traders), with respect to the sale 
 of spirits, is here, as it always has been, 
 fixed and permanent, and growing out of the 
 nature of their trade. The regular trader 
 looks ahead, and has an interest in the pre- 
 servation of the Indians, and in the regular 
 pursuit of their business, and the preserva- 
 tion of their arms, horses, and everything 
 necessary to their future and permanent suc- 
 cess in hunting : the coiireur des bois has no 
 permanent interest, and gets what he can, 
 and for what he can, from every Indian he 
 meets, even at the risk of disabling him 
 from doing anything more at hunting. 
 
 The fort had a very cool and clean appear- 
 ance. The great entrance, in which I found 
 the gentlemen assembled, and which was 
 floored, and about fifteen feet long, made a 
 pleasant, shaded seat, through which the 
 breeze swept constantly ; for this country is 
 famous for high winds. In tlie course of 
 conversation, I learned the following parti- 
 culars, which will explain the condition of 
 the country : For several years the Chey- 
 ennes and Sioux had gradually become more 
 and more hostile to the whites, and in the 
 latter part of August, 1841, had had a rather 
 severe engagement with a party of sixty 
 men, under the command of Mr. Frapp, of 
 St. Louis. The Indians lost eight or ten 
 warriors, and the whites had their leader and 
 four men killed. This fight took place on 
 the waters of Snake river ; and it was this 
 party, on their return under Mr. Bridger, 
 which had spread so much alarm among my 
 
 people. In tlie course of the spring, two 
 other small parties had been cut oft' by the 
 Sioux — one on their return from the Crow 
 nation, and the other among the Black hills. 
 The emigrants to Oregon and Mr. Bridger's 
 party met here, a few days before our arri- 
 val. Divisions and misunderstandings had 
 grown up among them ; they were aiready 
 somewhat disheartened by the fatigue of 
 tiieir long and wearisome journey, and the 
 feet of their cattle had become so much 
 worn as to be scarcely able to travel. In 
 this situation, they were not likely to find 
 encouragement in the hostile attitude of the 
 Indians, and the new and unexpected diffi- 
 culties which sprang up before them. They 
 were told that the country was entirely 
 swept of grass, and that few or no buffalo 
 were to be found on their line of route ; and, 
 with their weakened animals, it would be 
 impossible for them to transport their h^avy 
 wagons over the mountains. Under these 
 circumstances, they disposed of their wagons 
 and cattle at the forts ; selling them at the 
 prices they had paid in the States, and tak- 
 ing in exchange coffee and sugar at one dol- 
 lar a pound, and miserable worn-out horses, 
 which died before they reached the moun- 
 tains. Mr. Boudeau informed me that he 
 had purchased thirty, and the lower fort 
 eighty head of fine cattle, some of them of 
 the Durham breed. Mr. Fitzpatrick, whose 
 name and high reputation are familiar to all 
 who interest themselves in the history of 
 this country, had reached Laramie in com- 
 pany with Mr. Bridger ; and the emigrants 
 were fortunate enough to obtain his services 
 to guide them as far as the British post of 
 Fort Hall, about two hundred and fifty miles 
 beyond the South Pass of the mountains. 
 They had started for this post on the 4th of 
 July, and immediately after their departure, 
 a war party of three hundred and fifty 
 braves set out upon their trail. As their 
 principal chief or partisan had lost some re- 
 lations in the recent fight, and had sworn to 
 kill the first whites on his path, it was sup- 
 posed that their intention was to attack the 
 party, should a favorable opportunity offer ; 
 or, if they were foiled in their principal ob- 
 ject by the vigilance of Mr. Fitzpatrick, con- 
 tent themselves with stealing horses and 
 cutting off stragglers. These had been gone 
 but a few days previous to our arrival. 
 
 The effect of the engagement with Mr. 
 Frapp had been greatly to irritate the hestile 
 spirit of the savages ; and immediately sub- 
 sequent to that event, the Gross Ventre In- 
 dians had united with the Oglallahs and 
 Cheyennes, and taken the field in great 
 force — so far as I could ascertain, to the 
 amount of eight hundred lodges. Their ob- 
 ject was to make an attack on a camp of 
 Snake and Crow Indians, and a body of 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 27 
 
 about one hundred whites, who had made a 
 rendezvous somewhere in the Green river 
 valley, or on the Sweet Water. After 
 spending some time in buffalo hunting in the 
 neighborhood of the Medicine Bow moun- 
 tain, they were to cross over to the Green 
 river waters, and return to Laramie by way 
 of the South Pass and the Sweet Water val- 
 ley. According to tlie calculation of the In- 
 dians, Mr. Boudeau informed me they were 
 somewhere near the head of the Sweet 
 Water. I subsequently learned that the 
 party led by Mr. Fitzpatrick were overtaken 
 by their pursuers near Rock Independence, 
 in the valley of the Sweet Water ; but his 
 skill and resolution saved them from sur- 
 prise, and, small as his force was, they did 
 not venture to attack him openly. Here 
 they lost one of their party by an accident, 
 and, continuing up the valley, they came 
 suddenly upon the large village. From 
 these they met with a doubtful reception. 
 Long residence and familiar acquaintance 
 had given to Mr. Fitzpatrick great personal 
 influence among them, and a portion of them 
 were disposed to let him pass quietly ; but 
 by far the greater number were inclined to 
 hostile measures ; and the chiefs spent the 
 whole of one night, during which they kept 
 the little party in the midst of them, in 
 council, debating the question of attacking 
 them the next day ; but the influence of 
 '• the Broken Hand," as they called Mr. Fitz- 
 patrick (one of his hands having been shat- 
 tered by the bursting of a gun), at length 
 prevailed, and obtained for them an unmo- 
 lested passage ; but they sternly assured 
 him that this path was no longer open, and 
 that any party of whites which should here- 
 after be found upon it would meet with cer- 
 tain destruction. From all that I have been 
 able to learn, I have no doubt that the emi- 
 grants owe their lives to Mr. Fitzpatrick. 
 
 Thus it would appear that the country 
 was swarming with scattered war parties ; 
 and when I heard, during the day, the vari- 
 ous contradictory and exaggerated rumors 
 which were incessantly repeated to them, I 
 was not surprised that so much alarm pre- 
 vailed among my men. Carson, one of the 
 best and most experienced mountaineers, 
 fully supported the opinion given by Bridger 
 of th< dangerous state of the country, and 
 openly expressed his conviction that we 
 could not escape without some sharp en- 
 counters with the Indians. In addition to 
 this, he made his will ; and among the cir- 
 cumstances which were constantly occurring 
 to increase their alarm, this was the most 
 unfortunate ; and I found that a number of 
 my party had become so much intimidated, 
 that they had requested to be discharged at 
 this place. I dined to-day at Fort Platte, 
 which has been mentioned as situated at the 
 
 junction of Laramie river with the Nebraska. 
 Here I heard a confirmation of the state- 
 ments given above. The party of warriors, 
 which had started a few days since on the 
 trail of the emigrants, was expected back in 
 fourteen days, to join the village with which 
 their families and the old men had remained. 
 The arrival of the latter was hourly expect- 
 ed ; and some Indians have just come in 
 who had left them on the Laramie fork, 
 about twenty miles above. Mr. Bissonette, 
 one of the traders belonging to Fort Platte, 
 urged the propriety of taking with me an in- 
 terpreter and two or three old men of the 
 village ; in which case, he thought there 
 would be little or no hazard in encountering 
 any of the war parties. The principal 
 danger was in being attacked before they 
 should know who we were» 
 
 They had a confused idea of the numbers 
 and power of our people, and dreaded to 
 bring upon themselves the military force of 
 the United States. This gentleman, who 
 spoke the language fluently, offered his ser- 
 vices to accompany me so far as the Red 
 Buttes. He was desirous to join the large 
 party on its return, for purposes of trade, and 
 it would suit his views, as well as my own, 
 to go with us to the Buttes ; beyond which 
 point it would be impossible to prevail on a 
 Sioux to venture, on account of their fear of 
 the Crows. From Fort Laramie to the Red 
 Buttes, by the ordinary road, is one hundred 
 and thirty-five miles ; and, though only on 
 the threshold of danger, it seemed better to 
 secure the services of an interpreter for the 
 partial distance, than to have none at all. 
 
 So far as frequent interruption from the 
 Indians would allow, we occupied ourselves 
 in making some astronomical calculations, 
 and bringing up tiie general map to this 
 stage of our journey ; but the tent was gen- 
 erally occupied by a succession of our cere- 
 monious visitors. Some came for presents, 
 and others for information of our object in 
 coming to the country ; now and then, one 
 would dart up to the tent on horseback, jerk 
 off his trappings, and stand silently at the 
 door, holding his horse by the halter, signi- 
 fying his desire to trade. Occasionally a 
 savage would stalk in with an invitation to 
 a feast of honor, a dog feast, and deliberately 
 sit down and wait quietly until I was ready 
 to accompany him. I went to one ; the 
 women and children were sitting outside the 
 lodge, and v.'e took our seats on buffalo 
 robes spread around. The dog was in a 
 large pot over the fire, in the middle of the 
 lodge, and immediately on our arrival was 
 dished up in large v.'ooden bowls, one of 
 which was handed to each. The flesh ap- 
 peared very glutinous, with something oi" the 
 flavor and appearance of mutton. Feeling 
 something move behind me, I looked round, ' 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 and found that I had taken my seat among a 
 litter of fat young puppies. Had I been 
 nice in such matters, the prejudices of civi- 
 lisation might have interfered with my tran- 
 quillity ; but, fortunately, I am not of deli- 
 cate nerves, and continued quietly to empty 
 my platter. 
 
 The weather was cloudy at evening, with 
 a moderate soutli wind, and the thermometer 
 at 6 o'clock 85*. I was disappointed in my 
 hope of obtaining an observation of an oc- 
 cultation, which took place about midnight. 
 The moon brought with her heavy banks of 
 clouds, through which she scarcely made 
 her appearance during the night. 
 
 The morning of tiie IBlh was cloudy and 
 calm, the thefmometer at G o'clock at 64°. 
 About 9, with a moderate wind from the 
 west, a storm of rain came on, accompanied 
 by sharp thunder and lightning, which lasted 
 about an hour. During the day the expected 
 village arrived, consisting principally of old 
 men, women, and children. They had a 
 considerable number of horses, and large 
 troops of dogs. Their lodges were pitched 
 near the fort, and our camp was constantly 
 crowded with Indians of all sizes, from morn- 
 ing until night ; at which time some of the 
 soldiers gt-nerally came to drive them all off 
 to the village. My tent v,-as tlie only place 
 which they respected. Here only came the 
 chiefs and men of distinction, and generally 
 one of them remained to drive away the wo- 
 men and children. The numerous strange 
 instruments, applied to still stranger uses, 
 excited awe and admiration among them, 
 and those which I used in talking with the 
 sun and stars they looked upon with especial 
 reverence, as mysterious things of " great 
 medicine." Of the three barometers which 
 I had brought with me thus far successfully, 
 I found that two were out of order, and spent 
 the greater part of the I9th in repairing 
 them — an operation of no small difficulty in 
 the midst of the incessant interruptions to 
 which I was subjected. We had the mis- 
 fortune to break here a large thermometer, 
 graduated to show fifths of a degree, which 
 I used to ascertain the temperature of boil- 
 ing water, and with which I had promised 
 myself some interesting e.xperiiyients in the 
 mountains. We had but one remaining, on 
 which the graduation extended sufficiently 
 high ; and this was too small for exact ob- 
 servations. During our stay here, the men 
 had been engaged in making numerous re- 
 pairs, arranging pack-saddles, and otherwise 
 preparing for the chances of a rough road 
 and mountain travel. All things of this na- 
 ture being ready, I gathered them around 
 me in the evening, and told them that " I had 
 determined to proceed the next day. They 
 were all well armed. I had engaged the 
 services of Mr. Bissonette as interpreter, and 
 
 had taken, in the circumstances, every pos- 
 sible means to insure our safety. In the ru- 
 mors we had heard, I believed there was 
 much exaggeration, and then they were men 
 accustomed to this kind of life and to the 
 country ; and that these were the dangers of 
 every day occurrence^ and to be expected in 
 the ordinary course of their service. They 
 had heard of the unsettled condition of the 
 country before leaving St. Louis, and there- 
 fore could not make it a reason for breaking 
 their engagements. Still, I was unwilling 
 to take with me, on a service of some cer- 
 tain danger, men on whom I could not rely ; 
 and as I had understood that there were 
 among them some who were disposed to 
 cowardice, and anxious to return, they had 
 but to come forward at once, and state their 
 desire, and they would be discliarged with 
 the amount due to them for the time they 
 had served." To their honor be it said, there 
 was but one among them who had the face 
 to come forward and avail himself of the per- 
 mission. I asked him some few .questions, 
 in order to expose him to the ridicule of the 
 men, and let him go. The day after our 
 departure, he engaged himself to one of 
 the forts, and set off with a party to the Up- 
 per Missouri. I did not think that the situ- 
 aiion of the country justified me in taking 
 our young companions, Messrs. Brant and 
 Benton, along with us. In case of misfor- 
 tune, it would have been thought, at the^ 
 least, an act of great imprudence ; and there- 
 fore, though reluctantly, I determined to 
 leave them. Randolph had been the life of 
 the camp, and the '' petit garfon'' was much 
 regretted by the men, to whom his buoyant 
 spirits had afforded great amusement. They 
 all, however, agreed in the propriety of leav- 
 ing him at the fort, because, as they said, he 
 might cost the lives of some of the men in a 
 fight with the Indians. 
 
 July 21. — A portion of our baggage, with 
 our field notes and observations, and several 
 instruments, were left at the fort. One of 
 the gentlemen, Mr. Galpin, took charge of a 
 barometer, which he engaged to observe 
 during my absence ; and I entrusted to Ran- 
 dolph, by way of occupation, the regular 
 winding up of two of my chronometei"s,which 
 were among the instruments left. Our ob- 
 servations showed that the chronometer 
 which I retained for the continuation of our 
 voyage had preserved its rate in a moat sa- 
 tisfactory manner. As deduced from it, the 
 longitude of Fort Laramie is Ih. 01' 21", 
 and from lunar distance 7/i. 01' 29" ; giving 
 for the adopted longitude 104° 47' 43". 
 Comparing the barometrical obscrvationa 
 made during our stay here, with those of Dr. 
 G. Engleman at St. Louis, we find for the ele- 
 vation of tha fort above the Gulf of Mexico 
 1 4,470 feet. The winter climate here is re« 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT, FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 29 
 
 markaWy mild for the latitude ; but rainy 
 weather is frequent, and the place is cele- 
 txrated for winds, of which the prevailing one 
 13 west. An east wind in summer, and a 
 south wind in winter, are said to be always 
 accompanied with rain. 
 
 We were ready to depart ; the tents were 
 struck, the mules geared up, and our horses 
 saddled, and we walked up to the fort to take 
 the stirrup cup with our friends in an excel- 
 lent home-brevv«d preparation. While thus 
 pleasantly engaged, seated in one of the little 
 cool chambers, at the door of which a man 
 had been stationed to prevent all intrusion 
 from the Indians, a number of chiefs, several 
 of them powerful fine-looking men, forced 
 their way into the room in spite of all oppo- 
 sition. Handing me the following letter, 
 they took their seats in silence : 
 
 "Fort Platte, Juillel 1, 1842. 
 
 " Mr. Fremont : Les ch'efs s'etant assem- 
 bles prcsentement me disent de vous g,vertir 
 de ne point vous mettre en route, avant que 
 le parti de jeunes gens, qui est en dehors, 
 soient de reiour. De plus, ils me disent 
 qu'ils sont tres certains qu'ils feront feu a la 
 premiere rencontre. lis doivent etre de re- 
 toar dans sept a huit jours. Excuscz si je 
 vous fais ces observations, mais il me semble 
 qu'il est mon devoir de vous avertir du dan- 
 ger. Meme de plus, les chefs sont les por- 
 teurs de ce billet, qui vous defendent de 
 partir avant le retour des guerriers. 
 
 ". Je suis votre obeissant serviteur, 
 "JOSEPH BISSONETTE, 
 
 " Par L. B. CHARTRAIN. 
 
 " Les noms de quelquss chsfs. — Le Chapeau 
 <Je Loutre, le Casseur de Fleches, la Nuit 
 Noir, la Queue de Boeuf." 
 
 [Translation.] 
 
 "Fort Platte, July 1, 1842. 
 
 " Mr. Fremont : The chiefs, having as- 
 sembled in council, have just told me to 
 warn you not to set out before the party of 
 yoang men which is now out shall have re- 
 turned. Furthermore, they tell me that they 
 are very sure they will fire upon you as soon 
 as they meet you. They are expected back 
 in seven or eight days. Excuse me for 
 making these observations, but it seems my 
 duty to warn you of danger. Moreover, the 
 chiefs who prohibit your setting out before 
 the return of the warriors are the bearers of 
 this note. 
 
 " I am your obedient servant, 
 
 "JOSEPH BISSONETTE, 
 
 " By L. B. CHARTRAIN. 
 
 " Names of some of the chiefs. — The Otter 
 Hat, the Breaker of Arrows, the Black 
 Night, the Bull's Tail." 
 
 After reading this, I mentioned its purport 
 to my companions ; and, seeing that all 
 were fully possessed of its contents, one of 
 the Indians rose up, and, having first shakea 
 hands with me, spoke as follows : 
 
 " You have come among us at a bad time. 
 Some of our people have been killed, and our 
 young men, who are gone to the mountains, 
 are eager to avenge the blood of their rela- 
 tions, which has been shed by the whites. 
 Our young men are bad, and, if they meet 
 you, they will believe that you are carrying 
 goods and ammunition to their enemies, and 
 will fire upon you. You have told us that 
 this will make war. We know that our 
 great father has many soldiers and big guns, 
 and we are anxious to have our lives. We 
 love the whites, and are desirous of peace. 
 Thinking of all these things, we have deter- 
 mined to keep you here until our warriors 
 return. We are glad to see you among us. 
 Our father is rich, and we expected that you 
 would have brouglit presents to us — horses, 
 guns, and blankets. But we are glad lo see 
 you. We look upon your coming as the light 
 which goes before the sun ; for you will tell 
 our great father that you have seen us, and 
 tliat we are naked and poor, and have no- 
 thing to eat ; and he will send us all these 
 things." He was followed by the others, to 
 the same effect. 
 
 The observations of the savage appeared 
 reasonable ; but I was aware that they had 
 in view only the present object of detaining 
 me, and were unwilling I should go further 
 into the country. In reply, I asked them, 
 through the interpretation of Mr. Boudeau, 
 to select two or three of their number to ac- 
 company us until we should meet their peo* 
 pie — they should spread their robes in my tent 
 and eat at my table, and on our return I 
 would give them presents in reward of their 
 services. They declined, saying that there 
 were no young men left in the village, and 
 that they were too old to travel so many days 
 on horseback, and preferred now to smoke 
 their pipes in the lodge, and let the warriors 
 go on the war path. Besides, they had no 
 power over the young men, and were afraid 
 to interfere with them. In my turn I address- 
 ed them : " You say that you love the whites ; 
 why have you killed so many already this 
 spring ? You say that you love the whites, 
 and are full of many expressions of friend- 
 ship to us ; but you are not willing to undergo 
 the fatigue of a few days' ride to save our 
 lives. We do not believe what you have 
 said, and will not listen to you. Whatever 
 a chief among us telis his soldiers to do, is 
 done. We are the soldiers of the great chief, 
 your father. He has told us to come here 
 and see this country, and all the Indians, his 
 children. Why should we not go ? Before 
 we came, we heard that you had killed hia 
 
30 
 
 CAPt. FREMOxVT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 people, and ceased to be his children ; but we 
 came among you peaceably, holding out our 
 hands. Now we find that the stories we 
 heard are not lies, and that you are no longer 
 his friends and children. We have thrown 
 away our bodies, and will not turn back. 
 When you told us that your young men 
 would kill us, you did not know that our 
 hearts were strong, and you did not see the 
 rifles which my young men carry in their 
 hands. We are few, and you are many, and 
 may kill us all ; but there will be much cry- 
 ing in your villages, for many of your young 
 men will stay behind, and forget to return 
 with your warriors from the mountains. Do 
 you think that our great chief will let his 
 soldiers die, and forget to cover their graves ? 
 Before the snows melt again, his warriors 
 will sweep away your villages as the fire 
 does the prairie in the autumn. See ! I have 
 pulled down my white hmises, and my people 
 are ready : when the sun is ten paces higher, 
 we shall be on tlie march. If you have any- 
 thing to tell us, you will say it soon." I 
 broke up the conference, as I could do no- 
 thing with these people ; and, being resolved 
 to proceed, nothing was to be gained by de- 
 lay. Accompanied by our hospitable friends, 
 we returned to the camp. We had mounted 
 our horses, and our parting salutations had 
 been exchanged, when one of the chiefs (the 
 Bull's Tail) arrived to tell me that they had 
 determined to send a young man with us ; 
 and if I would point out the place of our eve- 
 riing camp, he should join us there. "The 
 young man is poor," said he ; " he has no 
 horse, and expects you to give him one." I 
 described to him the place where I intended 
 to encamp, and, shaking hands, in a few mi- 
 nutes we were among the hills, and this last 
 habitation of whites shut out from our view. 
 The road led over an interesting plateau 
 between the North fork of the Platte on the 
 right, and Laramie river on the left. At the 
 distance of ten miles from the fort, we en- 
 tered the sandy bed of a creek, a kind of de- 
 file, shaded by precipitous rocks, down which 
 we wound our way for several hundred yards, 
 to a place where, on the left bank, a very 
 lar^e spring gushes with considerable noise 
 and force out of the limestone rock. It is 
 called " the Warm Spring," and- furnishes to 
 the hitherto iry bed of the creek a conside- 
 rable rivulet. On the opposite side, a little 
 below the spring, is a lofty limestone escarp- 
 ment, partially shaped by a grove of large 
 trees, whose green foliage, in contrast with 
 the whiteness of the rock, renders this a pic- 
 turesque locality. The rock is fossiliferous, 
 and, so far as I was able to determine the 
 character. of the fossils, belongs to the car- 
 boniferous limestone of the Missouri river, 
 and is probably tlie western limit of that for- 
 
 mation. Beyond this point I met with na 
 fossils of any description. 
 
 I was desirous to visit the Platte near the 
 point where it leaves the Black hills, and 
 therefore followed this stream, for two or 
 three miles, to the mouth ; where I encamp- 
 rd on a spot which afforded good grass and 
 prile {equisetum) for our animals. Our tents 
 having been found too thin to protect our- 
 selves and the instruments from the raine, 
 which in this elevated country are attended 
 with cold and unpleasant weather, I had pro- 
 cured from the Indians at Laramie a tolera- 
 bly large lodge, about eighteen feet in diame- 
 ter, and twenty feet in height. Such a 
 lodge, when properly pitched, is, from its 
 conical form, almost perfectly secure against 
 the violent winds which are frequent in this 
 region, and, with a fire in the centre, is a 
 dry and warm shelter in bad weather. By 
 raising the lower part, so as to permit the 
 breeze to pass freely, it is converted into a 
 pleasant summer residence, with the extraor- 
 dinary advantage of being entirely free from 
 mosquitoes, one of which I have never seen 
 in an Indian lodge. While we were engaged 
 very unskilfully in erecting this, the interpre- 
 ter, Mr. Bissonette, arrived, accompanied by 
 the Indian and his wife. She laughed at our 
 awkwardness, and offered her assistance, of 
 which we were frequently afterward obliged 
 to avail ourselves, before the men acquired 
 sufficient expcrtness to pitch it without diffi- 
 culty. From this place we had a fine view 
 of the gorge where the Platte issues from the 
 Black hills, changing its character abruptly 
 from a mountain stream into a river of the 
 plains. Immediately around us the valley o4 
 the stream was tolerably open ; and at the 
 distance of a few miles, where the river l>ad 
 cut its way through the hills, was the narrow 
 cleft, on one side of which a lofty precipice 
 of bright red rock rose vertically above the 
 low hills which lay between us. 
 
 July 22. — In the morning, while breakfast 
 was being prepared, I visited this place witlr 
 my favorite man, Basil Lajeunesse. Enter- 
 ing so far as there was footing for the mule.'?,, 
 we dismounted, and, tying our animals, con- 
 tinued our way on foot. Like the whole 
 country, the scenery of the river had under- 
 gone an entire change, and was in this place 
 the most beautiful I have ever seen. The 
 breadth of the stream, generally near that of 
 its valley, was from two to three hundred feet,^ 
 with a swift current, occasionally broken by 
 rapids, and the water perfectly clear. C^ 
 either side rose the red precipices, verticaJ, 
 and sometimes overhanging, two and four 
 hundred feet in height, crowned with green 
 summits, on which were scattered a few 
 pines. At the foot of tiie rocks was the 
 usual detritus, formed of masses fallen from 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 31 
 
 above. Among the pines that grew here, 
 and on the occasional banks, were the cherry 
 {cerasus virginiana), currants, and grains de 
 bcBuf (shepkerdia argentea). Viewed in the 
 sunshine of a pleasant morning, the scenery 
 was of a most striking and romantic beauty, 
 which arose from the picturesque disposition 
 of the objects, and the vivid contrast of colors. 
 I thought with much pleasure of our ap- 
 proaching descent in the canoe through such 
 interesting places ; and, in the expectation 
 of being able at that time to give to them a 
 fall examination, did not now dwell so much 
 as might have been desirable upon the geo- 
 logical formations along the line of the river, 
 where they are developed with great clear- 
 ness. The upper portion of the red strata 
 consists of very compact clay, in which are 
 occasionally seen imbedded large pebbles. 
 Below was a stratum of compact red sand- 
 stone, changing a little above the river into a 
 very hard siliceous limestone. There is a 
 small but handsome open prairie immediately 
 below this place, on the left bank of the river, 
 which would be a good locality for a military 
 post. There are some open groves of cotton- 
 wood on the Platte. The small stream which 
 comes in at this place is well timbered with 
 pine, and good building rock is abundant. 
 
 If it is in contemplation to keep open the 
 communications with Oregon territory, a 
 show of military force in this country is 
 absolutely necessary ; and a combination of 
 advantages renders the neighborhood of Fort 
 I^aramie the most suitable place, on the line 
 of the Platte, for the establishment of a .mili- 
 tary post. It is connected with the mouth 
 of the Platte and the Upper Missouri by ex- 
 cellent roads, which are in frequent use, and 
 would not in any way interfere with the range 
 of the butFalo, on which the neighboring In- 
 dians mainly depend for support. It would 
 render any posts on the Lower Platte un- 
 necessary ; the ordinary communication be- 
 tween it and the Missouri being sufficient to 
 control the intermediate Indians. It would 
 operate effectually to prevent any such co- 
 alitions as are now formed among the Gros 
 Ventres, Sioux, Cheyennes, and other In- 
 dians, and would keep the Oregon road 
 through the valley of the Sweet Water and 
 the South Pass of the mountains constantly 
 open. It lies at the foot of a broken and 
 mountainous region, along which, by the es- 
 tablishment of small posts in the neighbor- 
 hood of St. Vrain's fort, on the South <9rk 
 of the Platte, and Bent's fort, on the Arkan- 
 8iis,a line of communication would be formed, 
 by goHxl wagon roads, with our southern mili- 
 tary posts, which would entirely command 
 the mountain passes, hold some of tlie most 
 troublesome tribes in check, and protect and 
 fiwiilitate our intercourse with the neighboring 
 Spanish settlements. The valleys of the 
 
 rivers on which they would be situated are 
 fertile ; the country, which supports immense 
 herds of buffalo, is admirably adapted to 
 grazing ; and herds of cattle might be main- 
 tained by the posts, or obtained from the 
 Spanish country, which already supplies a 
 portion of their provisions to the trading posts 
 mentioned above. 
 
 Just as we were leaving the camp this 
 morning, our Indian came up, and stated his 
 intention of not proceeding any further until 
 he had seen the horse which I intended to 
 give him. I felt strongly tempted to drive 
 him. out of the camp ; but his presence ap- 
 peared to give confidence to my men, and the 
 interpreter thought it absolutely necessary. 
 I was therefore obliged to do what he re- 
 quested, and pointed out the animal, with 
 which he seemed satisfied, and we continued 
 our journey. I had imagined that Mr. Bis- 
 sonctte's long residence had made him ac- 
 quainted with the country, and, according to 
 his advice, proceeded directly forward, with- 
 out attempting to regain the usual road. He 
 afterward informed me that he had rarely 
 ever lost sight of the fort ; but the effect of 
 the mistake was to involve us for a day or 
 two among the hills, where, although we 
 lost no time, we encountered an exceedingly 
 rough road. 
 
 To the south, along our line of march to- 
 day, the main chain of the Black or Laramie 
 hills rises precipitously. Time did not permit 
 me to visit them ; but, from comparative in- 
 formation, the ridge is composed of the coarse 
 sandstone or conglomerate hereafter de- 
 scribed. It appears to enter the region of 
 clouds, which are arrested in their course, 
 and lie in masses along the summits. An 
 inverted cone of black cloud (cumulus) rest- 
 ed during all the forenoon on the lofty peak 
 of Laramie mountain, which I estimated to 
 be about two thousand feet above the fort, or 
 six thousand five hundred above the sea. We 
 halted to noon on the Fourche Amere, so 
 called from being timbered principally with 
 the Hard amere (a species of poplar), with 
 which the valley of the little stream is tole- 
 rably well wooded, and which, with large 
 expansive summits, grows to the height of 
 sixty or seventy feet. 
 
 The bed of the creek is sand and gravel, 
 the water dispersed over the broad bed in 
 several shallow streams. We found here, 
 on the right bank, in the shade of the trees, 
 a fine spring of very cold water. It will be 
 remarked that I do not mention, in this por- 
 tion of the journey, the temperature of the 
 air, sand, springs, &c. — an omission which 
 will be explained in the course of the nar- 
 rative. In my search for plants, I was well 
 rewarded at this place. 
 
 With the change in the geological forma- 
 tion on leaving Fort Laramie, the whole face 
 
32 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 11842. 
 
 of the country has entirely altered its ap- 
 pearance. Eastward of that meridian, the 
 principal objects which strike the eye of a 
 traveller are the absence of timber, and the 
 immense expanse of prairie, covered with 
 the verdure of rich grasses, and highly adapt- 
 ed for pasturage. Wherever they are not 
 disturbed by the vicinity of man, large herds 
 of buf&lo give animation to this country. 
 Westward of Laramie river, the region is 
 sandy, and apparently sterile ; and the place 
 of the grass is usurped by the artcmisia and 
 other odoriferous plants, to whose growth 
 the sandy soil and dry air of this elevated 
 region seem highly favorable. 
 
 One of the prominent characteristics in 
 the face of the country is the extraordinary 
 abundance of the arteraisias. They grow 
 everywhere — on the hills, and over the river 
 bottoms, in tough, twisted, wiry clumps ; and, 
 wherever the beaten track was left, they ren- 
 dered the progress of the carts rough and 
 slow. As the country increased in elevation 
 on our advance to the west, they increased 
 in size ; and the whole air is strongly im- 
 pregnated and saturated with the odor of 
 camphor and spirits of turpentine which be- 
 longs to this plant. This climate has been 
 found very favorable to the restoration of 
 health, particularly in cases of consumption ; 
 and possibly the respiration of air so highly 
 impregnated with aromatic plants may have 
 some influence. 
 
 Our dried meat had given out, and we be- 
 gan to be in want of food ; but one of the 
 hunters killed an antelope this evening, which 
 afforded some relief, although it did not go 
 far among so many hungry men. At 8 
 o'clock at night, after a march of twenty- 
 seven miles, we reached our proposed en- 
 campment on the Fer-a-Cheval, or Horse- 
 shoe creek. Here we found good grass, 
 with a great quantity of prele, wiiich fur- 
 nished good food for our tired animals. This 
 creek is well timbered, principally with 
 Hard amere, and, with the exception of Deer 
 creek which we had not yet reached, is the 
 largest affluent of the right bank between 
 Laramie and the mouth of the Swgct Water. 
 
 July 23. — The present year had been one 
 of unparalleled drought, and througiiout the 
 country the water had been almost dried up. 
 By availing themselves of the annual rise, 
 the traders had invariably succeeded in car- 
 rying their furs to the Missouri ; but this 
 season, as has already been mentioned, on 
 both forks of the Platte they had entirely 
 failed. The greater number of the spring;--, 
 and many of the streams, which made halt- 
 ing places for the voyageurs, had been dried 
 •up. Everywhere the soil looked parched 
 and burnt ; the scanty yellow grass crisped 
 iinder the foot, and even the hardiest plauts 
 were destroyed by want of moisture. I 
 
 think it necessary to mention this fact, be- 
 cause to the rapid evaporation in such an 
 elevated region, nearly five thousand feet 
 above the sea, almost wholly unprotected by 
 timber, should be attributed much of the 
 sterile appearance of the country, in the de- 
 struction of vegetation, and the numerous 
 saline efflorescences which covered ihe 
 ground. Such 1 aftenvard found to be the 
 case. 
 
 I was informed that the roving villages of 
 Indians and travellers had never met witYj 
 difficulty in finding an abundance of grasa 
 for their horses ; and now it was after great 
 search that we were able to find a scanty 
 patch of grass, sufficient to keep them from 
 sinking ; and in the course of a day or two 
 they began to suffer very much. We found 
 none to-day at noon ; and, in the course of 
 our search on the Platte, came to a grove of 
 cotton-wood, where some Indian village had 
 recently encamped. Boughs of the cotton- 
 wood yet green covered the ground, which 
 the Indians had cut down to feed their horses 
 upon. It is only in the winter that recourse 
 is had to tliis means of sustaining them ; 
 and their resort to it at this time was a strik- 
 ing evidence of the state of the country. 
 We followed their example, and turned our 
 horses into a grove of young poplars. This 
 began to present itself as a very serious evil, 
 for on our animals depended altogether the 
 further prosecution of our journey. 
 
 Shortly after we had left this place, the 
 scouts came galloping in with the alarm of 
 Indians. We turned in immediately toward 
 the river, which here had a steep high bank, 
 where we formed with the carts a very close 
 barricade, resting on the river, within which 
 the animals were strongly hobbled and pick- 
 eted. The guns were discharged and re- 
 loaded, and men thrown forward, under cover 
 of the bank, in the direction by which tlie 
 Indians were expected. Our interpreter, 
 who, with the Indian, had gone to meet them, 
 came in, in about ten minutes, accompanied 
 by two Sioux. They looked sulky, and we 
 could obtain from them only some confused 
 information. We learned that they belonged 
 to the party which had been on the trail of 
 the emigrants, whom they had overtaken at 
 Rock Independence, on the Sweet Water. 
 Here the party had disagreed, and came 
 nigh fighting among themselves. One por- 
 tion were desirous of attacking the whites, 
 but the others were opposed to it ; and 
 finally they had broken up into small band»v 
 and dispersed over the country. The greater 
 portion of them had gone over into the terri- 
 tory of the Crows, and intended to return by 
 tlie way of the Wind river valley, in the hope of 
 being able to fall upon some small parlies of 
 Crow Indians. The remainder were return- 
 ing down the Platte, in scattered parties of 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 33 
 
 ten and twenty ; and those whom we had 
 encountered belonged to those who had ad- 
 vocated an attack on the emigrants. Seve- 
 ral of the men suggested shooting them on 
 the ppot; but I promptly disco\uitenanced 
 any such proceeding. They further inlorm- 
 ed me that buflalo were very Ecarce, and 
 little or no grass to be found. There had 
 been no rain, and innumerable quantities of 
 grasshoppers had destroyed the grass. The 
 insects had been so numerous since leaving 
 Fort Laramie, that the ground seemed alive 
 with them ; and in walking, a little moving 
 cloud preceded our footsteps. This was bad 
 news. No grass, no buffivlo — food for nei- 
 ther horse nor man. I gave them some 
 plugs of tobacco, and they went off, appa- 
 rently well satisfied to be clear of us ; for 
 my men did not look upon them very loving- 
 ly, and they glanced suspiciously at our war- 
 like preparations, and the little ring of rifles 
 which surrounded them. They were evi- 
 dently in a bad humor, and shot one of their 
 horses when they had left us a short dis- 
 tance. 
 
 We continued our march, and, after a 
 journey of about twenty -one miles, encamped 
 on the Platte. During the day, I had occa- 
 sionally remarked among the hills the psora- 
 lea esculenla, the bread root of the Indians. 
 The iSioux use this root very extensively, and 
 I have frequently met with it among them, 
 cut into thin slices and dried. In the 
 course of the evening we were visited by six 
 Indians, who told us that a large party was 
 encamped a few miles above. Astronomi- 
 cal observations placed us in longitude 104° 
 69' 69", and latitude 42° 39' 25". 
 
 We made the next day twenty-two miles, 
 and encamped on the right bank of the 
 Platte, where a handsome meadow aflbrded 
 tolerably good grass. There were the re- 
 mains of an old fort here, thrown up in some 
 Buddcn emergency, and on the opposite side 
 was a picturesque bluff of ferruginous sand- 
 stone. There was a handsome grove a lit- 
 tle above, and scattered groups of trees bor- 
 dered the river. Buffalo made their appear- 
 ance this afternoon, and the hunters came in, 
 shortly alter we had encamped, with three 
 fine cows. The night was tine, and obser- 
 vations gave for the latitude of the camp, 
 42° 47' 40". 
 
 July 25. — We made but thirteen miles 
 this day, and encamped about noon in a 
 pleasant grove on the right bank. Low 
 scaffolds were erected, upon which the meat 
 was laid, cut up into thin strips, and small 
 fires kindled below. Our object was to profit 
 by the vicinity of the buffalo, to lay in a 
 Btock of provisions for ten or fifteen days. 
 In the course of the afternoon the hunters 
 brought in five or six cows, and all hands 
 were kept busily employed in preparing the 
 
 3 
 
 meat, to the drying of which the guard at- 
 tended during the night. Our people had 
 recovered their gaiety, and the busy figures 
 around the blazing fires gave a picturesque 
 air to the camp. A very serious accident 
 occurred this morning, in the breaking of 
 one of the barometers. These had been the 
 object of my constant solicitude, and, as I 
 had intended them principally for mountain 
 .service, I had used them as seldom as pos- 
 sible ; taking them always down at night, 
 and on the occurrence of storms, in order to 
 lessen the chances of being broken. I was 
 reduced to one, a standard barometer of 
 Troughton's construction. This I determin- 
 ed to preserve, if possible. The latitude is 
 42° 61' 35", and by a mean of the results 
 from chronometer and lunar distances, the 
 adopted longitude of this camp is 106° 60' 
 45". 
 
 July 26. — Early this morning we were 
 again in motion. We had a stock of pro- 
 visions for fifteen days carefully stored away 
 in the carts, and this I resolved should only 
 be encroached upon when our rifles should 
 fail to procure us present support. I de- 
 termined to reach the mountains, if it were 
 in any way possible. In the meantime, buf- 
 falo were plenty. In six miles from our 
 encampment (which, by way of distinction, 
 we shall call Dried Meat camp), we crossed 
 a handsome stream, called La Fuurche 
 Bohce. It is well timbered, and, among the 
 flowers in bloom on its banks, I remarked 
 several asters. 
 
 Five miles further, we made our noon halt 
 on the banks of the Platte, in the shade of 
 some cotton-woods. There were here, as 
 generally now along the river, thickets of 
 hippophaa:, the grains de bceuf of the coun- 
 try. Chey were of two kinds — one bearing 
 a red berry (the shepherdia argenlia of 
 Nuttall) ; the other a yellow berry, of 
 which the Tartars are said to make a kind 
 of rob. 
 
 By a meridian observation, the latitude of 
 the place was 42° 50' 08". It was my daily 
 practice to take observations of the sun's 
 meridian altitude ; and why they are not 
 given, will appear 'in the sequel. Eight 
 miles further we reached the mouth of Deer 
 creek, where we encamped. Here was an 
 abundance of rich grass, and our animals 
 were compensated for past privations. This 
 stream was at this time twenty feet broad, 
 and well timbered with cotton-wood of an 
 uncommon size. It is the largest tributary 
 of the Platte, between the mouth of the 
 Sweet Water and the Laramie. Our astro- 
 nomical observations gave for the mouth of 
 the stream a longitude of 106° 08' 24", and 
 latitude 4^;° 62' 24". 
 
 July 27. — Nothing worthy of mention oc- 
 cun-edf on this day ; we travelled later than 
 
34 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 laaual, having spent some time in searching 
 for grass, croesing and re-crossing the river 
 before we could hnd a sufficient quantity for 
 our animals. Toward dusk, we encainpecj 
 among some artemisia bushes, two and three 
 feet in height, where some scattered patches 
 of short tough grass ailbrded a scanty sup- 
 ply. In crossing, we had occasion to ob- 
 serve that the river was frequently lop deep 
 to be forded, tliough we always succeeded 
 in finding a place where the water did not 
 enter the carts. The stream continued very 
 clear, with two or three hundred feet breadth 
 of water, and the sandy bed and banks were 
 frequently covered with large round pebbles. 
 We bad travelled this day twenty-seven 
 miles. The main chain of the Black hills 
 was here only about seven miles to the 
 south, on tlie right bank of the river, rising 
 abruptly to the height of eight and twelve 
 hundred feet. Patches of green grass in 
 the ravmes on the bleep sides marked the 
 presence of springs, arid the summits were 
 clad with pine«. 
 
 July 28. — In two miles from our encamp- 
 ment, we reached tlie place where the regu- 
 lar road crosses the Platte. There was two 
 hundred feet breadth of water at this time in 
 the bed, which has a variable width of eight 
 to fifteen hundred feet. The channels were 
 generally three feet deep, and there were 
 large angular rocks on the bottom, which 
 made the ford in some places a little dilTi- 
 cult. Even at its low stages, this river 
 cannot be crossed at random, and this has 
 always been used as the best ford. The 
 low stage of tlie waters the present year 
 had made it fordable in almost any part of 
 its course, where access could be had to its 
 bed. 
 
 Vox the satisfaction of travellers, I> will 
 endeavor to give some description of the na- 
 ture of the road from Laramie to this point. 
 The nature of the soil may be inferred from 
 its geological formation. The limestone at 
 the eastern limit of this section is succeeded 
 by limestone witliout fos.siis, a great variety 
 of sandstone, consisting principally of rod 
 sandstone and fine conglomerates. The red 
 sandstone is argillaceous, with compact 
 white gypsum or alabaster, very beautiful. 
 The other sandstones are grey, yellow, and 
 ferruginous, sometimes very coarse. Tbe 
 apparent sterility of the country must lliere- 
 fore be sought for in other causes than the 
 nature of the soil. The face of the country 
 cannot with propriety be called hilly. It is 
 a succession of long ridges, made by the nu- 
 merous streams which come down from the 
 neighboring mountain range. The ridges 
 have an undulating surface, with some such 
 appearance as the ocean presents in an ordi- 
 nary breeze. 
 The road which is now generally followed 
 
 through this region is therefore a very good 
 one, without any difficult ascents to owr- 
 come. The principal obstructions are near 
 the river, where the transient waters of 
 heavy rains have made deep ravines with 
 steep banks, which renders frequent circuits 
 necessary. It will be remembered that wa- 
 gons pass this road only once or twice a 
 year, which is by no means sufficient to 
 break down tlie stubborn roots of the innxi- 
 merable artemisia bushes. A partial ab- 
 sence of these is often the only indication of 
 the track ; and the roughness produced by 
 their roots in many places gives the road the 
 cliaracter of one newly opened in a wooded 
 country. This is usually considered the 
 worst part of the road east oi the mountains ; 
 and, as it passes through an open prairie 
 region, may be much improved, bo as to 
 avoid tiie greater part of tbe inequalities it 
 now presents. 
 
 From the mouth of the Kansas to the 
 Green river valley, west of the Rocky moun- 
 tains, there is no such thing as a mountain 
 road on the line of communication. 
 
 We continued our way, and four miles 
 beyond tlie ford Indians were discovered 
 again ; and I halted while a party were sent 
 forward to ascertain who tliey were. In a 
 short time they returned, accompanied by a 
 number of Indians of the Oglallah band oi 
 Sioux. From them we received some inter- 
 esting information. They had formed part 
 of tlie great village, which they informed us 
 had broken up, and was on its way home. 
 The greater part of the village, including the 
 Arapahoes, Cheyennes, and Oglallahs, had 
 crossed the Platte eight or ten miles below 
 the mouth of the Sweet Water, and were 
 now behind the mountains to the south of 
 us, intending to regain the Platte by way of 
 Deer creek. They iiad taken this unusual 
 route in search of grass and game. They 
 gave us a very discouraging picture of the 
 country. The great drought, and the plague 
 of grasshoppers, had swcjit it so that scarce 
 a blade of grass was to be seen, and there 
 was not a buffiilo to be found in the whole 
 region. Their people, they further said, had 
 been nearly starved to death, and we would 
 find their road inurkeil by Imlgcs which they 
 had thrown away in order to move more ra- 
 pidly, and by the carcasses of the horses 
 which they had eaten, or which had perished 
 by starvation. Such was tlie prosjiect bo- 
 fore us. 
 
 When he had finished the interpretation 
 of these things, Mr. Bissonette immediately 
 rode up to me, and urgently advised that I 
 should entirely abandon the further prosecu- 
 tion of my exploration. " Lc Tndiletire avis 
 que je ■poiirrais vous donner cest de virer de 
 sujie." " The best advice I can give you, 
 is to turn back at onc-e." It was his own 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 35 
 
 intention to return, as we had now reached 
 the point to which he had engaged to attend 
 me. In reply, I called up my men, and com- 
 niiinieated to them fully the information I 
 had ji'.st received. I then expressed to them 
 my fixed determination to proceed to the end 
 of tlie enterprise on which I had been sent ; 
 but U3 the situation of the country gave me 
 some reason to apprehend that it might be 
 attended with an unfortunate result to som.e 
 of us, I wmM leave it optional with them to 
 continue with me or to return. 
 
 Among them were som.e five or six who I 
 hnew would remain. We had still ten days' 
 provisions ; and, should no game be found, 
 when this stock was expended, we had our 
 ■horses and mules, which we could eat when 
 other means of subsistence failed. But not 
 a man flinched from the undertaking. 
 *' We'll eat the mules," said Basil Lajeunes- 
 86 ; and thereupon we shook hands with our 
 interpreter and his Indians, and parted. 
 With them I sent back one of my men, 
 Dnm^s, whom the effects of an old wound 
 in the leg rendered incapable of continuing 
 the journey on foot, and his horse seemed on 
 the point of giving out. Having resolved to 
 ■disencumber ourselves immediately of every- 
 thing not absolutely necessary to our future 
 t)i)erations, I turned directly in toward the 
 river, and encamped on the left bank, a little 
 above the place where our council had been 
 held, and where a thick grove of willows 
 ofiered a suitable spot for the object I had in 
 view. 
 
 'I'he carts having been discharged, the 
 covers and wheels were taken off, and, with 
 the frames, carried into some low places 
 among the willows, and concealed in the 
 dense foliage in such a manner that the glit- 
 ter of the iron work might not attract the ob- 
 servation of some straggling Indian. In the 
 sand, which had been blown up into waves 
 among the willows, a large hole was then 
 •dug, ten feet square, and six deep. In the 
 meantime, all our effects had been spread 
 out upon the ground, and whatever was de- 
 signed to be carried along with us separated 
 and laid aside, and the remaining part car- 
 Tied to the hole and carefully covered up. 
 As much as possible, all traces of our pro- 
 ceedings were obliterated, and it wanted but 
 a rain to render our cache safe beyond dis- 
 covery. All the men were now set at work 
 to arrange the pack-saddles and make up the 
 packs. 
 
 The day was very warm and calm, and 
 the sky entirely clear, except where, as 
 usual along the summits of die mountainous 
 ridge opposite, the clouds h-ad congregated 
 in masses. Our lodge had been planted, 
 and, on account of the heat, the ground pins 
 had been taken out, and the lower part 
 slightly raised. Near to it was standing the 
 
 barometer, which swung in a tripod frame ; 
 and within the lodge, where a small fire had 
 l>een built, Mr. Preuss was occupied in ob- 
 serving the temperature of boiling water. 
 At this instant, and without any warning 
 until it was within fifty yards, a violent gust 
 of wind dashed down the lodge, burying un- 
 der it Mr. Preuss and about a dozen men, 
 who had attempted to keep it from being 
 carried away. I succeeded in saving tho 
 barometer, which the lodge was carrying off 
 with itself, but the thermometer was broken. 
 We had no others of a high graduation, none 
 of those which remained going higher than 
 135° Fahrenheit. Our astronomical obser- 
 vations gave to this place, which we named 
 Cache, camp, a longitude of 106° 38' 26", 
 latitude 42° 50' 63''. 
 
 July 29. — All our arrangements having 
 been completed, we left the encampment at 
 7 o'clock this morning. In this vicinity the 
 ordinary road leaves the Platte, and crosses 
 over to the Sweet Water river, which it 
 strikes near Rock Independence. Instead 
 of following this road, I had determined to 
 keep the immediate valley of the Platte so 
 far as the mouth of the Sweet Water, in the 
 expectation of finding better grass. To this 
 I was further prompted by the nature of my 
 instructions. To Mr. Carson was assigned 
 the office of guide, as we had now reached 
 a part of the country with which, or a great 
 part of which, long residence had made him 
 familiar. In a few miles we reached the 
 Red Buttes, a famous landmark in this coun- 
 try, whose geological composition is red 
 sandstone, limestone, and calcareous sand- 
 stone and pudding stone. 
 
 The river here cuts its way through a 
 ridge ; on the eastern side of it are the lofty 
 escarpments of red argillaceous sandstone, 
 which are called the Red Buttes. In this 
 passage the stream is not much compressed 
 or pent up, there being a bank of consider- 
 able though variable breadth on either side. 
 Immediately on entering, we discovered a 
 band of buffalo. The hunters failed to kill 
 any of them ; the leading hunter being 
 thrown into a ravine, which occasioned some 
 del-ay, and in the meantime tlie herd clam- 
 bered up the steep face of the ridge. It is 
 sometimes wonderful to see these apparently 
 clumsy animals make their way up and 
 down the most rugged and broken preci- 
 pices. We halted to noon before we had 
 cleared this passage, at a spot twelve milea 
 distant from Cticke camp, where we found 
 an abundance of grass. So far, the account 
 of the Indians was found to be false. On 
 the banks were willow and cherry tfeee. 
 The cherries were not yet ripe, but in the 
 thickets were numerous fresh tracks of the 
 grizzly bear, which are very fond of this 
 fruit. The soil here ia red, tli© composition 
 
3$ 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 i;i842. 
 
 being derived from the red sandstone. 
 About seven miles brought us through the 
 ridge, in which the course of the river is 
 north and south. Here the valley opens out 
 broadly, and high walls of the red formation 
 present themselves among the hills to the 
 east. We crossed here a pretty little creek, 
 an affluent of the right bank. It is well 
 timbered with cotton-wood in this vicinity, 
 and the absintlie has lost its shrub-like char- 
 acter, and becomes small trees six and eight 
 feet in height, and sometimes eight inches 
 in diameter. Two or three miles ab«ve this 
 creek we made our encampment, having 
 travelled to-day twenty-five miles. Our ani- 
 mals fared well here, as there is an abun- 
 dance of grass. The river bed is made up 
 of pebbles, and in the bank, at the level of 
 the water, is a conglomerate of coarse peb- 
 bles about the size of ostrich eggs, and 
 which I remarked in the banks of tlie Lara- 
 mie fork. It is overlaid by a soil of mixed 
 ■clay and sand, six feet thick. By astrono- 
 mical observations, our position is in longi- 
 tude 106° 54' 32", and latitude 42° 38', 
 
 July 30. — After travelling about twelve 
 miles this morning, we reached a place where 
 the Indian village had crossed the river. 
 Here were the poles of discarded lodges and 
 skeletons of horses lying about. 11 r. Car- 
 son, who had never been higher up than this 
 point on the river, which has the character 
 of being exceedingly rugged, and walled in 
 by precipices above, thought it advisable to 
 camp near this place, where we were certain 
 of obtaining grass, and to-morrow make our 
 crossing among the rugged hills to the Sweet 
 Water river. Accordingly we turned back 
 and descended the river to an island near by, 
 which was about twenty acres in size, cover- 
 ed with a luxuriant growth of grass. The 
 formation here I found highly interesting. 
 Immediately at this island the river is again 
 shut up in the rugged hills, which come 
 down to it from the main ridge in a succes- 
 sion of spurs three or four hundred feet high, 
 and alternated with green level prairillons or 
 meadows, bordered on the river banks with 
 thickets of willow, and having many plaiiis 
 to interest the traveller. I'he island lies be- 
 tween two of these ridges, three or four 
 hundred yards apart, of which that on the 
 right bank is composed entirely of red argil- 
 laceous sandstone, with thin layers of fibrous 
 gypsum. On the left bank, the ridge is com- 
 posed entirely of siliceous pudding stone, the 
 pebbles in the numerous strata increasing in 
 size from the top to the bottom, where they 
 are as large as a man's head. So far as I 
 was able to determine, these strata incline to 
 the northeast, with a dip of about 15"^. This 
 pudding stone, or conglomerate formation, I 
 was enabled to trace through an extended 
 xange of country, from a few milea oast of 
 
 the meridian of Fort Laramie to where I 
 found it superposed on the granite of the 
 Rocky mountains, in longitude 109° 00'. 
 From its appearance, tlie main chain of the 
 Laramie mountain is composed of this rock; 
 and in a number of places I found isolated 
 hills, which served to mark a former level, 
 which had been probably swept away. 
 
 These conglomerates are very friable, and 
 easily decomposed ; and I am inclined ta 
 think this formation is the source from which 
 was derived the groat deposite of sand ai>d 
 gravel which forms the surface rock of the 
 prairie country west of the Mississippi. 
 
 Crossing the ridge of red sandstone, and 
 traversing the little prairie which lies to tlie 
 southward of it, we made in the afternoon an 
 excursion to a place which we have called 
 the Hot Spring Gate. This place has much 
 the appearance of a gate, by which the 
 Platte passes through a ridge composed of a 
 white and calcareous sandstone. The length 
 of the passage is about four hundred yards, 
 with a smooth green prairie on either side. 
 Through this place, the stream flows with a 
 quiet current, unbroken by any rapid, and ia 
 about seventy yards wide between the walls, 
 which rise perpendicularly from, the water. 
 To that on the right bank, which is the 
 lower, the barometer gave a height of three 
 hundred and sixty feet. This place will be 
 more particularly described hereafter, as we 
 passed through it on our return. 
 
 We saw here numerous herds of mountain 
 sheep, and frequently heard the volley of 
 rattling stones which accompanied their rapid 
 'descent down the steep hills. This was the 
 first place at which we had killed any of 
 these animals ; and, in consequence of this 
 circumstance, and of the abundance of these 
 sjieep or goats (for they are called by each 
 name), v, e gave to our encampment the name 
 of Goat Island. Their flesh is much es- 
 teemed by the hunters, and has very much 
 the flavor of the Allegany mountain sheep^ 
 I have frequently seen the horns of this ani- 
 mal three feet long and seventeen inches ia 
 circumference at the base, weighing eleven 
 pounds. But two or three of these were 
 killed by our party at this place, and of theae 
 the horns were tmall. Tiie use of these 
 horns seems to be to protect the animal'a 
 head in pitching down precipices to avoid 
 pursuing wolves — their only safety being in 
 places where they cannot be followed. The 
 bones are very strong and solid, the marrow 
 occupying but a very small [>ortion of tlie 
 bone in the leg, about the thickness of a ry© 
 straw. The hair is shcrt, resembling the 
 winter color of our common deer, which it 
 nearly approaches in size and appearance. 
 Except in the liorns, it has no resemblance 
 whatever to the goat. The longitude of Uiis 
 place, resulting from chronometer and lunar 
 
1842;] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 37 
 
 distances, and an occultation of Arietis, is 
 107° 13' 29", and the latitude 42° 33' 27". 
 One of our horses, which had given out, we 
 left to receive strength on the island, intend- 
 ing to take her, perhaps, on our return. 
 
 July 3!. — This morning we left the course 
 of the Platte, to cross over to the Sweet Wa- 
 ter. Our way, for a few miles, lay up the 
 eandy bed of a dry creek, in which I found 
 several intereating plants. Leaving this, we 
 wound our way to the summit of the hills, 
 of which the peaks are here eight hundred 
 feet above the Platte, bare and rocky. A 
 long and gradual slope led from tiiese hills 
 to the Sweet Water, whicii we reached in 
 fifteen miles from Goat Island. I made an 
 early encampment here, in order to give the 
 hunters an opportunity to procure a supply 
 from several bands of buffalo, which made 
 their appearance in the valley near by. The 
 stream here is about sixty feet wide, and at 
 this time twelve to eighteen inches deep, 
 with a very moderate current. 
 
 The adjoining prairies are sandy, but the 
 immediate river bottom is a good soil, which 
 afforded an abundance of soft green grass to 
 our horses, and where I found a variety of 
 interesting plants, which made their appear- 
 ance for the first time. A rain to-night 
 made it unpleasantly cold ; and there v>7as no 
 tree here, to enable us to pitch our single 
 tent, the poles of which had been left at 
 Cache camp. We had, therefore, no shelter 
 except what was to be found under cover of 
 the absinlhe bushes, which grew in many 
 thick patches, one or two and sometimes 
 tliree feet high. 
 
 August 1. — The hunters went ahead this 
 morning, as buffalo appeared tolerably abun- 
 dant, and I was desirous to secure a small 
 stock of provisions ; and we moved about 
 seven miles up the valley, and encamped one 
 mile below Rock Independence. This is an 
 isolated granite rock, about six hundred and 
 fifty yards long, and forty in height. Except 
 in a depression of the summit, where a little 
 soil supports a scanty growthof shrubs, with 
 a solitary dwarf pine, it is entirely bare. 
 Everywhere within six or eight feet of the 
 groimd, where the surface is sufficiently 
 smooth, and in some places sixty or eighty 
 feet above, the reck is inscribed with the 
 names of travellers. Many a name famous 
 in the history of this country, and some well 
 known to science, are to be found mixed 
 among those of the traders and of travellers 
 for pleasure and curiosity, and of missiona- 
 ries among the savages. Some of these 
 have been washed away by the rain, but the 
 greater number are still very legible. The 
 
 Ksition of this rock is in longitude 107° 56', 
 ;itude 42° 29' 36". We remained at our 
 camp of August 1st until noon of the next 
 day, occupied in drying meat. By observa- 
 
 tion, the longitude of the place is 107° 2&' 
 23", latitude 42° 29' 56". 
 
 August 2. — Five miles above Rock Inde- 
 pendence we came to a place called the 
 Devil's Gate, where the Sweet Water cuts 
 through the point of a granite ridge. The 
 length of the passage is about three hundred- 
 yards, and the width thirty-five yards. The 
 walls of rock are vertical, and about four 
 hundred feet in height ; and the stream in 
 the gate is almost entirely choked up by 
 masses which have fallen from above. In the 
 wall, on the right bank, is adikeoftrap i-ock, 
 cutting through a fine-grained grey granite. 
 Near the point of this ridge crop out some 
 strata- of the valley formation.'consisting of a 
 greyish micaceous sandstone,and fine-grained 
 conglomerate, and marl. We encamped eight 
 miles above the Devil's Gate. There was 
 no timber of any kind on the river, but good 
 fires were made of drift wood, aided by the 
 hois de vache. 
 
 We had to-night no shelter from the rain, 
 which commenced with squalls of wind about 
 sunset. The country here is exceedingly 
 picturesque. On either side of the valley, 
 which is four or. five miles broad, the moun- 
 tains rise to the height of twelve and fifteea 
 hundred or two thousand feet. On the south 
 side, the range appears to be timbered, and 
 to-night is luminous with fires — probably tlic 
 work of the Indians, who have just passed 
 through the valley. On the north, broken 
 and granite masses rise abruptly from the 
 green sward of the river, terminating in a 
 line of broken summits. Except in the cre- 
 vices of the rock, and here and there on a 
 ledge or bench of the mountain, where a few 
 hardy pines have clustered together, these 
 are perfectly bare and destitute of vegetation. 
 
 Among thiese masses, where there are 
 sometimes isolated hills and ridges, green 
 valleys open in upon the river, which sweeps 
 the base of these mountains for thirty-six 
 miles. Everywhere its deep verdure and 
 profusion of beautiful flowers is in pleasing 
 contrast with the sterile grandeur of the rock 
 and the barrenness of the sandy plain, which, 
 from the right bank of the river, sweeps up 
 to the mountain range that forms its south- 
 ern boundary. The great evaporation on the 
 sandy soil of this elevated plain, and the sa- 
 line ctEorescences which whiten the ground, 
 and shine like lakes reflecting the sun, make 
 a soil wholly unht for cultivation. 
 
 August 3. — We were early on the road 
 the next morning, traveling along the up- 
 land part of the valley, v^hich is overgrown 
 with artemisia. Scattered about on the 
 plain are occasional small isolated hills. 
 One of these which I have examined, about 
 fifty feet high, consisted of white clay and 
 marl, in nearly horizontal strata. Several 
 bands of buffaJo made their appearance to» 
 
38 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 day, with herds of antelope ; anil a grizzly 
 bear — the only our we encoiintei'cd during 
 the journey — was seen scrambling up among 
 the rocks. As we p-.if»seJ'over h slight rise 
 near the river, we caught the tirc-t view of 
 the Wind river mouii'vtins, appearing, at this 
 distance oi' about seventy milcs,^ to be a low 
 and dark mountainous ridge^ The view dis- 
 sipated in a moment the pictures which had 
 been created in our minds, by many descrip- 
 tions of travellers, who have; compared thest' 
 mountains to the Alps in Switzerland, and 
 speak ot the glittering peaks which rise in 
 icy majesty amidst the eternal glaciers nine 
 or ten thousand feet into the region of eter- 
 nal snows. The nakedness of the river was 
 relieved by groves of willows, where v;e en- 
 camped at night, after a march of twenty-si-i; 
 miles; and numerous bright-colored flowers 
 had made the river bottom look gay as a gar- 
 den. We found here a horse, v/hich had 
 been abandoned by the Indians, because his 
 hoois had been so mucli worn that he Vv'as 
 imable to travel ; and during the night a dog 
 came into the camp. 
 
 August 4. — Our camp was at the foot of 
 the granite mountains, which we climbed 
 this morning to take some barometrical 
 heights •, and here among the rocks was seen 
 the first magpie. On our return, we saw 
 one at the mouth of the Platte river. We 
 left here one of our horses, which was una- 
 ble to proceed farther. A few miles from 
 the encampment we left the river, which 
 makes a bend to the south, and traversing 
 an undulating country, consisting of a grey- 
 ish micaceous sandstone and tine-grained 
 conglomerates, struck It again, and encamp- 
 ed, alter a journey of twenty-live miles. As- 
 tronomical observations placed ;js in latitude 
 42° 32' 30'^ and longitude 108° 30' 13" 
 
 August 6. — The morning was dark, with 
 a driving rain, and disagreeably cold. Wo 
 continued our route as usual ; but the wea- 
 ther became so bad, that we were glad to 
 avail ourselves of the shelter oQered by a 
 small island, about ten miles above our last 
 encampment, which was covered with a 
 dense growth of willows. There was fine 
 grass tor our animals, and the timber afforded 
 us comfortable protection and good tires. In 
 the afternoon, the sun broke through the 
 clouds for a short time, and the barometer at 
 6, p. m., was at 23.713, the thermometer 60°, 
 with the wind strong from the northwest. 
 We availed ourselves of the fine weather to 
 make excursions in tlie neighborhood. The 
 river, at this place, is bordered by hills of the 
 valley formation. They are of moderate 
 licight ; one of the highest peaks on the right 
 baijt being, according to the barometer, one 
 hundred and eighty feet alhjve the river. On 
 Uie left bank tiiey are higher. They consist 
 of a fine 'While clayey eandstone, a wiiile 
 
 calcareous sandstone, and coarse sandstone 
 or pudding stone. 
 
 August 6. — It continued steadily raining 
 all the day ; but, notwithstanding, v/e left our 
 encampment in the afternoon. Our animate 
 had been much refreshed by their repose, 
 and an abundance of rich, soft grass, which 
 had been much improved by the raiue. In 
 about tiirce miles, we reached the enlranre 
 of a kanydrt) where the Sweet VVater issuca 
 upon the, more Open valley we had paBsed 
 over. Immediately at the entrance, and su- 
 perimposed directly upon the granite, are 
 strata of compact calcai'eous feandstone and 
 chert, alternating with fine while and reddisli 
 white, and fine grey and red sandstones. 
 These strata dip to the eastwai-d at an ang4<j 
 of about ISo, and form the western limit of 
 the sandstone and. limestone formations Ofi 
 the line of our route. Here we entered 
 among the primitive rocks. The usual road 
 passes to the right of this place ; but we 
 wound, or rather scrambled, our^way up U»e 
 narrow valley for several hours. Wildness 
 and disorder were the character of this 
 scenery. The river had been swollen by tho 
 late rains, and came rushing through with 
 an impetuous current, three or four feet deep, 
 and generally twenty yards broad. .Tlie val- 
 ley was sometimes the breadth of the stream, 
 and sometimes opened into little green mea- 
 dows, sixty yards wide, with open groves of 
 aspen. I'he stream was bordered through- 
 out with aspen, beech, and willov/ ; and tall 
 pines grew on the sides and summits of th« 
 crags. On both sides, the granite ix)cks rose 
 precipitously to the height of three hundred 
 and five hundred feet, terminating in jagged 
 and broken pointed peaks; and fragments of 
 iallen rock lay piled up at the foot of the pre- 
 cipices. Gneiss, mica elate, and a v/hito 
 granite, were among the varieties I noticed. 
 Here were many olci traces of beaver on the 
 stream ; remnants of dams, near which were 
 lying trees, which they had cut down, one 
 and two feet in diameter. The hills entirely 
 shut up the river at the end of about five 
 miles, and we turned up a ravine that led to 
 a high prairie, which seemed to be the gene- 
 ral level of ihe country. Hence, to the sum- 
 mit of the ridge, there is a regular and very 
 gradual rise. Blocks of granite were piled up 
 at the heads of the ravines, and small bare 
 knolls of mica slate and milky quartz pro- 
 truded at frequent intervals on the prairie, 
 which was whitened in occasional spots with 
 small salt lakes, where the water luid evapo- 
 nited, and left the bed covered with -a shin- 
 ing incrustation of salt. The evening was 
 very cold, a northwest v.'ind driving a tino 
 rain in our faces ; and at uightiall we c'e- 
 scenJed to a little stream, on which wo en- 
 camped, about two miles from the Sweet 
 Water. Here, had recently been a very 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 39 
 
 krge camp of Snake and Crow Indians ; and 
 some large poles lying about afforded the 
 means of pitching a tent, and making other 
 places of shelter. Our fires to-night were 
 made principally of the dry branches of the 
 artemisia, which covered the slopes. It 
 burns quickly, with a clear oily flame, and 
 makes a hot tire. The hills here are com- 
 posed of hard, compact micaslate, with veins 
 of quartz. 
 
 August 7. — We left our encampment with 
 the rising sun. As we rose from the bed of 
 the creek, the sjigw line of the mountains 
 stretched grandly before us, the white peaks 
 glittering in the sun. They had been hid- 
 ^n in the dark weather of the last few days, 
 and it had been snowing on them, while it 
 rained in the plains. We crossed a ridge, 
 and again struck the Sweet Water — here a 
 beautiful, swift stream, with a more open 
 valley, timbered with beech and cotton wood. 
 it now began to lose itself in the many small 
 forks which make itn head ; and we conti- 
 uiied up the main stream until near noon, 
 when we left it a few miles, to make our 
 noon halt on a small creek among the hills, 
 from which the stream issues by a small 
 opening. Within was a beautiful grassy 
 spot, covered witli an open grove of large 
 bisech trees, among which I found several 
 plants that I had not previously seen. 
 
 The afternoon was cloudy, with srwialls of 
 rain ; but the weather became fine at sun- 
 set, when we again encamped on the Sweet 
 Water, within a few miles of the South 
 Pass. The countiy over which we have 
 passed to-day consists principally of the 
 compact mica slate, which crops out on all 
 ridges, making the uplands very rocky and 
 slaty. In the escarpments which border the 
 creeks, it is seen alternating with a light- 
 colored granite, at an inclination of 45°; 
 the beds varying in thickness from two or 
 three feet to six or eight hundred. At a dia- 
 teince, the pranite frequently has the appear- 
 ance of iffegular lumps of clay, hardened 
 by exposure. A variety of asters may now 
 be numbered among the characteristic 
 plants, and the artemisia continues in full 
 glory, but cacti have become rare, and 
 mosses begin to dispute the hills with them. 
 The evening was damp and unpleasant ; the 
 thermometer, at 10 o'clock, being at 36°, 
 and the grass wet with a heavy dew. Our 
 astronomical observations placed this en- 
 campment in longitude 109'^ 21 ' 31", and 
 latitude 42^ 27' 15", 
 
 Early in the morning we resumed our 
 journey, the weather still cloudy, with occa- 
 sional rain. Our general course was west, 
 as I had determined to cross the dividing 
 ridge by a bridle path among the broken 
 country more immediately at the foot of the 
 mountains, and return by the wagon road. 
 
 two and a half miles to the south of the point 
 where the trail crosses. 
 
 Alwut six miles from our encampment 
 brought us to the summit. The ascent had 
 been so gradual, that, with all the intimate 
 knowledge possessed by Carson, who had 
 made this country his home for seventeen 
 years, we were obliged to watch very close- 
 ly to find the place at which we had reached 
 the culminating point. This was between 
 two low hills, rising on either hand fifty or 
 sixty feet. When I looked back at them, 
 from the foot of the immediate slope on the 
 western plain, their summits appeared to be? 
 about one hundred and twenty feet above. 
 From the impression on my mind at this 
 time, and subsequently on our retura, I 
 should compare the elevation which we sur- 
 mounted immediately at tlie Pass, to the as- 
 cent of the Capitol hill from the avenue, at 
 Washington. It is dilTicult for me to fix 
 positively the breadth of this pass. From 
 the broken ground where it commences, at 
 the foot of the Wind river chain, the view 
 to the southeast is over a champaign coun- 
 try, broken, at the distance of nineteen miles, 
 by the Table rock ; which, with the other 
 isolated hills in its vicinity, seems to stand 
 on a comparative plain. This I judged to be 
 its termination, the ridge recovering its rug- 
 ged character with the Table rock. It will 
 be seen that it in no manner resembles the 
 places to which the term is commonly, ap- 
 plied — nothing of the gorge-like character 
 and winding ascents of the Alleghany pass- 
 es in America; nothing of the Great St. 
 Bernard and Simplon passes in Europe. 
 Approaching it from the mouth of the Sweet 
 Water, a sandy plain, one hundred and 
 twenty miles long, conducts, by a gradual 
 and regular ascent, lo the summit, about 
 seven thousand feet abos'e the sea ; and the 
 traveller, without being reminded of any 
 change by toilsome ascents, suddenly finds 
 himself on the waters which flow to the Pa- 
 cilic ocean. By the route we had travelled, 
 the distance from Fort Laramie is three hun- 
 dred and twenty miles, or nine hundred and 
 fifty from the mouth of the Kansas. 
 
 Continuing ou'r march, we reached, in 
 eight miles from the Pass, the Little Sandy, 
 one of the tributaries of the Colorado, or 
 Green river of the Gulf of California. The 
 weather had grown fine during the morning, 
 and we remained here the rest of the day, 
 to dry our baggage and take some astrono- 
 mical observations. The stream was about 
 forty feet wide, and tv/o or three deep, with 
 clear water and a full ewift current, over a 
 sandy bed. It was timbered with a grov/th 
 of low bushy and dense willows, among 
 which were little verdant spots, which gave 
 our animals fine grass, and where I found a 
 mxmber of interesting plants. Among the 
 
40 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 neighborinnr hills I noticed fragments of 
 granite containing magnetic iron. Longi- 
 rtiide of tlio camp was 109^ 37' 69', and lati- 
 tiidtf 42° 21- 34". 
 
 August 9. — We made our noon halt to- 
 day on Big Sandy, another tributary of Green 
 river. Tiie face of the country traversed 
 was of a brown eand of granite materials, 
 the dstriJus of the neighboring mountains. 
 Strata of the milky quartz cropped out, and 
 blocks of granite were scattered abofit, con- 
 taining magnetic iron. On Sandy creek the 
 formation was of parti-coiored sand, exhibit- 
 ed in escarpments fifty to eighty feet high. 
 In tiie afternoon we had a severe storm of 
 hail, and encamped at sunset on the first 
 New Fork. Within the space of a few mile.«, 
 the Wind mountains supply a number of tri- 
 butaries to Green river, which are called the 
 New Forks. Near our camp were two re- 
 markable isolated hills, one of them suffi- 
 ciently large to merit the name of mountain. 
 They are called the Two Buttes, and will 
 serve to identify the place of our encamp- 
 ment, which the observations of the evening 
 placed in longitude 109"^ 68' 11", and lati- 
 tude 42° 42' 46". On the right bank of the 
 stream, opposite to the large hill, the strata 
 which are displayed consist of decomposing 
 granite, which supplies the brown sand of 
 which the face of the country is composed 
 to a considerable depth. 
 
 A^ust 10. — The air at sunrise is clear 
 and pure, and the morning extremely cold, 
 but beautiful. A lofty snow peak of the 
 mountain is glittering in the first rays of the 
 sun, which has not yet reached us. The 
 long moimtain wall tr> the east, rising two 
 thousand feet abruptly from the plain, behind 
 which we see the peaks, is stiil dark, and 
 cuts clear against the glowing sky. A fog, 
 just risen from the river, lies along the base 
 of the mountain. A little before sunrise, the 
 thermometer was at 35°, and at sunrise 33°. 
 Water froze last night, and fires are very 
 comfortable. The scenery becomes hourly 
 more interesting and grand, and the view 
 here is truly magnificent ; but, indeed, it 
 needs something to repay the long prairie 
 journey of a tliousand miles. The sun has 
 just shot above the wall, and makes a magic- 
 - al change. The whole valley is glowing and 
 \i)rjght, and all the mountain peaks are gleam- 
 ing like silver. Though these snow moan- 
 tains are not the Alps, they have their own 
 character of grandeur and mrignirtcence,and 
 will doubtless find pens and pencils to do 
 them justice. In the scene before us, wp 
 feel how much wood improves a view. The 
 pines on the moimtain seemed to give it much 
 additional beauty. I was agreeal)ly disap- 
 pointed in the character of the streams on 
 this side of the ridge. In-tead of the creeks, 
 which description had led me to expect, I 
 
 find bold, broad streams, with three or four 
 feet water, and a rapid current. Ti)e fork 
 on which we are encamped is upwards of a 
 hundred feet wide, timbered with grove.** or 
 thickets of the low willow. We were now 
 approaching the loftiest part of the Wind 
 river chain ; and I left the valley a few miles 
 from our encampment, intending to penetrate 
 the mountains as far as possible with the 
 whole |)arty. We were soon involved in 
 very broken ground, among long ridges cover- 
 ed v>'ith fragments of granite. Windi-^g our 
 way up a long ravine, we came unexpected- 
 ly in view of a most beautiful lake, set like 
 a gem in the mountains. The sheet of wa- 
 ter lay transversely across the direction we 
 had been pursuing ; and, descending the 
 steep, rocky ridge, where it was necessary to 
 lead our horses, sve followed its banks to the 
 southern extremity. Here a view of the ut- 
 most magnificence and grandeur burst upon 
 oar eyes. With nothing between us and 
 their feet -to lessen the effect of the whole 
 height, a grand bed of snow-capped moun- 
 tains rose before us, pile upon pile, glowing 
 in the bright light of an August day. Irti- 
 mediately below them lay the lake, between 
 two ridges, covered with dark pines, which 
 swept down from the main chain to the spot 
 where we stood. Here, where the lake glit- 
 tered in the open sunlight, its banks of yellov/ 
 sand and the light foliage of aspen groves 
 contrasted well with the gloomy pines. 
 " Never before," said Mr. Preuss, " in this 
 country or in EJurope. have I seen such mag- 
 nificent, grand rocks." I was so much 
 pleased with the beauty of the place, that I 
 determined to make the main camp here, 
 where our animals would find good pastur- 
 age, and explore the mountains with a small 
 party of men. Proceeding a little further, 
 we came suddenly upon the outlet of the 
 lake, where it found its way through a narrow 
 passage between low hills. Dark pines, 
 which overhung the stream, and masses of 
 rock, where the water I'oamed along, gave it 
 much romantic beauty. Where we crossed, 
 which was immediately at the outlet, it is two 
 hundred and fifty feet wide, and so deep that 
 with difficulty we were able to ford it. Ita 
 bed was an accumulation of rocks, boulders, 
 and broad slabs, and large angular fragments, 
 among which the animals fell repeatedly. 
 
 The current was very swift, and the water 
 cold, and of a crystal purity. In crossing 
 this stream, I met with a great misfortune 
 in having my Ixirometer broken. It was the 
 only one. A great part of the interest of 
 the journey for me was in the exploration of 
 these mountains, of which so much had 
 lieen said that was doubtful and ci>nlradict- 
 ory ; and now their snowy peaks ro-^e ma- 
 jestically before me, and the only means of 
 j.i.'ing ihcm authenlically to science, the 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 41 
 
 object of my anxious solicitude by night and 
 day, was destroyed. We had brought this 
 barometer in safety a thousand miles, and 
 broke it almost among the snow of the 
 mountains. The loss was felt by the whole 
 camp — all had seen my anxiety, and aided 
 me in preserving it. The height of these 
 mountains, considered by the hunters and 
 traders the highest in the whole range, had 
 been a theme of constant discussion among 
 them ; and all had looked forward with plea- 
 sure to the moment when the instrument, 
 which they believed to be true as the sun, 
 should stand upon the summits, and decide 
 their disputes. Their grief was only inferior 
 to my own. 
 
 The lake is about three miles long, and of 
 very irregular width, and apparently great 
 depth, and is the head water ot the third Aew 
 Fork, a tributary to Green river, the Colo- 
 rado of the west. In the narrative, I have 
 called it Mountain lake. I encamped on the 
 north side, about three hundred and fifty 
 yards from the outlet. This was the most 
 we«tcrn point at which I obtained astro- 
 nomical observations, by which tliis place, 
 called Eernier's encampment, is made in 
 110° 08' 03" west longitude from Greenwich, 
 and latitude 43° 49' 49". The mountain 
 peaks, as laid down, were fixed by bearings 
 from this and other astronomical points. We 
 had no other compass than the small ones 
 used in sketching the country; but from an 
 azimuth, in wiiich one of them was used, the 
 variation of the compass is 18° east. The 
 correction made in our field work by the as- 
 tronomical observations indicates that this 
 is a very correct observation. 
 
 As soon as the camp was formed, I set 
 about endeavoring to repair my barometer. 
 As I have already said, this was a standard 
 cistern barometer, of Troughton's con- 
 struction. The glass cistern had been 
 broken about midway ; but as the in^rument 
 had been kept in a proper position, no air had 
 found its way into tlie tube,- the end of which 
 had always remained covered. I had with 
 me a number of vials of tolerably thick glass, 
 some of which were of the same diameter 
 as the cistern, and I spent the day in slowly 
 working on these, endeavoring to cut them 
 of the requisite length ; but, as my instru- 
 ment was a very rough file, I invariably 
 broke them. A groove was cut in one of the 
 trees, where the barometer was placed du- 
 ring the night, to be out of the way of any 
 possible danger, and in the morning I com- 
 menced again. Among the powder horns 
 in the camp, I found one which was very 
 transparent, so that its contents could be 
 almost as plainly seen as through glass. 
 This I boiled and stretched on a piece of 
 wbod to the requisite diameter and scraped 
 
 it very thin, in order to increase to the ut- 
 most its transparency. I then secured it 
 firmly in its ^lace on the instrument, with 
 strong glue made from a buffalo, and filled it 
 with mercury, properly heated. A piece of 
 skin, which had covered one of the viaJs, 
 furnished a good pocket, which was well se- 
 cured with strong thread and glue, and then 
 the brass cover was screwed to its place. 
 The instrument was left some time to dry; 
 and when I reversed it, a few hours after, I 
 had the satisfaction to find it in perfect order; 
 its indications being about the same as on 
 the other side of the lake before it had been 
 broken. Our success in this little incident 
 diffused pleasure throughout the camp ; and 
 we immediately set about our preparations 
 for ascending the mountains. 
 
 As will be seen on reference to a map, on 
 tliis short mountain chain are the head waters 
 of four great rivers of the continent; namely, 
 the Colorado, Columbia, Missouri, and Platte 
 rivers. It had been my design, after having 
 ascended the mountains, to continue our route 
 on the western side of the range, and cross- 
 in'j through a pass at the northwestern end 
 of the chain, about thirty miles from our 
 present camp, return along the eastern slope, 
 across the heads of the Yellowstone river, 
 and join on the line to our station of August 
 7, immediately at the foot of the ridge. In 
 this way, I should be enabled to include the 
 whole chain, and its numerous waters, in my 
 survey ; but various considerations incluced 
 me, very reluctantly, to abandon this plan. 
 
 I was desirous to keep strictly within the 
 scope of my instructions ; and it would have 
 required ten or fifteen additional days for the 
 accomplishment of this object; our animals 
 had become very much worn out with the 
 length of the journey ; game was very scarce; 
 and, though it does not appear in the course 
 of the narrative (as I have avoided dwelling 
 upon trifling incidents not connected with the 
 objects of tlie expedition), the spirits of the 
 men had been much exhausted by the hard- 
 ships and privations to which they had been 
 subjected. Our provisions had wellnigh all 
 disappeared. Bread had been long out of the 
 question ; and of all our stock, we had re- 
 maining two or thr?e pounds of coffee, and a 
 small quantity of maccaroni, which had been 
 husbanded with great care for the mountain 
 expedition we were about to undertake. Oar 
 daily meal consisted of dry buffalo meat^ 
 cooked in tallow ; and, as we had not dried 
 this with Indian skill, part of it was spoiled ; 
 and what remained of good, was as hard as 
 wood, having much the taste and appearance 
 of so many pieces of bark. Even of this^ 
 our stock was rapidly diminishing in a camp 
 which was capableofconsuming two buffaloes 
 in every twenty-four hours. These animais^ 
 
42 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 had entirely disappeared ; and it was not pro- 
 bable that we should fall in with them again 
 until we returned to the Sweet Water. 
 
 Onr arrangements for the ascent were 
 rapidly completed. We were in a hostile 
 country, which rendered the greatest vigi- 
 lance and circumspection necessary. The 
 pass at the north end of the mountain was 
 generally infested by Blackfeet ; and imme- 
 diately opposite was one of their forts, on the 
 edge of a little thicket, two or three hundred 
 feet from our encampment. We were posted 
 in a grove of beech, on the margin of the 
 lake, and a few hundred feet long, with a nar- 
 row prairillon on the inner side, bordered by 
 the rocky ridge. In the upper end of this 
 grove we cleared a circular space about forty 
 feet in diameter, and, with the felled timber 
 and interwoven branches, surrounded it with 
 a breastwork five feet in height. A gap was 
 left for a gate on the inner side, by which the 
 animals were to be driven in and secured, 
 while the men slept around the little work. 
 It was half hidden by the foliage ; and, gar- 
 risoned by twelve resolute men. wouid have 
 eet at defiance any band of savages which 
 might chance to discover them in the inter- 
 Tal of our absence. Fifteen of the best 
 mules, with fourteen men, were selected for 
 the mountain party. Our provisions consist- 
 ed of dried meat for two days, with our little 
 stock of coffee and some maccavoni. In ad- 
 dition to the barometer and a thermometer, I 
 took with me a sextant and spy-glass, and 
 we had of course our compasses. In charge 
 of the camp I left Bernier, one of my most 
 trustworthy men, who possessed the most 
 determined courage. 
 
 Augu-^t 12. — Early in the morning we left 
 the camp, fifteen in number, well armed, of 
 conrse, and mounted on our best mules. A 
 pack animal carried our provisions, with a 
 coffee pot and kettle, and three or four tin 
 cups. Every man had a blanket strapped 
 over his saddle, to serve for his bed, and the 
 instruments were carried by turns on their 
 backs. We ent(?red directly on rough and 
 rocky ground ; and, just after crossing the 
 ridge, had the good fortune to shoot an ante- 
 lope. We heard the roar, and had a glimpse 
 of a waterfall as we rode along ; and, cross- 
 ing in our way two fine streams, tributary to 
 the Colorado, in about two hours' ride we 
 reached the top of the first row or range of 
 the mountains. Here, again, a view of the 
 most romantic beauty met our eyes. It 
 seemed as if, from the-vast expanse of unin- 
 teresting prairie we had passed over, Nature 
 had collected all her beauties together in one 
 chosen place. We were overlooking a deep 
 valley, which was entirely occupied by three 
 lakes, and from the brink the surrounding 
 ridges rose precipitously five hundred and a 
 thousand feet, covered with the dark green of 
 
 the balsam pine, relieved on the boi*der of the 
 lake with the light foliage of the aspen. 
 They all communicated with each other ; and 
 the green of the waters, common to mountain 
 lakes of great depth, showed that it would be 
 impossible to cross them. The surprise 
 manifested by our guides when these impas- 
 sable obstacles suddenly barred our progre-^is 
 proved that they were among the hidden 
 treasTires of the place, unknown even to the 
 wandering trappers of the region. Descend- 
 ing the hill, we proceeded to make our way 
 along the margin to the southern extremity. 
 A narrow strip of angular fragments of rock 
 sometimes afforded a rough pathway for our 
 mules, but generally we rode along the shelv- 
 ing side, occasionally scrambling up, at a 
 considerable risk of tumbling back into the 
 lake. 
 
 The slope was frequently GOo ; the pines 
 grew densely together, and the ground was 
 covered with the branches and trunks of 
 trees. The air was fragrant with the odor 
 of the pines; and I realized this delightful 
 morning the pleasure of breathing that 
 mountain air which makes a constant theme 
 of the hunter's piuise, and which now made 
 ns feel as if we had all been drinking some ex- 
 hilarating gas. The depths of this unex- 
 plored forest were a place to delight the heart 
 of a botanist. There was a rich undergrowth 
 of plants, and numerous gay-colored flowers 
 in brilliant bloom. We reached the outlet at 
 length, where some freshly barked willows 
 that lay in the water showed tliat beaver had 
 been recently at work. There were some 
 small brown squirrels jumping about in tlie 
 pines, and a couple of large mallard ducks 
 swimming about in the stream. 
 
 The hills on this southern end were low, 
 and the lake looked like a mimic sea, as the 
 waves broke on the sandy beach in the force 
 of a strong breeze. There was a pretty open 
 spot, with fine grass for our mules ; and 
 we made our noon halt on the beach, under 
 the shade of some large hemlocks. We re- 
 sumed our journey after a halt of about an 
 hour, making our way up the ridge on the 
 western side of the lake. In search of 
 smoother ground, we rode a little inland ; 
 and, passing through groves of aspen, soon 
 found ourselves again among the pines. 
 Emerging from these, we struck the summit 
 of the ridge above the upper end of the lake. 
 
 We had reached a very elevated point; 
 and in the valley below, and among the hills, 
 were a number of lakes at dilfejent levels ; 
 some two or three hundred feet above otli- 
 ers, with which they communicated "by foam- 
 ing torrents. Even to our groat height, the 
 roar of the cataracts came up, and we could 
 ^see them leaping down in lines of snowy 
 foum. Fronf this scene of busy watprs, we 
 turned abruptly into the stillness of a ioreat> 
 
1S43.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATF/E. 
 
 4a 
 
 where we rode among the open bolls of the 
 pines, over a lawn of verdant grass, having 
 strikingly the air of cultivated grounds. 
 This led u«, after a time, among masses of 
 Tock which had no vegetable earth but in 
 hollows and crevices, thongh still the pine 
 forest continued. Toward evening, we 
 reacbtd a defile, or rather a hole in the 
 mountains, entirely shut in by dark pine- 
 covered rocks. 
 
 A small stream, with a scarcely percepti- 
 ble current, fVswed through a level bottom 
 of perhaps eighty yards width, where the 
 jn^ass v/as saturated with water. Into this 
 tjie mules wero turned, and were neither 
 hobbled nor picketed during the night, as the 
 fiiie pasturage took away all temptation to 
 stray ; and we made our bivouac in the 
 pines. The surrounding masses were all 
 of granite. While supper was being pre- 
 pared, I set out on an e.xcnrsion in the 
 neighborhood, accompanied by one of my 
 men. We wandered about among the crags 
 and ravines until dark, richly repaid for our 
 walk by a fine collection of plants, many of 
 them in full bloom. Ascending a peak to 
 find tlie place of our camp, we saw that the 
 little defile in which we lay, communicated 
 with the long green valley of some stream, 
 which, here locked up in the mountains, far 
 away to the south, found its way in a dense 
 forest to the plains. 
 
 Looking along its upward course, it seem- 
 ed to conduct, by a smooth gradual slope, 
 directly tov^ard the peak, which, from long 
 consultation as we approached the mountain, 
 we had decided to be the highest of the 
 range. Pleased with the discovery of so fine 
 a road for the next da}', we hastened down to 
 the camp where we arrived just in time for 
 supper. Our table service was rather scant ; 
 and we held the meat in our hands, and clean 
 rocks made good plates, on which we spread 
 our maccaroni. Among all the strange pla- 
 ces on which we had occasion to encamp 
 during our long journey, none have left so 
 vivid an impression on my mind as the camo 
 of this evening. The disorder of the masses 
 which surrounded us ; the little hole through 
 which we saw the stars over head ; the dark 
 pines where we slept ; and the rocks lit up 
 with the glow of our fires, made a night 
 picture of very wild beauty. 
 
 August 13. — The mornin^was bright and 
 pleasant, just cool enough to make exercise 
 agreeable, and we soon entered the defile I 
 had seen the preceding day. It was smooth- 
 ly carpeted with a soft grass, and scattered 
 over with groups of Cowers, of which yellow 
 was the predominant color. Sometimes we 
 were forced, by an occasional difficult pass, 
 to pick our way on a narrow ledge along the 
 side of t!ie defile, and the mules were fre- 
 quently on their kacea ; but these obstruc- 
 
 tions were rare, and we jonrncyed on in the 
 sweet morning air, delighted at our good for- 
 tune in having found such a beautiful en- 
 trance to the mountains. This road contin- 
 ued for about three miles, when v.e suddenly 
 reached its termination in one of the grand 
 views which, at every turn, meet the travel- 
 ler in this magnificent region. Here the de- 
 .file up which we had travelled opened out 
 into a small lawn, where, in a little lake, the 
 stream had its source. 
 
 There were some fine asters in bloom, but 
 all the flowering plants appeared to seek the 
 shelter of the rocks, and to be of lower 
 growth than below, as if they loved the 
 warmth of the soil, and kept out of the way 
 of the winds. Immediatoly at our feet a 
 precipitous descent led to a confusion of de- 
 files, and before us rose the mountains as 
 we have represented them in the annexed 
 view. It is not by the splendor of far-ofl' 
 views, which have lent such a glory to the 
 Alps, that these impress the mind; but by a 
 gigantic disorder of enormous masses, and a 
 savage sublimity of naked rock, in wonder- 
 ful contrast v.ith innumerable green spots 
 of a rich floral beauty, shut up in their stern 
 recesses. Their wildness seems well suited 
 to the character of the people who inhabit 
 the country. 
 
 I determined to leave our animals here, 
 and make the rest of our way on foot. The 
 peak appeared so near, that there was no 
 doubt of our returning before night ; and a 
 few men were left in charge of the mules, 
 with our provisions and blankets. We took 
 with us nothing but our arms and instru- 
 ments, and, as the day had become warm, 
 the greater part left our coats. Having 
 made an early dinner, we started again. 
 We were soon involved in the most ragged 
 precipices, rearing the central chain very 
 slowly, and rising but little. The first ridge 
 hid a succession of others ; and when, with 
 great fatigue and difficulty, we had climbed 
 up five hundred feet, it was but to make an 
 equal descent on the other side ; all these in- 
 tervening places were filled with small deep 
 lakes, wliich met the eye in every direction, 
 descending from one level to another, some- 
 times under bridges formed by huge frag- 
 ments of granite, beneath which was heard 
 the roar of the water. These constantly ob- 
 structed our path, forcing us to make long 
 detours; frequently obliged to retrace our 
 steps, and frequently falling among the rocks. 
 Maxwell was precipitated toward the face 
 of a precipice, and saved himself from going 
 over by throwing himself flat on the ground. 
 We clambered on, always expecting, with 
 every ridge that we crossed, to reach the foci 
 of the peaks, and always disappointed, until 
 about four o'clock, when, pretty v.ell worn 
 out, we reached the shore cf a little lake in 
 
44 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 which was a rocky island. We remained 
 here a short lime to rest, and continued on 
 around the lake, which had in some places 
 a beach of white sand, and in others was 
 bound with rocks, over which the way was 
 difficult and dangerous, as tho water from 
 innumerable springs made them very slip- 
 pery. 
 
 By the time we had reached the farther 
 side of the lake, we found ourselves all ex- 
 ceedingly fatigued, and, much to the satis- 
 faction of the whole party, we encamped. 
 The spot we had chosen was a broad flat 
 rock, in some measure protected from tlic 
 winds by the surrounding crags, and tho 
 trunks of fallen pines afforded us bright 
 fires. Near by was a foaming torrent, wliicli 
 tumbled into the little lake about one hun- 
 dred and fifty feet below us, and which, by 
 way of distinction, we have called Island 
 lake. We had reached the upper limit of 
 the piney region ; as, above this point, no 
 tree was to be seen, and patches of snow lay 
 everywhere around us on the cold sides of 
 the rocks. The flora of the region we had 
 traversed since leaving our mules was ex- 
 tremely rich, and, among the characteristic 
 plants, the scarlet flowers of the dodecatheon 
 den'.atum everywhere met the eye in great 
 abundance. A small green ravine, on the 
 edge of which we were encamped, was filled 
 with a profusion of alpine plants in brilliant 
 bloom. From barometrical observations, 
 made during our three days' sojourn at this 
 place, its elevation above the Gulf of Mexico 
 is 10,000 feet. During the day, v/e had seen 
 no sign of animal life ; but among the rocks 
 here, we heard what was supposed to be the 
 bleat of a young goat, which we searched 
 for with hungry activity, and found to pro- 
 ceed from a small animal of a grey color, 
 with short ears and no tail — probably the 
 Siberian squirrel. We saw a considerable 
 number of them, and, with the exception of 
 a small bird like a sparrow, it is the only 
 inhabitant of this elevated part of the moun- 
 tains. On our return, we saw, below this 
 lake, large flocks of the mountain goat. We 
 had nothing to eat to-night. Lajeunesse, 
 with several others, took their guns, and 
 sallied out in search of a goat ; but returned 
 unsuccessful. At sunset, the barometer 
 stood at 20.522 ; the attached thermometer 
 60°. Here we had the misfortune to break 
 our thermometer, having now only that at- 
 tached to the barometer. I was taken ill 
 shortly after we had encamped, and continu- 
 ed so until late in the night, with violent 
 headache and vomiting. This was probably 
 caused by the excessive fatigue I had under- 
 gone, and want of food, and perhaps, also, 
 In some measure, by the rarity of the air. 
 The night was cold, as a violent gale from 
 the north had sprung up at sunset, which 
 
 entirely blew away the heat of the fires. 
 The cold, and our granite beds, had not been 
 favorable to sleep, and we were glad to see 
 the face of the sun in the morning. Not be- 
 ing delayed by any preparation for break- 
 fast, we set ouL immediately. 
 
 On every side as we advanced was heard 
 the roar of waters, and of a torrent, which 
 we followed up a short distance, until it ex- 
 panded into a lake about one mile in length. 
 On the northern side of the lake was a bank 
 of ice, or rather of snow covered witli a 
 crust of ice. Carson had been our guide 
 into the mountains, and, agreeably to his 
 advice, we left this little valley, and took to 
 the ridges again ; which we found extremely 
 broken, and where we were again involved 
 among precipices. Here were ice fields ; 
 among which we were all dispersed^ seeking 
 each the best path to ascend the peak. Mr. 
 Preuss attempted to walk along the upper 
 edge of one of these fields, which sloped 
 away at an angle of about twenty degrees ; 
 but his feet slipped from under him, and he 
 went plunging down the plane. A few 
 hundred feet below, at the bottom, were 
 some fragments of sharp rock, on which he 
 landed ; and though he turned a couple of 
 somersets, fortunately received no injury be- 
 yond a few bruises. Two of the men, Cle- 
 ment Lambert and Descoteanx, had been 
 taken ill, and lay down on the rocks a short 
 distance below; and at this point I was at- 
 tacked with headache and giddiness, accom- 
 panied by vomiting, as on thd day before. 
 Finding myself unable to proceed, I sent the 
 barometer over to Mr. Preuss, who was in a 
 gap two or three hundred yards distant, de- 
 siring him to reach the peak, if possible, and 
 take an observation there. He found him- 
 self unable to proceed further in that direc- 
 tion, and took an observation, where the ba- 
 rometer stood at 19.401 ; attached thermo- 
 meter 50o, in the gap. Carson, who had 
 gone over to him, succeeded in reaching one 
 of the snowy summits of the main ridge, 
 whence he saw the peak towards which all 
 our efforts had been directed, towering eight 
 or ten hundred feet into the air above him. 
 In the meantime, finding myself grow rather 
 worse than better, and doubtful how far my 
 strength would carry me, I sent Basil La- 
 jeunesse, with four men, back to tlie place 
 where the mul* had boen left. 
 
 We were now better acquainted with the 
 topography of the country, and I directed 
 him to bring back with him, if it were in 
 any way possible, four or five mules, with 
 provisions and blankets. With me were 
 Maxwell and Ayer ; and after we had re- 
 mained nearly an hour on the rock, it he- 
 came so unpleasantly cold, though the day 
 was bright, that we set out on our return to 
 tlie camp, at which we all arrived safely. 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 4S 
 
 straggling in one after the other. I con- 
 tinued ill during the afternoon, but became 
 better towards sundown, when my recovery 
 was completed by the appearance of Basil 
 and four men, all mounted. The men who 
 had gone with him had been too much fa- 
 tigued to return, and were relieved by those 
 in charge of the horses ; but in his powers 
 of endurance Basil resembled more a moun- 
 tain goat than a man. They brought blan- 
 kets and provisions, and we enjoyed well our 
 dried meat and a cup of good coffee. We 
 rolled ourselves up in our blankets, and, 
 with our feet turned to a blazing fire, slept 
 fioundly until morning. 
 
 AugvM 15. — It had been supposed that we 
 haci finished with the mountains ; and the 
 evening before, it had been arranged that 
 Carson should set out at daylight, and re- 
 turn to breakfast at the Camp of the Mules, 
 taking with him all but four or five men, 
 who were to stay with me and bring back 
 the mules and instruments. Accordingly, 
 at the break of day they set out. With Mr. 
 Preuss and myself remainfd Basil Lajeu- 
 iiessc, Clement Lambert, Janisse, and Desco- 
 teaux. When we had secured strength for 
 the day by a hearty breakfast, we covered 
 what remained, whicli was enough for one 
 meal, with rocks, in order that il might be 
 safe from any marauding bird ; and, saddling 
 our mules, turned our faces once more to- 
 wards the peaks. This time we determined 
 Xd proceed quietly and cautiously, deliber- 
 ately resolved to accomplish our object if it 
 were within the compass of human means. 
 We were of opinion that a long defile which 
 lay to«the left of yesterday's route would 
 lead us to the foot of the main peak. Our 
 mules had been refreshed by the fine grass 
 in the little ravine at the Island camp, and 
 v/e intended to ride up the defile as far as 
 possible, in order to husband our strength 
 for the main ascent. Though this was a 
 fine passage, still it was a defile of the most 
 rugged mountains known, and we had many 
 a rough and steep slippery place to cross 
 before reaching the end. In this place the 
 6un rarely shone; snow lay along the border 
 of the small stream which flowed through it, 
 and occasional icy passages made the foot- 
 ing of the mules very insecure, and the 
 rocks and ground were moist with the trick- 
 ling waters in this spring of mighty rivers. 
 We soon had the satisfaction to find our- 
 selves riding along the huge wall which 
 forms the central summits of the chain. 
 There at last it rose by our sides, a nearly 
 perpendicular wall of granite, terminating 
 2,000 to 3,000 feet above our heads in a ser- 
 Tated line of broken, jagged cones. We 
 rode on until we came almost immediately 
 below the main peak, which I denominated 
 the Snow pealc, as it exhibited more snow 
 
 (o the eye than any of the neighboring sum- 
 mits. Here were three small lakes of a 
 green color, each of perhaps a thousand 
 yards in diameter, and apparently very deep- 
 These lay in a kind of chasm ; and, accord- 
 ing to the barometer, we had attained but a 
 few hundred feet above the Island lake. The 
 barometer here stood at 20.450, attached 
 thermometer 70®. 
 
 We managed to get our mules up to a 
 little bench about a hundred feet above the 
 lakes, where there was a patch of good 
 grass, and turned them loose to graze. Du- 
 ring our rough ride to this place, they had 
 exhibited a wonderful surefootedness. Parts 
 of the defile were filled with angular, sharp 
 fragments of rock, three or four and eight or 
 ten feet cube ; and among these they had 
 worked their way, leaping from one narrow 
 point to another, rarely making a false step, 
 and giving us no occasion to dismount. 
 Having divested ourselves of every unneces- 
 sary encumbrance, we commenced the as- 
 cent. This time, like experienced travellers, 
 we did not press ourselves, but climbed 
 leisurely, sitting down so soon as we found 
 breath beginning to fail. At intervals we 
 reached places where a number of springs 
 gushed from the rocks, and about 1,800 feet 
 above the likes came to the snow line. 
 From this point our progress was uninter- 
 rupted climbing. Hitherto I had worn a 
 pair of thick moccasins, with soles of far- 
 JiScJie ; but here I put on a light thin pair, 
 which I had brought for the purpose, as now 
 the use of our toes became necessary to a 
 further advance. I availed myself of a sort 
 of comb of the mountain, which stood against 
 the wall like a buttress, and which the wind 
 and the solar radiation, joined to the steep- 
 ness of the smooth rock, had kept almost en- 
 tirely free from snow. Up this I made my 
 way rapidly. Our cautious method of ad- 
 vancing in the outset had spared my strength ; 
 and, with the exception of a slight disposi- 
 tion to headache, I felt no remains of yester- 
 day's illness. In a few minutes we reached 
 a point where the buttress was overhanging, 
 and there was no other way of surmounting 
 the difficulty than by passing around one 
 side of it, which was the face of a vertical 
 precipice of several hundred feet. 
 
 Putting hands and feet in the crevices be- 
 tween the blocks, I succeeded in getting 
 over it, and, when I reached the top, found 
 my companions in a small valley below. 
 Descending to them, we continued climbing, 
 and in a short time reached the crest. I 
 sprang upon the summit, and another step 
 would have precipitated me into an immense 
 snow field five hundred feet below. To the 
 edge of this field was a sheer icy precipice; 
 and then, with a gradual fall, the field sloped 
 off for about a mile, until it struck the foot 
 
46 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [184S 
 
 of another lower rWge. I stood on a narrow 
 creet, about three feet in width, with an in- 
 clination of about 20° N. 61° E. As soon 
 as I had gratified the first feelings of curi- 
 osity, I descended, and each man ascended 
 in his turn ; for I would only allow one at a 
 time to mount the unstable and precarious 
 slab, which it seemed a breath would hurl 
 into the abyss below. We mounted the ba- 
 rometer in the snow of the summit, and, fix- 
 ing a ramrod in a crevice, unfurled the na- 
 tional flag to wave in the breeze where never 
 flag waved before. During our morning's 
 ascent, we had met no sign of animal life, 
 except the small sparrow-like bird already 
 mentioned. A stillness the most profound 
 and a terrible solitude forced themselves con- 
 stantly on tlie mind as the great features of 
 the place. Here, on the summit, where the 
 stillness was absolute, unbroken by any 
 sound, and tiic solitude complete, we thought 
 ourselves beyond the region of animated life ; 
 but while we were sitting ont he rock, a soli- 
 tary bee (bromus, the humble bee) came 
 ■winging his flight from the eastern valley, 
 and lit on the knee of one of the men. 
 
 It was a strange place, the icy rock and 
 the highest peak of the Rocky monntaias, 
 for a lover of warm sunshine and flowers; 
 and we plea.sed ourselves witli the idea that 
 he was the first of his species to cross the 
 mountain barrier — a solitary pioneer to fore- 
 tell the advance of civilisation. I believe 
 that a moment's tliought would have made 
 us let him continue his way unharmed ; but 
 we carried out the law of this country, where 
 all animated nature seems at war ; and, seiz- 
 ing him immediately, put him in at least a 
 fit place — in the leaves of a large book, 
 among the flowers we had collected on our 
 way. The barometer stood at IS. 293, the 
 attached thermometer at 44'^ ; giving for the 
 elevation of tiiis summit 1 3,570 ieet above 
 the Gulf of Mexico, which may be called the 
 highest flight of the bee. It is certainly the 
 highest known flight of that in.sect. From 
 the description given by Mackenzie of tiic 
 mountains where he crossed them, with that 
 of a French officer still farther to the north, 
 and Colonel Long's measurements to the 
 south, joined to the opinion of the oldest tra- 
 ders of the country, it is presumed that this 
 is the highest peak of the Rocky mountains. 
 The day was sunny and bright, but a slight 
 shining mist hung over the lower plains, 
 which interfered with our view of the sur- 
 rounding country. On one side we over- 
 looked innumerable lakes and streams, the 
 spring of the Colorado of the Gulf of Cali- 
 fornia ; and on the other was the Wind river 
 valley, where were tiie heads of the Yellow- 
 stone branch of the Missouri ; far to the 
 north, we just could discover the snowy 
 heads of the Trois TiUons, whcxa were the 
 
 sources of the Missouri and Columbia rivers ;: 
 and at the southern extremity of the ridge, 
 the peaks were plainly visible, among which 
 were some of the springs of the Nebraska or 
 Platte river. Around us, the whole scene 
 had one main striking feature, which was 
 that of terrible convulsion. Parallel to ita 
 length, the ridge was split into chasms and 
 fissures ; between which rose the thin lofty 
 walls, terminated with slender minarets and 
 columns. According to the barometer, the 
 little crest of the wall on which we stood' 
 was three thousand five hundred and seventy 
 feet above that place, and two thousand 
 seven hundred and eighty above the little 
 lakes at the bottom, immediately at our feet. 
 Our camp at the Two Hills (an astronomical 
 station) bore south 3° east, which, with a 
 bearing aff^rward obtained from a fixed po- 
 sition, enabled us to locate the peak. The 
 bearing of the Trds Tetons was north fiO** 
 west, and the direction of the central ridge 
 of the Wind river mountains south 39° east. 
 The summit rock was gneiss, succeeded by 
 sienitic gneiss. Sienite and feldspar suc- 
 ceeded in our descent to the snow lino, 
 where we found a feldspathic granite. I 
 had remarked that the noise produced by tho 
 explosion of our pistols had the usual degree 
 of loudness, but was not in the lea.st pro- 
 longed, expiring almost instantaneously. 
 Having now made what observations ouv 
 means afforded, we proceeded to descend. 
 We had accomplished an object of laudable 
 ambition, and beyond the strict order of our 
 instructions. We had climbed the loftiest 
 peak of the Rocky mountains, and looketl 
 down upon the snow a thousand feet below, 
 and, standing where never human foot had 
 stood before, felt the exultation of first ex- 
 plorers. It was about 2 o'clock when we 
 left the summit ; and when we reached the 
 bottom, the sun had already sunk behind the 
 wail, and the day was drawing to a close. 
 It would have been pleasant to have lingered 
 here and on the summit longer ; but we hur- 
 ried away as rapidly as the ground would 
 permit, for it was an object to regain our 
 party as soon as possible, not knowing what 
 accident the next hour might bring forth. 
 
 We reached our deposit of provisions at 
 nightfall. Here was not the inn which 
 awaits the tired traveller on his return from 
 Mont Blanc, or the orange groves of Soutli 
 America, with their refreshing juices and soft, 
 fragrant air ; but we found our little aicke of 
 dried meat and collec undisturbed. Though 
 the moon was bright, the road was full of 
 precipice.-^, and the fatigue of the day had 
 been great. We therefore abandoned the 
 idea of rejoining our friends, ai>d lay down on 
 the rock, and, in spite of the cold, slept 
 soundly. 
 
 Atiguit lG.->-We lefl our encampment 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 47 
 
 with the daylight. We saw on onr way 
 large flocks of the mountain goat looking 
 down on us from the cliffs. At the crack of 
 a rifle, they would bound off among the rocks, 
 and in a few minutes make their appearance 
 on some lofty peak, some hundred or a thou- 
 sand feet above. It is needless to attemj)t 
 any further description of the country; tlic 
 portion over which we travelled this morning 
 was rough as imagination could picture it, 
 and to us seemed equally beautiful. A con- 
 course of lakes and rushing waters, moun- 
 tains of rocks naked and destitute of vegeta- 
 IAq earth, dells and ravines of the most 
 exquisite beauty, all kept green and fresh by 
 the great moisture in the air, and sown with 
 brilliant flowers, and everywhere thrown 
 around all the glory of most magnificent 
 scenes : these constitute the features of the 
 place, and impress themselves vividly on the 
 mind of the traveller. It was not until 11 
 o'clock that we reached the place where our 
 animals had been left, when we first attempt- 
 ed the mountains on loot. Near one of the 
 Ktill burning fires we found a piece of meat, 
 which our friends had thrown away, and 
 which furnished us a mouthful — a very 
 scanty breakfast. We continued directly 
 on, and reached our camp on the mountain 
 lake at dusk. We found all well. Nothing 
 had occurred to interrupt the quiet since our 
 departure, and the fine grass and good cool 
 vfater had done much to re-establish our ani- 
 mals. All heard with great delight the order 
 to turn our faces homeward ; and toward 
 sundown of the 17th, we encamped again at 
 the Two Buttes. 
 
 In the course of this afternoon's march, 
 tho barometer was broken past remedy. I 
 regretted it, as I was desirous to compare it 
 again with Dr. Engleman's barometers at St. 
 Itonis, to which mine were referred ; but it 
 had done its part well, and my objects were 
 mainly fulfilled. 
 
 Av.gusl 19. — We left our camp on Little 
 Sandy river about 7 in the morning, and tra- 
 versed the same sandy, undulating country. 
 The air was filled with the turpentine scent 
 of the various ariemisias, which are now in 
 bloom, and, numerous as they are, give mucli 
 gaiety to the landscape of the plains. At 
 10 o'clock, we stood exactly on the divide in 
 the pas.s, where the wagon road crosses, and, 
 descending immediately upon the Sweet 
 Water, halted to take a meridian observation 
 of the sun. The latitude was 42° 24' 32". 
 
 In the course of tiie afternoon we saw buf- 
 falo again and at our evening halt on the 
 Sweet Water the roasted ribs again made 
 their appearance around the fires ; and, with 
 them, eood humor, and laughter, and song, 
 were restored to the camp. Our coffee had 
 been expended, but wo now made a kind of 
 tea from the roots of the wild cherry tree. 
 
 August 23. — Yesterday evening we reach- 
 ed our encampment at Rock Independence, 
 where I took some astronomical observations. 
 Here, not unmindful of the custom of early 
 travellers and explorers in our country, I en- 
 graved on this rock of the Far West a sym- 
 bol of the Christian faith. Among the thickly 
 inscribed names, I made on the hard granite 
 the impression of a large cross, which I co- 
 vered with a black preparation of India rubber, 
 well calculated to resist the influence of wind 
 and rain. It stands amidst the names of 
 many who have long since found their way 
 to the grave, and lor whom the huge rock is 
 a giant gravestone. 
 
 One George Weymouth was sent out to 
 Maine by the Earl of Southampton, Lord 
 Arundel, and others ; and in tlie narrative of 
 their di.-scoveries, he says : " The next day, 
 we ascended in our pinnace that part of the 
 river which lies more to the westward, cany- 
 ing with us a cross — a thing never omitted by 
 any Christian traveller — which we erected, 
 at the ultimate end of our route." This was 
 in the year 1605; and in 1842 I obeyed the 
 feeling of early travellers, and left the im- 
 pression of the cross deeply engraved on the 
 vast rock one thousand miles beyond the 
 Mississippi, to whicii discoverers have giv^n 
 the national name of Rock Independence. 
 
 In obedience to my instructions to survey 
 the river Platte, if possible, I had determined 
 to make an attempt at this place. The India 
 rubber boat was filled witli air, placed in the 
 water, and loaded with what was necessary 
 for our operations ; and I embarked with Mr. 
 Preuss and a party of men. When we had 
 dragged our boat for a mile or two over the 
 sands, I abandoned the impossible undertak- 
 ing, and waited for the arrival of the party, 
 when we packed up our boat and equipage, 
 and at 9 o'clock were again moving along 
 on our land journey. We continued along 
 the valley on the right bank of the Sweet 
 Water, where the formation, as already de- 
 scribed, consists of a greyish micaceous sand- 
 stone, and tine-grained conglomerate, and 
 marl. We passed over a ridge which bor- 
 ders or constitutes the river hills of the 
 Platte, consisting of huge blocks, sixty or 
 eighty feet cube, of decomposing granite. 
 The cement which united them was proba- 
 bly of easier decomposition, and has disap- 
 peared and left them isolate, and separated 
 by small spaces. Numerous horns of the 
 mountain goat were lying among the rocks ; 
 and in the ravines were cedars, whose trunks 
 were of extraordinary size. From this ridge 
 we descended to a small open plain at the 
 mouth of the Sweet Water, which rushed 
 with a rapid current into the Platte, here 
 flowing along in a broad, and apparently 
 deep stream, which seemed, from its turbid 
 appearance, to be considerably swollen, t 
 
48 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [16431 
 
 obtained here some astronomical observations, 
 and the aflemoon was spent in getting our 
 boat ready for navigation the next day. 
 
 August 24. — We started before sunrise, 
 intending to breakfast at Goat Island. I had 
 directed the land party, in charge of Bernier, 
 to proceed to this place, where they were to 
 remain, should they find no note to apprise 
 them of our having passed. In the event of 
 receiving this information, they were to con- 
 tinue their route, passing by certain places 
 which had been designated. Mr. Preuss ac- 
 companied me, and with us were five of my 
 be«t men, viz : C. Lambert, Basil Lajeunesse, 
 Honor^ Ayot, Benoist, and Descoteau.\. 
 Here appeared no scarcity of water, and we 
 took on board, with various instruments and 
 baffgage, provisions for ten or twelve days. 
 We paddled down the river rapidly, for our 
 little craft was light as a duck on the water ; 
 and the sun had been some time risen, when 
 we heard before iis a hollow roar, which we 
 supposed to be that of a fall, of which we 
 had heard a vague rumor, but whose exact 
 locality no one hud been able to describe to 
 U3. We were approaching n ridge, through 
 which the river passes by a place called 
 " canon " (pronounced kamjmi), a Spanish 
 word, signifying a piece of artillery, the bar- 
 rel of a gun, or any kind of tube ; and which, 
 in this country, has been adopted to describe 
 the passage of a. river between perpendicular 
 rocks of great height, which frequently ap- 
 proach each other so closely overhead as to 
 form a kind of tunnel over the stream, which 
 foams along below, half choked up by fallen 
 fragments. Between the mouth of the 
 Sweet Water and Goat island, there is pro- 
 bably a fall of 300 feet, and that was princi- 
 pally made in the canons before us ; as, with- 
 out them, the water was comparatively 
 smooth. As we neared the ridge, the river 
 made a sudden turn, and swept squarely down 
 against one of the walls of the caiion with 
 a great velocity, and so steep a descent, that 
 it had, to the eye, the appearance of an in- 
 clined plane. When we launched into this, 
 the men jumped overboard, to check the ve- 
 locity of the boat, but were soon in water up 
 to their necks, and our boat ran on ; but we 
 succeeded in bringing her to a small point of 
 rocks on the right, at the mouth of the caiion. 
 Here was a kind of elevated sand beach, not 
 many yards square, backed by the rocks, and 
 around the point the river swept at a right 
 angle. Trunks of trees deposited on jutting 
 points 20 or 30 feet above, and other marks, 
 showed that the water here frequently rose 
 to a considerable height. The ridge was of 
 the same decomposing granite already men- 
 tioned, and the water had worked the surface, 
 in many places, into a wavy surface of ridgos 
 and holes. We ascended Uie rocks to recon- 
 
 noitre the ground, and from the summit the 
 passage appeared to be a continued cataract 
 foaming over many obstructions, and broken 
 by a number of small falls. We saw no- 
 where a fall answering to that which had 
 been described to us as having 20 or 25 feet ; 
 but still concluded this to be the place in 
 question, as, in the season of floods, the rush 
 of the river against the wall would produce 
 a great rise, and the waters, reflected squarely 
 off, would descend through the passage in a 
 sheet of foam, having every appearance of a 
 large fall. Eighteen years previous to this 
 time, as I have subsequently learned from> 
 himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, somewhere above 
 on this river, had embarked with a valuable 
 cargo of beaver. Unacquainted with tlie 
 stream, which he believed would conduct 
 him safely to the Missouri, he came unex- 
 pectedly into this caiion, where he was 
 wrecked, with the total loss of his furs. It 
 would have been a work of great time and 
 labor to pack our baggage across the ridge, 
 and I determined to run the cafion. We all 
 again embarked, and at first attempted to 
 check the way of the boat ; but the water 
 swept through with so much violence that 
 we narrowly escaped being swamped, and 
 were obliged to let her go in the full force of 
 the current, and trust to the skill of the boat- 
 men. The dangerous places in this caiioa 
 were where huge rocks had fallen from above, 
 and hemmed in the already narrow pass of 
 the river to an open space of three or four 
 and five feet. These obstructions raised the 
 water considerably above, which was some- 
 times precipitated over in a fall ; and at other 
 places, where this dam was too high, rushed 
 through the contracted opening with tremen- 
 dous violence. Had our boat been made of 
 wood, in passing the narrows she would have 
 been staved ; but her elasticity preserved her 
 unhurt from every shock, and she seemed 
 fairly to leap over the falls. 
 
 In this way we passed three cataracts ia 
 succession, where, perhaps 100 feet of smooth 
 water intervened ; and, finally, with a shout 
 of pleasure at our success, issued from our 
 tunnel into the open day beyond. We were 
 so delighted with the performance of our 
 boat, and so confident in her powers, that we 
 would not have hesitated to leap a fall often, 
 feet with fier. We put to shore for break- 
 fast at some willows on the right bank, im- 
 mediately below the mouth of the caiion ; for 
 it was now 8 o'clock, and we had been work- 
 ing since daylight, and were all wet, fatigued, 
 and hungry. While the men were prepar- 
 ing breakfast, I went out to reconnoitre. The 
 view was very limited. The course of the 
 river was smooth, so far as I could see ; on 
 both sides were broken hills ; and but a mile 
 or two below was another high ridge. The 
 
1842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMOiNT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 49 
 
 rock at the mouth of the canon was still the 
 decomposing granite, with great quantities 
 of mica, which made a very glittering sand. 
 We re-embarked at 9 o'clock, and in about 
 twenty minutes readied the next cainon. 
 Landing on a rocky shore at its commence- 
 ment, we ascended the ridge to reconnoitre. 
 Portage was out of the question. So far as 
 we could see, the jagged rocks pointed out 
 the course of the cailon, on a winding line 
 of seven or eight miles. It was simply a nar- 
 row, dark chasm in the rock ; and here the 
 perpendicular faces were much higher than 
 in the previous pass, being at this end two 
 to three hundred, and further down, as we 
 afterwards ascertained, live hundred feet in 
 vertical height. Our previous success had 
 made us bold, and we determined again to 
 run the caiion. Everything was secured as 
 firmly as possible; and having divested our- 
 selves of tlie greater part of our clothing, we 
 pushed into the stream. To save our chro- 
 nometer from accident, Mr. Preuss took it, 
 and attempted to proceed along tiie shore on 
 the masses of rock, which in places were 
 piled up on either side ; but, after he had 
 walked about five minutes, everything like 
 shore disappeared, and the vertical wall 
 came squarely down into the water. He 
 therefore waited until we came up. An 
 ugly pass lay before us. We had made fast 
 to the stern of the boat a strong rope about 
 fifty feet long ; and three of the men clam- 
 bered along among the rocks, and with this 
 rope let h(^ down slowly through the pass. 
 In several places high rocks lay scattered 
 about in the channel ; and in the narrows it 
 required all our strength and skill to avoid 
 staving the boat on the sharp points. In one 
 of these, the boat proved a little too broad, 
 and stuck fast for an instant, while the water 
 flew over us ; fortunately, it was but for an 
 instant, as our united strength forced her 
 immediately through. The water swept 
 overboard only a sextant and a pair of saddle- 
 bags. I caught the sextant as it passed by 
 me ; but the saddlebags became the prey of 
 the whirlpools. ,We reached the place where 
 Mr. Preuss was standing, took him on 
 board, and, with the aid of the boat, put the 
 men with tiie rope on the succeeding pile of 
 rocks. We found this passage much worse 
 than the previous one, and our position was 
 rather a bad one. To go back, was impos- 
 sible ; before us, the cataract was a sheet of 
 foam; and shut up in the chasm by the 
 rocks, which, in some places, seemed almost 
 to meet overhead, the roar of the water was 
 deafening. We pushed off again ; but, after 
 making a little distance, the force of the cur- 
 rent became too great for the men on shore, 
 and two of them let go the rope. Lajeu- 
 nesse, the third man, liung on, and was jerk- 
 ed headforemost into the river from a rock 
 
 about twelve feet high ; and down the boatshot 
 like an arrow, Basil following us in the rapid 
 current, and exerting all his strength to ke«p^ 
 in mid channel — his head only seen occa- 
 sionally like a black spot in the white foam. 
 How far we went, I do not exactly know;, 
 but we succeeded in turning the boat into an 
 eddy below. '-'C?-^ Dieu" said Basil La- 
 jeunesse, as he arrived immediately after us,, 
 " Je crois bien que fai nagi iin demi mile.'* 
 He had owed his lilie to his skill as a swim- 
 mer, and I determined to take him and the 
 two others on board, and trust to skill and 
 fortune to reach the other end in safety. We 
 placed ourselves on our knees, with the short 
 paddles in our hands, the most skilful boat- 
 man being at the bow ; and again we com- 
 menced our rapid descent. We cleared 
 rock after rock, and shot past fall after fall, 
 our little boat seeming to play with the cata- 
 ract. We became flushed with success, and 
 familiar with the danger; and, yielding to 
 the excitement of the occasion, broke forth 
 together into a Canadian boat song. Sing- 
 ing, or rather shouting, we dashed along; 
 and were, I believe, in the midst of the cho- 
 rus, when the boat struck a concealed rock 
 immediately at the foot of a fall, which 
 whirled her over in an instant. Three of 
 my men could not swim, and my first feel- 
 ing was to assist them, and save some of 
 our effects ; but a sharp concussion or two 
 convinced me that I had not yet saved my- 
 self. A few strokes brought me into an 
 eddy, and I landed on a pile of rocks on the 
 left side. Looking around, I saw that Mr. 
 Preuss had gained the shore on the same 
 side, about twenty yards below ; and a little 
 climbing and swimming soon brought him 
 to my side. On the opposite side, against 
 the wall, lay the boat bottom up ; and Lam- 
 bert was in the act of saving Descoteaux, 
 whom he had grasped by the hair, and 
 who could not swim ; " Luche pas" said 
 he, as I afterwards learned, " Idche. pas, cher 
 frerey "Grains pas," was the reply, " Je 
 m'era vais moiirir avani que de te Idcher" 
 Such was the reply of courage and gene- 
 rosity in this danger. For a hundred yards 
 below the current was covered with floating 
 books and boxes, bales of blankets, and scat- 
 tered articles of clothing ; and so strong and 
 boiling was the stream, that even our heavy 
 instruments, which were all in cases, kept 
 on the surface, and the sextant, circle, and 
 the long black box of the telescope, were in 
 view at once. For a moment, I felt some 
 what disheartened. All our books-^almoet 
 every record of the journey — our journals 
 and regi.'^ters of astronomical and barometri- 
 cal observations — had been lost in a moment. 
 But it was no time to indulge in regrets j 
 and I immediately set about endeavoring to 
 save something from the wreck. Makiog 
 
60 
 
 CAPT. FltEMONTS NARIL\TIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 ourselves understood as well as possible by 
 signs (lor nothing could be heard in the roar 
 of waters), we commenced our operations. 
 Of everything on board, the only article ti)at 
 had been saved was my double barrelled gun. 
 which Desc<:)teaux had cau^'ht, and clung to 
 with drowning tenacity. Tiie men continu- 
 ed down the river on the left bank. Mr. 
 Preu&s and myself descended on the side we 
 were on; and Lajeunesse, with a paddle in 
 his hand, jiimped on the boat alone, and con- 
 tinued down the caiion. She was now light, 
 and cleared every bad place with much less 
 difficulty. In a short time he was joined by 
 Lambert, and the search was continued for 
 about a mile and a half, which was as far as 
 the boat could proceed in the pass. 
 
 Here the walls were about live hundred 
 f^ct higii, and the fragments of rocks from 
 above had choked the river into a hollow 
 pa?s, but one or two feet above the surface. 
 Through this and the interstices of the rock, 
 the water found its way. Favored beyond 
 our e.xpectations, all of onr registers had 
 been recovered, with the exception of one 
 of my journals, which contained the notes 
 and incidents of travel, and topographical 
 descriptions, a number of scattered astrono- 
 mical observations, principally meridian alti- 
 tudes of the sun, aud our barometrical regis- 
 ter west of Laramie. Fortunately, our 
 other journals contained duplicates of the 
 most important barometrical observations 
 which had been taken in the mountains. 
 These, with a few scattered notes, were ail 
 that had been .preserved of our meteorologi- 
 cal observations. In addition to these, we 
 saved the circle ; and liiese, with a few 
 blankets, constituted everything that had 
 been rescued from tlie waters. 
 
 The day was running rapidly away, and 
 it was necessary to reach Goat island, whi- 
 tlier the party had preceded us, before niglit. 
 In this uncertain country, the traveller is so 
 much in the power of chance, that we be- 
 came somewhat uneasy in regard to them. 
 Hhould anything have occurred, in the brief 
 interval of our separation, to prevent our re- 
 joining them, our situation would be rather 
 a desperate one. We had not a morsel of 
 provisions — our arms and ammunition were 
 gone — and we were entirely at tlie mercy af 
 any straggling party of savages, and not a 
 litlle in danger of starvation. We therefore 
 set out at once in two parties. Mr. Preuss 
 and myself on the left, and the men on the 
 opposite side of the river. Climbing out of 
 the canon, we found ourselves in a very 
 broken country, where we were not yet able 
 to recognize any locality. In the course of 
 our descent through the cauon, the rock, 
 which at the upper end was of tiie decom- 
 posing granite, changed into a varied sand- 
 &toae formation. The bills and points of the 
 
 ridges were covere<l with fragments of a 
 yellow sandstone, of which the strata were 
 sometimes displayed in the broken ravines 
 which interrupted our course, and made our 
 walk extremely fatiguing. At one point of 
 the cafinn the red argillaceous sandstone 
 rose in a wall of five hundred feet, surmount- 
 ed by a etratum of white sandstone ; and in 
 an opposite ravine a column of red sandstone 
 rose, in form like a steeple, about one hundred 
 and fifty feet high. The .scenery was extreme- 
 ly picturesque, and notwithstanding our for- 
 lorn condition, we were frequently obliged to 
 stop and admire it. Our progress was not 
 very rapid. We had emerged from the water 
 half naked, and, on arriving at the top of the 
 precipice, I found myself with only one moc- 
 casin. The fragments of ruck made walk- 
 ing painful, and I was frequently obliged to 
 stop and pull out the tiionis of the cactus, 
 here the prevailing pl.ant, and with which a 
 few minutes' walk covered the bottom of my 
 feet. From this ridge the river emerged 
 into a smiling prairie, and, descending to t^e 
 bank for water, we were joined by Benoist. 
 The rest of the party were out of sight, 
 having taken a more inland route. We 
 crossed the river rejieatedly — sometimes 
 able to ford it, and sometimes swim.ming — 
 climbed over tlie ridges of two more canons, 
 and towards evening reached the cut, which 
 we here named the Hot Spring gate. On 
 our previous visit in July, we had not enter- 
 ed this pass, reserving it for our descent in 
 the boat ; and when we entered it this even- 
 ing, Mr. Preuss was a few hundred feet in 
 advance. Heated witli the long march, he 
 came suddenly upon a fine bold spring gush- 
 ing from the rock, about ten feet above the 
 river. Kagor to enjoy the crystal vv'ater, he 
 threw himself down for a hasty draught, and 
 took a mouthful of water almost boiling hot. 
 He said nothing to Bonoist, who laid himself 
 down to drink ; but the steam from the water 
 arrested his earrerness, and he escaped the 
 hot draught. We had no thermometer to 
 ascertain the temperature, but 1 could hold 
 my hand in the water just, long enough to 
 count two seconds. There are eight or ten 
 of these springs discharging themselves by 
 streams large enough to be called runs. A 
 loud hollow noise was heard from the rock, 
 which I supposed to be produced by the fall 
 of the water. The strata immediately where 
 they issue is a tine white and calcareous 
 sandstone, covered with an incrustation of 
 common salt. Leaving this Thermopylae of 
 the west, in a short walk v,e reached the red 
 ridge which has been described as lying j6st 
 above (Joat Island. Ascending this, we 
 found some fresh tracks and a button, which 
 showed that the other men had already ar- 
 rived. A shout from the man who first 
 reached the top of the ridge, responded to 
 
}842.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 51 
 
 from below, informed us that our friendg were 
 all on the island ; and Ave were soon among 
 them. We found some pieces of buflalo 
 standing around the fire for us, and managed 
 to get some dry clothes among the jieople. 
 A sudden storm of rain drove us into the 
 beet shelter we could find, where we slept 
 soundly, after one of the most fatiguing days 
 I have ever experienced. 
 
 August 25. — Early this morning Lajeu- 
 nesse was sent to the wreck for the articles 
 which had been saved, and about noon we 
 left the island. Tiie mare which we had 
 left here in July had much improved in con- 
 dition, and she served us well again for some 
 time, but was fina,lly abandoned at a subse- 
 quent part of the journey. At 10 in the 
 morning of the 26th we reached Cache 
 camp, where we found everything undis- 
 turbed. We disinterred our deposit, ar- 
 ranged our carts wiiich had been leit here on 
 the way out, and, travelling a few miles in 
 the afternoon, encamped for tlie night at the 
 ford of the Platte. 
 
 August 27. — At midday we halted at the 
 place where we had taken dinner on the 27lh 
 of July. The country which, when we pass- 
 ed up, looked as if the hard winter frosts 
 had passed over it, had now assumed a new 
 face, so much of vernal freshness had been 
 given to it by the late rains. The Platte was 
 exceedingly low — a mere line of water among 
 the sandbars. We reached Laramie fort on 
 the last day of August, after an absence of 
 forty-two days, and had the pleasure to find 
 our friends all well. The fortieth day had 
 been fixed for our return ; and the quick eyes 
 of the Indians, who were on the lookout for 
 us, discovered our flag as we wound among 
 the hills. The fort saluted us with repeated 
 discharges of its single piece, which we re- 
 turned with scattered volleys of our small 
 arms, and felt the joy of a home reception in 
 getting back to this remote station, which 
 seemed so far off as we went out. 
 
 On the morning of tlie 3d of September we 
 bade adieu to our kind friends at the fort, 
 and continued our homeward journey down 
 the Platte, which was glorious with the au- 
 tumnal splendor of innumerable flowers in 
 full and brilliant bloom. On the warm sands, 
 among the helianild, one of the characteristic 
 plants, we saw great numbers of rattlesnakes, 
 of which five or six were killed in the morn- 
 ing's ride. We occupied ourselves in im- 
 proving our previous survey of tiie river; 
 and, as the weather was fine, astronomical 
 observations were generally made at night 
 and at noon. 
 
 We halted for a short time on the after- 
 noon of the 6th with a village of Sioux In- 
 dians, some of whose chiefs we had met at 
 Laramie. The water in the Platte was ex- 
 tremely low ; in many places, the large ex- 
 
 panse of sands, with some occasional stunted 
 trees on the banks, gave it the air of the sea- 
 coast; the bed of the river being merely a 
 succession of sandbars, among which tlie 
 channel was divided into rivulets a few inches 
 deep. We crossed and recrossed with our 
 carts repeatedly and at our pleasure ; and, 
 whenever au obstruction barred our way, in 
 the shape of precipitous bluffs that came 
 down upon the river, we turned directly into 
 it, and made our way along the sandy bed, 
 with no other inconvenience than tiie fre- 
 quent quicksands, which greatly fatigued our 
 animals. Disinterring on the way the cache 
 which had been made by our party when they 
 ascended the river, we reached without ac- 
 cident, en the evening of the 12th of Sep- 
 tember, our old encampment of the 2d of July, 
 at the junction of the forks. Our cache of 
 the barrel of pork was found undisturbed, 
 and proved a seasonable addition to our stock 
 of provisions. At this place I had determin- 
 ed to make another attempt to descend the 
 Platte by water, and accordingly spent two 
 days in the construction of a bull boat. Men 
 were sent out on the evening of our arrival, 
 the necessary number of'bulis killed, and 
 their skins brought to the camp. Four of 
 the best of them were strongly sewed to- 
 gether with buffalo sinew, and stretched 
 over a basket frame of willow. The seams 
 were then covered with ashes and tallow, and 
 the boat left exposed to the sun for the great- 
 er part of one day, which was sufiicient to 
 dry and contract the skin, and make the whole 
 work solid and strong. It had a rounded 
 bow, was eight feet long and five broad, and 
 drew with four men about four inches water. 
 On the morning of thg 16th we embarked in 
 our hide boat, Mr. Preuss and myself, with 
 two men. We dragged her over the sands 
 for three or four miles, and then left her on 
 a bar, and abandoned entirely all further at- 
 tempts to navigate this river. The names 
 given by the Indians are always remarkably 
 appropriate ; and certainly none was ever 
 more so than that which they have given to 
 this stream — " the Nebra.ska, or Shallow 
 river." Walking steadily the remainder of 
 the day, a little before dark we overtook our 
 people at their remaining camp, about twenty- 
 one miles below the junction. The next 
 morning we crossed the Platte, and continued 
 our way down the river bottom on the left 
 bank, v/here we found an excellent plainly 
 beaten road. 
 
 On the 18th we reached Grand Island,, 
 which is fifty-tv/o miles long, with an ave- 
 rage breadth of one mile and three-quarters. 
 It has on it some small eminences, and is 
 sufficiently elevated to be secure from the 
 annual floods of the river. As has been 
 already remarked, it is well timbered, with 
 an excellent soil, and recommends itself to 
 
52 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 notice as the best point for a military position 
 09 the Lower Platte. 
 
 On the 22d we arrived at the village of 
 the Grand I'awnees, on the right bank of tlie 
 river, about thirty miles above the mouth of 
 the Loup fork. They wore gathering in 
 their corn, and wc obtained from them a very 
 welcome supply of vegetables. 
 
 The morning of the 21th we reached the 
 Loup fork of the Platle. At the place where 
 we forded it, this stream was four hundred 
 and thirty yards broad, with a swift current 
 of clear water ; in this respect, differing from 
 the Platte, which has a yellow muddy color, 
 derived from the limestone and marl form- 
 ation, of which we have previously spoken. 
 The ford was ditlicult, as tlie water was so 
 deep that it came into the body of the carts, 
 and we reached the opftosite bank after re- 
 peated attempts, ascending and do:^c^nding 
 the bed of the river in order to avail our- 
 eelves of the bars. We encamped on the 
 left bank of the fork, in the point of land at 
 its junction v/ith the Platte. During the 
 two days that we remained here for astro- 
 nomical observations, the bad weather per- 
 mitted us to obtain but one good observation 
 for the latitude — a meridian altitude of the 
 Bun, wbich gave for the latitude of the mouth 
 of the Loup fork, 41° 22' 11". 
 
 Five or six days previously, I had sent 
 forward C. Lambert, witfi two men, to Belle- 
 vue, with directions to ask from Mr. P. 
 Sarpy, the gentleman in charge of the Ame- 
 rican Company's establishment at that place, 
 the aid of his carpenters in constructing a 
 boat, in which I proposed to descend the 
 Missouri. On the afternoon of the 27th we 
 met one of the men, who had been despatch- 
 ed by Mr. Sarpy with a welcome supply of 
 provisions and a very kind note, which gave 
 us the very gratifying intelligence that our 
 boat was in rapid progress. On the evening 
 of the .30th we encamped in an almost im- 
 penetrable undergrowth on the left bank of 
 the Platte, in the point of land at its conflu- 
 ence with the Missouri — three hundred and 
 fifteen miles, according to our reckoning, 
 from the junction of the forks, and live hun- 
 dred and twenty from Fort Laramie. 
 
 From the junction we had found the bed 
 of the Platte occupied with numerous islands, 
 many of them very large, and all well tim- 
 
 bered ; possessing, as well as the bottom 
 lands of the river, a very excellent soil. 
 With the exception of some scattered groves 
 on the banks, the bottoms are generally 
 without tim!)er. A portion of these consist 
 of low grounds, covered with a profusion of 
 tine grasses, and are probably inundated in 
 the spring ; the remaining part is high river 
 prairie, entirely beyond the influence of the 
 floods. The breadth of the river is usually 
 three-quarters of a mile, except where it is 
 enlarged by islands. That portion of its 
 course which is occupied by Grand island 
 has an average breadth, from shore to shore, 
 of two and a half miles. 
 
 October 1. — I rose this morning long be- 
 fore daylight, and heard with a feeling of 
 pleasure the tinkling of cow-bells at the set- 
 tlements on the opposite side of the Missouri. 
 Early in the day wc reached Mr. Sarpy's 
 residence ; and, in the security and comfort 
 of his hospitable mansion, felt the pleasure 
 of being again within the pale of civilisa- 
 tion. We found our boat on the stock.s ; 
 a few days sufficed to complete her ; and, in 
 the afternoon of the 4th, we embarked on 
 the Missouri. All our ecpiipage — horses, 
 carts, and the materiel of the camp — hud 
 been sold at public auction at Bellevue. 
 The strength of my party enabled me to man 
 the boat with ten oars, relieved every hour; 
 and we descended rapidly. Early on the 
 morning of the tenth, we halted to make 
 some astronomical observations at the mouth 
 of the Kansas, exactly four months since we 
 had left the trading post of Mr. Cyprian 
 Chouteau, on the same river, ten miles 
 above. On our descent to this place, we 
 had employed ourselves in surveying and 
 sketching the Missouri, making astronomi- 
 cal observations regularly at night and at 
 midday, whenever 'the weather permitted. 
 These operations on the river were conti- 
 nued until our arrival at the city of St. Louis, 
 Missouri, on the 17th. At St. Louis, the 
 sale of our remaining effects was made ; 
 and, leaving that city by steamboat on the 
 13th, I had the honor to report to you at the 
 city of Washington on the 29th of October. 
 
 Very respectfully, sir. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 J. C. FREMONT, 
 2d Lieut. Corps of Topog'l Engineers, 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 53 
 
 ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 The longitudes given in the subjoined table are referred to the meridian of Greenwich. 
 
 For the determination of astronomical posi- 
 tions, we were provided with the following iu- 
 Btniinents : 
 Oue telescope, magnifying power 120. 
 One circle, by Gambey, Paris. 
 One sextant, by Gambey, Paris. 
 One sextant, by Troughton. 
 One box chronometer, No. 7,810, by French. 
 One Brockbank pocket chronometer. 
 One small watch with a light chronometer bal- 
 ance, No. 4,632, by Arnold & Dent. 
 The rate of the chronometer 7,810, is exhibit- 
 ed in the followuig statement : 
 
 " New York, Maij 5, 1842. 
 "Chronometer No. 7,810, by French, is this 
 day at noon — 
 " Sloio of Greenwich mean time 11' 4" 
 " Fa^t of New York mean time 4A.45' 1" 
 " Loses per day . . . ^"vo 
 
 "ARTHUR STEWART, 
 
 " 74 Merchants' Exchange." 
 
 An accident among some rough ground in 
 the neighborhood of the Kansas river, strainer! 
 the balance of this chronometer, (No. 7,810,) 
 and rendered it useless during the remainder of 
 the campaign. From the Dlh of Juno to the 
 24th of August, inclusively, the longitudes de- 
 pend upon the Brockbank pocket chronometer ; 
 the rate of wliich, on leaving St. Louis, was 
 fourteen seconds. The rate obtained by obac-r- 
 vations at Fort Laramie, 14".U5, liaa been used 
 in calculation. 
 
 From the 24th of August until the termina- 
 tion of the journey, No. 4,632 (of which tlw 
 rate was S5".79) was used for tlio same pur- 
 poses. The rate of this watch was irregular, 
 and I place but little confidence in the few 
 longitudes which depend upon it, though, po far 
 as wo have any means of judgmg, they appear 
 tolerably correct. 
 
 Table of latitudes and longitudes, deduced from observations made during 
 
 t lie journey. 
 
 Date. 
 
 Station. 
 
 Latitude. 
 
 Longitude. 
 
 1842. 
 
 
 De£^, min 
 
 sec. 
 
 Deg. min. sec. 
 
 May 27. 
 
 St. Louis, residence of Colonel Brant - - - 
 
 38 37 
 
 34 
 
 
 Juno 8 
 
 Chouteau's lower trading post, Kansas river - 
 
 39 05 
 
 57 
 
 94 25 4G 
 
 IG 
 
 Left bank of the Kansas river, seven miles above the 
 
 
 
 
 
 ford 
 
 39 06 
 
 40 
 
 95 38 05 
 
 18 
 
 Vermilion creek ...... 
 
 39 15 
 
 19 
 
 86 04 OT 
 
 19 
 
 Cold Springs, near the road to Laramie 
 
 39 30 
 
 40 
 
 96 14 49 
 
 20 
 
 Big Blue river -.--... 
 
 39 45 
 
 08 
 
 96 32 35 
 
 25 
 
 Little Blue river ...... 
 
 40 26 
 
 50 
 
 98 '22 12 
 
 26 
 
 Right bank of Platte river - . - - - 
 
 40 41 
 
 06 
 
 98 45 49 
 
 27 
 
 Right bank of Platte river - - - . . 
 
 40 39 
 
 32 
 
 99 05 24 
 
 28 
 
 Right bank of Platte river . . - - . 
 
 40 39 
 
 51 
 
 
 30 
 
 Right bank of Platte river . . - . - 
 
 40 39 
 
 55 
 
 100 05 47 
 
 July 2 
 
 Junction of north and south forks of the Nebraska 
 
 
 
 
 
 or Platte river ...... 
 
 41 05 
 
 05 
 
 100 49 43 
 
 4 
 
 South fork of Platte river, left bank. 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 South fork of Platte river, island . - - - 
 
 40 51 
 
 17 
 
 103 07 
 
 7 
 
 South fork of Platte river, left bank ... 
 
 40 '53 
 
 26 
 
 103 30 37 
 
 11 
 
 South fork of Platte river, St. Vrain's fort 
 
 40 22 
 
 35 
 
 105 12 12 
 
 12 
 
 Crow creek ....... 
 
 40 41 
 
 59 
 
 104 57 49 
 
 13 
 
 On a stream, name unknown .... 
 
 41 08 
 
 30 
 
 104 39 37 
 
 14 
 
 Horse creek, Goshen's hole? .... 
 
 41 40 
 
 13 
 
 104 24 36 
 
 16 
 
 Fort Laramie, near the mouth of Laramie's fork - 
 
 42 12 
 
 10 
 
 104 47 43 
 
 23 
 
 North fork of Platte river 
 
 42 39 
 
 25 
 
 104 59 59 
 
 24 
 
 North fork of Platte river 
 
 42 47 
 
 40 
 
 
 25 
 
 North fork of Platte river. Dried Meat camp - 
 
 42 51 
 
 35 
 
 105 50 45 
 
 26 
 
 North fork of Platte river, noon halt ... 
 
 42 50 
 
 08 
 
 
 ^6 
 
 North fork of Platte river, mouth of Deer creek 
 
 42 52 
 
 24 
 
 106 08 24 
 
 28 
 
 North fork of Platte river, Cache camp 
 
 42 50 
 
 53 
 
 106 38 26 
 
 ^ 
 
 North fork of Platte river, left bank - - - 
 
 42 38 
 
 01 
 
 106 54 32 
 
64 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 Table of latitudes and longitudes — Continued. 
 
 [1842. 
 
 1842. 
 July 30 
 Aug. 1 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 19 
 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 £2 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 30 
 
 Sept. 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 9 
 10 
 16 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 20 
 21 
 23 
 23 
 25 
 28 
 29 
 Oct. 2 
 
 5 
 6 
 6 
 8 
 10 
 
 North fork of Platte river, Goat island - - - 
 
 Sweet Water river, one mile below Rock Indepen- 
 dence ---.---. 
 
 Sweet Water river ---... 
 
 Sweet Water river ...... 
 
 Little Sandy creek, tributary to the Colorado of the 
 West 
 
 New fork, tributary to the Colorado ... 
 
 Mountain lake ....... 
 
 Highest peak pf the Wind river mountains. 
 
 tSwcct Water, neon halt . . . . . 
 
 Sweet Water river ...... 
 
 Sweet Water river --..-. 
 
 Sweet Water river, noon halt . . . . 
 
 Sweet Water river, at Rock Independence - 
 
 North fork of Platte river, mouth of Sweet Water - 
 
 Ilorse-shoe creek, noon halt . . . . 
 
 North fork of Platte river, right bank - 
 
 North fork of Platte river, near Scott's bluffs . 
 
 North fork of Platte river, right bank, eix miles above 
 Chimney rock ---... 
 
 North fork of Platte river, mouth of Ash creek 
 
 North fork of Platte river, right bank ... 
 
 North fork of Platte river. Cedar blufls - 
 
 Platte river, noon halt ..... 
 
 Platte river, left bank ...... 
 
 Platte river, left bank . - w . . . 
 
 Platte river, loft bank ...... 
 
 Platte river, left bank 
 
 Platte river, noon halt, left bank .... 
 
 Platte river, left bank ...... 
 
 Platte river, left bank ...... 
 
 Platte river, noon halt, left bank - - . - 
 
 Platte river, left bank -.--.. 
 
 Platte river, mouth of Ijoiip fork .... 
 
 Platte river, mouth of Elk Horn river ... 
 
 Platte river, left bank ...... 
 
 Bellevue, at the post of the American Fur Company, 
 right bank of the Missouri river ... 
 
 Left bank of the Missouri, opposite to the right bank 
 of the mouth of the Platte .... 
 
 Missouri river ....... 
 
 Bertholet's island, noon halt .... 
 
 Missouri river, mouth of Nishnabatona river - 
 
 Missouri river, left bank ..... 
 
 Missouri river, mouth of the Kansas river 
 
 Deg. min. sec. 
 
 42 33 27 
 
 42 29 56 
 
 42 32 31 
 
 42 27 15 
 
 42 27 34 
 
 42 42 46 
 
 42 49 49 
 
 42 24 32 
 
 42 22 22 
 
 42 31 46 
 
 42 26 10 
 
 42 29 36 
 
 42 27 18 
 
 42 24 34 
 
 42 01 40 
 
 41 54 38 
 
 41 43 36 
 
 41 17 19 
 
 41 14 30 
 
 41 10 16 
 
 40 54 31 
 
 40 52 34 
 
 40 42 38 
 
 40 40 21 
 
 40 -39 4^4 
 
 40 48 19 
 
 40 54 02 
 
 41 05 37 
 41 20 20 
 41 22 52 
 41 22 11 
 41 09 34 
 41 02 15 
 
 41 08 24 
 
 41 02 11 
 
 40 34 08 
 
 40 27 08 
 
 40 16 40 
 
 39 36 02 
 
 39 06 03 
 
 Deg. min. tec. 
 
 107 13 29 
 
 107 25 23 
 
 108 30 13 
 
 109 21 32 
 
 109 37 59 
 
 109 58 11 
 
 110 08 c:^, 
 
 95 20 
 
A REPORT 
 
 THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION 
 
 OREGON AND NORTH CALIFORNIA, 
 
 IN THE YEARS 1843-'44. 
 
 Washington City, March 1, 1845. 
 Colonel J. J. Abert, Chief of i he 
 Corps of Topographical Engineers : 
 Sir : — In pursuance of your instructions, 
 to connect the reconnoissance of 1842, which 
 I had the honor to conduct, with the surveys 
 of Commander Wilkes on the coast of the 
 Pacific ocean, so as to give a connected sur- 
 vey of the interior of our continent, I pro- 
 ceeded to the Great West early in the spring 
 of 1S43, and arrived, on the 17ih of May, 
 at the little town of Kansas, on the Mis- 
 souri frontier, near the junction of the Kan- 
 sas river with the Missouri river, where I 
 was detained near two weeks in completing 
 the necessary preparations for the exten(Jed 
 explorations which my instructions contem- 
 plated. 
 
 My party consisted principally of Creole 
 and Canadian French, and Americans, 
 amounting in all to 39 men ; among wiiom 
 you will recognise several of those who 
 were with me in my first expedition, and 
 who have been favorably brought to your 
 notice in a former report. Mr. Thomas 
 Fitzpatrick, whom many years of hardship 
 and exposure in the western territories, had 
 rendered familiar with a portion of the coun- 
 try it was designed to explore, had been se- 
 lected as our guide ; and Mr. Charles 
 Preuss, who had been my assistant in the 
 previous journey, was again associated with 
 mo in the same capacity on the present ex- 
 pedition. Agreeably to your directions, 
 Mr. Theodore Talbot, of Washington city, 
 bad been attached to the party, with a view 
 •to advancement in his profession ; and at 
 St. Louis I had been joined by Mr. Frede- 
 rick Dwight, a gentleman of Springfield, 
 Massachusetts, who availed himself of our 
 overland journey, to visit the Sandwich 
 
 Islands and China, by way of Fort Van- 
 couver. 
 
 The men engaged for the service v>-ere : 
 
 Alexis Ayot, 
 Fran^'ois Badeau, 
 Oliver Beaulieu, 
 Baptiste Bernier, 
 John A. Campbell, 
 John G. Campbell, 
 Manuel Chapman, 
 Ransom Clark, 
 Philibert Courteau, 
 Michel Cr( lis, 
 William Cieuss, 
 Clinton Deforest, 
 Baptiste Derosier, 
 Basil Lajeunesse, 
 
 Louis M>!:nard, 
 Louis Montreuil, 
 Samuel Neal, 
 Alexis Per a, 
 Frangois Pera, 
 James Power^ 
 Raphael Proue, 
 Oscar Sarpy, 
 Baptiste Tabeau, 
 Charles Taplin, 
 Baptiste Tesson, 
 Auguste Vasquex, 
 Joseph Verrot, 
 Patrick V/hite, 
 
 Francois Lajeunesse, Tiery Wright, 
 Henry Lee, Louis Zinde), and 
 
 Jacob Dodson, a free young colored man of 
 Washington city, w'ho volunteered to .ac- 
 company the expedition, and performed his 
 duty manfully throughout the voyage. Two 
 Delaware Indians — a fine-looking old man 
 and his son — were engaged to accompany 
 the expedition as hunters, through the kind- 
 ness of Major Cummins, the excellent In- 
 dian agent. L. Maxwell, who had accom- 
 panied the expedition as one of the hunters 
 in 1842, being on his way to Taos, in Nev/ 
 Mexico, also joined us at this place. 
 
 The party was armed generally witii 
 Hall's carbines, which, with a brass 12-lb. 
 howitzer, had been furnished to me from the 
 United States arsenal at St. Louis, agreea- 
 bly to the orders of Colonel S. W. Kearney, 
 commanding the 3l! military division. Three 
 m^en were especially detailed for the man- 
 agement of this piece, under the charge of 
 Louis Zindel, a native of Germany, who had 
 been 19 years a non-commissioned officer 
 
66 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1845. 
 
 of artillery in the Prussian army, and regu- 
 larly instructed in the duties of his profes- 
 sion. The camp equipage and provisions 
 were transported in twelve carts, drawn 
 each by two mules ; and a light covered 
 wagon, mounted on good springs, had been 
 provided for the safer carriage of instru- 
 ments. These were : 
 
 One refracting telescope, by Frauenho- 
 fer. 
 
 One reflecting circle, by Gambey. 
 
 Two sextants, by Troughton. 
 
 One pocket chronometer, No. 837, by 
 Goffe, Falmouth. 
 
 One pocket chronometer, No. 739, by 
 Brockbank. 
 
 One syphon barometer, by Bunten, Paris. 
 
 One cistern barometer, by Frye & Shaw, 
 New York. 
 
 Six thermometers, and a number of small 
 compasses. 
 
 To make the exploration as useful as pos- 
 sible, I determined, in conformity to your 
 general instructions, to vary the route to 
 the Rocky mountains from that followed in 
 the year 1842. The route was then up the 
 valley of the Great Platte river to the South 
 Pass, in north latitude 42^ ; the route now- 
 determined on was up the valley of the 
 Kansas river, and to the head of the Ar- 
 kansas river, and to some pass in the moun- 
 tains, if any could be found, at the sources 
 of that river. 
 
 By making this deviation from the former 
 route, the problem of a new road to Oregon 
 and California, in a climate more genial, 
 might be solved ; and a better knowledge 
 obtained of an important river, and the coun- 
 try it drained, while the great object of the 
 expedition would find its point of commence- 
 ment at the termination of the former, which 
 was at that great gate in the ridge of the 
 Rocky mountains called the South Pass, 
 and on the lofty peak of the mountain which 
 overlooks it, deemed the highest peak in the 
 ridge, and from the opposite sides of which 
 four great rivers take their rise, and flow to 
 the Pacific or the Mississippi. 
 
 Various obstacles delayed our departure 
 until the morning of the 29th, w-hen we com- 
 menced our long voyage ; and at the close of a 
 day, rendered disagreeably cold by incessant 
 rain, encamped about four miles beyond the 
 frontier, on the verge of the great prairies. 
 
 Resuming our journey on the 3ist, after 
 the delay of a day to complete our equip- 
 ment and furnish ourselves with some of 
 the comforts of civilized life, we encamped 
 in the evening at Elm Grove, in company 
 with several emigrant wagons, constituting 
 a party which was proceeding to Upper Cal- 
 ifornia, under the direction of Mr. J. B. 
 Childs, of Missouri. The wagons were va- 
 riously freighted with goods, furniture, and 
 
 farming utensils, containing among otber 
 things an entire set of machinery for a mill 
 which Mr. Childs designed erecting on the 
 waters of the Sacramento river emptying 
 into the bay of San Francisco. 
 
 We were joined here by Mr. William 
 Gilpin, of Missouri, who, intending this 
 year to visit the settlements in Oregon, had 
 been invited to accompany us, and proved 
 a useful and agreeable addition to the par- 
 ty. From this encampment, our route un- 
 til the 3d of June was nearly the same as 
 that described to you in 1842. Trains of 
 wagons were almost constantly in sight; 
 giving to the road a populous and animated 
 appearance, although the greater portion of 
 the emigrants were collected at the cross- 
 ing, or already on their march beyond the 
 Kansas river. 
 
 Leaving at the ford the usual emigrant 
 road to the mountains, we continued our 
 route along the southern side of the Kan- 
 sas, where we found the country much more 
 broken than on the northern side of tho 
 liver, and where our progress was much 
 delayed by the numerous small streams, 
 which obliged us to make frequent bridges. 
 On the morning of the 4th, we crossed a 
 handsome stream, called by the Indians Ot- 
 ter creek, about 130 feet wide, where a flak 
 stratum of limestone, which forms the bed, 
 made an excellent ford. We met here a 
 small party of Kansas and Delaware In- 
 dians, the latter returning from a hunting 
 and trapping expedition on the upper waters 
 of the river ; and on the heights above were 
 five or six Kansas women, engaged in dig- 
 ging prairie potatoes, {psoralen esculcnta.) 
 On the afternoon of the 6th, w'hile busily 
 engaged in crossing a wooded stream, we 
 were thrown into a little confusion by the 
 sudden arrival of Maxwell, who entered the 
 camp at full speed at the head of a war 
 party of Osage Indians, with gay red blank- 
 ets, and heads shaved to the scalp lock. 
 They had run him a distance of about niae 
 miles, from a creek on which we had eiv- 
 camped the day previous, and to which he 
 had returned in search of a runaway horse 
 belonging to Mr. Dv/ight, which had takeu 
 the homeward road, carrying with him sad- 
 dle, bridle, and holster pistols. The Osages 
 were probably ignorant of our strength, and, 
 when they charged into the camp, drove ofi" 
 a number of our best horses ; but we wero 
 fortunately well mounted, and, after a hard 
 chase of seven or eight miles, succeeded in 
 recovering them all. This accident, which 
 occasioned delay and trouble, and threatened 
 danger and loss, and broke down some good 
 horses at the start, and actually endangered 
 the expedition, was a first fruit of having 
 gentlemen in company — very estimable, to 
 be sure, but who are not trained to the care 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 57 
 
 and vigilance and self-depsndence which 
 such an expedition required, and who are 
 not subject to the orders which enforce at- 
 tention and exertion. We arrived on the 
 8lh at lh6 mouth of the Smoky-hill fork, 
 which is the principal southern branch of 
 the Kansas ; ibnuing here, by its junction 
 with the Republican, or northern branch, 
 the main Kansas river. Neither stream 
 was fordable, and the necessity of making 
 a raft, together with bad weather, detained 
 U8 here until the morning of the lllh; when 
 we resumed our journey along the Republi- 
 can fork. By our observations, the junc- 
 tion of the streams is in latitude 39^ 03' 38", 
 longitude 96° 24' 56", and at an elevation 
 of 9i26 feet above the gulf of Mexico For 
 several days we continued to travel along 
 the Republican, through a country beauti- 
 fully watered with numerous streams, hand- 
 eomely timbered ; and rarely an incident 
 ■occurred to vary the monotonous resem- 
 blance which one day on the prairies here 
 bears to another, and which scarcely re- 
 quire a particular description. Now and 
 then, we caught a glimpse of a small herd 
 of elk ; and occasionally a band of ante- 
 lopes, whose curiosity sometimes brought 
 them within rifle range, would circle round 
 Ds, and then scour off into the prairies. 
 As we advanced on our road, these became 
 more frequent ; but as we journeyed on the 
 line usually followed by the trapping and 
 -hunting parlies of the Kansas and Dela- 
 ware Indians, game of every kind continued 
 very shy and wild. The bottoms which 
 form the immediate valley of the main riv- 
 -er were generally about three miles wide ; 
 having a rich soil of black vegetable mould, 
 and, for a prairie country, well interspersed 
 with wood. The country was everywliere 
 covered with a considerable variety of 
 grasses, occasionally poor and thin, but far 
 more frequently luxuriant and rich. We 
 had been gradually and regularly ascending 
 in our progress westward, and on the even- 
 ing of the 14th, when we encamped on a 
 little creek in the valley of the Republican, 
 265 miles by our travelling road from the 
 mouth of the Kansas, we were at an eleva- 
 tion of 1,520 feet. That part of the river 
 where we were now encamped is called by 
 the Indians the Big Timber. Hitherto our 
 route had been laborious and extremely 
 slow, the unusually wet spring and constant 
 rain having so saturated the whole country 
 that it was necessary to bridge every water- 
 course, and, for days together, our usual 
 TOarch averaged only five or six miles. 
 Finding that at such a rate of travel it 
 would be impossible to comply with your 
 instructions, 1 determined at this place to 
 divide the party, and, leaving Mr. Filzpat- 
 jcick with twenty-five men in charge of the 
 
 provisions and heavier baggage of the camp, 
 to proceed myself in advance, with a light 
 party of fifteen men, taking with me the 
 howitzer and the light wagon which carried 
 the instruments. 
 
 Accordingly, on the morning of the ICth, 
 the parties separated ; and. bearing a little 
 out from the river, with a view of heading 
 some of the numerous affluents, after a fev/ 
 hours' travel over somewhat broken ground, 
 we entered upon an extensive and high level 
 prairie, on which we encamped towards 
 evening at a little stream, where a single 
 dry cotton-wood afforded the necessary fuel 
 for preparing supper. Among a variety of 
 grasses which to-day made their first ap- 
 pearance, T noticed bunch-grass, (festuca,) 
 and buffalo-grass, {sesleria dactyloidcs.) 
 Amorpha canescens (lead plant) continued 
 the characteristic plant of the country, and 
 a narrow-leaved lathyrus occurred during 
 the morning in beautiful patches. Sida coc- 
 cinea occurred frequently, with a psoralia 
 near psoralia Jloribunda, and a number of 
 plants not hitherto met, just verging into 
 bloom. The water on which we had en- 
 camped belonged to Solomon's fork of 
 the Smoky-hill river, along whose trib- 
 utaries we continued to travel for several 
 days. 
 
 The country afforded us an excellent 
 road, the route being generally over high 
 and very level prairies ; and we met with 
 no other delay than being frequently obliged 
 to bridge one of the numerous streams, 
 which were well timbered with ash, elm, 
 Cottonwood, and a very large oak — the lat- 
 ter being occa-sionally five and six feet in 
 diameter, with a spreading summit. Sida 
 coccinea is very frequent in vermilion-col- 
 ored patches on the high and low prairie ; 
 and I remarked that it has a very pleasant 
 perfume. 
 
 The wild sensitive plant (schran/cia an- 
 gustata) occurs frequently, generally on the 
 dry prairies, in valleys of streams, and fre- 
 quently on the broken prairie bank. I re- 
 mark that the leaflets close instantly to a 
 very light touch. Amorpha, with the same 
 psoralea, and a dwarf species of lupinus, 
 are the characteristic plants. 
 
 On the 19th, in the afternoon, we crossed 
 the Pawnee road to the Arkansas, and trav- 
 elling a few miles onward, the monotony of 
 the prairies was suddenly dispelled by the 
 appearance of five or six bulfalu bulls, form- 
 ing a vanguard of immense herds, among 
 which we were travelling a few days after- 
 wards. Prairie dogs were seen for the first 
 time during the day ; and we had the good 
 fortune to obtain an antelope for supi)er. 
 Our elevation had now increased to 1,900 
 feet. Sida coccinea was a characteristic on 
 the creek bottoms, and buffalo grass is be- 
 
58 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [181S, 
 
 coining abundant on the higher parts of the 
 ridges. 
 
 June 21. — During the forenoon we trav- 
 elled up a branch of the creek on which 
 we had encamped, in a broken country, 
 where, however, the dividing ridges always 
 afforded a good road. Plants were few ; 
 and with tlie short sward of the buffalo 
 grass, which now prevailed everywhere, 
 giving to the prairies a smooth and mossy 
 appearance, were mingled frequent patches 
 of a beautiful red grass, {aristida pallens,) 
 which had made its appearance only within 
 the last few days. 
 
 We halted to noon at a solitary cotton- 
 wood in a hollow, near which was killed the 
 first buffalo, a large old bull. * 
 
 Antelope appeared in bands during the 
 day. Crossing here to the affluents of the 
 Republican, we encamped on a fork, about 
 forty feet wide and one foot deep, flowing 
 with a swift current over a sandy bed, and 
 well wooded wilh ash-leaved maple, {ne- 
 gu7ido fraxinifolium,) elm, cotton-wood, and 
 a few white oaks. We were visited in the 
 evening by a very violent storm, accompa- 
 nied by wind, lightning, and thunder ; a cold 
 rain falling in torrents. According to the 
 barometer, our elevation was 2,130 feet 
 above the gulf. 
 
 At noon, on the 23d, we descended into 
 the valley of a principal fork of the Re- 
 publican, a beautiful stream with a dense 
 border of wood, consisting principally of 
 varieties of ash, forty feet wide and four 
 feet deep. It was musical with the notes 
 of many birds, which, from the vast expanse 
 of silent prairie around, seemed all to have 
 collected here. We continued during the 
 afternoon our route along the river, which 
 was populous with prairie dogs, (the bot- 
 toms being entirely occupied with their vil- 
 lages,) and late in the evening encamped on 
 its banks. The prevailing timber is a blue- 
 foliaged ash, (J'raxinus, near F. Ameri- 
 cana,) and ash-leaved maple. With these 
 ^f,CTe fraxiiiu.'; Americana, cotton-wood, and 
 long-leaved willow. We gave to this stream 
 the name of Prairie Dog river. Elevation 
 2,350 feet. Our road on the 25lh lay over 
 iiigh smooth ridges, 3,100 feet above the 
 sea ; buffalo in great numbers, absolutely 
 covering the face of the country. At even- 
 ing we encamped within a few miles of the 
 main Republican, on a little creek, where 
 X\\e air was fragrant with the perfume of 
 artemisia filifolia, which we here saw for 
 the first time, and which was now in bloom. 
 Shortly after leaving our encampment on 
 the 26th, we found suddenly that the nature 
 of the country had entirely changed. Bare 
 sand hills everywhere surrounded us in the 
 undulating ground along which we v/ere 
 moving ; and the plants peculiar to a sandy 
 
 soil made their appearance in abundance. 
 A few miles further we entered the valley 
 of a large stream, afterwards known to be 
 the Republican fork of the Kansas, whose 
 shallow waters, with a depth of only a few 
 inches, were spread out over a bed of yel- 
 'lowish white sand 600 yards wide. With 
 the exception of one or two distant and de- 
 tached groves, no timber of any kind was 
 to be seen ; and the features of the country 
 assumed a desert character, with which the 
 broad river, struggling for exi.?tence among 
 quicksands along the treeless banks, was 
 strikingly in keeping. On the opposite side, 
 the broken ridges assumed almost a moun- 
 tainous appearance ; and fording the stream, 
 we continued on our course among these 
 ridges, and encamped late in the evening at 
 a little pond of very bad water, from which 
 we drove away a herd of buffalo that were 
 standing in and about it. Our encampment 
 this evening was 3,500 feet above the sea. 
 We travelled now for several days through 
 a broken and dry sandy region, about 4,000 
 feet above the sea, where there were no 
 running streams ; and some anxiety was 
 constantly felt on account of the uncertainty 
 of water, which was only to be found in 
 small lakes that occurred occasionally among 
 the hills. The discovery of these always 
 brought pleasure to the camp, as around 
 them were generally green flats, which af- 
 forded abundant pasturage for our animals ; 
 and here were usually collected herds of the 
 buffalo, which now were scattered over all 
 the country in countless numbers. 
 
 The soil of bare and hot sands supported 
 a varied and exuberant growth of plants, . 
 which were much farther advanced than we 
 had previously found them, and v.hose showy 
 bloom somewhat relieved the appearance of 
 general sterility. Crossing the summit of an 
 elevated and continuous range of rolling 
 hills, on the afternoon of the 30th of June, 
 we found ourselves overlooking a broad and 
 misty valley, where, about ten miles distant, 
 and 1,000 feet below us, the South fork of 
 the Platte was rolling magnificently along, 
 swollen with the waters of the melting 
 snows. It was in strong and refreshing 
 contrast with the parched country from 
 which we had just issued ; and when, at 
 night, the broad expanse of water grew in- 
 distinct, it almost seemed that we had 
 pitched our tents on the shore of the 
 sea. 
 
 Travelling along up the valley of the 
 river, here 4,000 feet above the sea, in the 
 afternoon of July 1, we caught a far and 
 uncertain view of a faint blue mass in the 
 west, as the sun sank behind it ; and from , 
 our camp in the morning, at the mouth of 
 Bijou, Long's peak and the neighboring 
 mountains stood out into the sky, grand aad 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE}. 
 
 59 
 
 luminously white, covered to their bases 
 •with glittering snow. 
 
 'On the evening of the 3d, as we were 
 journeying aiong the partially overSowed 
 bottoms of the Platte, where our passage 
 stirred up swarms of mosquitoes, we came 
 unexpectedly on an Indian, who was 
 perched upon a bluff, curiously watching the 
 ■movements of our caravan. He belonged 
 to a village of Oglallah Sioux, who had lost 
 all their animals in the severity of the pre- 
 ceding winter, and were now on their way 
 'up the Bijou fork to beg horses from the 
 Arapahoes, who were hunting buffalo at the 
 'bead of that river. Several came into our 
 Caimp at noon ; and, as they were hungry, as 
 tlSUail) they wiere provided with buffalo meat, 
 of which the hunters had brought in an 
 abundant supply. 
 
 About noon, on tKe 4th of July, we ar- 
 rived at the fort, where lyir. St. Vrain re- 
 •ceived us with his customary kindness, and 
 invited us to join him in a feast which had 
 been prepared in honor of the day. 
 
 Our animals were very much worn out, 
 and our stock of provisions entirely ex- 
 hausted when we arrived at the fort ; but I 
 was disappointed in my hope of obtaining 
 i«Iief, as I found it in a very impoverished 
 condition ; and we were able to procure on- 
 ly a little unbolted Mexican flour, and some 
 gait, with a few pounds of powder and lead. 
 
 As regarded provisions, it did not much 
 matter in a country where rarely the day 
 passed without seeing some kind of game, 
 and where it was frequently abundant. It 
 .was a rare thing to lie down hungry, and 
 we had already learned to think bread a 
 luxury ; but we could not proceed without 
 animals, and our own were not capable of 
 prosecuting the journey beyond the moun- 
 tains without relief. 
 
 1 had been informed that a large number 
 of mules had recently arrived at Taos, from 
 Upper California; and as our friend, Mr. 
 Maxwell, was about to continue his journey 
 to that place, where a portion of his family 
 resided, I engaged him to purchase for me 
 10 or 12 mules, with the understanding that 
 he should pack them with provisions and 
 .other necessaries, and meet me at the mouth 
 x)f the Foiitaine-tjui-bouit, on the Arkansas 
 river, to which point I would be led in the 
 course of the survey. 
 
 Agreeably to his own request, and in the 
 conviction that his habits of life and educa- 
 tion had not qualified him to endure the hard 
 life of a vuyageur, I discharged here one of 
 my parly, Mr. Oscar Sarpy, having furnished 
 him with arms and means of transportation 
 to Fort Lararnie, where he would be in the 
 line of caravans returning to the States. 
 
 At daybreak, on the 6th of July, Maxwell 
 was on his way to Taos ; and a lew hours 
 
 after we also had recommenced our journsy 
 up the Plalte, which v/as continuously tim- 
 bered with cotton-wood and willow, on a 
 generally sandy soil. Passing on the way 
 the remains of two abandoned forts, (one of 
 which, however, was still in good condition,) 
 we reached, in 10 miles, Fort Lancaster, 
 tl.'e trading establishment of Mr. Lupton. 
 His post was beginning to assume the ap- 
 pearance of a comfortable farm : stock, hogs, 
 and cattle, were ranging about on the prai- 
 rie ; there were diiferent kinds of poultry ; 
 and there was the wreck of a promising 
 garden, in which a considerable variety of 
 vegetables had been in a flourishing condi- 
 tion, but it had been almost entirely ruined 
 by the recent high waters. I remained to 
 spend with him an agreeable hour, and set 
 off in a cold storm of rain, which was ac- 
 companied with violent thunder and light- 
 ning. We encamped immediately on the 
 river, 16 miles from St. Vrain's. SeverRl 
 Arapahoes, on their way to the village 
 which was encamped a few miles above us, 
 passed by the camp in the course of the 
 afternoon. Night set in stormy and cold, 
 with heavy and continuous ram, which lasted 
 until morning. 
 
 July 7. — We made this morning an early- 
 start, continuing to travel up the Platte ; 
 and in a few miles frequent bands of horses 
 and mules, scattered for several miles round 
 about, indicated our approach to the Arapaho 
 village, which we found encamped in a beau- 
 tiful bottom, and consisting of about 160 
 lodges. It appeared extremely populous, 
 with a great number of children ; a circum- 
 stance which indicated a regular supply of 
 the means of subsistence. The chiefs, who 
 were gathered together at the further end of 
 the village, received us (as probably stran- 
 gers are always received to whom they desire 
 to show respect or regard) by throwing their 
 arms around our necks and embracing us. 
 
 It required some skill in horsemanship to 
 keep the saddle during the performance of 
 this ceremony, as our American horses ex- 
 hibited for them the same fear they have for 
 a oear or any other wild animal. Having 
 very few goods with me, I was only able 
 to make them a meager present, accounting 
 for the poverty of the gift by explaining that 
 my goods had been left with the wagons in 
 charge of Mr. Fitzpatrick, who was well 
 known to them as the White Head, or the 
 Broken Hand. I saw here, as I had re- 
 marked in an Arapaho village the preceding 
 year, near the lodges of the chiefs, tall tri- 
 pods of white poles suppoiting their speara 
 and shields, which shov.cd it to be a regular 
 custom. 
 
 Though disappointed in obtaining Ihs 
 presents which had been evidently expected, 
 they behaved very courteously, and, afltr 
 
60 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 a little conversation, I left them, and, con- 
 tinuing on up the river, halted to noon on 
 the bluff, as the bottoms are almost inunda- 
 ted ; continuing in the afternoon our route 
 along the mountains, which were dark, 
 misty, and shrouded — threatening a storm ; 
 the snow peaks sometimes glittering through 
 the clouds beyond the first ridge. 
 
 We surprised a grizzly bear sauntering 
 along the river ; which, raising himself upon 
 his hind legs, took a deliberate survey of us, 
 that did not appear very satisfactory to him, 
 and 'he scrambled into the river and swam 
 to the opposite side. We halted for the 
 ■night a little above Cherry creek ; the even- 
 ing cloudy, with many mosquitoes. Some 
 indifTerent observations placed the camp in 
 latitude 39° 43' 53", and chronometric lon- 
 gitude 105° 24' 34". 
 
 July 8. — We continued to-day to travel 
 up the Platte ; the morning pleasant, with a 
 prospect of fairer weather. During the fore- 
 noon our way lay over a more broken coun- 
 try, with a gravelly and sandy surface ; al- 
 though the immediate bottom of the river 
 ■was a good soil, of a dark sandy mould, rest- 
 ing upon a stratum of large pebbles, or rolled 
 stones, as at Laramie fork. On our right, 
 and apparently very near, but probably 8 or 
 10 miles distant, and two or three thousand 
 feet above us, ran the first range of the 
 mountains, like a dark corniced line, in clear 
 contrast with the great snowy chain which, 
 immediately beyond, rose glittering five 
 thousand feet above them. We caught this 
 morning a view of Pike's peak ; but it ap- 
 peared for a moment only, as clouds rose 
 early over the mountains, and shrouded them 
 in mist and rain all the day. In the first 
 range were visible, as at the Red Buttes on 
 the North fork, very lofty escarpments of 
 red rock. While travelling through this 
 region, I remarked that always in the morn- 
 ing the lofty peaks were visible and bright, 
 but very soon small white clouds began to 
 settle around them — brewing thicker and 
 darker as the day advanced, until the after- 
 noon, when the thunder began to roll ; and 
 invariably at evening wc had more or less 
 of a thunder storm. At 11 o'clock, and 21 
 miles from St. Vrain's fort, we reached a 
 point in this southern fork of the Platte, 
 where the stream is divided into three forks ; 
 two of these (one of them being much the 
 largest) issuing directly from the mountains 
 on the west, and forming, with the eastern- 
 most branch, a river of the plains. The 
 elevation of this point is about 5,500 feel 
 above the sea ; this river falling 2,800 feet 
 in a distance of 316 miles, to its junction 
 with the North fork of the Platte. In this 
 estimate, tiie elevation of the junction is 
 assumed as given by our barometrical ob- 
 servations in 1842. 
 
 On the easternmost branch, up which we 
 took our way, we first came among the 
 pines growing on the top of a very high: 
 bank, and where we halted on it to noon; 
 quaking asp (poptdus trcmuloides) was 
 mixed with the cotton-wood, and there were 
 excellent grass and rushes for the animals. 
 
 During the morning there occurred many 
 beautiful flowers, which we had not hitherto 
 met. Among them, the common blue flower- 
 ing flax made its first appearance ; and a tall- 
 and handsome species of gilia, with slender 
 scarlet flowers, which appeared yesterday 
 for the first time, was very frequent to-day. 
 
 We had found very little game since 
 leaving the fort, and provisions began to get 
 unpleasantly scant, as we had had no meat 
 for several days ; but towards sundown, 
 when we had already made up our minds to 
 sleep another night without supper, La- 
 jeunesse had the good fortune to kill a fine 
 deer, which he found feeding in a hollovj- 
 near by ; and as the rain began to fall, 
 threatening an unpleasant night, we hurried 
 to secure a comfortable camp in the limber. 
 
 To-night the camp fires, girdled with ap- 
 polas of fine venison, looked cheerful in 
 spite of the stormy weather. 
 
 July 9. — On account of the low state of 
 our provisions and the scarcity of game, I 
 determined to vary our route, and proceed 
 several camps to the eastward, in the hope 
 of falling in with the buffalo. This route 
 along the dividing grounds between the 
 South fork of the Platte and the Arkansas, 
 would also afford some additional geograph- 
 ical information. This morning, therefore, 
 wc turned to the eastward, along the upper 
 waters of the stream on which we had en- 
 camped, entering a country of picturesque 
 and varied scenery ; broken into rocky hilla 
 of singular shapes ; little valleys, with pure 
 crystal water, here leaping swiftly along, 
 and there losing itself in the sands ; green 
 spots of luxuriant grass, flowers of all colors, 
 and timber of different kinds — every thing 
 to give it a varied beauty, except game. To 
 one of these remarkably shaped hills, hav- 
 ing on the summit a circular flat rock two 
 or three hundred yards in circumference, 
 some one gave the name of Poundcake, 
 which it has been permitted to retain, as our 
 hungry people seemed to think it a very 
 agreeable comparison. In the afternoon a 
 buffalo bull was killed, and we encamped on 
 a small stream, near the road which ruus 
 from St. Vrain's fort to the Arkansas. 
 
 Julif 10. — Snow fell heavily on the moun- 
 tains during the night, and Pike's peak this 
 morning is luminous and grand, covered 
 from the summit, as low down as we can 
 see, with glittering white. Leaving iho 
 encampment at 6 o'clock, we continued our 
 eafiterly course over a lolliog country, naar 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 6J 
 
 to the high ridges, which are generally 
 rough and rocky, with a coarse conglomerate 
 displayed in nnasses, and covered with pines. 
 This rock is very friable, and it is undoubt- 
 edly from its decomposition that the prairies 
 derive their sandy and gravelly formation. 
 In 6 miles we crossed a head water of the 
 Kioway river, on which we found a strong 
 fort and coral that had been built in the 
 spring, and halted to noon on the principal 
 branch of tiie river. During the morning 
 our route led over a dark vegetable mould, 
 mixed with sand and gravel, the character- 
 istic plant being esparceLte, {onobrychis sali- 
 va,) a species of clover which is much used 
 in certain parts of Germany for pasturage 
 of stock — principally hogs. It is sown on 
 rocky waste ground, which would otherwise 
 be useless, and grows very luxuriantly, re- 
 quiring only a renewal of the seed about 
 once in fifteen years. Its abundance here 
 gieatly adds to the pastoral value of this re- 
 gion. A species of antennaria in flower 
 was very common along the line of road, 
 and the creeks were timbered with willow 
 and pine. We encamped on Bijou's fork, 
 the water of which, unlike the clear streams 
 we had previously crossed, is of a whitish 
 color, and the soil of the bottom a very 
 hard, tough clay. There was a prairie dog 
 village on the bottom, and, in the endeavor 
 to unearth one of the little animals, we la- 
 bored ineffectually in the (ough clay until 
 dark. Alter descending, with a slight in- 
 clination, until it had gone the depth of two 
 feet, the hole suddenly turned at a sharp 
 angle in another direction for one more foot 
 in depth, when it again turned, taking an 
 ascending direction to the next nearest hole. 
 I have no doubt that all their little habita- 
 tions communicate with each other. The 
 greater part of the people were sick to-day, 
 and I was inclined to attribute their indis- 
 position to the meat of the bull which had 
 been killed the previous day. 
 
 July 11. — There were no indications of 
 buffalo having been recently in the neigh- 
 borhood ; and, unwilling to travel farther 
 eastward, I turned this morning to the 
 southward, up the valley of Bijou. E.ipar- 
 cette occurred universally, and among the 
 plants on the river I noticed, for the first 
 time during this journey, a few small bushes 
 of the absinthe of the voyageurs, which is 
 commonly used for fire-wood, {artemisia 
 tridentata.) Yesterday and to-day the road 
 has been ornamented with the showy bloom 
 of a beautiful tupinus, a characteristic in 
 many parts of the mountain region, on 
 which were generally great numbers of an 
 insect with very bright colors, {litta vesica- 
 toria.) 
 
 As we were riding quietly along, eagerly 
 searching every hollow in search of game, 
 
 we discovered, at a little distance in the 
 prairie, a large grizzly bear, so busily en- 
 gaged in digging roots that he did not per- 
 ceive us until we were galloping down a 
 little hill fifty yards from him, when he 
 charged upon us. with such sudden energy, 
 that several of us came near losing our sad- 
 dles. Being wounded, he commenced re- 
 treating to a rocky piny ridge near by, 
 from which we were not able to cut him off, 
 and we entered the timber with him. The 
 way was very much blocked up with fallen 
 timber ; and we kept up a running fight for 
 some time, animated by the bear charging 
 among the horses. He did not fall until 
 after he had received six rifle balls. Ho 
 was miserably poor, and added nothing to 
 our stock of provisions. 
 
 We followed the stream to its head in a 
 broken ridge, which, according to the ba- 
 rometer, was about 7,500 feet above tlio 
 sea. This is a piny elevation, into which 
 the prairies are gathered, and from which 
 the waters flow, in almost every direction, 
 to the Arkansas, Platte, and Kansas rivers ; 
 the latter stream having here its remotest 
 sources. Although somewhat rocky and 
 broken, and covered with pines, in compari- 
 son with the neighboring mountains, it 
 scarcely forms an interruption to the great 
 prairie plains which sweep up to their bases. 
 
 We had an excellent view of Pike's peak 
 from this camp, at the distance of 40 miles. 
 This mountain barrier presents itself to 
 travellers on the plains, which sweep almost 
 directly to its bases — an immense and com- 
 paratively smooth and grassy prairie, in 
 very strong contrast with the black masses 
 of timber, and the glittering snow above 
 them. With occasional exceptions, com- 
 paratively so very small as not to require 
 mention, these prairies are everywhere cov- 
 ered with a close and vigorous growth of a 
 great variety of grasses, among which the 
 most abundant is the buffalo grass, {sesleria 
 daclyloides.) Between the Platte and Ar- 
 kansas rivers, that part of this region which 
 forms the basin drained by the waters of the 
 Kansas, with which our operations made us 
 more particularly acquainted, is based upon 
 a formation of calcareous rocks. The soil 
 of all this country is excellent, admirably 
 adapted to agricultural purposes, and would 
 support a large agricultural and pastoral 
 population. A glance at the map, along our 
 several lines of travel, will show you that 
 this plain is watered by many streams. 
 Throughout the western half of the plain, 
 these are shallow, with sandy beds, be- 
 coming deeper as they reach the richer 
 lands approaching the Missouri river ; they 
 generally have bottom lands, bordered by 
 bluffs varying from 50 to 500 feet in height, 
 la all this region the timber is entirely coa- 
 
62 
 
 CAPT, FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 finpd to the streams. In the eastern half, 
 wliere the soil is a deep, rich, vegetable 
 mould, retentive of rain and moisture, it is 
 of vigorous growth, and of many different 
 Icinds ; and throughout the western half it 
 couBisls entirely of various species of cot- 
 ton-v.ood, which deserves to he called tlie 
 tree of the desert — growing in sandy soils, 
 where no otlier tree will grow; pointing out 
 the existence of water, and furnishing to the 
 traveller fuel, and food for his animals. Add 
 to this, that the western border of the plain 
 is occupied by the Sioux,. Arapaho, and 
 Cheyenne nations, and the Pawnees and 
 other half-civilized tribes in its eastern 
 limits, for whom the intermediate country 
 in a war-ground, you will have a tolerably 
 correct idea of the ajipearance and condition 
 of the country. Descending a somewhat 
 precipitous and rooky hillside among the 
 pines, which rarely appear elsewhere than 
 on the ridge, we encamped at its foot, where 
 there were several springs, which yon will 
 find laid down ufK)n the map as one of the 
 extreme sources of the Smoky Hill fork of 
 the Kansas. From this place the view ex- 
 tended over the Arkansas valley, and the 
 Spanish peaks in the south beyond. As the 
 greater part of the men continued sick, I 
 encamped here for the day, and ascertained 
 conclusively, fiom experiments on myself, 
 that their illness was caused by the meat 
 of the buffiUo bull. 
 
 On the summit of the ridge, near the 
 camp, were several rock-built forts, which 
 in front were very difficult of approach, and 
 in the rear v\ere protected by a precipice 
 entirely beyond the reach of a rifle ball. 
 The evening was tolerably clear, with a 
 temperature at sunset of 03°. Elevation 
 of the camp 7.300 feet. 
 
 Turning the next day to the southwest, 
 we readied, in the course of the morning, 
 the wagon road to the settlements on the 
 Arkansas river, and encamped in the after- 
 noon on the Fontavie-qm-dcniit (or Boiling 
 Spring) river, where it was 50 feet wide, 
 with a swift current. I afterwards found 
 that the ."-pring and river owe their names 
 to the bubbling of the efl'ervescing gas in 
 the former, and not to the temperature of 
 the water, v/hich is cold. Durmg the morn- 
 .ing a tall species of g^ilia, with a slender 
 white flower, was characteristic ; and, in 
 the latter part of the day, another variety 
 of esparcette, (wild clover,) iiaving the 
 flower wliile, was equally so. We iiad a 
 fine sunset of golden brown ; and, in the 
 evening, a very bright moon, with the near 
 mountains, made a bcaulifiil scene. Ther- 
 rQs.)nieter, at sunset, was 6!P, and our eleva- 
 tion above l;ie sea 5,800 feet. 
 
 Jtdi/ 13. — Tlie morning was clear, with 
 a nortliwesteriy bresze, and the thermome- 
 
 ter at sunrise at 46^. There were no clouds 
 along the mountains, and the morning sun 
 showed very clearly their rugged charac- 
 ter. 
 
 We resumed our journey very early down 
 the river, fallowing an extremely gond lodge 
 trail, which issues by the head of lliis stream 
 from the bayou Sulade, a high mountain 
 valley behind Pike's peak. The soil along 
 the road was snndy and gravelly, and the 
 river well ti.'nhored. We halted to noon 
 under the shade of some fine.large cotton- 
 woods, our animals luxuriating on rushes, 
 {eguisetum hyaiiah,) which, along this riv- 
 er, were remarkably abundant. A variety 
 of cactus made its appearance, and among 
 several strange plants were numerous and 
 beautiful cluster.? of a plant resembling mi- 
 ralnlis jalapOy with a handsome convolvulus 
 1 had not hitherto seen, {calystegia.) In 
 the afternoon we passed near the encamp- 
 ment of a hunter named Maurice, who had 
 been out into the plains in pursuit of buffalo 
 calves, a number of which I saw among 
 some domestic cattle near his lodge. Short- 
 ly afterwards, a party of mountaineers gal- 
 loped up to us — hue-looking and hardy men, 
 dressed in skins and mounted on good fat 
 horses; among thern were several Connec- 
 ticut men, a portion of Wyeth's party, whom 
 I had seen the year before, and others were 
 men from the western states. 
 
 Continuing down the river, we encamped 
 at noon on the 14th at its mouth, on the 
 Arkansas river. A short distance above 
 our encampment, on the left bank of the 
 Arkansas, is ^ piieblo, (as the Mexicans call 
 their civilized Indian villages,) where a 
 number of mountaineers, who had married 
 Spanish women in the valley of Taos, had 
 collected together, and occupied themselves 
 in farming, carrying on at the same lime a 
 desultory Indian trade. They were princi- 
 pally Americans, and treated us with all the 
 rude hospitality their situation admitted ; 
 but as all commercial intercoiuse with New 
 Mexico was now interrupted, in consequence 
 of Mexican decrees to that eflecl, there wp.a 
 notiiing to be had in the way of i)rovisions. 
 They had, however, a fine stock of cattle, 
 and furnished us an abundance of excellent 
 milk. I learned here that Maxwell, in 
 company with two other men, had started 
 for Taos on the morning of the 9th, but 
 that he would probably fall into the hands 
 of the Utah Indians, commonly cabled the 
 Spanish Yules. As Maxwell liad no knowl- 
 edge of their being in the vicinity when he 
 crossed the Arkansas, his chance ol' escape 
 was very doubtful ; but I did not enteilain 
 much appreheiLsion for his hie, having great 
 confidence in his prudence and com age. I 
 was further informed that there had been a 
 popular tumult among the pueblos, or civil- 
 
1643.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 63 
 
 ized Indians, residing near Tios, against 
 the '■^foreigners''' of that place, in which 
 they had plundered their houses and ill- 
 treated their families. Among those whose 
 property had been destroyed, was Mr. Beau- 
 bien, father-in-law of Maxwell, from whom 
 I had expected to obtain supplies, and who 
 had been obliged to make his escape to 
 Santa Fe. 
 
 By this position of affairs, our expecta- 
 tion of obtaining supplies from Taos was 
 cut off. I had here the satisfaction to meet 
 our good buffalo hunter of 1842, Christo- 
 pher Carson, whose services I considered 
 myself fortunate to secure again ; and as a 
 reinforcement of mules was ab.solutely ne- 
 cessary, I dispatched hirn immediately, with 
 an account of our necessities, to Mr. Chaj les 
 Bcn.t, whose principal post is on the Arkan- 
 sas river, about 75 miles below Fon/aine- 
 qui-bouit. He was directed to proceed 
 from that post by the nearest route across 
 the country, and meet me with what ani- 
 mals he .should be able to obtain at St. 
 V rain's fort. I also admitted into the party 
 Charles Towns, a native of St. Louis, a 
 serviceable rnan, with many of the qualities 
 of a good voyageur. According to our ob- 
 servations, the latitude of the mouth of the 
 river is S80 15' 23"; its longitude lO-lo 58' 
 30" ; and its elevation above the eea 4,880 
 feet. 
 
 On the morning of the 16th, the time for 
 Maxwell's arrival having expired, we re- 
 sumed our journey, leaving for him a note, 
 in which it was stated that I would wait for 
 him at St. Vrain's fort until the morning of 
 the 26th, in the event that he should suc- 
 ceed in his commission. Our direction was 
 up the Boiling Spring river, it being my in- 
 tention to visit the celebrated springs from 
 which the river takes its name, and which 
 are on its upper waters, at the foot of Pike's 
 peak. Our animals fared well while we 
 were on this stream, there being every- 
 where a great abundance of prile. Ipomea 
 leptophylla, in bloom, was a characteristic 
 plant along the river, generally in large 
 bunches, with two to five flowers on each. 
 33eautiful clusters of the plant resembling 
 mirabilis jalapa were numerous, and gly- 
 cyrrhiza lepidola was a characteristic of 
 the bottoms. Currants nearly ripe were 
 abundant, and among the shrubs which cov- 
 ered the bottom was a very luxuriant growth 
 of chenopodiaceous shrubs, four to six feet 
 high. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 17th we entered 
 among the broken ridges at the foot of the 
 mountains, where the river made several 
 forks. Leaving the camp to follow slowly, 
 I rode ahead in the afternoon in search of 
 the springs. In the mean time, the clouds, 
 which had been gathered all the afternoon j 
 
 over the mountains, began to roll do^^-nytheir 
 sides ; and a storm so violent burst upon 
 me, that it appeared I had entered the store- 
 house of the thunder storms. I continued, 
 however, to ride along up the river until 
 about sunset, and was beginning to be doubt- 
 ful of finding the springs before the next 
 day, when I came suddenly upon a large 
 smooth rock about twenty yards in diame- 
 ter, where the water from several springs 
 was bubbling and boiling up in the midst of 
 a white incrustation with which it had cov- 
 ered a portion of the rock. As this did not 
 correspond with a description given me by 
 the hunters, I did not stop to taste the wa- 
 ter, but, dismounting, walked a little way up 
 the river, and, passing through a narrow 
 thicket of shrubbery bordering the stream, 
 stepped directly upon a huge white rock, at 
 the foot of which the river, already become 
 a torrent, foaro.ed along, broken by a snaall 
 fall. A doer which had been drinking a: 
 the spring was startled by my approaeli, 
 and, springing across the river, bounded off 
 up the mountain. In the upper part of tl;e 
 rock, which had apparently been formed by 
 deposition, was a beautiful white basin, over- 
 hung by currant bashes, in which the cold 
 clear water bubbled up, kept in con.'Jtant 
 motion by the escaping gas, and overflow- 
 ing the rock, which it had almost entirely 
 covered with a smooth crust of glistening' 
 white. I had all day refrained from drink- 
 ing, reserving myself for the spring ; and 
 as I could not well be more wet than the 
 rain had already made me, I lay down by 
 the side of the ba.sin, and drank heartily of 
 the delightful water. The spring is situ- 
 ated immediately at the foot of lofty moun- 
 tains, beautifully timbered, which sweep 
 closely round, shutting up the little valley 
 in a kind of cove. As it was beginning to 
 grow dark, I rode quickly down the river, 
 on which I found the camp a few mile:;^ 
 below. 
 
 The morning of the 18th was beautiful 
 and clear, and, all the people being anxious 
 to drink of these famous waters, we en- 
 camped immediately at the springs, and 
 spent there a very pleasant day. On thfi 
 opposite side of the river is another locality 
 of springs, which are entirely of the same 
 nature. The water has a very agreeable 
 taste, which Mr. Preuss found very much 
 to resemble that of the famous Seller springs 
 in the grand duchy of Nassau, a country fa- 
 mous for wine and mineral waters ; and it 
 is almost entirely of the same character, 
 though still more agreeable than that of the 
 famous Bear springs, near Bear river of the 
 Great Salt lake. The following is an an- 
 alysis of an incrustation with which the wa- 
 ter had covered a piece of wood lying on 
 the rock : 
 
64 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 ri843. 
 
 Carbonate of lime . . 
 
 . 92.25 
 
 Caib()n;ito of magnesia . . 
 
 . 1.21 
 
 Sulpliiiti; of lime ^ 
 
 
 Cliloiide of calcium > 
 
 .23 
 
 Clil()ri<lc of magnesia y 
 
 
 Silica 
 
 . 1.50 
 
 'Veirt^vMe matter . . . 
 
 .20 
 
 Moisture and loss . . . 
 
 . 4.GI 
 
 100.00 
 
 At 11 o'clock, when the temperature of the 
 a;r was 73^^, tliat of the water in this was 
 (50.5^; and that of the upper spring, which 
 issued from the flat rock, more exposed 
 to ilie sun, was 69°. At sunset, when the 
 temperature of the air was 6G^, that of 
 the lower springs was 58°, and that of the 
 uppnrGl'^. 
 
 Jubj 19. — A beautiful and clear moriiing, 
 with a slight breeze from the northwest; the 
 temperatureof theair at sunrise being 57.5°. 
 At this time the temperature of the lower 
 spring was 57. 80, and that of the upper 54. 3°. 
 
 The trees in the neighborhood were birch, 
 willow, pine, and an oak resembling qtter- 
 cus alba. In the shrubbery along the river 
 are currant bushes, {ribes,) of which the 
 fruit has a singular piny flavor ; and on the 
 mountain side, in a red gravelly soil, is a 
 TPniarkuble coniferous tree, (perhaps an 
 abies,) having the leaves singularly long, 
 b.oul, and scattered, with bushes of spiraa 
 arirrfolia. By our observations, this place 
 is 6.350 feet above the sea, in latitude 38° 
 62' 10", and longitude 105° 22' 45" 
 
 Resuming our journey on this morning, 
 we descended the river, in order to reach 
 Ih.e mouth of the eastern fork, which I pro- 
 posed to ascend. I'he left bank of the river 
 here is very much brtdien. There is a hand- 
 goirie little bottom on the right, and both 
 banks are exceedingly picturesque — strata 
 of ie<l rock, in nearly perpendicular walls, 
 crossing the valley from nojth to south. 
 Ahout three miles below the springs, on the 
 riL'ht bank of liie river, is a nearly perpen- 
 dicular limestone rock, presenting a uni- 
 formly unbroken surface, twenty to forty 
 feet high, containing very great numbers of 
 a large univalve stiell, which appears to be- 
 long to the genus inoceramus. 
 
 In contact with this, to the westward, 
 was another stratum of limestone, contain- 
 ing fossil shells of a ditTerent character; 
 an I still higher up on the stream were par- 
 allel strati, consisting of a compact some- 
 wliit crystalline limestone, and argillaceous 
 hituinnious limestone in thin layers. Dur- 
 ing the morninLT, we travelled up the east- 
 ern fork of the Fonlaine-qw-bouit river, our 
 road being rougiiened liy iVequeni deep gul- 
 lies linilieied with pine, and halted to noon 
 on a small branch of this stream, timbered 
 principally with t!ie narrow-leaved cotton- 
 
 wood, (populus artgustifolia,) CRlled by the 
 Canadians hard amere. On a hill, near by, 
 were two remarkahle columns of .n grayish- 
 white conglomerate rock, one of which was 
 about twenty feet high, and two feet in di- 
 ameter. They are surmounted by slabs of 
 a dark ferruginous conglomerate, forming 
 black caps, and adding very much to their 
 columnar effect at a distance. This rock 
 is very dcstruciibie by the action of the 
 weather, and the hill, of which they for- 
 merly constituted a part, is entirely abraded. 
 
 A shaft of the gun carriage was broken 
 in the afternoon ; and we made an early 
 halt, the stream being from twelve to twen- 
 ty feet wide, with clear water. As usual, 
 the clouds had gathered to a storm over 
 the mountains, and we had a showery even- 
 ing. At sunset the thermometer stood at 
 62°, and our elevation above the sea waa 
 6,530 feet. 
 
 July 20. — This morning (as we generally 
 found the mornings under these mountains) 
 was very clear and beautiful, and the air 
 cool and pleasant, with the thermometer at 
 44°. We continued our march up the 
 stream, along a green sloping bottom, be- 
 tween pine hills on the one hand, and the 
 main Black hills on the other, towards the 
 ridge which separates the waters of the 
 Platte from those of th& Arkansas. As we 
 approached the dividing ridge, the whole 
 valley was radiant with flowers ; blue, yel- 
 low, pink, white, scarlet, and purple, vied 
 with each other in splendor. Esparcette 
 was one of the highly characteristic plants, 
 and a bright-looking flower {iraillardia 
 aristata) was very frequent ; but the most 
 abundant plant along our road to-day, was 
 geranium maculalimi, which is the charac- 
 teristic plant on this portion of the dividing' 
 grounds. Crossing to the waters of the* 
 Platte, fields of blue flax jfdded to the mag- 
 nificence of this mountain garden; this was 
 occasionally four feel in height, which was 
 a luxuriance of growth that I rarely saw 
 this almost universal plant attain throughout 
 the journey. Continuing down a branch of 
 the Pbltc, among high and very steep tim- 
 bered hills, covered with fragments of rock, 
 towards evening we issued from the piny 
 region, and made a late encampment near 
 Poundcake rock, on that fork of the river 
 which we had ascended on the Btli of July. 
 Our animals enjoyed the abundant rushes 
 this evening, as the flies were so bad among 
 the pines that they had been much harassed. 
 A deer was killed here this evening; and 
 again Ine evening was overcast, and a col- 
 lection of brilliant red clouds in the west 
 was followed by the customary squall of rain. 
 
 Achillea millefolium, (milfoil) was among 
 the characteristic plants of the river bot- 
 toms to-day This was one of the most 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 65* 
 
 common plants during the whole of our 
 journey, occurring in almost every variety 
 of situation. I noticed it on the lowlands 
 of the rivers, near the coast of the Pacific, 
 and near to the snow among the mountains 
 of the Sierra Nevada. 
 
 During this excursion, we had surveyed 
 to its head one of the two principal branches 
 of the upper Arkansas, 75 miles in length, 
 and entirely completed our survey of the 
 South fork of the Platte, to the extreme 
 sources of that portion of the river which 
 belongs to the plains, and heads in the bro- 
 ken hills of the Arkansas dividing ridge, at 
 the foot of the mountains. That portion of 
 its waters which were collected among these 
 mountains, it was hoped to explore on our 
 homeward voyage. 
 
 Reaching St. Vrain's fort on the morning 
 of the 23d, we found Mr. Fitzpatrick and 
 his party in good order and excellent health, 
 and my true and reliable friend, Kit Carson, 
 who had brought with him ten good mules, 
 with the necessary pack-saddles. Mr. 
 Fitzpatrick, who hud often endured every 
 extremity of w'ant during the course of his 
 mountain life, and knew well the value of 
 provisions in this country, had watched over 
 our stock with jealous vigilance, and there 
 was an abundance of flour, rice, sugar, and 
 coffee, in the camp ; and again we fared 
 luxuriously. Meat was, however, very 
 scarce ; and two very small pigs, which we 
 obtained at the fort, did not go far among 
 forty men. Mr. Fitzpatrick had been here 
 a week, during which time his men had 
 been occupied in refitting the camp ; and 
 the repose had been very beneficial to his 
 animals, which were now in tolerably good 
 condition. 
 
 I had been able to obtain no certain in- 
 formation in regard to the character of the 
 passes in this portion of the Rocky moun- 
 tain range, which had always been repre- 
 sented as impracticable for carriages, but 
 the exploration of which was incidentally 
 contemplated by my instructions, with the 
 view of finding some convenient point of 
 passage for the road of emigration, which 
 would enable it to reach, on a more direct 
 line, the usual ford of the Great Colorado — 
 a place considered as determined by the na- 
 ture of the country beyond that river. It is 
 singular, that immediately at the foot of the 
 mountains, I could find no one sufficiently 
 acquainted with them to guide us to the 
 plains at their western base ; .but the race 
 of trappers, who formerly lived in their re- 
 cesses, has almost entirely disappeared — 
 dwindled to a few scattered in'^ividuals — 
 some one or two of whom aro regularly 
 killed in the course of each year by the In- 
 dians. You will remember, that in the pre- 
 vious year I brought \\ilh me to their village 
 
 5 
 
 near this post, and hospitably treated on the 
 way, several Cheyenne Indians, whom I had 
 met on the Lower Platte. Shortly after 
 their arrival here, these were out with a 
 party of Indians, (themselves the principal 
 men,) which discovered a few trappers in 
 the neighboring mountains, whom they im- 
 mediately murdered, although one of them 
 had been nearly thirty years in the country, 
 and was perfectly well known, as he had 
 grown gray among them. 
 
 Through this portion of the mountains, 
 also, are the customary roads of the war 
 parties going out against the Utah and 
 Shoshonee Indians ; and occasionally par- 
 ties from the Crow nation make their way 
 down to the southward along this chain, in the 
 expectation of surprising some straggling 
 lodges of their enemies. Shortly before our 
 arrival, one of tiieir parties had attacked an 
 Arapaho village in tlie vicinity, which they 
 had found unexpectedly strong ; and their 
 assault was turned into a rapid flight and a 
 hot pursuit, in which they had been com- 
 pelled to abandon the animals they had rode, 
 and escape on their war horses. 
 
 Into this uncertain and dangerous region, 
 small parties of three or four trappers, who 
 now could collect together, rarely ventured ; 
 and consequently it was seldom visited and 
 little known. Having determined to try 
 the passage by a pass through a spur of the 
 mountains made by the Cdc/ie-a-la-Poudre 
 river, which rises in the high bed of moun- 
 tains around Long's peak, I thought it ad- 
 visable to avoid any encumbrance which 
 would occasion detention, and accordingly 
 again separated the party into two divisions 
 — one of which, under the command of Mr. 
 Fitzpatrick, was directed to cross the plains 
 to the mouth of Laramie river, and, continu- 
 ing thence its route along the usual emi- 
 grant road, meet me at Fort Hall, a post 
 belonging to the Hudson Bay Company, 
 and situated on Snake river, as it is com- 
 monly called in the Oregon Territory, al- 
 though better known to us as Lewis's fork 
 of the Columbia. The latter name is there 
 restricted to one of the upper forks of the 
 river. 
 
 Our Delaware Indians having determined 
 to return to their homes, it became necessa- 
 ry to provide this party with a good hunter ; 
 and I accordingly engaged in that capacity 
 Alexander Godey, a young man about 25 
 years of age, who had been in this country 
 six or seven years, all of which time had 
 been actively employed in hunting for the 
 support of the posts, or in solitary trading 
 expeditions among the Indians. In courage 
 and professional skill he was a formidable 
 rival to Carson, and constantly afterwards 
 was among the best and most eflicient o-f 
 the parly, au'' a difficult situations was of 
 
66 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 incalculable value. Hiram Powers, one 
 of the men belonging to Mr. Fitzpatrick's 
 party, was discharged at this place. 
 
 A French engage, at Lupton's fort, had 
 been shot in the back on the 4th of July, 
 and died diiring our absence to the Arkan- 
 sas. The wife of the murdered man, an 
 Indian woman of the Snake nation, desirous, 
 like Naomi of old, to return to her people, 
 requested and obtained permission to travel 
 witli my party to the neighborhood of Bear 
 river, where she expected to meet with 
 some of their villages. Happier than the 
 Jewish widow, she carried with her two 
 children, pretty little half-breeds, who added 
 much to the liveliness of the camp. Her 
 baggage was carried on five or six pack 
 horses ; and I gave her a small tent, for 
 which I no longer had any use, as I had 
 procured a lodge at the fort. 
 
 For my own party 1 selected the follow- 
 ing men, a number of whom old associations 
 rendered agreeable to me : 
 
 Charles Preuss, Christopher Carson, Ba- 
 sil Lajeunesse, Fran<;(>isBadeau, J. B. Ber- 
 nier, Louis Menard, Raphael Proue, .lacob 
 Dodson, Louis Zindel, Henry Lee, J. B. 
 Derosier, Franc^ois Lajeunesse, and Auguste 
 Vasquez. 
 
 By observation, the latitude of the post is 
 40° 16' 33", and its longitude 105^^ 1'2' 23", 
 depending, with all the other longitudes 
 along this portion of the line, upon a subse- 
 quent occultation of September 13, 1843, to 
 "which they are referred by the chronome- 
 ter. Its distance from Kansas landing, by 
 the road we travelled, (which, it will be re- 
 membered, was very winding along the 
 lower Kansas river,) was 750 miles. The 
 late of the chronometer, determined by ob- 
 servations at this place for the interval of 
 our absence, during this month, was 33.72", 
 •which you will hereafter see did not sensi- 
 Wy change during the ensuing month, and 
 lemained nearly constant during the re- 
 mainder of our journey across the continent. 
 This was the rate used in referring to St. 
 Vrain's fort, the longitude between that 
 place and the mouth of the Fontainc-qia- 
 bouit. 
 
 Our various barometrical observations, 
 which are better worthy of confidence than 
 the isolated determination of 1842, tiive, for 
 the elevation of the fort above the sea, 4,930 
 feet. The barometer hero used was also a 
 better one, and less liable to derangement. 
 
 At the end of two days, which v.'as allow- 
 ed to my animals for necessary repose, all 
 the arrangements had been completed, and 
 on the afternoon of the 26th we resumed our 
 respective routes. Some little trouble was 
 experienced in crossing the Platte, tiie wa- 
 ters of which were still kept up by rains and 
 melting snow ; and having traycUed only 
 
 about four miles, we encamped in the even- 
 ing on Thompson's creek, where we were 
 very much disturbed by mosquitoes. 
 
 The following days we continued our 
 march westward over comparative plains, 
 and, fording the Ciche-a-la-Poudre on the 
 morning of the 28th, entered the Black hills, 
 and nooned on this stream in the mountains 
 beyond them. Passing over a fine large 
 bottom in the afternoon, we reached a place 
 where the river was shut up in the hills ; 
 and, ascending a ravine, made a laborious 
 and very difficult passage around by a gap, 
 striking the river again about dusk. A little 
 labor, however, would remove this diffi- 
 culty, and render the road to this point a 
 very excellent one. The evening closed 
 in dark with rain, and the mountains looked 
 gloomy. 
 
 July 29. — Leaving our encampment about 
 7 in the morning, we travelled until 3 in the 
 afternoon along the river, which, for this 
 distance of about six miles, runs directly 
 through a spur of the main mountains. 
 
 We were compelled by the nature of the 
 ground to cross the river eight or nine times, 
 at difficult, deep, and rocky fords, tiic stream 
 running w'ith great force, swollen by the 
 rains — a true mountain torrent, only forty 
 or fifty feet wide. It was a mountain valley 
 of the narrowest kind — almost a chasm ; ■ 
 and the scenery very wild and beautiful. 
 Towering mountains rose round about ; their 
 sides sometimes dark with forests of pine, 
 and sometimes with lofty precipices, washed 
 by the river ; while below, as if they in- 
 demnified themselves in luxuriance for the 
 scanty space, the green river bottom was 
 covered with a wilderness of flowers, their 
 tall spikes sometimes rising above our heads 
 as we rode among them. A profusion of 
 blossoms on a white flowering vine, {clema- 
 tis lasianthi,) which was abundant along the 
 river, contrasted handsomely with the green 
 foliage of the trees. The mountain appear- 
 ed to be composed of a greenish gray and' 
 red granite, which in some places appeared 
 to be in a state of decomposition, making a 
 red soil. 
 
 The stream was wooded with cotton- 
 wood, box-elder, and cherry, willi currant 
 and serviceberry bushes. After a some- 
 what laborious day, during which it had' 
 rained incessantly, we encamped near tlie 
 end of the pass at the month of a small 
 creek, in sight of the great Laramie plain:?. 
 It continued to rain heavily, and at evening 
 tlie mountains were hid in mists ; but there 
 was no lack of wood, and the large fires we 
 made to dry our clothes were very comfort- 
 able ; and at night the hunters came in with 
 a fine deer. Rough and diflicult as we found 
 the pass to-day, an excellent road may ha 
 made with a little labor. Elevation of th* 
 
i843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 67 
 
 camp 5,540 feet, and distance from St. 
 Train's fort 56 miles. 
 
 July 30. — The day was bright again ; the 
 thermometer at sunrise 52° ; and leaving 
 our encampment at 8 o'clock, in about half 
 a mile we crossed the Cdche-d-la-Poudre 
 river for the last time ; and, entering a 
 smoother country, we travelled along a kind 
 of vaUojT, bounded on the right by red buttes 
 and precipices, while to the left a high roll- 
 ing 'country extended to a range of the 
 Black hills, beyond which rose the great 
 mountains around Long's peak. 
 
 By the great quantity of snow visible 
 among theni, it had probably snowed heavily 
 there the previous day, while it had rained 
 on us in the valley. 
 
 We balled at noon on a small branch ; 
 and in the afternoon travelled over a high 
 country, gradually ascending towards a 
 range, of buttes, or high hills covered with 
 pines, which forms the dividing ridge be- 
 tween the waters we had left and those of 
 Laramie river. 
 
 Late in the evening we encamped at a 
 spring of cold water, near the summit of the 
 ridge, having increased our elevation to 
 7,520 feet. During the day we had travel- 
 Jed 24 miles. By some indifferent observa- 
 tions, our latitude is 41° 02' 19". A spe- 
 cies of hedeome was characteristic along the 
 whole day's route. 
 
 Emerging from the mountains, we enter- 
 ed a region of bright, fair weather. In my 
 experience in this country, I was forcibly 
 impressed with the different character of 
 the climate on opposite sides of the Rocky 
 mountain range. The vast prairie plain on 
 the east is like the ocean ; the rain and 
 clouds from the constantly evaporating snow 
 of the mountains rushing down into the heat- 
 ed air of the plains, on which you will have 
 occasion to remark the frequent storms of 
 rain we encountered during our journey. 
 
 Juli/ 31. — The morning was clear ; tem- 
 perature 48'^. A fine rolling road, among 
 piny and grassy hills, brought us this morn- 
 ing into a large trail where an Indian vil- 
 lage had recently passed. The weather 
 was pleasant and cool ; we were disturbed 
 by neither mosquitoes nor Hies ; and the 
 country was certainly extremely beautiful. 
 The slopes and broad ravines were abso- 
 lutely covered with fields of i^jowers of the 
 most exquisitely beautiful colors. Among 
 those which had not hitherto made their ap- 
 pearance, and which here were characteris- 
 tic, was a new delphinium, of a green and 
 lustrous metallic blue color, mingled with 
 compact fields of several bright-colored va- 
 rieties of astragalus, which were crowded 
 together in splendid profusion. This trail 
 conducted us through a remarkable defile, 
 to a little timbered creek, up which we 
 
 wound our way, passing by a singular and 
 massive wall of dark-red granite. The 
 formation of the country is a red feldapathic 
 granite, overlying a decomposing mass of 
 the same rock, forming the soil of all this 
 region, which ever3'where is red and grav- 
 elly, and appears to be of a great floral fer- 
 tility. 
 
 As we emerged on a small tributary of 
 the Laramie river, coming in sight of its 
 principal stream, the flora became perfectly 
 magnificent ; and we congratulated our- 
 selves, as we rode along our pleasant road, 
 that we had substituted this for the uninter- 
 esting country between Laramie hills and 
 the JSweet Water valley. We had no meat 
 for supper last night or breakfast this morn- 
 ing, and were glad to see Carson come in 
 at noon with a good antelope. 
 
 A meridian observation of the sun placed 
 us in latitude 41° 04' OG". In the evening 
 we encamped on the Laramie river, which 
 is here very thinly timbered with scattered 
 groups of cotton-wood at considerable inter- 
 vals. From our camp, we are able to dis- 
 tinguish the gorges, in which are tiie sources 
 of C^che-'a-la-Poudre and Laramie rivers ; 
 and the Medicine Bow mountain, towards 
 the point of which we are directing our 
 course this afternoon, has been in sight the 
 greater part of tiie day. By observation 
 the latitude w^as 41° 15' 02", and longitude 
 106° 16' 54". The same beautiful flora 
 continued till about four in the afternoon, 
 when it suddenly disappeared, with the red 
 ,soil, which became sandy and of a whitish- 
 gray color. The evening was tolerably 
 clear ; temperature at sunset 64°. The 
 day's journey was 30 miles. 
 
 August 1. — The morning was calm and 
 clear, with sunrise temperature at 42°. We 
 travelled to-day over a plain, or open roll- 
 ing country, at the foot of the Medicine 
 Bow mountain ; the soil in the morning be- 
 ing sandy, with fragments of rock abun- 
 dant; and in the afternoon, when we ap- 
 proached closer to the mountain, so stony 
 that we made but little way. The beautiful 
 plants of yesterday reappeared occasional- 
 ly ; flax in bloom occurred during the morn- 
 ing, and esparcette in luxuriant abundance 
 was a characteristic of the stony ground in 
 the afternoon. The camp was roused into 
 a little excitement by a chase after a buffa- 
 lo bull, and an encounter with a war party 
 of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians about 30 
 strong. Hares and antelope were seen du- 
 ring the day, and one of the latter was 
 killed. The Laramie peak was in sight 
 this afternoon. The evening was clear, 
 with scattered clouds : temperature 62=^. 
 The day's journey was 26 miles. 
 
 August 2. — Temperature at sunrise 52°, 
 and scenery and weather made our road to- 
 
68 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843". 
 
 day delightful. The neighboring mountain 
 is thickly studded with pines, intermingled 
 with the brighter foliage of aspens, and 
 occasional spots like lawns between the 
 patches of snow among the pines, and here 
 and there on the heights. Our route below 
 lay over a comparative plain, covered with 
 the same brilliant vegetation, and the day 
 Avas clear and pleasantly cool. During the 
 morning, we crossed many streams, clear 
 and rocky, and broad grassy valleys, of a 
 strong black soil, washed down from the 
 mountains, and producing excellent pastu- 
 rage. These were timbered with the red 
 willow and long-leaved cotton-wood, min- 
 gled with aspen, as we approached the 
 mountain more nearly towards noon. Es- 
 parcette was a characteristic, and flax oc- 
 curred frequently in bloom. We halted at 
 noon on the most western fork of Laramie 
 liver — a handsome stream about sixty feet 
 wide and two feet deep, with clear water 
 and a swift current, over a bed composed 
 entirely of boulders or roll stones. There 
 was a large open bottom here, on which 
 were many lodge poles lying about ; and in 
 the edge of the surrounding timber were 
 three strong forts, that appeared to have 
 been recently occupied. At this place I 
 became first acquainted with the yampah, 
 (anethum graveolens,) which I found our 
 Snake woman engaged in digging in the 
 low timbered bottom of the creek. Among 
 the Indians along the Rocky mountains, and 
 more particularly among the Shoshonee or 
 Snake Indians, in whose territory it is very 
 abundant, this is considered the best among 
 ihe roots used for food. To us it was an 
 interesting plant — a little link between the 
 savage and civilized life. Here, among liie 
 Indians, its root is a common article of food, 
 which they take pleasure in offering to 
 strangers ; while with us, in a considerable 
 portion of America and Europe, the seeds 
 are used to flavor soup. It grows more 
 abundantly, and in greater luxuriance, on 
 one of the neighboring tributaries of the 
 Colorado than in any other part of this re- 
 gion ; and on that stream, to which the 
 Snakes are accustomed to resort every year 
 to procure a supply of their favorite plant, 
 they have bestowed the name of Yumpah 
 river. Among the trappers, it is generally 
 known as Little Snake river ; but in this 
 and other instances, where it illustrated the 
 history of the people inhabiting the country, 
 I have preferred to retain on the map the 
 aboriginal name. By a meridional obser- 
 vation, the latitude is 41° 45' 59". 
 
 In the afternoon we took our way direct- 
 ly across the spurs from the point of the 
 mountain, where we had several ridges to 
 cross ; and, although the road was not ren- 
 dered bad by the nature of the ground, it 
 
 was made extremely rough by the stiff 
 tough bushes of artemisia tridentaCa,* in 
 this country commonly called sage. 
 
 This shrub now began to make its ap- 
 pearance in compact fields ; and we were 
 about to quit for a long time this country of 
 excellent pasturage and brilliant flowers.. 
 Ten or twelve buffalo bulls were seen dur- 
 ing the afternoon ; and we were surprised 
 by the appearance of a large red ox. We 
 gathered around him as if he had been an 
 old acquaintance, with all our domestic feel- 
 ings as much awakened as if we had come in 
 sight of an old farm house. He had proba- 
 bly made his escape from some party of 
 emigrants on Green river ; and, with a vivid 
 remembrance of some old green field, he 
 was pursuing the straightest course for the 
 frontier that the country admitted. We 
 carried him along with us as a prize- and, 
 when it was found in the morning that he 
 had wandered off, I would not let him be 
 pursued, for I would rather have gone 
 through a starving time of three entire days, 
 than let him be killed after he had success- 
 fully run the gauntlet so far among the In- 
 dians. I have been told by Mr. Bent's 
 people of an ox born and raised at St. 
 Vrain's fort, which made his escape from 
 them at Elm grove, near the frontier, hav- 
 ing come in that year with the wagons. 
 They were on their way out, and saw occa- 
 sionally places where he had eaten and lain 
 down to rest ; but did not see him for about 
 700 miles, when they overtook him on the 
 road, travelling along to the fort, having 
 unaccountably escaped Indians and every 
 other mischance. 
 
 We encamped at evening on the princi- 
 pal fork of Medicine Bow river, near to an 
 isolated mountain called the Medicine Butte, 
 which appeared to be about 1,800 feet above 
 the plain, from which it rises abruptly, and 
 was still white, nearly to its base, with a 
 great quantity of snow. The streams were 
 timbered with the long-leaved cotton-wood 
 and red willow; and during the afternoon a 
 species of onion was very abundant. I ob- 
 tained here an immersion of the first satel- 
 lite of Jupiter, which, corresponding very 
 nearly with the chronometer, placed us in 
 longitude lOG^ 47' 25". The latitude, by 
 observation, was 41° 37' 16"; elevation 
 above the sea, 7,800 feet, and distance froai 
 St. Vrain's fort, 147 miles. 
 
 August 3. — There was a white frost last 
 night ; the morning is clear and cuol. We 
 
 * Tlic greater portion of our subsequent jour- 
 ney waa througii a regiou wherr this shrub con- 
 stituted the tree of the country ; and, as it will 
 often L. mentioned in occasional descriptions, 
 the wt . artemisia only will be used, without 
 the specific name. 
 
1843] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 6§ 
 
 were early on the road, having breakfasted 
 before sunrise, and in a few miles travel 
 entered the pass of the Medicine Butte, 
 through which led a broad trail, which had 
 been recently travelled by a very large par- 
 ty. Immediately in the pass, the road was 
 broken by ravines, and we were obliged to 
 clear a way through groves of aspens, which 
 generally made their appearance when w-e 
 reached elevated regions. According to the 
 barometer, this was 8,300 feet ; and while 
 we were detained in opening a road, I ob- 
 tained a meridional observation of the sun, 
 which gave 41° 35' 48" for the latitude of 
 the pass. The Medicine Butte is isolated 
 by a small tributary of the North fork of the 
 Platte, but the mountains approach each 
 other very nearly ; the stream running at 
 their feet. On the south they are smooth, 
 with occasional streaks of pine ; but the 
 butte itself is ragged, with escarpments of 
 red feldspathic granite, and dark with pines ; 
 the snow reaching from the summit to within 
 a few hundred feet of the trail. The gran- 
 ite here was more compact and durable than 
 that in the formation wiiich we had passed 
 through a few days before to the eastward 
 of Laramie. Continuing our way over a 
 plain on the west side of the pass, where 
 the road was terribly rough with artemisia, 
 we made our evening encampment on the 
 creek, where it took a northern direction, 
 unfavorable to the course we were pursu- 
 ing. Bands of buffalo were discovered as 
 we came down upon the plain ; and Carson 
 brought into the camp a cow which had the 
 fat on the fleece two inches thick. Even 
 in this country of rich pasturage and abun- 
 dant game, it is rare that the hunter chances 
 iipon a finer animal. Our voyage had al- 
 ready been long, but this was the first good 
 buffalo meat we had obtained. We travel- 
 led to-day 26 miles. 
 
 August 4. — The morning was clear and 
 calm; and, leaving the creek, we travelled 
 towards the North fork of the Platte, over 
 a plain which was rendered rough and 
 broken by ravines. With the exception of 
 some thin grasses, the sandy soil here was 
 occupied almost exclusively by artemisia, 
 with its usual turpentine odor. We had ex- 
 pected to meet with some difficulty in cross- 
 ing the river, but happened to strike it 
 where there was a very excellent ford, and 
 halted to noon on the left bank, 200 miles 
 from St. Vrain's fort. The hunters brought 
 in pack animals loaded with fine meat. Ac- 
 cording to our imperfect knowledge of the 
 country, there should have been a small af- 
 fluent to this stream a few miles higher up ; 
 and in the afternoon we continued our way 
 among the river hills, in the expt ;ation o# 
 encamping upon it in the evenii.- . The 
 ground proved to be so exceedingly diffi- 
 
 cult, broken up into hills, terminating in es- 
 carpments and broad ravines, 500 or 600 
 feet deep, with sides so precipitous that we 
 could scarcely find a place to descend, that, 
 towards sunset, I turned directly in towards 
 the river, and, after nightfall, entered a sort 
 of ravine. We were obliged to feel our 
 way, and clear a road in the darkness ; the 
 surface being much broken, and the pro- 
 gress of the carriages being greatly ob- 
 structed by the artemisia, which had a luxu- 
 riant growth of four to six feet in height. 
 We liad scrambled along this gully for sev- 
 eral hours, during which we had knocked 
 off the carriage lamps, broken a thermome- 
 ter and several small articles, when, fear- 
 ing to lose something of more importance, 
 1 halted for the night at 10 o'clock. Our 
 animals were turned down towards the riv- 
 er, that they might pick up what little 
 grass they could find ; and after a little 
 search, some water was found in a small 
 ravine, and improved by digging. We light- 
 ed up the ravine with fires of artemisia, and 
 about midnight sat down to a supper which 
 we were hungry enough to find delightful—^ 
 although the buffalo meat was crusted with 
 sand, and the coffee was bitter with the 
 wormwood taste of the artemisia leaves. 
 
 A successful day's hunt had kept our 
 hunters occupied until late, and they slept 
 out, but rejoined us at daybreak, w^hen, 
 finding ourselves only about a mile from the 
 river, we followed the ravine down, and 
 camped in a cotton-wood grove on a beauti- 
 ful grassy bottom, where our animals in- 
 demnified themselves for the scanty fare ot 
 the past night. It was quite a pretty and 
 pleasant place ; a narrow strip of prairie 
 about five hundred yards long terminated at 
 the ravine where we entered by high precip- 
 itous hills closing in upon the river, and 
 at the upper end by a ridge of low rolling 
 hills. 
 
 In the precipitous bluffs were displayed a 
 succession of strata containing fossil vege- 
 table remains, and several beds of coal. In 
 some of the beds the coal did not appear to 
 be perfectly mineralized ; and in some of 
 the seams, it was compact and remarkably 
 lustrous. In these latter places there were 
 also thin layers of a very fine white salts, 
 in powder. As we had a large supply of 
 meat in the camp, which it was necessary 
 to dry, and the surrounding country appear- 
 ed to be well stocked with buffalo, which it 
 was probable, after a day or two, we would 
 not see again until our return to the Missis- 
 sippi waters, I determined to make here a 
 provision of dried meat, which would be ne- 
 cessary for our subsistence in the region we 
 were about entering, which was said to be 
 nearly destitute of game. Scaffolds were 
 accordingly soon erected, fires made, and 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 the meat cut into thin slices to be dried ; 
 and all were busily occupied, when the camp 
 was thrown into a sudden tumult, by a 
 (Charge from about 70 mounted Indians, over 
 :tb€ low hills at the upper end of the little 
 ■bottom. Fortunately, the guard, who was 
 between them and our animals, had caught 
 a glimpse of an Indian's head, as he raised 
 himself in his stirrups to look over the hill, 
 a moment before he made the charge ; and 
 succeeded in turning the band into the camp, 
 as the Indians charged into the bottom with 
 the usual yell. Before they reached us, the 
 grove on the verge of the little bottom was 
 occupied by our people, and the Indians 
 brought to a sudden halt, which they made 
 in time to save themselves from a howitzer 
 shot, which would undoubtedly have been 
 very effective in such a compact body ; and 
 further proceedings were interrupted by 
 their signs for peace. They proved to be a 
 v,ar party of Arapaho and Cheyenne In- 
 dians, and informed us that they had charged 
 upon the camp under the belief that we were 
 hostile Indians, and had discovered their 
 mistake only at the moment of the attack 
 — an excuse which policy required us to re- 
 ceive as true, though under the full convic- 
 tion that the display of our little howitzer, 
 and our favorable position in the grove, cer- 
 tainly saved our horses, and probably our- 
 selves, from their marauding inter.lions. 
 They had been on a war party, and had 
 been defeated, and were consequently in the 
 state of mind which aggravates tlieir innate 
 thirst for plunder and blood: Their excuse, 
 however, was taken in good part, and the 
 usual evidences of friendship' interchanged. 
 The pipe went round, provisions were 
 spread, and the tobacco and goods furnished 
 the customary presents, which they look 
 for even from traders, and much more from 
 .government authorities. 
 
 They were returning from an expedition 
 against the Shoshonee Indians, one of whose 
 villages they had surprised, at Bridger's 
 fort, on Ham's fork of Green river, (in the 
 absence of the men, who were engaged in 
 an antelope surround,) and succeeded in 
 carrying off their horses and taking several 
 scalps. News of the attack reached the 
 Snakes immediately, who pursued and 
 overtook them, and recovered tlieir horses; 
 and, in the running fight which ensued, the 
 Arapahos had lost several men killed, and 
 a number wounded, who were coming on 
 more slowly with a party in the rear. 
 Nearly all the horses they had brought off 
 were the property of the whites at the 
 fort. After remaining until nearly sunset, 
 they took their departure; and the excite- 
 ment which their arrival had afforded sub- 
 sided into our usual quiet, a little enlivened 
 Jby the vigilance rendered necessary by the 
 
 neighborhood of our uncertain visiters. 
 At noon the thermometer was at 75°, at 
 sunset 70°, and the evening clear. Eleva- 
 tion above the sea G,620 feet; latitude 41° 
 36' 00"; longitude 107° 22' 27". 
 
 August G. — At sunrise the thermometer 
 was 46°, the morning being clear and 
 calm. We travelled to-day over an ex- 
 tremely rugged country, barren and un- 
 interesting — nothing to be seen but arte- 
 inisia bushes ; and, in the evening, found a 
 grassy ^pot among the lulls, kept green by 
 several springs, where we encamped late. 
 Within a few hundred yards was a very 
 pretty little stream of clear cool water, 
 whose green banks looked refreshing among 
 the dry rocky hills. The hunters brought 
 in a fat mountain sheep, {ovis monlana.) 
 
 Our road the next day was through a, 
 continued and dense field of artcmisia, 
 which now entirely covered the country in 
 such a luxuriant growth that it was difiicult 
 and laborious for a man on foot to force his 
 way through, and nearly impracticable for. 
 our light carriages. The region through 
 which we were travelling was a high 
 plateau, constituting the dividing ridge be- 
 tv.-een the waters of the Atlantic and Pa- 
 cific oceans, and extending to a considera- 
 ble distance southward, from the neighbor- 
 hood of the Table rock, at the southern 
 side of the South Pass. Thoi-.gh broken 
 up into rugged and rocky hills of a dry and 
 barren nature, it has nothing of a moun- 
 tainous character ; the small streams which 
 occasionally occur belonging neither to the 
 Platte nor the Colorado, but losing them- 
 selves cither in the sand or in small lakes. 
 From an eniine'nce, in the afternoon, a 
 mountainous range became visible in the 
 north, in which were recognised some 
 rocky peaks belonging to the range of the 
 Sweet Water valley; and, determining to 
 abandon any further attempt to struggle 
 through this almost impracticable country, 
 we turned our course directly north, towards 
 a pass in the valley of the Sweet Water 
 river. A shaft of tiie gun-carriage was 
 broken during the afternoon, causing a con- 
 siderable delay ; and it was late in an un- 
 pleasant evening before we succeeded in 
 finding a very poor encampment, where 
 there was a little water in a deep trench of 
 a creek, and some scanty grass among the 
 shrubs. All the game here tonsisled in a 
 few straggling buffalo bulls, and during the 
 day there had been but very little grass, 
 except in some green spots where it liad. 
 collected around springs or shallow lakes. 
 Within fifty miles of the Sweet Water, the 
 country changed into a vast saline plain, in 
 ^many places extremely level, occasionally 
 resembling the flat sandy beds of shallow^ 
 lakes. Here the vegetation consisted of a 
 
1843. 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 71 
 
 shrubby growth, among which were several 
 varieties of chenopodiaceous plants ; but 
 the characteristic shrub was Fremontia 
 vermicxdaris, with smaller saline shrubs 
 growing with singular luxuriance, and in 
 many places holding exclusive possession 
 ot" the ground. 
 
 On the evening of the 8th, we encamped 
 on one of these fresh-water lakes, which 
 the traveller considers himself fortunate to 
 find ; and the next day, in latitude by ob- 
 servation 4-3^ 20' 06", halted to noon im- 
 mediately at the foot of the southern side 
 of the range which walls in the Sweet 
 Water valley, on the head of a small tribu- 
 tary to that river. 
 
 Continuing in the afternoon our course 
 down the stream, which here cuts directly 
 through the ridge, forming a very practica- 
 ble pass, we entered the valley ; and, after 
 a march of about nine miles, encamped on 
 our familiar river, endeared to us by the 
 acquaintance of the previous expedition ; 
 the night having already closed in with a 
 cold rain-storm. Our camp was about 
 twenty miles above the Devil's gate, which 
 we had been able to see in coming down 
 the plain ; and, in the course of the night, 
 the clouds broke away around Jupiter for a 
 short time, during wliich we obtained an 
 emersion of the first satellite, the result 
 of which agreed very nearly with the 
 chronometer, giving for the mean longitude 
 107° 50' 07" ; elevation above the sea 6,040 
 feet ; and distance from St. Vrain's fort, by 
 the road we had just travelled, 315 miles. 
 
 Here passes the road to Oregon ; and 
 the broad smooth highway, where the nu- 
 merous heavy wagons of the emigrants 
 had entirely beaten and crushed the arte- 
 misia, was a happy exchange to our poor 
 animals tor the sharp rocks and tough 
 shrubs among which they had been toiling 
 so long ; and we moved up the valley 
 rapidly and pleasantly. With very little 
 deviation from our route of the preceding 
 year, we continued up the valley ; and on 
 the evening of the 12th encamped on the 
 Sweet Water, at a point where the road 
 turns off to cross to the plains of Green 
 river. The increased coolness of the 
 weather indicated that we had attained a 
 great elevation, which the barometer here 
 placed at 7,220 feet ; and during the night 
 water froze in the lodge. 
 
 The morning of the 13th was clear and 
 cold, there being a white frost ; and the 
 thermometer, a little before sunrise, stand- 
 ing at 26.5^. Leaving this encampment, 
 (our last on the waters which flow towards 
 the rising sun,) we took our way along the 
 upland, towards the dividing ridge which 
 separates the Atlantic from the Pacific 
 waters, and crossed it by a road some miles 
 
 further sguth than the one we had followed 
 on our return in 1842. We crossed very 
 near the table mountain, at the southern 
 extremity of the South Pass, which is 
 near twenty miles in width, and already 
 traversed by several difTerent roads. Se- 
 lecting as well as I could, in the scarcely 
 distinguishable ascent, what might be con- 
 sidered the dividing ridge in this remarka- 
 ble depression in the mountain, I took a 
 barometrical observation, which gave 7,490 
 feet for the elevation above the Gulf of 
 Mexico. You will remember that, in my 
 report of 1842, I estimated the elevation of 
 this pass at about 7,000 feet ; a correct ob- 
 servation with a good barometer enables 
 me now to give it with more precision. 
 Its importance, as the great gate through 
 which commerce and travelling may here- 
 after pass between the valley of the Mis- 
 sissippi and the north Pacific, justifies a 
 precise notice of its locality and distance 
 from leading points, in addition to this 
 statement of its elevation. As stated in 
 the report of 1842, its latitude at the point- 
 where we crossed is 42° 24' 32" ; its longi- 
 tude lOQO 26' 00" ; its distance from the 
 mouth of the Kansas, by the common trav- 
 elling route, 962 miles ; from the mouth of 
 the Great Platte, along the valley of that 
 river, according to our survey of 1842. 
 882 miles ; and its distance from St. Louis 
 about 400 miles more by the Kansas, and 
 about 700 by the Great Platte route ; these 
 additions being steamboat conveyance in 
 both instances. From this pass to the 
 mouth of the Oregon is about 1,400 miles 
 by the common travelling route ; so that,, 
 under a general point of view, it may be 
 assumed to be about half way between the 
 Mississippi and the Pacific ocean, on the 
 common travelling route. Following a 
 hollow of slight and easy descent, in 
 which was very soon formed a little tribu- 
 tary to the Gulf of California, (for the waters 
 which flow west from the South Pass go ta 
 this gulf,) we made our usual halt four- 
 miles from the pass, in latitude by observa- 
 tion 42'3 19' 53". Entering here the valley, 
 of Green river — the great Colorado of the 
 West — and inclining very much to the 
 southward along the streams which form 
 the Sandy river, the road led for several 
 days over dry and level uninteresting 
 plains ; to which a low, scrubby growth of 
 artemisiagave a uniform dull grayish color; 
 and on the evening of the 15th we en- 
 camped in the Mexican territory, on the left 
 bank of Green river, 09 miles from the 
 South Pass, in longitude 110'^ 05' 05", and 
 latitude 41^ 53' 54", distant 1,031 miles 
 from the mouth of the Kansas. This is 
 the emigrant road to Oregon, which bears 
 much to the southward, to avoid the moun- 
 
73 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [184S. 
 
 tains about the western heads of Green 
 river — the Rio Verde of the Spaniards. 
 
 August 16. — Crossing the river, here 
 about 400 feet wide, by a very good ford, 
 ■we continued to descend for seven or eight 
 miles on a pleasant road along the right 
 bank of the stream, of which the islands 
 and shores are handsomely timbered with 
 cotton-wood. The refreshing appearance of 
 the broad river, with its timbered shores 
 and green wooded islands, in contrast to its 
 dry sandy plains, probubly obtained for it the 
 name of Green river, which was bestowed 
 on it by the Spaniards who first came into 
 this country to trade sonic 95 years ago. It 
 was then familiarly known as the Sceds-ke- 
 dee-agie, or Prairie Hen {tctrao nrophasi- 
 anus) river ; a name which it received from 
 the Crows, to whom its upper waters be- 
 long, and on which this bird is still very 
 abundant. By the Shoshonee and Utah 
 Indians, to whom belongs, for a considerable 
 distance below, the country v.here we were 
 now travelling, it was called the Bitter 
 Root river, from tho great abundance in its 
 valley of a plant which affords them one of 
 their favorite roots. Lower down, from 
 Brown's hole to the southward, the river 
 runs through lofty chasms, walled in by pre- 
 cipices of red rock ; and even among the 
 wilder tribes who inhabit that portion of its 
 course, I have heard it called by Indian 
 refugees from the Californian settlements 
 the Rio Colorado. We halted to noon at 
 the upper end of a large bottom, near some 
 old houses, which had been a trading post, 
 in latitude 41° 46' 54". At this place the 
 elevation of the river above the sea is 
 6,230 feet. That of Lewis's fork of the 
 Columbia at Fort Hall is, according to our 
 subsequent observations, 4,500 feet. The 
 descent of each stream is rapid, but that of 
 the Colorado is but little known, and that 
 little derived from vague report. Three 
 hundred miles of its lower part, as it ap- 
 proaches the gulf of California, is reported 
 to be smooth and tranquil ; but its upper 
 part is manifestly broken into many falls 
 and rapids. From many descriptions of 
 trappers, it is probable that in its foaming 
 eaurse among its lofty precipices it presents 
 many scenes of wild grandeur ; and though 
 offering many temptations, and often dis- 
 cussed, no trappers have been found bold 
 enough to undertake a voyage which has so 
 certain a prospect of a fatal termination. 
 The Indians have strange stories of beauti- 
 ful valleys abounding with beaver, shut up 
 among inaccessible walls of rock in the lower 
 course of the river ; and to which the neigh- 
 boring Indians, in their occasional wars with 
 the Spaniards, and among themselves, drive 
 their herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, 
 leaving them to pasture in perfect security. 
 
 The road here leaves the river, which 
 bends considerably to the east ; and in the 
 afternoon we resumed our westerly course, 
 passing over a somewhat high and broken 
 country ; and about sunset, after a day's 
 travel of 26 miles, reached Black's fork of 
 the Green river — a shallow stream, with a 
 somewhat sluggish current, about 120 feet 
 wide, timbered principally with willow, and 
 here and there an occasional large tree. At 
 3 in the morning I obtained an observation 
 of an emersion of the first satellite of Jupi- 
 ter, with other observations. The heavy 
 wagons have so completely pulverized the 
 soil, that clouds of fine light dust are raised 
 by the slightest wind, making the road 
 sometimes very disagreeable. 
 
 August 17. — Leaving our encampment 
 at 6 in tiie morning, we travelled along the 
 bottom, which is about two miles wide, 
 bordered by low hills, in which the strata 
 contained handsome and very distinct vege- 
 table fossils. In a gully a short distance 
 farther up the river, and underlying these, 
 was exposed a stratum of an impure or 
 argillaceous limestone. Crossing on the 
 way Black's fork, where it is one foot deep 
 and forty wide, with clear water and a 
 pebbly bed, in nine miles we reached Ham's 
 fork, a tributary to the former stream, hav- 
 ing now about sixty feet breadth, and a few 
 inches depth of water. It is wooded with 
 thickets of red willow, and in the bottom is 
 a tolerably strong growth of grass. The 
 road here makes a traverse of twelve miles 
 across a bend of the river. Passing in the 
 way some remarkable hills, two or three 
 hundred feet high, with frequent and nearly 
 vertical escarpments of a green stone, con- 
 sisting of an argillaceous carbonate of lime, 
 alternating with strata of an iron-brown 
 limestone, and worked into picturesque 
 forms by wind and rain, at 2 in the after- 
 noon we reached the river again, having 
 made to-day 21 miles. Since crossing the 
 great dividing ridge of the Rocky moun- 
 tains, plants have been very few in variety, 
 the country being covered principally with 
 artemisia. 
 
 August 18. — We passed on the road, this 
 morning, the grave of one of the emigrants, 
 being the second we had seen since falling 
 into their trail ; and halted to noon on the 
 river, a short distance above. 
 
 The Shoshonee woman took leave of us 
 here, expecting to find some of her relations 
 at Bridger's fort, which is only a mile or 
 two distant, on a fork of this stream. In 
 the evening we encamped on a salt creek, 
 about fifteen feet wide, having to-day trav- 
 elled 32 miles. 
 
 I obt< ^ned an emersion of the first satel- 
 lite under favorable circumatances, the night 
 being still and elear. 
 
J843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 73 
 
 ' One of our mules died here, and in this 
 portion of our journey we lost six or seven 
 of our animals. The grass which the 
 country had lately afforded was very poor 
 and insufficient ; and animals which have 
 been accustomed to grain become soon 
 weak and unable to labor, when reduced to 
 no other nourishment than grass. The 
 American horses (as those are usually 
 called which are brought to this country 
 from the States) are not of any serviceable 
 value until after they have remained a 
 winter in the country, and become ac- 
 customed to live entirely on grass. 
 ■ Aiigttst 19. — Desirous to avoid every de- 
 lay not absolutely necessary, I sent on (-!ar- 
 son ill advance to Fort Hall this morning, 
 to make arrangements for a small supply 
 of provisions- A few miles from our en- 
 campment, the road entered a high ridge, 
 which the trappers called the " little moun- 
 tain," connecting the Utah with the Wind 
 river chain ; and in one of the hills near 
 which we passed I remarked strata of a 
 conglomerate formation, fragments of which 
 were scattered over the surface. We cross- 
 ed a ridge of this conglomerate, the road 
 passing near a grove of low cedar, and de- 
 scended upon one of the heads of Ham's 
 fork, called Muddy, where we made our 
 mid-day halt. In the river hills at this place, 
 I discovered strata of fossilliferous rock, 
 having an oolitic structure, which, in con- 
 nection with the neighboring strata, autho- 
 rize us to believe that here, on the west 
 side of the Rocky mountains, we find re- 
 peated the modern formations of Great Bri- 
 tain and Europe, which have hitherto been 
 wanting to complete the system of Nortli 
 American geology. 
 
 In tlie afternoon we continued our road, 
 and, searching among the hills a few miles 
 up the stream, and on the same bank, I dis- 
 covered, among alternating beds of coal and 
 clay, a stratum of white indurated clay, 
 containing very clear and beautiful impres- 
 sions of vegetable remains. This was the 
 most interesting fossil locality I had met in 
 the country, and I deeply regretted that 
 time did not permit me to remain a day or 
 two in the vicinity ; but I could not antici- 
 pate the delays to which I might be exposed 
 in the course of our journey — or, rather, I 
 knew that they were many and inevitable ; 
 and after remaining here only about an hour, 
 I hurried off, loaded with as many speci- 
 mens as I could conveniently carry. 
 
 Coal made its appearance occasionally in 
 the hills during the afternoon, and was dis- 
 played in rabbit burrows in a kind of gap, 
 through which we passed over some high 
 hills, and we descended to make ^ur en- 
 campment on the same stream, where we 
 found but very poor grass. In tiie evening 
 
 a fine cow, with her calf, which had strayed 
 off from some emigrant party, were found 
 several miles from the road, and brought 
 into camp ; and as she gave an abundance 
 of milk, we enjoyed to-night an excellent 
 cup of coffee. We travelled to-day 28 
 miles, and, as lias been usual since crossing 
 the Green river, the road has been very 
 dusty, and the weather smoky and oppres- 
 sively hot. Artemisia was characteristic 
 among the few plants. 
 
 August 20. — We continued to travel up 
 the creek by a very gradual ascent and a 
 very excellent grassy road, passing on the 
 way several small forks of the stream. The 
 bills here are higher, presenting escarp- 
 ments of parti-colored and apparently clay 
 rocks, purple, da.rk red, and yellow, con- 
 taining strata of sandstone and limestone 
 with shells, with a bed of cemented pebbles, 
 the whole overlaid by beds of limestone. 
 The alternation of red and yellow gives a 
 bright appearance to the hills, one of which 
 was called by our people the Rainbow hill ; 
 and the character of the country became 
 more agreeable, and travelling far more 
 pleasant, as now we found timber and very 
 good grass. Gradually ascending, we reach- 
 ed the lower level of a bed of white lime- 
 stone, lying upon a white clay, on the upper 
 line of which the whole road is abundantly 
 supplied with beautiful cool springs, gushing 
 out a foot in breadth and several inches 
 deep, directly from the hill side. At noon 
 we halted at the last main fork of the creek, 
 at an elevation of 7,200 feet, and in latitude, 
 by observation, 41^ 39' 45"; and in the af- 
 ternoon continued on the same excellent 
 road, up the left or northern fork of the 
 stream, towards its head, in a pass which 
 the barometer placed at 8,230 feet above 
 the sea. This is a connecting ridge be- 
 tween the Utah or Bear river mountains 
 and the Wind river chain of the Rocky 
 mountains, separating the waters of the 
 gulf of California on the east, and those on 
 the west belonging more directly to the Pa- 
 cific, from avast interior basin whose rivers 
 are collected into numerous lakes having 
 no outlet to the ocean. From the summit 
 of this pass, the highest which the road 
 crosses between the Mississippi and the 
 Western ocean, our view was over a very 
 mountainous region, whose rugged appear- 
 ance was greatly increased by the smoky 
 weather, through which the broken ridges 
 were dark and dimly seen. The ascent to 
 the summit of the gap was occasionally 
 steeper than the national road in the Alle- 
 ghanies ; and the descent, by way of a spur 
 on the western side, is rather precipitous, 
 but the pass may still be called a good one. 
 Some thickets of willow in the hollows be- 
 1 low deceived us into tiie expectation of 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 finding a camp at our usual hour at the foot 
 of the mountain ; hut we found them with- 
 out water, and continued down a ravine, 
 and encamped about dark at a place where 
 the springs again began to make their ap- 
 pearance, but w^here our animals fared bad- 
 ly ; the stock of the emigrants having razed 
 the grass as completely as if we were again 
 in the midst of the buffalo. 
 
 August 21. — An hour's travel this morn- 
 ing brought us into the fertile and pictu- 
 resque valley of Bear river, the principal 
 tributary to the Great Salt lake. The 
 stream is here 200 feet wide, fringed with 
 willows and occasional groups of hawthorns. 
 We were now entering a region which for 
 us possessed a strange and extraordinary 
 interest. We were upon the waters of the 
 famous lake which forms a salient point 
 among the remarkable geographical features 
 of the country, and around which the vague 
 and superstitious accounts of the trappers 
 had thrown a delightful obscurity, which 
 we anticipated pleasure in dispelling, but 
 which, in the mean time, left a crowded 
 iield for the exercise of our imagination. 
 
 In our occasional conversations with the 
 few old hunters who had visited the region, 
 it had been a subject of frequent specula- 
 tion ; and the wonders which they related 
 were not the less agreeable because they 
 were highly exaggerated and impossible. 
 
 Hitherto this lake had been seen only by 
 trappers w^ho were wandering through the 
 •country in search of new beaver streams, 
 ■caring very little for geography ; its islands 
 had never been visited ; and none were to 
 be found who had entirely made the circuit 
 of its shores ; and no instrumental observa- 
 -tions or geographical survey, of any de- 
 scription, had ever been made anywhere in 
 the neighboring region. It was generally 
 .supposed that it had no visible outlet ; but 
 among the trappers, including those in my 
 own camp, were many who believed that 
 somewhere on its surface was a terrible 
 whirlpool, through which its waters found 
 their way to the ocean by some subterra- 
 nean communication. All these things had 
 made a frequent subject of discussion in our 
 desultory conversations around the fires at 
 night ; and my own mind had become toler- 
 ably well filled with their indefinite pictures, 
 and insensibly colored with their romantic 
 descriptions, which, in the pleasure of ex- 
 citement, I was well disposed to believe, 
 and half expected to realize. 
 
 Where we descended into this beautiful 
 valley, it is three to four miles in breadth, 
 perfectly level, and bounded by mountainous 
 ridges, one above another, rising suddenly 
 from the plain. 
 
 Wc continued our road down the river, 
 and at night encamped with a family of emi- 
 
 grants — two men, women, and several chil- 
 dren — who appeared to be bringing up the 
 rear of the great caravan. I was struck 
 with the fine appearance of their cattle, 
 some six or eight yoke of oxen, which really 
 looked as well as if they had been all the 
 summer at work on some good farm. It 
 was strange to see one small family travel- 
 ling along through such a country, so remote 
 from civilization. Some nine years since, 
 such a security might have been a fatal one ; 
 but since their disastrous defeats in the 
 country a little north, the Blackfeet have 
 ceased to visit these waters. Indians, how- 
 ever, are very uncertain in their localities ; 
 and the friendly feelings, also, of those now 
 inhabiting it may be changed. 
 
 According to barometrical observation at 
 noon, the elevation of the valley was 6,400 
 feet above the sea ; and our encampment at 
 night in latitude 42° 03' 47", and longitude 
 11 1° 10' 53", by observation — the day's 
 journey having been 26 miles. This en- 
 campment was therefore within the territo- 
 rial limit of the United States ; our travel- 
 ling, from the time we entered the valley of 
 the iG^reen river, on the 15th of August, 
 having been to the south of the 42d degree 
 of north latitude, and consequently on Mexi- 
 can territory ; and this is the route all the 
 emigrants now travel to Oregon. 
 
 The temperature at sunset was 65° ; and 
 at evening there was a distant thunder 
 storm, with a light breeze from the north. 
 
 Antelope and elk were seen during the 
 day on the opposite prairie ; and there were 
 ducks and geese in the river. 
 
 The next morning, in about three miles 
 from our encampment, we reached Smith's 
 fork, a stream of clear water, about 50 feet 
 in breadth. It is timbered with cotton-v.'ood, 
 willow, and aspen, and makes a beautiful 
 debouchement through a pass about 600 
 yards wide, between remarkable mountain 
 hills, rising abruptly on either side, and form- 
 ing gigantic columns to the gate by which it 
 enters Bear river valley. The bottoms, 
 which below Smith's fork had been two 
 miles wide, narrowed, as we advanced, to a 
 gap 500 yards wide ; and during the greater 
 part of the day we had a winding route, the 
 river making very sharp and sudden bends, 
 the-mountains steep and rocky, and the val- 
 ley occasionally so narrow as only to leave 
 space for a passage through. 
 
 We made our halt at noon in a fertile bot- 
 tom, where the common blue flax was grow- 
 ing abundantly, a few miles below the mouth 
 of Thomas's fork, one of the larger tribu- 
 taries of the river. 
 
 Crossing, in the afternoon, the point of a 
 narrow spur, we descended into a beautiful 
 bottom, formed by a lateral valley, which 
 presented a picture of liome beauty that 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 75 
 
 went directly to our hearts. The edge of 
 the wood, for several miles along the river, 
 was dotted with the white covers of emi- 
 grant wagons, collected in groups at differ- 
 ent camps, where the smokes were rising 
 lazily from the fires, around which the wo- 
 men were occupied in preparing the evening 
 meal, and the children playing in the grass ; 
 and herds of cattle, grazing about in the bot- 
 tom, had an air of quiet security, and civil- 
 ized comfort, that made a rare sight for the 
 traveller in such a remote wilderness. 
 
 In common with all the emigration, they 
 had been reposing for several days in this 
 delightful valley, in order to recruit their 
 animals on its luxuriant pasturage after their 
 long journey, and prepare them for the hard 
 travel along the comparatively sterile banks 
 of the Upper Columbia. At the lower end 
 of this extensive bottom, the river passes 
 through an open canon, where there were 
 high vertical rocks to the water's edge, and 
 the road here turns up a broad valley to the 
 right. It was already near sunset; but, 
 hoping to reach the river again before niglit, 
 we continued our march along the valley, 
 finding the road tclerably good, until we 
 arrived at a point where it crosses the ridge 
 by an ascent of a mile in length, which was 
 so very steep and difficult for the gun and 
 carriage, that we did not reach the summit 
 until dark. 
 
 It was absolutely necessary to descend 
 into the valley for water and grass ; and we 
 were obliged to grope our way in the dark- 
 ness down a very steep, bad mountain, reach- 
 ing the river at about 10 o'clock. It was 
 late before our animals were gathered into 
 camp, several of those which were very 
 weak being necessarily left to pass the night 
 on the ridge ; and we sat down again to a 
 midnight supper. The road, in the morn- 
 ing, presented an animated appearance. We 
 found that we had encamped near a large 
 party of emigrants ; and a few miles below, 
 another party was already in motion. Here 
 the valley had resumed its usual breadth, 
 and the river swept off along the mountains 
 on the western side, the road continuing di- 
 rectly on. 
 
 In about an hour's travel we met several 
 Shoshonee Indians, who informed us that 
 they belonged to a large village which had 
 just come into the valley from the mountain 
 to the westward, where they had been hunt- 
 ing antelope and gathering service-berries. 
 Glad at the opportunity of seping one of 
 their villages, and in the hope of purchasing 
 from them a few horses, I turned imme- 
 diately off into the plain towards their en- 
 campment, which was situated on a small 
 stream near the river. 
 
 We had approached within something 
 more than a mile of the village, when sud- 
 
 denly a single horseman emerged from it at 
 full speed, followed by another, and another, 
 in raj)id succession ; and then party after 
 party poured into the plain, until, when the 
 foremost rider reached us, all the whole in- 
 tervening plain was occupied by a mass of 
 horsemen, which came charging down upon: 
 us with guns and naked swords, lances, and 
 bows and arrows, — Indians entirely nakedy 
 and warriors fully dressed for war, with the 
 long red streamers of their war bonnets 
 reaching nearly to the ground, all mingled 
 together in the bravery of savage warfare. 
 Tliey had been thrown into a sudden tumult 
 by the appearance of our flag, which, among 
 these people, is regarded as an emblem of 
 hostility — it being usually borne by the 
 Sioux, and the neighboring mountain In- 
 dians, when they come here to war : and 
 we had, accordingly, been mistaken for a 
 body of their enemies. A few words from 
 the chief quieted the excitement ; and the 
 whole band, increasing every moment in 
 number, escorted us to their encampment, 
 where the chief pointed out a place for us to 
 encamp, near his own lodge, and made 
 known our purpose in visiting the village. 
 In a very short time we purchased eight 
 horses, for which we gave in exchange 
 blankets, red and blue cl«th, beads, knives, 
 and tobacco, and the usual other articles of 
 Indian traffic. We obtained from them also 
 a considerable quantity of berries of differ- 
 ent kinds, among which service-berries 
 were the most abundant ; and several kinds 
 of roots and seeds, which we could eat with 
 pleasure, as any kind of vegetable fWod was 
 gratifying to us. I ate here, for the first 
 time, the /coot/ak, or tobacco root, {Valeriana 
 edidis,) the principal edible root among the 
 Indians who inhabit the upper waters of the 
 streams on the western side of the moun- 
 tains. It has a very strong and remarkably 
 peculiar taste and odor, which I can corn- 
 pare to no other vegetable that I am ac- 
 quainted with, and which to some persons is 
 extremely offensive. It was characterized 
 by Mr. Preuss as the most horrid food he 
 had ever put in his mouth ; and when, in the 
 evening, one of the chiefs sent his wife to 
 me with a portion which she had prepared 
 as a delicacy to regale us, the odor imme- 
 diately drove him out of the lodge ; and 
 frequently afterwards he used to beg that 
 when those who liked it had taken what they 
 desired, it might be sent away. To others, 
 however, the taste is rather an agreeable 
 one ; and I was afterwards always glad 
 when it formed an addition to our scanty 
 meals. It is full of nutriment ; and in its 
 unprepared state is said by the Indians to 
 have very strong poisonous qualities, of 
 which it is deprived by a peculiar process, 
 being baked in the ground for about two days. 
 
fe 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 The morning of the 24th was disagreea- 
 bly cool, with an easterly vvind and very 
 smoky weather. We made a late start from 
 the village, and, regaining the road, (on 
 .which, during all the day, were scattered 
 the emigrant wagons,) we continued on 
 down the valley of the river, bordered by 
 high and mountainous hills, on which fires 
 are seen at the summit. The soil appears 
 generally good, although, with the grasses, 
 many of the plants are dried up, probably on 
 account of the great heat and want of rain. 
 The common blue flax of cultivation, now 
 almost entirely in seed — only a scattered 
 flower here and there remaining — is the 
 most characteristic plant of the Bear river 
 valley. When we encamped at night on 
 the right bank of the river, it was growing 
 as in a sown field. We had travelled during 
 the day 22 miles, encamping in latitude (by 
 observation) 42^ 36' 56", chronometric lon- 
 gitude 111° 42' 05". 
 
 In our neighborhood, the mountains ap- 
 peared extremely rugged, giving still great- 
 er value to this beautiful natural pass. 
 
 August 25. — This was a cloudless but 
 smoky autumn morning, with a cold wind 
 from the SE., and a temperature of 45° at 
 sunrise. In a few miles I noticed, where a 
 little stream crossed the road, fragments of 
 scnriated basalt scattered about — the first 
 volcanic rock we had seen, and which now 
 became a characteristic rock along our fu- 
 ture road. In about six miles travel from 
 our encampment, we reached one of the 
 points in our journey to which we had al- 
 ways tooked forward with great interest — 
 the famous Beer springs. The place in 
 which they are situated is a basin of miner- 
 al waters enclosed by the mountains, which 
 sweep around a circular bend of Bear river, 
 here at its most northern point, and which 
 from a northern, in the course of a few 
 miles acquires a southern direction towards 
 the Great Salt lake. A pretty little 
 stream of clear water enters the upper part 
 of the basin from an open valley in the moun- 
 tains, and, passing through the bottom, dis- 
 charges into Bear river. Crossing this 
 stream, we descended a mile below, and 
 made our encampment in a grove of cedar 
 immediately at the Beer springs, which, on 
 account of the effervescing gas and acid 
 taste, have received their name from the 
 voyageurs and trappers of the country, who, 
 in the midst of their rude and hard lives, 
 are fond of finding some fancied resem- 
 blance to the luxuries they rarely have the 
 fortune to enjoy. 
 
 Although somewhat disappointed in the 
 expectations which various descriptions had 
 led me to form of unusual beauty of situa- 
 tion and scenery, I found it altogether a 
 place of very great interest ; and a trav- 
 
 eller for the first time in a volcanic region 
 remains in a constant excitement, and at 
 every step is arrested by something re- 
 markable and new. There is a confusion 
 of interesting objects gathered together in a 
 small space. Around the place of encamp- 
 ment the Beer springs were numerous ; but, 
 as far as we could ascertain, were entirely 
 confined to that locality in the bottom. In 
 the bed of the river, in front, for a space of 
 several hundred yards, they were very 
 abundant ; the effervescing gas rising up 
 and agitating the water in countless bub- 
 bling columns. In the vicinity round about 
 were numerous springs of an entirely differ- 
 ent and equally marked mineral character. 
 In a rather picturesque spot, about 1,300 
 yards below our encampment, and immedi- 
 ately on the river bank, is the most remark- 
 able spring of the place. In an opening on 
 the rock, a white column of scattered water 
 is thrown up, in form like a,jet-d''eau, to a 
 variable height of about three feet, and, 
 though it is maintained in a constant supply, 
 its greatest height is attained only at regu- 
 lar intervals, according to the action of the 
 force below. It is accompanied by a sub- 
 terranean noise, which, together with the 
 motion of the water, makes very much the 
 impression of a steamboat in motion ; and, 
 without knowing that it had been already 
 previously so called, we gave to it the name 
 of the Steamboat spring. The rock through 
 which it is forced is slightly raised in a con- 
 vex manner, and gathered at the opening 
 into an urn-mouthed form, and is evidently 
 formed by continued deposition from the 
 water, and colored bright red by oxide of 
 iron. An analysis of this deposited rock, 
 which I subjoin, will give you some idea of 
 the properties of the water, which, with the 
 exception of the Beer springs, is the min- 
 eral water of the place.* It is a hot spring, 
 and the water has a pungent and disagree- 
 able metallic taste, leaving a burning effect 
 on the tongue. Within perhaps two yards 
 of the jct-d^eau is a small liole of about an 
 inch in diameter, through which, at regular 
 intervals, escapes a blast of hot air with a 
 light wreath of smoke, accompanied by a 
 regular noise. This hole had been noticed 
 by Doctor Wislizenus, a gentleman who 
 several years since passed by this place, and 
 who remarked, with very nice observation, 
 
 * ANALYSIS. 
 
 
 Carbonate of lime . 
 
 . 92.55 
 
 Carbonate of magnesia . 
 
 . 0.42 
 
 Oxide of iron .... 
 
 . 1.05 
 
 Silica ^ 
 
 
 Alumina > 
 
 . 5.98 
 
 Water and loss ) 
 
 
 
 
 
 100.00 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 7T 
 
 that smelling the gas which issued from the 
 orifice produced a sensation of giddiness 
 and nausea. Mr. Preuss and myself re- 
 peated the observation, and were so well 
 satisfied with its correctness, that we did 
 not find it pleasant to continue the experi- 
 ment, as the sensation of giddiness which it 
 produced was certainly strong and decided. 
 A huge emigrant wagon, with a large and 
 diversified family, had overtaken us and 
 halted to noon at our encampment ; and, 
 while we were sitting at the spring, a band 
 of boys and girls, with two or three young 
 inen, came up, one of whom I asked to 
 stoop down and smell the gas, desirous to 
 satisfy myself further of its eflects. But 
 his natural caution had been awakened by 
 the singular and suspicious features of the 
 place, and he declined my proposal decided- 
 ly, and with a few indistinct remarks about 
 the devil, whom he seemed to consider the 
 genius loci. The ceaseless motion and the 
 play of the fountain, the red rock, and the 
 green trees near, make this a picturesque 
 spot. 
 
 A short distance above the spring, and 
 near the foot of the same spur, is a very re- 
 markable yellow-colored rock, soft apd fria- 
 ble, consisting principally of carbonate of 
 lime and oxide of iron, of regular structure, 
 ■which is probably a fossil coral. The rocky 
 bank along the shore between the Steamboat 
 spring and our encampment, along which is 
 dispersed the water from the hills, is com- 
 posed entirely of strata of a calcareous tufa, 
 with the remains of moss and reed-like 
 grasses, which is probably the formation of 
 springs. The Beer or Soda springs, which 
 have given name to this locality, are agree- 
 able, but less highly flavored than the Boil- 
 ing springs at the foot of Pike's peak, which 
 ai'e of the same character. They are very 
 numerous, and half hidden by tufts of grass, 
 which we amused ourselves in removing 
 and searching about for more highly impreg- 
 nated springs. They are some of them 
 deep, and of various sizes — sometimes seve- 
 ral yards in diameter, and kept in constant 
 motion by columns of escaping gas. By 
 analysis, one quart of the water contains as 
 follows : 
 
 Grains. 
 
 Sulphate of magnesia .... 12.10 
 
 Sulphate of lime 
 
 Carbonate of lime 
 
 Carbonate of magnesia 
 
 Chloride of calcium 
 
 Chloride of magnesium 
 
 Chloride of sodmm 
 
 Vegetable extractive maUer, &c. 
 
 26.84 
 
 The carbonic acid, originally contained in 
 
 the water, had mainly escaped before it was 
 
 subjected to analysis ; and it was not, there- 
 fore, taken into consideration. 
 
 In the afternoon I wandered about among 
 the cedars, which occupy the greater part 
 of tiie bottom towards the mountains. The 
 soil here has a dry and calcined appearance ; 
 in some places, the open grounds are cov- 
 ered with saline efflorescences, and there 
 are a number of regularly-shaped and very 
 remarkable hills, which are formed of a 
 succession of convex strata that have been 
 deposited by the waters of extinct springs, 
 the orifices of which are found on their 
 sunimits, some of them having the form of 
 funnel-shaped cones. Others of these re- 
 markably-shaped hills are of a red-colored 
 earth, entirely bare, and composed princi- 
 pally of carbonate of lime, with oxide of 
 iron, formed in the same manner. Walking 
 near one of them, on the summit of which, 
 the springs were dry, my attention was at- 
 tracted by an underground noise, around 
 which I circled repeatedly, until I found the 
 spot from beneath which it came ; and, re- 
 moving the red earth, discovered a hidden 
 spring, which was boiling up from below, 
 with the same disagreeable metallic taste as 
 the Steamboat spring. Continuing up the 
 bottom, and crossing the little stream which 
 has been already mentioned, I visited seve- 
 ral remarkable red and white hills, which 
 had attracted my attention from the road in 
 the morning. These are immediately upon 
 the stream, and, like those already men- 
 tioned, are formed by the deposition of suc- 
 cessive strata from the springs. On their 
 summits, the orifices through which the 
 waters had been discharged were so large, 
 that they resembled miniature craters, being 
 some of them several feet in diameter, cir- 
 cular, and regularly formed as if by art. At 
 a former time, when these dried-up foun- 
 tains were all in motion, they must have 
 made a beautiful display on a grand scale ; 
 and nearly all this basin appears to me to 
 have been formed under their action, and 
 should be called the place of fountains. At 
 the foot of one of these hills, or rather on its 
 side near the base, are several of these 
 small limestone columns, about one foot in 
 diameter at the base, and tapering upwards 
 to a height of three or four feet ; and on the 
 summit the water is boiling up and bubbling 
 over, constantly adding to the height of the 
 little obelisks. In some, the water only 
 boils up, no longer overflowing, and has here 
 the same taste as at the Steamboat spring. 
 The observer will remark a gradual subsi- 
 dence in the water, which formerly supplied 
 the fountains ; as on all the summits of the 
 hills the springs are now dry, and are found 
 only low down upon their sides, or on the 
 surrounding plain. 
 
 A little higher up the creek, its banks are 
 
78 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 formed by strata of a very heavy and hard 
 scoriaceous basalt, having a bright metallic 
 lustre when broken. The mountains over- 
 looking the plain arc of an entirely different 
 geological character. Continuing on, I 
 walked to the summit of one ot" them, where 
 the principal rock was a granular quartz. 
 Descending the mountains, and returning 
 towards the camp along tlie base of tlie ridge 
 which skirts the jdain, I found at the foot 
 of a mountain spur, and issuing from a com- 
 pact rock of a dark blue color, a great num- 
 ber of springs having the same pungent and 
 disagreeably metallic taste already men- 
 tioned, the water of which was collected 
 into a very remarkable basin, whose singu- 
 larity, perhaps, made it appear to me very 
 beautiful. It is large — perhaps fifty yards 
 in circumference ; and in it tbe water is con- 
 tained at an elevation of several feet above 
 the surrounding ground, by a wall of calca- 
 reous tufa, composed principally of the re- 
 mains of mosses, three or four, and some- 
 times ten feet high. The water within is 
 very clear and pure, and three or four feet 
 deep, where it could be conveniently meas- 
 ured near tlie wall ; and at a considerably 
 lower level, is another pond or basin of very 
 clear water, and apparently of considerable 
 depth, from the bottom of wliich the gas 
 was escaping in bubbling columns at many 
 places. This water was collected into a 
 small stream, which, in a few hundred yards, 
 sank under ground, reappearing among the 
 rocks between the two great springs near 
 the river, which it entered by a little fall. 
 
 Late in the afternoon I set out on my re- 
 turn to the camp, and, crossing in the way 
 a large field of a salt that was several inches 
 deep, found on my arrival that our emigrant 
 friends, who had been encamped in company 
 with us, had resumed their journey, i:iid the 
 road had again assumed its solitary charac- 
 ter. The temperature of the largest of the 
 Beer springs at our encampment was 65^ at 
 sunset, that of the air being 62.5°. Our 
 barometric observation gave 5,840 feet for 
 the elevation above the gulf, being about 
 500 feet lower than the Boiling springs, 
 which are of a similar nature, at the foot of 
 Pike's peak. The astronomical observa- 
 tions gave for our latitude 4-2^' 39' 57", and 
 111" 46' 00" for the longitude. The night 
 was very stUl and cloudless, and I sat up 
 for an observation of the first satellite of 
 Jupiter, the emersion of which took place 
 about midnight ; but fell asleep at the tele- 
 scope, awaking just a few minutes after the 
 appearance of the star. 
 
 The morning of the 2Cth was calm, and 
 the sky without clouds, but smoky ; and the 
 temperature at sunrise 28.5°. At the fiaine 
 time, the temperature of the large ]}eer 
 spring, where we were encamped, was 56° ; 
 
 that of the Steamboat spring 87°; and that 
 of the steam hole, near it, 81.5°. In the 
 course of the morning, the last wagons of 
 the emigration passed by, and we were 
 again left in our place, in the rear. 
 
 Remaining in camp until nearly 11 o'clock, 
 we travelled a short distance down the riv- 
 er, and halted to noon on the bank, at a. 
 point where the road quits the valley of 
 Bear river, and, crossing a ridge which di- 
 vides the Great Basin from the Pacific wa^ 
 ters, reaches Fort Hall, by way of the Port^ 
 neuf river, in a distance of probably fifty 
 miles, or two and a half days' journey for 
 wagons. An examination of the great lake 
 which is the outlet of this river, and the 
 principal feature of geographical interest in 
 the basin, was one of the main objects con- 
 templated in the general plan of our survey, 
 and I accordingly determined at tiiis place 
 to leave the road, and, after having com- 
 pleted a reconnoissancc of tlie lake, regain 
 It subsequently at Fort Hall. But our little 
 stock of provisions had again become ex- 
 tremely low ; we had only dried meat suffi- 
 cient for one meal, and our supply of flour 
 and other comforts was entirely exhausted. 
 I therefore immediately dispatched one of 
 the party, Henry Lee, with a note to Car- 
 son, at Fort Hall, directing him to load a 
 pack horse with whatever could be obtained 
 there in the way of provisions, and endeavor 
 to overtake me on the river. In the mean 
 time, we had picked up along the road two 
 tolerably well-grown calves, which would 
 have become food for wolves, and which 
 had probably been left by some of the earli- 
 er emigrants, none of those we had met hav- 
 ing made any claim to them ; and on these 
 I mainly relied for support during our cir- 
 cuit to the lake. 
 
 In sweeping around the point of the moun- 
 tain which runs down into the bend, the 
 river here passes between perpendicular 
 walls of basalt, which always fix the atten- 
 tion, from the regular form in which it oc- 
 curs, and its perfect distinctness from the 
 surrounding rocks among which it has been 
 placed. The mountain, which is rugged 
 and steep, and, by our measurement, 1,400 
 feet above the river directly opposite the 
 place of our halt, is called the tiheep rock 
 — probably because a flock of the common 
 mountain sheep {ovis 7nontana) had been 
 seen on the craggy point. 
 
 As we were about resuming our march in 
 the afternoon, I was attracted iiy the singu- 
 lar appearance of an isolated hill with a 
 concave summit, in the plain, about two 
 miles from the river, and turned ofi" towards 
 it, while the camp proceeded on its way to 
 the southward in search of the lake. I 
 found the thin and stony soil of the plain 
 entirely underkid by the basalt which forms 
 
1843.1 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 79 
 
 the river walls ; and when I reached the 
 neighborhood of the hill, the suriace of the 
 plain was rent into frequent fissures and 
 chasms of the same scoriated volcanic rock, 
 from forty to sixty feet deep, but which 
 there was not sufficient light to penetrate 
 entirely, and which I had not time to de- 
 scend. Arrived at the summit of the hiil, 
 I found that it terminated in a very perfect 
 crater, of an oval, or nearly circular form, 
 360 paces in circumference, and 60 feet at 
 the greatest depth. The walls, which were 
 perfectly vertical, and disposed like mason- 
 ry in. a very regular manner, were compos- 
 ~ed of a brown-colored scoriaceous lava, evi- 
 dently the production of a modern volcano, 
 and having all the appearance of the lighter 
 scoriaceous lavas of Mount ..■Etna, Vesu- 
 vius, and other volcanoes. The faces of 
 the walls were reddened and glazed by the 
 iire, in which they had been melted, and 
 which had left them contorted and twisted 
 by its violent action. 
 
 Our route during the afternoon was a lit- 
 tle rough, being (in the direction we had 
 taken) over a volcanic plain, where our pro- 
 gress was sometimes obstructed by fissures, 
 and black beds composed of fragments of 
 the rock. On both sides, the mountains ap- 
 peared very broken, but tolerably well tim- 
 bered . 
 
 August 26. — Crossing a point of ridge 
 which makes in to the river, we fell upon 
 it again before sunset, and encamped on the 
 light bank, opposite to the encampment of 
 three lodges of Snake Indians. They visit- 
 ed us during the evening, and we obtained 
 from them a small quantity of roots of dif- 
 ferent kinds, in exchange lor goods. Among 
 them was a sweet root of very pleasant fla- 
 vor, having somewhat the taste of preserved 
 quince. My endeavors to become acquaint- 
 ed with the plants which furnish to the In- 
 dians a portion of their support were only 
 gradually successful, and after long and per- 
 severing attention ; and even after obtain- 
 ing, I did not succeed in preserving them 
 until the)' could be satisfactorily determined. 
 In this portion of the journey, I found this 
 particular root cut up into such small pieces, 
 that it was only to be identified by its taste, 
 when the bulb was met with in perfect form 
 among the Indians lower down on the Co- 
 lumbia, among whom it is the highly cele- 
 brated kamas. It was long afterwards, on 
 our return through Upper California, that I 
 found the plant itself in bloom, which I sup- 
 posed to furnish the kamas root, {camassia 
 esculenta.) The root diet had a rather 
 mournful effect at the commencement, and 
 one of the calves was killed this evening 
 for food. The animals fiired well on rushes. 
 
 August 27. — The moming was cloudy, 
 with appearance of riin, and the thermome- 
 
 ter at sunrise at 29°. Making an unusually 
 early start, we crossed the river at a good 
 ford ; and, following for about three hours 
 a trail which led along the bottom, we en- 
 tered a labyrinth of hills below the main 
 ridge, and halted to noon in the ravine of a 
 preity little stream, timbered with cotton- 
 wood (if a large size, ash-leaved maple, 
 with cherry and other shrubby trees. The 
 hazy weather, which had prevented any 
 very extended views since entering the 
 Green river valley, began now to disappear. 
 There was a slight rain in the earlier part 
 of the day, and at noon, when the thermo- 
 meter had risen to 79. 5°^ we had a bright 
 sun, with blue sky and scattered cumuli. 
 According to the barometer, our halt here 
 ar.iongthe hills was at an elevation of 5,320 
 teet. Crossing a dividing ridge in the af- 
 ternoon, we followed down another little 
 Bear river tributary, to the point where it 
 emerged on an open green flat among the 
 hills, timbered with groves, and bordered 
 with cane thickets, but without water. A 
 pretty little rivulet, coming out of the hill 
 side, and overhung by tall flowering plants 
 of a species I had not hitherto seen, fur- 
 nished us with a good camping place. The 
 evening was cloudy, the temperature at 
 sunset 69°, and the elevation 5.140 feet. 
 Among the plants occurring along the line 
 of road during the day, epinettes des prai- 
 ries (grindelia squarrosa) was in considera- 
 ble abundance, and is among the very few 
 plants remaining in bloom — the whole coun- 
 try having now an autumnal appearance, 
 in the crisped and yellow plants, and dried- 
 up grasses. Many cranes were seen dur- 
 ing the day, with a few antelope, very shy 
 and wild. 
 
 August 28. — During the night we had a 
 thunder storm, with moderate rain, which 
 has made the air this morning very clear, 
 the thermometer being at 55^. Leaving 
 our encampment at the Cane spring, and 
 quitting the trail on which we had been 
 travelling, and which would probably have 
 afforded us a good road to the lake, we 
 crossed some very deep ravines, and, in 
 about an hour's travelling, again reached 
 the river. We were now in a valley five 
 or six miles wide, between mountain 
 ranges, which, about thirty miles below, 
 appeared to close up and terminate the val- 
 ley, leaving for the river only a very nar- 
 row pass, or canon, behind which we ima- 
 gined that we should find the broad waters 
 of the lake. We made the usual halt at 
 the mouth of a small clear stream, having 
 a slightly mineral taste, (perhaps of salt,) 
 4,760 feet above the gulf. In the afternoon 
 we cUinbed a very steep sandy hill ; and, 
 after a slow and winding day's march of 27 
 miles, encamped at a slough on the river. 
 
80 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 There were great quantities of gee.se and 
 ducks, of which only a few were .shot ; the 
 Indians having probably made them very wild. 
 The men employed themselves in fishing, 
 but caught nothing. A skunk, {mephitis 
 Americana,) which was killed in the after- 
 noon, made a supper for one of the messes. 
 The river is bordered occasionally with 
 fields of cane, which we regarded as an in- 
 dication of our approach to a lake country. 
 We had frequent showers of rain during the 
 night, with thunder. 
 
 August 29. — The thermometer at sunrise 
 was 54°, with air from the NW., and dark 
 rainy clouds moving on the horizon ; rain 
 squalls and bright sunshine by intervals. I 
 rode ahead with Basil to explore the conn- 
 try, and, continuing about three miles along 
 the river, turned directly off on a trail run- 
 ning towards three marked gaps in the bor- 
 dering range, where the mountains ap- 
 peared cut through to their bases, towards 
 which the river plain rose gradually. Put- 
 ting our horses into a gallop on some fresh 
 tracks which showed very plainly in the 
 wet path, we came suddenly upon a small 
 party of Shoshonee Indians, who had fallen 
 into the trail from the north. We could 
 only communicate by signs ; but they 
 made us understand that the road through 
 the chain was a very excellent one, lead- 
 ing into a broad valley which ran to 
 the southward. We halted to noon at 
 what may be called the gate of the pass ; 
 on either side of which were huge moun- 
 tains of rock, between which stole a little 
 pure water stream, with a margin just suf- 
 ficiently large for our passage. From the 
 river, the plain had gradually risen to an 
 altitude of 5,500 feet, and, by meridian 
 observation, the latitude -of the entrance 
 was 42°. 
 
 In the interval of our usual halt, several 
 of us wandered along up the stream to ex- 
 amine the pass more at leisure. Within 
 the gate, the rocks receded a little back, 
 leaving a very narrow, but most beautiful 
 valley, through which the little stream 
 wound its way, hidden by different kinds of 
 trees and shrubs — aspen, maple, willow, 
 cherry, and elder ; a fine verdure of smooth 
 short grass spread over the remaining space 
 to the bare sides of the rocky walls. These 
 were of a blue limestone, which constitutes 
 the mountain here ; and opening directly on 
 the grassy bottom were several curious 
 caves, which appeared to be inhabited by 
 root diggers. On one side was gathered a 
 heap of leaves for a bed, and they were 
 dry, open, and pleasant. On the roofs of 
 the caves I remarked bituminous exuda- 
 tions from the rock. 
 
 The trail was an excellent one for pack 
 horses ; but, as it sometimes crossed a 
 
 shelving point, to avoid the shrubbery we 
 were obliged in several places to open a 
 road for the carriage through the wood. A 
 squaw on horseback, accompanied by five 
 or six dogs, entered the pass in the after- 
 noon ; but was too much terrified at finding 
 herself in such unexpected company to 
 make any pause for conversation, and hur- 
 ried off at a good pace — being, of course, 
 no further disturbed than by an accelerating 
 shout. She was well and showily dressed, 
 and was probably going to a village encamp- 
 ed somewhere near, and evidently did not 
 belong to the tribe of root diggers.. We 
 had now entered a country inhabited by 
 these people ; and as in the course of our 
 voyage we shall frequently meet with them 
 in various stages of existence, it will be 
 well to inform you thj^t, scattered over the 
 great region west of the Rocky mountains, 
 and south of the Great Snake river, are 
 numerous Indians who.se subsistence is al- 
 most solely derived from roots and seeds, 
 and such small animals as chance and great 
 good fortune sometimes bring v. ithin their 
 reach. They are mi.serably poor, armed 
 only with bov,-s and arrows, or clubs ; and, 
 as the country they inhabit is almost desti- 
 tute of game, they have no means of ob- 
 taining better arms. In the northern part 
 of the region just mentioned, they live gen- 
 erally in solitary families ; and farther to 
 the south, they are gathered together in 
 villages. Those who live together in vil- 
 lages, strengthened by association, are in 
 exclusive possession of the more genial 
 and richer parts of the country ; while the 
 others are driven to the ruder mountains, 
 and to the more inhospitable parts of the 
 country. But by simply observing, in ac- 
 companying us along our road, you will be- 
 come better acquainted with these people 
 than we could make you in any other than 
 a very long description, and you will find 
 them worthy of your interest. 
 
 Roots, seeds, and grass, every vegetable 
 that affords any nourishment, and every 
 living animal thing, insect or worm, they 
 eat. Nearly approaching to the lower ani- 
 mal creation, their sole employment is to 
 obtain food ; and they are constantly oc- 
 cupied in a struggle to support existence. 
 
 The most remarkable feature of the pass 
 is the Standing roc/:, which has fallen from 
 the cliffs above, and standing perpendicularly 
 near the middle of the valley, presents it- 
 self like a watch tower in the pass. It 
 will give you a tolerably correct idea of the 
 character of the scenery in this country, 
 where generally the mountains rise abruptly 
 up from comparatively unbroken plains and 
 level valleys ; but it will entirely fail in 
 representing the njcluresque beauty of this 
 delightful piaQp, where a green valley, full 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 8t 
 
 of foliage, and a hundred yards wide, con- 
 trasts with naked crags that spire up into a 
 blue line of pinnacles 3,000 feet above, 
 sometimes crested with cedar and pine, and 
 sometimes ragged and bare. 
 
 The detention that we met with in open- 
 ing the road, and perhaps a willingness to 
 linger on the way, made the afternoon's 
 travel short ; and about two miles from the 
 entrance we passed through another gate, 
 and encamped on the stream at the junction 
 of a little Ibrk from the southward, around 
 which the mountains stooped more gently 
 down, forming a small open cove. 
 
 As it was still early in the afternoon, 
 Basil and myself in one direction, and Mr. 
 Preuss in another, set out to explore the 
 country, and ascended different neighboring 
 peaks, in the hope of seeing some indica- 
 tions of the lake ; but though our elevation 
 afforded magnificent views, the eye rang- 
 ing over a long extent of Bear river, with 
 the broad and fertile Cache valley in the 
 direction of our search, was only to be 
 seen a bed of apparently impracticable 
 mountains. Among these, the trail we had 
 been following turned sluirply to the north- 
 ward, and it began to be doubtful if it would 
 not lead us away from the object of our 
 destination ; but I nevertheless determined 
 to keep it, in the belief that it would event- 
 ually bring us right. A squall of rain drove 
 us out of the mountain, and it was late 
 when we reached the camp. The evening 
 closed in with frequent showers of rain, 
 with some lightning and thunder. 
 
 August 30. — We had constant- thunder 
 storms during the night, but in the morn- 
 ing the clouds were sinking to the horizon, 
 and the air was clear and cold, with the 
 thermometer at sunrise at 39^. Elevation 
 by barometer 5.580 feet. We were in mo- 
 tion early, continuing up the little stream 
 without encountering any ascent where a 
 horse would not easily gallop, and, crossing 
 a slight dividing ground at the summit, de- 
 scended upon a small stream, along which 
 we continued on the same excellent road. 
 In riding through the pass, numerous cranes 
 were seen ; and prairie hens, or grouse, 
 {honasia umbellus,) which lately had been 
 rare, were very abundant. 
 
 This little affluent brought us to a larger 
 stream, down which we travelled through a 
 more open bottom, on a level road, where 
 heavily-laden wagons could pass without 
 obstacle. The hills »on the right grew 
 lower, and, on entering a more open coun- 
 try, we discovered a Shoshonee village ; 
 and being desirous to obtain information, 
 and purchase from them some roots and 
 berries, we halted on the river, which was 
 lightly wooded with cherry, willow, maple, 
 service berry, and aspen. A meridian ob- 
 6 
 
 servation of the sun, which I obtained here, 
 gave 42° 14' 22" for our latitude, and the 
 barometer indicated a height of 5,170 feet. 
 A number of Indians came immediately 
 over to visit us, and several men were sent 
 to the village with goods, tobacco, knives, 
 cloth, vermilion, and the usual trinkets, to 
 exchange for provisions. But they had no 
 game of any kind ; and it was difhcult to 
 obtain any roots from them, as they were 
 miserably poor, and had but little to spare 
 from their winter stock of provisions. Sev- 
 eral of the Indians drew aside their blankets, 
 showing me their lean and bony figures ; 
 and I would not any longer tempt them with 
 a display of our merchandise to part with 
 their wretched subsistence, when they gave 
 as a reason that it would expose them to 
 temporary starvation. A great portion of 
 the region inhabited by this nation formerly 
 abounded in game ; the buffalo ranging about 
 in herds, as we had found them on the east- 
 ern waters, and the plains dotted with scat- 
 tered bands of antelope ; but so rapidly 
 have they disappeared within a few years, 
 that now, as we journeyed along, an occa- 
 sional buffalo skull and a few wild antelope 
 were all that remained of the abundance 
 which had covered the country with animal 
 life. 
 
 The extraordinary rapidity with which 
 the buffalo is disappearing from our territo- 
 ries will not appear surprising when we re- 
 member the great scale on which their de- 
 struction is yearly carried on. With incon- 
 siderable exceptions, the business of the 
 American trading posts is carried on in their 
 skins ; every year the Indian villages make 
 new lodges, for which the skin of the buffa- 
 lo furnishes the material ; and in that por; 
 tion of the country where they are still 
 found, the Indians derive their entire sup- 
 port from them, and slaughter them with 
 a thoughtless and abominable extravagance. 
 Like the Indians themselves, they have 
 been a characteristic of the Great West ; 
 and as, like them, they are visibly diminish- 
 ing, it will be interesting to throw a glance 
 backward through the last twenty years, 
 and give some account of their former dis- 
 tribution through the country, and the limit 
 of their western range. 
 
 The information is derived principally 
 from Mr. Fitzpatrick, supported by my own 
 personal knowledge and acquaintance with 
 the country. Our knowledge does not go 
 farther back than the spring of 1824, at 
 which time the buffalo were spread in im- 
 mense numbers o>ipr the Green river and 
 Bear river valleys, and through all the 
 country lying between the Colorado, or 
 Green river of the gulf of California, and 
 Lewis's fork of the Columbia river ; the 
 meridian of Fort Hall then forming the 
 
82 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 western limit ol" their range. The bulTalo 
 then remained for many years in that coun- 
 try, and frequently moved down the valley 
 of the Columbia, on botli sides of the river 
 as far as the Fishing falls. Below this 
 point they never descended in any numbers. 
 About the year 1834 or 1835 they began to 
 diminish very rapidly, and continued to de- 
 crease until 1838 or 1840, when, with the 
 country we have just described, they en- 
 tirely abandoned all the waters of the Pa- 
 cific north of Lewis's fork of the Columbia. 
 At that time, the Flathead Indians were in 
 the habit of finding their buffalo on the 
 heads of Salmon river, and other streams of 
 •the Columbia ; but now they never meet 
 ■with them farther west than tlie three forks 
 of the Missouri or the plains of the Yellow- 
 stone river. 
 
 In the course of our journey it will be re- 
 marked that the buffalo have not so entirely 
 abandoned the waters of the Pacific, in the 
 Rocky-mountain region south of the Sweet 
 Water, as in the country north of the Great 
 Pass. This partial distribution can only be 
 uccounted for in the great pastoral beauty 
 of that country, which bears marks of hav- 
 ing long been one of their favorite haunts, 
 and by the iact that the white hunters have 
 more frequented the northern than the south- 
 ern region — it being north of the South Pass 
 that the hunters, trappers, and traders, have 
 had their rendezvous for many years past ; 
 and from that section also the greater por- 
 tion of the beaver and rich furs were taken, 
 although always the most dangerous as well 
 as the most profitable hunting ground. 
 
 In that region lying between the Green 
 or Colorado river and the head waters of 
 the Rio del Norte, over the Yampah, Koo- 
 yah, White, and Grand rivers — all of which 
 are the waters of the Colorado — the buffalo 
 never extended so fur to the westward as 
 they did on the waters of the Columbia ; and 
 only in one or two instances have they been 
 known to descend as far west as the mouth 
 of White river. In travelling through the 
 country west of the Rocky mountains, ob- 
 servation readily led me to the impression 
 that the buffalo had, for the first time, cross- 
 ed that range to the waters of the Pacific 
 only a few years prior to the period we are 
 considering ; and in this opinion I am sus- 
 tained by Mr. Fitzpatrick, and the older 
 trappers in that country. In the region west 
 of the Rocky mountains, we never meet with 
 any of the ancient vestiges which, through- 
 out all the country lying upon their eastern 
 waters, arc found in the great highways, 
 continuous for hundreds of miles, always 
 several inches and sometimes several feet in 
 depth, which the buffalo have made in cross- 
 ing from one river to another, or in travers- 
 ing the mountain ranges. The Snake In- 
 
 dians, more particularly those low down up- 
 on Lewis's fork, have always been very 
 grateful to the American trappers, for the 
 great klTidness (as they frequently expressed 
 it) which tlicy did to them, in driving the 
 buffalo so low down the Columbia river. 
 
 Tlie extraordinary abundance of the buf- 
 falo on the east side of the Rocky moun- 
 tains, and their extraordinary diminution, 
 will be made clearly evident from the fol- 
 lowing statement : At any time between the 
 years 18-24 and 183G, a traveller might start 
 from any given point south or north in the 
 Rocky mountain range, journeying by the 
 most direct route to the Missouri river ; 
 and, during the whole distance, his road 
 would be always among large bands of buf- 
 falo, w'hich would never be out of his view 
 until he arrived almost within sight of the 
 abodes of civilization. 
 
 At this time, the buffalo occupy but a 
 very limited space, principally along the 
 eastern base of t!ie Rocky mountains, some- 
 times extending at their southern extremity 
 to a considerable distance into the plains 
 between the Platte and Arkansas rivers, 
 and along the eastern frontier of New Mex- 
 ico as far south as Texas. 
 
 The following statement, which I owe to 
 the kindness of Mr. Sanford, a partner in 
 the American Fur Company, will further 
 illustrate this subject, by extensive know- 
 ledge acquired during several years of travel 
 through the region inhabited by the buffalo : 
 
 " The total amount of robes annually 
 traded by ourselves and others will not bo 
 found to. differ much from the following 
 statement : 
 
 Robes. 
 
 American Fur Company, . 70,000 
 Hudson's Bay Company, . . 10,000 
 All other companies, probably 10,000 
 
 Making a total of ... . 90,000 
 as an average annual return for the last 
 eight or ten years. 
 
 " In the northwest, the Hudson's Bay 
 Company purchase from the Indians but a 
 very small number — their only market being 
 Canada, to which the cost of transportation 
 nearly equals the j)roduce of the furs ; and 
 it is only within a very recent period that 
 they have received buffalo robes in trade ; 
 and out of the great number of bulTalo an- 
 nually killed throughout the extensive re- 
 gions inhabited by the Camanehes and other 
 kindred tribes, no rojjes whatever are fur- 
 nished for trade. During only four months 
 of the year, (from November until March,) 
 the skins arc good for dressing ; those ob- 
 tained in the remaining eight months being 
 valueless to traders ; and the hides of bulls 
 are never taken off or dressed as robes at 
 any season. Probably not more than one- 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 83 
 
 third of the skins are taken from the animals 
 killed, even when they are in good season, 
 the labor of preparing and dressing the 
 robes being very great ; and it is seldom 
 that a lodge trades more than twenty skins 
 in a year. It is during the summer months, 
 and in the early part of autumn, that the 
 greatest number of buffalo are killed, and 
 yet at this time a skin is never taken for the 
 purpose of trade." 
 
 From these data, which are certainly 
 limited, and decidedly within bounds, the 
 reader is left to draw his own inference of 
 the immense number annually killed. 
 
 In 18-12, I foimd the Sioux Indians of the 
 Upper Platte demontes, as their French 
 traders expressed it, with the failure of the 
 buffalo ; and in the following year, large 
 villages from the Upper Missouri came over 
 to the mountains at the heads of the Platte, 
 in search of them. The rapidly progressive 
 failure of their principal and almost their 
 only means of subsistence has created great 
 alarm among them ; and at this time there 
 are only two modes presented to them, by 
 which they see a good prospect for escaping 
 starvation : one of these is to rob the settle- 
 ments along the frontier of the States ; and 
 the other is to form a league between the 
 various tribes of the Sioux nation, the 
 Cheyennes, and Arapahoes, and make war 
 against the Crow nation, in order to take 
 from them their country, which is now the 
 best bufialo country in the west. This plan 
 they now have in consideration ; and it 
 would probably be a war of extermination, 
 as the Crows have long been advised of this 
 state of affairs, and say that they are per- 
 fectly prepared. These are the best war- 
 riors in the Rocky mountains, and are now 
 allied with the Snake Indians ; and it is 
 probable that their combination would ex- 
 tend itself to the Utahs, who have long been 
 engaged in war against the Sioux. It is in 
 this section of country that my observation 
 formerly led me to recommend the estab- 
 lishment of a military post. 
 
 The farther course of our narrative will 
 give fuller and more detailed information 
 of the present disposition of the buffalo in 
 the country we visited. 
 
 Among the roots we obtained here, I 
 could distinguish only five or six different 
 kinds ; and the supply of the Indians whom 
 we met consisted principally of yampah, 
 {anethum, gravcolens,) tobacco root, {Vale- 
 riana,) and a large root of a species of 
 thistle, {circium Virgmianum,) which now 
 is occasionally abundant, and is a very 
 agreeably flavored vegetable. 
 
 We had been detained so long at the vil- 
 lage, that in the afternoon we made only 
 five miles, and encamped on the same river 
 after a day's journey of 19 miles. The In- 
 
 dians informed us that we should reach the 
 big salt water after having slept twice and 
 travelling in a south direction. The stream 
 had here entered a nearly level plain or 
 valley, of good soil, eight or ten miles broad, 
 to which no termination was to be seen, 
 and lying between ranges of mountains 
 which, on the right, were grassy and smooth, 
 unbroken by rock, and lower than on the 
 left, where they were rocky and bald, in- 
 creasing in height to the southward. On 
 the creek were fringes of young willows, 
 older trees being rarely found on the plains, 
 where the Indians burn the surface to pro- 
 duce better grass. Several magpies {pica 
 Hudsonica) were seen on the creek this 
 afternoon ; and a rattlesnake was killed 
 here, the first which had been seen since 
 leaving the eastern plains. Our camp to- 
 night had such a hungry appearance, that I 
 suffered the little cow to be killed, and di- 
 vided the roots and berries among the peo- 
 ple. A number of Indians from the village 
 encamped near. 
 
 The weather the next morning was clear, 
 the thermometer at sunrise at 44°. 5, and, 
 continuing down the valley, in about five 
 miles we followed the little creek of our 
 encampment to its junction with a larger 
 stream, called Roseaux, or Reed river. Im- 
 mediately opposite, on the right, the range 
 was gathered into its highest peak, sloping 
 gradually low, and running off to a point 
 apparently some forty or fifty miles below. 
 Between this (now become the valley stream) 
 and the foot of the mountains, we journeyed 
 along a handsome sloping level, which fre- 
 quent springs from the hills made occasion- 
 ally miry, and halted to noon at a swampy 
 spring, where there were good grass and 
 abundant rushes. Here the river was forty 
 feet wide, with a considerable current ; and 
 the valley a mile and a half in breadth ; the 
 soil being generally good, of a dark color, 
 and apparently well adapted to cultivation. 
 The day had become bright and pleasant, 
 with the thermometer at 71°. By observa- 
 tion, our latitude was 41^ 59' 31", and the 
 elevation above the sea 4,670 feet. On our 
 left, this afternoon, the range at long inter- 
 vals formed itself into peaks, appearing to 
 terminate, about forty miles below, in a 
 rocky cape ; beyond which, several others 
 were faintly visible ; and we were disap- 
 pointed when at every little rise we did not 
 see the lake. Towards evening, our way 
 was som.ewhat obstructed by fields of arte- 
 misia, which began to make their appear- 
 ance here, and we encamped on the Roseaux, 
 the water of which had acquired a decidedly 
 salt taste, nearly opposite to a canon gap ia 
 the mountains, through which the Bear river 
 enters this valley. As we encamped, the 
 night set in dark and cold, with heavy rain ; 
 
84 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NxiRRATIYE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 and the artcmisia, wliich was here our only 
 wood, was so wet that it would not buru. 
 A poor, nearly starved dog, with a wound 
 in his side (rom a ball, came to the camp, 
 and remained with us until the winter, when 
 he met a very unexpected fate. 
 
 Scptcmbc?- 1. — The morning was squally 
 and cold ; the sky scattered over with 
 clouds ; and the night had been so uncom- 
 fortable, that we were not on the road until 
 8 o'clock. Travelling between Roseaux 
 and Bear rivers, we continued to descend 
 the vallej', which gradually expanded, as we 
 advanced, into a level plain of good soil, 
 about 23 miles in breadth, between moun- 
 tains 3,000 and 4,000 feet high, rising sud- 
 denly to the clouds, which all day rested upon 
 the peaks. These gleamed out in the occa- 
 sional sunlight, mantled with the snow which 
 had fallen upon them, while it rained on us 
 in the valley below, of which the elevation 
 here was about 4,500 feet above the sea. 
 The country before us plainly indicated that 
 we were approaching the lake, though, as 
 the ground where we were travelling af- 
 forded no elevated point, nothing of it as yet 
 could be seen ; and at a great distance 
 ahead were several isolated mountains, re- 
 sembling islands, which they were after- 
 wards found to be. On this upper plain the 
 grass was everywhere dead ; and among 
 the shrubs with which it was almost exclu- 
 sively occupied, (artemisia being the most 
 abundant,) frequently occurred handsome 
 clusters of several species of dicteria in 
 bloom. Purshia Iridentata was among the 
 frequent shrubs. Descending to the bot- 
 toms of Bear river, we found good grass for 
 the animals, and encamped about 300 yards 
 above the mouth of Roseaux, which here 
 makes its junction, without communicating 
 any of its salty taste to the main stream, 
 of which the water remains perfectly pure. 
 On the river are only willow thickets, (5a/;.r 
 longifolia,) and in the bottoms the abundant 
 plants are canes, solidago, and helianthi, 
 and along the banks of Roseaux are fields 
 ot'malva rotundifolia. At sunset the ther- 
 mometer was at 54^.5, and the evening 
 clear and calm ; but I deferred making any 
 use of it until 1 o'clock in the morning, 
 when I endeavored to obtain an emersion 
 •of the first satellite ; but it was lost in a 
 bank of clouds, which also rendered our 
 usual observations indifferent. 
 
 Among the useful things which formed a 
 portion of our equipage, was an India-rub- 
 ber boat, 18 feet long, made somewhat in 
 the form of a bark canoe of the northern 
 lakes. The sides were formed by two air- 
 tight cylinders, eighteen inches in diameter, 
 connected with others forming the bow and 
 stern. To lessen the danger from accidents 
 to the boat, these were divided into four 
 
 different compartments, and the interior 
 space was sufficiently large to contain five 
 or six persons and a considerable weight of 
 baggage. The Roseaux being too deep to 
 be forded, our boat was filled with air, and 
 in about one hour all the equipage of the 
 camp, carriage and gun included, ferried 
 across. Thinking that perhaps in tlie course 
 of the day wc might reach the outlet at the 
 lake, I got into the boat with Basil Lajeu- 
 nesse, and paddled down Bear river, intend- 
 ing at night to rejoin the party, which in 
 the mean time proceeded on its way. The 
 river was from sixty to one hundred yards 
 broad, and the water so deep, that even on 
 the comparatively shallow points we could 
 not reach the bottom with 15 feet. On 
 either side were alternately low bottoms 
 and willow points, with an occasional high 
 prairie ; and for five or six hours we fol- 
 lowed slowly the winding course of the 
 river, which crept along with a sluggish 
 current among frequent detours several 
 miles around, sometimes running for a con- 
 siderable distance directly up the valley. 
 As we were stealing quietly down the 
 stream, trying in vain to get a shot at a 
 strange large bird that was numerous among 
 the willows, but very shy, we came unex- 
 pectedly upon several families of Root Dig- 
 gers, who were encamped among the rushes 
 on the shore, and appeared very busy about 
 several weirs or nets which had been rude- 
 ly made of canes and rushes for the purpose 
 of catching fish. They were very much 
 startled at our appearance, but we soon es- 
 tablished an acquaintance ; and finding that 
 they Iiad some roots, I promised to send 
 some men with goods to trade with them. 
 They had the usual very large heads, re- 
 markable among the Digger tribe, with mat- 
 ted hair, and were almost entirely naked ; 
 looking very poor and miserable, as if their 
 lives had been spent in the rushes where 
 they were, beyond which they seemed to 
 have very little knowledge of any thing. 
 From the few words we could comprehend, 
 their language was that of the Snake In- 
 dians. 
 
 Our boat moved so heavily, that we had 
 made very little progress ; and, finding that 
 it would be impossible to overtake the camp, 
 as soon as we were sufficiently far below 
 the Indians, we put to the shore near a high, 
 prairie bank, hauled up the boat, and cached 
 our effects in the willows. Ascending the 
 bank, we found that our desultory labor had 
 brought us only a few miles in a direct line ; 
 and, going out into the prairie, after a search 
 we found the trail of the camp, which was 
 now nowhere in sight, but had followed the 
 general course of the river in a large circu- 
 lar sweep which it makes at this place. The 
 Sim was about three hours high when we 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 '«5 
 
 found the trail ; and as our people had pass- 
 ed early in the day, we had the prospect of 
 a vigorous walk before us. Immediately 
 where we landed, the high arable plain on 
 which we had been travelling for several 
 days past terrninated^in extensive low fiats, 
 very generally occupied by salt marshes, or 
 beds of shallow lakes, whence the water 
 had in most places evaporated, leaving their 
 hard surface encrusted with a shining white 
 residuum, and absolutely covered with very 
 small univalve shells. As we advanced, the 
 whole country around us assumed this ap- 
 pearance ; and there was no other vegeta- 
 tion than the shrubby chenopodiaceous and 
 other apparently saline plants, which were 
 confined to the rising grounds. Here and 
 there on the river bank, which was raised 
 like a levee above the flats through which 
 it ran, was a narrow border of grass and 
 short black-burnt willows ; the stream being 
 very deep and sluggish, and sometimes 600 
 to 800 feet vvide. After a rapid walk of 
 about 15 miles, we caught sight of the camp 
 fires among clumps of willows just as the 
 sun had sunk behind the mountains on the 
 west side of the valley, filling the clear sky 
 with a golden yellow. These last rays, to 
 us so precious, could not have revealed a 
 more welcome sight. To the traveller and 
 the hunter, a camp fire in the lonely wilder- 
 ness is always cheering ; and to ourselves, 
 in our present situation, after a hard march 
 in a region of novelty, approaching the de- 
 bouches of a river, in a lake of almost fabu- 
 lous reputation, it was doubly so. A plen- 
 tiful supper of aquatic birds, and the inter- 
 est of the scene, soon dissipated fatigue ; 
 and I obtained during the night emersions 
 of the second, third, and fourth satellites of 
 Jupiter, with observations for time and lati- 
 tude. 
 
 September 3. — The morning was clear, 
 with a light air from the north, and the 
 thermometer at sunrise at 450.5. At 3 in 
 the morning, Basil was sent back with sev- 
 eral men and horses for the boat, which, in 
 .a direct course across the flats, was not 10 
 miles distant ; and in the mean time there 
 was a pretty spot of grass here for the 
 animals. The ground was so low that we 
 could not get high enough to see across the 
 river, on account of the willows ; but we 
 were evidently in the vicinity of the lake, 
 and the water fowl made this morning a 
 noise like thunder. A pelican {pelecanus 
 onocrotalus) was killed as he passed by, and 
 many geese and ducks flew over the camp. 
 On the dry salt marsh here, is scarce any 
 other plant than salicornia herbacea. 
 
 In the afternoon the men returned with 
 the boat, bringing with them a small quan- 
 tity of roots, and some meat, which the 
 Indians had told them was bear meat. 
 
 Descending the river for about three miles 
 in the afternoon, we found a bar to any 
 further travelling in that direction — the 
 stream being spread out in several branches, 
 and covering the low grounds with water, 
 where the miry nature of the bottom did 
 not permit any fiirther advance. We were 
 evidently on the border of the lake, al- 
 though the rushes and canes which covered 
 the marshes prevented any view ; and we 
 accordingly encamped at the little delta 
 which forms the mouth of Bear river ; a 
 long arm of the lake stretching up to the 
 north between us and the opposite moun- 
 tains. The river was bordered with a 
 fringe of willows and canes, among which 
 were interspersed a few plants ; and scat- 
 tered about on the marsh was a species of 
 uniola, closely allied to U. spicata of our 
 sea coast. The whole morass was ani- 
 mated with multitudes of water fowl, which 
 appeared to be very wild — rising for the 
 space of a mile round about at the sound of 
 a gun, with a noise like distant thunder. 
 Several of the people waded out into the 
 marshes, and we had to-night a delicious 
 supper of ducks, geese, and plover. 
 
 Although the moon was bright, the night 
 was otherwise favorable ; and I obtained 
 this evening an emersion of the first satel- 
 lite, with the usual observations. A mean 
 result, depending on various observations 
 made during our stay in the neighborhood, 
 places the mouth of the river in longitude 
 112C 19' 30" west from Greenwich; lati- 
 tude 41° 30'. 22"; and, according to the 
 barometer, in elevation 4,200 feet above the 
 gulf of Mexico. The night was clear, with 
 considerable de\v, which I had remarked 
 every night since the first of September. 
 The next morning, while we were prepar- 
 ing to start, Carson ro3e into the camp with 
 flour and a few other articles of light pro- 
 vision, sufficient for two or three days — a 
 scanty but very acceptable .supply. Mr. 
 Fitzpatrick had not yet arrived, and pro- 
 visions were very scarce, and difficult to be 
 had at Fort Hall, which had been entirely 
 exhausted by the necessities of the emi- 
 grants. He brought me also a letter from 
 Mr. Dwight, who, in company with several 
 emigrants, had reached that place in ad- 
 vance of ]Mr. Fitzpatrick, and was about 
 continuing his journey to Vancouver. 
 
 Returning about five miles up the river, 
 we were occupied until nearly sunset in 
 crossing to the left bank — the stream, which 
 in the last five or six miles of its course is 
 very much narrower than above, being very 
 deep immediately at the banks ; and we 
 had great difficulty in getting our animals 
 over. The people with the baggage were 
 easily crossed in the boat, and we encamp- 
 ed on the left bank where we crossed the 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [184S: 
 
 river. At sunset the thermometer was at 
 75°, and there was some rain during the 
 night, with a thunder storm at a distance. 
 
 September 5. — Before us was evidently 
 the bed of the lake, being a great salt marsli, 
 perfectly level and bare, whitened in places 
 by saline efflorescences, with here and there 
 a pool of water, and having the appearance 
 of a very level sea shore at low tide. Im- 
 mediately along the river was a very nar- 
 row strip of vegetation, consisting of wil- 
 lows, hclianthi, roses, flowering vines, and 
 grass ; bordered on the verge of the great 
 marsh by a fringe of singular plants, which 
 appear to be a shrubby salicornia, or a 
 genus allied to it. 
 
 About 12 miles to the southward was one 
 of those isolated mountains, now appearing 
 to be a kind of peninsula ; and towards this 
 we accordingly directed our course, as it 
 probably afTordod a good view of the lake ; 
 but the deepening mud as we advanced 
 forced us to return toward the river, and 
 gain the higher ground at tlie foot of the 
 eastern mountains. Here we halted for a 
 few minutes at noon, on a beautiful little 
 stream of pure and remarkably clear water, 
 with a bed of roc^k in situ, on which was an 
 abundant water plant with a white blossom. 
 There was good grass in the bottoms ; and, 
 amidst a rather luxuriant growth, its banks 
 were bordered with a large showy plant, 
 {eupatorium purpiircum,) which I here saw 
 for the first time. We named the stream 
 Clear creek. 
 
 We continued our way along the moun- 
 tain, having found here a broad plainly 
 beaten trail, over what was apparently the 
 shore of the lake in the spring ; the ground 
 being high and firm, and the soil excellent 
 and covered with vegetation, among which 
 a leguminous plant {gbjcT/rrhiza Icpidota) 
 was a characterif5tic plant. The ridge here 
 rises abruptly to the height of about 4,000 
 feet ; its face being very prominently mark- 
 ed with a massive stratum of rose-colored 
 granular quartz, wliich is evidently an al- 
 tered sedimentary rock ; the lines of de- 
 position being very distinct. It is rocky 
 and steep ; divided into several mountains ; 
 and the rain in the valley appears to be al- 
 ways snow on their summits at this season. 
 Near a remarkable rocky point of the 
 mountain, at a large spring of pure water, 
 were several hackbcrry trees, {celt is,) prob- 
 ably a new species, the berries still green ; 
 and a short distance farther, thickets of 
 sumach, {rhus.) 
 
 On the plain here I noticed blackbirds 
 and grouse. In about seven miles from 
 Clear creek, the trail brought us to a place 
 at the foot of ■ the mountain where there 
 issued with considerable force ten or twelve 
 hot springs, highly impregnated with salt. 
 
 In one of tliese, the thermometer stood at' 
 130°, and in another at 132°. 5 ; and the- 
 waler, which spread in pools over the low 
 ground, was colored red.* 
 
 At this place the trail we had been follow- 
 ing turned to the left, apparently with tiie 
 view of entering a gorge in the mountain, 
 from which issued the principal fork of a 
 large and comparatively well-timbered 
 stream, called Weber's fork. We accord- 
 ingly turned off towards the lake, and en- 
 camped on this river, which was 100 to 150 
 feet wide, with high banks, and very clear 
 pure water, without the slightest indication 
 of salt. 
 
 September 6. — Leaving the encampment 
 early, we again directed our course lor tlie 
 peninsular butte across a low shrubby plain,.. 
 crossing in tlie way a slough-like creek with 
 miry banks, and wooded with thickets of 
 thorn (cratcrgus) which were loaded with 
 berries. This time we reached the butte 
 without any difficulty, and, ascending to the 
 summit, immediately at our feet beheld the 
 object of our anxious search — the waters of 
 the Inland Sea, stretching in still and soli- 
 tary grandeur far beyond the limit of our 
 vision. It was one of the great points of tJie 
 exploration ; and as we looked eagerly over 
 the lake in tlie (irst emotions of excited plea- 
 sure, I am doubtful if the followers of Balboa 
 felt more enthusiasm when, from the heights 
 of the Andes, tliey saw for the first time the 
 great Western ocean. It was certainly a 
 magnificent object, and a noble terminus to 
 this part of our expedition ; and to travellers 
 so long .shut up among mountain ranges, a 
 sudden view over the expanse of silent 
 waters had in it something sublime. Sever- 
 al large islands raised their high rocky heads 
 out of the waves ; but whether or not they 
 were timbered, was still left to our imagina- 
 tion, as the distance was too great to deter- 
 mine if the dark hues upon them were wood- 
 land or naked rock. During the day the 
 clouds had been gathering black over the 
 mountains to the westward, and, while we 
 were looking, a storm burst down with sud- 
 den fury upon the lake, and entirely hid the 
 islands from our view. So far as we could 
 see, along the shores there was not a soli- 
 
 * An analysis of the red earthy matter de- 
 posited in the bed of the stream from the springs, 
 gives the following result : 
 
 Peroxide of iron .... 33.50 
 Carbonate of magnesia . . . 2.40 
 Carbonate of lime .... 50.43 
 Sulphate of lime ... 2.00 
 
 Chloride of sodium . 3.45 
 
 Silica and alumina . . 3.00 
 
 Water and loss .... 5.22 
 
 100.00 
 
1843.1 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 87 
 
 tary tree, and but little appearance of grass ; 
 and on Weber's fork, a few miles below our 
 last encampment, the timber was gathered 
 into groves, and then disappeared entirely. 
 As this appeared to be the nearest point to 
 the lake where a suitable camp could be 
 found, we directed our course to one of the 
 groves, where we found a handsome en- 
 campment, with good grass and an abun- 
 dance of rushes (equiselum hyemale). At 
 sunset, the thermometer was at 55°; the 
 evening clear and calm, with some cumuli. 
 
 September 7. — The morning was calm and 
 clear, with a temperature at sunrise of 39°.5. 
 The day was spent in active preparation for 
 our intended voyage on the lake. On the 
 odge of the stream a favorable spot was se- 
 lected in a grove, and, felling the timber, we 
 made a strong coral, or horse pen, for the 
 animals, and a little fort for the people who 
 were to remain. We were now probably in 
 the country of the Utah Indians, though none 
 reside upon the lake. The India-rubber boat 
 -was repaired with prepared cloth and gum, 
 and filled with air, in readiness for the next 
 day. 
 
 The provisions which Carson had brought 
 with him being now exhausted, and our 
 stock reduced to a small quantity of roots, I 
 determined to retain with me only a suffi- 
 cient number of men for the execution of 
 our design ; and accordingly seven were 
 sent back to Fort Hall, under the guidance 
 -of Francois Lajeunesse, who, having been 
 for many years a trapper in the country, was 
 considered an experienced mountaineer. 
 Though they were provided with good hor- 
 ses, and the road was a remarkably plain 
 one of only four days' journey for a horse- 
 man, they became bewildered (as we after- 
 wards learned), and, losing their way, wan- 
 'dered about the country in parties of one or 
 itvvo, reaching the fort about a week after- 
 wards. Some straggled in of themselves, 
 and the others were brought in by Indians 
 who had picked them up on Snake river, 
 about sixty miles below the fort, travelling 
 along the emigrant road in full march for 
 the Lower Columbia. The leader of this 
 adventurous party was Fran9ois. 
 
 Hourly barometrical observations were 
 made during the day, and, after departure of 
 'the party for Fort Hall, we occupied our- 
 selves in continuing our little preparations, 
 and in becoming acquainted with the conn- 
 try in the vicinity. The bottoms along the 
 river were timbered with several kinds of 
 willow, hawthorn, and fine cotton-wood trees 
 {populus canadensis) with remarkably large 
 leaves, and sixty feet in height by measure- 
 ment. 
 
 We formed now but a small family. 
 With Mr. Preuss and myself, Carson, Ber- 
 oier, and Basil Lajeunesse, had beeu select- 
 
 ed for the boat expedition — the first ever at- 
 tempted on this interior sea ; and Badeau, 
 with Derosier, and Jacob (the colored man), 
 were to be left in charge of the camp. We 
 were favored with most delightful Vv'eather. 
 To-night there was a brilliant sunset of 
 golden orange and green, which left the 
 western sky clear and beautifully pure ; but 
 clouds in the east made me lose an occulta- 
 tion. The summer frogs were singing 
 around us, and the evening was very plea- 
 sant, with a temperature of GGo — a night of 
 a more southern autumn. For our supper 
 we had yampak, the most agreeably flavored 
 of the roots, seasoned by a small fat duck, 
 which had come in the way of Jacob's rifle. 
 Around our fire to-night were many specu- 
 lations on what to-morrow would bring forth, 
 and in our busy conjectures v/e fancied that 
 we should find every one of the large islands 
 a tangled wilderness of trees and shrubbery, 
 teeming with game of every description that 
 the neighboring region afforded, and which 
 the foot of a white man or Indian had never 
 violated. Frequently, during the day, clouds 
 had rested on the summits of their lofty 
 mountains, and we believed that we should 
 find clear streams and springs of fresh water ; 
 and we indulged in anticipations of the lux- 
 urious repasts with which we were to in- 
 demnify ourselves for past privations. 
 Neither, in our discussions, were the whirl- 
 pool and other mysterious dangers forgotten, 
 which Indian and hunter's stories attributed 
 to this unexplored lake. The men had dis- 
 covered that, instead of being strongly sev.-ed 
 (like that of the preceding year, which had 
 so triumphantly rode the cafions of the Up- 
 per Great Platte), our present boat was only 
 pasted together in a very insecure manner, 
 the maker having been allowed so little time 
 in the construction, that he was obliged to 
 crowd the labor of two months into several 
 days. The insecurity of the boat was sensi- 
 bly felt by us ; and, mingled with the enthu- 
 siasm and excitement that we all felt at the 
 prospect of an undertaking which had never 
 before been accomplished, was a certain im- 
 pression of danger, sufficient to give a seri- 
 ous character to our conversation. The 
 momentary view which had been had of the 
 lake the day before, its great extent and rug- 
 ged islands, dimly seen amidst the dark 
 waters in the obscurity of the sudden storm, 
 were well calculated to heighten the idea of 
 undefined danger with which the lake waa 
 generally associated. 
 
 September 8. — A calm, clear day, with a 
 sunrise temperature of 41o. in view of our 
 present enterprise, a part of the equipment 
 of the boat had been made to consist in three 
 air-tight bags, about three feet long, and ca- 
 pable each of containing five gallons. These 
 had been filled vi'ith water the night before. 
 
88 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 and were now placed in the boat, with onr 
 blankets and instruments, consisting of a 
 sextant, telescope, spy-glass, thermometer, 
 and barometer. 
 
 We left the camp at sunrise, and had a 
 very pleasant voyage down the river, in 
 which there was generally eight or ten feet 
 of water, deepening as we neared the mouth 
 in the latter part of the day. In the course 
 of the morning we discovered that two of the 
 cylinders leaked so much as to require one 
 man constantly at the bellows, to keep them 
 Buflicienlly full of air to support the boat. 
 Although we had made a very early start, 
 we loitered so much on the way — stopping 
 every now and then, and floating silently 
 along, to get a shot at a goose or a duck — 
 that it was late in the day when we reached 
 the outlet. The river here divided into 
 several branches, filled with fluvials, and so 
 very shallow that it was v/itli diiftculty we 
 could get the beat along, being obliged to get 
 out and wade. We encamped on a low 
 point among rushes and young willows, 
 where there was a quantity of drift wood, 
 which served for our fires. The evening 
 was mild and clear; we made a pleasant 
 bed of the young willows ; and geese and 
 ducks enough had been killed for an abun- 
 dant supper at night, and for breakfast the 
 next morning. The stillness of the night 
 was enlivened by millions of water fowl. 
 Latitude (by observation) 41° 11' 26'; and 
 longitude 11-2° 11' 30" 
 
 September 9. — The day was clear and 
 calm ; the thermometer at sunrise at 49°. 
 As is usual with the trappers on the eve of 
 any enterprise, our people had made dreams, 
 and theirs happened to be a bad one — one 
 which always preceded evil — and conse- 
 quently they looked very gloomy this morn- 
 ing ; but we hurried through our breakfast, 
 in order to make an early start, and have all 
 the day before us for our adventure. The 
 channel in a short distance became so slial- 
 low that our navigation was at an end, be- 
 ing merely a sheet of soft mud, with a few 
 inches of water, and sometimes none at all, 
 forming the low-water shore of the lake. 
 All this place was absolutely covered with 
 flocks of screaming plover. We took off 
 our clothes, and, getting overboard, com- 
 menced dragging the boat — making, by this 
 operation, a very curious trail, and a very 
 disagreeable smell in stirring up the mud, as 
 we sank above the knee at every step. The 
 water here was still fresh, with only an in- 
 sipid and disagreeable taste, probably de- 
 rived from the bed of fetid mud. After pro- 
 ceeding in this way about a mile, we came to 
 a small black ridge on the bottom, beyond 
 whicii the water became suddenly salt, be- 
 ginning gradually to deepen, and the bottom 
 was eandy and firm. It was a remarkable 
 
 division, separating the fresh waters of the 
 rivers from the briny water of the lake,, 
 which was entirely saturated with common 
 salt. Pushing our little vessel across the 
 narrow boundary, we sprang on board, and 
 at length were afloat on the waters of the 
 unknown sea. 
 
 We did not steer for the mountainous 
 islands, but directed our course towards a 
 lower one, which it had been decided we 
 should first visit, the summit of which was 
 formed like tlie crater at the upper end of 
 Bear river valley. So long as we could 
 touch the bottom with our paddles, we were 
 very gay ; but gradually, as the water deep- 
 ened, we became more still in our frail ba- 
 teau of gum cloth distended with air, ancj 
 with pasted seams. Although the day was 
 very calm, there was a considerable swell on 
 the lake ; and there were white patches of 
 foam on the surface, which were slowly 
 moving to the southward, indicating the set 
 of a current in that direction, and recalling- 
 the recollection of the whirlpool stories. The 
 water continued to deepen as we advanced ; 
 the lake becoming almost transparently 
 clear, of an extremely beautiful bright-green 
 color : and the spray, which was thrown 
 into the boat and over our clothes, was di- 
 rectly converted into a crust of common salt, ' 
 wliich covered also our hands and arms. 
 " Captain," said Carson, who for some time 
 had been looking suspiciously at some whit- 
 ening appearances outside the nearest 
 islands, " what are those yonder ? — won't 
 you just take a look with the glass ?" We 
 ceased paddling for a moment, and found 
 tliem to be the caps of the waves that were 
 beginning to break under the fo.'ce of a' 
 Strong breeze that was coming up the lake. 
 
 The form of the boat seemed to be an ad- 
 mirable one, and it rode on the waves like a 
 water bird ; but, at the same time, it was 
 extremely slow in its progress. When we 
 were a little more than half way across the 
 reach, two of the divisions between the cyl- 
 inders gave way, and it required the con- 
 stant use of the bellows to keep in a suffi- 
 cient quantity of air. For a long time we 
 scarcely seemed to approach our island, but 
 gradually we worked across the rougher sea 
 of the open channel, into the smoother water 
 under the lee of the island ; and began to 
 discover that what we took for a long row 
 of pelicans, ranged on the beach, were only 
 low cliffs whitened with salt by the spray of 
 the waves ; and about noon we reached the 
 shore, the transparency of the water enabling 
 us to see the bottom at a considerable depth. 
 
 It was a handsome broad beach v.-here we 
 landed, behind which the hill, into which 
 the island was gathered, rose somewhat ab- 
 ruptly J and a point of rock at one end en- 
 closed it in a sheltering way ; and as ther6 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 89 
 
 was an abuiidance of drift wood along the 
 shore, it offered us a pleasant encampment. 
 We did not sutfer our fragile boat to touch 
 the sharp rocks ; but, getting overboard, dis- 
 charged the baggage, and, lifting it gently 
 out of the water, carried it to the upper part 
 of the beach, which was composed of very 
 small fragments of rock. 
 
 Among the successive banks of the beach, 
 formed by the action of the waves, our atten- 
 tion, as we approached the island, had been 
 attracted by one 10 to 20 feet in breadth, of 
 a dark-brown color. Being more closely 
 examined, this was found to be composed, 
 to the depth of seven or eight and twelve 
 inches, entirely of the lanw of insects, or, 
 in common language, of the skins of worms, 
 about the size of a grain of oats, which had 
 "been washed up by the waters of the lake. 
 
 Alluding to this subject some months af- 
 terwards, when travelling through a more 
 southern portion of this region, in company 
 with Mr. Joseph Walker, an old hunter, I 
 was informed by him, that, wandering with 
 a party of men in a mountain country east 
 of the great Californian range, he surprised 
 a party of several Indian families encamped 
 near a small salt lake, who abandoned their 
 lodges at his approach, leaving everything be- 
 hind them. Being in a starving condition, 
 they were delighted to find in the abandoned 
 lodges a number of skin bags containing a 
 quantity of what appeared to be fish, dried 
 and pounded. On this they made a hearty 
 supper: and were gathering around an 
 abundant breakfast the next morning, when 
 Mr. Walker discovered that it was with 
 these, or a similar worm, that the bags had 
 been filled. The stomachs of the stout trap- 
 pers were not proof against their prejudices, 
 and the repulsive food was suddenly reject- 
 ed. Mr. Walker had further opportunities of 
 seeing these worms used as an article of food; 
 and I am inclined to think they are the same 
 as those we saw, and appear to be a product 
 •of the salt lakes. It may be well to recall 
 ■to your mind that Mr. Walker was associ- 
 ated with Captain Bonneville in his expedi- 
 tion to the Rocky mountains ; and has since 
 that time remained in the country, generally 
 residing in some one of the Snake villages, 
 when not engaged in one of his numerous 
 trapping expeditions, in which he is cele- 
 ibrated as one of the best and bravest leaders 
 who have ever been in the country. 
 
 The cliffs and masses of rock' along the 
 shore were whitened by an incrustation of 
 salt where the waves dashed up against 
 them ; and the evaporating water, which had 
 been left in holeg and hollows on the surface 
 of the rocks, was covered with a crust of salt 
 about one-eighth of an inch in thickness. It 
 appeared strange that, in the midst of this 
 grand reservoir, one of our greatest wants 
 
 lately had been salt. Exposed to be more 
 perfectly dried in the sun, this became very 
 white and fine, having the usual flavor of 
 very excellent common salt, without any for- 
 eign taste ; but only a little was collected for 
 present use, as there was in it a number of 
 small black insects. 
 
 Carrying with us the barometer, and other 
 instruments, in the afternoon we ascended to 
 the highest point of the island — a bare rocky 
 peak, 800 feet above the lake. Standing on 
 the summit, we enjoyed an extended view of 
 the lake, enclosed in a basin of rugged moun- 
 tains, which sometimes left marshy flats and 
 extensive bottoms between them and the 
 shore, and in other places came directly down 
 into the water with bold and precipitous blufls. 
 Follovving with our glasses the irregular 
 shores, we searched for some indications of 
 a communication with other bodies of water, 
 or the entrance of other rivers ; but the dis- 
 tance was so great that we could make out 
 nothing with certainty. To the southward, 
 several peninsular mountains, 3,000 or 4,000 
 feet high, entered the lake, appearing, so far 
 as the distance and our position enabled us 
 to determine, to be connected by flats and 
 low ridges with the mountains in the rear. 
 These are probably the i-slands usually indi- 
 cated on maps of this region as entirely de- 
 tached from the shore. The season of our 
 operations was when the waters were at 
 their lowest stage. At the season of high 
 waters in the spring, it is probable that the 
 marshes and low grounds are overflowed, and 
 the surface of the lake considerably greater. 
 In several places the view was of unlimited 
 extent — here and there a rocky islet appear- 
 ing above the water at a great distance ; and 
 beyond, everything was vague and undefined. 
 As we looked over the vast expanse of water 
 spread out beneath us, and strained our eyes 
 along the silent shores over which hung' so 
 much doubt and uncertainty, and which 
 were so full of interest to us, I could hardly 
 repress the almost irresistible desire to con- 
 tinue our exploration ; but the lengthening 
 snow on the mountains was a plain indica- 
 tion of the advancing season, and our frail 
 linen boat appeared so insecure that I was 
 unwilling to trust our lives to the uncertain- 
 ties of the lake. I therefore unwillingly re- 
 solved to terminate our survey here, and 
 remain satisfied for the present with what we 
 had been able to add to the unknown geogra- 
 phy of the region. We felt pleasure also in 
 remembering that we were the first who, in 
 the traditionary annals of the country, had 
 visited the islands, and broken, with the 
 cheerful sound of human voices, the long 
 solitude of the place. From the point where 
 we were standing, the ground fell off on 
 every side to the water, giving us a perfect 
 view of the island, which is twelve or thir- 
 
90 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1S43, 
 
 teen miles in circumference, being simply a 
 rocky hill, on which there is neither water 
 nor trees of any kind ; althougli the Frenion- 
 Ha vermicularis, which was in great abund- 
 ance, might easily be mistaken for timber at 
 a distance. Tiic plant seemed here to de- 
 light in a congenial air, growing in extraor- 
 dinary luxuriance seven to eigiit feet high, 
 and was very abundant on the upper parts of 
 the island, where it was almost the only 
 plant. Tliis is eminently a saline slirub ; its 
 leaves have a very salt taste ; and it luxuri- 
 ates in saline soils, whore it is usually a cha- 
 racteristic. It is widely diffused over all this 
 country. A chenopodiaceous shrub, v.-hich 
 is a new species of obione (O. rigida, Torr. 
 tj- Frem.), was equally characteristic of the 
 lower parts of the island. These two are 
 the striking plants on the island, and belong 
 to a class of plants which form a prominent 
 feature in the vegetation of this country. 
 On the lower parts of the island, also, a prickly 
 pear of very large size was frequent. On the 
 shore, near the water, was a woolly species 
 of phaca ; and a new species of umbelliferous 
 plant (li-.plokcmia) was scattered about in 
 very considerable abundance. These con- 
 stituted all the vegetation that now appeared 
 upon the island. 
 
 I accidentally left on the summit the brass 
 cover to the object end of my spy-glass ; and 
 as it will probably remain there undisturbed 
 by Indians, it will furnish matter of specula- 
 tion to some future traveller. In our excur- 
 sions about the island, we did not meet with 
 any kind of animal ; a magpie, and another 
 larger bird, probably attracted by the smoke 
 of our fire, paid us a visit from the shore, and 
 "were the only living things seen during our 
 stay. The rock constituting the clifTs along 
 the shore where we were encamped, is a tal- 
 cous rock, or steatite, with brown spar. 
 
 At sunset, the temperature was 10°. We 
 had arrived just in time to obtain a meridian 
 altitude of the sun, and other observations 
 were obtained tliis evening, which place our 
 camp in latitude 41° 10' 42", and longitude 
 112° 21 ' 05" from Greenwich. From a dis- 
 cussion of the barometrical observations 
 made during our stay on the shores of the 
 lake, we have adopted 4,200 feet for its ele- 
 vatiun above the gulf of Mexico. In the 
 first disappointment we felt from the dissipa- 
 tion of our dream of the fertile islands, I 
 called this Disappoinljiienl island. 
 
 Out of the drift wood, we made ourselves 
 pleasant little lodges, open to the water, and, 
 after having kindled large fires to excite the 
 wonder of any straggling savage on the lake 
 ehores, lay down, for the first time in a long 
 jonrney, in perfect security ; no one thinking 
 about his arms. The evening was extremely 
 bright and pleasant ; but the wind rose dur- 
 ing the night, und the waves began to break 
 
 heavily on the shore, making our island 
 tremble. I had not expected in our inland 
 journey to hear the loar of an ocean surf; 
 and the strangeness of our situation, and the 
 excitement we felt in the associated interests 
 of the place, made this one of the most in- 
 teresting nights I remember during our long" 
 expedition. 
 
 In the morning, the surf was breaking- 
 heavily on the shore, and we were up earl/. 
 The lake was dark and agitated, and we hur- 
 ried through our scanty breakfast, and em- 
 barked — having first filled one of the buckets 
 with water from the lake, of which it was 
 intended to make salt. The sun had risen 
 by tlie time we were ready to start ; and it 
 was blowing a strong gale of wind, almost 
 directly off the shore, and raising a considera- 
 ble sea, in which our boat strained very 
 much. It roughened as we got away from 
 the island, and it required ail the efforts of 
 the men to make any head against the wind 
 and sea, the gale rising with the sun ; and 
 there was danger of being blown into one of 
 the open reaches beyond the island. At the 
 distance of half a mile from the beach, the- 
 depth of water was 16 feet, with a clay bot- 
 tom ; but, as the working of the boat was 
 very severe labor, and during the operation 
 of rounding it was necessary to cease pad- 
 dling, during which the boat lost considera- 
 ble way, I was unwilling to discourage the- 
 men, and reluctantly gave up my intention of 
 ascertaining the depth, and the character of the 
 bed. There was a general shout in the toat 
 when we found ourselves in one fathom, and 
 we soon after landed on a low point of mud, 
 immediately under the biUte of the peninsula, 
 where we unloaded the boat, and carried the 
 baggage about a quarter of a mile to firmer 
 ground. We arrived just in time for meri- 
 dian observation, and carried the barometer to 
 the summit of the butte, which is 500 feet 
 above the lake. Mr. Preuss set off on foot for 
 the camp, which was about nine miles dis- 
 tant ; Basil accompanying him, to bring back 
 horses for the boat and baggage. 
 
 The rude-looking shelter we raised on the 
 shore, our scattered baggage and boat lying 
 on the beach, made quite a picture ; and we 
 called this the Jishennaii's camp. Lynosiris 
 graveolens, and another new species of obi- 
 one (O. confertifolia — Torr. c^ Frem.), were 
 growing on the low grounds, with interspers- 
 ed spots of an unwholesome salt grass, on a 
 saline clay soil, with a few other plants. 
 
 The horses arrived late in the afternoon, 
 by which time the gale had increased to such 
 a height tliat a man could scarcely stand 
 before it ; and we were obliged to pack our 
 baggage hastily, as the rising water of the 
 lake had already reached the point where we 
 were halted. Looking back as we rode off, 
 we found the place of recent eacampment 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 91 
 
 entirely covered. The low plain through 
 which we rode to the dtmp was covered with 
 a compact growth of shrubs of extraordinary 
 size and luxuriance. The soil was sandy 
 and saline ; flat places, resembling the beds 
 of ponds, that were bare of vegetation, and 
 covered with a powdery white salt, being 
 interspersed among the shrubs. Artemisia 
 tridentata was very abundant, but the plant* 
 were principally saline ; a large and vigor- 
 ■ ous chenopodiaceous shrub, five to eight feet 
 high, being characteristic, with Fiemontia 
 vermicularis, and a shrubby plant which 
 eeems to be a new salicornia. We reached 
 the camp in time to escape a thunder storm 
 which blackened the sky, and were received 
 with a discharge of the howitzer by the 
 people, who, having been unable to see any- 
 thing of us on the lake, had begun to feel 
 some uneasiness. 
 
 September 11. — To-day we remained at 
 this camp, in order to obtain some further 
 observations, and to boil down the water 
 which had been brought from the lake, for a 
 supply of salt. Roughly evaporated over 
 the fire, the five gallons of water yielded 
 fourteen pints of very fine-grained and very 
 wliite salt, of which the whole lake may be 
 regarded as a saturated solution. A portion 
 -of the salt thus obtained has been subjected 
 to analysis, giving, in 100 parts, the following 
 proportions : 
 
 Analysis of the salt. 
 
 Chloride of sodium (common salt) . 97.80 
 
 Chloride of calcium 0.61 
 
 Chloride of magnesium ^.24 
 
 Sulphate of soda 0.23 
 
 Sulphate of lime 1.12 
 
 100.00 
 
 Glancing your eye along the map, you will 
 see a small stream entering the Utah lake, 
 south of the Spanish fork, and the first wa- 
 ters of that lake which our road of 1844 
 j crosses in coming up from the southward. 
 When I was on this stream with Mr. Walker 
 ( in that year, he informed me that on the 
 [ upper part of the river are immense beds of 
 rock salt of very great thickness, which he 
 had frequently visited. Farther to the south- 
 ward, the rivers which are affluent to the 
 Colorado, such as the Rio Virgen, and Gila 
 river, near their mouths, are impregnated 
 with salt by the clifTs of rock salt between 
 which they pass. These mines occur in the 
 same ridge in which, about 120 miles to the 
 northward, and subsequently in their more 
 immediate neighborhood, we discovered the 
 fossils belonging to the oolitic period, and 
 they are probably connected with that form- 
 ■ation, and are the deposite from which the 
 
 Great Lake obtains its salt. Had we remain- 
 ed longer, we should have found them in its 
 bed, and in the mountains around its shores. 
 
 By observation, the latitude of this camp 
 is 41^ 15' 60", and longitude 112° 06' 43". 
 
 The observations made during our stay 
 give for the rate of the chronometer 31". 72, 
 corresponding almost exactly with the rate 
 obtained at St. Vrain's fort. Barometrical 
 observations were made hourly during the 
 day. This morning we breakfasted on yam- 
 pah, and had only kamas for supper ; but a 
 cup of good cofTee still distinguished us from 
 our Digger acquaintances. 
 
 September 12. — The morning was clear 
 and calm, with a temperature at sunrise of 
 32°. Wc resumed our journey late in the 
 day, returning by nearly the same route 
 which we had travelled in coming to the 
 lake ; and, avoiding the passage of Havvthorn 
 creek, struck the hills a little below the hot 
 salt springs. The flat plain we had here 
 passed over consisted alternately of tolerably 
 good sandy soil and of saline plats. We 
 encamped early on Clear creek, at the foot 
 of the high ridf>e ; one of the peaks of which 
 we ascertained by measurement to be 4,210 
 feet above the lake, or about 8,400 feet above 
 the sea. Behind these front peaks the ridge 
 rises towards the Bear river mountains, 
 which are probably as high as the Wind 
 river chain. This creek is here unusually 
 well timbered with a variety of trees. Among 
 them were birch (betnla), the narrow-leaved 
 poplar (populus avgiislifolia), several kinds 
 of willow (^salix), hawthorn (craitcgus), al- 
 der (ainus viridis), and cerasus, with an oak 
 allied to quercus alba, but very distinct from 
 that or any other species in the United 
 Stales. 
 
 We had to-night a supper of sea gulls, 
 which Carson killed near the lake. Although 
 conl, the thermometer standing at 47°, mus- 
 quitoes were sufficiently numerous to be 
 troublesome this evening. 
 
 September 13. — Continuing up the river 
 valley, we crossed several small streams; 
 the mountains on the right appearing to con- 
 sist of the blue limestone, which we had ob- 
 served in the same ridge to the northward, 
 alternating here with a granular quartz al- 
 ready mentioned. One of these streams, 
 which forms a smaller lake near the river, 
 was broken up into several channels ; and 
 the irrigated bottom of fertile soil was covered 
 with innumerable flowers, among which were 
 purple fields of eupatorium. purpureum, with 
 helianthi, a handsome solidago (S. canaden- 
 sis), and a variety of other plants in bloom. 
 Continuing along the foot of the hilKs, in the 
 afternoon we found five or six hot springs 
 gushing out together, beneath a conglome- 
 rate, consisting principally of fragments of a 
 greyish-blue limestone, efflorescing a salt 
 
92 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 upon the surface. The temperattire of these 
 springs was 134°, and the rocks in the bed 
 were colored witli a red deposite, and there 
 was common salt crystallized on the margin. 
 There was also a white incrustation upon 
 leaves and roots, consisting principally of 
 carbonate of lime. There were rushes seen 
 along the road this afternoon, and the soil 
 linder the hills was very black, and apparent- 
 ly very good ; but at this time the grass is 
 entirely dried up. We encamped on Bear 
 river, immediately below a cut-off, the canon 
 by which the river enters this valley bearing 
 north by compass. The night was mild, with 
 a very clear sky ; and I obtained a very 
 excellent observation of an occultation of 
 Tau.' Arietis, with other observations. Both 
 iinmersion and emersion of the star were 
 observed ; but, as our observations have 
 shown, the phase at the bright limb general- 
 ly gives incorrect longitudes, and we have 
 adopted the result obtained from the emersion 
 at the dark limb, without allowing any weight 
 to the immersion. According to these ob- 
 servations, the longitude is 112° 05' 12", and 
 the latitude -11° 42' 43". All the longitudes 
 on the line of our outward journey, between 
 St. Vrain's fort and the Dalles of the Co- 
 lumbia, which were not directly determined 
 by satellites, have been chronometically re- 
 ferred to this place. 
 
 The people to-day were rather low-spirit- 
 ed, hunger making them very quiet and 
 peaceable ; and there was rarely an oath to 
 be heard in the camp — not even a solitary 
 enfant de garce. It was time for the men 
 with an expected supply of provisions from 
 Fitzpatrick to be in tlie neighborhood ; and 
 the gun was fired at evening, to give them 
 notice of our locality, but met with no re- 
 sponse. 
 
 September 14. — About four miles from 
 this encampment, the trail led us down to 
 the river, where we unexpectedly found an 
 excellent ford — the stream being widened by 
 an island, and not yet disengaged from the 
 hills at the foot of the range. We encamped 
 on a little creek where we had made a noon 
 halt in descending the river. The night 
 was very clear and pleasant, the sunset tem- 
 perature being 67°. 
 
 The people this eveni*iig looked so forlorn, 
 that I gave them permission to kill a fat 
 young horse which I had purchased with 
 goods from the Snake Indians, and they were 
 very soon restored to gaiety and good hu- 
 mor. Mr. Preuss/aud myself could not yet 
 overcome some remains of civilized preju- 
 dices, and preferred to starve a little longer ; 
 :feeling as much saddened as if a crime had 
 been committed. 
 
 The next day we continued up the valley, 
 the soil being sometimes very black and 
 good; occa?ional]y gravelly, and occasionally 
 
 a kind of naked salt nlains. We found on 
 the way this mornin*a small encampment 
 of two families of Snake Indians, from whom 
 we purchased a small quantity of kooyah. 
 They had pilps of seeds, of three different 
 kinds, spread out upon pieces of buffalo robe ; 
 and the squaws had just gathered about a 
 bushel of the roots of a thistle (circium Vir- 
 ginianum). They were about the ordinary 
 size of carrots, and, as I have previously 
 mentioned, are sweet and well flavored, re- 
 quiring (jnly a long preparation. They had 
 a band of twelve or fifteen horses, and ap- 
 peared to be growing in the sunshine with 
 about as little labor as the plants they were 
 eating. 
 
 Shortly afterwards we met an Indian on 
 horseback who had killed an antelope, which 
 we purchased from him for a little powder 
 and some balls. We crossed the Roscaux, 
 and encamped on the left bank ; halting- 
 early for the pleasure of enjoying a whole- 
 some and abundant supper, and were pleas- 
 antly engaged in protracting our unusual 
 comfort, when Tabeau galloped into the 
 camp with news that Mr. Fitzpatrick was 
 encamped close by us, with a good supply of 
 provisions — flour, rice, and dried meat, and 
 even a little butter. Excitement to-night 
 made us all wakeful ; and after a breakfast 
 before sunrise the next morning, we were 
 again on the road, and, continuing up the 
 valley, crossed some high points of hills, and 
 halted to noon on the same stream, near seve- 
 ral lodges of Snake Indians, from whom we 
 purchased about a bushel of service berries, 
 partially dried. By the gift of a knife, I pre- 
 vailed upon a little boy to show me the koo- 
 yah plant, which proved to be Valeriana edu- 
 lis. The root, which constitutes the kooyah, 
 is large, of a very bright yellow color, with 
 the characteristic odor, but not so fully de- 
 veloped as in the prepared substance. It 
 loves the rich moist soil of river bottoms, 
 which was the locality in which I always af- 
 terwards found it. It was now entirely out 
 of bloom ; according to my observation, 
 flowering in the months of May and June. 
 In the afternoon we entered a long ravine 
 leading to a pass in the dividing ridge be- 
 tween the waters of Bear river and the 
 Snake river, or Lewis's fork of the Colum- 
 bia ; our way being very much impeded, and 
 almost entirely blocked up, by compact fields 
 of luxuriant artemisia. Taking leave at this 
 point of the waters of Bear river, and of the 
 geographical basin which encloses the sys- 
 tem of rivers and creeks which belong to 
 the Great Salt Lake, and which so richly de- 
 serves a future detailed and ample explora- 
 tion, I can say of it, in general terms, that 
 the bottoms of this river (Bear), and of some 
 of the creeks which I saw, form a natural 
 resting and recruiting station for travellers, 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 9? 
 
 now, and in all time to come. The bottoms 
 are extensive ; water excellent ; timber suffi- 
 cient; the soil good, and well adapted to the 
 grains and grasses suited to such an elevat- 
 ed region. A military post, and a civilized 
 settlement, would be of great value here ; 
 and cattle and horses would do well where 
 grass and salt so much abound. The lake 
 will furnish exhaustless supplies of salt. All 
 the mountain sides here are covered with a 
 valuable nutritious grass, called bunch grass, 
 from the form in which it grows, which has 
 z second growth in the fall. The beasts of 
 the Indians were fat upon it ; our own found 
 it a good subsistence ; and its quantity will 
 sustain any amount of cattle, and make this 
 truly a bucolic region. 
 
 We met here an Indian family on horse- 
 back, which had been out to gather service 
 berries, and were returning loaded. This 
 tree was scattered about on the hills ; and 
 the upper part of the pass was timbered with 
 aspen (jaopulus trem.) ; the common blue 
 flowering flax occurring among the plants. 
 The approach to the pass was very steep ; 
 and the summit about 6,300 feel above the 
 sea — probably only an uncertain approxima- 
 tion, as at the time of observation it was 
 blowing a violent gale of wind from the 
 northwest, with cumuli scattered in masses 
 over the sky, the day otherwise bright and 
 clear. We descended, by a steep slope, into 
 a broad open valley — good soil ; from four 
 to five miles wide ; coming down immediate- 
 ly upon one of the headwaters of the Pan- 
 nack river, which here loses itself in swampy 
 ground. The appearance of the country 
 here is not very interesting. On either side 
 is a regular range of mountains of the usual 
 character, with a little timber, tolerably 
 rock*y on the right, and higher and more 
 smooth on the left, with still higher peaks 
 looking out above the range. The valley 
 afforded a good level road ; but it was late 
 when it brought us to water, and we en- 
 camped at dark. The northwest wind had 
 blown up very cold weather, and the arte- 
 inisia, v^'hich was our fire wood to-niglit, did 
 not happen to be very abundant. This plant 
 loves a dry, sandy soil, and cannot grow in 
 the good bottoms where it is rich and moist, 
 but on every little eminence, where water 
 does not rest long, it maintains absolute pos- 
 session. Elevation above the sea about 
 6,100 feet. 
 
 At night scattered fires glimmered along 
 the mountains, pointing out camps of the 
 Indians ; and we contrasted the comparative 
 security in which we travelled through this 
 country, with the guarded vigilance we were 
 compelled to exert among the Sioux and 
 other Indians on the eastern side of the 
 Rocky mountains. 
 
 At sunset the thermometer was at 50°, and 
 at midnight at 30°. 
 
 September 17. — The morning sky was calm 
 and clear, the temperature at daylight being 
 2.5o, and at sunrise 2Go. There is through- 
 out this mountain country a remarkable dif- 
 ference between the morning and midday 
 temperatures, which at this season was very 
 generally 40o or. oOo, and occasionally great- 
 er ; and frequently, after a very frosty morn- 
 ing, the heat in a few hours would render 
 the thinnest clothing agreeable. About noon 
 we reached the main fork. The Pannack 
 river was before us ; the valley being here I5 
 mile wide, fertile, and bordered by smooth 
 hills, not over 500 feet high, partly covered 
 with cedar ; a high ridge, in which there is a 
 prominent peak, rising behind those on the 
 left. We continued to descend this stream, 
 and found on it at night a warm and comfort- 
 able camp. Flax occurred so frequently du- 
 ring the day as to be almost a characteristic, 
 and the soil appeared excellent. The oppo- 
 site hills on the right are broken herp into a 
 great variety of shapes. The evening was 
 gusty, with a temperature at sunset of 59°. 
 I obtained, about midnight, an observation of 
 an emersion of the first satellite ; the night 
 being calm and very clear, the stars remark- 
 ably bright, and the thermometer at 30°. 
 Longitude, from mean of satellite and chro- 
 nometer, 112° 29' 62" ; and latitude, by ob- 
 servation, 42° 44' 40". 
 
 September 18. — The day clear and calm, 
 with a temperature of 25"^ at sunrise. After 
 travelling seven or eight miles, we emerged 
 on the plains of the Columbia, in sight of the 
 famous " Three Buties,'' a well-known land- 
 mark in the country, distant about 45 miles. 
 The French word bulte, which so often occurs 
 in this narrative, is retained from the familiar 
 language of the country, and identifies the 
 objects to which it refers. It is naturalized 
 in the region of the Rocky mountains ; and, 
 even rf desirable to render it in English, I 
 know of no word which would be its precise 
 equivalent. It is applied to the detached 
 hills and ridges which rise abruptly, and 
 reach too high to be called hills or ridges, 
 and not high enough to be called mountains. 
 Knob, as applied in the v.-estern States, is 
 their most descriptive term in English. Cerro 
 is the Spanish term ; but no translation, or 
 paraphrasis, would preserve the identity of 
 these picturesque landmarks, familiar to the 
 traveller, and often seen at a great distance. 
 Covered as far as could be seen with artemisia, 
 the dark and ugly appearance of this plain 
 obtained for it the name of the Sage Desert ; 
 and we were agreeably surprised, on reach- 
 ing the Portneuf river, to see a beautifnl 
 green valley with scattered timber spread out 
 beneath us, on which, about four miles dis- 
 
94 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 tant, were glistening the white walls of the 
 fort. The Portnenf runs along the upland 
 plain nearly to its mouth, and an abrupt 
 descent of perhaps 200 feet brought us down 
 immediately upon the stream, which at the 
 ford is 1 00 yards wide, and three feet deep, 
 with clear water, a swift current, and gravelly 
 bed ; but a little higher up the breadth was 
 only about 35 yards, with apparently deep 
 water. 
 
 In the bottom I remarked a very great 
 number of s|)rings and sloughs, with remark- 
 ably clear water and gravel beds. At sunset 
 we encamped with Mr. Talbot and our friends, 
 who came on to Fort Hall when we went to 
 the lake, and whom we had the satisfaction 
 to find all well, neither party liaving met with 
 any mischance in the interval of our separ 
 ration. They, too, had had their share of 
 fatigue and scanty provisions, as there had 
 been very little game left on the trail of the 
 populous emigration ; and Mr. Fitzpatrick 
 had rigidly husbanded our stock of llourand 
 light provisions, in view of the approaching 
 winter and the long journey before us. 
 
 September 19. — This morning the sky was 
 very dark and gloomy, and at daylight it be- 
 gan snowing tliickly, and continued ail day, 
 with cold, disagreeable weather. At sunrise 
 the temperature was 43°. I rode up to the 
 fort, and purchased from Mr. Grant (the 
 officer in charge of the post) several very 
 indifferent horses, and five oxen in very fine 
 order, which were received at the camp with 
 great satisfaction ; and, one being killed at 
 evening, the usual gaiety and good humor 
 were at once restored. Night came in 
 stormy. 
 
 Seplemher 20. — We had a night of snow 
 and rain, and the thermometer at sunrise was 
 at 34°; the morning was dark, with a steady 
 rain, and there was still an inch of snow on 
 the ground, with an abundance on the neigh- 
 boring hills and mountains. The sudden 
 change in the weather was hard for our ani- 
 mals, who trembled and shivered in the cold 
 — sometimes taking refuge in the timber, and 
 now and then coming out and raking the 
 enow off the ground for a little grass, or 
 eating the young willows. 
 
 September 21. — Ice made tolerably tliick 
 during the night, and in the morning the 
 weather cleared up very hrigiit, with a tem- 
 perature at sunrise of 29° ; and I obtained a 
 meridian observation for latitude at the fort, 
 with obscrA'ations for time. The sky was 
 again covered in the afternoon, and the ther- 
 mometer at sunset 48°. 
 
 September 22. — The morning was cloudy 
 and unpleasant, and at sunrise a cold rain 
 commenced, with a temperature of 41°. 
 
 The early approach of winter, and the dif- 
 ficulty of supporting a large party, determin- 
 ed me to send back a number of the men who 
 
 had become satisfied that they were not fitted 
 for the laborious service and frequent pri- 
 vation to which they were necessarily ex- 
 posed, and which there was reason to believe 
 would become more severe in the further 
 extension of the voyage. I accordingly 
 called them together, and, informing tliein of 
 my intention to continue our journey during 
 the ensuing winter, in the course of wiiich 
 they would probably be cx[iosed to considera- 
 ble hardsiiip, succeeded in prevailing upon a 
 number of thorn to return voluntarily. These 
 were : Charles De Forrest, Henry Lee, ,T. 
 Campbell, Win. Creuss, A. Vasqucz, A. Pera, 
 Patrick White, B. Tesson, M. Creely, Fran- 
 9ois Lajeunesse, Basil Lajeunesse. Among 
 these, I regretted very much to lose Basil 
 Lajeunesse, one of the best men in my party, 
 who was obliged, by the condition of his 
 family, to be at home in the coming winter. 
 Our preparations having been completed in 
 the interval of our stay here, both parties 
 were ready this morning to resume tlieir 
 respective routes. 
 
 Except tbal there is a greater quantity of 
 wood used in its construction, Fort Hall very 
 much resembles the other trading posts which 
 have been al.-cady described to you, and 
 would be another excellent post of relief for 
 the emigration. It is in tije low, rich bottom 
 of a valley, apparently 20 miles long, formed 
 by the confluence of Portneuf river with 
 Lewis's fork of the Cclr.mbia, which it en- 
 ters about nine miles below the fort, and 
 narrowing gradually to the mouth of tlie 
 Pannack river, where it has a breadth of 
 only two or three miles. Allowing 50 miles 
 for the road from the Beer springs of Bear 
 river to Fort Hall, its distance along the 
 Iratelled road from tiie town of Westjiort, on 
 the frontier of Missouri, by way of Fort La- 
 ramie and the great South Pass, is 1323 
 miles. Beyond this ph.ce, on the line of 
 road along the barren valley of the Upper 
 Columbia, there does not occur, for a dis- 
 tance of nearly three hundred miles to the 
 westward, a fertile spot of ground sufficiently 
 large to produce the necessary quantity of 
 grain, or pasturage enough to allow even a 
 temporary repose to the emigrants. On 
 their recent passage, they had been able to 
 obtain, at very high prices and in insuffi- 
 cient quantity, only such assistance as could 
 be afforded by a small and remote trading 
 post — and that a foreign one — which, in the 
 supply of its own wants, had necessarily 
 drawn around it some of the resources of 
 civilisation, but which obtained nearly all its 
 supplies from the distant depot of Vancou- 
 ver, by a dilHcult water carriage of 250 
 miles up the Columbia river, and a land car- 
 riage by pack horses of GOO miles. An 
 Ameriiian military post sufficiently strong to 
 give to their road a perfect security against 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 95 
 
 the Indian tribes, who are unsettled in local- 
 ity apd very uncertain in their disposition, 
 and which, with tlie necessary facilities for 
 the repair of their eqviipage, would be able 
 to afford them relief in stock and grain from 
 the produce of the post, would be of extraor- 
 dinary value to the emigration. Such a 
 post (and all others which may be establish- 
 ed on the line to Oregon) would naturally 
 form the mideus of a settlement, at which 
 supplies and repose v/ould be obtained by 
 the emigrant, or trading caravans, which 
 may hereafter traverse these elevated, and, 
 in many places, desolate and inhospitable 
 regions. 
 
 I subjoin an analysis of the soil in the 
 river bottom near Fort Hall, which will be 
 of assistance in enabling you to form some 
 correct idea of its general character in the 
 neighboring country. I characterize it as 
 good land, but the analysis will show its 
 precise properties. 
 
 Analyxis of soil. 
 
 Silicina . . . ^ 
 Alumina - . - . 
 Carbonate of lime - - , 
 Carbonate of magnesia - 
 Oxide of iron . - - 
 Organic vegetable matter 
 Water and loss 
 
 68.55 
 7.45 
 8.51 
 5.09 
 1.40 
 4.74 
 4.26 
 
 100.00 
 
 Our observations place this post in longi- 
 tude 112° 29' 54", latitude 43° 01' 30", and 
 in elevation above the sea 4,500 feet. 
 
 Taking leave of the homeward party, we 
 resumed our journey down the valley, the 
 weather being very cold, and the rain com- 
 ing in hard gusts, which the wind blew di- 
 rectly in our faces. We forded the Port- 
 neuf in a storm of rain, the water in the 
 river being frequently up to the axles, and 
 about 110 yards wide. After the gust, the 
 weather improved a little, and we encamped 
 about three miles belov/, at the moutli of the 
 Pannack river, on Lewis's fork, which here 
 lias a breadth of about 120 yards. The 
 temperature at sunset was 42=' ; the sky 
 partially covered with dark, rainy clouds. 
 
 September 23. — The temperature at sun- 
 rise was 32° ; the morning dark, and snow 
 falling steadily and thickly, with a light air 
 from the southward. Profited of being 
 obliged to remain in camp, to take hourly 
 barometrical observations from sunrise to 
 midnight. The wind at eleven o'clock 
 set in from the northward in heavy gusts, 
 and the snow changed into rain. In the 
 afternoon, when the sky brightened, the rain 
 had washed all the snow from the bottoms ; 
 but the neighboring mountains, from sum- 
 
 mit to foot, were luminously white — an \%r 
 auspicious commencement of the autumn, 
 of which this was the first day. 
 
 September 24. — The thermometer at sun- 
 rise was SS'', and a blue sky in the west 
 promised a fine day. The river bottoms 
 here are narrow and swampy, with frequent 
 sloughs ; and after crossing the Pannack, 
 the road continued along the uplands, ren- 
 dered very slippery by the soil of wet clay, 
 and entirely covered with artemisia bushesj. 
 among which occur frequent fragments of 
 obsidian. At noon we encamped in a grove 
 of willows, at the upper end of a group of 
 islands about half a mile above the jhnericart 
 falls of Snake river. Among the willows 
 here, were some bushes of Lewis and 
 Clarke's currant {riles aureum). The 
 river here enters between low mural banks, 
 which consist of a fine vesicular trap rock, 
 the intermediate portions, being compact and 
 crystalline. Gradually becoming higher in 
 its downward course, these banks of scovi- 
 atcd volcanic rock form, with occasional in- 
 terruptions, its characteristic feature along 
 the whole line to the Dalles of the Lower 
 Columbia, resembling a chasm which had 
 been rent through the country, and which 
 the river had afterward.s taken for its bed- 
 The immediate valley of the river is a high 
 plain covered with black rocks and artemi- 
 sias. In the south is a bordering range of 
 mountains, which, although not very high, 
 are broken and covered with snow ; and at 
 a great distance to the north is seen the high, 
 snowy line of the Salmon river mountains, 
 in front of which stand out prominently i\ 
 the plain the three isolated rugged-looking 
 little mountains commonly known as the 
 7,^hree Buites, Between the river and the 
 distant Salmon river range, the plain is 
 represented by Mr. P'itzpatrick as so entirely 
 broken up and rent into chasms as to be im- 
 practicable for a man even on foot. In the- 
 sketch annexed, the point of view is low, hut 
 it conveys very well some idea of the open 
 character of tlie country, with the buttes 
 rising out above the general line. By mea- 
 surement, the river above is 870 feel wide, 
 immediately contracted at the fall in the 
 form of a lock", by jutting piles of scoriaceous 
 basalt, over which the foaming river must 
 present a grand appearance at the time of 
 high water. The evening was clear and 
 pleasant, with dew ; and at sunset the tem- 
 perature was 54°. By observation, the lati- 
 tude is 42° 47- 05", and the longitude 112° 
 40' 13'. A few, hundred yards below the 
 falls, and on the left bank of the river, is an 
 escarpment from which we obtained some 
 specimens. 
 
 September 25. — Thermometer at sunrise 
 47°. The day came in clear, with a strong 
 gale from tlie south, which commenced at 11 
 
96 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 of the last night. The road to-day led along 
 tTie river, which 'is full of rapids and small 
 falls. Grass is very scanty ; and along the 
 rugged banks are scattered cedars, with an 
 abundance of rocks and sage. We travelled 
 14 miles, and encamped in the afternoon 
 near the river, on a rocky creek, tiie bed of 
 which was entirely occupied with boulders 
 of a very large size. For the last three or 
 four miles the right bank of the river has a 
 palisaded appearance. One of the oxen was 
 killed here for food. The thermometer at 
 evening was at SS**, the sky almost over- 
 cast, and the barometer indicated an eleva- 
 tion of 4,400 feet. 
 
 September 26. — Rain during the night, 
 and the temperature at sunrise 42°. Trav- 
 elling along the river, in about 4 miies we 
 reached a picturesque stream, to which we 
 gave the name of Fall creek. It is remark- 
 able for the many falls which occur in a 
 short distance ; and its bed is composed of a 
 calcareous tufa, or vegetable rock, composed 
 principally of the remains of reeds and 
 mosses, resembling that at the Basin sprhig 
 on Bear river. 
 
 The road along the river bluffs had been 
 occasionally very bad ; and imagining that 
 some rough obstacles rendered such a detour 
 necessary, we followed for several miles a 
 plain wagon road leading- up this stream, un- 
 til we reached a point whence it could be 
 seen making directly towards a low place in 
 the range on the south side of the valley, and 
 we became immediately aware that we were 
 on a trail formed by a party of wagons, in 
 company with whom we had encamped at 
 Elm grove, near the frontier of Missouri, 
 and which you will remember were proceed- 
 ing to Upper California under the direction 
 of Mr. Jos. Chiles. At the time of their de- 
 parture, no practicable passes were known 
 in the southern Rocky mountains within the 
 territory of the United States ; and the pro- 
 bable apprehension of difficulty in attempting 
 to pass near the eettled frontier of New- 
 Mexico, together with the desert character 
 of the unexplored region beyond, had induced 
 them to take a more northern and circuitous 
 route by way of tlie Su-eet Water pass and 
 Fort Hall. They had still between tliem 
 and the valley of the Sacramento a great 
 mass of mountains, forming the Sierra Ne- 
 rada, here commonly known as the Great 
 California momitain, and which were at this 
 time considered as presenting an impracti- 
 cable barrier to wheeled carriages. Various 
 considerations had suggested to them a divi- 
 sion of the party ; and a gfeater portion of 
 the camp, including the wagons, with the 
 mail and other stores, were now proceeding 
 under the guidance of Mr. Joseph Walker, 
 who had engaged to conduct them, by along 
 sweep to the southward, around what is 
 
 called the point of the mountain ; and, cross- 
 ing through a pass known only to himself, 
 gain the banks of the Sacramento by the 
 valley of the San Joaquin. It was a long 
 and a hazardous journey for a party in which 
 there were women and children. Sixty 
 days was the shortest period of time in which 
 they could reach the point of the mountain, 
 and their route lay through a country inhab- 
 ited by wild and badly disposed Indians, and 
 very poor in game ; but the leader was a 
 man possessing great and intimate know- 
 ledge of the Indians, with an e.xtraordinary 
 firmness and decision of character. In the 
 meantime, Mr. Chiles had passed down the 
 Columbia with a party of ten or twelve rnen, 
 with the intention of reaching the settle- 
 ments on the Sacramento by a more direct 
 course, which indefinite information from 
 hunters had indicated in the direction of the 
 head waters of the Riviere aux Malheurs ; 
 and having obtained there a reinforcement 
 of animals, and a supply of provisions, meet 
 the wagons before tliey should have reached 
 the point of the mountain, at a place which 
 had been previonsly agreed upon. In the 
 course of our narrative, we shall be able to 
 give you some information of the fortune 
 which attended the movements of -these ad- 
 venturous travellers. 
 
 Having discovered our error, we imme- 
 diately regained the line along the river, 
 which the road quitted about noon, and en- 
 camped at 5 o'clock on a stream called Raft 
 river (Riviere aux Cajeux), having travelled 
 only 13 miles. In the north, the Salmon 
 river mountains are visible at a very far 
 distance ; and on the left, the ridge in which 
 Raft river heads is about 20 miles distant, 
 rocky, and tolerably high. Thermometer at 
 sunset 44°, with a partially clouded sky, and 
 a sharp wind from the SW. 
 
 Seple7nber 27. — It was now no longer pos- 
 sible, as in our previous journey, to travel 
 regularly every day, and find at any moment 
 a convenient place for repose at noon or a 
 camp at night ; but the halting places were 
 HOW generally fixed along the road, by the 
 nature of the country, at places where, with 
 water, there was a little scanty grass. Since 
 leaving the American falls, the road had fre- 
 quently been very bad ; the many short, 
 steep ascents, exhausting the strength of our 
 worn-out animals, requiring always at .such 
 places the assistance of the men to get up 
 each cart, one by one ; and our progress 
 with twelve or fourteen wJieeled carriages, 
 though light and made for the purpose, in 
 such a rocky country, was extremely slow ; 
 and I again determined to gain time by a di- 
 vision of the camp. Accordingly, to-day the 
 parties again separated, constituted very 
 much as before — Mr. Fitzpatrick remainmg 
 in charge of the heavier baggage. 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 97 
 
 The morning was calm and clear, with a 
 white frost, and the temperature at sunrise 
 34°. 
 
 To-day the country had a very forbidding 
 appearance ; and, after travelling 20 miles 
 over a slightly undulating plain, we en- 
 camped at a considerable spring, called 
 Swamp creek, rising in low grounds near 
 the point of a spur from the mountain. Re- 
 turning with a small party in a starving con- 
 dition from the westward 12 or 14 years 
 since, Carson had met here three or four 
 buffalo bulls, two of which were killed. 
 They were among the pioneers which had 
 made the experiment of colonizing in the 
 valley of the Columbia, and which had 
 failed, as heretofore stated. At sunset the 
 thermometer was at 46°, and the evening 
 wus overcast, with a cold wind from the 
 SE., and to-night we had only sage for fire 
 wood. Mingled with the artemisia was a 
 shrubby and thorny chenopodiaceous plant. 
 
 September 28. — Thermometer at sunrise 
 40°. The wind rose early to a gale from 
 the west, with a very cold driving rain ; and, 
 after an uncomfortable day's ride of 25 miles, 
 we were glad when at evening we found a 
 sheltered camp, where there was an abun- 
 dance of wood, at some elevated rocky is- 
 lands covered with cedar, near the com- 
 mencement of another long cailon of the 
 river. With the exception of a short deten- 
 tion at a deep little stream called Goose 
 creek, and some occasional rocky places, we 
 had to-day a very good road ; but the coun- 
 try has a barren appearance, sandy, and 
 densely covered with the artemisias from the 
 banks of the river to the foot of the moun- 
 tains. Here I remarked, among the sage 
 bushes, green bunches of what is called the 
 second growth of grass. The river to-day 
 has had a smooth appearance, I'ree from 
 rapids, with a low, sandy hill slope bordering 
 the bottoms, in which there is a little good 
 soil. Thermometer at sunset 45°, blowing 
 a gale, and disagreeably cold. 
 
 Se'ptc7nl>er 29. — The thermometer at sun- 
 rise 3G°, with a bright sun, and appearance 
 of finer weather. The road for several miles 
 was extremely rocky, and cons^uently bad ; 
 but, entering after this a sandy country, it 
 became very good, with no other interrup- 
 tion than the sage bushes, which covered the 
 river plain so far as the eye could reach, and, 
 with their uniform tint of dark grey, gave to 
 (he country a gloomy and sombre appear- 
 ance. All the day the course of the river 
 has been between walls of the black volca- 
 nic rock, a dark line of the escarpment on 
 the op]x>6ite side pointing out its course, and 
 sweeping along in foam at places where the 
 mountains which border the valley present 
 always on the left two ranges, the lower one 
 a spur of the higher ; and, on the opposite 
 
 7 
 
 side, tlie Salmon river mountains are visible 
 at a great distance. Having made 24 miles, 
 we encamped about 5 o'clock on Rock creek 
 — a stream having considerable water, a swift 
 current, and wooded with v.'illow. 
 
 September 30. — Thermometer at sunrise 
 28°. In its progress towards the river, this 
 creek soon enters a chasm of the volcanic 
 rock, which in places along the wall presents 
 a columnar appearance ; and the road be- 
 comes extremely rocky whenever it passes 
 near its banks. It is only about twenty feet 
 wide wliero the road crosses it, with a deep 
 bed, and steep banks, covered with rocky 
 fragments, wit'.i willows and a little grass on 
 its narrow bottom. The soil appears to ba 
 full of calcareous matter, with which the 
 rocks are incrusted. The fragments of rock 
 which had been removed by the emigrants^ 
 in making a road where wo ascended from 
 the bed of this creek were whitened with 
 lime ; and during the afternoon's march I re- 
 marked in the soil a considerable quantity of 
 calcareous concretions. Towards evening 
 the sages became more sparse, and the clear 
 spaces were occupied by tufts of green grass. 
 The river still continued its course through 
 a trough or open canon ; and towards sunset 
 we followed the trail of several wagons which 
 had turned in towards Snake river, and en- 
 camped, as they had done, on the top of the 
 escarpment. There was no grass here, the 
 soil among the sage being entirely naked; 
 but there is occasionally a little bottom along 
 the river, which a short ravine of rocks, at 
 rare intervals, leaves accessible ; and by one 
 of these we drove our animals down, and 
 found some tolerably good grass bordering 
 the water. ( 
 
 Immediately opposite to us, a subterranean 
 river bursts out directly from the face of the 
 escarpment, and falls in white foam to the 
 river below. Tlie main river is enclosed 
 with mural precipices, which form its charac- 
 teristic feature along a great portion of its 
 course. A melancholy and strange-looking 
 country — one of fracture, and violence, and 
 fire. [ 
 
 We had brought with us, when we sepa- 
 rated from the cam]), a large gaunt ox, in ap- 
 pearance very poor; but, being killed to-night, 
 to the great joy of the people, he was found 
 to be remarkably fat. As usual at such oc- 
 currences, the evening was devoted to gaiety- 
 and feasting ; abundant fare now made an 
 epoch among us ; and in this laborious life,' 
 in such a country as this, our men had but 
 little else to enjoy. Tiie temperature at suffli- 
 set was 65°, with a clear sky and a very high 
 wind. By the observation of the evening, 
 the encampment was in longitude 114° 25'| 
 04", and in latitude 42° 38' 44". / 
 
 October 1. — The morning clear, with wind^ 
 from the west, and the thermometer at 65*'.; 
 
98 
 
 CAPT. FRExMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 We descended to the bottom, taking with us 
 the boat, for the purpose of visiting the fall 
 in the opposite cliffy ; and while it was being 
 filled with air, we occupied ourselves in 
 measuring the river, which is 1,786 feet in 
 breadth, with banks 200 feet high. Wo 
 •were surprised, on our arrival at the opposite 
 side, to find a beautiful ba.sin of clear water, 
 formed by the falling river, around which 
 the rocks were whitened by some saline in- 
 crustation. Here the IndiaTis had construct- 
 ed wicker dams, although I was inl'ormed 
 that the salmon do not ascend the river so 
 far ; and its character below would apparently 
 render it impracticable. 
 
 The ascent of the steep hill side was ren- 
 dered a little difficult by a dense growth of 
 Klirubs and fields of cane ; and there were 
 frequent hidden crevices among llie rocks, 
 where the water was jioard rushing below ; 
 but we succeeded in reaching the main 
 stream, which, issuing from between strata 
 of the trap rock in two principal l)ranches, 
 produced almost immediately a torrent, 22 
 feet wide, and white with fo;im. It is a pic- 
 turesque 6f)ot of singular beauty ; overshaded 
 by bushes, from under which the torrent 
 glances, tumbling into the white basin below 
 where the clear water contrasted lx?autifully 
 with the muddy stream of the river. Its out- 
 let was covered with a rank growth of canes, 
 and a variety of unusual plants, and nettles 
 (uriica canabina), whicli, before they were 
 noticed, had net our hands and arms on lire. 
 The temperature of the spring was 68°, 
 while that of the river was 51°. The per- 
 pendicular heigkt of the place at which this 
 stream issues is 45 feet above the river, and 
 162 feet below the summit of the precipice, 
 making nearly 200 feet for the height of the 
 wall. On the hill side here, was obtained a 
 specimen consisting principally of fragments 
 of the shells of small crustacea, and which 
 was probably formed by deposition from these 
 springs proceeding from some lake or river 
 in the highlands above. 
 
 We resumed our journey at noon, the day 
 being hot and bright; and, after a march of 
 it miles, encamped at siniset on the river, 
 near several lodges of Snake Indians. 
 
 Our encampment was alwut one mile be- 
 low the Fishing falls, a series of cataracts 
 with very inclined planes, which are pruba- 
 \)]y so named because they form a barrier to 
 the ascent of the salmon ; and the great Hshc- 
 rics from which the inhabitants of this bar- 
 ren region almost entirely derive a subsist- 
 ence commence at this place. These ap- 
 peared to bo unusually gay savages, fond of 
 loud laughter ; and, in their apparent good 
 nature and rnerrv' character, struck me as 
 being entirely different from the Indians we 
 had been accustomed to .';ee. From several 
 who visited our camp in the evening, wo j'Ur- 
 
 chased, in exchange for goods, dried salmon. 
 At this season they are not very fat, but we 
 were easily pleased. The Indians made us 
 comprehend, that when the salmon "came up 
 the river in the spring, they are so abundant 
 that they merely throw in their spears at rau- 
 dom, certain of bringing out a fish. 
 
 These poor people are but slightly pro- 
 vided with winter clothing; there ie but lit- 
 tle game to furnish skins for the purpose ; 
 and of a little animal which seemed to be tho 
 most numerous, it required 20 skins to make 
 a covering to the knees. But they are still 
 a joyous talkative race, who grow fat and be- 
 come poor with the salmon, which at least 
 never fail them — the dried being used in the 
 absence of the fresh. We are encamped 
 immediately on the river bank, and with the 
 salmon jumping up out of the water, and In- 
 dians paddling about in boats made of rushes, 
 or laughing around the fires, the camp to- 
 night has quite a lively appearance. 
 
 The river at this place is more open than 
 for some distance above ; and, for the time, 
 the black precipices have disappeared, and 
 no calcareous matter is visible in the soil. 
 The thennomctcr at sunset 74° ; clear and 
 calm. 
 
 October 2. — The sunrise temperature was 
 48 ^ ; the weather clear and calm. Shortly af- 
 ter leaving the encampment, we crossed a 
 stream of clear water, with a variable breadth 
 of 10 to 25 yards, broken by rapids, and light- 
 ly wooded with willow, and having a little 
 grass on its small bottom land. The bar- 
 renness of the country is in line contrast to-^ 
 day with the mingled beauty and grandeur ^ 
 of the river, which is more open than 
 hitherto, with a constant succession of falls 
 and rapids. Over the edge of Uie black 
 clills, and out from their faces, are falling 
 numberless streams and springs ; and all 
 the line of the river is in motion with the 
 play of the water. In about seven miles we 
 reached the most beautiful and picturesque 
 fall I had seen on the river. 
 
 On the opposite side, the vertical fall is 
 perhaps 18 feet high; and nearer, the sheet 
 of foaming water is divided and broken into 
 cataracts, where several little islands on the 
 brink and in the river above give it much 
 picturesque beauty, and make it one of those- 
 places the traveller turns ag-ainand again to 
 lix in his memory. There were several 
 lodges of Indians here, from whom we tra- 
 ded salmon. Below this place the river 
 makes a remarkable bend ; and the road, 
 ascending the ridge, gave us a fine view of 
 t!ie river below, intersected at many placee 
 by numerous fish dams. In the north, about 
 50 miles dititant, were some high snowy 
 peaks of the Salmon river mountains ; and 
 in the northeast, the last peak of the range 
 was visible at the distance of perhaps 100 
 
1S43.] 
 
 GAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 99 
 
 milee or more. The river hills consist of 
 very broken masses of sand, covered every- 
 where with the same interminable fields of 
 sage, and occasionally the road is very heavy. 
 We now very frequently saw Indians, who 
 were strung along the river at every little 
 rapid where fitfh are to be caught, and the 
 cry haggai, haggai (fish), was constantly 
 heard whenever we passed near their huts, 
 or met them in the road. Very many of 
 them were oddly and partially dressed in 
 overcoat, shirt, waistcoat, or pantaloons, or 
 whatever article of clothing they had been 
 able to procure in trade from the emigrants ; 
 for we had now entirely quitted the country 
 where hawk's bells, beads, and vermilion, 
 were the current coin, and found that here 
 only useful articles, and chiefly clothing, 
 were in great request. These, however, are 
 eagerly sought after; and for a few trifling- 
 pieces of clothing, travellers may procure 
 food sufficient to carry them to the Colum- 
 bia. 
 
 We made a long stretch across the upper 
 plain, and encamped on the bluff, where the 
 grass was very green and good ; the soil of 
 the upper plains containing a considerable 
 proportion of calcareous matter. This green 
 freshness of the grass was very remarkable 
 for the season of the year. Again we heard 
 the roar of a fall in the river below, where 
 the water in an unbroken volume goes over 
 a descent of several feet. The night is 
 clear, and the weather continues very warm 
 and pleasant, with a sunset temperature of 
 70°. 
 
 October 3. — The morning was pleasant, 
 with a temperature at sunrise of 42". The 
 road was broken by ravines among the hills, 
 and in one of these, which made the bed of 
 a dry creek, I found a fragmentary stratum, 
 or brecciated conglomerate, consisting of 
 flinty slate pebbles, with fragments of lime- 
 etoue containing fossil shells. 
 
 On the left, the mountains are visible at 
 the distance of twenty or thirty miles, ap- 
 pearing smooth and rather low ; but at in- 
 tervals higher peaks look ont from beyond, 
 and indicate that the main ridge, Vvhich we 
 are leaving v/ith the course of the river, and 
 which forms the northern boundary of the 
 Great Basin, still maintains its elevation. 
 About two o'clock we arrived at the ford 
 where the road crosses to the right bank of 
 Snake river. An Indian was hired to con- 
 duct us through the ford, which proved im- 
 practicable for us, the water sweeping away 
 the howitzer and nearly drowning the mules, 
 which we were obliged to extricate by cut- 
 ting them out of the harness. The river 
 here is expanded into a little bay, in which 
 there are two islands, across which is the 
 road of the ford ; and the emigrants had 
 passed by placing two of their Jieavy wag- 
 
 gons abreast of each other, so as to oppose 
 a considerable mass against the body of 
 water. The Indians informed us that one 
 of the men, in attempting to turn some 
 cattle which had taken a wrong direction, 
 was carried off by the current and drowned. 
 Since their pass;ige, the water had risen 
 considerably ; but, fortunately, we had a 
 resource in a boat, which was filled with air 
 and launched ; and at seven o'clock we were 
 safely encamped on the opposite bank, the 
 animals swimming across, and the carnage, 
 hov/itzer, and baggage of the camp, being 
 carried over in the boat. At the place 
 where we crossed, above the islands, the 
 rivef had narrowed to a breadth of 1,049 
 feet by measurement, the greater portion of 
 which was from six to eight feet deep. We 
 were obliged to make our camp where we 
 landed, among the Indian lodges, which 
 are semi-circular huts made of willow, 
 thatched over with straw, and open to the 
 sunny south. By observation, the latitude 
 of our encampment on the right bank of 
 the river was 42° 65' 58"; chronometric 
 longitude 115° 04' 46", and the travelled 
 distance from Fort Hall 208 miles. 
 
 October 4. — Calm pleasant day, with the 
 thermometer at sunrise at 47°. Leaving 
 the river at a considerable distance to the 
 left, and following up the bed of a rocky 
 creek, with occasional holes of water, in 
 about six miles we ascended, by a long and 
 rather steep hill, to a plain 600 feet above 
 the river, over which we continued to travel 
 during the day, having a broken ridge -^,000 
 or 3,000 feet high on the right. The plain 
 terminates, where we ascended, in an es- 
 carpment of vesicular trap rock, which sup- 
 plies the fragments of the creek below. The 
 sky clouded over, with a strong wind from 
 the northwest, with a few drops of rain and 
 occasional sunlight, threatening a change. 
 
 Artemisia still covers the plain, but Pwr- 
 shia tridentata makes its appearance here on 
 the hill sides and on bottoms of the creeks 
 — quite a tree in size, and larger than the 
 artemisia. We crossed several hollows 
 with a little water in them, and improved 
 grass ; and, turning off from the road in the 
 afternoon in search of water, travelled about 
 three miles up the bed of a willow creek, 
 towards the mountain, and found a good 
 encampment, with wood and greiss, and little 
 ponds of water in the bed of the creek ; 
 which must be of more importance at other 
 seasons, as we found there several old fix- 
 tures for fishing. There were many holes 
 on the creek prairie, which had been made 
 by the diggers in search of roots. 
 
 Wind increased to a violent gale from the 
 N.W., with a temperature at sunset of 67o. 
 
 October 5. — The morning was calm and 
 clear, and at sunrise the thermometer was 
 
100 
 
 CAIT. FREMONT»S NARRATIVE, 
 
 [1843. 
 
 at 33'=. The road to-day was occasionally 
 extremely rocky, with hard volcanic frag- 
 ments, and our travelling very slow. In 
 about nine miles the road brought us to a 
 group of smoking hot springs, with a tem- 
 perature of 1G4". There were a few heli- 
 anthi in bloom, with some other low plants, 
 , and the place was green round about ; the 
 ground warm, and the air pleasant, with a 
 summer atmosphere that was very grateful 
 in a day of high and cold searching wind. 
 The rocks were covered with a white and 
 Ted incrustation ; and the water has on the 
 tongue the same unpleasant effect as that of 
 the Basin spring on Bear river. They form 
 several branches, and bubble up witii force 
 enough to raise the small pebbles several 
 inches. 
 
 The following is an analysis of the depo- 
 sit with which tiie rocks are incrusted : 
 
 Analasii 
 
 
 
 Silica 
 
 - 
 
 72.65 
 
 Carbonate of lime 
 
 - 
 
 14.60 
 
 Carbonate of magneeia 
 
 - 
 
 1.20 
 
 Oxide of iron 
 
 - 
 
 4.65 
 
 Alumina - . - 
 
 - 
 
 0.70 
 
 Chloride of sodium, &c. 
 
 s 
 
 s 
 
 Sulphate of soda 
 
 1.10 
 
 Sulphate of lime, &-c. 
 
 
 Organic vegetable matter 
 
 I 
 
 5.20 
 
 Water and loss 
 
 i 
 
 
 100.00 
 
 These springs are near the foot of the' ridge 
 (a dark and rugged looking mountain), in 
 which some of the nearer rocks have a red- 
 dish appearance, and probably consist of a 
 reddish-brown trap, fragments of wliich were 
 scattered along the road after leaving the 
 spring. The road was now about to cross 
 the point of this mountain, which we judged 
 to be a spur from the Salmon river range. We 
 crossed a small creek, and encamped about 
 sunset on a stream, which i'^ probably Lake 
 river. This is a small stn:am, s^me five or 
 six feet broad^ with a swift current, timbered 
 principally with willows and some few cot- 
 tonwoods. Along the banks weie canes, 
 rose buslles, and clematis, with Purehia tri- 
 dentata and artemisias on the upper bottom. 
 The sombre appearance of the country is 
 somewhat relieved in coming unexpectedly 
 from the dark rocks upon these green and 
 wooded watercourses, sunk in chasms ; and, 
 in the spring, the contrasted effect must make 
 them beautiful. 
 
 The thermometer at sunset 47°, and the 
 night threatening snow. 
 
 October 6. — The morning warm, the ther- 
 mometer 46" at sunrise, and sky entirely 
 clouded. After travelling about three miles 
 
 over an extremely rocky road, the volcanic 
 fragments began to disappear ; and, entering 
 among the hills at the point of the mountain, 
 we found ourselves suddenly in a granite 
 country. Here, the character of tlie vege- 
 tation was very much changed ; the artcmi*>ia 
 disappeared .almost entirely, showing only at 
 intervals towards the close of the day, and 
 was replaced by Purshia tridentata, with flow- 
 ering .shrubs, and small fields o^dieieria diccn- 
 cuLa, which gave bloom and gaiety to the hilJK. 
 These were everywhere covered with a fresh 
 and green short grass, like that of the early 
 spring. This is the iall or second growth, 
 the dried grass having been burnt off by the 
 Indians ; and wherever the fire has passed, 
 the bright-green color is universal. The soil 
 among t!ie hills is altogether difterent from 
 that of the river plain, being in many places 
 black, in others sandy and gravelly, but of a 
 firm and good character, appearing to result 
 from the decomposition of the granite roclu;, 
 which is proceeding rapidly. 
 
 In quitting for a time the artemisia (sage) 
 through which we had been so long voyag- 
 ing, and the sombre appearance of which ie 
 so discouraging, I have to remark, that I 
 have been informed that in Mexico wheat ia 
 grown upon the ground which produces this 
 shrub ; which, if true, relieves the soil from 
 the character of sterility imputed to it. Be 
 this as it may, there is no dispute about tho 
 grass, which is almost universal on the hills 
 and mountains, and always nutritious, evee 
 in its dry state. We passed on the way 
 masses of granite on the slope of a spur, 
 which was very much weathered and abrad- 
 ed. This is a white feldspathic granite, with 
 small scales of black mica ; smoky quartz 
 and garnets appear to constitute this portion 
 of the mountain. 
 
 The road at noon reached a broken ridge, 
 on which were scattered many boulders or 
 blocks of granite ; and, passing very small 
 streams, where, with a little more than the 
 usual limber, was sometimes gathered a little 
 wilderness of plants, we encamped on a 
 small stream, after a march of 22 niiles, in 
 company with a few Indians. Temperature 
 at sunset 51° ; and the night was partiaily 
 clear, with a few stars visible tliroiigli uilit- 
 ing white clouds. The Indians made an un- 
 succes.sful attempt to steal a few horses from 
 us — a thing of course with them, and to pre- 
 vent which the traveller is on perpetual 
 v/atch. 
 
 October 7. — The day was bright, clear, 
 plf asant, with a temperature of 46° ; and we 
 breakfasted at sunrise, the birds singing in 
 the trees as merrily as if we were in the 
 midst of summer. On the upper edge of the 
 hills on the opposite side of the creek, the 
 black volcaaic rock reappears ; and ascend- 
 ing these, the road passed through a basin. 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 101 
 
 around which the hills swept in such a man- 
 ner as to give it the appearance of an old 
 crater. Here were strata and broken beds 
 of black scoriated rock, and hills composed 
 of the same, on the summit of one of which 
 tljere was an opening resembling a rent. 
 We travelled to-day through a country re- 
 Bcmbling that of yesterday, where, although 
 the surface was hilly, the road was good, be- 
 ing firm, and entirely free from rocks and 
 artemisia. To our left, below, was the great 
 eage plain ; and on the right were the near 
 mountain?, which presented a smoothly 
 broken character, or rather a surface waved 
 into numberless hills. The road was occa- 
 sionally enlivened by meeting Indians, and 
 the day was extremely beautiful and pleas- 
 ant •, and we were pleased to be free from the 
 sage, even for a day. When we had trav- 
 elled about 8 miles, we were nearly opposite 
 to the highest portion of the mountains on 
 tlie left side of the Smoke river valley ; and, 
 continuing on a few miles beyond, we came 
 suddenly in sight of the broad green line of 
 the valley of the Riviere. Bois^e (wooded 
 river), black near the gorge where it de- 
 bouches into the plains, with high precipices 
 of basalt, between walls of which it passes, 
 on emerging from the mountains. Follow- 
 ing with tlie eye its upward course, it ap- 
 pears to be shut in among lofty mountains, 
 confining its valley in a very rugged country. 
 
 Descending the hills, after travelling a few 
 miles along the high plain, the road brought 
 Tts down upon the bottoms of the river, 
 •which is a beautiful rapid stream, with clear 
 mountain water, and, as the name indicates, 
 ■well wooded with some varieties of timber — 
 among which are handsome cotton,vvoods. 
 Such a stream had become quite a novelty 
 in this country, and we were delighted this 
 afternoon to make a pleasant camp under fine 
 old trees again. There were several Indian 
 encampments scattered along the river ; and 
 a. number of their inhabitants, in the course 
 of the evening, came to the camp on horse- 
 back with dried and fresh fish to trade. The 
 evening was clear, and the temperature at 
 Bunset 67*. 
 
 At the time oF the first occupation of this 
 region by parties engaged in the fur trade, a 
 Bmall party of men under the command of 
 
 Reid, constituting all the garrison of a 
 
 little fort on this river, were surprised and 
 massacred by the Indians ; and to this event 
 the stream owes its occasional name oiRmfs 
 river. 
 
 ^ On the 8th we travelled about 26 miles, the 
 ridge on the right having scattered pines on 
 the upper parts ; and, continuing the next 
 day our road along the river bottom, after a 
 day's travel of 24 miles we encamped in the 
 evening on the right bank of the river, a mile 
 above the raoiith, and early the Tic:i.t rooming 
 
 arrived at Fort Boi.sd. This is a simple 
 dwelling-house on the right bank of Snake 
 river, about a mile below the mouth of 
 Riviere Boissee ; and on our arrival we were 
 received with an agreeable hospitality by Mr. 
 Payette, an officer of the Hudson B;i,y Com- 
 pany, in charge of the fort ; all of whose 
 garrison consisted in a Canadian eiiga^S. 
 
 Here the road recrosses the river, which is 
 broad and deep; but, with our good boat, 
 aided by two canoes, which were found at tlie 
 place, tlie camp was very soon transferred to 
 the left bank. Here we found ourselves 
 acain surrounded by the sage ; artemi.sia tri- 
 dentata,and the different shrubs which during 
 our voyage had always made their appear- 
 ance abundantly on saline soils, being here 
 the prevailing and almost the only plants. 
 Among them the surface was covered with 
 the usual saline efilorescences, which here 
 consist almost entirely of carbonate of soda, 
 with a small portion of chloride of sodium. 
 Mr. Payette had made but slight uttempts 
 at cultivation, his efforts being limited to 
 raising a few vegetables, in which he suc- 
 ceeded tolerably well ; the post being princi- 
 pally supported by salmon. He was very 
 hospitable and kind to us, and we made a 
 sensible impression upon all his comestibles ; 
 but our principal inroad was into the dairy, 
 which was abundantly supplied, stock appear- 
 ing to thrive extremely well ; and we had an 
 unusual luxury in a present of fresh butter, 
 which wa?, however, by no means equal to 
 that of Fort Hall — probably from some acci- 
 dental cause. During the day we remained 
 here, there were considerable numbers of 
 miserable half-naked Indians around the fort, 
 who had arrived from the neighboring moun- 
 tains. During the summer, the only sub- 
 sistence of these people is derived from the 
 salmon, of which they are not provident 
 enough to lay up a sufficient store for the 
 winter, during which many of them die from 
 absolute starvation. 
 
 Many little accounts and scattered histo- 
 ries, together with an acquaintance which I 
 gradually acquired of their modes of life, had 
 left the aboriginal inhabitants of this vast re- 
 gion pictured in my mind as a race of people 
 whose great and conslant occupation wad tha 
 means of procuring a subsistence; and though 
 want of space, and other reasons, will prevent 
 me from detailing the many incidents which 
 made these things familiar to me, this great 
 feature among the characteristics of th^, 
 country will gradually be forced upon your 
 mind. 
 
 pointing to a group of Indians who had 
 just arrived from the mountains on the left 
 side of the valley, and who were regarding 
 our usual appliances of civilisation with an 
 air of bewildered curiosity, Mr. Payette in- 
 formed me that, every year since bis arrival 
 
102 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 at tliis post, he had unsuccessfully endeavor- 
 ed to induce these people to lay up a store 
 of salmon for their winter provision. While 
 the summer weather and the salmon lasted, 
 they lived contentedly and happily, scattered 
 along the ditl:e rent streams where the fish were 
 to be found ; and as soon as the winter snows 
 began to fall, little smokes would bo seen 
 rising among the mountains, where they 
 would be found in miserable groups, starving 
 out the winter; and sometimes, according to 
 the general belief, reduced to the horror of 
 cannibalism — the strong, of course, preying 
 on the weak. Certain it is, thoy are driven 
 to any extremity for food, and eat every in- 
 .sect, and every creeping thing, however 
 loathsome and repulsive. Snails, lizards, 
 ants — all are devoured with the readiness 
 and greediness of mere animals. 
 
 In common with all the other Indians we 
 had encountered since reaching the Pacific 
 waters, these people use the Shoshonee or 
 Snake language, which you will have occa- 
 sion to remark, in the course of the narra- 
 tive, is the universal language over a very 
 extensive region. 
 
 On the evening of the 10th, I obtained, 
 with the usual observations, a very excellent 
 emersion of the first satellite, agreeing very 
 nearly with the chronometer. From these 
 observations, the longitude of the fort is 
 116^ 47' 00", latitude 43° 49' 22", and 
 elevation above the sea 2,100 feet. 
 
 Sitting by the fire on the river bank, and 
 ■waiting for the immersion of l!ie satellite, 
 which did not take place until after midnight, 
 we heard the monotonous song of t!ie In- 
 dians, with which they accompany a certain 
 game of which they are very fond. Of the 
 poetry we could not judge, but the music was 
 miserable. 
 
 October 11. — The morning was clear, with 
 a light breeze from the east, and a tempera- 
 ture at sunrise of 33°. A part of a bullock 
 purchased at the fort, together with the boat 
 to assist him in crossing, was left here for 
 Mr. Fitzpatrick, and at 1 1 o'clock we re- 
 sumed our journey; and directly leaving the 
 river, and crnscjng the artemi^ia plnin, in 
 several ascents we reached the foot of a 
 ridge, where the road entered a dry sandy 
 hollow, up which it continued to the head; 
 and, crossing a dividing ridge, entcied a 
 similar one. We met here two poor emi- 
 grants (Irishmen), who had lost tlieir horses 
 two days since — probably stolen by the In- 
 dians ; and were returning to the fort, in 
 hopes to hear something of them there. 
 They had recently had nothing to eat ; and I 
 halted to impack an animal, and gave them 
 meat for their dinner. In this hollow, the 
 artemisia is partially displaced on the liill 
 sides by grass ; and descending it — miles, 
 
 about sunset we reached the Riviere atix 
 Malheurs (the unfortunate or unlucky river), 
 a considerable stream, with an average 
 breadth of 50 feet, and, at this time, 18 inches 
 depth of water. 
 
 The bottom lands were generally one and 
 a half mile broad, covered principally with 
 long dry grass ; and we had difficulty to find 
 sufficient good grass for the camp. With 
 the exception of a bad place of a few hundred 
 yards long, which occurred in rounding a 
 point of hill to reach the ford of the river, 
 the road during the day h.ad been very good. 
 
 October 12. — The morning was clear and 
 calm, and the thermometer at sunrise 23". 
 My attention was attracted by a smoke on the 
 riglit side of the river, a little below the ford, 
 where I found on the low bank, near the wa- 
 ter, a considerable number of hot springs, in 
 v.'hich the temperature of the water was 193°. 
 The ground, which was too hot for the naked 
 foot, was covered above and below the springs 
 with an incrustation of common salt, very 
 white and good, and fine-grained. 
 
 Ijcading for 5 miles up a broad dry branch 
 of the Malheurs river, the road entered a 
 sandy hollow, where the surface was ren- 
 dered firm by the admixture of other rock ; 
 being good and level until arriving near Iho 
 head of the ravine, where it became a little 
 rocky, and we met with a number of sharp 
 ascents over an unduhiUng surface. Cro^^s- 
 ing here a dividing ridge, it became an ex- 
 cellent road of gradual descent down a very 
 marked hollow ; in which, after 10 miles, 
 willows began to appear in the dry bed of a 
 head of the Rhicre aux Bnvhaux (Birch 
 river) ; and descending 7 miles, we found, 
 at its 'junction v/ith another branch, a little 
 water, not very good or abundant, but suffi- 
 cient in case of necessity for a comp. Cross- 
 ing Birch river, we continued for about 4 
 miles across a point- of hill ; the country on 
 the left being entirely mountainous, with no 
 level spot to be sei^n ; whence we descended 
 to Snake river — here a fine-looking stream, 
 with a large body of water and a smooth 
 current ; although we hear the roar, and &ee 
 Ijelow us the commencement of rapids where 
 it enters among the hills. It forms here a 
 deep bay, with a low sand it-^land in the 
 midst ; and its course among the mountains 
 is agreeably exchanged for the black vol- 
 canic rock. The weather during the day 
 had been very bright and extremely hot; 
 but, as usual, so soon as the sun went down, 
 it was necessary to put on overcoats. 
 
 I obtained this evening an observation of 
 an emersion of the first satellite, and onr ob- 
 servations of the evening place this encamp- 
 ment in latitude 44° 17' 36", and longitude 
 116° 56' 46", which is the mean of the re- 
 sults from the satellite and chronometer. 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 103 
 
 The elevation above the sea 1 ,880 feet. At 
 this encampment, the grass Ib scanty and 
 poor. 
 
 October 13. — The morning was bright, 
 with the temperature at sunrise 28°. The 
 horses had strayed off during tlie niglit, pro- 
 bably in search of grass ; and, after a con- 
 siderable delay, we had succeeded in finding 
 all but two, when, about 9 o'clock, we heard 
 the sound of an Indian song and drum ap- 
 proaching ; and shortly after, three Cayuse 
 Indians appeared in sight, bringing with 
 them the two animals. They belonged to a 
 party which had been on a bufi'aio hunt in 
 the neighborhood of the Rocky mountains, 
 and were hurrying home in advance. We 
 presented them with some tobacco, and other 
 things, with whicli they api)oarcd well satis- 
 fied, and, moderating their pace, travelled in 
 company with us. 
 
 We were now about to leave the valley of 
 the great southern branch of the Columbia 
 river, to which the absence of timber, and 
 the scarcity of water, give the appearance of 
 a desert, to enter a mountainous region 
 where the soil is good, and in which the face 
 of the country is covered with nutritious 
 grasses and dense forest — land embracing 
 many varieties of trees peculiar to the coun- 
 try, and on whicIi the timber exhibits a lux- 
 uriance of growth unknown to the eastern 
 part of the continent and to Europe. This 
 mountainous region connects itself in the 
 southward and westward with the elevated 
 country belonging to the Cascade or Califor- 
 nia range ; and, as will be remarked in the 
 course of the narrative, forms the eastern 
 limit of the fertile and timbered lands along 
 the desert and mountainous region included 
 within the Great Basin — a term which I ap- 
 ply to the intermediate region between the 
 Rocky mountains and the ne.xt range, con- 
 taining many lakes, with their own system 
 of rivers and creeks (of which the Great 
 Salt is the principal), and which have no 
 connection with the ocean, or the great 
 rivers which flow into it. This Great Basin 
 is yet to be adequately explored. And liere, 
 on quitting the banks of a sterile river, to 
 enter on arable mountains, the remark may 
 be made, that, on this western slope of our 
 continent, the usual order or distribution of 
 good and bad soil is often reversed ; the 
 river and creek bottoms being often sterile, 
 and darkened with the gloomy and barren 
 artemisia ; while the mountain is often fer- 
 tile, and covered with rich grass, pleasant to 
 the eye, and good for flocks and herds. 
 
 Leaving entirely the Snake river, which 
 is said henceforth to pursue its couree 
 through canons, amidst rocliy and impracti- 
 cable mountains, where there is no possibili- 
 ty of travelling with animals, we ascended a 
 long aud somewhat steep hill ; and crossing 
 
 the dividing ridge, came down into the val- 
 ley of Burnt river, which here looks like a 
 hole among the hills. The average breadth 
 of the stream here is 30- feet; it is well 
 fringed with the usual small timber ; and the 
 soil in the bottoms is good, with better grass 
 than we had lately been accustomed to see. 
 
 We now travelled through a very moun- 
 tainous country ; li^e stream running rather 
 in a ravine than a valley, and the read is de- 
 cidedly bad and dangerous for single wa- 
 gons, frequently crossing the stream where 
 the water is sometimes deep ; and all the 
 day the animals were fatigued in climbing 
 up and descending a succession of steep as- 
 cents, to avoid the precipitous hill sides ; 
 and the common trail, which leads along the 
 mountain side at places where the river 
 strikes the base, is sometimes bad even for 
 a horseman. The mountains along this 
 day's journey were composed, near tlie river, 
 of a slaty calcareous rock in a metamorphic 
 condition. It appears originally to have 
 been a slaty sedimentary limestone, but it; 
 present condition indicates that it has been 
 altered, and has become partially crystalline 
 — probably from the proximity of volcanic 
 rocks. But though travelling was slow and 
 fatiguing to the animals, we were delighted 
 with the appearance of the country, which 
 was green and refreshing after our tedious 
 journey down the parched valley of Snake 
 river. The mountains were covered with 
 good bunch grass (festuca) ; the water of 
 the streams was cold and pure ; their bot- 
 toms were handsomely wooded with various 
 kinds of trees ; and huge and lofty and pic- 
 turesque precipices were displayed where 
 the river cut through the mountains. 
 
 We found in the evening some good grass 
 and rushes ; and encamped among large 
 timber, principally birch, which had been re- 
 cently burnt and blackened, and almost de- 
 stroyed by fire. The night was calm and 
 tolerably clear, with the thermometer at sun- 
 set at .59°. Our journey to-day was about 
 20 miles. 
 
 Cctuhtr 11. — The day was clear a.nd calm, 
 with a temperature at sunrise of 'iG''. After 
 travelling about three mUes up the valley, 
 wp found tb" nver shut up b)' precipices in 
 a kind of caiion, and the road makes a cir- 
 cuit over the mountains. In the afternoon 
 we reached the river again, by another little 
 ravine ; and, after travelling along it for a 
 few miles, left it enclosed among rude moun- 
 tains ; and, ascending a smaller branch, en- 
 camped on it about 5 o'clock, very much 
 elevated above tiie valley. The view was 
 everywhere limited by mountains, on which 
 were no longer seen the black and barren 
 rocks, but a fertile soil, with excellent grass, 
 and partly well covered with pine. I have 
 never seen a wagon road equally bad in the 
 
T04 
 
 GAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 ■ame space, as this of yesterday and to-day. 
 I noticed where one wagon had been over- 
 turned twice, in a very short distance ; and 
 it was surprising to me that those wagons 
 which were in the rear, and could not have 
 had much assistance, got through at all. 
 Slill, there is no mud ; and the road has one 
 advantage, in being perfectly firm. The 
 day had been warm and very pleasant, and 
 the night was pcrrcctly clear. 
 
 October 15. — The thermometer at daylight 
 was 42°, and at sunrise -10°; clouds, which 
 were scattered over all the sky, disappeared 
 v/ith the rising sun. The trail did not much 
 improve until we had crossed the dividing 
 ground between the BrvU (Burnt) and Pow- 
 der rivers. The rock displayed on the moun- 
 tains, as we approached tlie summit, was a 
 compact trap, decomposing on the exposed 
 surfaces, and apparently an altered argillace- 
 oufl sandstone, containing small crystalline 
 nodules of anolcime, apparently filling cavi- 
 ties originally existing. From the summit 
 here, the whole horizon shows high moun- 
 tains ; no high plain or level is to be seen ; 
 and on the left, from south around by the 
 west to north, the mountains are black with 
 pines; while, through the remaining space 
 to the eastward, they are bald with the ex- 
 ception of some scattered pines. Yon will 
 remark that we ai-e now entering a region 
 where all the clevj;ted parts are covered with 
 dense and heavy forests. From the dividing 
 grounds we descended by a mountain road 
 to Powder river, on an old bed of which wo 
 encamped. Descending from the summit, 
 we enjoyed a picturesque view of high rocky 
 n\,onntains on the right, illuminated by the 
 Betting sun 
 
 From tha heights wc had looked in vain 
 for a well-known landmark on Powder river, 
 which had been described to me by Mr. 
 Payette as farbre scul (the lone tree) ; and, 
 on arriving at the river, we found a fine tall 
 pine stretched on the ground, which had 
 been felled by some inconsiderate emigrant- 
 axe. It had been a beacon on the road for 
 many years past. Our Cayuses had become 
 impatient to reach their homes, and travelled 
 on ahead to-day ; and this afternoon we were 
 yisited by several Indian.'*, who belonged to 
 tbe tribes on the C(,iumbia. They were on 
 horseback, and were out on a hunting ex- 
 cursion, but had obtained no better game 
 than a large grey hare, of which each had 
 some six or seven hanging to his saddle. 
 We were also visited by an Indian who had 
 his lodge and family in the mountain to the 
 left. He was in want of ammunition, and 
 brought with him a beaver skin to exchange, 
 and which he valued at six charges of pow- 
 der and ball. I learned from him that there 
 are very few of these animals remaining in 
 this part of the country. 
 
 The temperature at sunset was 61°, and 
 the evening clear. I obtained, with other 
 observations, an immersion and emersion of 
 the third satellite. Elevation 3,100 feet. 
 
 October 16. — For several weeks the 
 weather in the daytime has been very beau- 
 tiful, clear, and warm : but the nights, in 
 comparison, are very cold. During the night 
 there was ice a quarter of an inch thick ia 
 the lodge ; and at daylight the thermometer 
 was at 16", and the same at sunrise; tha 
 weather being calm and clear. The annual 
 vegetation now i^ nearly gone, almost all 
 the plants being out of bloom. 
 
 I^ast night two of our horses had run off 
 again, which delayed us until noon ; and we 
 made to-day but a short journey of 13 miles, 
 the road being very good, and encamped in 
 a fins bottom of I'owder river. 
 
 The thermometer at sunset was at 61**, 
 witli an easterly wind, and partially clear 
 sky ; and the day has been quite pleasant 
 and warm, though more cloudy than yester- 
 day ; and the .sun was frequently faint, but 
 it grew finer and clearer towards evening. 
 
 October 17. — Thermometer at sunrise 25". 
 The weather at daylight was fine, and the 
 sky without a cloud ; but these came up, or 
 were formed with the sun, and at 7 were 
 thick over all the sky. Just now, tliis ap- 
 pears to be the regular course — clear and 
 brilliant dwing the night, and cloudy during 
 the day. There is snow yet visible in the 
 neighboring mountains, which yesterday ex- 
 tended along our route to the left, in a lofty 
 and dark-blue ranee, having mucli tlie ap- 
 pearance of the Wind river mountains. It 
 is probable that they have received their 
 name of the Blue mourUains from the dark- 
 blue appearance given to them by the pines. 
 We travelled this morning across the afflu- 
 ents to Powder river, the road being good, 
 firm, and level; and the country became 
 constantly more pleasant and i!ilcri\<liiig. 
 The soil appeared to be very deep, and is 
 black and extremely good, as well among' 
 the hollovv'S of the hills on the elevated bials, 
 as on the river bottoms ; the vegetation being 
 such as is usually found in good ground. 
 The following analytical result shows the 
 precise qualities of this soil, and will jut;tify 
 to science the character of fertility which the 
 eye attributes to it : 
 
 Analysis of Powder river soil. 
 
 Silica 72.30 
 
 Alumina 6.25 
 
 Carbonate of lime 6 8S 
 
 Carbonate of magnesia .... 4 62 
 
 Oxide of iron 120 
 
 Organic matter 4*50 
 
 Water and loss 4.27 
 
 100.00 
 
- K 
 
 1843.] 
 
 " Prom the waters of this stream, the road 
 ascended by a good and moderate ascent to 
 a dividing ridge, but immediately entered 
 upon ground covered with fragments cf an 
 altered siliceous slate, which are in many 
 places large, and render the road racking to 
 a carriage. In this rock the planes of depo- 
 sition are distinctly preserved, and the msta- 
 morphism is evidently due to the proximity 
 of volcanic rocks. On either side, the moun- 
 tains here are densely covered with tall and 
 handsome trees ; and, mingled with the 
 
 green of a variety of pines, is the yellow of 
 le European larch (pinus larix), which 
 loses its leaves in the fall. From its present 
 color, we were enabled to see that it forms a 
 lai^e proportion of the forests on the moun- 
 tains, and is here a magnificent tree, attain- 
 ing sometimes the height of 200 feet, which 
 I believe is elsewhere unknown. About two 
 in the afternoon we reached a high point of 
 the dividing ridge, from which we obtained 
 a good view of the Grand Roiid — a beauti- 
 ful level basin, or mountain valley, covered 
 ■with good grass, on a rich soil, abundantly 
 watered, and surrounded by high and well- 
 timbered mountains ; and it3 name descrip- 
 tive of its form — the great circle. It is a 
 place — one of the few we have seen in our 
 journey so far — where a farmer would de- 
 light to establish himself, if he were content 
 to live in the seclusion which it imposes. It 
 is about 20 miles in diameter ; and may, in 
 time; form a superb county. Probably with 
 the view of avoiding a circuit, the wagons 
 had directly descended into the Roncl by the 
 face of a hill so very rocky and continuously 
 Eteep as to be apparently impracticable ; 
 and, following down on their trail, we en- 
 camped on one of the branches of the Grand 
 Rond river, immediately at the foot of the 
 hill. I had remarked, in descending, some 
 ■very white spots glistening on the plain, and, 
 going out in that direction after we had en- 
 camped, I found them to be the bed of a dry 
 salt lake, or marsh, very firm and bare, 
 which was covered thickly with a fine white 
 powder, containing a large quantity of car- 
 bonate of soda (tliirty-three in one hundred 
 parts). 
 
 The o'd grass had been lately burnt off 
 from the surrounding hills, and, wherever the 
 fire had passed, there was a recent growth 
 of strong, green, and vigorous grass ; and 
 the soil of the level prairie, which sweeps 
 directly up to the foot of the surrounding 
 mountains, appears to be very rich, produc- 
 ing flax spontaneously and luxuriantly in 
 various places. 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 Analysis of the Grand Rond soil. 
 
 Silica 
 Alumina 
 
 70.81 
 10.97 
 
 Lime and magnesia 
 Oxide of iron .... 
 Vegetable matter, partly decomposed 
 Water and loss .... 
 Phosphate of lime 
 
 lOS 
 
 1 33 
 2.21 
 
 8.1(5 
 6.46 
 1.01 
 
 100.00 
 
 The elevation of this encampment is 
 2,940 feet above the sea. 
 
 October 18. — It began to rain an hour be- 
 fore sunrise, and continued until 10 o'clock; 
 tiie sky entirely overcast, and the tempera- 
 ture at sunrise 48°. 
 
 V/e resumed cur journey somewhat later 
 than usual, travelling in a nearly north di- 
 rection across this beautiful valley; and 
 about noon reached a place en one of the 
 principal streams, where I h;'.d determined to 
 leave the emigrant trail, in the expectation 
 of finding a more direct and better road 
 across the Blue mountains. At tliis place 
 the emigrants^ appeared to have held some 
 consultation as to their further route, and 
 finally turned directly oiT to the left; reach- 
 ing the foot of the mountain in nbout three 
 miles, which they ascended by a hill as steep 
 and diCicult as that by which we had yester- 
 day descended to the Rond. Quitting, there- 
 fore, this road, which, after a very rough 
 cn^.ssing, i.=;sues from the mountains by the 
 heads of the Umciilah river, we continued 
 our northern course across the valley, fol- 
 lowing an Indian trail which had been indi- 
 cated to me by Mr. Payette, and encamped 
 at the nortliern e.xtremity of the Grand Rond, 
 on a slough-like stream of very deep water, 
 without any apparent current. There are 
 some pines here on the low hills at the creek ; 
 and in the northwest corner of the Rond is a 
 very heavy body of timber, which descends 
 into the plain. The clouds, which had rested 
 very ]o\v along the mountain sides during 
 the day, rose gradually up in the afternoon; 
 and in the evening the sky was almost en- 
 tirely clear, with a temperature at sunset of 
 4'7°. Some indifferent observations placed 
 the camp in longitude 117'' 28' 26", latitude 
 45^ 26' 47" ; and the elevation was 2,600 
 feet above the sea. 
 
 October 19. — This morning the mountains 
 were hidden by fog ; there was a heavy dew 
 during the night, in whicli the exposed ther- 
 mometer at daylight stood at 32"', and at sun- 
 rise the temperature was 35". 
 
 We passed out of the Grand Rond by a 
 fine road along the cre^k, which, for a short 
 distance, runs in a kind of rocky chasm. 
 Crossing a low point, which was a little 
 rocky, the trail conducted into the open val- 
 ley of the stream — a handsome place for 
 farms ; the soil, even of the hills, being rich 
 and black. Passing through a point of 
 
106 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 pines, which bore evidences of being much 
 frequented by the Indians, and in wiiich the 
 trees were sometimes apparently 200 feet 
 liigh and 3 to 7 feet in diameter, we halted 
 for a few mimites in the afternoon at the foot 
 of the Blue mountains, on a branch of the 
 Grand Rond river, at an elevation of 2,700 
 feet. Resuming our journey, we commenced 
 the ascent of the mountain through an open 
 pine forest of large and stately trees, among 
 which tlie balsam pine made its appearance ; 
 the road being good, with the exception of 
 one steep ascent, with a corresponding de- 
 scent, which might both have been easily 
 avoided by opening a way for a short dis- 
 tance through tiie timber. It would have 
 been well had we encamped on the stream 
 where we had halted below, as tlie night 
 overtook us on the mountain, and we were 
 obliged to encamp without water, and tie up 
 the animals to the trees for the night. We 
 had halted on a smooth open place of a nar- 
 row ridge, which descended very rapidly to' 
 a ravine or piney hollow, at a considerable 
 distance l>elow ; and it was quite a pretty 
 spot, had there been water near. But the 
 fires at niglit look very cheerless after a day's 
 march, when there is no preparation for sup- 
 per going on; and, after sitting some time 
 around the blazing logs, Mr. Preuss and 
 Carson, with several others, volunteered to 
 take the India rubber buckets and go down 
 into the ravine in search of water. It was 
 a very difficult way in the darkness down the 
 slippery side of the steep mountain, and 
 harder still to climb about half a mile up 
 again ; but they found the water, and the cup 
 of coffee (which it enabled us to make) and 
 bread were only enjoyed with greater pleas- 
 ure. 
 
 At sunset the temperature was 46° ; the 
 evening remarkably clear ; and I obtained an 
 emersion of the first satellite, which doe^ not 
 give a good result, although the observation 
 was a very good one. The chronometric 
 longitude was 117° 28' 34'', latitude 45° 38' 
 07", and we had ascended to an elevation of 
 3,830 feet. It appeared to have snowed yes- 
 terday on the mountains, their summits 
 showing very white to-day. 
 
 October 20. — There was a heavy white 
 frost during the night, and at sunrise the 
 temperature was 37°. 
 
 The animals had eaten nothing during the 
 night; and we made an early start, continu- 
 ing our route among the pines, which were 
 more dense than yesterday, and still retained 
 their magnificent size. The larches cluster 
 together in masses on the sides of tiie moun- 
 tains, and their yellow foliage contrasts hand- 
 somely with the green of the balsam and 
 other pines. After a few miles we ceased 
 to see any pines, and the limber consisted of 
 several varieties of spruce, larch, aud brUsam 
 
 pine, which have a regularly conical figure. 
 These trees appeared from 60 to nearly 200 
 feet in height ; the usual circumference be- 
 ing 10 to 12 feet, and in the pines sometimes 
 21 feet. In open places near the summit, 
 these trees became leas high and more 
 branching, the conical form having a greater 
 base. The instrument carriage occasioned 
 much delay, it being frequently necessary to 
 fell trees and remove the fallen timber. The 
 trail we were following led up a long spur, 
 with a very gradual and gentle rise. 
 
 At the end of three miles, we halted at an 
 open place near the summit, from which we 
 enjoyed a fine view over the mountainous 
 country where we had lately travelled, to 
 take a barometrical observation at the height 
 of 4,460 feet. 
 
 After travelling occasionally through open 
 places in the forest, we were obliged to cut 
 a way through a dense body of timber, from 
 which we emerged on an open mountain 
 side, where we found a number of small 
 springs, and encamped after a day's journey 
 of 10 miles. Our elevation here was 6,000 
 feet. 
 
 October 21. — There was a very heavy 
 white frost during the night, and the ther- 
 mometer at sunrise was 30°. 
 
 We continued to travel through the forest, 
 in which the road was rendered difficult by 
 fallen trunks, and obstructed by many small 
 trees, which it was necessary to cut down. 
 But these are only accidental difficulties, 
 which could easily be removed, and a very 
 excellent road may be had through this pass, 
 with no other than very moderate ascents or 
 declivities. A laborious day, which had ad- 
 vanced us only six miles on our road, brought 
 us in the afternoon to an opening in the 
 forest, in which there was a fine mountain 
 meadow, with good grass, and a large clear- 
 water stream — one of the head branches of 
 the Umaiilah river. During this day's jour- 
 ney, the barometer was broken ; and the ele- 
 vations above the sea, hereafter given, depend 
 upon the temperature of boiling water. Some 
 of the white spruces which I measured to- 
 day were twelve feet in circumference, and 
 one of the larches ten ; but eight feet was the 
 average circumference of those measured 
 along the road. I held in my hand a tape 
 line as I walked along, in order to form some 
 correct idea of the size of the timber. Their 
 height appeared to be from 100 to 180, and 
 perhaps 200 feet, and the trunks of tlie 
 larches were sometimes 100 feet without a 
 limb; but the white spruces were generally 
 covered with branches nearly to the root. 
 All these trees have their branches, particu- 
 larly the lower ones, declining. 
 
 October 22. — The white frost this morning 
 was like snow on the ground ; the ice was a 
 quarter of an inch thick on the creek, and the 
 
1843.1 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 107 
 
 thermometer at sunrise was at 20°. But, in 
 a few hours, the day became warm and plea- 
 sant, and our road over the mountains was 
 delightful and full of enjoyment. 
 
 The trail passed sometimes through very 
 thick young timber in which ther^was much 
 cutting to be done ; but, after travelling a 
 few miles, the mountains became more bald, 
 and we reached a point from which there was 
 a very extensive view in the northwest. We 
 were here on the western verge of the Blue 
 mountains, long spurs of which, very pre- 
 cipitous on either side, extended down into 
 the valley, the waters of the mountain roar- 
 ing between them. On our right was a 
 mountain plateau, covered with a dense for- 
 est; and to the westward, immediately below 
 us, was the great Nez Perce (pierced nose) 
 prairie, in which dark lines of timber indi- 
 cated the course of many affluents to a con- 
 siderable stream that v/as seen pursuing its 
 way across the plain towards what appeared 
 to be the Columbia river. This I knew to be 
 the Walahwalah river, and occasional spots 
 along its banks, u'hich resembled clearings, 
 were supposed to be the mission or Indian 
 settlements ; but the weather was smoky and 
 unfavorable to far views with the glass. The 
 rock displayed here in the escarpments is a 
 compact amorphous trap, which appears to 
 constitute the mass of the Blue mountains in 
 this latitude ; and all the region of country 
 through which v.'e have travelled since leav- 
 ing the Snake river has been the seat of 
 violent and extensive igneous action. Along 
 the Burnt river valle}', the strata are evident- 
 ly sedimentary jpocks, altered by the intrusion 
 of volcanic products, which in some instances 
 have penetrated and essentially changed their 
 original condition. Along our line of route 
 from this point to the California mountains, 
 there seems but little essential change. All 
 our specimens of sedimentary rocks show 
 them to be much altered, and volcanic pro- 
 ductions appear to prevail throughout the 
 whole intervening distance. 
 
 The road now led along the mountain side, 
 around heads of the precipitous ravines ; and, 
 keeping men ahead to clear a road, we passed 
 alternately through bodies of timber and small 
 open prairies, and encamped in a large 
 meadow, in view of the great prairie below. 
 
 At sunset the thermometer was at 40", and 
 the night was very clear and bright. Water 
 was only to be had here by descending a bad 
 ravine, into which we drove our animals, and 
 had much trouble vvitii them, in a very clo.se 
 growth of small pines. Mr. Preuss had walk- 
 ed ahead, and did not get into the camp this 
 evening. The trees here maintained their 
 size, and one of the black spruces measured 
 15 feet in circumference. In the neighbor- 
 hood of tlie camp, pines have reappeared here 
 among the timber. 
 
 October 23.— The morning was very clear ; 
 there had been a heavy white frost' during 
 the night, and at sunrise the thermometer 
 was at 31°. 
 
 After cutting through two thick bodies of 
 timber, in which I noticed eom.e small trees 
 of liemlock spruce (pejicsxe), the forest be- 
 came more open, and Vv'e had no longer any 
 trouble to clear a way. The pines here were 
 11 or 12 feet in circumference, and about 110 
 feet high, and appeared to love the open 
 grounds. The trail now led along one of the 
 long spurs of the mountain, descending grad- 
 ually towards tlic plain; and after a few miles 
 travelling, Vve emerged finally from the for- 
 est, in full view of the plain belov/, and saw 
 the snov/y mass of Mount Hood, standing 
 high out above the surrounding country, at 
 the distance of 180 miles. Tiic road along 
 the ridge was excellent, and the grass very 
 green and good ; the old grass having been 
 burnt off early in the autumn. About 4 o'- 
 clock in the afternoon wo reached a little 
 bottom, on the Walahwalah river, where we 
 found Mr. Preuss, who yesterday had reach- 
 ed this place, and found himself too far in 
 advance of the camp to return. The stream 
 here has just issued from the narrow ravines, 
 which are walled with precipices, in which 
 the rock has a brown and more burnt ap- 
 pearance than above. 
 
 x\t sunset the thermometer was at 48° ; 
 ardour position was in longitude 118° 00' 
 39", and in latitude 45° 63' 35". 
 
 The morning was clear, with a tempera- 
 ture at sunrise of 24°. Crossing the river, 
 we travelled over a hilly country with good 
 bunch grass ; the river bottom, which gen- 
 erally contains the best soil in other coun- 
 tries, being here a sterile level of rocks and 
 pebbles. We had found the soil in the Blue 
 mountains to be of excellent quality, and it 
 appeared also to be good here among the 
 lower hills. Reaching a little eminence, 
 over which the trail pa^ised, we had an ex- 
 tensive view along the course of the river, 
 which was divided and spread over its bot- 
 tom in a net-work of water, receiving several 
 other tributaries from the mountains. There 
 was a band of several hundred horses grazing 
 on the hills about two miles ahead ; and as 
 we advanced on the road we met other bands, 
 which Indians were driving out to pasture 
 also on the hills. True to its general cha- 
 racter, the reverse of other countries, the 
 hills and mountains here were rich in grass, 
 the bottoms barren and sterile. 
 
 In six miles we crossed a principal fork, 
 below which the scattered water of the river 
 v/as gathered into one channel ; and, passing 
 on the way several unlirushed houses, and 
 same cleaved patches, v/here corn and pota- 
 I toes were cultivated, we reached, in about 
 ' eieht miles farther, the missioaar/ esta'ollBh- 
 
108 
 
 CAPT. FRELIONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 ment of Dr. Whitman, which consisted, at I 
 this time, of one adobe house — i.e., built of | 
 unburnt bricks, aa in Mexico. 
 . I found Dr. VViiitman absent on a visit to 
 the Dalles of the Cohimbia ; but had the 
 pleasure to see a line-looking large family of 
 emigrants, men, women and children, in ro- 
 bust liealtii, all indemnifying themselves for 
 previous scanty fare, in a hearty consump- 
 tion of potatoes, wliich are produced here of 
 a remarkably good quality. We were dis- 
 appointed in our expectation of obtaining 
 corn meal or flour at tliis station, the mill 
 belonging to the mission having been lately 
 burnt down ; but an abundant supply of ex- 
 cellent potatoes banished regrets, and fur- 
 nished a grateful substitute for bread. A small 
 town of Nez Perce Indians gave an inhabited 
 and even a populous appearance to the station ; 
 and, after remaining about an hour, we con- 
 tinued our route, and encamped on the river 
 about four miles below, passing on the way 
 an emigrant encampment. 
 
 Temperature at sunset, 49°. 
 
 October 25. — The weather was pleasant, 
 with a sunrise temperature of 36°. Our 
 road to-day had in it nothing of interest; 
 and the country offered to the eye only a 
 sandy, undulating plain, through which a 
 scantily timbered river takes its course. 
 We halted about three miles above the 
 mouth, on account of grass ; and the next 
 morning arrived at the Nez Perce fort, one 
 of the trading establishments of the Hudson 
 Bay Company, a few hundred yards above 
 the junction of the Walahwalah with the 
 Columbia river. Here we had the first 
 view of this river, and found it about 1,200 
 yards wide, and presenting the appearance 
 of a fine navigable stream. We made our 
 camp in a little grove of willows on the 
 Walahwalah, wiiich are the only trees to be 
 seen in the neighborhood ; but were obliged 
 to send the animals back to the encampment 
 we had left, as there was scarcely a blade 
 of grass to be found. The post is on the 
 bank of the Columbia, on a plain of bare 
 sands, from which the air was literally filled 
 with clouds of dust and sand, during one of 
 the few days we remained here ; this place 
 being one of the several points on the river 
 which are distinguished for prevailing high 
 winds, which come from the sea. The ap- 
 pearance of the post and country was with- 
 out interest, except that we here saw, for 
 the first time, the great river on which the 
 course of events for the last half century 
 has been directing attention and conferring 
 historical fame. The river is, indeed, a 
 noble object, and has here attained its full 
 magnitude. About nine miles above, and in 
 sight from the heights about the post, is the 
 junction of the two great forks which con- 
 stitute the main stream — that on whicli we 
 
 hud been travelling from Fort Hall, and 
 known by the names of Lewis's fork, Sho- 
 shonce, and Snake river ; and the North fork, 
 which has retained the name of Columbia, 
 as being tlie main stream. 
 
 We (li'^not go up to the junction, being 
 pressed for time ; but the union of two large 
 streams, coming one from the southeast, and 
 the other from the northeast, and meeting in 
 what may be treated as the geographical 
 centre of the Oregon valley, thence doubling 
 the volume of water to the ocean, while 
 opening two great lines of communication 
 with tiie interior continent, constitutes a 
 feature in the map of the country which 
 cannot be overlooked ; and it was probably 
 in reference to this junction of waters, and 
 these lines of communication, that this post 
 was established. They are important lines, 
 and, from the structure of the country, must 
 for ever remain so — one of them leading to 
 the South Pass, and to the valley of the 
 Mississipi ; the other to the pass at the liead 
 of the Athabasca river, and to the countriee 
 drained by the waters of the Hudson Cay. 
 The British fur companies now use both 
 lines -, the Americans, in their emigration to 
 Oregon, have begun to follow the one which 
 leads towards the United States. Bateaus 
 from tide water ascend to the junction, and 
 thence high up the North fork, or Columbia. 
 Land conveyance only is used upon the line 
 of Lewis's fork. To the emigrants to Ore- 
 gon, the Nez Perce is a point of interest, aa 
 being,.to those who choose it, the termination 
 of their overland journey,^^ The broad ex- 
 panse of the river here iil.rtes them to em- 
 bark on its bosom ; and the lofty trees of the 
 forest furnish the means of doing so. 
 
 From the South Pass to this place is about 
 1,000 miles; and as it is about the same 
 distance from that pass to the Missouri river 
 at the mouth of the Kansas, it may be as- 
 sumed that 2,000 miles is the iiecsssary land 
 travel in crossing from the United States to 
 the Pacific ocean on this line. From the 
 mouth of the Great Platte it would be about 
 100 miles less. 
 
 Mr. McKinley, the commander of the post, 
 received us with great civility ; and both to 
 myself, and the heads of the emigrants who 
 were tliere at the time, extended the rights 
 of hospitality in a comfortable dinner to 
 which he invited us. 
 
 By a meridional altitude of the sun, the 
 only observation that the weatlier permitted 
 us to obtain, the mouth of the Walahwalah 
 river is in latitude 46° 03' 46''; and, by the 
 road we had travelled, 612 miles from Fort 
 Hall. At the time of our arrival, a con- 
 siderable body of the emigrants under the 
 direction of Mr. Applegate, a man of con- 
 siderable resolution and energy, had nearly 
 completed the building of a number of 
 
1843.1 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 109 
 
 Mackinaw boats, in whicli they proposed to 
 continue their further voyage down the 
 Columbia. I had seen, in descending the 
 Waiahwa'.ah river, a fine drove of «everal 
 hundred cattle, wliich they had exchanged 
 for" Californian cattle, to be received at Van- 
 couver, and which are considered a very 
 inferior breed. The other portion of the 
 emigration had preferred to com|)lete their 
 journey by land along the banks of the 
 Columbia, taking their stock and wagons 
 with them. 
 
 Having reinforced our animals with eight 
 fre«h horses, hired from the post, and in- 
 creased our stock of provisions with dried 
 salmon, potatoes, and a little beef, we re- 
 sumed our journey down the left bank of the 
 Columbia, being guided on our road by an 
 intelligent Indian boy, whom I had engaged 
 to accompany us as far as the Dalles. 
 
 From an elevated point over which the 
 road led, we obtained another far view of 
 Mount Hood, 160 miles distant. We ob- 
 tained on the river bank an observation of 
 tbe sun at noon, which gave for the latitude 
 4^" 58' 08". The country to-day was very 
 uaprepossessing, and our road bad ; and as 
 v«j toiled slowly along through deep loose 
 sands, and over fragments of black volcanic 
 rock, our laborious travelling was strongly 
 contrasted with the rapid progress of Mr. 
 Applegate's fleet of boats, which suddenly 
 cnme gliding swiftly down the broad river, 
 which here chanced to be tranquil and 
 enuooth. At evening we encamped on the 
 river bank, where there was very little grass, 
 and lesa timber. We frequently met Indians 
 on the road, and they were collected at every 
 iavorable spot along the river. 
 
 October 29. — The road continued along 
 the river, and in the course of the day Mount 
 tSt. Helens, another snowy peak of the Cas- 
 cade range, was visible. We crossed the 
 Umutilah river at a fall near its mouth. 
 This stream is of the same class as the 
 Walaliwalah river, with a bed of volcanic 
 rock, in places split into fissures. Our en- 
 campment was similar to that of yesterday ; 
 there was very little grass, and no wood. 
 The Indians brought us some pieces for sale, 
 which were purchased to make our fires. 
 
 October 'dl. — By observation, our camp is 
 ia latitude 45° 50' 05", and longitude 119" 
 ;i2' 18". The night has been cold, and we 
 iiave white frost this morning, with a tem- 
 ]>craturo at daylight of 25", and at sunrise 
 of 24*. The early morning was very clear, 
 and the stars bright ; but, as usual since we 
 are on the Columbia, clouds formed imme- 
 diately with the rising sun. The day con- 
 tinned fine?, the east being covered witli 
 scattered clouds, but the west remaining 
 clear ; showing the remarkable cone-like 
 ,p&&k of Mount Hood brightly drawn against 
 
 the sky. This was in view all day in the 
 southwest, bxit no other peaks of the range 
 were visible. Our road was a bad one, of 
 very loose deep sand. We met on the w^ay 
 a party of Indians unusually well dressed, 
 wearing clothes of civilized texture and 
 form. They appeared intelligent, and, in 
 our slight intercourse, impressed me with 
 the belief that they possessed some aptitude 
 for acquiring languages. 
 
 We continued to travel along the river, 
 the stream being interspersed with many 
 sand bars (it being the season of low water) 
 and with many isUuids, and an apparently 
 good navigation. Small willows were the 
 only wood ; rock and sand the prominent 
 geological feature. The rock of this sectioa 
 is a very compact and tough basalt, occurring 
 in strata which have the appearance of being 
 broken into fragments, assuming the form of 
 columnar hills, and appearing always in es- 
 carpments, with the broken fragments strew- 
 ed at tlie base and over the adjoining coun- 
 try. ^ 
 
 We made a late encampment on the river, 
 and used to-night pnrshia triJerUata for fire 
 wood. Among the rocks which formed the 
 hank, was very good green grass. Latitude 
 45° 44' 23", longitude 119° 45' 09". 
 
 November 1. — Mount Hood is glowing in 
 the sunlight this morning, and the air is 
 pleasant, with a temperature of 38°. We 
 continued down the river, and, passing 
 tlirough a pretty green valley, bounded by 
 high precipitous rocks, encamped at tbe lower 
 end. I 
 
 On the right shore, the banks of the Co- 
 lumbia are very high and st^ep ; the river is 
 1,690 feet broad, and dark blulS of rock give 
 it a picturesque appearance. 
 
 November 2. — The river here entered 
 among blufls, leaving no longer room for a 
 road ; and we accordingly left it, and took a 
 more inland way among the river hills ; on 
 which we had no sooner entered, than we 
 found a great improvement in tlie country. 
 The sand had disappeared, and the soil was 
 good, and covered with e.xcellent grass, al- 
 though the surface was broken into high 
 hills, with uncommonly deep valleys. At 
 noon we crossed John Day's river, a clear 
 and beautiful stream, with a swift current 
 and a bed of rolled stones. It is sunk in a 
 deep valley, which is characteristic of all the 
 streams in this region ; and tlie hill we de- 
 scended to reach it well deserves the name 
 of mountain. Some of the emigrants had 
 encamped on the river, and others at the 
 summit of the farther hill, the ascent of 
 which had probably cost their wagons a day's 
 labor ; and others again had halted for tlie 
 night a few miles beyond, where they had 
 slept without water. We also encamped in 
 a grassy hollow without water ; but aa we 
 
110 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 had been forewarned of this privation by the 
 guide, the animals had ail been watered at 
 Sie river, and we had brought with us a suf- 
 ficient quantity for the night. 
 
 November 3. — After two hours' ride through 
 a fertile, hilly country, covered as all the up- 
 land here appears to be with good green 
 grass, we descended again into the river bot- 
 tom, along which we resumed our sterile 
 road, and in about four miles reached the 
 ford of the Fall river (Riviere aux Chutes), 
 a considerable tributary to the Columbia. 
 We had heard on reaching the Nez i'erce fort, 
 a repetition of the account in regard to the un- 
 eetlled character of the Columbia Indians at 
 the present time •, and to our little party they 
 had at various points manifested a not very 
 friendly disposition, in several attempts to 
 steal our horses. At this place I expected 
 to find a badjy disposed band, who had plun- 
 dered a party of 14 emigrant men a few days 
 before, and taken away their horses ; and 
 accordingly we made the necessary prepara- 
 tions for our security, but happily met with 
 no dilTiculty. 
 
 The river was high, divided into several 
 arms, with a rocky island at its outlet into 
 the Columbia, which at this place it rivalled 
 in size, and apparently deserved its highly 
 characteristic name, which is received from 
 one of its many falls some forty miles up the 
 river. It entered the Columbia with a roar 
 of falls and rapids, and is probably a favorite 
 fishing station among the Indians, with 
 whom both banks of the river were populous ; 
 but they scarcely paid any attention to us. 
 The ford was very difficult at this time, and, 
 had they entertained any bad intentions, they 
 were olTered a good opportunity to carry 
 them out as I drove directly into the' river, 
 and during the crossing the howitzer was 
 occasionally several i'eet under water, and a 
 number of the men appeared to be more often 
 below than above. Our guide was well ac- 
 quainted with the ford, and we succeeded in 
 getting everything safe over to the left bank. 
 We delayed here only a short time to put 
 the gun in order, and, ascending a long 
 mountain hill, left both rivers, and resumed 
 our route again among the interior hills. 
 
 The roar of the Falls of the Cohimhia is 
 heard from the heights, where we halted a 
 few moments to enjoy a line view of the 
 river below. In the season of high water it 
 would be a very interesting object to visit, in 
 order to witness what is related bf the annual 
 submerging of the fall under the waters 
 which back up from the basin below, consti- 
 tuting a great natural lock at this place. 
 But time had become an object of serions 
 consideration ; and the Falls, in their present 
 state, had been seen and described by many?" 
 
 After a day's journey of 17 miles, we en- 
 camped among the hilU on a little clear 
 
 stream, where, as usual, the Indians imme- 
 diately gathered round us. Among them 
 was a very old man, almost blind from age, 
 with long and very white hair. I happened 
 of my own accord to give this old man a pre- 
 sent of tobacco, and was struck with the im- 
 pression which my unpropitiated notice made 
 on the Indians, who appeared in a remarka^ 
 ble manner acquainted with the real value of 
 goods, and to understand the equivalents of 
 trade. At evening, one of them spoke a few 
 words to his people, and, telling me that we 
 need entertain no uneasiness in regard to our 
 animals, as none of them would be disturbed, 
 they went all quietly away. In the morning, 
 when they again came to the camp, I ex- 
 pressed to them the gratification we felt at 
 their reasonable conduct, making them a pre- 
 sent of some large knives and a few smaller 
 articles. 
 
 November 4. — The road continued among ^ 
 the hills, and, reaching an eminence, we saw 
 before us, watered by a clear stream, a 
 tolerably large valley, through which the 
 trail passed. 
 
 In comparison with the Indians of the 
 Rocky mountains and the great eastern 
 plain, these are disagreeably dirty in their 
 habits. Their huts were crowded with half- 
 naked women and children, and the atmo- 
 sphere within anything but pleasant to per- 
 sons who had just been riding in the fresh 
 morning air. We were somewhat amused 
 with the scanty dress of one woman, who, in 
 common with the others, rushed out of the 
 huts on our arrival, and who, in default of 
 other covering, used a child for a fig leaf. 
 
 The road in about half an hour passed near 
 an elevated point, from which we overlooked 
 the valley of the Columbia for many miles, 
 and saw in the distance several houses sur- 
 rounded by fields, which a chief, who had 
 accompanied us from the village, pointed out 
 to us as the Methodist missionary station. 
 
 In a few miles we descended to the river, 
 which we reached at one of its remarkably in- 
 teresting features, known as the Dalles of the 
 Columbia. The whole volume of the river at 
 this place passed between the walls of a 
 chasm, which has the appearance of having 
 been rent through the basaltic strata which 
 form the valley rock of the region. At the 
 narrowest place we found the breadth, by mea- 
 surement, 58 yards, and the average height 
 of the walls above the water 'JS feet ; form- 
 ing a trough between the rocks — whence the 
 name, probably applied by a Canadian voya- 
 geur. • The mass of water, in the present 
 low state of the river, passed swiltly be- 
 tween, deep and black, and curled into many 
 .«mall whirlpools and counter currents, but 
 unbroken by foam, and so still that scarcely 
 tUe sound ©f a rippie was neara. The rock, 
 foHkxjoneiderable distance from tlie river, 
 
1-843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 was worn over a large portion of its surface 
 into circular holes and well-like cavities, by 
 the abrasion of the river, wliich, at the sea- 
 son of high waters, is spread out over the 
 adjoining bottom.s. 
 
 In the recent passage through this cha«m, 
 an unfortunate event had occurred to Mr. Ap- 
 plegate's p^irty, in the loss of one of their 
 ix>ats, which had been carried under water in 
 the midst of the Dalles, and two of Mr. Apple- 
 gute's children and one man drowned. This 
 misfortune was attributed only to want of 
 Hkill in the steersman, as at this season there 
 is no impediment to navigation ; although 
 the place is entirely impassable at high wa- 
 ter, when boats pass safely over the great 
 falls above, in the submerged state in which 
 they then find themselves. 
 
 The basalt here is precisely the same as 
 that which constitutes the rock of the valley 
 higher up the Columbia, being very compact, 
 with a few round cavities. 
 
 We passed rapidly three or four miles 
 down the level valley, and encamped near 
 the mission. The character of the forest 
 growth here changed, and we found our- 
 selves, with pleasure, again among oaks and 
 other forest trees of the east, to which we 
 had long bean strangers ; and the hospitable 
 and kind reception with which we were wel- 
 comed among our country people at the mis- 
 sion aided the momentary illusion of home. 
 
 Two good-looking wooden dwelling houses, 
 and a large school house, with stables, barn, 
 and garden, and large cleared fields between 
 the houses and the river bank, on which 
 were scattered the wooden huts of an Indian 
 village, gave to. the valley the cheerful and 
 busy air of civilisation, and had in our eyes 
 an appearance of abundant and enviable com- 
 fort. 
 
 Our land journey found here its western 
 termination. The delay involved in getting 
 our camp to the right bank of the Columbia, 
 and ill opening a road through the continu- 
 ous forest to Vancouver, rendered a journey 
 along the river impracticable; and on this 
 eide the usual road across the mountain re- 
 quired strong and fresh animals, there being 
 an interval of three days in which they could 
 obtain no food. I therefore wrote immedi- 
 ately to Mr. Fitzpatrick, directing him to 
 abandon the carts at the Walahwalah mis- 
 sionary station, and, as soon as the necessary 
 pack saddles could be made, which his party 
 required, meet me at the Dalles, from which 
 point I proposed to commence our homeward 
 journey. The day after our arrival being 
 Sunday, no business could be done at the 
 mission ; but on Monday Mr. Perkins assist- 
 ed me in procuring from the Indians a large 
 canoe, in which I designed to complete our 
 joarney to Vancouver, where I expected to 
 obtain the necessary supply of provisions 
 
 and stores for our w'inter journey. Three 
 Indians, from the family to whom the canoe 
 belonged, were engaged to assist in working 
 her during the voyage, and, with them, our 
 water party consisted of Mr. Preuss and my- 
 self, with Bernier and Jacob Dodson. In 
 charge of the party which was to remain at 
 the Dalles I left Carson, with instructions to 
 occupy the people in making pack saddles 
 and refitting their equipage. The village 
 from which we were to take the canoe was 
 on the right bank of the river, about ten 
 miles below, at the mouth of the Tinanens 
 creek ; and while Mr. Preuss proceeded 
 down the river with the instruments, in a 
 little canoe paddled by two Indians, Mr. Per- 
 kins accompanied me with the remainder of 
 the party by land. The last of the emigrants 
 had just left the Dalles at the time of our ar- 
 rival, travelling some by water and others by 
 land, making ark-like rafts, on which they 
 had embarked their families and household, 
 with their large wagons and other furniture, 
 while their stock were driven along the 
 shore. 
 
 For about five miles below the Dalles, the 
 river is narrow, and probably very deep ; but 
 during this distance it is somewhat open, 
 with grassy bottoms on the- left. Entering, 
 then, among the lower mountains of the 
 Cascade range, it -assumes a general charrac- 
 ter, and high and steep rocky hills shut it in 
 on either side, rising abruptly in places to 
 the height of 1,500 feet above the water, and 
 gradually acquiring a more mountainous 
 character as the river approaches the Cas- 
 cades. 
 
 After an hour's travel, when the sun was 
 nearly down, we searclied along the shore 
 for a pleasant place, and halted to prepare 
 sup))er. We had been well supplied by our 
 friends at the mission with delicious salted 
 salmon, which had been taken at the fattest 
 season ; also, with potatoes, bread, coffee, 
 and sugar. We were delighted at a change 
 in our mode of travelling and living. The 
 canoe sailed smoothly down the river : at 
 night we encamped upon the shore, and a 
 plentiful supply of comfortable provisions 
 supplied the first of wants. We enjoyed the 
 contrast which it presented to our late toil- 
 some marchings, our night watchings, and 
 our frequent privation of food. We were a 
 motley group, but all happy : three unknown 
 Indians ; Jacob, a colored man ; Mr. Preuss, 
 a German ; Bernier, creole French ; and 
 myself. 
 
 Being now upon the ground explored by 
 the South Sea expedition under Captain 
 Wilkes, and having accomplished the object 
 of uniting my survey with his, and thus pre- 
 seniing a connected exploration from the 
 Mississippi to the Pacific, and the winter be- 
 ing at hand, I deemed it necessary to ecoao-' 
 
J13 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1845.. 
 
 mize time by voyaging in the night, as is 
 customary here, to avoid the high winds, 
 which rise with tJie morning, and decline 
 with tiie day. 
 
 Accordingly, after an hour's halt, we again 
 embarked, and resumed onr pleasant voyage 
 down the river. The wind rose to a gale 
 after several hours ; but tlie moon was very 
 bright, and the wind was fair, and the canoe 
 glanced rapidly down the stream, the waves 
 breaking into foam alongside ; and our 
 night voyage, as the wind bore us rapidly 
 along between the dark mountains, was wild 
 and interesting About midnight we put to 
 the shore on a rocky beach, behind which 
 was a dark-looking pine forest. We built up 
 large fires among the rocks, which wore in 
 large masses round aboiit ; and, arranging 
 our blankets on the most sheltered places we 
 could find, passed a deligiitful night. 
 
 After an early breakfast, at daylight we 
 resumed our journey, the weather being 
 clear and beautiful, and the river smootii 
 and still. On either side the mountains are 
 all pine-timbered, rocky, and high. We 
 were now approaching one of the m.irked 
 features of tlie lower Columbia, where the 
 river forms a great cascade, with a series of 
 rapids, in breaking through the range of 
 mountains to wiiicli the lofty peaks of Mount 
 Hood and St. Helens belong, and which rise 
 as great pillars of snow on either side of tiie 
 passage. The main branch of the Sacra- 
 mento river, and the TUimalh, issue in cas- 
 cades from this range ; and the Columbia, 
 breaking through it in a succession of cas- 
 cades, gives the idea of cascades to the 
 whole range ; and hence the name of Cas- 
 cade Range, which it bears, and distin- 
 ?;uiBhe8 it from tiie Coast Range lower down. 
 u making a short turn to the south, the 
 river forms the cascades in breaking over a 
 point of agglomerated masses of rock, leav- 
 ing a handsome bay to the right, with seve- 
 ral rocky pine-covered islands, and the 
 mountains sweep at a distance around a 
 cove where several small streams outer the 
 bay. In less than an hour we halted on the 
 left bank, about five minutes' walk above 
 the cascades, where there were several In- 
 dian huts, and where our guides signified it 
 was customary to hire Indians to assist in 
 making the -portage. When travelling with 
 a boat as light as a canoe, which may 
 easily be carried on tlie shoulders of tlie In- 
 dians, this is much the better side of the 
 river for the portage, as the ground liere is 
 very good and level, being a handsome bot- 
 tom, which I remarked was covered (as joas 
 now always the case along the river) with a 
 growth of green and fresh-looking grass. 
 It was long before we could come to an. un- 
 derstanding with the Indians ; but at iengtli, 
 when tliey liad first received the price of 
 
 their assi.stance in goods, they went vigor- 
 ously to work ; and, in a shorter time than 
 had been occupied in making our arrange- 
 ments, the canoe, instruments, and baggage, 
 were carried through (a distance of about 
 half a mile) to the bank below the main 
 cascade, where we again embarked, the 
 water being white with fuam among ugly 
 rocks, and boiling into a thousand whirl- 
 pools. The boat passed with great rapidity, 
 crossing and recrossing in the eddies of the 
 current. After passing through about two 
 miles of broken water, v/e ran some wild 
 looking rapids, which are called the Lower 
 Rapids, being the last on the river, which 
 below is tranquil and smooth — a broad, mag- 
 nificent stream. On a low broad point on 
 the right bank of tlie river, at the lower eud 
 of these rapids, were pitched many tents of 
 the emigrants, who were waiting here for 
 Lheir friends from above, or for boats and 
 provisions which were e.xpected from Van- 
 couver. In our passage down the rapids, I 
 had noticed their camps along the shore, or 
 transporting their goods across the portage. 
 This portage makes a head of navigation, 
 ascending the river. It is about two miles 
 in length ; and above, to the Dalles, is 45 
 miles of smooth and good navigation. 
 
 We glided on without further interjuption 
 between very rocky and high steep moun- 
 tains, which sweep along the river valley at 
 a little distance, covered with forests of pine, 
 and showing occasionally lofty escarpments 
 of red rock. Nearer, tlie shore is bordered 
 by steep escarped hills and huge vertical 
 rocks, from which the waters of tlie moun- 
 tain reach (he river in a variety of beautiful 
 fails, *sometimes several hundred feet in 
 height. Occasionally along the river occur- 
 red pretty bottoms, covered with the green- 
 est verdure of the spring. To a profession- 
 al farmer, however, it does not offer many 
 places of sufficient extent to be valuable for 
 agriculture ; and after passing a few miles 
 below the Dalles, I had scarcely seen a place 
 on the south shore where wagons could get 
 to the river. The beauty of the scenery 
 was heightened by the continuance of very 
 delightful weather, resembling the Indian 
 summer of the Atlantic. A few miles be- 
 low the cascades, we passed a singular iso- 
 lated hill ; and in the course of the next six 
 miles occurred five very pretty falls from the 
 heights en the left bank, one of them being 
 of a very picturesque character ; and towards 
 sunset we reached a remarkable point of 
 rocks, distinguished, on account of prevail- 
 ing high winds, and the delay it frequently 
 occasions to the canoe navigation, by the 
 name of Cape Horn. It borders the river 
 in a high wall of rock, which comes boldly 
 down into deep water ; and in violent galea 
 down the river, and from the opposite sbore^^ 
 
1843. 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 113- 
 
 which is the prevailing direction of strong 
 winds, the water is dashed against it with 
 considerable violence. It appears to form a 
 serious obstacle to canoe travelling; and I 
 was informed by Mr. Perkins, that in a voy- 
 age up the river he had -been detained two 
 weeks at this place, and was finally obliged 
 to return to Vancouver. 
 
 The winds of this region deserve a par- 
 ticular study. They blow in currents, 
 which show them to be governed by fixed 
 laws ; and it is a problem how far they may 
 come from the mountains, or from the ocean 
 through the breaks in the mountains which 
 let out the river. 
 
 The hills here had lost something of their 
 rocky appearance, and had already begun to 
 decline. As the sun went down, we search- 
 ed along the river for an inviting spot ; and, 
 finding a clean rocky beach, where some 
 large clry trees were lying on the ground, 
 we ran our boat to the shore ; and, after an- 
 otlier comfortable supper, ploughed our way 
 along the river in darkness. Heavy clouds 
 cov^ed the sky this evening, and the wind 
 began to sweep in gusts among the trees, as 
 if Ixid weather were coming. As we ad- 
 vanced, the hills on both sides grew con- 
 Btantly lower ; on the right, retreating from 
 the shore, and forming a somewhat exten- 
 sive bottom of intermingled prairie and 
 wooded land. In the course of a few hours, 
 and opposite to a small stream coming in 
 from the north, called the Tea Prairie river, 
 the -highlands on the left declined to the 
 plains, and three or four miles belovi; disap- 
 peared entirely on both sides, and the river 
 entered the low country. The river had 
 gradually expanded ; and when we emerged 
 from the higlilands, the opposite shores were 
 so distant as to appear indistinct in the un- 
 certainty of the light. About 10 o'clock 
 our pilots halted, apparently to confer about 
 the course ; and, alter a little hesitation, 
 pulled directly across an open expansion of 
 tlie river, where the waves were somewhat 
 rough for a canoe, the wind blowing very 
 fresh. Much to our surprise, a few minutes 
 afterwards we ran aground. Backing oft' 
 our boat, we made repeated trials at various 
 places to cross what appeared to be a point 
 of shifting sand bars, where we had at- 
 tempted to shorten the way by a cut-ofF. Fi- 
 nally, one of our Indians got into the water, 
 and waded about until he found a channel 
 sufficiently deep, through which we wound 
 along after him, and in a few minutes again 
 entered the deep water below. As we pad- 
 dled rapidly down the river, we heard the 
 noise oi a saw mill at work on the right 
 bank ; and, letting our boat float quietly 
 down, we listened with pleasure to the unu- 
 sual sounds; and before midnight encamped 
 on the bank of the river, about a mile abdve 
 
 Fort Vancouver. Our fine dry weather had 
 given place to a dark cloudy night. At mid- 
 night it began to rain ; and we found our- 
 selves suddenly in the gloomy and humid 
 season, v;hich, in the narrow region lying 
 between the Pacific and the Cascade moun- 
 tains, and for a considerable distance along 
 the coast, supplies the place of winter. 
 
 In the morning, the first object that at- 
 tracted my attention was the barque Colum- 
 bia, lying at anchor near the landing. She 
 was about to start on her voyage to England, 
 and was now ready for sea ; being detained 
 only in waiting the arrival of the express 
 bateaus, which descend the Columbia and 
 its north fork with the overland mail from 
 Canada and Hudson's bay, which had been 
 delayed beyond their usual time. I immedi- 
 ately waited upon Dr. McLaughlin, the ex- 
 ecutive officer of the Hudson Bay Company, 
 in the territory west of the Rocky moun- 
 tains, who received me with the courtesy and 
 hospitality for which he has been eminently 
 distinguished, and which '"makes a forcible 
 and delightful impression on a traveller 
 from the long wilderness from which we had 
 issued. I was immediately supplied by him 
 with the necessJiry stores and provisions to 
 refit and support my party in our contemplat- 
 ed winter journey to the Slates ; and also 
 with a Mackinaw boat and canoes, manned 
 with Canadian and Iroquois voyageurs and 
 Indians, for their transportation to the Dalles 
 of the Columbia. In addition to this efficient 
 kindness in furnishing me with these neces- 
 sary supplies, I received from him a warm 
 and gratifying sympathy in the suffering 
 Vv'hich his great experience led him to antici- 
 pate for us in our homeward journey, and a 
 letter of recommendation and credit for any 
 officers of the Hudson Bay Company into 
 whose posts we might be driven by unex- 
 pected misfortune. 
 
 Of course, the future supplies for my party 
 were paid for, bills on the Government of the 
 United States being readily taken ; but every 
 hospitable attention was extended to me, and 
 I accepted an invitation to take a room in the 
 fort, " and to 7nake myself at home whil^ I 
 stayed." 
 
 i found many American emigrants at the 
 fort ; others had already crossed the river 
 into their land of promise — the Walahmette 
 valley. Others were daily arriving; and all 
 of them had been furnished with shelter, so 
 far as it could be afforded by the buildings 
 connected with the establishment. Necessa- 
 ry clothing and provisions (the latter to be 
 afterwards returned in kind from the produce 
 of their labor) were also furnished. This 
 friendly assistance was of very great value 
 to the emigrants, whose families were other- 
 wise exposed to much suffering in tlie winter 
 rains, which had now commenced, at the 
 
114 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 same time that tliey wore in want of all the 
 common necessaries oi life. Those who had 
 taken a water conveyance at the Nez Perce 
 fort continued to arrive .^afeiy, with no other 
 accident than has been already mentioned. 
 The party wliich had cro.^sed over the Cas- 
 cade mountains were rejwrted to have lost a 
 number of their animals ; and those who had 
 driven their stock down the Columbia had 
 brought tliem safely in, and found for them a 
 ready and very profitable market, and were 
 already proposing to return to the States in 
 the spring; for another supply. 
 
 In the space of two days our preparations 
 had been completed, and we were ready to 
 set out on our return. It would have been 
 very gratifyincj to liave gone down to the Pa- 
 cific, and, solely in the interest and in the love 
 of geography, to have seen the ocean on the 
 western as well as on the eastern side of the 
 continent, so as to give a satisfactory com- 
 pleteness to the geographical picture which 
 had been formed in our minds ; but the rainy 
 .season had now regularly .set in, and the air 
 was filled with fogs and rain, wiiich left no 
 beauty in any scenery, and obstructed obser- 
 vations. The object of my instructions had 
 been entirely fulfilled in having connected 
 our reconnoissance with the surveys of Cap- 
 tain Wilkes ; and although it would have 
 been agreeable and satisfactory to terminate 
 here also our ruder astronomical observa- 
 tions, I was not, for such a reason, justified 
 to make a delay in waiting for favorable 
 weather. 
 
 Near sunset of the 10th, the boats left the 
 fort, and encamped after making only a few 
 miles. Our flotilla consisted of a Mackinaw 
 barge and three canoes — one of them that in 
 whicii we had descended the river ; and a 
 party in all of twenty men. One of the emi- 
 grants, Mr. Burnet, of Missouri, who had 
 left his family and property at the Dalles, 
 availed himself of the opportunity afforded 
 by the return of our boats to bring them 
 down to Vancouver. This gentleman, as 
 well as the Messrs. Applegate, and others of 
 the emigrants whom I saw, possessed intelli- 
 gence and character, with the moral and in- 
 tellectual stamina, as well as the enterprise, 
 which give solidity and respectability to the 
 foundation of colonies. 
 
 November 11. — The morning was rainy 
 and misty. We did not move with tiie prac- 
 tised celerity of my own camp ; and it was 
 near 9 o'clock when our motley crew had 
 finished their breakfast and were ready to 
 start. Once afloat, however, they worked 
 steadily and well, and we advanced at a good 
 rate up the river; and in the afternoon a 
 breeze sprung up, which enabled us to add a 
 sail to tJie oars. At evening we encamped 
 on a warm-looking beach, on the right bank, 
 at the foot of the high river hill, immediately 
 
 at the lower end of Cape Horn. On the op- 
 posite sliore is said to be a singular hole in 
 the mountain, from which the Indians be- 
 lieve comes the wind producing these gale.s. 
 It is called the Devil's hole ; and the Indians, 
 I was told, have been resolving to send down 
 one of their slaves to explore the region be- 
 low. At dark, the wind shifted into its 
 stormy quarter, gradually increasing to a 
 gale from the southwest ; and the sky be- 
 coming clear, I obtained a good observation 
 of an emersion of the first satellite ; the re- 
 sult of which, being an absolute observation, 
 I have adopted for the longitude of the place. 
 
 Noccmher 12. — The wind during the night 
 had increased to so much violence, that the 
 broad river this morning was angry and 
 white ; the waves breaking with considera- 
 ble force against this rocky wall of the cape. 
 Our old Irorjuois pilot was unwilling to risk 
 the boats around the point, and I was not dis- 
 posed to hazard the stores of our voyage for 
 the delay of a day. Further observations 
 were obtained during the day, giving for the 
 latitude of the place 45° 33' 09" ; and the 
 longitude, obtamed from the satellite, is 122 
 6' 15". 
 
 November 13. — We had a day of disagreea- 
 ble and cold rain ; and, late in the afternoon, 
 began to approach the rapids of the cascades. 
 There is here a high timbered island on the 
 left shore, below which, in descending, I had 
 remarked in a bluff" on the river the extremi- 
 ties of trunks of trees appearing to be im- 
 bedded in the rock. Landing here this after- 
 noon, I found in the lower part of the es- 
 carpmeiit a stratum of coal and forest trees, 
 imbedded between strata of altered clay 
 containing the remains of vegetables, the 
 leaves of which indicate that the plants were 
 dicotyledonous. Among these, the stems of 
 some of the ferns are not mineralized, but 
 merely charred, retaining still their vegetable 
 structure and substance ; and in this condi- 
 tion a portion also of the trees remain. The 
 indurated appearance and compactness of the 
 strata, as well, perhaps, as the mineralized 
 condition of the coal, are probably due to 
 igneous action. Some portions of the coal 
 precisely resemble in aspect the canal coal 
 of England, and, with the accompanying 
 fossils, iiave been referred to the tertiary for- 
 mation. 
 
 These strata appear to reist upon a mass 
 of agglomerated rock, being but a few feet 
 above the water of the river ; and over them 
 is the escarpment of perhaps eighty feet, 
 rising gradually in the rear towards the 
 mountains. The wet and cold evening, and 
 near approach of night, prevented me from 
 making any other than a very slight examin- 
 ation. 
 
 The current was now very swift, and we 
 wer# obliged to co-rddle the boat along the 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 115 
 
 left shore, where the bank was covered with 
 large masses of rocks. Night overtook us 
 at the upper end of the island, a short dis- 
 tance below the cascades, and v/e halted on 
 the open point. In the meantime, the lighter 
 canoes, paddled altogether by Indians, had 
 passed ahead, and were out of sight. With 
 them was the lodge, which was the only- 
 shelter we had, with most of the bedding and 
 provisions. We shouted, and fired guns ; 
 but all to no purpose, as it was impossible 
 for them to hear above the roar of the river ; 
 and we remained all night without shelter, 
 the rain pouring down all the time. The 
 old voyageurs did not appear to mind it 
 much, but covered themselves up as well as 
 they could, and lay down on the sand beach, 
 where they remained quiet until morning. 
 The rest of us spent a rather miserable 
 night ; and, to add to our discomfort, the in- 
 cessant rain extinguished our tires ; and we 
 were glad when at last daylight appeared, 
 and we again embarked. 
 
 Crossing to the right bank, we cordelled 
 the boat along the shore, there being no 
 longer any use for the paddles, and put into 
 a little bay belov/ the upper rapids. Here 
 we found the lodge pitched, and about twen- 
 ty Indians sitting around a blazing fire witli- 
 in, making a luxurious breakfast with sal- 
 mon, bread, butter, sugar, coffee, and other 
 provisions. In the forest, on the edge of the 
 high bluff overlooking the river, is an Indian 
 grave yard, consisting of a collection of 
 tombs, in each of which were the scattered 
 bones of many skeletons. The tombs were 
 made of boards, which were ornamented with 
 many figures of men and animals of the 
 natural size — from their appearance, consti- 
 tuting the armorial device by which, among 
 Indians, the chiefs are usually known. 
 
 The masses of rock displayed along the 
 shores of the ravine in the neighborhood of 
 the cascades are clearly volcanic products. 
 Between this cove, which I called Grave- 
 yard bay, and another spot of smooth wa,ter 
 above, on the right, called Liiders bay, shel- 
 tered by a jutting point of huge rocky masses 
 at the foot of the cascades, the shore along 
 the intervening rapids is lined with preci- 
 pices of distinct strata of red and variously 
 colored lavas, in inclined positions. 
 
 The masses of rock forming the point at 
 Luders bay consist of a porous trap, or 
 basalt — a volcanic product of a modern 
 period. The rocks belong to agglomerated 
 masses, which form the immediate ground of 
 the cascades, and have been already men- 
 tioned as constituting a bed of cemented con- 
 glomerate rocks appearing at various places 
 along the river. Here they are scattered 
 along the shores, and through the bed of the 
 river, wearing the character of convulsion, 
 
 which forms the impressive and prominent 
 feature of the river at this place. 
 
 Wherever we came in contact with the 
 rocks of these mountains, we found them 
 volcanic, which is probably the character of 
 the range ; and at this time, two of the great 
 snowy cones. Mount Regnier and St. Hel- 
 ens, were in action. On the 23d of the pre- 
 ceding November, St. Helens had scattered 
 its ashes, like a light fall of snow, over the 
 Dalles of the Columbia, 50 miles distant. 
 A specimen of these ashes was given to me 
 by Mr. Brewer, one of the clergymen at the 
 Dalles. 
 
 The lofty range of the Cascade mountains 
 forms a distinct boundary between tlie oppo- 
 site climates of tlie regions along its western 
 and eastern bases. On the west, they pre- 
 sent a barrier to the clouds of fog and rain 
 whicli roll up from the Pacific ocean and 
 beat against their rugged sides, forming the 
 rainy season of the winter in the country 
 along the coast. Into the brighter skies of 
 the region along: their eastern base, this 
 rainy wmter never penetrates ; and at the 
 Dalles of the Columbia the rainy season is 
 unknown, the brief winter being iimiled to a 
 period of about two months, during which 
 the earth is covered with the slight snows of 
 a climate remarkably mild for so high a lati- 
 tude. The Cascade range has an average 
 distance of about 130 miles from the sea 
 coast. It extends fiir both north and south 
 of the Columbia, and is indicated to the dis- 
 tant observer, both in course and position, by 
 the lofty volcanic peaks which rise out of it, 
 and which are visible to an immense dis- 
 tance. 
 
 During several days of constant rain, it 
 kept our whole force laboriously employed 
 in getting our barge and canoes to the upper 
 end of the cascades. The portage ground 
 was occupied by emigrant families ; their 
 thin and insufficient clothing, bare-headed 
 and bare-footed children, attesting the length 
 of their journey, and showing that they had, 
 in many instances, set out without a due 
 preparation of what was indispensable. 
 
 A gentleman named Luders, a botanist 
 from the city of Hamburg, arrived at the bay 
 I have called by his name while we were 
 occupied in bringing up the boats. I was 
 delighted to meet at such a place a man of 
 kindred pursuits ; but we had only the plea- 
 sure of a brief conversation, as his canoe, 
 under the guidance of two Indians, waa 
 about to run the rapids ; and I could not en- 
 joy the satisfaction of regaling him with a 
 breakfast, which, after his recent journey, 
 would have been an extraordinary luxury. 
 All of his few instruments and baggage were 
 in the canoe, and he huiTied around by land 
 to meet it at the Grave-yard bay ; but he 
 
116 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATFv'E. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 was scarcely out. of sij^ht, when, by the rare- 
 lessnevSB ot the Indians, the boat waw drawn 
 into the midst of the rapids, and glanced 
 down the river, bottom up, with the loss of 
 everythintr it contained. In the natural 
 concern I felt for his mii^fortunc, I gave to 
 the little cove the name of I.vjdcrs bay. 
 
 Novemlmr 15. — We continued tivday our 
 work at the portage. 
 
 About noon, tlie two barges of tlic express 
 from Montreal arrived at the upper portage 
 landing, which, for large boats, i.s on the 
 right bank of the river. They were a fine- 
 looking crew, and among them I remarked 
 a fre.sh-looking woman and her daughter, 
 emigrants from Canada. It was satisfactory 
 to see the order and speed with which these 
 experienced watermen eflected the portage, 
 and passed their boats over the cascades. 
 They had arrived at noon, and in the evening 
 they expected to reach Vancouver. These 
 bateaus carry the express of the Hudson 
 Bay Company to the highest navigal)le point 
 of the north fork of the Columbia, whence 
 it is carried by an overland party to lake 
 Winipec, where it is divided — part going to 
 Montreal, and part to Hudson Bay. Thus 
 a regular communication is kept up between 
 three very remote points. 
 
 The Canadian emigrants were much cha- 
 grined at the change of climate, and in- 
 formed me that, only a few miles above, they 
 had left a country of bright blue sky and a 
 shining sun. The next morning the upper 
 parts of the mountains which directly over- 
 look the cascades were white with the fresh- 
 ly fallen snow, while it continued to rain 
 steadily below. 
 
 liate in the afternoon we finished the port- 
 age, and, embarking a'gain, moved a little 
 distance np the right bank, in order to clear 
 the smaller rapids of the cascades, and have 
 a smooth river for the next morning. Though 
 we made but a few miles, the weather im- 
 proved immediately; and though the rainy 
 country and the cloudy mountains were close 
 behind, belore us was the bright sky ; so dis- 
 tinctly is climate here marked by a moun- 
 tain boundary. 
 
 November 17. — We had to-day an oppor- 
 tunity to complete the sketch of that por- 
 tion of the river down which we had come 
 by niglit. 
 
 Many places occur along the river, where 
 the stumps, or rather portions of the trunks 
 of pine trees, are standing along the shore, 
 and in the water, where they may be seen 
 at a considerable depth below the surface, 
 in the beautifully clear water. Tiiese col- 
 lections of dead trees are called on tJie Co- 
 lumbia the submerged firresl, and are sup- 
 posed to have been created by the effects of 
 some convulsion which formed the cascades, 
 and which, by damniing up the river, placed 
 
 I these trees under water and destroyed them. 
 I But 1 venture to presume that the ca.s-cades 
 I are older than the trees ; and as the.se sub- 
 merged forests occur at five or six places 
 along the river, I had an opportunity to sa- 
 tisfy myself that they have be<'n formed by 
 immense land slides from the mountains 
 which here closely shut in the river, and 
 which brought down with tiiem into the 
 river the pines of the mountain. At one 
 place, on the ri.rht bank, I remarked a place 
 where a portion of one of these slides seem- 
 ed to have planted itself, with all the ever- 
 green foliage, and the vegetation of the 
 neighboring hill, directly amidst the falling 
 and yellow leaves of the river trees. It oc- 
 curred to me that this would have been a 
 beautiful illustration to the eye of a botanist. 
 
 Following the course of a slide, which 
 was very plainly marked along the moun- 
 tain, I found that in the interior parts the 
 trees were in their usual erect position ; but 
 at the extremity of the slide they were rock- 
 ed about, and IJirown into a confusion of in- 
 clinations. 
 
 About 4 o'clock in the afternoon we pass- 
 ed a sandy bar in the river, whence we had 
 an unexpected view of Mount Hood, bearing 
 directly south by compass. 
 
 During the day we used oar and sail, and 
 at night had again a delightful camping 
 ground, and a dry place to sleep upon. 
 
 November 18. — The day again was pleas- 
 ant and bright. At 10 o'clock we passed a 
 rock island, on the right shore of the river, 
 which the Indians use as burial ground ; and 
 halting for a short time, about an hour after- 
 wards, at the village of our Indian friends, 
 early in the afternoon we arrived again at 
 the Dalles. 
 
 Carson had removed tlie camp up the river 
 a little nearer to the hills, where the animal.g 
 had better grass. We found everything in 
 good order, and arrived ju.st in time to par- 
 take of an excellent roast of California beef. 
 My friend, Mr. Gilpin, had arrived in ad- 
 vance of the party. His object in visiting 
 this country had been to obtain correct in- 
 formation of the Walahmette settlemento; 
 and he had reached this point in his journey, 
 highly pleased with the country over which 
 he had travelled, and with invigorated 
 health. On the following day he continued 
 his journey, in our returning boats, to Van- 
 couver. 
 
 The camp was now occupied in making 
 the necessary preparations for our homeward 
 journey, which, though homeward, contem- 
 plated a new route, and a great circuit to 
 the south and southeast, and the exploration 
 of the Great Basin between the Rocky moun- 
 tains and the Sierra Nevada. Three principal 
 objects w^je indicated, by report or by maps, 
 asking on this route ; the character or ex- 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FKEMONT'S NAKRATIVE. 
 
 117 
 
 igtence of which I wished to ascertain, and 
 •which I assamed as landmarks, or leading 
 ■points, on the projected line of return. The 
 first of these points was the Tlamulli lake, 
 on the table-land between the head of Fall 
 river, which comes to the Columbia, and the 
 Sacramento, which goes to the bay of San 
 Francisco ; and from which lake a river of 
 iSie same name makes its way westwardly 
 direct to the ocean. This lake and river are 
 often called Klamei, but I have chosen to 
 write its name according to the Indian pro- 
 nunciation. The position of this lake, on 
 tho line of inland communication between 
 Oregon and California ; its proximity to the 
 demarcation boundary of latitude 42° ; its 
 imputed double character of lake, or meadow, 
 according to the season of the year; and the 
 hostile and warlike character attributed to 
 the Indians about it— all made it a desirable 
 object to visit and examine. From this lake 
 our course was intended to be about south- 
 east, to a reported lake called Mary's, at 
 some days' journey in the Great Basin ; and i 
 thence, still on southeast, to the reputed Bve- ! 
 naventura river, which has had a place in 
 so many maps, and countenanced the belief 
 of the existence of a great river flowing from 
 the Rocky mountains to the bay of San 
 Francisco. From the Buenaventura the 
 next point was intended to be in that section 
 of the Rocky mountains which includes the 
 heads of Arkansas river, and of the opposite 
 waters of the Californian gulf ; and thence 
 down the Arkansas to Bent's fort, and home. 
 This was our projected line of return— a 
 great part of it absolutely new to geographi- 
 cal, botanical, and geological science— and 
 tJie subject of reports in relation to lakes, 
 rivers, deserts, and savages hardly above the 
 condition of mere wild animals, which in- 
 flamed desire to know what this terra in- 
 cognita really contained. 
 
 It was a serious enterprise, at the com- 
 tmencement of winter, to undertake the tra- 
 verse of such a region, and with a party 
 consisting only of twenty-five persons, and 
 •they of many nations — American, French, 
 German, Canadian, Indian, and colored— 
 and most of them young, several being un- 
 der twenty-one years of age. All knew that 
 a strange country was to be explored, and 
 dangers and hardships to be encountered ; 
 but no one blenched at the prospect. On 
 the contrary', courage and confidence ani- 
 mated the whole party. Cheerfulness, rea- 
 diness, subordination, prompt obedience, cha- 
 racterized all ; nor did any extremity of 
 peril and privation, to which we were after- 
 wards exposed, ever belie, or derogate from, 
 the fine spirit of this brave and generous 
 commencement. The course of the narra- 
 tive will show at what point, and for what 
 reasons, we were prevented from the com- 
 
 plete execution of this plan, after having 
 made considerable progress upon it, and how 
 we were forced by desert plains and moun- 
 tain ranges, and deep snows, far to the 
 south, and near to the Pacific ocean, and 
 along the western base of the Sierra Neva- 
 da ; where, indeed, a new and arap.e field oJ 
 exploration opened itself before us. For 
 the present, we must follow the naiTative, 
 which will first lead us south along the val- 
 ley of Fall river, and the eastern base of the 
 Cascade range, to the Tlamath lake, i>om 
 which, or its margin, three rivers go in three 
 directions— one. west, to the ocean ; anotiier 
 north, to the Columbia ; the third south, to 
 California. 
 
 For the support of the party, I had pro- 
 vided at Vancouver a supply of provisions 
 for not less than three months, consisting 
 principally of flour, peas, and tallow— the 
 latter beino- used in cooking ; and, in addi- 
 tion to this, I had purchased at the mission 
 some California cattle, which were to be 
 driven on the hoof. We had 104 mules and 
 horses— part of the latter procured from the 
 Indians about the mission ; and lor the sus- 
 tenance of which, our reliance was upoa 
 the grass which we should find, and the soil 
 porous wood, which was to be substituted 
 when there was none. 
 
 Mr. Fit74iatrick, with Mr. Talbot and the 
 remainder of the party, arrived on the 2l8t ; 
 and the camp was now closety engaged in 
 the labor of preparation. Mr. Perkins siic- 
 ceeded in obtaining as a guide to the 1 la- 
 math lake two Indians— one of whom had 
 been there, and bore the marks of several 
 wounds he had received from some of the 
 Indians in the neighborhood ; and the other 
 went along for company. In order to ena- 
 ble us to obtain horses, he dispatched mes- 
 sengers to the various Indian villages in the 
 neighborhood, informing them that we were 
 desirous to purchase, and appointing a day 
 for them to bring them in. 
 
 We made, in the mean time, several 
 excursions in the vicinity. Mr. Perkins 
 walked with Mr. Preuss and myself to the 
 heights, about nine miles distant, on the op- 
 posite side of the river, whence, la fine 
 weather, an extensive view may be had over 
 the mountains, including seven great peaks 
 of the Cascade range ; but clouds, on this 
 occasion, destroyed the anticipated pleasure, 
 and we obtained bearings only to three that 
 were visible : Mount Regnier, St. Helens, 
 and INrtunt Hood. On the heights, about 
 one mile south of the mission, a very tmo 
 view may be had of Mount Hood and bt. 
 Helens. In order to determine their posi- 
 tion with as much accuracy as possible, the 
 angular distances of the peaks were measur- 
 ed with the sextant, at difl"erent fixed points 
 from which they could be seen. 
 
118 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 The Indians brought in their horses at 
 the appointed time, and we succeeded in 
 obtaining a number in exchange for goods ; 
 but they were relatively much higher here, 
 where goods are plenty and at moderate 
 pric€s, than we had found them in the more 
 eastern part of our voyage. Several of the 
 Indians inquired very anxiously to know if 
 we had any dollars ; and the horses we 
 procured were much fewer in number than 
 I had desired, and of thin, inferior quality ; 
 the oldest and poorest being those that 
 were sold to us. These horses, as ever in 
 our journey you will have occasion to re- 
 rnark, are valuable for hardihood and great 
 endurance. 
 
 November 21. — At this place one of the 
 men was discharged ; and at the request of 
 Mr. Perkins, a Chinook Indian, a lad of 
 nineteen, who was extremely desirous to 
 " see the whites," and make some acquaint- 
 ance with our institutions, was received into 
 the party, under my special charge, with 
 the understanding that I would again re- 
 turn him to his friends. He iiad lived for 
 some time in the household of Mr. Perkins, 
 and spoke a i^ew words of the English lan- 
 guage. 
 
 November 25. — We were all up early, in 
 the excitement of turning towards home. 
 The stars were brilliant, and tiie morning 
 cold — the thermometer at daylight 20^. 
 
 Our preparations had been fully com- 
 pleted, and to-day we commenced our jour- 
 ney. The little wagon which had hitherto 
 carried the instruments I judged it necessary 
 to abandon ; and it was accordingly pre- 
 sented to the mission. In all our long trav- 
 elling, it had nev^ir been overturned or in- 
 jured by any accident of the road ; and the 
 only things broken were the glass lamps, and 
 one of the front panels, which had been 
 kicked out by an unruly Indian horse. The 
 howitzer was the only wheeled carriage now 
 remaining. We started about noon, when 
 the weather had become disagreeably cold, 
 with flurries of snow. Our friend Mr. Per- 
 kins, whose kindness had been active and ef- 
 ficient during our stay, accompanied us sev- 
 eral miles on our road ; when he bade us 
 farewell, and consigned us to the care of 
 our guides. Ascending to the uplands be- 
 yond the southern fork of the Ttnanens 
 creek, we found tiie snow lying on the 
 ground in frequent patches, although the 
 pasture appeared good, and the new short 
 grass was fresh and green. We fravelled 
 over high, hilly land, and encamped on a 
 little branch of Tinanens creek, where there 
 were good grass and timber. The southern 
 bank was covered with snow, wliich was 
 scattered over the oottom , and the little 
 creek, its borders lined with ice, had a chilly 
 and wintry look. A number of Indiana had 
 
 accompanied us so far on our road, and re- 
 mained with us during the night. Two bad- 
 looking fellows, who were detected in steal- 
 ing, were tied and laid before the fire, and 
 guard mounted over them during the night. 
 The night was cold, and partially clear. 
 
 November 26. — The morning was cloudy 
 and misty, and but a few stars visible. Dur- 
 ing the night water froze in the tents, and 
 at sunrise the thermometer was at 20^. Left 
 camp at 10 o'clock, the road leading along 
 tributaries of the Tinanens, and being, 80 
 far, very good. We turned to the right at 
 the fork of the trail, ascending by a steep 
 ascent along a spur to the dividing grounds- 
 between this stream and the waters of FaH ] 
 river. The creeks we had passed were- 
 timbered principally with orik and other de- ' 
 ciduous trees. Snow lies everywhere here 
 on the ground, and we had a slight fall dur-r-p,- 
 ing the morning ; but towards noon the gfaj(jjjj 
 sky yielded to a bright sun. This niorniogf 
 we had a grand view of St. Helens aod 
 llegnier : the latter appeared of a conical 
 form, and very lofty, leading tiie eye far up 
 into the sky. The line of the timbered 
 country is very distinctly marked hero, the 
 bare hills making with it a remarkable con- 
 trast. The summit of tiie ridge commanded 
 a fine view of the Taih prairie, and the 
 stream running through it, which is a tribu- 
 tary to the Fall river, the chasm of which 
 is visible to the right. A steep descent of 
 a mountain hill brought us down into the 
 valley, and we encamped on the stream af- 
 ter dark, guided by the ligiit of fires, which 
 some naked Indians belonging to a villaga 
 on the opposite side were kindling for us oa 
 the bank. This is a large branch of the 
 Fall river. There was a broad band of 
 thick ice some fifteen feet wide on either 
 bank, and the river current is swift and 
 bold. The night was cold and clear, and 
 we made our astronomical observation this 
 evening with the thermometer at 20^. 
 
 In auticipalion of coming hardship, and 
 to spare our horses, there was much walk- 
 ing done to-day ; and Mr. Fitzpatrick and 
 myself made the day's journey on loot. 
 Somewhere near the mouth of this stream 
 are the falls from which the river takes its 
 name. 
 
 November 27. — A fine view of Mount 
 Hood this morning ; a rose-colored mass of 
 snow, bearing S. 85'^ W. by compass. The 
 sky is clear, and the air cold ; the thermom- 
 eter 2^.5 below zero; the trees and bushes 
 glittering white, and the rapid stream filled 
 with floating ice. 
 
 Sliletsi and the White Crane, two Indian 
 chiefs who had accompanied us thus far, 
 took their leave, and we resumed our jour- 
 ney at 10 o'clock. We ascended by a steep 
 hill from the river bottom, which is sandy, 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 119 
 
 to a volcanic plain, around which lofty hills 
 sweep in a regular form. It is cut up b}-^ 
 gullies of basaltic rock, escarpments of 
 which appear everywhere in the hills. 
 This plain is called the Taih prairie, and is 
 sprinkled with some scattered pines. The 
 country is now far nnore interesting to a 
 traveller than the route along the Snake 
 and Columbia rivers. To our right we had 
 always the mifUntains, from the midst of 
 whose dark pine forests the isolated snowy 
 peaks were looking out like giants. They 
 served us for grand beacons to show the 
 rate at which we advanced in our journey. 
 Mount Hood was already becoming an old 
 acquaintance, and, when we ascended the 
 prairie, we obtained a bearing to Mount Jef- 
 ferson, S. 23° W. The Indian superstition 
 lias peopled these lofty peaks with evil spir- 
 its, and they have never yet known the 
 tread of a human foot. Sternly drawn 
 against the sky, they look so high and steep, 
 so snowy and rocky, that it would appear 
 almost impossible to climb them ; but still a 
 trial would have its attractions for the ad- 
 venturous traveller. A small trail takes oif 
 through the prairie, towards a low point in 
 'the range, and perhaps there is here a pass 
 into the Walahmctte valley. Crossing the 
 plain, we descended by a rocky hill into the 
 bed of a tributary of Fall river, and made 
 an early encampment. The water was in 
 boles, and frozen over, and we were obliged 
 to cut through the ice for the animals to 
 drink. An ox, which was rather trou- 
 blesome to drive, was killed here for 
 food. 
 
 The evening was fine, the sky being very 
 clear, and I obtained an immersion of the 
 third satellite, with a good observation of an 
 emersion of the first ; the latter of which 
 gives for the longitude, 121° 02' 43" ; the 
 latitude, by observation, being 45° 06' 45". 
 The night was cold — the thermometer dur- 
 ing the observations standing at 9°. 
 
 November 28. — The sky was clear in the 
 morning, but suddenly clouded over, and at 
 sunrise began to snow, with the thermome- 
 ter at 18°. 
 
 We traversed a broken high country, 
 partly timbered with pine, and about noon 
 crossed a mountainous ridge, in which, from 
 the rock occasionally displayed, the forma- 
 tion consists of compact lava. Frequent 
 tracks of elk were visible in the snow. On 
 our right, in the afternoon, a high plain, 
 partially covered with pine, extended about 
 ten miles, to the foot of the Cascade moun- 
 tains. 
 
 At evening we encamped in a basin nar- 
 rowly surrounded by rocky hills, after a 
 day's journey of 21 miles. The surround- 
 ing rocks are either volcanic products, or 
 highly altered by volcanic action, consisting 
 
 of quartz and reddish-colored silicious 
 masses. 
 
 November 29. — We emerged from the 
 basin, by a narrow pass, upon a considerable 
 branch of Fall river, runr.ing to the east- 
 ward through a narrow valley. The trail, 
 descending this stream, brought us to a lo 
 cality of hot springs, which were on either- 
 bank. Those on the left, which were 
 formed into deep handsome basins, would 
 have been delightful baths, if tlie outer air 
 had not been so keen, the thermometer in 
 these being at 89°. There were others, on 
 the opposite side, at the foot of an escarp- 
 ment, in which the temperature of the water 
 was 134°. These waters deposited around 
 the spring a brecciated mass of quartz and 
 feldspar, much of it of a reddish color. 
 
 We crossed the stream here, and ascend- 
 ed again to a high plain, from an elevated 
 point of which we obtained a view of six 
 of the great peaks — Mount Jefferson, follow- 
 ed to the southward by two others of the 
 same class ; and succeeding, at a still great- 
 er distance to the southward, were three 
 other lower peaks, clustering together in a 
 branch ridge. These, like the great peaks, 
 were snowy masses, secondary only to 
 them ; and, from the best examination our 
 time permitted, we are inclined to believe 
 that the range to which they belong is a 
 branch from the great chain which here 
 bears to the westward. The trail during 
 the remainder of the day followed near to 
 the large stream on the left, which was con- 
 tinuously walled in between high rocky- 
 banks. We halted for the night on a little 
 by-stream. 
 
 November 30. — Our journey to-day was 
 short. Passing over a high plain, on which 
 were scattered cedars, with frequent beds 
 of volcanic rock in fragments interspersed 
 among the grassy grounds, we arrived sud- 
 denly on the verge of the steep and rockj^ 
 descent to the valley of the stream we had 
 been following, and which here ran directly 
 across our path, emerging from the moun- 
 tains on the right. You will remark that 
 the country is abundantly watered with large 
 streams, which pour down from the neigh- 
 boring range. 
 
 These streams are characterized by the 
 narrow and chasm-like valleys in which 
 they run, generally sunk a thousand feet be- 
 low the plain. At the verge of this plain, 
 they frequently commence in vertical preci- 
 pices of basaltic rock, and which leave only 
 casual places at which they can be entered 
 by horses. The road across the country, 
 which would otherwise be very good, is 
 rendered impracticable for wagons by these 
 streams. There is another trail among the 
 mountains, usually followed in the summer, 
 which the snows now compelled us to avoid ; 
 
120 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843, 
 
 and I have reason to believe that this, pass- 
 ing nearer the heads of these streams, 
 would afford a much better road. 
 
 At such places, the gun carriage was un- 
 lirnbercd, and separately descended by hand. 
 Continuing a few miles up the left bank of 
 the river, we encamped early in an open 
 bottom among tlie pines, a short distance be- 
 low a lodge of Indians. Here, along the 
 river the bluffs present escarpments seven 
 or eight hundred feet in height, containing 
 strata of a very fine porcelain clay, overlaid, 
 at the height of about five liundred feet, by 
 a massive str.itum of compact basalt one 
 hundred feet in thickness, which again is 
 succeeded above by other strata of volcanic 
 rocks. The clay strata are variously color- 
 ed, Kome of them very nearly as while as 
 chalk, and very fine grained. Specimens 
 brought from tiiose have been subjected to 
 microscopicu] examination by Professor 
 Bailey, of West Point, and are considered by 
 hlcfl to constitute one of the most remarkable 
 depobitcs of fiuviatile infusoria on record. 
 While they abound in genera and species 
 which are common in fresh water, but which 
 rarely thrive where the water is even brack- 
 ish, not one decidedly marine form is to be 
 found among them ; and their fre-sh-waler 
 origin is therefore beyond a doubt. It is 
 equally certain that tlicy lived and died at 
 the situation where they were found, as they 
 could scarcely have been transported by 
 running waters without an admi.xture of 
 sandy particles; from which, however, they 
 zse remarkably free. Fossil infusoria of'a 
 fresh-water origin had been previously de- 
 tected by Mr. Bailey in specimens brought 
 by Mr. James D. Dana from the tertiary 
 formation of Oregon. Most of the species 
 in those specimens differed so much from 
 those now living and known, that he was led 
 to infer that they might belong to extinct 
 species, and considered them also as afford- 
 ing proof of an alternation, in the formation 
 from which they were obtained, of fresh 
 and salt water deposites, which, common 
 enough in Europe, had not hitherto been 
 noticed in the United States. Coming evi- 
 dently from a locality entirely different, our 
 specimens show very few species in com- 
 mon with those brought by Mr. Dana, but 
 bear a much closer resemblance to those in- 
 habiting the northeastern States. It is pos- 
 sible that they are from a more recent de- 
 posite ; but the presence of a few remark- 
 able forms which are common to the two 
 localities renders it more probable that there 
 in no great difference in their age. 
 
 I obtained here a good observation of an 
 emersion of the second satellite ; but clouds, 
 which rapidly overspread the sky, prevented 
 the usual number of observations. Those 
 which we succeeded in obtaining are, how- 
 
 ever, good ; and give for the latitude of the 
 place 44° 35' 23", and for the longitude 
 from the satellite 121° 10' 25". 
 
 DcccjTiher 1. — A short distance above onr 
 encampment, we crossed this river, which 
 was thickly lined along its banks with ice. 
 In common with all these mountain streams, 
 the water was very clear, and the current 
 swift. It was not everywhere fordable, 
 and the water was three or fu^r feet deep at 
 our crossing, and perhaps a hundred feet 
 wide. As was frequently the case at such 
 places, one of the mules got his pack, con- 
 sisting of sugar, thoroughly wet, and turued 
 into molasses. One of the guides informed 
 me tliat this was a " salmon v/ater," and 
 pointed out several ingeniously-contrived 
 places to calch the fish ; among the pines in 
 the bottom I saw an immense one, about 
 twelve feet in diameter. A steep ascent 
 from the opposite bank delayed us again ; 
 and as, by the information of our guides, 
 grass would soon become very scarce, we 
 encamped on the height of land, in a marshy 
 place among the pines, where there was an 
 abundance oi'grass. We found here a single 
 Nez PerciJ family, v/ho had a very handsome 
 horse in their drove, which we endeavor- 
 ed to obtain in exchange for a good cow ; 
 but the man " had two hearts," or, rather, 
 he had one and his wife had another : she 
 wanted the cow, but he loved the horse too 
 much to part with it. These people atlaoh 
 great value to cattle, with which they are 
 endeavoring to supply themselves. 
 
 December 2. — In the first rays of the sun, 
 the mountain peaks this morning presented 
 a beautiful appearance, the snow being en- 
 tirely covered with a hue of rosy gold. We 
 travelled to-day over a vei-y stony, elevated 
 plain, about which were scattered cedar and 
 pine, and encamped on another large branch 
 of Fall river. We were gradually ascend- 
 ing to a more elevated region, which would 
 have been indicated by the rapidly-increas- , 
 ing quantities of snow and ice, had we not 
 known it by other means. A nmle which, 
 was packed with our cooking utensils wan- 
 dered off among the pines unperccived, and 
 several men were sent back to search for it. 
 
 December 3. — Leaving Mr. Fitzpatrick 
 with the party, I went ahead with the how- 
 itzer and a few men, in order to gain time, 
 as our progress with the gun was necessa- 
 rily slower. The country continued the 
 same — very stony, with cedar and pine ; 
 and we rode on until dark, when we en- 
 camped on a hillside covered with snow, 
 which we used to-night for water, as we 
 were unable to reach any stream. 
 
 December 4. — Our animals had taken the 
 back track, although a great number were 
 hobbled ; and we were consequently delayed 
 uutil noon. Shortly after we had left thia 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 121 
 
 encampment, the mountain trail from the 
 Dalles joined that on which we were travel- 
 ling. After passing for several miles over 
 an artemisia plain, the trail entered a beauti- 
 ful pine forest, through which we travelled 
 for several hours ; and about 4 o'clock de- 
 scended into the valley of another large 
 branch, on the bottom of which were spaces 
 of open pines, with occasional meadows of 
 good grass, in one of which we encamped. 
 The stream is very swift and deep, and about 
 40 feet wide, and nearly half frozen over. 
 Among the timber here, are larches 140 feet 
 high, and over 3 feet in diameter. We had 
 to-night the rare sight of a lunar rainbow. 
 
 December 5. — To-day the country was all 
 pine forest, and beautiful weather made our 
 journey delightful. It was too warm at noon 
 for winter clothes ; and the snow, which lay 
 everywhere in patches through the forest, 
 was melting rapidly. After a few hours' 
 ride, we came upon a fine stream in the 
 midst of the forest, which proved to be the 
 principal branch of Fall river. It was oc- 
 casionally 200 feet wide — sometimes nar- 
 rowed to 50 feet ; the waters very clear, 
 and frequently deep. We ascended along 
 the river, which sometimes presented sheets 
 of foaming cascades ; its banks occasionally 
 blackened with masses of scoriated rock ; 
 and found a good encampment on the verge 
 of an open bottom, which had been an old 
 camping ground of the Cayuse Indians. A 
 great number of deer horns were lying about, 
 indicating game in the neighborhood. The 
 timber was uniformly large ; some of the 
 pines measuring 22 feet in circumference at 
 the ground, and 12 to 13 feet at six feet 
 above. 
 
 In all our journeying, wo had never trav- 
 elled through a country where the rivers 
 were so abounding in falls ; and the name 
 of this stream is singularly characteristic. 
 At every place where we come in the neigh- 
 borhood of the river, is heard the roaring of 
 falls. The rock along the banks of the 
 stream, and the ledge over which it falls, is 
 a scoriated basalt, with a bright metallic 
 fracture. The stream goes over in one 
 clear pitch, succeeded by a foaming cataract 
 of several hundred yards. In the little bot- 
 tom above the falls, a small stream dis- 
 charges into an entonnoir, and disappears 
 below. 
 
 We had made an earl)' encampment, and 
 in the course of the evening Mr. Fitzpatrick 
 joined us here with the lost mule. Our 
 lodge poles were nearly worn 6nt, and we 
 found here a handsome set, leaning against 
 one of the trees, very white, and cleanly 
 scraped. Had the owners been here, we 
 would have purchased them ; but as they 
 were not, we merely left the old ones in 
 their place, with a small quantity of tobacco. 
 
 December 6. — The morning was frosty 
 and clear. We continued up the stream on 
 undulating forest ground, over which th«re 
 was scattered much falling timber. We 
 met here a village of Nez Perce Indians, 
 who appeared to be coming down from the 
 mountains, and had with them fine band.s of 
 horses. With them were a few Snake In- 
 dians of the root-digging species. From 
 the forest we emerged into an o[)en valley 
 ten or twelve miles wide, through which the 
 stream was flowing tranquilly, upwards of 
 two hundred feet broad, with occasional isl- 
 ands, and bordered with fine broad bottoms. 
 Crossing the river, which here issues from 
 a great mountain ridge on the right, we con- 
 tinued up the southern and smaller branch, 
 ovCr a level country, consisting of find 
 meadow land, alternating with pine forests, 
 and encamped on it early in the evening. A 
 warm sunshine made the day pleasant. 
 
 December 7. — To-day we bad good trav- 
 elling ground ; the trail leading sometimes 
 over rather sandy soils in the pine forest, 
 and sometimes over meadow land along th& 
 stream. The great beauty of the country 
 in summer constantly suggested itself to our 
 imaginations; and even now we found it 
 beautiful, as we rode along these meadows, 
 from half a mile to two miles wide. The 
 rich soil and excellent wiiter, surrounde<i by 
 noble forests, make a picture that would de- 
 light the eye of a farmer. 
 
 I observed to-niglit an occultation of n 
 Geminorum ; which, although at the bright 
 limb of the moon, appears to give a very 
 good result, that has been adopted for the 
 longitude. The occultation, observations 
 of satellites, and our position deduced from 
 daily surveys with the compass, agree re- 
 markably well together, and mutually sup- 
 port and strengthen each other. The lati- 
 tude of the camp is 43° 30' 36" ; and longi- 
 tude, deduced from the occultation, 121^ 
 33' 50". 
 
 December 8. — To-day we crossed the last 
 branch of the Fall river, issuing, like all tha 
 others we had crossed, in a southwesterly 
 direction from the mountains. Our direc- 
 tion was a little east of south, the trail lead- 
 ing constantly through pine forests. The 
 soil was generally bare, consisting, in great- 
 er part, of a yellowish white pumice stone, 
 producing varieties of magnificent pines, 
 but not a blade of grass ; and to-night our 
 horses were obliged to do without food, and 
 use snow for water. These pines are re- 
 markable for the red color of the bolls ; and 
 among them occurs a species, of which tha 
 Indians had inibrmed me when leaving tha 
 Dalles. The unusual size of the cone (16 
 or 18 inches long) had attracted their atten- 
 tion ; and they pointed it out to me amonw 
 the curiosities of the country. They aid 
 
J22 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 raore remarkable for their large diameter 
 than their height, which ubually averages 
 only about 120 feet. The leaflets are short 
 — only two or three inches long, and five in 
 a sheath ; the bark of a red color. 
 
 Diccmbcr 9. — The trail leads always 
 through splendid pine forests. Crossing 
 dividing grounds by a very fine road, we 
 descended very gently towards the south. 
 The weather was pleasant, and we halted 
 late. The soil was very much like that of 
 yesterday ; and on the surface of a hill, 
 near our encampment, were displayed beds 
 of pumice stone ; but tiie soil [)roduced no 
 grass, and again the animals fared badly. 
 
 Dcccml/er 10. — The country began to 
 improve ; and about 1 1 o'clock we reached 
 a spring of cold water on the edge of a 
 savannah, or grassy meadow, which our 
 guides informed us was an arm of the Tla- 
 math lake ; and a few miles further we en- 
 tered upon an extensive meadow, or lake 
 of grass, surrounded by timbered mountains. 
 This was the Tlamath lake. It was a pic- 
 turesque and beautiful spot, and rendered 
 more attractive to us by the abundant and 
 excellent grass, which our animals, after 
 travelling through pine forests, so much 
 needed ; but the broad sheet of water which 
 constitutes a lake was not to be seen. Over- 
 looking it, immediately west, were several 
 snowy knobs, belonging to what we have 
 considered a branch of the Cascade range. 
 A low point covered with pines made out 
 into the lake, which afforded us a good place 
 for an encampment, and for the security of 
 our horses, which were guarded in view on 
 the open meadow. The character of cou- 
 rage and hostility attributed to the Indians 
 of this quarter induced more than usual pre- 
 caution; and, seeing smokes rising from the 
 middle of the lake (or savannah) an;! along 
 the opposite shores, I directed the howitzer 
 to be fired. It was the first time our guides 
 had seen it discharged ; and the bursting of 
 the shell at a distance, which was some- 
 thing like the second fire of the gun, amazed 
 and bewildered them with delight. It in- 
 spired them with triumphant feelings ; but 
 on the camps at a di.-5tance the effect was 
 different, for the smokes in the lake and on 
 the shores immediately disappeared. 
 
 The point on which we were encamped 
 forms, with the opposite eastern shore, a 
 narrow neck, connecting the body of the 
 lake with a deep cove or bay which receives 
 the principal affluent stream, and over the 
 greater part of which the water (or rather 
 ice) was at this time dispersed in shallow 
 pool.'?. Among the grass, and scattered 
 over the prairie lake, appeared to be similar 
 marshes. It ia simply a shallow basin, 
 which, for a short period at the time of 
 melting snows, is covered with water from 
 
 the neighboring mountains ; but this prob- 
 ably soon runs off, and leaves for the re- 
 mainder of the year a green savannah, 
 through the midst of which the river lla- 
 math, which flows to the ocean, winds its 
 way to the outlet on the southwestern side. 
 
 December 11. — No Indians made their 
 appearance, and I determined to pay thenrj 
 a visit. Accordingly, the people were gath- 
 ered together, and we rode out towards the 
 village in the middle of the lake, which one 
 of our guides had previously visited. It 
 could not be directly approached, as a large 
 part of the lake appeared a marsh ; and 
 there were sheets of ice among the grass, 
 on which our horses could not keep their 
 footing. We therefore followed the guide 
 for a considerable distance along the forest ; 
 and then turned off towards the village, 
 which we soon began to see was a few large 
 huts, on the tops of which were collected 
 the Indians. When we had arrived withia 
 half a mile of the village, two persons were 
 seen advancing to meet us ; and, to please 
 the fancy of our guides, we ranged ourselves 
 into a long line, riding abreast, while they 
 galloped ahead to meet the strangers. 
 
 We were surprised, on riding up, to find 
 one of them a woman, having never before 
 known a squaw to take any part in the busi- 
 ness of war. They were the village chief 
 and his wife, who, in excitement and alarm 
 at the unusual event and appearance, had 
 come out to meet their fate together. The 
 chief was a very prepossessing Indian, with, 
 very handsome features, and a singularly 
 soft and agreeable voice — so remarkable as 
 to attract general notice. 
 
 The huts were grouped together on the 
 bank of the river, which, from being spread 
 out in a shallow marsh at the upper end of 
 the lake, was collected here into a single 
 stream. They were large round huts, per- 
 haps 20 feet in diameter, with rounded tops, 
 on which was the door by which they de- 
 scended into the interior. Within, they 
 were supported by posts and beams. 
 
 Almost like plants, these people seem to 
 have adapted themselves to the soil, and to 
 he growing on what the immediate locality 
 afforded. Tiieir only subsistence at this 
 time appeared to be a small fish, great quan- 
 tities of which, that had been smoked and 
 dried, were suspended on strings about the 
 lodge. Heaps of straw were lying around ; 
 and their residence in the midst of grass 
 and rushes had taught them a peculiar skill 
 in converting this material to useful pur- 
 poses. Their shoes were made of straw 
 or grass, which seemed well adapted for a 
 snowy country ; and the women wore on 
 their head a closely woven basket, which, 
 made a very good cap. Among other 
 things, were parti-colored mats about four 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 123 
 
 feet square, which we purchased to lay on 
 the snow under our blankets, and to use for 
 table cloths. 
 
 Numbers of singular-looking dogs, re- 
 sembling wolves, were sitting on the tops 
 of the huts ; and of these we purchased a 
 young one, which, after its birthplace, was 
 named Tlamath. Tbe language spoken by 
 'Ihese Indians is different from that of the 
 Shoshonee and Columbia river tribes ; and 
 otherwise than by signs they cannot under- 
 Btand each other. They made us compre- 
 hend that they were at war with the people 
 who lived to the southward and to the east- 
 ward ; but I could obtain from them no 
 certain information. The river on which 
 Ihey live enters the Cascade mountains on 
 the western side of the lake, and breaks 
 through them by a passage impracticable for 
 travellers ; but over the mountains, to the 
 northward, are passes which present no 
 other obstacle than in the almost impene- 
 trable forests. Unlike any Indians we had 
 previously seen, these wore shells in their 
 .noses. We returned to our camp, after re- 
 maining here an hour or two, accompanied 
 by a number of Indians. 
 
 In order to recruit a little the strength of 
 our animals, and obtain some acquaintance 
 with the locality, we remained here for the 
 remainder of the day. By observation, the 
 latitude of the camp was 420 5G' 51"; and 
 the diameter of the lake, or meadow, as has 
 been intimated, about 20 miles. It is a pic- 
 turesque and beautiful spot ; and, under the 
 hand of cultivation, might become a little 
 paradise. Game is found in the forest ; 
 timbered and snowy mountains skirt it, and 
 fertility characterizes it. Situated near the 
 heads of three rivers, and on the line of in- 
 land communication with California, and 
 near to Indians noted for treachery, it will 
 naturally, in the progress of the settlement 
 of Oregon, become a point for military oc- 
 cupation and settlement. 
 
 From Tlamath lake, the further continua- 
 tion of our voyage assumed a character of 
 discovery and exploration, which, from the 
 Indians here, we could obtain no informa- 
 tion to direct, and where the imaginary 
 maps of the country, instead of assisting, 
 exposed us to suffering and defeat. In our 
 journey acro.ss th6 desert, Mary's lake, and 
 tlie famous Buenaventura river, were two 
 points on which I relied to recruit the ani- 
 mals, and repose the party. Forming, 
 agreeably to the best maps in my possession, 
 a connected water line from the Rocky 
 inountains to the Pacific ocean, I felt no 
 other anxiety than to pass safely across the 
 intervening desert to the banks of the Bue- 
 naventura, where, in the softer climate of 
 a more southern latitude, our horses might 
 .find grass to sustain them, and ourselves be 
 
 sheltered from the rigors of winter and from 
 the inhospitable desert. The guides who 
 had conducted us thus far on our journey 
 were about to return ; and I endeavored in 
 vain to obtain others to lead us, even for 
 a few days, in the direction (cast) which we 
 wished to go. The chief to whom I applied 
 alleged the want of horses, and the snov/ on 
 the mountains across which our course 
 would carry us, and the sickness of his fam- 
 ily, as reasons for refusing to go with us. 
 
 December 12. — This morning the carap^ 
 was thronged with Tlamath Indians from 
 the southeastern shore of the lake ; but, 
 knowing the treacherous disposition which 
 is a remarkable characteristic of the In- 
 dians south of the Colum.bia, the camp was 
 kept constantly on its guard. I was not 
 unmindful of the disasters which Smith and 
 other travellers had met with in this coun- 
 try, and therefore was equally vigilant in 
 guarding against treachery and violence. 
 
 According to the best information I had 
 been able to obtain from the Indians, in 
 a few days' travelling we should reach ano- 
 ther large water, probably a lake, which 
 they indicated exactly in the course we 
 were about to pursue. We struck our tents 
 at 10 o'clock, and crossed the lake in a 
 nearly east direction, where it has the least 
 extension — the breadth of the arm being 
 here only about a mile and a half. There 
 were ponds of ice, with but little grass, for 
 the greater part of the way ; and it was dif- 
 ficult to get the pack animals across, which 
 fell frequently, and could not get up with 
 their loads, unassisted. The morning v^-as 
 very unpleasant, snow falling at intervals in 
 large flakes, and the sky dark. In about 
 two hours we succeeded in getting the ani- 
 mals over ; and, after travelling another 
 hour along the eastern shore of the lake, we 
 turned up into a cove where there was 
 a sheltered place among the timber, with 
 good grass, and encamped. The Indians, 
 who had accompanied us so far, returned to 
 their village on the southeastern shore. 
 Among the pines here, I noticed some five 
 or six feet in diameter. 
 
 December 13. — The night has been cold ; 
 the peaks around the lake gleam out bright- 
 ly in the morning sun, and the thermom- 
 eter is at zero. We continued up the hol- 
 low formed by a small affluent to the lake, 
 and immediately entered an open pine forest 
 on the mountain. The way here was some- 
 times obstructed by fallen trees, and the 
 snow was four to twelve inches deep. The 
 mules at the gun pulled heavily, and walk- 
 ing was a little laborious. In the midst of 
 the wood, we heard the sound of galloping 
 horses, and were agreeably surprised by the 
 unexpected arrival of our Tlamath chief, 
 with several Indians. He seemed to have 
 
124 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 (19-43 
 
 found his conJnct inhospitable in letting the 
 strangers depart without a guide through 
 the snow, and had come, with a few others, 
 to pilot us a day or two on the way. After 
 traveliiiig in an easterly direction through 
 the forest for about four hours, we reached 
 a considerable stream, with a border of good 
 grass ; and here, by tbo advice of our guides, 
 we encamped. It is about thirty feet wide, 
 and two to foisr feet deep; the water clear, 
 with some current ; and, according to the 
 information of our Indians, is llie principal 
 afihient to the lake, and the head water of 
 the Tlamath river. 
 
 A very r-lear sky enabled me to obtain 
 here to-night good observations, including 
 an emersion of the first satellite of Jupiter, 
 which give for the longitude 12 h"" 20' 42", 
 and for the latitude 42° 51' 26". Tliis 
 emersion coincides remarkably well with 
 the result obtained from an occultation at 
 the encampruent of December 7lh to 8th, 
 1843 ; from which place, the line of our 
 survey gives an easting of thirteen miles. 
 The day's journey was 12 miles. 
 
 December 14. — Our road was over a 
 broad mountain, and we rode seven hours in 
 a thick snow storm, always through pine 
 forests, when we came down upon the head 
 ■waters of another stream, on which there 
 •was grass. The snow lay deep on the 
 ground, and only the high swamp grass ap- 
 }>eared above. The Indians were thinly 
 clad, and I had remarked during the day that 
 they suffered from the cold. This evening 
 they told me that the snow was getting too 
 deep on the mountain, and I could not in- 
 duce them to go any farther. The stream 
 ■we had struck issued from the mountain in 
 an easterly direction, turning to the south- 
 ■ward a short distance below ; and, drawing' 
 its course upon the ground, they made us 
 comprehend that it pursued its way for a 
 long distance in that direction, uniting with 
 many other streams, and gradually becom- 
 ing a great river. Without the subsequent 
 information, which confirmed the opinion, 
 ■we became immediately satisfied that this 
 water formed the principal stream of the 
 Sacramento river ; and, consequently, tliat 
 this iiKtin <i,fl]iit'iil of the bay of San Fran- 
 cisco had' its source williin the limits of the 
 United States, and opposite a tributary to 
 the Columbia, and near the head of the 
 Tlamath river; which goes to the ocean 
 north of 42'^, and within the United States. 
 
 December 15. — A present, consisting of 
 useful goods, afibrded much satisfaction to 
 our guides ; and, showing them the national 
 flag, I explained that it was a symbol of our 
 nation ; and they engaged always to receive 
 it in a friendly manner. The chief pointed 
 out a course, by following which wc would 
 arrive at the big water, where no more 
 
 snow was to be found. Travelling in a di- 
 rection N. 60° E. by compass, which the 
 Indians informed me would avoid a bad 
 mountain to the right, we crossed the Sa- 
 cramento where it turned to the southward^ 
 and entered a grassy level plain — a smaller 
 Grand Rond ; from the lower end of which 
 the river issued into an inviting country of 
 low rolling hills. Crossing a hard-froaea 
 swamp on the farther side of the Rond, we 
 entered again the pine forest, in which very 
 deep snow made our travelling slow and la- 
 borious. We were slowly but gradually as- 
 cending a mountain ; and, after a hard jour- 
 ney of seven hours, we came to some naked 
 })laces among the timber, where a few tufts 
 of grass showed above the snow, on the 
 side of a hollow; and here wc encamped. 
 Our cow, which every day got poorer, was 
 killed here, but the meat was rather tough, 
 December 16. — We travelled this morn- 
 ing through snow about three feet deep, 
 which, being crusted, very much cut the 
 feet of our animals. The mountain still 
 gradually rose ; we crossed several spring 
 heads covered with quaking asp ; otherwise 
 it was all pine forest. The air was dark 
 with falling snow, which everywhere weigh- 
 ed down the trees. The depths of the for- 
 est were profoundly still ; and below, we 
 scarcely felt a breath of the wind which 
 whirled the snow through their branches. I 
 found that it required some exertion of con- 
 stancy to adhere steadily, to one course 
 through the woods, when we were uncertain 
 how far the forest extended, or what lay 
 beyond ; and, on account of our animals, it 
 would be bad to spend another night on the 
 mountain. Towards noon the forest looked 
 clear ahead, appearing suddenly to ternai- 
 nate ; and beyond a certain point we could 
 see no trees. Riding rapidly ahead to this 
 spot, we found ourselves on the verge of a 
 vertical and rocky ■wall of the mountain. 
 At our feet — more than a thousand feet be- 
 low — we looked into a green prairie coun- 
 try, in which a beautiful lake, some twenty 
 miles in length, was spread along the foot 
 of the mountains, its shores bordered with 
 green grass. Just then the sun broke out 
 among the clouds, and illuminated the coun- 
 try below, while around us the storm raged 
 fiercely. Not a particle of ice was to be 
 seen on the lake, or snow on its borders, 
 and all was like summer or spring. The 
 glow of the sun in the valley below bright- 
 ened iip our hearts with sudden pleasure ; 
 and we made the woods ring with joyful 
 shouts to those behind ; and gradually, as 
 each came up, he stopped to enjoy the un- 
 expected scene. Shivering on snow three 
 feet deep, and stiffening in a cold north 
 wind, we exclaimed at once that the names 
 of SHouner Lake and Winter Ridge ebould' 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREiMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 125 
 
 be applied to these two proximate places of 
 such sudden and violent contrast. 
 
 Wc were naw immediately on the verge 
 of the forest land, in which we had been 
 travelling so many days ; and, looking for- 
 ward to the east, scarce a tree was to be 
 seen. Viewed from our elevation, the face 
 of the country exhibited only rocks and 
 grass, and presented a region in which the 
 artemisia became the principal wood, fur- 
 nishing to its scattered inhabitants fuel for 
 their ftrcs, building material for their huts, 
 and shelter for the small game which minis- 
 ters to their hunger and nakedness. Broad- 
 ly marked by the boundary of the mountain 
 wall, and immediately below us, were the 
 first waters of that Great Interior Basin 
 which has the Waftsatch and Bear river 
 mountains for its eastern, and the Sierra 
 Nevada for its western rim ; and the edge 
 of which we had entered upwards of three 
 months before, at the Cireat Salt lake. 
 
 When we had sulTiciently admired the 
 scene below, we began to think about de- 
 scending, which here was impossible, and 
 we turned towards the north, travelling al- 
 ways along the rocky w'all. We continued 
 on for four or five miles, making ineffectual 
 attempts at several places ; and at length 
 succeeded in getting down at one which was 
 extremely difficult of descent. Night had 
 closed in before the foremost reached the 
 bottom, and it was dark before we all found 
 ourselves together in the valley. There 
 were three or four half dead dry cedar trees 
 on the shore, and those who first arrived 
 kindled bright fires to light on the others. 
 One of the mules rolled over and over two 
 or three hundred feet into a ravine, but re- 
 covered himself, without any other injury 
 than to his pack ; and the howitzer was left 
 midway the mountain until morning. By 
 observation, the latitude of this encampment 
 is 42<^^ 57' 22". It delayed us until near 
 noon the next ^y to recover our.selves and 
 put every thing in order ; and we made only 
 a short camp along the western shore of the 
 J:ikr', which, in the .summor temperature we 
 enjoyed to-day, justified the name we had 
 given it. Our course would have taken us 
 to the other shore, and over tlie highlands 
 beyond ; but I distrusted the appearance of 
 the country, and decided to follow a plainly 
 beaten Indian trail leading along this side 
 of the lake. We were now in a country 
 where the scarcity of water and of grass 
 makes travelling dangerous, and great cau- 
 tion was necessary. 
 
 December 18. — We continued on the trail 
 along the narrow strip of land between the 
 lake and the high rocky wall, from which 
 we had looked down two days before. Al- 
 most every half mile we crossed a little 
 spring, or stream of pure cold water ; and 
 
 the grass was certainly as fresh and green 
 as in the early spring. F'rom the white 
 efllorescerice along the shore o%the lako^ 
 we were enabled to judge that the water 
 was impure, like that of lakes we subse- 
 quently found ; but the mud prevented us ' 
 from approaching it. We encamped near 
 the eastern point of the lake, where there 
 appeared between the hills a broad and low 
 connecting hollow with the country beyond. 
 From a rocky hill in the rear, I could sec, 
 marked out by a line of yellow dried grass, 
 the bed of a stream, which probably con- 
 nected the lake with other waters in the 
 spring. 
 
 The observed latitude of this encampment 
 is 423 42' 37". 
 
 December 19. — After two hours' ride in 
 an easterly direction, through a low country, 
 the high ridge with pine forest still to our 
 right, and a rocky and bald bat lower one 
 on the left, we reached a considerable fresh- 
 water stream, which issues from the piny 
 mountains. So far as we had been able to 
 judge, between this stream and the lake we 
 liad crossed dividing grounds ; and there 
 did not appear to be any connection, as 
 might be inferred from the impure condition 
 of the lake water. 
 
 The rapid stream of pure water, roaring 
 along between banks overhung with aspens 
 and willows, was a refreshing and unex- 
 pected sight ; and we followed down the 
 course of the stream, which brought us soon 
 into a marsh, or dry lake, formed by the ex- 
 panding waters of the stream. It was cov- 
 ered with high reeds and rushes, and large 
 patches of ground had been turned up by the 
 squaws in digging for roots, as if a farmer 
 had been preparing the land for grain. I 
 could not succeed in finding the plant for 
 which they had been digging. There were 
 frequent trails, and fresh tracks of Indians ; 
 and, from the abundant signs visible, the . 
 black-tailed hare appears to be numerous 
 here. It was evident that, in other seasons, 
 this place was a shpet of water. Crossing 
 tliis mar.sh towards the eastern hi!h, ^.nd 
 passing over a bordering plain of heavy 
 sands, covered with artemisia, we encamped 
 before sundown on the creek, which here 
 was very small, having lost its water in the 
 marshy grounds. We found here tolerably 
 good grass. The wind to-night was high, 
 and we had no longer our huge pins fires, 
 but were driven to our old resource of small 
 dried' willows and artemisia. About twelve 
 miles ahead, the valley appear;5 to be closed 
 in by a high, dark-looking ridge. 
 
 December 20. — Travelling for a few hours 
 down the stream this morning, we turned a 
 point of the hill on our left, and came sud- 
 denly in sight of another and lauch larger 
 lake, which, along ite eaiatern chore, was 
 
12C 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 closely bordered by the liiph black ridge 
 which walled it in by a precipitoas face on 
 this side.* Tlirouphont this region the face 
 of the country is characterized by these pre- 
 cipices of black volcanic rock, generally 
 enclosinsr the valleys of streams, and fre- 
 quently terminating the hills. Often in the 
 coarse of our journey we would be templed 
 to continue our road up the gentle ascent of 
 a sloping hill, which, at the snmnriit, would 
 terminate abruptly in a bhck precipice. 
 Spread out over a length of 20 miles, the 
 lake, when we first came in view, presented 
 a handsome sheet of water ; and I gave to 
 it the name of Lake Abert, in honor of the 
 chief of the corps to which I belonged. The 
 fresh-water stream we had followed emptied 
 into the lake by a little fall ; and I was 
 doubtful for a moment whether to go on, or 
 encamp at tliis place. The miry ground in 
 the neighborhood of the hke did not allow 
 us to examine the water conveniently, and, 
 being now on the borders of a desert coun- 
 try, we were moving cautiously. It was, 
 however, still early in the dav, and I con- 
 tinued on, trusting either tliat the water 
 would be drinkable, or that we should find 
 some little spring from the hill side. We 
 were fidiowing an Indian trail v.hich led 
 along the strep r6cky precipice ; a black 
 ridge along the western shore holding out 
 no prospect whatever. The white efflores- 
 cences which lined the shore like a bank of 
 snow, and the disagreeable odor which filled 
 the air as soon as we came near, informed 
 us too plainly that the water belonged to one 
 of those fetid salt lakes which are common 
 in liiis region. We continued until late in 
 the evening to work along the rocky shore, 
 but, as often afterwards, the dry inhospita- 
 ble rock deceived us ; and, halting on the 
 lake, we kindled up fires to guide those who 
 we e straggling along behind. We tried 
 the water, but it was impossible to drink it, 
 and most of the people to-night lay down 
 without eating ; but some of us, who had 
 always a great reluctance to close the day 
 without supper, dug holes along the shore, 
 and obtained water, which, being filtered, 
 WIS sufficiently palatable to be used, but 
 still retained much of its nauseating taste. 
 There was verv little crrass for the animals, 
 the shore being lined with a luxuriant 
 growth of chenopodiaceous shrubs, which 
 burned with a quick bright flame, and made 
 our firewood. 
 
 The next morning we had scarcely trav- 
 elled two hours along the shore when we 
 reached a place where the mountains made 
 a bay, leaving at their feet a low bottom 
 around the lake. Here we found numerous 
 hillocks covered with rushes, in the midst 
 of wiiich were deep holes, or springs, of 
 pure water : and the bottom was covered 
 
 with grass, which, although of a salt and 
 unwholesome quality, and mixed with saline 
 efflorescences, was still abundant, and made 
 a good halting place to recruit our animals ; 
 and we accordingly encamped here for the 
 remainder of the day. I rode ahead several 
 miles to ascertain if there was any appear- 
 ance of a watercourse entering the lake ; 
 hut found none, the hills preserving their 
 dry character, and t!ie shore of the lake 
 sprinkled with the same white powdery sub- 
 stance, and covered with the same shrubs. 
 There were flocks of ducks on the lake, 
 and frequent tracks of Indians along the 
 shore, where the grass had been recently 
 burnt by their fires. 
 
 We ascended the bordering mountain, in 
 order to obtain a more perfect view of the 
 lake in sketching its figure ; hills sweep en- 
 tirely around its basin, from which the wa- 
 ters have no outlet. 
 
 Decetnber 22. — To-day we left this for- 
 bidding lake. Impassable rocky ridges bar- 
 red our progress to the eastward, and I ac- 
 cordingly bore off towards the south, over 
 an extensive sage plain. At a considerable 
 distance ahead, and a little on our left, was 
 a range of snowy mountains, and the country 
 declined gradually towards the foot of a high 
 and nearer ridge immediately before us, 
 which presented the feature of black preci- 
 pices, now becoming common to the coun- 
 try. On the summit of the ridge, snow was 
 visible ; and there being every indication of 
 a stream at its base, we rode on until after 
 dark, but were unable to reach it, and halted 
 among the sage bushes on the open plain, 
 without either gr:i8S or water. The two 
 Indiarubber bags had been filled with water 
 in the morning, which afforded sufficient for 
 the camp; and rain in the night formed 
 pools, which relieved the thirst of the ani- 
 mals. Where we encamped on the bleak 
 sandy plain, the Indians had made huts or 
 circular enclosures, about fJ§r feet high and 
 twelve feet broad, of artemisia bushes. 
 Whether these had been forts or houses, or 
 what they had been doing in such a desert 
 place, we could not ascertain. 
 
 December 23. — The weather is mild ; the 
 thermompter at daylight 38^ ; the wind hav- 
 ing been from the southward for several days. 
 The country has a very forbidding appear- 
 ance, presenting to the eye nothing but sage 
 and barren ridges. We rode up towards 
 the mountain, along the foot of which we 
 found a lake, which we could not approach 
 on account of the mud ; and, passing around 
 its southern end, ascended the slope at the 
 foot of the ridge, where in some hollows we 
 had discovered buslies and small trees — in 
 such situations, a sure sign of water. We 
 found here several springs, and the hill sida 
 was well sprinkled with a species of festu- 
 
1843.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 127 
 
 CO — a better grass than we had found for 
 many days. Our elevated position gave us 
 a good view over the country, but we dis- 
 covered nothing very encouraging. South- 
 ward, about ten miles distant, was another 
 small lake, towards which a broad trail led 
 along the ridge ; and this appearing to af- 
 ford the most practicable route, I determined 
 to continue our journey in that direction. 
 
 December 24. — We found the water of 
 the lake tolerably pure, and encamped at the 
 farther end. There were some good grass 
 and canes along the shore, and the vegeta- 
 tion at this place consisted principally of 
 chenopodiaceous .shrubs. 
 
 December 25. — We wore roused, on 
 Christmas morning, by a di-scharge from the 
 small arms and howitzer, with which our 
 people saluted the day ; and the name of 
 which we bestowed on the lake. It was the 
 first time, perhaps, in this remote and deso- 
 late region, in which it had been so com- 
 memorated. Always, on days of religious 
 or national commemoration, our voyagcurs 
 expect some imusual allowance ; and, hav- 
 ing nothing else, I gave them each a little 
 brandy, (which was carefully guarded, as 
 one of the most useful articles a traveller 
 can carry,) with some cofiee and sugar, 
 which here, where every eatable was a lux- 
 ury, was- sufficient to make them a feast. 
 The day was sunny and warm ; and, re- 
 suming our journey, we crossed some slight 
 dividing grounds into a similar basin, walled 
 in on the right by a lofty mountain ridge. 
 The plainly beaten trail still continued, and 
 occasionally we passed camping grounds of 
 the Indians, which indicated to me that we 
 were on one of the great thoroughfares of 
 the country. In the afternoon I attempted 
 to travel in a more eastern direction ; but, 
 after a few laborious miles, was beaten 
 back into the basin by an impassable coun- 
 try. There were fresh Indian tracks about 
 the valley, and last night a horse was stolen. 
 We encamped on the valley bottom, where 
 there wa.s some creamlike water in ponds, 
 colored by a clay soil and frozen over. 
 Clicuopodiaceous shrubs constituted the 
 growth, and made again our firewood. The 
 uiiiiaals were driven to the hill, where there 
 was tolerably good grass. 
 
 Deceinber 2(5. — Our general course was 
 again south. The country consists of 
 larger or smaller ba.sins, into which the 
 mountain waters run down, forming small 
 lakes ; they present a perfect level, from 
 which the mountains rise immediately and 
 abruptly. Between the successive basins, 
 the dividing grounds are usually very .slight ; 
 and it is probable that, in the seasons of 
 high water, many of these basins are in 
 oommunication. At such times there is 
 evidently an abundance of water, though 
 
 now we find scawely more than the dry 
 beds. On either side, the mountains, 
 tho'igh not very high, appear to be rocky 
 and sterile. The basin in which we were 
 travelling declined towards the southwesS 
 corner, where the mountains indicated a 
 narrow outlet ; and, turning round a rocky 
 point or cape, we continued up a lateral 
 branch valley, in which we encamped at 
 night on a rapid, pretty little stream of 
 fresh water, which we found unexpectedly 
 among the sage near the ridge, on the 
 right side of the valley. It was bordei-ed 
 with grassy bottoms and clumps of willows, 
 the water ])artially frozen. This stream 
 belongs to the basin we had left. By a 
 partial observation to-night, our camp was 
 found to be directly on the 42d parallel. 
 To-night a horse belonging to Carson, one 
 of the best we had in the camp, was stolen 
 by the Indians. 
 
 December 27. — We continued up the 
 valley of the stream, the principal branch 
 of which here issues from a bed of high 
 mountains. We turned up a branch to the 
 left, and fell into an Indian trail, which 
 conducted us by a good road over open 
 boUoms along the creek, where tjie snow 
 was five or six inches deep. Gradually 
 ascending, the trail led through a good 
 broad pass in the mountain, where we found 
 the snow about one foot deep. There were 
 some remarkably large cedars in the pass, 
 which were covered with an unusual quan- 
 tity of frost, which we supposed might pos- 
 sibly indicate the neighborhood of water ; 
 and as, in the arbitrary position of Mary's 
 lake, we were already beginning to look 
 for it, this circumstance contributed to our 
 hope of finding it near. Descending from 
 the mountain, we reached another basin, on 
 the fiat lake bed of which we found no 
 water, and encamped among the sage on 
 the bordering plain, where the snow was 
 still about one foot deep. Among this the 
 grass was remarkably green, and to-night 
 the animals fared tolerably well. 
 
 December 28. — The snow being deep, I 
 had delermiued, if any more lioises; were 
 stolen, to follow the tracks of the Indians 
 into the mountains, and put a t'in:)porary 
 check to their sly operations ; but it did 
 not occur again. 
 
 Our road this morning lay down a level 
 valley, bo};dered'by steep mountainous 
 ridges, rising very abruptly ficm tlie plain. 
 Artemisia was the principal plant, mingled 
 with Fremonlia and the chenopodiaceous 
 shrubs. The artemisia was here extremely 
 large, being sometimes a foot in diameter 
 and eight feet high. Gliding quietly along 
 over the snow, we came suddenly upon 
 smokes rising among these bushes; and, 
 galloping up, we found two huts, open at 
 
128 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1843. 
 
 the top, and loosely H\jilt of sage, which 
 appeared to have been deserted at the 
 iVistant ; and, looking hastily around, we 
 saw several Indians on the crest of the 
 ridge near by, and Reveral others scramb- 
 ling up the side. We had come upon them 
 so suddenly, that they had been well-nigh 
 surprised in their lodges. A sage fire was 
 burning in the middle ; a few baskets made 
 of straw were Iving about, with one or two 
 rabbit skins ; and liiere was a little grass 
 scattered about, on which they had been 
 lying. '' Tabibo — ^bo!" they shouted fioin 
 the hills — a word which, ia the Snake 
 language, signifies white — and Temained 
 looking at us from behind the rocks. Car- 
 son and Godey rode towards the hill, but 
 the men ran off like deer. They had been 
 so much pressed, that a woman with two 
 children had dropped behind a sage bush 
 near the lodge, and when Carson accident- 
 ally stumbled upon her, she immediatgly 
 began screaming in the extremity of fear, 
 and shut her eyes fast, to avoid seeing 
 him. She was brought back to the lodge, 
 and we endeavored in vain to open a com- 
 munication with the men. By dint of 
 presents, and friendly demonstrations, she 
 v/as brought to calmness ; and we found 
 that they belonged to the Snake nation, 
 speaking the language of that people. 
 Eight or ten appeared to live together, 
 under the same little shelter ; and they 
 seemed to have no other subsistence than 
 the roots or seeds they might have stored 
 up, and the hares which live in the sage, 
 and which they are enabled to track through 
 the snow, and are very skilful in killing. 
 Their skins afford them a little scanty cov- 
 ering. Herding together among bushes, 
 and crouching almost naked over a little 
 sage fire, using their instinct only to pro- 
 cure food, these may be considered, among 
 human beings, the nearest approach to the 
 mere animal creation. We have reason to 
 believe that these had never before seen 
 the face of a white man. 
 
 The day had been pleasant, but about 
 two o'clock it began to blow ; and crossing 
 a flight dividing ground we encamped on 
 the sheltered side of a hill, where there 
 w;is good bunch grass, having made a 
 day's journry of 21 miles. The night 
 closed in, threatening snow ; but the large 
 sage bushes made bright fires.' 
 
 December 29. — The morning mild, and 
 at 4 o'clock it commenced snowing. We 
 took our way across a plain, thickly cover- 
 ed with snow, towards a range of hills in 
 the southeast. The sky soon became so 
 dark with snow, that little could be seen of 
 the surrounding country ; and we reached 
 the summit of the hills in a heavy snow 
 storm. On the sido wo had approached, 
 
 this had appeared to be only a ridge of low 
 hills ; and we were surprised to find our- 
 selves on the summit of a bed of broken 
 mountains, which, as far as the weather 
 would permit us to see, declined rapidly to 
 some low country ahead, presenting a 
 dreary and savage character; and for a 
 moment I loL-kad around in doubt on the 
 wild and inliospitable prospect, scarcely 
 knowing what road to take which might 
 conduct us to some place of shelter for the 
 night. Noticing among the liilis the head 
 of a grassy hollow, 1 determined to follow 
 it, in the hope that it would conduct us to a 
 stream. We followed a winding descent 
 for several miles, the hollow gradually 
 broadening into little meadows, and be- 
 coming the bed of a stream as we ad- 
 vanced ; and towards night we were agree- 
 ably surprised by the appearance of a wil- 
 low grove, where we found a sheltered 
 camp, with water and excellent and abun- 
 dant grass. The grass, which was covered 
 by the snow on the bottom, was long and 
 green, and the face of the mountain had a 
 more favorable character in its vegetation, 
 being smoother, and covered with good 
 bunch grass. The snow was deep, and the 
 night very cold. A broad trail had entered 
 the valley from the right, and a short dis- 
 tance below the camp weie the tracks 
 where a considerable party of Indians had 
 passed on horseback, who had turned out 
 to the left, apparently with the view of 
 crossing the mountains to the eastward. 
 
 Decanbcr 30. — After following the stream 
 for a few hours in a southcaslojly direc- 
 tion, it entered a canon where we could not 
 follow; but determined not to leave tho 
 stream, we searched a passage below, v.here 
 we could regain it, and entered a regular 
 narrow valley. The water had now more 
 the appearance of a flowing creek ; several 
 timea we passed groves of willows, and we 
 began to feel ourselves out of ail diiliculty. 
 From our position, it was reasonable to con- 
 clude tluit this stream would find its outlet 
 in Mary's lake, and conduct us into a belter 
 country. We had descended rapidly, and 
 here we found very little snow. On both 
 sides, the mountains showed often stupen- 
 dous and curious-looking rocks, which at 
 several places so nariOv\ed tho valley, that 
 scarcely a pass was left for the camp. It 
 was a singular place to travel t'uough — shut 
 up in the earth, a sort of chasm, the little 
 atrip of grass under our feet, the rough 
 walls of bare rock on cither hand, and tho 
 narrow strip of sky above. The grass to- 
 night was abundant, and we encamped ia 
 high spirits. 
 
 December 31. — After an hour'T ride this 
 morning, our iiopes were onue more de- 
 .stroyed. The valley opened out, and before 
 
1844.1 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 129 
 
 us again lay one of the dry basins. After 
 some search, we discovered a high-water 
 outlet, which brought us in a few miles, and 
 by a descent of several hundred feet, into 
 another long broad basin, in which we found 
 the bed of a stream, and obtained sufficient 
 water by cutting the ice. The grass on the 
 bottoms was salt and unpalatable. 
 
 Here we concluded the year 18-13, and 
 our new year's eve was rather a gloomy 
 one. The result of our journey began to be 
 very uncertain ; the country was singularly 
 unfavorable to travel ; the grasses being 
 frequently of a very unwholesome charac- 
 ter, and the hoofs of our animals were so 
 worn and cut by the rocks, that many of 
 them were lame, and could scarcely be got 
 along. 
 
 Neiv Yea7-\^ day, 1841. — We continued 
 ■down the valley, between a dry-looking 
 black ridge on the left and a more snowy 
 and high one on the right. Our road was 
 bad along the bottom, being broken by gul- 
 lies and impeded by sage, and sandy on the 
 hills, where there is not a blade of grass, 
 nor does any appear on the mountains. The 
 soil in many places consists of a fine pow- 
 ■dery sand, covered with a saline efflores- 
 cence ; and the general character of the 
 country is desert. During the day we di- 
 rected our course towards a black cape, at 
 the foot of which a column of smoke indi- 
 cated hot springs. 
 
 January 2. — We were on the road early, 
 and the face of the country hidden by fall- 
 ing snow. We travelled along the bed of 
 the stream, in some places dry, in others 
 covered with ice ; the travelling being very 
 bad, through deep fine sand, rendered tena- 
 cious by a mixture of clay. The weather 
 cleared up a little at noon, and we reached 
 the hot springs of which we had seen the 
 vapor the day before. There was a large 
 field of the usual salt grass here, peculiar to 
 such places. The country otherwise is a 
 perfect barren, without a blade of grass, the 
 only plants being some dwarf Fremontias. 
 We passed the rocky cape, a jagged broken 
 point, bare and torn. The rocks are vol- 
 canic, and the hills here have a burnt ap- 
 pearance — cinders and coal occasionally ap- 
 pearing as at a blacksmith's forge. We 
 crossed the large dry bed of a muddy lake in 
 :a southeasterly direction, and encamped at 
 ■night without water and without grass, 
 among sage bushes covered with snow. 
 The heavy road made several mules give 
 out to-day ; and a horse, which had made 
 the journey from the States successfully 
 thus far, was left on the trail. 
 
 January 3. — A fog, so dense that we could 
 not see a hundred yards, covered the coun- 
 try, and the mea that were sent out after 
 ihe horses were bewildered and lost ; and 
 9 
 
 we were consequently detained at camp im- 
 til late in the day. Our situation had now 
 become a serious one. We had reached 
 and run over the position where, according 
 to the best maps in my possession, we should 
 have found Mary's lake or river. We 
 were evidently on the verge of the desert 
 wliich had been reported to us ; and the ap- 
 pearance of the country was so forbidding, 
 that I was afraid to enter it, and determined 
 to bear away to the southward, keeping 
 close along the mountains, in the full expec- 
 tation of reaching the Buenaventura river. 
 This morning 1 put every man in the camj) 
 on foot — myself, of course, among the rest 
 — and in this manner lightened by distribu- 
 tion the loads of the animals. We travelled 
 seven or eight miles along the ridge border- 
 ing the valley, and encamped where there 
 were a few bunches of grass on the bed of 
 a hill torrent, without water. There were 
 some large artemisias ; but the principal 
 plants are chenopodiaceous shrubs. The 
 rock composing the mountains is here 
 changed suddenly into white granite. Tha 
 fog showed the tops of the hills at sunset, 
 and stars enough for observations in the 
 early evening, and then closed over us as be- 
 fore. Latitude by observation, 40^ 48' 15". 
 
 January 4. — The fog to-day was still 
 more dense, and the people again w-ere be- 
 wildered. We travelle<la few miles around 
 the weolern point of the ridg^, and encamp- 
 ed where there were a few tufts of grass, 
 but no water. Our animals now were in a 
 very alarming state, and there was increas- 
 ed anxiety in the camp. 
 
 January 5. — Same dense fog continued, 
 and one of the mules died in camp this 
 morning. I have had occasion to remark, 
 on such occasions as these, that animals 
 which are about to die leave the band, and, 
 coming into the carnp, lie dowrf about the 
 fires. We moved to a place where there 
 was a little better grass, about two miles 
 distant. Taplin, one of our best men, who 
 had gone out on a scouting excursion, as- 
 cended a mountain near by, and to his great 
 surprise em.erged into a region of bright 
 sunshine, in which the upper parts of the- 
 mountain were glowing, while below all v.as 
 obscured in the darkest fog. 
 
 January 6. — The fog continued the same, 
 and, with Mr. Preuss and Carson, 1 as- 
 cended the mountain, to sketch the leading 
 features of the country, as some indication 
 of our future route, while Mr. Fitzpatrick 
 explored the country below. In a very 
 short distance we had ascended above the 
 mist, but the view obtained was not very 
 gratifying. The fog had partially cleared 
 off from below when we reached the sum- 
 mit ; and in the southwest corner of a ba- 
 sin communicating with that in which we 
 
130 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1844-. 
 
 haJ encamped, we saw a lofty column of 
 smoke, IC miles distant, indicating the pre- 
 sence of hot springes. There, also, appeared 
 to bo the outlet of those draining channels 
 of the country ; and, as such places afford- 
 ed always more or less grass, I determined 
 to steer in that direction. The ridge we 
 had aacended appeared to be composed of 
 fragments of white granite. We saw here 
 traces of sheep and antelope. 
 
 Entering the neighboring valley, and 
 crossing the bed of another lake, after a hard 
 day's travel over ground of yielding mud 
 and sand, we reached the springs, where 
 we found an abundance of gras.s, which, 
 though only tolerably good, made this place, 
 with reference to the past, a refresliing and 
 agreeable spot. 
 
 This is the most extraordinary locality of 
 hot springs we had met during the journey. 
 The basin of the largest one has a circum- 
 ference of several hundred feet ; but there 
 is at one extremity a circular space of about 
 fifteen feet in diameter, entirely occupied 
 by the boiling water. It boils up at irregu- 
 lar intervals, and with much noiaa. The 
 water is clear, and the spring deep ; a pole 
 about sixteen feet long was easily immersed 
 in the centre, but we had no means of form- 
 ing a good idea of the depth. It was sur- 
 rounded on the margin with a border of 
 green grass, and near the sliore the temper- 
 ature of the water was 205°. We had no 
 means of ascertaining that of the centre, 
 "where the heat was greatest ; but, by dis- 
 persing the water with a pole, the tempera- 
 ture at the margin was increased to 208°, 
 and in the centre it was doubtless higher. 
 By driving the pole towards the bottom, the 
 water was made to boil up with increasea 
 force and noise. There are several other 
 interesting places, where water and smoke 
 or gas escape, but they would require a 
 long description. The water is impregna- 
 ted with common salt, but not so much as 
 to render it unfit for general cooking ; and 
 a mixture of snow made it plcacant to 
 drink. 
 
 In the immediate neighborhood, the val- 
 ley bottom is covered almost exclusively 
 with chenopodiaceous shrubs, of greater 
 luxuriance, and larger growth, than we have 
 seen them in any preceding part of the 
 journey. 
 
 I obtained this evening some astronomi- 
 cal observations. 
 
 Our situation now required caution. In- 
 cluding those which gave out from the in- 
 jured condition of their feet, and those sto- 
 len by Indians, we had lost, since leaving 
 the Dalles of the Columbia, filtecn animals ; 
 and of these, nine had been left in the last 
 few days. I therefore determined, until 
 we should reach a country of water and veg- 
 
 etation, to feel our way ahead, by having 
 the line of route explored some hfteen oi 
 twenty miles in advance, and only to leave 
 a present encampment when the succeedino 
 one was known. 
 
 Taking with me Godey and Carson, I 
 made to-day a thorough exploration of the 
 neighboring valleys, and found in a ravine 
 in the bordering mountains a good camp- 
 ing place, where was water in springs, and 
 a sufficient quantity of grass for a night. 
 Overshadowing the springs were some 
 trees of the sweet cotton-wood, which, after 
 a long interval of absence, we saw again 
 with plcasuro, regarding them as harbingers 
 of a better country. To us. they were elo- 
 quent of green prairies and buffalo. We 
 .'"ound here a broad and plainly marked trail, 
 on which there were tracks of horses, and 
 we appeared to have regained one of the 
 thoroughfares which pass by the watering 
 places of the country. On the western 
 mountains of the valley, with which this of 
 the boiling spring communicates, we re- 
 marked scattered cedars — probably an indi- 
 cation that we were on the borders of the 
 timbered region extending to the Pacific. 
 We reached the camp at sunset, after a 
 day's ride of about forty miles. The horses 
 we rode were in good order, being of some 
 that were kept for emergencies, and rarely 
 used. 
 
 Mr. Preuss had ascended one of the 
 mountains, and occupied the day in sketch- 
 ing the country ; and Mr. Fitzpatrick had 
 found, a kv/ miles distant, a hojlow of ex- 
 cellent grass and pure water, to which the 
 animals were driven, as I remained another 
 day to give them an opportunity to recruit 
 their strength. Indians appear to be every- 
 where prowling about like wild animals, and 
 there is a fresh trail across the snow in the 
 valley near. 
 
 Latitude of the boiling springs, 40^ 39' 4C". 
 
 On the 9th we crossed over to the cotton- 
 wood camp. Among the shrubs on the hills 
 were a few bushes of ephedra occidentalis, 
 which afterwards occurred fr(H]ucntly along 
 our road, and, as usual, the lowlands were 
 occupied with artcmisia. While the party 
 proceeded to this place, Carson and my.se!f 
 reconnoitred the road in advance, and found 
 another good encampment for the following 
 day. 
 
 January 10. — We continued our recon- 
 noissance ahead, pursuing a south direction 
 in the basin along the ridge ; the camp fol- 
 lowing slowly after. On a large trail there 
 is never any doubt of finding suitable places 
 for encampments. We reached the end of 
 the basin, where we found, in a hollow of 
 the mountain which enclosed it, an abun- 
 dance of good bunch grass. Leaving a sig- 
 nal for the party to encamp, we continued 
 
1844.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 159 
 
 intermingled — sach was our composition. 
 Our march was r. sort of procession. Scouts 
 ahead, and on tae flanks ; a front and rear 
 division ; the piwic animals, baggage, and 
 
 I horned cattle, in the centre ; and tlie whole 
 stretciiing a quarter of a mile along our 
 
 ' dreary path. In this form we journeyed ; 
 lookiii"' more as if we belonged to Asia than 
 to the United States of America. 
 
 We continued in a southerly direction 
 across tlie plain, to which, as well as to all 
 tl'.e country, so far as we could see, the yuc- 
 
 I ca trees gave a strange and singular cha- 
 racter. Several new plants appeared, among 
 whicii was a zygophyllaccous shrub (zijgo- 
 ■phyllum Californicum, Terr, and Frem.), 
 sometimes ten feet in height; in form, and 
 in the pliancy of its branches, it is rather a 
 graceful plant. Its leaves are small, cover- 
 ed with a resinous substance ; and, particu- 
 larly when bruised and crushed, exhale a 
 singular but very agreeable and refreshing 
 odo°. This shrub and the yucca, with many 
 varieties of cactus, make the characteristic 
 features in the vegetation for a long distance 
 to the eastward. Along the foot of the 
 mountain, tv/enty miles to the southward, 
 red stripes of flowers were visible during the 
 morning, which we supposed to be varie- 
 gated sandstones. We rode rapidly during 
 the day, and in the afternoon emerged from 
 the yucca forest at the foot of an outlier of 
 the Sierra before us, and came among the 
 fields of flowers we had seen in the morn- 
 ing, which consisted principally of the rich 
 orange-colored Californian poppy, mingled 
 with other flowers of brighter tints. Reach- 
 ing the top of the spur, which was covered 
 with fine bunch grass, and where the hills 
 were very green, our guide pointed to a 
 small hollow in the mountain before us, say- 
 ing, " d esle piedra hay agua." He appear- 
 ed to know every nook in the country. We 
 continued our beautiful road, and reached a 
 spring in the slope, at the foot of the ridge, 
 runnnig in a green ravine, among granite 
 boulders ; here night-shade, and borders of 
 buckwheat, with their white blossoms around 
 the granite rocks, attracted our notice as fa- 
 miliar plants. Several antelopes were seen 
 among the hills, and some large hares. Men 
 were sent back this evening in search of a 
 wild mule with a valuable pack, which had 
 managed (as they frequently do) to hide 
 itself along the road. 
 
 By observation, the latitude of the camp 
 is 34° 41' 42"; and longitude 118° 26' OO". 
 Ths next day the men returned with the 
 mule. 
 
 April 17. — Crossing the ridge by a beau- 
 tiful pass of hollows, where several deer 
 broke out of the thickets, we emerged at a 
 small salt lake in a vallon lying nearly east 
 and west, where a trail from the mission of 
 
 San Buenaventura comes in. The lake is 
 about 1,200 yards in diameter ; surrounded 
 on the margin by a wliite salty border, 
 which, by the smell, reminded us slightly of 
 Lake Aijcrt. There are some cottonwoods, 
 with willow and elder, around the lake ; and 
 the water is a little salt, although not en- 
 tirely unfit for drinking. Here .we turned 
 directly to the eastvi'ard, along the trail, 
 which, from being seldom used, is almost 
 imperceptible ; and, after travelling a few 
 miles, our guide halted, and, pointing to the 
 hardly visible trail, " aqui es camino" said 
 he, " no ^e pisrde — ca siemjrre.'^ He point- 
 ed out a black huUe on the plain at the foot 
 of the mountain, where we would find water 
 to encamp at night; and, giving him a pre- 
 sent of knives and scarlet cloth, we shook 
 hands and parted. Ke bore olF south, and in 
 a day's ride would ari-ive at San P^ernando, 
 one of several missions in this part of Cali- 
 fornia, where the country is so beautiful that 
 it is considered a paradise, and the name of 
 its princi[)al town {Puebla de los Angeles) 
 would make it angeiic. We continued on 
 through a succession of valleys, 'and came 
 into a most beautiful spot of flower fields : 
 instead of green, the hills were purple and 
 orange, with unbroken beds, into which 
 each color was separately gathered. A pale 
 straw color, with a bright yellow the rich 
 red orange of the poppy mingled witii fields 
 of purple, covered the spot with a floral 
 beauty ; and, on the border of the sandy de- 
 serts, seemed to invite the traveller to go no 
 farther. Riding along through the perfumed 
 air, we soon after entered a defile over- 
 grown with the ominous artemisia iriden- 
 lata, which conducted us into a sandy plain 
 covered more or less densely with forests of 
 yucca. 
 
 Having now the snowy ridge on our right, 
 we continued our way towards a dark buUe, 
 belonging to a low sierra in tlie plain, and 
 which our guide had pointed out lor a land- 
 mark. Late in the day, the familiar growth 
 of Cottonwood, a line of which was visible 
 ahead, indicated our approach to a creek, 
 which we reached where t'ne water spread 
 out into sands, and a little below sank en- 
 tirely. Here our guide had intended we 
 should pass the night ; but there was not a 
 blade of grass, and, hoping to find nearer the-, 
 mountain a little for the night, we turned up 
 the stream. A hundred yards above, we 
 found the creek a fine stream, sixteen feet 
 wide, with a swift current. A dark night 
 overtook us when we reached the hills at 
 the foot of the ridge, and we were obliged 
 to encamp without grass ; tying up what 
 animals we could secure in the darkness, 
 the greater part of the wild ones having free 
 range for the night. Here the stream was 
 two feet deep, swift and clear, issuing from 
 
160 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE, 
 
 [1844. 
 
 a neighboring snow peak. A few miles he- 
 fore reaching this creek, we had crossed a 
 broad dry river bed, which, nearer tlie hills, 
 the hunters had found a hold and handsome 
 stream. 
 
 April 18. — Some parties were engaged in 
 hunting up the scattered horses, and others 
 in searching for grass above ; both were 
 successful, and late in the day we encamped 
 among some spring heads of the river, in a 
 hrfllow which was covered with only tolera- 
 bly good grasses, the lower ground being en- 
 tirel}' overgrown with large bunches of the 
 coarse stiff' grass (carex slichensis). « 
 
 Our latitude, by observation, was 31° 27' 
 03"; and longitude 117° 13' 00". 
 
 Travelling close along the mountain, we 
 followed up, in tiie afternoon of the 19th, 
 another stream, in hopes to find a grass- 
 patch like that of the previous day, but were 
 deceived ; e.xcept some scattered bunch 
 grass, there was nothing br.t rock and sand ; 
 and even the fertility of the mountain seem- 
 ed withered by the air of the desert. Among 
 the few trees was the nut pine (pmus mono- 
 jihyllus). 
 
 Our road the next day was still in an 
 easterly direction along the ridge, over very 
 bad travelling ground, broken and confound- 
 ed with crippled trees and shrubs ; and, 
 •.5^gr a difficult march of eighteen miles, a 
 _^;jncral shout announced that we had struck 
 ■ '' 5 great object of our seach — the Spanish 
 ....'L — 'Which here was running directly 
 north. The road itself, and its course, were 
 equally happy discoveries to us. Since the 
 middle of December we had continually been 
 forced south by mountains and by deserts, 
 and now would ^have to make si.x degrees 
 oVnorihing, An the latitude on which 
 
 we wisi. d;U[. •> s the Rocky mountains. 
 The course ol th^ d '.herefore, was what 
 we wanted ; and, ui. ; more, we felt like 
 going homewards. A ro^.J to travel on, and 
 the right course to go, were -ful consola- 
 tions to ns ; and our animals njoyed the 
 beaten track like ourselves. Relieved from 
 the rocks and brush, our wild mules suirtcd 
 off at a rapid rate, and in fifteen miles we 
 reached a considerable river, timbered with 
 Cottonwood and willow, where we found a 
 bottom of tolerable grass. As the animals 
 had suffered a great deal in the last few days, 
 I remained here all next day, to allow them 
 the necessary repose ; and it was now ne- 
 cessary, at every favorable place, to make a 
 little halt. Between us and the Colorado 
 river we were aware that the country was ex- 
 tremely poor in grass, and scarce for water, 
 there being many jornadas (day's journey), 
 or long stretches of forty to sixty miles, with- 
 out water, where the road was marked by 
 bones of animals. 
 
 Although hi California we had met with 
 
 people who had passed over tliis trail, we had 
 been able to obtain no correct information 
 about it ; and the greater part of what we 
 had heard was found to be only a tissue of 
 falsehoods. The rivers that we found on it 
 were never mentioned, and others, particular- 
 ly described in name and locality, were sub- 
 sequently seen in anotlier part of the coun- 
 try. It was described as a tolerably good 
 sandy road, with so little rock as scarcely to 
 require the animals to be shod ; and we found 
 it the rougliest and rockiest road we had ever 
 seen in tiie countrj-, and which nearly de- 
 stroyed our band of rine mules and horses. 
 Many animals are destroyed on it every year 
 by a disease called the foot evil ; and a' tra- 
 veller should never venture on it without, 
 having his animals well shod, and also carry- 
 ing extra shoes. 
 
 Latitude 3 1^" 34' 11"; and longitude IH'^ 
 13' 00". 
 
 The morning of the 2'2d was clear and 
 bright, and a snowy peak to the southward 
 shone out high and sharply defined. As has 
 been usual since we crossed the mountains 
 and descended into the hot plains, we had a 
 gale of wind. We travelled down the right 
 bank of the stream, over sands which are 
 somewhat loose, and have no verdure, but 
 are occupied by various shrubs. A clear 
 bold stream, 60 feet wide, and several feet 
 deep, had a strange appearance, running be- 
 tween perfectly naked banks of sand. The 
 eye, however, is somewhat relieved by wil- 
 lows, and the beautiful green of the su-eet 
 cottonwoods with which it is well wooded. 
 As we followed along its course, the river, 
 instead of growing constantly larger, gradu- 
 ally dwindled away, as it was absorbed by 
 the sand. We were now careful to take the 
 old camping places of the annual Santa F« 
 caravans, which, luckily for ns, had not yet 
 made their yearly passage. A drove of se- 
 veral thousand horses and mules would en- 
 tirely have swept away the scanty grass at 
 the watering places, and we should have 
 been obliged to leave the road to obtain sub- 
 sistence for our animals. After riding 20 
 miles in a northeasterly direction, we found 
 an old encampment, where we halted. 
 
 By observation, the elevation of this en- 
 campment is 2,250 feet. 
 
 April 23. — The trail followed still along 
 the river, which, in the course of the morn- 
 ing, entirely disappeared. We continued 
 along the dry bed, in which, after an interval 
 of about 16 miies, the water reappeared in 
 some low places, well timbered with cotton- 
 wood and willow, where was another of the 
 customary camping grounds. Here a party 
 of six Indians came into camp, poor and hun- 
 gry, and quite in keeping with the character 
 of the oountry. Their arms were bows of 
 unusual length, and each had a large gourd, 
 
1844..] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 161 
 
 fitrengthened with meshes of cord, in which 
 lie carried water. They proved to be the 
 Mohahve Indians mentioned by our recent 
 guide ; and from one of them who spoke 
 Spanish fluently, I obtained some interesting 
 information, which I would be glad to intro- 
 duce here. An account of the people inha- 
 biting this region would undoubtedly possess 
 interest for the civilized world. Our journey 
 homeward was fruitful in incident ; and the 
 country through which we travelled, although 
 a desert, afforded much to excite the curiosi- 
 ty of the botanist; but limited time, and tlie 
 rapidly advancing season for active opera- 
 tions, oblige me to omit all extended descrip- 
 tions, and hurry briefly to the conclusion of 
 this report. 
 
 The Indian who spoke Spanish had been 
 educated (or a number of years at one of the 
 Spanish missions, and, at the breaking up of 
 those establishments, had returned to the 
 mountains, where he had been found by a 
 party of Mohahce (sometimes called Ajnu- 
 chaba) Indians, among whom he had ever 
 since resided. 
 
 He spoke of the leader of the present par- 
 ty as " mi amo " (my master). He said they 
 lived upon a large river in the southeast, 
 which the " soldiers called the Rio Colora- 
 do ;" but that, formerly, a portion of them 
 lived upon this river, and among the moun- 
 tains which had bounded the river valley to 
 the northward during the day, and that here 
 along the river they had raised various kinds 
 of melons. They sometimes came over to 
 trade with the Indians of the Sierra, bringing 
 with them blankets and goods manufactured 
 by the Monquis and other Colorado Indians. 
 They rarely carried home horses, on account 
 of the difficulty of getting them across the 
 desert, and of guarding them afterwards 
 from the Pa-utah Indians, who inhabit the 
 Sierra, at the head of the Rio Virgen (river 
 of the Virgin.) 
 
 He informed us that, a short distance be- 
 low, this river finally disappeared. The two 
 •different portions in which water is found had 
 received from the priests two different names ; 
 and subsequently I heard it called by the 
 Spaniards the Rio ds las Aiiima>>, but on the 
 map we have called it the Mohahve river. 
 
 April 24. — We continued down the stream 
 '(or rather its bed) for about eight miles, 
 where there was water still in several holes, 
 and encamped. The caravans sometimes 
 ■continue below, to the end of the river, from 
 which there is a very long Jornada of per- 
 haps si.\ty miles, without 'water. Here a 
 singular and new species of acacia, with spi- 
 ral pods or seed vessels, made its first appear- 
 ance ; becoming henceforward, for a consi- 
 derable distance, a characteristic tree. It 
 was here comparatively large, being about 
 20 feet in height, with a full and spreading 
 
 U 
 
 top, the lower branches declining towards 
 the ground. It afterwards occurred of smaller 
 size, frequently in- groves, and is very fra- 
 grant. It has been called by Dr. Torrey 
 spirolobium odoratum. The zygophyllaceous 
 shrub had been constantly characteristic of 
 the plains along the river ; and here, among 
 many new plants, a new and very remarka- 
 ble species of eriogonum {eriogonum infla- 
 liim, Torr. & Frem.) made its first appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Our cattle had become so tired and poor 
 by this fatiguing travelling, that three of 
 them were killed here, and the meat dried. 
 The Indians had now an occasion for a great 
 feast, and were occupied the remainder of 
 the day and all the night in cooking and eat- 
 ing. There was no part of the animal for 
 which they did not find some use, except the 
 bones. In the afternoon we were surprised 
 by the sudden appearance in the camp of two 
 Mexicans — a man and a boy. The name of 
 the man was Andreas Fuenles; and that of 
 the boy (a handsome lad, 11 years old), Pa- 
 blo Hernandez. They belonged to a party 
 consisting of six persons, the remaining four 
 being the wife of Fuentes, and the father 
 and mother of Pablo, and Santiago Giacome, 
 a resident of New Mexico. With a caval- 
 cade of about thirty horses, they had come 
 out from Puebla de los Angeles, near the 
 coast, under the guidance of Giacor-i-s^ in 
 advance of the great caravan, in on ji to 
 travel more at leisure, and obtain better 
 Having advanced as far into the &afc. c* 
 was considered consistent with Lieir safety, 
 they halted at the Archilelle, one of the cus- 
 tomary camping grounds, about 80 miles 
 from our encampment, where there is a spring 
 of good water, with ''uf?i^'''nt grass ; and 
 concluded to await tft--' i arrival of the 
 great Caravan. Sev*"-^!' .^ .laijs were soon 
 discovered lurkfi.-;?' '.dut the camp, who, in 
 a day or two aftt-;came in, and, after behav- 
 inor in a v'' V' friendly manner, took their 
 leave, w";' .iJut awakening any suspicions. 
 Their ■ :.eportment begat a security which 
 proved fatal. In a few days afterwards, sud- 
 denly a party of about one hundred Indians 
 appeared in sight, advancing towards the 
 camp. It was too late, or they seemed not 
 to have presence of mind to take proper 
 measures of safety ; and the Indians chargea 
 down into their camp, shouting as they ad- 
 vanced, and discharging flights of arrows. 
 Pablo and Fuentes were on horse guard at 
 the time, and mounted according to the 
 custom of the country. One of the princi- 
 pal objects of the Indians was to get posses- 
 sion of the horses, and part of them imme- 
 diately surrounded the band ; but, in obe/ii- 
 ence to the shouts of Giacome, Fuentes, 'irove 
 the animals over and through the assailants, 
 in apite of t,heir arrows ; and, abokadoning the 
 
 # 
 
163 
 
 CAPT. FREilONT'S NARRATIVB. 
 
 [1844. 
 
 t 
 
 rest to their fate, carriod them off at ppeed j 
 across the plain. Knowing that ihey would 1 
 be pursued by the Indians, without making 
 any halt except to shift their saddles to ether 
 horses, they drove them on for about sixty 
 miles, and this morning left them at a water- 
 ing place on the trail, called Agua de To- 
 maso. Without giving themselves anytime 
 for rest, they hurried on, hoping to meet the 
 Spanish Caravan, when they discovered my 
 camp. I received them kindly, taking them 
 into my own mess, and promised them such 
 aid as circumstances might put it in my 
 power to give. 
 
 April 26. — Wo left the river abruptly, and, 
 tuniing to the north, regained in a few miles 
 the main trail (which had left the river sooner 
 than ourselves), and continued our way 
 across a lower ridge of the mountain, throuoh 
 a raieerable tract of sand and gravel. We 
 crossed at intervals the broad beds of dry 
 gullies, where in the s<>ason of rains and 
 melting snows there would be brooks or rivu- 
 lets ; and at one of these, where there was 
 no indication of water, were several fresiiiy- 
 dug holes, in which there v/as water at the 
 depth of two feet. Tlicse holes had been 
 du^ by the wolves, whose keen sense of smell 
 had scented tlie water under the dry f-.and 
 They were nice little wells, narrow, and dug 
 straight down, and we got pleasant water 
 out of them. 
 
 The country had now assumed the cha- 
 racter of an elevated a.nd mountainous de- 
 sert; its general features being black, rocky 
 ridges, bald, and destitute of timber, with 
 sandy basins between. Where the sides of 
 these ridges are washed by gullies, the plains 
 below are strewed with beds of large pebbles 
 or rolled stones, destructive to our soft-footto 
 animals, accustomed to the grassy plains 
 of the Sacramento valley. Through these 
 sandy basins sometimes struggled a scanty 
 stream, or occurred a liole of water, which 
 furnished camping grounds for travellers. 
 Frequently in our journey across, snow was 
 visible on the surrounding mountains ; but 
 their waters rarely reached tlic sandy plain 
 Ixjlow, where we toiled along, opprossLd with 
 thirst and a burning sun. But, throughout 
 this nakedness of sand and gravel, were many 
 beautiful plants and flowering shrubs, winch 
 occurred in many new species, and with 
 greater variety than we had been accustom- 
 ed to see in the most luxuriant prairie coun- 
 tries; this was a peculiarity of this desert. 
 Even where no grass would take root, the 
 naked sand would bloom witli some rich and 
 rare flower, which found its appropriate home 
 jn the arid and barren spot. 
 
 Scattered over the plain, and tolerably 
 abundant, was a handsome leguminous shrub, 
 three or four feet high, with fl;)c bright-pur- 
 4e floveri. It is a new pwi/ij^a, and oc- 
 
 cnrred frequently henceforward along our 
 road. 
 
 Beyond the first ridge, onr road bore a lit- 
 tle to the east of north, towards a gap in a 
 higher line of mountains ; and, after travel- 
 ling about twenty-five miles, wo arrived aC 
 the Agua de Tomaso — the spring where the 
 horses had been left; but, aa we ex[)ected, 
 they were gone. A brief exar.iiiiation of Uto 
 ground ccnvinc^ed us that they had been 
 driven off by the Indians. Carson and 
 Gcdey volunteered with the Mexican to p- 
 sue them ; and, well mounted, the three i ?t 
 ofi' on the trail. At this stopping place the j 
 were a few bushes and very little grass, h \ 
 water was a pool ; but near by was a spring, 
 which had been dug out by Indians or trav- 
 ellers. Its water was cool — a great refresh- 
 ment to us under a burning sun. 
 
 In llie evening Fuentes returncil, his horse 
 having failed; but Carson and GoJey had 
 continued the pursuit. 
 
 I observed to-night an occultation of a"* 
 Cancri, at the dark limb of the moon, wl>ich 
 gives for the longitude of the place llG^ 23* 
 28"; the latitude, by •observation, is 35° 13* 
 08". From Helvetia to this place, the posi- 
 tions along the ir.lervening line are laid down 
 with the longitudes obtained frcm the chro- 
 nometer, which appears to have rctaine<I ita 
 rate remarkably v.'ell ; but henceforward, to 
 the end of the journey, the few longilvvdcs 
 given are absolute, dep>ending upon a subse- 
 quent occultation and eclipses of tlie satel- 
 lites. 
 
 In the afternoon of the next day, a war- 
 whoop was heard, such as Indians make 
 when returning from a victorious enterprise ; 
 and soon Carson and GixJey appeared, driv- 
 ing before them a band of horses, recognized 
 by Fuentes to be part of those they had loeL 
 Two bloody scalps, dangling from the end of 
 Godey's gun, announced that tliey had over- 
 taken the Indians aa well as the horr^.s. 
 Tliey informed us, that after Fuentes left 
 them, from the failure of his hcr?e, ihey con- 
 tinued the pursuit alone, and towards night- 
 tall entered the mountains, into which the 
 trail led. After sunset tiio moon gave light, 
 and (hey followed tlie trail by moonshine 
 until lato in the nigiit, when il enteral a nar- 
 row defile, and was difficult to follow. Afraid 
 of losing it in tlie darkness of the dc'ilo, tlicy 
 tied up their horses, struck no fire, and lay 
 down to sleep in silence and in darkness. 
 Here they lay from midnight till morning. 
 At daylight they resumed the pursuit, and 
 alxDut sunrise discovered the horses ; and, 
 l.nmodiately dismounting and tying up their 
 own, they crept cautiously to a rising ground 
 which intervened, from the crest of which 
 they perceived the encampment of four lodges 
 close by. They pix^ceeded quietly, and had 
 got within thirty or forty yards of their ob- 
 
184^1.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 i©ct, when a movement among the horses 
 discovered them to the Indians ; giving tlie 
 war shout, they instantly charged into tlie 
 oamp, regardless of the numbfer which the 
 four lodges would imply. The Indians re- 
 ceived them witJ^i a flight of arrows shot 
 from their long bows, one of which passed 
 through Godey's shirt collar, barely missino- 
 the neck ; our men fired their rifles upfm a 
 eteady aim, and rushed in. Two Indians 
 were stretched on the ground, fatally pitrced 
 with bullets ; the rest fled, e.\ce]pt a Jad that 
 traa captured. The scalps of the fallen 
 were instantly stripped ofT; but in the pro- 
 Koss, one of them, who had two balls tlirourjh 
 Lis body, Kprunjr to his feet, tiie blood stream- 
 inn; froni his skinned head, and uttering a 
 hideous iiovvl. An old squaw, possibly his 
 mother, stopped and looked back from the 
 mountain side she was climbing, threatening 
 and lamenting. The frightful spectacle ap" 
 palled the stout hearts of our men ; but they 
 did what humanity required, and quickly ter- 
 minated the agonies of the gory savage. 
 They were now masters of the camp, which 
 was a pretty little recess in the mountain, 
 with a fine spring, and apparently safe from 
 all invasion. Great preparations had been 
 made to feast a large party, for it was a very 
 proper place for a rendezvous, and for the 
 celebration of such orgies as robbers of the 
 desert would delight in. Several of the best 
 horses had been killed, skinned, and cut up ; 
 for the Indians living in mountains, and only 
 I coming into the plains to rob and murder, 
 j make no other use of horses than to eat them. 
 Large earthen vessels were on the fire, boiling 
 and stewing the horse beef; and several bas- 
 y kots, containing fifty or sixty pairs of mocca- 
 «ins, indicated the presence, or expectation, 
 ' of a considerable party. Tliey released the 
 ' boy, who had given strong evidence of the 
 stoicism, or something else, of the f=avage 
 character, in commencing his breakfast upon 
 a horse's head as soon as he found he was 
 not to be killed, but only tied as a prisoner. 
 Their object accomplished, our men gathered 
 up all the surviving horses, fifteen in number, 
 returned upon their trail, and rejoined us at our 
 ^ camp in the afternoon of the same day. They 
 I had rode about 100 miles in the pursuit and 
 ' return, and all in thirty hours. The time, place, 
 object, and numbers, considered, this expedi- 
 tion of Carson and Godcy may be considered 
 among the boldest and most disinterested 
 which the annals of western adventure, so 
 j -full of daring deeds, can present. Two men. 
 , in a savage desert, pursue day and niglit an 
 tinknown body of Indians into the defiles of 
 ari unknown mountain— attack them on sight, 
 •without counting numbers— and defeat them 
 in an instant — and for what? To punish 
 ■the robbers of the desert, and to avenge the 
 Uwonga of Mexicans whom they did not 
 
 W3 
 
 know. I repeat : it was Carson and Godey 
 who did this — the former an Anwrican^ born 
 in the Boonslick county of Missouri ; the lat- 
 ter a PVenchman, born in St. Louis — and 
 both trained to western enterprise from early 
 life. \ 
 
 By the information of Fuentes, we had 
 now to make a long stretch of forty or fifty 
 miles across a plain which lay between us 
 and the next possible camp ; and we resum- 
 ed our journey late in the afternoon, with the 
 intention of travelling through the night, 
 and avoiding the excessive heat of the day, 
 which was oppressive to our animals. For 
 several hours we travelled across a high 
 plain.^passing, at tlie opposite side, through 
 a cafion by the bed of a creek running 
 norlhioardiy into a small lake beyond, and 
 both of them being dry. We had a warm, 
 moonshiny night;' and, travelling directly 
 towards the north star, we journeyed now 
 across an open plain between mountain 
 ridges ; that on the left being broken, rocky, 
 and bald, according to the information of 
 Carson and t^Iodoy, who had entered here ia 
 pursuit of the horses. The plain appeared co- 
 vered principally with the zugophylium Cali- 
 fornicuin already mentioned; and the line 
 of our road was marked by the skeletoiw of 
 horses, which were strewed to a considera- 
 ble breadth over the plain. We were after- 
 wards always warned, on entering one of 
 these long stretches, by the bones of these 
 animals, which Jiad perished before they could 
 reach the water. About midnight we reach- 
 ed a considerable stream bed, now dry, the 
 discharge of the waters of this basin (when 
 it collected any), down which we de.scended 
 in a northwesisiiy direction. Tiie creek 
 bed was overgrown with shrubbery, and se- 
 veral hours before day it brought us to the 
 entrance of a caiion, where we found water, 
 and encamped. This word caiim is used 
 by the Spaniards to signify a defile or gorge 
 in a creek or river, where, high roclte press 
 iri close, and make a narrow way, usually 
 diflicult, and often impossible to be passed. 
 
 In the morning we found that we had a 
 very poor camping ground: a swampy, 
 salty spot, vv ith a little long, unwholesome 
 grpe ; and the water, which rose in springs, 
 being useful only to wet the mouth, but en- 
 tirely too salt to drink. All around was 
 sand and rocks, and slteletons of horses 
 which had not been able to find support for 
 their lives. As we were about to start, we 
 found, at the distance of a few hundred 
 yards, among the hills to the southward, a 
 spring of tolerably good water, whicli was a 
 relief to our.selves ; but the place waa too poor 
 to remain long, and therefore we continued 
 on this morning. On the creek were thick- 
 ets of sjArolobium odorahim (acAcia) in 
 bloom, and vsry fragrant. 
 
164 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1844. 
 
 Passing through the canon, we entered 
 another sandy basin, through which the dry 
 stream bed continued its northwesterly 
 course, in whic!i direction appeared a high 
 snowy mountain. 
 
 We travelled through a barren district, 
 where a heavy gale was blowing about 
 the loose sand, and, after a ride of eight 
 miles, reached a large creek of salt and bit- 
 ter water, running in a westerly direction, 
 to receive the stream bed we had left. It is 
 called by the Spaniards Amargosa — the bit- 
 ter water of the desert. Where we struck 
 it, the stream bends ; and we continued in a 
 northerly course up the ravine of its valley, 
 passing on the way a fork from the right, 
 near which occurred a bed cf plants, con- 
 sisting of a remarkable new genus of critcl- 
 ferce. 
 
 Gradually ascending, the ravine opened 
 into a green valley, where, at the foot of the 
 mountain, were sprinj^s of e.xcellcnt water. 
 We encamped among groves of the new 
 acadia, and there was an abundance of good 
 grass for the animals. ■ 
 
 This was the best camping ground we had 
 seen since we struck the Spanish trail. The 
 day's journey was about twelve miles. 
 
 April 29. — To-day we had to reach the 
 Archilette, distant seven miles, where the 
 Mexican party had been attacked ; and leav- 
 ing our encampment early, we traversed a 
 part of the desert, the most sterile and repul- 
 sive that we had yet seen. Its prominent 
 features were dark sierras, naked and dry ; 
 on the plains a few straggling shrubs — 
 among them, cactus of several varieties. 
 Fuentes pointed out one called by tlic Span- 
 iards bisnada, which has a juicy pulp, slight- 
 ly acid, and is eaten by the traveller to allay 
 thirst. Our course was generally north ; 
 and, after crossing an intervening ridge, we 
 descended into a sandy plain, or basin, in the 
 middle of which was the grassy spot, with 
 its springs and willow bushes, which consti- 
 tutes a camping place in the dc.^ert, and is 
 called the Arckilelte. The dead silence of 
 the place was ominous; and, galloping ra- 
 pidly up, we found only the corpses of the 
 two men : everything else was gone. They 
 were naked, mutilated, and pierced with ar- 
 rows. Hernandez had evidently fought, and 
 with desperation. lie lay in advance of the 
 willow half-faced tent, which sheltered his 
 family, as if he had come out to meet dan- 
 ger, and to repulse it from that asylum. One 
 of his hands, and both his legs, had been cut 
 off. Giacome, who was a large and strong 
 looking man, was lying in one of the willow 
 shelters, pierced with arrows. Of the 
 women no trace could be found, and it was 
 evident they had been carried off captive. 
 A little lap-dog, which had belonged to Pa- 
 blo's mother, remained with the dead bodies, 
 
 and wa.s frantic with joy at seeing Pablo : 
 he, poor child, was frantic with grief; and 
 filled the air with lamentations for his father 
 and mother. Mi padre! Mimadre'. — was 
 his incessant cry. When we beheld this 
 pitiable sight, and pictured to ourselves the 
 fate of the two women, carried off by sava- 
 ges so brutal and so loathsome, all compunc- 
 tion for the scalped-alive Indian ceased ; and 
 we '■ejoiced that Carson and Godcy had been 
 able to give ,so useful a lesson to these 
 American Arabs, who lie in wait to murder 
 and plunder the innocent traveller. 
 
 We were all too much affected by the sad 
 feelings which the place inspired, to remain 
 an unnecessary moment. The night vv'e 
 were obliged to pass there. Early in the 
 morning we left it, having first written a 
 brief account of what had happened, and put 
 it in the cleft of a pole planted at the spring, 
 that the approaching caravan might learn 
 the fate of tlieir friends. In commemoration 
 of the event, we called the place Agua de 
 Hernandez — Hernandez's spring. By obser- 
 vation, its latitude was 35" 51' 21". 
 
 A-pril 30. — We continued our journey over 
 a district similar to that of the day before. 
 From the sandy basin, in which Vv'as the 
 spring, we entered another basin of the same 
 character, surrounded everywhere by moun- 
 tains. Before us stretched a high range, 
 rising still higher to the left, and terminating 
 in a snowy mountain. 
 
 After a day's march of 24 miles, we reached 
 at evening the bed of a stream from which the 
 water had disappeared ; a little only remained 
 in holes, which we increased by digging; 
 and about a mile above, the stream, not yet 
 entirely sunk, was spread out over the sands, 
 affording a little water for the animals. The- 
 stream came out of the mountains on the 
 left, very slightly wooded with cottor^wcod, 
 willow, and acacia, and a few dwarf oaks j 
 and grass was nearly as scarce as water. A 
 plant with showy yellow flowers (Stankya 
 integrifolia) occurred abundantly at intervals 
 for the last two days, and eriogoniim injla- 
 lu?n was among the characteristic plants. 
 
 May 1. — The air is rough, and overcoats 
 pleasant. The sky is blue, and the day 
 bright. Our road was over a plain, towards 
 the foot of the mountain ; zygophyllum 
 Californicum, now in bloom with a small 
 yellow flower, is characteristic of the coun- 
 try ; and cadi were very abundant, and hx 
 rich fresh bloom, which wonderfully orna- 
 ments tills poor country. We encamped at 
 a spring in the pass, which had been the 
 :-iLe of an old village. Hero we found excel- 
 lent gi-ass, but very little water. We dug 
 out the old spring, and watered some of our 
 animals. The mountain here was wooded 
 very slightly with the nut pine, cedars, an(l 
 a dwarf species of oak ; and among the 
 
1844.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 ws 
 
 shrubs were Pursilua iridentala, artemisia, 
 and ephedra occidentalis. The numerous 
 shrubs Vv'hich constitute the vegetation ot 
 the plains are now in bloom, with flowers of 
 white, yellow, red, and purple. The con- 
 tinual rocks, and want of water and grass, 
 begin to be very hard on onr mules and 
 horses ; but the principal loss is occasioned 
 by their crippled feet, the greater part of 
 those left being in excellent order, and 
 scarcely a day passes without some loss; 
 and, one by one, Fuentes's horses are con- 
 stantly dropping behind. Whenever they 
 give out, he dismounts and cuts off their tails 
 and manes, to make saddle girths ; the last 
 advantage one can gain from them. 
 
 The next day, in a short but rough ride 
 of 12 miles, we crossed the mountain; and, 
 descending to a small valley plain, encamped 
 at the foot of the ridge, on the bed of a creek, 
 where we found good grass in suificient 
 quantity, and abundance of water in holes. 
 The ridge is extremely rugged and broken, 
 presenting on this side a continued precipice, 
 and probably affords very fev/ passes. Many 
 digger tracks are seen around us, but no In- 
 dians were visible. 
 
 May 3. — After a day's journey of 18 miles, 
 in a northeasterly direction, we encamped in 
 the midst of another very large basin, at a 
 camping ground called las Vegas — a term 
 which the Spaniards use to signify fertile or 
 marshy plains, in contradistinction to llanos^ 
 which they apply to dry and sterile plains. 
 Two narrow streams of clear water, four or 
 five feet deep, gush suddenly, with a quick 
 current, from two singularly large springs ; 
 tliese, and other waters of the basin, pass out 
 in a gap to the eastward. The taste of the 
 water is good, but rather too warm to be 
 agreeable ; the temperature being 71° in the 
 one, and 73"^ in the other. They, however, 
 afforded a delightful bathing place. 
 
 May 4, — We started this morning earlier 
 than usual, travelling in a northeasterly di- 
 rection across the plain. The new acacia 
 {spirolobinm odoralum) has now become the 
 characteristic tree of the country ; it is in 
 bloom, and its blossoms are very fragrant. 
 The day was still, and the heat, which soon 
 became very oppressive, appeared to bring 
 out strongly the refreshing scent of the 
 zygophyllaceous shrubs and the sweet per- 
 fume of the acacia. The snowy ridge we 
 had just crossed looked out conspicuously in 
 the northwest. In about five hours' ride, we 
 crossed a gap in the surrounding ridge, and 
 the appearance of skeletons of horses very 
 soon warned us that v/e were engaged in 
 another dry Jornada, which proved the long- 
 est we had made in all our journey — between 
 fifty and sixty miles without a drop of water. 
 . Travellers through countries affording 
 water and .timber, can have no conception of 
 
 our intolerable thirst while journeying over 
 the hot yellov.r sands of this elevated coun- 
 try, where the heated air seems to be entire- 
 ly deprived of moisture. We ate occasion- 
 ally the hisnada, and moistened our mouths 
 with the acid of the sour dock (rumex xeno- 
 sus). Hourly expecting to find water, we 
 continued to press on until towards midnight, 
 when, after a hard and uninterrupted march, 
 of 16 hours, our wild mules began running 
 ahead ; and in a mile or two we came to a. 
 bold running stream — so keen is the sense 
 of that animal, in the.se desert regions, in 
 scenting at a distance this necessary of life. 
 
 According to the information we had re- 
 ceived, Sevier river was a tributary of the 
 Colorado ; and this, accordingly, should have 
 been one of its afiiuents. It proved to be the 
 Rio ds los Ar.geles (river of tlie Angels)— s 
 branch of the Rio Virgen (river of the Vir- 
 gin)- 
 
 May 5. — On account of our animals, it 
 
 was necessary to remain to-day at this place. 
 Indians crowded numerously around us ins 
 the morning; and we were obliged to keep 
 arms in hand all day, to keep them out of 
 the camp. They began to surround the 
 horses, which, for the convenience of grass, 
 we were guarding a little above, on the river. 
 These were immediately driven in, and kept 
 close to the camp. 
 
 In the darkness of the night we had made 
 a very bad encampment, our fires being 
 commanded by a rocky bluff within 60 yards ; 
 but, notwithstanding, we had the river and 
 small thickets of willows on the other side. 
 Several times during the day the camp was 
 insulted by the Indians ; but, peace being our 
 object, I kept simply on the defensive. Some 
 of the Indians were on the bottoms, and others 
 haranguing us from the bluffs ; and they were 
 scattered in every direction over the hills.. 
 Their language being probably a dialect of 
 the Utah, with the aid of signs some of our 
 people could comprehend them very well. 
 They were the same people who had mur- 
 dered the Mexicans ; and towards us their 
 disposition was evidently hostile, nor were 
 we well disposed towards them. They were 
 barefooted, and nearly naked ; their hair gath- 
 ered up into a knot behind ; and with his 
 bow, each man carried a quiver with thirty 
 or forty arrows partially drawn out. Besides 
 these, each held in his hand two or three ar- 
 rows for instant service. Their arrows are 
 barbed with a very clear translucent stone, a^ 
 species of opal, nearly as hard as the dia- 
 mond ; and, shot from their long bow, arc aW 
 most as effective as a gunshot. In these 
 Indians, I was forcibly struck by an expres- 
 sion of countenance resembling that in & 
 beast of prey ; and all their actions are those 
 of wild animals. Joined to the restless mo- 
 tion of the eye, there is a want of mind — sit 
 
166 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1844. 
 
 absence of thought — am! an action ■svholly 
 by impulse, strongly expressed, and which 
 constantly recalls the similarity. 
 
 A man who appeared to be a chief, with 
 two or three other.s, forced himself into camp, 
 bringing with him his arm^, in spite of my 
 orders to the contrary. When shown our 
 weapons, he bored hi.^ ear with his fing;ers, 
 and suid he could not hear. '• Why," said 
 iie, " there are none of yon." Counting the 
 I>eople around the camp, and including in the 
 number a mule which was b?ing ehod, he 
 made out 23. " So many," said he, showing 
 the number, " and we — we are a great 
 many ;" and he p-jinted to tlie hills and moun- 
 tains round about. " If you have your arms," 
 naid lie, twanging his bow," we have these." 
 I had some difficulty in restraining the peo- 
 jilc, particularly Carson, who felt an inaull 
 uf this kind as much as if it had been given 
 by a more responsible being. '' Don't say 
 that, old man," eaid he ; " don't yon say that 
 — your life's in danger " — speaking in good 
 Bngiish ; and probably the old man was 
 nearer to his end than he will be before he 
 meets it. 
 
 Several animals had been necessarily left 
 behind near the camp last night ; and early 
 in the moniing, before the Indians made their 
 appearance, several men were sent to bring 
 them in. When I wa.s beginning to be un- 
 eaay at their absence, they returned witli in- 
 formation that they had been driven off from 
 the trail by Indians ; and, having followed 
 the tracks in a short distiiv.ce, they found the 
 -animals cut up and spread out upon buslies. 
 In the evening I gave a fatigued horse to 
 some of the Indians for a feast ; and the vil- 
 lage which carried him off refused to share 
 with the others, who made loud complaints 
 from the rocks of tlie partial distribution. 
 Many of these Indians had long sticks, hook- 
 ed at the end, which they used in hauling out 
 lizards, and other small animals, from their 
 holes. During the day they occasionally 
 roasted and ate lizards at our fires. These 
 belong to the people who are generally known 
 under the name of Diggers ; and to these I 
 have more particularly had reference when 
 oceasionally speaking of a people whose sole 
 occHputlon is to procure food sufficient to 
 support existence. The formation here con- 
 sists of fine yellow sandstone, alternating with 
 a coarse conglomerate, in which the stones 
 are from the size of ordinary gravel to six or 
 eight inches in diameter. This is the forma- 
 tion which renders the surface of the coun- 
 try so rocky, and gives us now a road alter- 
 nately of loose heavy sands and rolled stones, 
 which cripple the animals in a most extraor- 
 dinary manner. 
 
 On the following morning v.'e left the Rio 
 lie los Angeles^ and continued our way through 
 tije same dosolat© and revolting country, 
 
 where lizards were the only animal, and the 
 tracks of the lizard eaters the principal sign 
 of human brings. After twenty miles* 
 march through a road of hills and heavy 
 sands, we reached the most dreary river I 
 have ever scon — a deep rapid stream, almost 
 a torrent, piissing swiftly by, and roaring 
 against obstructions. The banks were 
 wooded with willow, acacia, and a frequent 
 plant of the country already mentioned 
 {Garrya eUi;itica'), grov/ing in thickets, re- 
 sembling willow, and bearing a small pink 
 flower. Crossing it, we encamped on tho 
 left bank, where we found a very little grass. 
 Our three remaining steers, being entirely 
 given out, were killed here. By the boiling 
 point, the elevation of the river here is 4,060 
 feet; and latitude, by observation, 30° 41' 
 33". The stream was rinming towards the 
 southwest, and appeared to come from a 
 snowy mountain in the north. It proved to 
 be the Rio Virgcn — a tributary to the Colo- 
 rado. Indians appeared in bands on the hills, 
 but did not come into camp. For several 
 days wc continued our journey up tho river, 
 the bottoms of which were thickly overgrown 
 with various kinds of brush ; and the sandy 
 soil was absolutely covered with the tracks 
 of Diggers, who followed us stealthily, lik© 
 a band of wolves ; and we had no opportunity 
 to leave behind, even for a few liours, tlie 
 tired animals, in order that they might be 
 brought into camp after a little repose. A 
 horse or mule, left behind, was taken off in a 
 moment. On the evening of the 8th, having 
 travelled 28 miles up the river from our first 
 encampment on it, we encamped at a little 
 grass plat, where a spring of cool water is- 
 sued from the bluff. On the oppo.-ite side 
 was a grove of cottonwoods at the mouth of 
 a fork, which here enters the river. On ei- 
 ther side the valley is bounded by ranges of 
 mountains, everywhere high, rocky, and 
 broken. The caravan road was lost and 
 scattered in the sandy country, and we had 
 been following an Indian trail up the river. 
 The hunters the next day were sent out to 
 reconnoitre, and in the meantime we moved 
 about a mile farther up, where we found a 
 good little patch of grass. There being only 
 sufficient grass for the night, the horses 
 were sent with a strong guard in charge of 
 Tabeau to a neighboring hollow, w here thety 
 might pasture during the day ; and, to be 
 ready in case the Indians should make any 
 attempt on the animals, several of the best 
 horses were pickcf.ed at th.e camp. In a few 
 hours the hunters returned, having found a 
 convenient ford in the river, and discovered 
 the Spanish trail on the other side. 
 
 I had been engaged in arranging plants ; 
 and, fatigued with the heat of the day, I fell 
 asleep in the afternoon, and did not awake 
 until sundown. Presently Carson caino to 
 
1844.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 167 
 
 me, and reported that Tabeao, who oarly in 
 the day had left his post, and, without my 
 knowledge, rode back to the camp we had 
 left, in search of a lame male, had not re- 
 turned. While we were speaking, a smoke 
 rose suddenly from the cottonwood prove be- 
 low, which plainly told us what had befali^^n 
 him ; it was raised to inform ihe surro^and- 
 ing Indians that a blow had been strucri, and 
 to tell them to he on their guard. Carson, 
 with several men we!! mounted, was instantly 
 sent down the river, but returned in the night 
 without tidings of the missing man. They 
 went to the camp we had left, but neither he 
 nor the mulo was there. Searching down 
 the river, they found the tracks of tiie mule, 
 evidently driven along by Indian?, whose 
 tracks v/ere on each side of those made by 
 the animal. After gning several miles, they 
 came to the mule ilseli, standing in some 
 bushes, mortally wounded in the side by an 
 arrow, and left to die, that it might be after- 
 wards butchered for food. They also found, 
 in another place, as they were hunting about 
 on the ground for Tabeau's tracks, some- 
 thing that looked like a little puddle of blood, 
 but which the darkness prevented them from 
 verifying. With these details they returned 
 to our camp, and their report saddened all our 
 hearts. 
 
 May 10. — This morning as soon as there 
 was light enough to follow tracks, I set out 
 myself, with Mr. Fitzpatrick and several 
 men, in search of Tabeau. We went to 
 the spot where the appearance of puddled 
 blood had been seen ; and this, we saw at 
 once, had been the place where he fell and 
 died. Blood upon the leaves, and beaten 
 down bushes, showed that he had got his 
 wound about twenty paces from where he 
 fell, and that he had stru^led for his life. 
 He had probably been shot through the 
 lungs with an arrow. From the place where 
 he lay and bled, it could be seen that he had 
 been dragged to the river bank, and thrown 
 into it. No vestige of what had belonged to 
 him could be found, except a fragment of his 
 horse equipment. Horse, gun, clothes — all 
 became the prey of these Arabs of the Nev/ 
 World. 
 
 Tabeau had been one of our best men, 
 and his unhappy death spread a gloom ovei 
 our party. Men, who have gone through 
 such dangers and sufferings as we had seen, 
 become like brothers, and feel each other's 
 loss. To defend and avenge each other, is 
 the deep feeling of all. We wished to 
 avenge iiis death ; but the condition of our 
 horses, languishing for grass and repose, 
 forbade an expedition into unknown moun- 
 tains. We knew the tribe who had done 
 tlic mischief — the same which had been in- 
 eulting our camp. They knew what they 
 deserved, and had the discretion to show 
 
 themselves to us no more. The day before, 
 they infested our camp; now, not one ap- 
 peared ; nor did we ever afterwards see but 
 one who even belonged to the same tribe, 
 and he at a distance. 
 
 Our camp was in a basin below a deej 
 canon — a gap of tv/o thousand feet de^ in> 
 the mountain- — througli which the ilio Virgfm. 
 passes, and where no man or beast could 
 follow it. The Spanish trail, which we had 
 lost in the sands of the basin, was on the 
 opposite side of the river. We crossed over 
 to it, and followed it northwardly towards -a 
 gap which was visible in the mountain. Wa 
 approached it by a defile, rendered difilculi 
 for our barefooted animals by the rocks 
 strewed along it ; and here t.he country 
 changed its character. From the time we 
 entered the desert, the mountains had been 
 bald and rocky ; here they began to be wood- 
 ed with cedar and pine, and clusters of trees 
 gave shelter to birds — a new and welcome 
 sight — which could not have lived in the 
 desert we had passed. 
 
 Descending a long hollow, towards the 
 narrow valley of a stream, we sav/ before us 
 a snowy mountain, far beyond which ap- 
 peared another more lofty still. Good bunch 
 grass began to appear on the hill sides, and 
 here we found a singular variety of inter- 
 esting fihruba. The changed appearance of 
 the country infused among our people a 
 more lively spirit, which was heightened 
 by finding at evening a halting place of very 
 good grass on the clear waters of the Santa 
 Clara fork of the Rio Virgen. 
 
 May 11. — The morning was cloudy and 
 quite cool, with a shower of rain — the first 
 we have had since entering the desert, a pe- 
 riod of twenty-seven days ; and we seem to 
 have entered a different climate, with the 
 usual weather of the Rocky mountains. 
 Our march to-day was very laborious, over 
 ver)' broken ground, along the Santa Clara 
 river ; but then the country is no longer so- 
 distressingly desolate. The stream is pret- 
 tily wooded with sweet cottonwood trees — 
 some of them of large size ; and on the hills„ 
 where the nut pine is often seen, a good and 
 wholesome grass occurs frequently. This 
 cottonwood, which is now in fruit, is of a 
 different species from any in Michaux's Sylva, 
 Heavy dark clouds covered the sky in the 
 evening, and a cold wind sprang up, making, 
 fires and overcoats comfortable. 
 
 May 12. — A little above our encampment, 
 the river forked ; and we continued up the 
 right-hand branch, gradually ascending try- 
 wards the summit of the mountain. As we 
 rose towards the head of the creek, the 
 snowy mountain on our right showed out 
 handsomely — high and rugged with preci- 
 pices, and covered with snow for about two 
 thousand feet from their summits down. 
 
168 
 
 CAPT FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1841. 
 
 Our animals were somewhat repaid for their 
 hard marches by an excellent camping ground 
 on the summit of the ridge, which forms here 
 tlie dividing chain between the waters of the 
 Rio Virgen, which goes south to the Colora- 
 do, and those of Sevier river, flowing north- 
 wardly, and belonging to the Great Ba.sin. 
 Wc considered ourselves as crossing the rim 
 of the basin ; and, entering it at this point, we 
 found here an e.xteiisive mountain meadow, 
 rich in bunch grass, and fresh with numerous 
 springs of clear water, all refreshing and 
 delightful to look upon. It was, in fact, tiiat 
 las Vegas de Sanfa Clara, which had been 
 so long presented to us as the terminating 
 point of the desert, and where the annual 
 caravan from California to New Mexico 
 halted and recruited for some weeks. It 
 was a very suitable place to recover from 
 the fatigue and exhaustion of a month's 
 suffering in the hot and sterile desert. The 
 meadow was about a mile wide, and some 
 ten miles long, bordered by grassy hills and 
 mountains — some of the latter rising two 
 thousand feet, and white with snow down to 
 the level of the vegas. Its elevation above 
 the sea was 6,280 feet ; latitude, by obser- 
 vation, 37° 28' 28" ; and its distance from 
 where we first struck the Spanish trail about 
 four hundred miles. Counting from the 
 time we reached the desert, and began to 
 skirt, at our descent from Walker's Pass in 
 tlie Sierra Nevada, we had travelled 550 
 miles, occupying twenty-seven days, in that 
 inhospitable region. In passing before the 
 great caravan, we had the advantage of 
 finding more grass, but the disadvantage of 
 finding also the marauding savages, who 
 had gathered down upon tlie trail, waiting 
 the approach of that prey. This greatly 
 increased our labors, besides costing us the 
 life of an excellent man. Wc had to move 
 all day in a state of watch, and prepared 
 for combat — scouts and flankers out, a front 
 and rear division of our men, and baggage 
 animals in the centre. At night, camp duty 
 was severe. Those who had toiled all day, 
 had to guard, by turns, the camp and the 
 horses, all night. Frequently one third of 
 the whole party were on guard at once ; 
 and nothing but this vigilance saved us 
 from attack. We were constantly dog- 
 ged by bands, and even whole tribes of 
 the marauders; and although Tabeau 
 was killed, and our camp infested and 
 insulted by some, while swarms of them 
 remained on the hills and mountain sides, 
 there was manifestly a consultation and cal- 
 culation going on, to decide the question of 
 attacking us. Having reached the resting 
 place of the Vegas de Santa Clara, we had 
 complete relief from the heat and privations 
 of the desert, and some relaxation from the 
 severity of tjamp duty. Some relaxation, 
 
 and relaxation only — for camp guards, horse 
 guards, and scouts, are indispensable from 
 the time of leaving the frontiers of Missouri 
 until we return to them. 
 
 After we left the Vegas, we had the grati- 
 fication to be joined by the famous hunter 
 and trapper, Mr. .Joseph Walker, whom I 
 have before mentioned, and who now be- 
 came our guide. He had left California 
 with the great caravan ; and perceiving, 
 from the signs along the trail, that there 
 was a party of whites ahead, which he 
 judged to be mine, he detached himself 
 from the caravan, with eight men, (Ameri- 
 cans,) and ran the gauntlet of the desert 
 robbers, killing two, and getting some of the 
 horses wounded, and succeeded in overta- 
 king us. Nothing but his great knowledge 
 of the country, great courage and presence 
 of mind, and good rifles, could have brought 
 him safe from such a perilous enterprise. 
 
 Ma>/ 13. — We remained one day at this 
 noted place of rest and refreshment ; and, 
 resuming our progress in a northeastwardly 
 direction, we descended into a broad valley, 
 the water of which is tributary to Sevier 
 lake. The next day we came in sight of 
 the Wah-satch range of mountains on the 
 right, white with snow, and here forming 
 the southeast part of the Great Basin. 
 Sevier lake, upon the waters of which we 
 now were, belonged to the system of lakes 
 in the eastern part of the Basin — of whicli, 
 the Great Salt lake, and its southern limb, 
 the Utaii lake, were the principal — towards 
 the region of which we were now approach- 
 ing. We travelled for several days in this 
 direction, within the rim of the Great Basin, 
 crossing little streams which bore to the left 
 for Sevier lake ; and plainly seeing, by the 
 changed aspect of the country, that we were 
 entirely clear of the desert, and approaching 
 the regions which appertained to the sys- 
 tem of the Rocky mountains. We met, in 
 this traverse, a few mounted Utah Indians, 
 in advance of their main body, watching the 
 approach of the great caravan. 
 
 Mai/ 16. — We reached a small salt lake, 
 about seven miles long and one broad, at the 
 northern extremity of which we encamped 
 for the night. This little lake, which well 
 merits its characteristic name, lies imme- 
 diately at the base of the Wah-.satch range, 
 and nearly opposite a gap in that chain of 
 mountains through which the Spanish trail 
 passes ; and which, again falling upon the 
 waters of the Colorado, and crossing that 
 river, proceeds over a mountainous country 
 to Santa Fe. 
 
 May 17. — After 4-10 miles of travelling 
 on a trail, which served for a road, we again 
 found ourselves under the necessity of ex- 
 ploring a track through the wilderness. 
 The Spanish, trail had borne off to the 
 
1844.]: 
 
 GAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE; 
 
 l^ 
 
 southeast, crossing the Wah-satch range. 
 Our course led to the northeast, along the 
 foot of that range, and leaving it on the 
 right. The mountain presented itself to us 
 under the form of several ridges, rising one 
 ubove. the other, rocky, and wooded with 
 pine and cedar ; the last ridge covered with 
 snow. Seviev river, flowing northwardly to 
 the lake of the same name, collects its prin- 
 cipal waters from this section of the Wah- 
 satch chain. We had now entered a region 
 of great pastoral promise, abounding with 
 tiue streams, the rich bunch grass, soil that 
 would produce wheat, and indigenous liax 
 growing as if it had been sown. Consistent 
 with the general character of its bordering 
 mountains, this fertility of soil and vegeta- 
 tion does not extend fir into the Great 
 Basin. Mr. Joseph Walker, our guide, and 
 who has more knowledge of these parts than 
 any man I know, informed me that all the 
 country to the left was unknown to him, 
 and that even the Digger tribes, which fre- 
 quented Lake Sevier, could tell him nothing 
 about it. 
 
 Mai/ 20.-— We met a band of Utah In- 
 dians, headed by a well-known chief, who 
 had obtained the American or English 
 name of Walker, by which he is quoted 
 and well known. They were all mounted, 
 armed with rifles, and use their rifles well. 
 The chief had a fusee, which he had carried 
 slung, in addition to his rifle. They were 
 journeying slowly towards the Spanish trail, 
 to levy their usual tribute upon the great 
 Californian caravan. They were robbers 
 of a higher order than those of the desert. 
 They conducted their depredations with i 
 form, and under the color of trade and toll 
 for passing through their country. Instead 
 of attacking and killing, they affect to pur- 
 chase — taking the horses they like, and giv- 
 ing something nominal in return. The 
 chief was quite civil to me. He was per- 
 sonally acquainted with his namesake, our 
 guide, who made my name known to liim. 
 He knew of my expedition of 1842; and, 
 as tokens of friendship, and proof that we 
 had met, proposed an interchange of pres- 
 ents. We had no great store to choose out 
 of; so he gave me a Mexican blanket, and 
 I gave him a very fme one which I had ob- 
 tained at Vancouver. 
 
 May 23. — We reached Sevier river — the 
 main tributary of the lake of the same name 
 — which, deflecting from its northern course, 
 here breaks from the mountains to enter the 
 lake. It was really a fine river, from eight 
 to twelve feet deep; and, after searching in 
 vain for a fordable place, we made little 
 boats (or, rather, rafts) out of bulrushes, 
 and ferried across. These rails are readily 
 made, and give a good conveyance across a 
 river.. The rushes are bound in bundles, 
 
 and lied hard ; the bundles are tied down 
 upon poles, as close as they can be pressed, 
 and fashioned like a boat, in being broader 
 in the middle and pointed at the ends. The 
 rushes, being tubular and jointed, are light 
 and strong. The raft swims well, and is 
 shoved along by poles, or paddled, or pushed 
 and pulled by swimmers, or drawn by ropes. 
 On this occasion, we used ropes — one at 
 each end — and rapidly drew our little float 
 backwards and forv/ards, from shore to 
 shore. The horses swam. At our place 
 of crossing, which was the most northern 
 point of its bend, the latitude was 3!P 22' 
 19". The banks sustained the charactei 
 for fertility and vegetation which we had 
 seen for some days. The name of this 
 river and lake was an indication of our ap- 
 proach to regions of which our people had 
 been the explorers. It was probably named 
 after some American trapper or hunter, and 
 was the first American name we had met 
 with since leaving the Columbia river. 
 From the Dalles to the point where we 
 turned across the Sierra Nevada, near 1,000 
 miles, we heard Indian names, and the 
 greater part of the distance none ; from 
 Nueva Helvetia (Sacramento) to las Vegas 
 de Santa Clara, about 1,000 more, all were 
 Spanish ; from the Mississippi to the Pa- 
 cific, French and American or English 
 were intermixed : and this prevalence of 
 names indicates the national character of 
 the first explorers. 
 
 We had here the mi-sfortune to lose one of 
 our people, Fran(;ois Badeau, who had been 
 with me in both expeditions ; during which 
 he had always been one of my most faithful 
 and efllcient men. He was killed in drawing 
 towards him a gun by t!ie muzzle ; the ham- 
 mer being caught, discharged the gnn, dri- 
 ving the ball through his head. We buried 
 him on the banks of t!je river. 
 
 Crossing the .lext day a slight ridge along 
 the river, we entered a handsome mountain 
 valley covered with fine grass, and directed 
 our course toward.s a high snowy peak, at 
 the foot of which lay the Utah lake. On 
 our right was a bed of high mountains, their 
 summits covered with snow, constituting the 
 dividing ridge between the Basin water.'* 
 and those of the Colorado. At noon we fell 
 in with a party of Utah Indians coming out 
 of tlie mountain, and in the afternoon en- 
 camped on a tributary to the lake, which is 
 separated from the waters of the Sevier by 
 very slight dividing grounds. 
 
 Early the next day we came in sight of 
 the lake ; and, as we descended to the 
 broad bottoms of the Spanish fork, three 
 horsenien were seen galloping towards us, 
 who proved to be Utah Indians — scouts 
 from a village, v.'hich was encamped near 
 the mouth of the river. They were armed 
 
170 
 
 CAPT. "FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1844. 
 
 with rifles, and their horaes wore in pood 
 condition. We encamped near them, on the 
 Spanish fork, which is one of the principal 
 tributaries to the lake. P'inding the Indians 
 troublesome, and desirous to remain here a 
 day, we removed the next morning farther 
 down the lake, and encamped on a fertile 
 bottom near the foot of the same mountain- 
 ous ridge which borders the Great Salt 
 lake, and along which we had journeyod the 
 previous September. Here the principal 
 plants in bloom were two, which were re- 
 markable as affording to the Snake Indians 
 — the one an abundant supply of food, and 
 the other the most useful among the appli- 
 cations which they use for wounds. These 
 were the kooyah plant, growing in fields of 
 extraordinary luxuriance, and convollaria 
 ■stellata, which, from the experience of Mr. 
 Walker, is the best remedial plant known 
 among those Indians. A few miles below 
 us was another village of Indians, from 
 vv'hich we obtained some fish — among them 
 a few salmon trout, which were very much 
 inferior in size to those along the Califor- 
 nian mountains. The season for taking 
 them had not yet arrived; but the Indians 
 were daily expecting them to come up out 
 of the lake. 
 
 We had now accomplished an object we 
 had in view when leaving the Dalles of the 
 Columbia in November last : we had reach- 
 ^d the Utah lake ; but by a route very dif- 
 ferent from what we had intended, and 
 without sufficient time remaining to make 
 the e.vaminations which were desired. It 
 is a lake of note in this country, under the 
 dominion of the Utahs, who resort to it for 
 fish. Its greatest breadth is about 15 miles, 
 stretching far to the north, narrowing as it 
 goes, and connecting with the Great Salt 
 lake. Tliis is the report, and which I be- 
 lieve to be correct ; bat it is fresh water, 
 while the other is not only salt, but a satu- 
 rated solution of salt ; and liere is a problem 
 which requires to be solved. It is almost 
 entirely surrounded by mountains, walled on 
 the north and east by a high and snov.y 
 range, which supplies to it a fan of tributa- 
 ry streams. Among these, the principal 
 river is the Timpnn-o'^o — signifying Kock 
 river — a name which the rocky grandeur of 
 its scenery, remarkable even in this coun- 
 try of rugged mountains, has obtained for it 
 from the Indians. In the Utah language, 
 o{^-wdh-be, the term for river, when cou- 
 pled with other words in conmion conversa- 
 tion, is usually abbreviated to ogo ; timpan 
 signifying rock. It is probable that this 
 river furnished the name which on the older 
 maps has been generally applied to the 
 Great Salt lake ; but for this I have prefer- 
 red a name whicli will be regarded as high- 
 ly characteristic, restricliog to tho river the 
 
 descriptive term Timpan-ogo, and leaving 
 for the lake into which it flows the name of 
 the people who reside on its shores, and by 
 which it is known throughout the country. 
 
 The volume of water aflbrded by the 
 Timpan-ogo is probably equal to that of the 
 Sevier river; and, at the time of our visit, 
 there was only one place in the lake valley 
 at which the Spanish fork was fordable. la 
 the cove of mountains along its eastern 
 shore, the lake is bordered by a plain, where 
 the soil is generally good, and in greater 
 part fertile ; watered by a delta of prettily 
 timbered streams. This would be an ex- 
 cellent locality for stock farms ; it is goner- 
 ally covered with good bunch grass, and 
 would abundantly produce the ordinary 
 grains. 
 
 In arriving at the Utah lake, we had com- 
 pleted an immense circuit of twelve degrees 
 diameter north and south, and ten degrees 
 east and west ; and found ourselves, in May, 
 1844, on the same sheet of water which we 
 had left in September, 1843. The Utah is 
 the southern limb of the Great Salt lake ; 
 and thus we had seen that remarkable sheet 
 of water both at its northern and southern 
 extremity, and were able to fix its position 
 at these two points. The circuit which we 
 had made, and which had cost us eight 
 months of time, and 3,500 miles of travel- 
 ling, had given us a view of Oregon and of 
 North California from the Rocky mountains 
 to the Pacific ocean, and of the two princi- 
 pal streams which form bays or harbors on 
 the coast of that sea. Having comfJeted 
 this circuit, and being now about to turn 
 the back upon the Pacific slojje of our con- 
 tinent, and to recross the Rocky mountains, 
 it is natural to look back upon our footsteps, 
 and take some brief view of the leading 
 features and general structure of the coun- 
 try we had traversed. These are peculiar and 
 striking, and differ essentially from the At- 
 lantic side of our country. The mountains 
 all are higher, more numerous, and more 
 distinctly defined in their ranges and direc- 
 tions ; and, what is so contrary to the natu- 
 ral order of such formations, one of these 
 ranges, which is near the coast, (the Sier.'-* 
 Nevada and tho Coast Range,) presents 
 higher elevations and peaks than any which 
 are to be found in the Rocky mountains 
 themselves. In our eight months' circuit, 
 we were never out of sight of snow ; and 
 the Sierra Nevada, where we crossed it, 
 was near 2.000 feet higher than the South 
 Pass in the Rocky mountains. In height, 
 these mountains greatly exceed those of the 
 Atlantic side, constantly presenting peaks 
 whicli enter the region of eternal snow ; 
 and some t)f them volcanic, and in a fre- 
 quent state of activity. They are aeon at 
 
1644.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 171 
 
 great distances, and guide the traveller in 
 his courses. 
 
 The course and elevation of these ranges 
 give direction to the rivers and character to 
 the coast. No great river docs, or can, take 
 its rise below the Cascade and Sierra Ne- 
 vada range ; the distance to the sea is too 
 short to admit of it. The rivers of the San 
 Francisco bay, which are the largest after 
 the Columbia, arc local to that bay, and 
 lateral to the coast, having their sources 
 about on a line with the Dalles of the Co- 
 lumbia, and running each in a valley of its 
 Own, between Coast range and the Cascade 
 and Sierra Nevada range. The Columbia 
 is the only river which traverses the whole 
 breadth of the country, breaking through 
 all the ranges, and entering the sea. Draw- 
 ing its waters from a section of ten de- 
 grees of latitude in the Rocky mountains, 
 which are collected into one stream by 
 three main forks (Lewis's, Clark's, and the 
 Norlli fork) near the centre of the Oregon 
 valley, this great river thence proceeds by 
 a single channel to the sea, while its three 
 forks lead each to a pass in the mountains, 
 which opens the, way into the interior of 
 the continent. This fact in relation to the 
 rivers of this region gives an immense val- 
 ue to the Columbia. Its mouth is the only 
 inlet and outlet to and from the sea ; its 
 three forks lead to the passes in the moun- 
 tains ; it is therefore the only line of com- 
 munication between the Pacilic and the in- 
 terior of North America; and all operations 
 of war or commerce, of national or social 
 intercourse, must be conducted upon it. 
 This gives it a value beyond estimation, and 
 would involve irreparable injury if lost. In 
 this unity and concentration of its waters, 
 the Pacific side of our continent differs en- 
 tirely from the Atlantic side, where the 
 waters of the Alleghany mountains are dis- 
 persed into many rivers, having their differ- 
 ent entrances into the sea, and opening 
 many lines of communication with the in- 
 terior. I 
 
 The Pacific coast is equally different j 
 from that of ihe Atlantic. The coast of i this kind, and quite a large one; and hav- 
 the Atlantic is low an<l open, indented with ing many streams, and one considerable 
 numerous bays, sounds, and river estuaries, | river, four or five hundred miles lon^ 
 
 mountains, with its concentration and unity 
 of waters, gives to the countiy an immense 
 military .strength, and will probably render 
 Oregon the most impregnable country in 
 the world. 
 
 Differing so much from the Atlantic side 
 of our continent, in coast, mountains, and 
 rivers, the Pacific side differs from it in 
 another most rare and singular feature — 
 that of the Great interior Basin, of which I 
 have so often spoken, and the whole form 
 and character of which I was so anxious to 
 ascertain. Its existence is vouched for by 
 such of the American traders and hunters 
 as have some knowledge of that region ; 
 the structure of the Sierra Nevada range 
 of mountains requires it to be there ; and 
 my own observations confirm it. Mr. 
 Joseph Walker, who is so well acquainted 
 in tho.?e parts, informed mc that, from the 
 Great Salt lake west, there was a succes- 
 sion of lakes and rivers which have no 
 outlet to the sea, nor any connection with 
 the Columbia, or with the Colorado of the 
 Gulf of California. He described some 
 of these lakes as being large, with numerous 
 streams, and even considerable rivers, 
 falling into them. In fact, all concur in 
 the general report of these interior rivers 
 and lakes ; and, for want of understanding 
 the force and power of evaporation, which 
 so soon establishes an equilibrium between 
 the loss and supply of waters, the fable of 
 whirlpools and subterraneous outlets has 
 gained belief, as the only imaginable way 
 of carrying off^ the waters which have no 
 visible discharge. The structure of the 
 country would require this for.mation of in- 
 terior lakes ; for the waters whicli would 
 collect between the Rocky mountains and 
 the Sierra Nevada, not being able to cross 
 this formidable barrier, nor to get to the 
 Columbia or the Colorado, must naturally 
 collect into reservoirs, each of which would 
 have its little svstcm of streams and rivers 
 to supply it. This would be the natural 
 effect ; and what I saw went to confirm it. 
 The Great Salt lake is a fonuation of 
 
 accessible everywhere, and opening by many 
 channels into the heart of the country. The 
 Pacific coast, on the contrary, is high and 
 compact, with few bays, and but one that 
 opens into the heart of the country. The 
 immediate coast is what the seamen call 
 iron bound. A little within, it is skirted 
 by two successive ranges of mountains, 
 standing as ramparts between the sea and 
 the interior country ; and to get tlirough 
 which, there is but one gate, and that nar- 
 row and easily defended. This structure 
 of the coast, backed by these two ranges of 
 
 falling into it. This lake and river 1 saw 
 and examined myself; and also saw the 
 Wah-satch and Bear River mountains which 
 enclose the waters of the lake on the east, 
 and con.stitute, in that quarter, the rim of 
 the Great Basin. Afterwards, along the 
 eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, where 
 we travelled for forty-two days, I saw the 
 line of lakes and rivers which lie at the 
 foot of that Sierra ; and which Sierra is 
 the western rim of the Basin. In going- 
 down Lewis's fork and the main Columbia, 
 I crossed ouly inferior streams coming in 
 
172 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1811. 
 
 from the left, such as couUl draw theiv 
 •water from a short distance only ; and I 
 often saw the mountains at their heads, 
 xvhite with snow ; which, all accounts said, 
 divided the waters of the desert from those 
 of the Columbia, and which could be no 
 other than the range of mountains which 
 form the rim of the }3asin on its northern 
 side. And in returning from California 
 along the Spanish trail, as far as the head 
 of the Santa Clara fork of the Rio Virgen, 
 1 crossed only small streams making their 
 way south to the Colorado, or lost in sand — 
 as the Mo-hah-ve ; while to the left, lofty 
 mountains, their summits white with snow, 
 were often visible, and which must have 
 turned water to the north as well as to the 
 south, and thus constituted, on this part, 
 the southern rim of the Basin. At the 
 head of the Santa Clara fork, and in the 
 Vegas de Santa Clara, we crossed the 
 ridge which parted the two systems of 
 waters. We entered the Basin at that 
 point, and have travelled in it ever since, 
 having its southeastern rim (the Wah-satch 
 mountain) on the right, and crossing the 
 streams which flow down into it. The ex- 
 istence of the Basin is therefore an estab- 
 lished fact in my mind ; its extent and con- 
 tents are yet to be better ascertained. It 
 cannot be less than four or five hundred 
 miles each way, and must lie principally in 
 the Alta California ; the demarcation lati- 
 tude of 42'-' probably cutting a segment 
 from the north part of the rim. Of its in- 
 terior, but little is known. It is called a 
 desert, and, from what I saw of it, sterility 
 may be its prominent characteristic ; but 
 •where there is so much water, there must 
 be some oasis. The great river, and the 
 great lake, reported, rnay not be equal to 
 the report ; but whore there is so much 
 snow, there must be streams ; and where 
 (there is no outlet, there must be lakes to 
 hold the accumulated waters, or sands to 
 swallow them up. In tliis eastern part of 
 the Basin, containing Sevier, Utah, and the 
 Great Salt lakes, and the rivers and creeks 
 falling into them, we know there is good 
 aoil and good grass, adapted to civilized 
 settlements. lu the western part, on Sal- 
 mon Trout river, and some other streams, 
 the same remark may be made. 
 
 The contents of this Great Basin are yet 
 to be examined. That it is peopled, we 
 know; but miserably and sparsely. From 
 iill that I heard and saw, I should say that 
 humanity here appeared in its lowest form, 
 and in its most elementary state. Dis- 
 persed in single families; without fire-arms; 
 eating seeds and insects ; digging roots, 
 (and hence their name,) — such is the con- 
 dition of the greater part. Others are a 
 (degree higher, and live in communities 
 
 upon some lake or river that supplies fish, 
 and from which they repulse the miserable 
 Digger. The rabbit is the largest animal 
 known in this desert ; its flesh affords a 
 little meat; and their bag-like covering is 
 made of its skins. The wild sage is their 
 only wood, and here it is of extraordi- 
 nary size — sometimes a foot in diameter, 
 and six or eight feet high. It serves for 
 fuel, for building material, for shelter to the 
 rabbits, and for some sort of covering for 
 the feet and legs in cold weather. Such 
 are the accounts of the inhabitants and pro- 
 ductions of the Great Basin; and which, 
 though imperfect, must have some founda- 
 tion, and excite our desire to know the 
 whole. 
 
 The whole idea of such a desert, and such 
 a people, is a novelty in our country, and 
 excites Asiatic, not American ideas. Inte- 
 rior basins, with their own systems of lakes 
 and rivers, and often sterile, are common 
 enough in Asia ; people still in the elemen- 
 tary state of families, living in deserts, with 
 no other occupation than the mere animal 
 search for food, may still be seen in that 
 ancient quarter of the globe ; but in Ameri- 
 ca such things are new and strange, un- 
 known and unsuspected, and discredited 
 when related. But I flatter myself that 
 what is discovered, though not enough to 
 satisfy curiosity, is sufficient to excite it, and. 
 that subsequent explorations will complete 
 what has been commenced. 
 
 This account of the Great Basing it will 
 be remembered, belongs to the Alta Cali- 
 fornia, and has no application to Oregon, 
 whose capabilities ma}' justify a separate 
 remark. Referring to my journal for par- 
 ticular descriptions, and for sectional boun- 
 daries between good and bad districts, I can 
 only say, in general and comparative terms, 
 that, in that branch of agriculture which im- 
 plies the cultivation of grains and staple 
 crops, it would be inferior to the Atlantic 
 States, though many parts are superior for 
 wheat ; while in the rearing of flocks and 
 herds it would claim a high place. Its 
 grazing capabilities are great ; and even ill 
 the indigenous grass now there, an^lemertt 
 of individual and national wealth may be 
 found. In fact, the valuable grasses begin 
 within one hundred and fifty miles of the 
 Missouri frontier, and extend to the Pacific 
 ocean. East of the Rocky mountains, it i's 
 the short curly grass, on which the buffalo 
 delight to feed, (whence its name of buffalo,) 
 and which is still good when dry and appa- 
 rently dead. West of those mountains it is 
 a larger grov.'th, in clusters, and hence called 
 bunch grass, and which has a second or foil 
 growth. Plains and mountains both exhibit 
 them ; and I have seen good pasturage at ah 
 elevation of ten thousand feet. la this 
 
1844.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE; 
 
 173 
 
 spontaneous product the trading or travelling 
 caravans can find subsistence for their ani- 
 mals ; and in inilitar}' operations any num- 
 ber of cavalry may be moved, and any num- 
 ber of cattle may be driven ; and thus men 
 and horses be supported on long expeditions, 
 and even in winter, in the sheltered situa- 
 tions. 
 
 Commercially, the value of the Oregon 
 country must be great, washed as it is by 
 the north Pacific ocean — fronting Asia — 
 producing many of the elements of co:n- 
 nierce — mild and healthy in its climate — 
 and becoming, as it naturally will, a tho- 
 roughfare for the East India and China 
 trade. 
 
 , Turning our faces once more eastward, 
 on the morning of the 27th we left the Utah 
 lake, and continued ibr two days to ascend 
 ' the Spanish fork, whicli is dispersed in nu- 
 merous branches among very rugged moun- 
 tains, which afford few passes, and render a 
 familiar acquaintance with them necessary 
 to the traveller. The stream can scarcely 
 be said to have a valley, the mountains rising 
 often abruptly from the water's edge ; but a 
 good trail facilitated our travelling, and there 
 were frequent bottoms, covered with excel- 
 lent grass. The streams are prettily and 
 variously wooded ; and everywhere the 
 mountain shows grass and timber. 
 
 At our encampment on the evening of the 
 28th, near the head of one of the branches 
 we had ascended, strata of bituminous lime- 
 . stone were displayed in an escarpment on the 
 river bluffs, in which were contained a vari- 
 ety of fossil shells of new species. 
 
 It will be remembered, that in crossing 
 this ridge about 120 miles to the northward 
 in August last, strata of fossiliferous rock 
 were discovered, which have been referred 
 to the oolitic period ; it is probable that 
 these rocks also belong to the same forma- 
 tion. 
 
 A few miles from this encampment we 
 reached the bed of the stream ; and cross- 
 ing, by an open and easy pass, the dividing 
 ridge which separates the waters of the 
 Great Basin from those of the Colorado, 
 we reached the head branches of one of its 
 larger tributaries, which, from the decided 
 color of its waters, has received the name 
 of White river. The snows of the moun- 
 tains were now beginning to melt, and all 
 ;the little rivulets were running by in rivers, 
 and rapidly becoming difficult to ford. Con- 
 tinuing a few miles up a branch of White 
 river, we crossed a dividing ridge between 
 its waters and tlirtse of the Uintah. The 
 approach to the pass, which is the best 
 known to Mr. Walker, was somewhat diffi- 
 cult for packs, and impracticable for wag- 
 -cns — all the streams being shut in by narr 
 
 row ravines, and the narrow trail along the 
 steep hill sides allov^ing the passage of only 
 one anitnal at a time. From the summit we 
 had a fine view of the snowy Bear River 
 range ; and there were still remaining beds 
 of snow on the cold sides of the hills near 
 the pass. We descended by a narrow ra- 
 vine, in which was rapidly gathered a little 
 branch of the Uintah, and halted to noon 
 about 1,500 feet below the pass, at an ele- 
 vation, by the boiling, point, of 6,900 feet 
 above the sea. 
 
 The next day we descended along the 
 river, and about noon reached a point where 
 three forks come together. Fording one of 
 these with sdme difficulty, we continued up 
 the middle branch, which, from the color of 
 its waters, is named the Red river. The few 
 passes, and extremely rugged nature of the 
 country, give to it great strength, and secure 
 the Utahs from the intrusion of their ene- 
 mies. Crossing in the afternoon a some- 
 what broken highland, covered in places 
 with fine grasses, and with cedar on the hill 
 sides, we encamped at evening on another 
 tributary to the Uinta/i, called the Duchesne 
 fork. The water was very clear, the stream 
 not being yet swollen by the melting snows ; 
 and we forded it without any difficulty. It 
 is a considerable branch, being spread out 
 by islands, the largest arm being about a 
 hundred feet wide ; and the name .it bears 
 is probably that of some old French trap- 
 per. 
 
 The next day we contintied down the 
 river, which we were twice obliged to cross ; 
 and, the vt-ater having risen during the night, 
 it was almost everywhere too deep to be 
 forded. After travelling about sixteen 
 miles, we encamped again on the left bank. 
 
 I obtained here an occiiltation of ^ Scor- 
 pii at the dark limb of the moon, which 
 gives for the longitude of the place 112° 
 18' 30", and the latitude 40^ 18' 53". 
 
 June 1. — We left to-day the Duchesne 
 fork, and, after traversing a broken country 
 for about sixteen miles, arrived at noon at 
 another considerable branch, a river of great 
 velocity, to which the trappers have im- 
 properly given the name of Lake fork. The 
 name ajjplied to it by the Indians signifies 
 great swiftness, and is the same which they 
 use to express the speed of a racehorse. 
 It is spread out in various channels over 
 several hundred yards, and is- everywhere 
 too deep and swift to be tbrded. At this 
 season of the year, there is an uninterrupted, 
 noise from the large rocks which are rolled 
 along the bed. After infinite difficulty, and 
 the delay of a day, we succeeded in getting 
 the stream bridged, and got over with the 
 loss of one of our animals. Continuing our 
 route across a broken country, of which the 
 higher parts were rocky and timbered with. 
 
174 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [le-l*. 
 
 cedar, and the lower parts covered with 
 good grass, we rea'-hed, on the afternoon of 
 the 3d, the Uintah fort, a trading post be- 
 longing to Mr. A. RouhiJeau, on the princi- 
 pal fork of the Uintah river. We found the 
 stream nearly as rapid and difficult as tlie 
 Lake fork, divided into several channels, 
 which were too broad to be bridged. With 
 the aid of guides from tlie fort, we succeed- 
 ed, with very great diiilculty, in fording it ; 
 and encamped near .the fort, which is situ- 
 ated a short di.stancc above the junction of 
 two branches which make the river. 
 
 By an immersion of the 1st satellite, 
 (agreeing well with the result of the occul- 
 tation observed at the Duchesne fork,) the 
 longitude of the post is IC'J-^ 56' 42", the 
 latitude 40o 27' 45". 
 
 It has a motley garrison of Canadian and 
 Spanish engages a.i\d hunters, with the usual 
 number of Indian women. We obtained a 
 small supply of sugar and coffee, with some 
 dried moat and a cow, which was a very 
 acceptable change from the pinoli on which 
 wo had subsisted for some weeks past. I 
 strengthened my party at (his place by the 
 addition of Auguste Archambeau, an ex- 
 cellent voyageur and hunter, belonging to 
 the class of Carson and Godey. 
 
 On the morning of tlie 5th we left the 
 fort* and the Uintah river, and continued 
 our road over a broken country, which af- 
 forded, however, a rich addition to our bo- 
 tanical collection ; and, after a march of 
 25 mile:?, were again checked by another 
 stream, called Ashley's fork, where we 
 were detained until noon of the next day. 
 
 An immersion of the 2d satellite gave for 
 this place a longitude of lOO'J 27' 07". the 
 latitude by observation being 40'^ 28' 07". 
 
 In the afternoon of the next day we suc- 
 ceeded in finding a ford ; and, after travel- 
 ling fifteen miles, encamped high up on the 
 mountain side, where we found excellent 
 and abundant grass, which we had not hith- 
 erto 6cen. A new species of elymus^ which 
 had a purgative and weakening eti'ect upon 
 the animals, had occurred abundantly since 
 leaving the fort. From this point, by ob- 
 servation 7,300 feet above the sea, we had 
 a view of the Colorado below, shut up 
 amongst rugged mountains, and which is 
 the recipient of all the streams we had been 
 crossing since we pas.sed the rim of the 
 Great Basin at the head of the Spanish 
 fork. 
 
 On the 7th wc had a plcas:ant but long 
 
 * Thifl fort wa.s attacked and taken by a 
 band of the Utah Indiaus fiince we paj58ed it ; 
 aiul the mea of the garriftou kilied, the women 
 carried ofl: Mr. R^ubidoau, a trader of St. 
 Louis, was cb9«nt, ami go escaped the fate of 
 the rest. 
 
 day's journey, through beautiful little ▼&!• 
 leys and a high mountain oountry, arriving 
 about evening at the verge of a steep and 
 rocky ravine, by which we descended to 
 " Brown s hoU.'^ This is a place wxdl 
 known to trappers in the country, where the 
 canons through which the Colorado runs ex- 
 pand into a narrow but pretty valley, about 
 sixteen miles in leVigth. The river wao 
 several hundred yards in breadth, swolle*! 
 to the top of its banks, naar to which it wa« 
 in many places fifteen to twenty feet deep. 
 We repaired a skin boat which had been 
 purchased at the fort, and, after a delay o{' a 
 day, reached the opposite banks with much 
 less delay than had b<;en encountered on tl»« 
 Uintah waters. According to information, 
 the lower end of the valley is the most 
 eastern part of the Colorado ; and the lati 
 tude of our encampment, which was oppo- 
 site to the remains of an old fort on the left 
 bank of the river, was 40^ 46' 27", and, by 
 observation, the elevation above the sea 
 5,150 feet. The bearing to the entrance 
 of the canon below was south '2(P east. 
 Here the river enters between lofty preci- 
 pices of red rock, and the country below is 
 said to assume a very rugged ciiaracter ; 
 the river and its afSuents passing through 
 canons which forbid all access to the water. 
 This sheilercd little valley was formerly a 
 favorite wintering ground for the trappers, 
 as it afforded them suilicient pasturage for 
 their animals, and the surrounding raaua- 
 tains are well stocked with game. 
 
 We surprised a tltick of moantain sheep ae 
 we descended to the river, and our huntero 
 killed several. The bottoms of a small 
 stream cu!l<;d the Vermilion creek, whielt 
 enters the left bank of the river a short dis- 
 tance below our encampun^nt, were covered 
 abundantly with F. v<^rnikulariji, and other 
 chcnopodiacoous .shrubs. From the lowe." 
 end of Brown's hole we issued by a remark- 
 ably dry canon, fifty or sixty yards wide, 
 and rising, as we advanced, to the height 
 of six or eight hundred feet. Issuing froirj 
 this, and cros.sing a small green valley, we 
 entered another rent of the same nature, 
 still narrower than the other, the rocks on 
 cither .side rising in nearly vertical precipi- 
 ces perhaps 1,500 feet in height. These 
 places are mentioned, to give some idea of 
 the country lower down on the Colorado, 
 to which the trappers usually apply the 
 name of a canon country. The canon 
 opened upon a pond of water, where we 
 halte<l to noon. Several flocks of mountain 
 sheep were here among the rooks, which 
 rung with volleys of small arm.s. In the 
 afternoon we entered upon an ugly, barreu, 
 and broken country, corresponding well with 
 that we h»d traversed a few degrees north, 
 on the same side of the Colorado. TIk< 
 
1844.} 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARxRATITE. 
 
 175 
 
 Vermilibn creek afford od us brackifih Avater 
 and indifferent grass lor the night. 
 
 A few scattered cedar trees v/ore the 
 only improvement of the country on the fol- 
 lowing day ; and at a little spring of bad 
 u-ater, where we halted to noon, we had not 
 even the shelter of these from the hot rays 
 of the sun. At night we encamped in a fine 
 grove of cotton-wood trees, on the banks of 
 the Elk Head river, the principal fork of 
 the Yampah river, commonly called by the 
 trappers the Bear river. We made here a 
 very strong cc^rdl and fort, and formed the 
 camp into vigilant guards. The country we 
 were now entering is constantly infested by 
 war parties of the Sioux and other Indians, 
 and is considered among the most dangerous 
 war grounds in the Rocky mountains ; par- 
 ties of whites having been repeatedly de- 
 feated on this river. 
 
 On the 11th we continued up the river, 
 which is a considerable stream, fifty to a 
 hundred yards in width, handsomely and 
 continuously wooded with groves of the 
 narrow-leaved cotton-wood, {populv^ an- 
 gustifolia ;) with these were thickets of 
 willow and grain du baxtf. The character- 
 istic plant along the river is F. vermisula- 
 ris, which generally covers the bottoms ; 
 mingled with this, are saline shrubs and ar- 
 temisia. The new variety of grass which 
 we had seen on leaving the Uintah fort had 
 now disappeared. The country on either 
 tiide was sandy and. poor, scantily wooded 
 with cedars, but the river bottoms aflbrd- 
 od good pasture. Three antelopes were 
 killed in the afternoon, and we encamped a 
 little below a branch of the river, called St. 
 Vrain'.s fork. A few miles above was the 
 fort at which Frapp's party had been de- 
 feated two years since ; and we passed dur- 
 ing the day a place where Carson had been 
 fired upon so close that one of the men had 
 five bullets through his body. Leaving 
 this river the next morning, we took our 
 way across the hills, where every hollow 
 had a spring of running water, with good j 
 g-raj5s. 
 
 Yesterday and to-day we have had before I 
 our eyes the high mountains which divide 
 the Pacific from the Mississippi waters : 1 
 and entering here among the lower spurs, 
 or foot hills of the range, the face of the 
 country began t-o iip.prove with a magical 
 rapidity. Not only the river bottoms, but 
 the hills, were covered with grass ; and 
 wnong the usual varied flora of the moun- 
 tain region, these were occasionally blue 
 with the showy bloom of a lupinu-s. In the 
 course of the morning we had the first glad 
 view of buflalo. and welcomed the appear- 
 ance of two old bulls with as much joy as if 
 they had been messengers from home ; and 
 'jifixeu we descended to naon on St. Vrain'a 
 
 fork, an affluent of Green river, the hunters 
 brought in mountain sheep and the meat of 
 two fat bulls. Fresh entrails in the river 
 shov.'ed us that there were Indians above ; 
 and, at evening, judging it unsafe to encamp 
 in the bottoms, which were wooded only with 
 willow thickets, we ascended to the spurs 
 above, and forted strongly in a small aspen 
 grove, near to which was a spring of cold 
 water. The hunters killed two fine cows 
 near the camp. A band of elk broke out of 
 a neighboring grove ; antelopes were run- 
 ning over the hills ; and on the opposite 
 river plains, herds of buffalo were raising 
 clouds of dust. The country here appeared 
 more variously stocked with game than any 
 part of the Rocky mountains we had visit- 
 ed ; and its abundance is owing to the ex- 
 cellent pasturage, and its dangerous char- 
 acter as a war ground. 
 
 June 13. — There was snow here near 
 our mountain camp, and the morning was 
 beautiful and cool. Leaving St. Train's 
 fork, we took our way directly towards the 
 summit of tiie dividing ridge. The bot- 
 toms of the streams and level places were 
 wooded with aspens ; and as we neared the 
 summit, we entered again the piny region. 
 We had a delightful morning's ride, the 
 ground affording us an excellent bridle path, 
 and reached the summit towards midday, at 
 an elevation of 8,000 feet. With joy and 
 exultation we saw ourselves once more on 
 the top of the Rocky mountains, and beheld 
 a little stream taking its course towards the 
 rising sun. It was an aflluent of the Platte, 
 called Punam''s fork, and we descended to 
 noon upon it. It is a pretty stream, twenty 
 yards broad, and bears the name of a trap- 
 per who, some years since, was killed here 
 by the Gros Ventre Indians. 
 
 Issuing from the pines in the afternoon, 
 we saw spread out before us the valley of 
 the Platte, with the pass of the Medicine 
 Butte beyond, and some of the Sweet Water 
 mountains ; but a smoky haziness in the air 
 entirely obscured the Wind River chain. 
 
 We were now about two degrees south of 
 the South Pass, and our course home would 
 have been castwardly ; but that would have 
 taken us over ground already examined, 
 and therefore without the interest which 
 would excite curiosity. Southwardly there 
 were objects worthy to be explored, to wit : 
 the approximation of the head waters of 
 three different rivers — the Platte, the Ar- 
 kansas, and the Grand River fork of the Rio 
 Colorado of the gulf of California ; the Pass- 
 es at the heads of these rivers ; and the 
 tliree remarkable mountain coves, called' 
 Parks, in which they took their rise. One 
 of these Parks wa.s, of course, on the west- 
 ern side of the dividing ridge ; and a visit 
 to it would require us once more to cioss 
 
17& 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1844. 
 
 the enimmit of the Rocky mountains to the 
 west, and then to reeross to the east ; 
 making, in all, with the transit we had just 
 i^ccomplished, three crossings of that moun- 
 tain in this section of its course. But, no 
 matter. The coves, the heads of the rivers, 
 the approximation of their waters, the prac- 
 ticabihty of the mountain passes, and the 
 locality of the three Parks, were all ob- 
 jects of interest, and, although well known 
 to hunters and trappers, were unknown to 
 science and to history. We therefore 
 changed our course, and turned up the val- 
 ley of the Platte instead of going down it. 
 
 We crossed several small affluents, and 
 again made a fortified camp in a grove. 
 The country had now become very beauti- 
 ful — rich in water, grass, and game ; and to 
 these were added the charm of scenery and 
 pleasant weather. 
 
 June 11. — Our route this morning lay 
 along the foot of the mountain, over the 
 long low spurs which sloped gradually down 
 to the river, forming the broad valley of the 
 Platte. The country is beautifully watered. 
 Jn almost every hollow ran a clear, cool 
 mountain stream ; and in the course of the 
 morning we crossed seventeen, several of 
 them being large creeks, forty to fifty feet 
 wide, with a swift current, and tolerably 
 deep. These were variously wooded with 
 groves of aspen and cotton-wood, with wil- 
 low, cherry, and other shrubby trees. Buf- 
 falo, antelope, and elk, v.-ere frequent dur- 
 ing the day ; and, in their abundance, the 
 latter sometimes reminded us slightly of 
 the Sacramento valley. 
 
 We halted at noon on Potter's fork — a 
 clear and swift stream, forty yards wide, 
 and in many places deep enough to swim 
 our animals ; and in the evening encamped 
 on a pretty stream, where there were sever- 
 al beaver dams, and many trees recently cut 
 down by the beaver. We gave to this the 
 name of Beaver Dam creek, as now they 
 are becoming sufficiently rare to distinguish 
 by their name the streams on which they 
 are found. In this mountain they occurred 
 more abundantly than elsewhere in all our 
 journey, in which their vestiges had been 
 scarcely seen. 
 
 The next day we continued our journey 
 up the valley, the country presenting much 
 the same appearance, except that the grass 
 was more scanty on the ridges, over which 
 was spread a scrubby growth of sage ; but 
 still the bottoms of the creeks were broad, 
 and afforded good pasture grounds. We 
 iiad an animated chase after a grizzly bear 
 this morning, which we tried to lasso. Fu- 
 entes threw the lasso upon his neck, but it 
 slipped off, and he escaped into the dense 
 thickets of the creek, into which we did not 
 like to venture. Our course in the after- 
 
 noon brought us to the main Platte river,^. 
 here a handsome stream, with a uniform, 
 breadth of seventy yards, except where 
 widened by frequent islands. It w;is appa- 
 rently deep, with a moderate current, and' 
 wooded with groves of large willow. 
 
 The valley narrowed as we ascended, and 
 presently degenerated into a gorge, through 
 which the river passed as through a gate. 
 We entered it, and found ourselves in the 
 New Park — a beautiful circular valley of. 
 thirty miles diameter, walled in all round 
 with snowy mountains, rich with water and 
 with grass, fringed with pine on the moun- 
 tain sides below the snow line, and a para- 
 dise to all grazing animals. The Indiaa 
 name for it signifies " cow lodge,'" of which 
 our own may be considered a translation ; 
 the enclosure, the grass, the water, and the 
 herds of buffalo roaming over it, naturally 
 presenting the idea of a park. We halted 
 for the night just within the gate, and ex- 
 pected, as usual, to see herds of buffalo , 
 but an Arapahoe village had been before 
 us, and not one was to be seen. Latitude 
 of the encampment 40° 52' 44". Elevation 
 by the boiling point 7,720 feet. 
 
 It is from this elevated cove, and from the 
 gorges of the surrounding mountains, and. 
 some lakes within their bosoms,. that the 
 Great Platte river collects its first waters,, 
 and assumes its first form ; and certainly no 
 river could ask a more beautiful origin. 
 
 June 16. — In the morning wc pursued 
 our way through the Park, following a 
 principal branch of the Platte, and crossing, 
 among many .smaller ones, a bold stream,, 
 scarcely fordable, called Lodge Pole fork, 
 and which issues from a lake in the moun- 
 tains on the right, ten miles long. In the 
 evening we encamped on a small stream,, 
 near the upper end of the Park. Latitude 
 of the camp 40^ 33' 22". 
 
 June 17. — We continued our way among 
 the waters of the Park, over the foot hills 
 of the bordering mountains, where we 
 found gfood pasturage, and surprised and. 
 killed some buffalo. We fell into a broad 
 and excellent trail, made by buffalo, where 
 a wagon would pass with ease ; and, in the 
 course of the morning, we crossed the 
 summit of the Rocky mountains, through a 
 pass which was one of the most beautiful 
 we had ever seen. The trail led among 
 the aspens, through open grounds, richly 
 covered with grass, and carried us over an 
 elevation of about 9,000 feet above the level 
 of the sea. 
 
 The country appeared to great advantage 
 in the delightful summer weather of the 
 mountains, which we still continued to en- 
 joy. Desoending from the pass, we found 
 ourselves again on the western waters ; and 
 halted to noon on the edge of anotlier 
 
1844] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 177 
 
 mountain valley, called the Old Park, in 
 which is formed Gri^nd river, one of the 
 principal branches of the Colorado of Cali- 
 fornia. We were now moving with some 
 caution, as, from the trail, we found the 
 Arapahoe village had also passed this way. 
 As we were coming out of their enemy's 
 country, and this was a war ground, we 
 were desirous to avoid them. After a long 
 afternoon's march, we halted at night oa a 
 small creek, tributary to a main fork of 
 Grand river, which ran through this portion 
 of the valley. The appearance of the 
 coimtry in the Old Park is interesting, 
 though of a different character from the 
 New ; instead of being a con)parative plain, 
 it is more or less broken into hills, and sur- 
 rounded by the high mountains, timbered 
 on the lower jiarts with quaking asp and 
 pines. 
 
 June 18. — Our scouts, who were as usual 
 ahead, made from a butte this morning the 
 signal of Indians, and we rode up in time to 
 meet a party of about 30 Arapahoes. They 
 were men and women going into the hills — 
 the men for game, the women for roots — 
 and informed us that the village was en- 
 camped a few miles above, on the main 
 fork of Grand river, which passes through 
 the midst of the valley. I made them the 
 usual presents ; but they appeared disposed 
 to be unfriendly, and galloped back at speed 
 to the village. Knowing that we had 
 trouble to e.xpect, I descended immediately 
 mto the bottoms of Grand river, which 
 were overflowed in places, the river being 
 up, and made the best encampment the 
 ground aftbrded. We had no time to build 
 a fort, but found an open place among the 
 willows, which was defended by the river 
 on one side and the overflowed bottonrs on 
 the other. We had scarcely made our ievi 
 • preparations, when about 200 of them ap- 
 peared on the verge of the bottom, mount- 
 ed, painted, and armed for war. We 
 planted the American flag between us ; and a 
 short parley ended in a truce, with some- 
 thing more than the usual amoimt of pres- 
 ents. About 20 Sioux were with them — 
 one of them an old chief, who had always 
 been friendly to the whites. He informed 
 me that, before coming down, a council 
 had been held at the village, in which the 
 greater part had declared for attacking 
 us — we had come from their enemies, to 
 whom we had doubtless been carrying as- 
 sistance in arms and ammunition ; but his 
 own party, with some few of the Arapahoes 
 yjho had seen us the previous year in the 
 plains, opposed it. It will be remembered 
 that it is customary for this people to at- 
 tack the trading parties which they meet 
 in this region, considering all whom they 
 meet on the western side of the mountains 
 12 
 
 to be their enemies. They deceived me 
 into the belief that I should find a ford at 
 their village, and I could not avoid ac- 
 companying them ; but put several sloughs 
 between us and their village, and forted 
 strongly on the banks of the river, which 
 was everywhere rapid and deep, and over 
 a hundred yards in breadth. The camp 
 was generally crowded with Indians ; and 
 tiiough the baggage was carefully watched 
 and covered, a number of things were 
 stolen. 
 
 The next morning we descended the 
 river for about eight miles, and halted a 
 short distance above a canon, through which 
 Grand river issues from the Park. Here 
 it was smooth and deep, 150 yards in 
 breadth, and its elevation at this point 
 6,700 feet. A frame lor the boat being 
 very soon made, our baggage was ferried 
 across ; the horses, in the mean time, swim- 
 ming over. A southern fork of Grand 
 river here makes its junction, nearly op- 
 posite to the branch by which we had en- 
 tered the valley, and up this we continued 
 for about eight miles in the afternoon, and 
 encamped in a bottom on the left bank, 
 which aflbrded good grass. At our en- 
 campment it was 70 to 90 yards in breadth, 
 sometimes widened by islands, and separa- 
 ted into several channels, with a very swift 
 current and bed of rolled rocks. 
 
 On the 20th we travelled up the left bank, 
 with the prospect of a bad road, the ti-aii 
 here taking the opposite side ; but the 
 stream was up, and nowhere fordable. A 
 piny ridge of mountains, with bare rocky 
 peaks, was on our right all the day, and a 
 snowy mountain appeared ahead. We 
 crossed many foaming torrents with rocky 
 beds, rushing down to the river ; and in the 
 evening made a strong fort in an aspen 
 grove. The valley had already become 
 very narrow, shut up more closely in 
 densely timbered mountains, the pines 
 sweeping down the verge of the bottoms. 
 The coq de prairie {tetrao eiirophasiaiius) 
 was occasionally seen among the sage. 
 
 Vv'"e saw to-day the returning trail of an 
 Arapahoe party which had been sent from 
 the village to look for Utahs in the Bayou 
 Salade, (South Park ;) and it being probable 
 that they would visit our camp with the 
 desire to return on horseback, we were 
 more than usually on the alert. 
 
 Here the river diminished to 35 yards, 
 and, notwithstanding the number of affluents 
 we had crossed, was still a large stream, 
 dashing swiftly by, with a great continuous 
 fall, and not yet fordable. We had a de- 
 lightful rids along a good trail among the 
 fragrant pines ; and the appearance of buf- 
 falo in great numbers indicated that there 
 were Indians in the Bayou Salade, (South 
 
IT8 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1844. 
 
 Park,) by whom they were driven out. We 
 halted to noon under the shade of the pines, 
 and the weather was most deli;rhtful. The 
 •country was literally alive with buffalo ; 
 and the continued echo of the hunter's 
 rifles on the other side of the river for a 
 moment made me uneaj^y, thinking perhaps 
 tlicy were enp^aped with Indians ; but in a 
 short time they came into camp with the 
 meat of seven fat cows. 
 
 During the earlier pan of the day's ride, 
 Tthc river had been merely a narrow ravine 
 between high pinv niountains, backed on 
 both sides, but particularly on the west, by 
 aline of snowy ridges; but, after several 
 hours" ride, the stream opened out into a 
 valley with pleasant bottoms. In the after- 
 jioon the rivev forked into three apparently 
 equal streams; broad buflalo trails Icudnig 
 up the left hand, and the middle branch, in- 
 dicating pood passes over the mountains ; 
 but up the right-hand branch, (which, in 
 the object of descending from the mbuntnin 
 by the main head of the Arkansa.s, 1 was 
 most desirous to follow.) there was no sign 
 of a buffalo trace. Apprehending from this 
 reason, and the character of the mountains, 
 which are known to be extremely rugged, 
 that the right-hand branch led to no pass, I 
 proceeded up the middle branch, which 
 formed a flat valley bottom between timber- 
 ed ridges on the left and snowy mountains 
 on the right, terminating in large butlcs of 
 naked rock. The trail was good, and the 
 country interesting ; and at nightfall we 
 encamped in an open place among the pines, 
 where we built a strong fort. The moun- 
 tains exhibit their usual varied growth of 
 flowers, and at this place I noticed, among 
 others, thermopsis montana, whose bright 
 yellow color makes it a showy plant. This 
 has been a characteristic in many parts of 
 the country since reaching the Uintah 
 waters. With fields of iris were aquUcs^ia 
 raerulea, violets, esparcctle, and straw- 
 berries. 
 
 At dark, we perceived a fire in the edge 
 of the pines, on the opposite side of the val- 
 ley. We liad evidently not been discovered, 
 and, at the report of a gun, and the blav.e of 
 fresh fuel whicii was heapod on our fire.s, 
 those of the strangers were instantly ex- 
 tinguished. In the morning, they were 
 I'ound to be a party of six trajjpers, who liad 
 ventured out among the mountains after 
 btiiiver. They informed us that two of the 
 number with which they had started had 
 lK3cn already killed by the Indians — one of 
 tiiem but a few days since — by the Arapa- 
 hocs we had lately seen, who had found 
 him alone at a camp on this river, and car- 
 ried off his traps and animals. As they 
 were desirous to join us, tho hunters return- 
 ed ivith them to their encampment, and wo 
 
 continued up the valley, in which the stream 
 rapidly diminished, breaking into small trib- 
 utaries—every hollow affording water. At 
 our noon halt, tho hunters joined us veith 
 the trappers. While preparing to start 
 from their encampment, they found them- 
 selves suddenly surrounded by a party of 
 Arapahoes, who informed them that their 
 scom's had discovered a large Utah village 
 in the Bayou Salade, (.South Park,) and 
 that a large war party, consisting of almost 
 every man in the village, except those who 
 were too old to go to war, were going over 
 to attack them. The main body had as- 
 cended the left fork of the river, which af- 
 forded a better pass than the branch wo were 
 on ; and this party had followed our trail, in 
 order that we might add our force to theirs. 
 Carson informed them that we were too far 
 ahead to turn back, but would join theni in 
 the bayou ; and the Indians went off appa- 
 rently satisfied. By the temperature of 
 boiling water, our elevation here was 10,430 
 feet; and still the pine forest continued, 
 and grass was good. 
 
 In the afternoon, we continued our road — 
 occasionally through open pines, with a very 
 gradual ascent. We surprised a herd of 
 buffalo, enjoying the shade at a small lake 
 among the pines ; and they made the dry 
 branches crack, as they broke through the 
 woods. In a ride of about three-quarters of 
 an hour, and having ascended perhaps 800 
 feet, we reached the summit ov the divid- 
 ing RiDOE, which would thus have an esti- 
 mated height of 11,200 feet. Here the 
 river spreads itself into sm.all branches and 
 springs, heading nearly in the summit of the 
 ridge, which is very narrow. Immediately 
 below us was a green valley, through which 
 ran a stream ; and a short distance opposite 
 rose snowy mountains, whose summits were 
 formed into peaks of naked rock. Wo 
 soon afterwards satisfied ourselves that im- 
 mediately beyond these mountains was the 
 main branch of the Arkansas river — most 
 probably heading directly with the little 
 stream below us, which gathered its waters 
 in the snowy mountains near by. Wescrip- 
 tions of the rugged character of the moun- 
 tains around the head of the Arkansas, 
 which their appearance amply justified, de- 
 terred me from making any attempt to reach 
 it, which would have involved a greater 
 length of time than now remained at my dis- 
 j>osal. 
 
 In about a quarter of an hour, we de- 
 scended from the summit of tho Pass into 
 the creek below, our road having been very 
 much controlled and interrupted by tho pines 
 and springs on the mountain side. Turn- 
 ing up the stream, we encamped on a bot- 
 tom of good grass uear its head, which 
 gathers its waters in the dividing crest of tho 
 
1«44.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I7» 
 
 Rocky roonntains, and, according to the best 
 iDformation we could obtain, sepamted only 
 by the rocky wall of the ridge fiom t!ie head 
 of the main Arkansas river. By the obser- 
 vations of tlic evening, the latitude of our 
 encampment was S'j-^ 20' 24", and south of 
 ■which, therefore, is the head of the Arkan- 
 sas river. The stream on which we had 
 encampe<l is the head of either the Fonia'me- 
 qui-bouity a branch of the Arkansas, or the 
 remotest head of the south fork of the 
 Platte ; as which, you will find it laid down 
 on the map. But dcscendincj it only through 
 a portion of its course, we Jiave not been 
 able to settle this point satisfactorily. 
 
 In tfie evening, a hand of buHalo furnished 
 a little excitement, hy chargiuff through the 
 camp. 
 
 On the following day, we descended the 
 stream by an excellent bufl'alo trail, along 
 the open grassy bottom of the river. On 
 oar right, the bayou was Iwrdered by a 
 mountainous range, creeted with rocky and 
 naked peaks ; and bolow, it had a beautiful 
 park-like character of pretty level prairies, 
 interspersed among low spurs, wooJcd 
 openly with pine and quaking asp, contrast- 
 ing well with 'the denser pines which swept 
 around on the mountain .sides. Descending 
 always the valley of the stream, towards 
 noon we descried a mounted party dosi^end- 
 ing the point of a spur, and. judging them to 
 be Arapahoes — who, defeated or victorious, 
 were equally dangerous to us, and with 
 whom a fight would be inevitable — we hur- 
 ried to post ourselves as strongly as pos.sible 
 on some willow islands in the river. We 
 had scarcely halted when tlicy arrived, 
 proving to be a party of Utah wo?iie», who 
 told us that on the other side of the ridge 
 their village was fighting with the Arapa- 
 hoes. As soon as they had given us tiiis in- 
 formation, they filled the air with cries and 
 lamentations, which made us understand 
 that some of their chiefs had been killed. 
 
 Extending along the river, directl}- ahead 
 of us, was a low piny ridge, leaving be- 
 tween it and the stream a small open bottom, 
 on which the Utahs had very injudiciously 
 placed their village, which, according to the 
 women, numbered about 300 warriors. Ad- 
 vancing in the cover of the pines, the Ara- 
 pahoes, about daylight, charged into the vil- 
 lage, driving oft" a great number of their 
 horses, and killing four men ; among them, 
 the principal chief of the village. They 
 drove the horses perhaps a mile beyond the 
 village, to the end of a hollow, where they 
 had previously forted at the edge of the 
 pines. Here the Utahs had instantl)' at- 
 tacked them in turn, and, according to the 
 report of the women, were getting rather 
 the best of the day. The women pressed 
 us eagerly to join with their people, aud 
 
 would immediately have provided ns with 
 the best horses at the village ; but it was 
 not for us to interfere in such a conflict. 
 Neither party were our friends, or under our 
 protection ; and each was ready to prey up- 
 on us that could. But we could not help 
 feeling an unusual excitement at being with- 
 in a few hundred yards of a fight, in whicii 
 500 men were closely engaged, and hearing 
 the sharp cracks of their rifles. We were 
 in a bad position, and subject to be attacked 
 in it. Either party which we might meet, 
 victorious or defeated, was certain to fall 
 upon us ; and, gearing up immediately, wo 
 kept close along the pines of the ridge, hav- 
 ing it between us and the village, and keep- 
 ing the scouts on the summit, to give ua 
 notice of the approach of Indians. As we 
 passed by the village, which was immedi- 
 ately below us, horsemen were galloping to 
 and ifo, and groups of people v/erc gathered 
 around those v/ho were wounded and dead, 
 and who were being brought in from the 
 field. We continued to press on, and, cross- 
 ing another fork, which came in from the 
 right, after having made fifteen miles from 
 the village, fortified ourselves strongly in 
 the pines, a short distance from the river. 
 
 During the afternoon, Pike's Peak had 
 been plainly in view before us. and, from 
 our encampment, bore N. Sl° E. by com- 
 pass. This was a familiar object, and it 
 had for us the face of an old friend. At its 
 foot were the springs, where we had spent 
 a pleasant day in coming out. Near it were 
 the habitations of civilized men ; and it 
 overlooked the broad smooth plains, which 
 promised us an ea.sy journey to our home. 
 
 The next day we left the river, which 
 continued its course towards Pike's Peak ; 
 and taking a southeasterly direction, in 
 about ten nsilus we crossed a gentle ridge, 
 and, issuing from the South Park, found 
 ourselves involved among the broken .spurs 
 of the mountains which border the grea* 
 prairie plains. Although broken and ex- 
 tremely rutjged, the country was very inter- 
 esting, being well watered by numerous af- 
 fluents to the Arkansas river, and covered 
 with grass and a variety of trees. The 
 streams, which, in the upper part of their 
 course, ran through grassy and open hol- 
 low.s, after a few miles all descended iutO' 
 deep and impraclicable canons, through 
 which they found their way to the Arkan- 
 sas valley. Here the bullalo trails we had 
 followed were dispersed among the hills, or 
 crossed over into the more open valleys of 
 other streams. 
 
 During the day cur road was fatiguing 
 and difficult, reminding us much, by its steep 
 and rocky character, of our travelling the 
 year before among the Wind river moun- 
 . tains ; but always at night we found some 
 
180 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [1814. 
 
 grassy bottom, which afforded us a pleasant 
 camp. In the deep seclusion of these lit- 
 tle streams, we found always an abundant 
 pasturage, and a wild luxuriance of plants 
 and trees. Aspens and pines were the pre- 
 vailing timber ; on the creeks, oak was fre- 
 quent ; but the narrow-leaved cotton-wood, 
 (populus angustifolias) of unusually large 
 size, and seven or eiglit feet in circumfer- 
 ence, was the principal tree. With these 
 were mingled a variety of shrubby trees, 
 which aided to make the ravines almost im- 
 penetrable. 
 
 After several days' laborious travelling, 
 we succeeded in extricating ourselves from 
 the mountains, and on the morning of the 
 •28th encamped immediately at their foot, 
 on a handsome tributar}' to the Arkansas 
 river. In the afternoon we descended the 
 .«fream, winding our way along the bottoms, 
 which were densely wooded with oak, and 
 in the evening encamped near the main 
 river. Continuing tlic next day our road 
 along the Arkansas, and meeting on the 
 way a war party of Arapahoe Indians, (who 
 had recently been committing some out- 
 rages at Bent's fort, killing stock and dri- 
 ving off horses,) we arrived before sunset at 
 the Pueblo, near the mouth of the Fontame- 
 qui-houit river, where we had the pleasure 
 to find a number of our old acquaintances. 
 The little settlement appeared in a thriving 
 condition ; and in the interval of our ab- 
 sence another had been established on the 
 river, some thirty miles above. 
 
 June .30. — Our cavalcade moved rapidly 
 down the Arkansas, along the broad road 
 which follows the river, and on the 1st of 
 July we arrived at Bent's fort, about 70 
 miles below the mouth of the Fontaiiie-'jui- 
 bouit. As we emerged into view from the 
 groves on the river, wo were saluted with a 
 display of the national flag and repeated 
 discharges from the guns of the fort, where 
 we were received by Mr. George Bent with 
 a cordial welcome and a friendly hospitality, 
 in the enjoyment of which we spent several 
 very agreeable days. We were now in the 
 region where our mountaineers were accus- 
 tomed to live ; and all the dangers and dif- 
 ficulties of the road being considered past, 
 four of them, including Carson and Walker, 
 remained at the fort. 
 
 On the 5th we resumed our journey down 
 the Arkansas, travelling along a broad wag- 
 on road, and encamped about twenty miles 
 below the fort. On the way we met a very 
 large village of Sioux and Cheyenne In- 
 dians, who, with the Arapahoes, were re- 
 turning from the crossing of the Arkansas, 
 where they had been to meet the Kioway 
 and Camanche Indians. A few days previ- 
 
 fort on tlie Smoky Hill river, losing in the 
 affair several of their own people. They 
 were desirous that we should bear a pacific 
 message to the Delawares on the frontier, 
 from whom they expected retaliation ; and 
 we passed throuirh them without any diffi- 
 culty or delay. Dispersed over the plain in 
 scattered bodies of horsemen, and family 
 groups of women and children, with dog 
 trains carrying baggage, and long lines of 
 pack horses, their appearance was i)ictu- 
 resque and imposing. 
 
 Agreeably to your instructions, which re- 
 quired me to complete, as far as practica- 
 ble, our examinations of the Kansas, I left 
 at this encampment the Arkansas river, 
 taking a northeasterly direction across the 
 elevated dividing grounds which separate 
 that river from the waters of the Platte. 
 On the 7th we crossed a large stream, about 
 forty yards wide, and one or two feet deep, 
 flowing with a lively current on a sandy 
 bed. The discolored and muddy appear- 
 ance of the water indicated that it proceed- 
 ed from recent rains ; and we are inclined 
 to consider this a brahch of the Smoky Hill 
 river, although, possibly, it may be the Paw- 
 nee fork of the Arkansas. Beyond this 
 stream we travelled over high and level 
 prairies, halting at small ponds and holes of 
 water, and using for our fires the bois de 
 vache, the country being without timber. 
 On the evening of the 8th we encamped 
 in a cotton-wood grove on the banks of a 
 sandy stream bed, where there was water in 
 holes sufficient for the camp. Here several 
 hollows, or dry creeks with sandy beds, 
 met together, forming the head of a stream 
 which afterwards proved to be the Smoky 
 Hill fork of the Kansas river. 
 
 The next morning, as we were leaving 
 our encampment, a number of Arapahoe In- 
 dians were discovered. They belonged to 
 a war party which had scattered over the 
 prairie in returning from an expedition 
 against the Pawnees. 
 
 As we travelled down the valley, water 
 gathered rapidly in the sandy bed from ma- 
 ny little tributaries ; and at evening it had 
 become a handsome stream, fifty to eighty 
 feet in width, with a lively current in small 
 channels, the water being principally dis- 
 persed among quicksands. 
 
 Gradually enlarging, in a few days' march 
 it became a river eighty yards in breadth, 
 wooded with occasional groves of cotton- 
 wood. Our road was generally over level 
 uplands bordering the river, which were 
 closely covered with a sward of buffalo 
 grass. 
 
 On the 10th we entered again the buffalo 
 range, where we had found these animals 
 
 ous they had massacred a yjarty of fifteen I so abundant on our outward journey, and 
 Delawares, whom they had discovered in a i halted for a day among numerous herds, hi 
 
31844.] 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S. NARRATIVE. 
 
 181 
 
 order to make a provision of meat sufficient 
 to carry us to the frontier. 
 
 A few days afterwards, we encamped, in 
 a pleasant evening, on a high river prairie, 
 the stream heing less than a hundred yards 
 •'broad. During the night we had a succes- 
 sion of thunder storms, with heavy and con- 
 tinuous rain, and towards morning the water 
 suddenly burst over the banks, flooding the 
 bottoms, and becoming a large river, five or 
 six hundred yards in breadth. The dark- 
 ness of the night and incessant rain had 
 concealed from the guard the rise of the 
 water ; and the river broke into the camp 
 so suddenly, that the baggage was instantly 
 covered, and all our perishable collections 
 almost entirely ruined, and the hard labor 
 of many months destroyed in a moment. 
 
 On the 17th we discovered a large village 
 of Indians encamped at the mouth of a 
 handsomely wooded stream on the right 
 bank of the river. Readily inferring, from 
 the nature of the encampment, that they 
 were Pawnee Indians, and confidently ex- 
 pecting good treatment from a people who 
 receive regularly an annuity from the Gov- 
 ernment, we proceeded directly to the vil- 
 lage, where we found assembled nearly all 
 the Pawnee tribe, who were now returning 
 from the crossing of the Arkansas, where 
 they had met the Kioway and Camanche 
 Indians. We were received by them with 
 the unfriendly rudeness and characteristic 
 insolence which they never fail to display 
 whenever they find an occasion for doing so 
 with impunity. The little that remained 
 of our goods was distributed among them, 
 but proved entirely insufficient to satisfy 
 their greedy rapacity ; and, after some de- 
 lay, and considerable difficulty, we succeed- 
 ■cd in extricating ourselves from the village, 
 and encamped on the river about fifteen 
 miles below.* 
 
 The country through which we had been 
 travelling since leaving the Arkansas river, 
 for a distance of 260 miles, presented to the 
 eye only a succession of far-stretching green 
 prairies, covered with the unbroken verdure 
 of the buffalo grass, and sparingly wooded 
 along the streams with straggling trees and 
 -occasional groves of cotton-wood ; but here 
 the country began perceptibly to change its 
 .character, becoming a more fertile, wooded, 
 and beautiful region, covered with a profu- 
 •sion of grasses, and watered with innumera- 
 ble little streams, which were wooded with 
 oak, large elms, and the usual varieties of 
 
 * In a recent report to the department, from 
 Major Wharton, who visited the Pawnee vil- 
 lages with a military force some months after- 
 wards, it is stated that the Indians had intended 
 to attack our party during the night we remain- 
 ed at this encampment, but were prevented by 
 ihe interposition of the Pawnee Loups. 
 
 timber common to the lower course of the 
 Kansas river. 
 
 As we advanced, the country steadily 
 improved, gradually assimilating itself in 
 appearance to the northwestern part of the 
 State of Missouri. The beautiful sward of 
 the buffalo grass, which is regarded as the 
 best and most nutritious found on the prai- 
 ries, appeared now only in patches, being 
 replaced by a longer and coarser grass, 
 which covered the face of the country lux- 
 uriantly. The difference in the character 
 of the grasses became suddenly evident in 
 the weakened condition of our animals, 
 which began sensibly to fail as soon as we 
 quitted the buffalo grass. 
 
 The river preserved a uniform breadth 
 of eighty or a hundred yards, with broad 
 bottoms continuously timbered with large 
 cotton-wood trees, among which were in- 
 terspersed'a few other varieties. 
 
 While engaged in crossing one of the nu- 
 merous creeks which frequently impeded 
 and checked our way, sometimes obliging 
 us to ascend them for several miles, one of 
 the people (Alexis Ayot) was shot through 
 the leg by the accidental discharge of a rifle 
 — a mortifying and painful mischance, to be 
 crippled for life by an accident, after having 
 nearly accomplished in safety a long and 
 eventful journey. He was a young man of 
 remarkably good and cheerful temper, and 
 had been among the useful and efficient men 
 of the party. 
 
 After having travelled directly along its 
 banks for two hundred and ninety miles, we 
 left the river, where it bore suddenly off in 
 a northwesterly direction, towards its junc- 
 tion with the Republican fork of the Kan- 
 sas, distant about sixty miles ; and, continu- 
 ing our easterly course, in about twenty 
 miles we entered the wagon road from Santa 
 Fe to Independence, and on the last day of 
 July encamped again at the little town of 
 Kansas, on the banks of the Missouri river. 
 
 During our protracted absence of fourteen 
 months, in the course of w hich we had ne- 
 cessarily been expos(/d to great varieties of 
 weather and of climate, no one case of sick- 
 ness had ever occurred among us. 
 
 Here ended our land journey ; and the 
 day following our arrival, we found our- 
 selves on board a steamboat rapidly gliding 
 down the broad Missouri. Our travel-worn 
 animals had not been sold and dispersed 
 over the country to renewed labor, but were 
 placed at good pasturage on the frontier, 
 and are now ready to do their part in the 
 coming expedition. 
 
 On the 6th of August vi-e arrived at St. 
 Louis, where the party was finally disband- 
 ed ; a great number of the men having their 
 homes in the neighborhood. 
 
 Andreas Fuentes also remained here, hav- 
 
im 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 [iB44. 
 
 ittg readily found cmploymont for the win- 
 ter, arxi is one of the men engaged to ac- 
 company nie the present year. 
 
 Pablo llernaujez rem.iins in the family 
 of Senator Benton, where he is well taken 
 care of, and cDnciliate.s trood will hy his do- 
 cility, intelligence, and amiability. General 
 Almonte, the Mexican minister at Wash- 
 ington, to wliom he was of course made 
 known, kindly offered to take charge of 
 him, and to carry him back to Mexico ; but 
 the. boy preferred to remain where he was 
 until he got an education, for which he 
 shows equal ardor and aptitude. 
 
 Our Chinook Indian bad his wish to see 
 
 the whites fully gratified. He accompanied 
 me to Washington, and, after remaining 
 several months at the Columbia collc^, waij 
 sent by the Indian department to Phiia<i^ 
 phia, where, among other things, he Icarued 
 to read and write well, and speak the Eng 
 lish language with some fluency. 
 
 He will accompany me in a few days it) 
 the frontier of Missouri, whence he will be 
 sent with some one of the emigrant compa- 
 nies to the village at the Dalles of the Co- 
 lumbia. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient scrvoal, 
 J. C. FREMONT, 
 Bt. Copt. Topi. Engineers. 
 
CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 les 
 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES 
 
 THE ROAD TRAVELLED BY THE EXPEDITION IM 1843 AND 1844. 
 
 OUTWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 From Kmisas Landing to Fort Vancouver. 
 
 
 ii 
 
 
 
 
 > b 
 
 
 
 
 k. ^ 
 
 •«- c 
 
 
 
 St) 
 
 ■*- s 
 
 
 D&«e. 
 
 «-g 
 
 
 Localltiea 
 
 Date. 
 
 ^ "S 
 
 
 Localities. 
 
 
 9 « 
 
 §1 
 
 
 
 «1 
 
 a 2 
 
 
 
 « ^__ 
 
 
 
 
 e9 
 
 
 
 
 .s'S 
 
 1 § 
 
 
 
 |3 
 
 •S 5 
 
 
 1«43. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 May 29 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 
 July 29 
 
 6 
 
 807 
 
 
 90 
 
 22 
 
 29 
 
 
 30 
 
 24 
 
 831 
 
 
 31 
 
 26 
 
 55 
 
 
 31 
 
 30 
 
 861 
 
 
 lAina 1 
 
 23 
 
 78 
 
 
 Aug. 1 
 
 26 
 
 887 
 
 
 2 
 
 22 
 
 100 
 
 
 2 
 
 31 
 
 918 
 
 Mc-dicine Bow river. 
 
 3 
 
 23 
 
 123 
 
 
 3 
 
 26 
 
 944 
 
 
 4 
 
 18 
 
 141 
 
 
 4 
 
 18 
 
 962 
 
 North fork. 
 
 5 
 
 19 
 
 160 
 
 
 6 
 
 19 
 
 981 
 
 
 6 
 
 14 
 
 174 
 
 
 7 
 
 30 
 
 1,011 
 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 182 
 
 
 8 
 
 29 
 
 1,040 
 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 187 
 
 Junction of Smoky 
 
 9 
 
 26 
 
 1,066 
 
 Sweet Water. 
 
 
 
 
 Hill and Repub- 
 
 10 
 
 23 
 
 1,089 
 
 
 
 
 
 lican forks. 
 
 11 
 
 29 
 
 1,118 
 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 188 
 
 
 12 
 
 25 
 
 1,143 
 
 
 11 
 
 34 
 
 212 
 
 
 13 
 
 \^l 
 
 1,152 
 
 South pass. 
 
 12 
 
 28 
 
 240 
 
 
 1,167 
 
 
 13 
 
 18 
 
 258' 
 
 
 14 
 
 25 
 
 1,192 
 
 
 14 
 
 17 
 
 275 
 
 
 15 
 
 29 
 
 1,^1 
 
 Green river, or Rio 
 
 16 
 
 91 
 
 296 
 
 
 
 
 
 Colorado. 
 
 17 
 
 14 
 
 310 
 
 
 16 
 
 26 
 
 1,247 
 
 
 18 
 
 23 
 
 333 
 
 
 17 
 
 21 
 
 1,268 
 
 
 19 
 
 18 
 
 351 
 
 
 18 
 
 32 
 
 1,300 
 
 
 20 
 
 26 
 
 377 
 
 
 19 
 
 28 
 
 1^28 
 
 
 21 
 
 27 
 
 404 
 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 1,358 
 
 
 22 
 
 26 
 
 430 
 
 
 21 
 
 26 
 
 1,384 
 
 
 23 
 
 26 
 
 456 
 
 
 22 
 
 37 
 
 1,421 
 
 
 34 
 
 34 
 
 490 
 
 
 23 
 
 12 
 
 1,433 
 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 516 
 
 Croesing of the Re- 
 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 1,455 
 
 
 
 
 
 publican. 
 
 25 
 
 8 
 
 1,463 
 
 Beer SpiTugs. 
 
 26 
 
 24 
 
 540 
 
 
 26 
 
 21 
 
 1,484 
 
 
 27 
 
 27 
 
 567 
 
 
 27 
 
 21 
 
 1,505 
 
 
 28 
 
 30 
 
 597 
 
 
 28 
 
 27 
 
 1,532 
 
 
 29 
 
 21 
 
 618 
 
 
 29 
 
 17 
 
 1.549 
 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 
 644 
 
 South fork. 
 
 30 
 
 19 
 
 1,568 
 
 
 iuly 1 
 
 32 
 
 676 
 
 
 31 
 
 26 
 
 1,594 
 
 
 2 
 
 29 
 
 705 
 
 
 Sept 1 
 
 22 
 
 1,616 
 
 
 3 
 
 28 
 
 733 
 
 
 2 
 
 17 
 
 1,633 
 
 
 4 
 
 18 
 
 751 
 
 St. Vtain'a fort. 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 1,636 
 
 Mouth of Bear river. 
 
 26 
 
 4 
 
 755 
 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 1,642 
 
 
 27 
 
 26 
 
 781 
 
 
 5 
 
 27 
 
 1,669 
 
 
 28 
 
 20 
 
 801 
 
 I 
 
 6 
 
 25 
 
 1,6&4 
 
 
1&4. 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES— Continued. 
 
 
 ii 
 
 from 
 nding. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Date. 
 
 "^■g 
 
 gJS 
 
 Localities. 
 
 Date. 
 
 S « 
 
 C3 
 
 Localities. 
 
 
 rt 
 
 " 2 
 
 
 
 s « 
 
 »i 
 
 
 
 .-d 
 
 
 
 
 B 
 
 «rf CO 
 
 
 
 ■K'O 
 
 'oa e 
 
 
 
 M "O 
 
 ■fi s 
 
 
 
 
 ow 
 
 
 
 .i2 a. 
 
 a^ 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Milea. 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 3n7cs. 
 
 
 Sept. 8 
 
 20 
 
 1,714 
 
 Shore of the Salt 
 
 Oct. 9 
 
 24 
 
 2,254 
 
 
 
 
 
 lake. 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 2,256 Fort Bois^. 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 1,722 
 
 Island in the SaU 
 
 11 
 
 20 
 
 2,276 
 
 
 
 
 
 lake. 
 
 12 
 
 27 
 
 2,303 
 
 
 in 
 
 28 
 
 1,750 
 
 
 13 
 
 20 
 
 2,323 
 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 1.763 
 
 
 14 
 
 22 
 
 2,345 
 
 
 1:3 
 
 27 
 
 1,790 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 26 
 
 2.371 
 
 
 14 
 
 24 
 
 1,814 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 13 
 
 2,384 
 
 
 15 
 
 19 
 
 1,833 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 21 
 
 2,405 
 
 
 1{) 
 
 26 
 
 1,859 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 20 
 
 2,425 
 
 
 17 
 
 24 
 
 l,8b3 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 21 
 
 2,446 
 
 
 18 
 
 23 
 
 1,906 
 
 Fort Hall. 
 
 
 20 
 
 12 
 
 2,458 
 
 
 22 
 
 12 
 
 1,918 
 
 I 
 
 21 
 
 5 
 
 2,463 
 
 
 24 
 
 10 
 
 1,928 
 
 American falls on i 
 
 22 
 
 16 
 
 2,479 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 Lewis's fork. | 
 
 24 
 
 18 
 
 2,497 
 
 
 25 
 
 13 
 
 1,941 
 
 
 25 
 
 IS 
 
 2,515 
 
 
 26 
 
 17 
 
 1,958 
 
 
 26 
 
 3 
 
 2,518 1 Fort Nez Perc€, at 
 
 27 
 
 20 
 
 1,976 
 
 
 
 
 
 the mouth of Wa- 
 
 28 
 
 25 
 
 2,003 
 
 
 
 
 
 lahwalah river. 
 
 . 29 
 
 24 
 
 2,027 
 
 
 28 
 
 19 
 
 2,537 
 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 
 2,053 
 
 
 29 
 
 19 
 
 2,556 
 
 
 Oct. 1 
 
 16 
 
 2,069 
 
 
 30 
 
 21 
 
 2.577 
 
 
 2 
 
 29 
 
 2,098 
 
 
 31 
 
 26 
 
 2,603 
 
 
 3 
 
 16 
 
 2,114 
 
 
 Nov. 1 
 
 23 
 
 2,026 
 
 
 4 
 
 19 
 
 2,133 
 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 2,645 
 
 
 .") 
 
 26 
 
 2,159 
 
 
 3 
 
 17 
 
 2,662 
 
 
 6 
 
 22 
 
 2,181 
 
 
 4 
 
 14 
 
 2,676 
 
 Dalles. 
 
 7 
 
 23 
 
 2.204 
 
 
 6&.7 
 
 90 
 
 2,766 
 
 Fort Vancouver. 
 
 8 
 
 26 
 
 2,230 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 HOMEWARD JOURNEY. 
 
 From the Dalles to the Missouri river. 
 
 
 2-S 
 
 a 
 i j2 
 
 r^ — ^*t 
 
 
 > b 
 
 cd ^ 
 
 S . 
 
 
 Date. 
 
 
 03 cd 
 
 b 
 
 Localities. 
 
 i 
 
 Date. 
 
 si 
 
 re 
 
 © cd 
 c '^ 
 
 Localities. 
 
 1843. 
 
 Milcs. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 Nov. 25 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 
 Dec. 4 
 
 9 
 
 147 
 
 
 26 
 
 22 
 
 34 
 
 
 5 
 
 11 
 
 158 
 
 
 27 
 
 13 
 
 47 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 19 
 
 177 
 
 
 28 
 
 21 
 
 68 
 
 
 1 
 
 25 
 
 202 
 
 
 29 
 
 21 
 
 89 
 
 
 8 
 
 19 -^ 
 
 221 
 
 
 30 
 
 10 
 
 99 
 
 
 9. 
 
 14 
 
 235 
 
 
 Dec. i 
 
 6 
 
 105 
 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 250 
 
 TlsunalS lake. 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 116 
 
 
 12 
 
 5 1 
 
 255 
 
 
 3 
 
 22 
 
 138 
 
 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 267 
 
 \ 
 
eAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES— Continued. 
 
 15^ 
 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 S . 
 
 
 
 
 S . 
 St 
 
 
 Date. 
 
 
 0) a 
 
 Localities. 
 
 Date. 
 
 ll 
 
 O CO 
 
 go 
 
 Local) tieff. 
 
 
 S '^ 
 
 S 0/ 
 
 
 
 t: '*' 
 
 03 Ji 
 
 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 ( 
 
 CO 
 
 V.J, 
 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 1844. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 "Doc. 14 
 
 21 
 
 288 
 
 
 Feb. 21 
 
 5 
 
 1,006 
 
 
 15 
 
 21 
 
 309 
 
 
 22 
 
 3 
 
 1,009 
 
 
 16 
 
 9 
 
 318 
 
 Summer lake 
 
 23 
 
 5 
 
 1,014 
 
 
 17 
 
 6 
 
 324 
 
 
 24 
 
 12 
 
 1,026 
 
 
 18 
 
 20 
 
 344 
 
 
 25 
 
 14 
 
 1,040 
 
 
 19' 
 
 21 
 
 365 
 
 
 26 
 
 14 
 
 1,054 
 
 
 20 
 
 26 
 
 391 
 
 Lake Abert. 
 
 27 
 
 1 
 
 1,055 
 
 
 ,21 
 
 6 
 
 397 
 
 
 • 28 
 
 10 
 
 1,065 
 
 
 22 
 
 29 
 
 426 
 
 
 Mar. 1 
 
 6 
 
 1,071 
 
 
 23 
 
 7 
 
 433 
 
 
 2&.3 
 
 10 
 
 1,08 J 
 
 
 24 
 
 13 
 
 446 
 
 Christmas lake. 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 1,088 
 
 
 25 
 
 14 
 
 460 
 
 
 5 
 
 20 
 
 1,108 
 
 
 26 
 
 21 
 
 481 
 
 
 6 
 
 34 
 
 1.142 
 
 Nueva Helvetia. 
 
 27 
 
 24 
 
 505 
 
 
 24 
 
 16 
 
 1,158 
 
 
 28 
 
 16 
 
 521 
 
 
 25 
 
 • IB 
 
 1,176 
 
 
 29 
 
 15 
 
 536 
 
 
 26 
 
 21 
 
 1,197 
 
 
 30 
 
 17 
 
 553 
 
 
 27 
 
 42 
 
 1,239 
 
 
 31 
 
 18 
 
 571 
 
 
 y 28 
 
 17 
 
 1.250 
 
 
 1844. 
 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 8 
 
 1,204 
 
 
 Jan. 1 
 
 20 
 
 591 
 
 
 ■ April 1 
 
 10 
 
 1.274 
 
 
 2 
 
 25 
 
 616 
 
 
 3 
 
 22 
 
 1.296 
 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 623 
 
 
 4 
 
 18 
 
 1,314 
 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 630 
 
 
 5 
 
 37 
 
 1.351 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 632 
 
 
 6 
 
 15 
 
 1.366 
 
 
 6 
 
 15 
 
 647 
 
 Great Boilinor spring. 
 
 7 
 
 50 
 
 1,416 
 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 6.58 
 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 1,422 
 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 668 
 
 
 9 
 
 31 
 
 1,453 
 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 678 
 
 
 10 
 
 40 
 
 1.493 
 
 
 12 
 
 6 
 
 684 
 
 Pyramid lake. 
 
 11 
 
 24 
 
 1,517 
 
 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 696 
 
 
 12 
 
 15 
 
 1,5.32 
 
 
 14 
 
 9 
 
 705 
 
 
 13 
 
 27 
 
 1,559 
 
 Pass in tlie Sierra No- 
 
 15 
 
 12 
 
 717 
 
 
 
 
 
 vae! a. 
 
 16 
 
 18 
 
 735 
 
 
 14 
 
 32 
 
 1,591 
 
 
 17 
 
 22 
 
 757 
 
 
 15 
 
 32 
 
 1,623 
 
 
 18 
 
 8 
 
 765 
 
 
 17 
 
 39 
 
 1,662 
 
 
 19 
 
 18 
 
 783 
 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 1.665 
 
 
 20 
 
 5 
 
 788 
 
 
 19 
 
 15 
 
 1,680 
 
 
 21 
 
 24 
 
 812 
 
 
 20 
 
 33 
 
 1,713 
 
 Spanish trail at Mo- 
 
 32 
 
 14 
 
 826 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 hahve river. 
 
 23 
 
 25 
 
 851 
 
 
 22 
 
 20 
 
 1.733 
 
 
 =^^ , 
 
 20 
 
 871 
 
 
 23 
 
 33 
 
 1,766 
 
 
 25 1 
 
 25 
 
 896 
 
 
 24 
 
 8 
 
 1,774 
 
 
 27 , 
 
 12 
 
 908 
 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 1,799 
 
 
 28 ' 
 
 12 
 
 920 
 
 
 27 
 
 43 
 
 1.842 
 
 
 29 j 
 
 7 
 
 927 
 
 
 28 
 
 12 
 
 1,854 
 
 
 30 
 
 11 
 
 938 
 
 
 29 
 
 7 
 
 1,861 
 
 
 31 
 
 26 
 
 964 
 
 
 30 
 
 24 
 
 1,885 
 
 
 Feb. 2 
 
 16 
 
 980 
 
 
 May 1 
 
 15 , 
 
 1,900 
 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 987 
 
 
 2 
 
 12 
 
 1,912 
 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 990 
 
 
 3 
 
 18 
 
 1.930 
 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 994 
 
 
 4 
 
 57 
 
 1,987 
 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 9i75 
 
 
 6 
 
 18 
 
 2,005 
 
 Rio Virgen. 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 998 
 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 2,015 
 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 1,001 
 
 Summit of tire Sier- 
 
 8 
 
 18 
 
 2.033 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 ra Nevada. 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 2,034 
 
 
]|5tf 
 
 CAPT. FREMONT'S NARRATIVE. 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES— Continued. 
 
 
 1^- 
 
 
 
 
 r , 
 
 1. 
 
 
 Dato. 
 
 si 
 
 
 Lx>calitiee. 
 
 Dato. 
 
 §1 
 
 go 
 
 Localitioe. 
 
 
 9 « 
 
 d «D 
 
 
 
 9 4> 
 
 2 ~ 
 
 
 
 S-rs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .2 «> 
 
 q" 
 
 
 
 ■ — V 
 
 q" 
 
 
 1844. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 1844. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 May 10 
 
 24 
 
 2,058 
 
 
 June 22 
 
 15 
 
 2,913 
 
 Bayou Salade, (South 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 2,070 
 
 
 
 
 
 Park.) 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 2,0S4 
 
 Vegae de Santa Clara. 
 
 23 
 
 36 
 
 2,949 
 
 
 13 
 
 15 
 
 2,099 
 
 
 24 
 
 21 
 
 2,970 
 
 
 / 15 
 
 21 
 
 2,120 
 
 
 25 
 
 21 
 
 2,991 
 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 2,137 
 
 
 26 
 
 11 
 
 3,002 
 
 
 17 
 
 17 
 
 2,154 
 
 
 27 
 
 10 
 
 3,012 
 
 
 19 
 
 27 
 
 2,181 
 
 
 28 
 
 21 
 
 3,033 
 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 2,203 
 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 3,063 
 
 PueUo, on tbe Arkaiv- 
 
 21 
 
 31 
 
 2,234 
 
 
 
 
 
 eas. 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 2,257 
 
 
 30 
 
 37 
 
 3,100 
 
 
 23 
 
 12 
 
 2,269 
 
 ScTJer river. 
 
 July 1 
 
 ?3 
 
 3,133 
 
 Bent's fort 
 
 24 
 
 S3 
 
 2.292 
 
 
 5 
 
 20 
 
 3,153 
 
 
 25 
 
 32 
 
 2,324 
 
 
 6 
 
 31 
 
 3,184 
 
 
 96 
 
 9 
 
 2 333 
 
 Utah lak.0. 
 
 7 
 
 31 
 
 3,215 
 
 
 27 
 
 22 
 
 2.355 
 
 
 8 
 
 2« 
 
 3,243 
 
 Head-wator of Smo- 
 
 28 
 
 25 
 
 2,380 
 
 
 
 
 
 ky Hill fork of the 
 
 29 
 
 25 
 
 2,405 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kansas. 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 2,436 
 
 
 9 
 
 27 
 
 3,270 
 
 
 31 
 
 16 
 
 2,452 
 
 
 10 
 
 28 
 
 3,298 
 
 
 J;a»e 1 
 
 16 
 
 2,4G8 
 
 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 3,322 
 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 2,476 
 
 
 13 
 
 30 
 
 3,352 
 
 
 3 
 
 21 
 
 2,497 
 
 Uiutab fort. 
 
 15 
 
 10 
 
 3,362 
 
 
 5 
 
 26 
 
 2,523 
 
 
 16 
 
 23 
 
 3;i85 
 
 
 6 
 
 15 
 
 2,538 
 
 
 17 
 
 32 
 
 3,417 
 
 
 7 
 
 30 
 
 2,568 
 
 Green river, (Brown's 
 
 18 
 
 24 
 
 3,441 
 
 
 
 
 
 hole.) 
 
 19 
 
 29 
 
 3,470 
 
 
 9 
 
 36 
 
 2,604 
 
 
 20 
 
 29 
 
 3.499 
 
 
 10 
 
 30 
 
 2,634 
 
 
 21 
 
 23 
 
 3,522 
 
 
 11 
 
 30 
 
 2,664 
 
 
 22 
 
 17 
 
 3,539 
 
 
 12 
 
 26 
 
 2,690 
 
 
 23 
 
 26 
 
 3,565 
 
 
 13 
 
 26 
 
 2,'? 16 
 
 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 3,587 
 
 
 14 
 
 23 
 
 2,739 
 
 
 25 
 
 19 
 
 3.606 
 
 
 15 
 
 25 
 
 2,764 
 
 New Park. 
 
 26 
 
 24 
 
 3.630 
 
 
 16 
 
 26 
 
 2,790 
 
 
 27 
 
 18 
 
 3,648 
 
 
 17 
 
 33 
 
 2.823 
 
 Old Park. 
 
 28 
 
 22 
 
 3,670 
 
 
 18 
 
 13 
 
 2,836 
 
 
 29 
 
 12 
 
 3,682 
 
 
 19 
 
 16 
 
 2,852 
 
 
 30 
 
 12 
 
 3,694 
 
 
 20 
 
 27 
 
 2,879 
 
 ^ 
 
 31 
 
 8 
 
 3,702 
 
 Kansas landing 
 
 21 
 
 19 
 
 2,898 
 
 
 Aug. I 
 
 7 
 
 3,709 
 
 Missouri river. 
 
D. APPLETON Sf CO. kavejttst Published 
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OP 
 
 OREGON AND CALIFORNIA, 
 
 AMD TOE 
 
 OTHEB TERRITORIES 
 
 ON T'lIE 
 
 NORTH-WEST COAST OE NORTH AMERICA; 
 
 AOCOHPANIBD BT A 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL VIEW AND MAP 
 
 OF THOSE COUNTRIES, 
 
 AMD A WUMBEK 0? DOCUMENTS A3 
 
 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE HISTORY. 
 
 ROBERT GREENHOW, 
 
 -TB*W«.*TOK Al»» LIBRAai4If TO THB DEPARTMENT OP STATE OP THE UHITCD STATE8 ; AUTHOR Of 
 
 A MBMOIK, HISTOSICAL A>0 POLITIOAl., ON THB NOKTH WK3T C0A9T OP nORTII AMEBIC A, 
 
 PUBLISHED IK 1341), Br DISBeTION OP TH« »SKAT£ OP THE V KITED BTATKa. 
 
 "THE POSSIBLE DESTISY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS A 
 NATION OF A HUKDRED MILLIGX3 OF FRKEMEN, STUF.TCHING FROM THK. 
 ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC, LIVING UNDER THE LAWS OF ALFRED, AND 
 SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF SHAKSPEARE A.ND MILTON, IS AN AUGUST 
 CONCEPTION " Colcriarc's Table Tal'v. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 BSVISRD, CORRECTED, AND EXLAflGS3I>. 
 
 One handsome ^vo. volume, Price $2, 50. 
 
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 PRACTICAL RECEIPTS, 
 
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 COLLATERAL INFORMATION 
 
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 INCLUDING 
 
 MEDICINE, PHARaACY, AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 
 
 DESIGNED AS A COMPENDIOUS 
 
 BOOK OF REFERENCE, 
 
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 BY ARNOLD JAMES COOLEY. 
 
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 Fonning one handsome Volume, 8vo., of 650 pages. Price $2 25 bound. 
 
 TnK design of the wnrh now cflered to the public, is to present an accurate and compendious collectlon.of fonnnls and' 
 processes, toiryther with a variety of useful information, suitable to the general reader, and practical purposes. 
 
 Ill th»; performance of the laborious task of compilation, the principal aim has been to render this work as extensively 
 n-scftil as possible, as well as a correct, comprehensive, and conveniently arranged manual of reference on the subjects oa 
 which it treats. It will be found to contain directions for the preparation of several thousand articles of interest and utility, 
 together with their properties, uses, and doses, and generally, the means 0f ascertaining their purity, and detecting their 
 presence in other compounds. In most cases, the derivation of the names, and a short historical notice of the more impor 
 lant substances, have been appended ; and the various scientific and technical terms that occur, have been generally 
 defined, for the purpose of rendering the work as self-explanatory as possible. As the names of substances, especially 
 those employed in chemistry, pharmacy, and medicine, have undergone repeated alterations, and even at the present day 
 frequently vary, as applied by different individuals, the old and new names, and the usual synouymes, English, Latin, and 
 Ccnilnental, have generally been introduced, fur the purpose of preventing mistakes, and facilitating reference to more 
 elaborate works. 
 
 A general, rather than a scientific arrangement has been adopted, because the object of the work is popular and nui- 
 V(?rsal; and though likely to be occasionally useful to men of science, it is more especially addressed to practical perscn;i, 
 and tho public at large. 
 
 The sources from which the materials of the present work have been derived, are such as to render It deserving of QiO 
 utmost coufiilcnce. The best and latest have been invariably resorted to, and innumerable volumes, both British and Cun- 
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 of the Editor, and the processes of various laboratories and manufactories, many of which he can highly recommend, from 
 having inspected their application on an extensive scale. The indiscriminate adoption of matter, without kxamination, 
 has been uniformly avoided, and in no instance has any process been admitted, unless it rested upon some wcll-kucwu 
 fact of science, or came recommended on good authority. 
 
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 respect there was a vacancy to be filled. Something between the silliness of ignorant quackery, and the profound and 
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 Amateur desirous to make -a familiar experiment, and also impart skilful directions to the Mistress of the Household, upon 
 numberless matters which constantly require her attention and judgment. 
 
 Mr. Coolcy's Cyclopedia amply supplies the deiiciency, in its applicriti(m to all the ordinary- purposes of life. Tl»e 
 moans to promote comfort and economy in the domicil are unfolded. Bakers, and Confectioners, and Grocers, especially, 
 will learn from it the most advantiigeous mcthoils to secure good articles at the lowest cost. Chemists and Druggists will 
 comprehend the most approved and scientific methods to obtain the stuest effects of their pharmaceutical labors. Agricul- 
 turists will discover the most profitable manner to engage in a large variety of their numerous occupations in the Dairy 
 tlic Field, the Stable, and the Farm-^pd. Manufacturers and Mechanics who are engaged in the working of Copper, Iron, 
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 tive departments. Calico Printers and Dyers, and. the Workers in India Rubber, also, will derive extensive additions to 
 their knowledge from this Volume. Bookbinders, Paper JIakers, and Typographers will also find their business explained; 
 while Dentists and Phonographcrs will equally be interested in tho increased knowledge which they will imbibe of their 
 f 'spective arts and professions, (Vom Mr. Cooley's laborious researches. HcDCC, his CtcI/OFJCDIA or PRAcncAi KiCKffX* 
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SUPPLEMENT TO DR. URE'S DICTIONARY, 
 
 D APPLETON & CO. HAVE JUST PUBLISHED, 
 
 RECENT IMPROVEMENTS IN ARTS, MANUFACTURES, AND MINES ; 
 
 Being a Supplement to his Dictionary. 
 
 BY ANDREW URB, M. D., F. R. S., &.C., &c. 
 
 One volume, 8vo., of 300 page? and near 200 elaborate wood cuts, in paper cover, «1, or inslioepto match the Dictionary, $1 50> 
 
 Amongst the many articles entirely new, and others treated at greater length in this supplement than in the former edi- 
 tions of the Dictionary, will be found — 
 
 Acetic Acid— Alcohol— Arrow Root (its growth and pioperlics)— Artesian Wilis (with a notice of the successful 
 labors of MM. Arago and Malot at Crenelle, near Paris)— Bavarian Beeb (" the mystery of brewing is more philosophically 
 Ktudied and incomparably better understood in Munich than in London, and throughout Bavaria than in England") Biscuits 
 (with a complete description, with figures, of the large Automatic Bakeries at Deptford and Portsmouth.) Bitumen (its uses 
 and manufacture.) Bread (wiih an account of the French improvements, accompanied with plans of ovens.) Brick Mak- 
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 provements.) Calomel. Calotvpe (a description of Mr. Fox Talbot's improvement on Photography.) Candles (anew pro- 
 cess of the manufacture of) Caoutchouc (full information of the recent application of Caoutchouc to the arts, under Book- 
 binding, Braiding Machine and Elastic Bands.) Chlorate of Potash. Chocolate (a now contribution from extensive ex- 
 perimental researches.) Cofpee. Daguerreotype (an elaborate article descriptive of all the most recent improvements, ac- 
 companied with illustrations.) Electro-Metallurgy (a full account, with illustrations, of this important application of sci- 
 ence to the uses ol'lirc.) Enamelling (account of a recent patent.) Evaporation (a now patent for generating, purifying, 
 and condensing steam) Fermentation (a useful companion to account of Bavaiian Beer.) Fuel (an elaborate series of 
 experiments on the measurement of heat, and the qualities of different kinds of Coal.) Cas Light (this article contributed 
 byan intelligent friend of Dr. Ure's may be considered as a standard treatise on the subject, it occupies twenty-four pages, and 
 is illustrated with many elaborate cuts.) Gelatine (accompanied with illustrations.) Guano (a fall account of this impor 
 tant article for the Agriculturist, from extensive experiments on samples of every description.) Hats. Illumination, Cost 
 of, (a valuable article on the diffusion and economy of Light, with illustrations.) Iron and Smelting (description, v/ith fig- 
 ures, of the best plans of the apparatus ""or the hot air blast, and for feeding the blast furnace with mine, limestone, and fuel.) 
 Lamps (on the construction of Lamps for burning spirits of Turpentine otherwise Camphene ) Leather (somo observations 
 on the process of Tanning.) Leather Morocco (its manufacture.) Leather Splitting (account of various modes with il- 
 ustrations.) Malt (the quantity of malt consumed by the various breweries of London.) Metallic Analysis (recent eco- 
 nomical method of improving. Metallic Statistics (collected to the present period.) Mines, (containing a detailed ac- 
 count of the working of Minos, with their productions, in various parts of the world.) MusatJET (a safe and simple construc- 
 tion of, with detailed cuts.) Oils (the manufacture of Seed Crushing Oil, now for the first time represented by a complete set 
 of figures exhibiting the various parts of the Wedge Stamping MilL) Paper (particulars of tho most recent improvementsi 
 with illustrations.) Pepper. Pearl, Artificial and Beads (particulars of new machinery for the manufacture, with illus- 
 trations.) Photography (its process.) Potter's Oten (a new patent.) Prussiate of Potash (its manufacture, with illus- 
 trations.) Puddling of Iron (a new plan of an economical furnace for converting cast iron into bar or malleable iron.) Sac- 
 charometer (a new table pointing out the proportion of sugar, or the saccharine matter of malt, contained in the solution of 
 any specific gravity. Silk (new analysis of.) Silver (the extraction of from lead.) Smoke-Pbetention (details of an un- 
 exceptionable, simple and successful plan for effecting the consummation of so desirable an object ) Soda (new experiments.) 
 Spinning (a short but systematic view of the admirable self-acting system, whereby all operations in a cotton factory ar J 
 linked together in regular succession, and co-operate with little or no manual aid, toward turning out a perfect product.) 
 Spirits (with a new table.) Starch (accompanied with a detailed illustration.) Steel (a new improvement, with cuts.) 
 Still (with the most recent French improvements.) Sugar of Potatoes (fully investigated from professional resouroes.) 
 Tea (recent experiments and remarks on its properties.) Tobacco (is discussed at considerable length, chiefly from evidence 
 recently given before the House of Commons.) Tortoise-Shell (its manufacture into various objects.) Turpentine- 
 Spirits (experiments from various tests.) Ventilation (the most improved mode.) Water-Mineral (several tables ex- 
 hibiting the nature and composition of the most celebrated mineral waters of Germany.) White Lead (description of a nriv 
 patent.) Wood-Paving (descriptive of the best system.) Wood-Prf-serving (the system adopted by the most eminent engi- 
 neers.) Zinc (recent improvements in the manufacture of this metal.) With an Appendix entitled Chemistry Simplifieo; 
 A Guide to Practitioners in testin Alkalis, Acids, and Bleaching Substances, in several departments of tho Chemical Arts 
 
 BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 Recently Published, the fourth American from, the third London edition, 
 
 A DICTIONARY 
 
 OP 
 
 ARTS, MANUFACTURES, AND MINES: 
 
 ■ CONTAINING A CLEAR EXPOSITION OF THEIR PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH 1211 WOOD ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 One stout volume, 8vo, of 1340 pages, strongly bound in leather, $5; or in two volumes, $5 50. 
 
 In every point of view, a work like the present can bo regarded as a benefit done to theoretical a.id practical science 
 to commerce and industry, and an important addition to a species of literature the exclusive production of the present OOB. 
 lury, and the piescnt state of peace and civilization. — Jltherueum. 
 
 Dr Ure's Dictionary, of which the American edition is now completed, is a stupendous proof of persevering assiduity, com- 
 bined with genius and taste. For all the benefit of individual enterprise in the practical arts and manufaoiuros, and for tb« 
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VALUABLE ASBiSyLTUHAL WORKS, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY D. APPLETON Sf CO., 2 BROADWAY. 
 RURAL ECONOMY; 
 
 I> IT» KELATIOf( WITH 
 
 CHEilianiY, rUVSICS, AXD METEOROLOaV: OR, CllE.VtI3T^V APx^LIEO TO AGRICULTURIi 
 
 IJY J. B. BOUISSANGAULT, 
 
 M.mihtir oftlio Insliluie of Friinco.ctc. 
 
 TRANSLATED, WITU AN I.VTHODOUTIO.V AND NOl'IiS, BY OEORRE LAW, AGjUCULTUttlST. 
 
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 profession " — .fimei'lcan Agricullurist. 
 
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 FArxMElVS AND EMTGil.\NrS HAND-BOOK: 
 
 BEING 
 
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 By J T. MARS {{.'ILL, JluLkur of " Tke Emigrant's True Guide." 
 
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 the nature of the diseases in the animal.s on a farm, with tiie remedies for them — an illustrationof the 
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 D. A. Sf CO. HAVE ALSO JUST PUBLISHED, 
 
 STABLE ECONOMY; 
 
 B8ING A TRE.\TISE ON THE MAVACKMENT OF HORSES, IN RKLATION TO STABUNO, OttOOMINO, 
 
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 BY JOHN STEWART, 
 
 Vator'mnry Siirgnon. and lately Protestor of Veterinary Medicine in tbn Anderaoninn University, aiRsgoMr, 
 Prora tho third Enjlisli edition, wiih Notes and .\dditioDs, adapting ir to Aojorican Food ;ind ClimatB. By A. B, Al.LI«, 
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