'Mtmm! LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAICN qoo 7. 3 Un31w v . 1 neology Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library m i 8 jgdt ■ s: » i * v O ,J ■-.' )* ?'& *:[§' L161— H41 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/reportuponunited01whee ENGINEER DEPARTMENT, IT. S. ARMY. REPORT UPON United States Geographical Surveys WEST OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH MERIDIAN, IN CHARGE OP CAPT. GEO. M. WHEELER, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, V. S. ARMY, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, TJ. S. ARMY. PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE HONORABLE THE SECRETARY OF WAR, IN ACCORDANCE -WITH ACTS OF CONGRESS OF JUNE 23, 1874, AND FEBRUARY 15, 1875. IN SEVEN VOLUMES AND ONE SUPPLEMENT, ACCOMPANIED BY ONB TOPOGRAPHIC AND ONE GEOLOGIC ATLAS. VOL. I.-GEOGRAPHICAL REPORT. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1889. 1 AT, I TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Letter of transmittal 7 Introduction 8-20 Chapter I. Areas occupied— Passes, Western Rim of Great Interior Basin- Altitudes and distances Yosemite Valley and summary of re- sults 21-146 II. Itinerary of Colorado Grand Cafiou and river tip of 1871, with map 147-171 III. Population, industries, communications, irrigation, and artesian wells 172-210 IV. Indians 21 1-222 V. Land Classification 223-227 APPENDIXES. A. List of certain latitudes, longitudes, etc 229-233 B. Description of atlas sheet maps 235-329 C. Formulated methods and examples, with illustrations 331-104 D. Notes on survey and disposal of public domain, with map 405-413 E. Considerations upon National Government Land and Marine surveys, with map 415-479 F. Memoir upon the Voyages, Discoveries, Explorations, and Surveys to and at the West Coast of North America and Iuterior of the United States west of Mississippi Itiver, from 1500 to 1880, with notes on certain old maps and later bibliographical and other refer- ences to geographical co-ordinates for permanent official Topo- graphic Atlas of the United States 481-745 G. Synoptical table of contents of qu irto volumes with summary list of re ports and separately published maps (topographic, land class- ification, and geologic) 747-760 H. Origiu, organization, functions, progress, and cost of geographical surveys west of one hundredth meridian 701-704 Index 765-780 372354 LIST OF PLATES. Page. I. Section of a cave in Cave Valley, Nev opposite . . 25 II. Alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada, near Camp Independence, Cal. opposite.. 40 III. Kearsarge Mining Works, Kearsarge district, near Camp Inde- pendence, Cal opposite.. 41 IV. Scene at mouth of canon of the Virgin River, near Shonesburg, Utah opposite. . 51 V. Dripping Pool, Kanab Canon, near the Colorado opposite. . 52 VI. Headwaters of Paria Creek, from rim of the basin, Southern Utah opposite.. 52 VII. El Vado de los Padres, Colorado River opposite. . 53 VIII. Crossing of the Colorado River near mouth of Paria Creek. opposite . . 74 IX. Aboriginal life in the Navajo country, near old Fort Defiance. opposite.. 75 X. Sandstone walls in Canon de Chelle, N. Mex. opposite. . 75 XI. Cooley's Park, Sierra Blanca Range, near Camp Apache, Arizona. opposite.. 7G XII. Alpine lake, summit of Cerro Blanco, near Fort Garland, Colo. opposite.. 77 XIII. Beaver Park, valley of Conejos Hiver, Colo opposite. . 87 XIV. Lost lakes, head of Conejos River, Colo., glacier peak in the distance opposite. . 87 XV. Fisherman's Peak or Mount Whitney, highest of the Sierra Ne- vada, near head of Kern River, Cal opposite. . 97 XVI. The start of the river party from Camp Mohave, Arizona. opposite.. 156 XVII. Black Canon of the Colorado River, camp 8 opposite.. 158 XVIII. Maimum, a Mohave Indian of the river party opposite. . 158 XIX. Black Canon of the Colorado iver, from Mirror Bar.. opposite.. 159 XX. Mouth of the Lower Grand Canon of the Colorado River. opposite.. 163 XXI. View looking south into the Grand Canon of the Colorado Hiver, from Sheavwitz Crossing opposite. . 164 XXII. Grand Canon of the Colorado River, near mouth of Kanab, Wash. opposite. . 168 XXIII. Grand Callon of the Colorado River, near Paria Creek . . opposite . . 168 XXIV. Colorado River party reaching mouth of Diamond Creek. opposite.. 169 XXV. Mountain stations (Form I Horizontal Sketch); scale, 1 inch to 1 mile (approximate) opposite. . 353 XXVI. Mountain stations (Form II, Horizontal Sketch); scale, 1 inch to 4 degrees opposite . . 355 5 507 500 (3 LIST OF PLATES. Page. XXVII. Main route and side meanders, and topographical stations (Form III), scale, 1 inch to 1 mile 356 XXVIII. Topography (sample from plotting sheet); scale, 1 inch to 2 miles 397 XXIX. Tlie Island of Antilia, by Benincasa, 1403 '- - - 498 XXX. America, from Ptolemaeus, Edit. Romae, 150S 499 XXXI. America, from a Frankfurt globe, about 1520, and from map of North America, by (Melius, 1589 501 XXXII. North America, by Zaltieri, 1506 504 XXXIII. From " Hondius" Ed , 1609, Amsterdam 506 XX XIV. North America, from Purchas, 1625 XXXV. From map of North America, by F. de Wit, Amsterdam, about 1670 X XXVI. From map of North America, by John Senex, F. R. S., 1710 510 XXXVII. From map of North America, by Edward Wells, M. A., 1722 511 XXXVIII. From map of North America, by Thomas Jeffreys, 1782 512 LIST OF MAPS. 1. Map showing routes of parties exploring Grand Canon of the Colorado; scale, 1 inch to 6 miles opposite. . 170 2. Sketch indicating advancement of public land, military, and geographical surveys, west of Mississippi River; scale, 1:3000000 opposite.. 412 3. Sketch indicating distribution of the United States into convenient dis- tricts for Government topographic surveys, with index rectangles for topographic atlas opposite.. 436 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. United States Engineer Office, Geographical Surveys "West of the One Hundredth Meridian, Washington, D. C, June 1, 1879. General: I have the honor to forward herewith manuscript of Volume I, the last of the quarto reports of this office, the publication of which is authorized by acts approved June 23, 1874, and February 15, 1875. This affords a pleasing opportunity once for ail to express my thanks to the large number of assistants, officers, civilians, and others whose genuine enthusiasm for their various tasks has alone made possible the systematic production of so great an amount of geographic, geologic, and other scientific material. The aid extended by the supply "branches of the War Department has added materially to the augmentation of results. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, GEO. M. WHEELER, Captain of Engineers, In charge. Brig. Gen. H. G. Wright, Chief of Engineers, United States Army, Washington, D. C. Note.— This report, brought substantially to a close in June, 1879, was not presented for publication until 1887, from press of other duties and sub- sequent prolonged illness. INTRODUCTION. The area within the United States west of the one hundredth meridian of longitude (1,443,360 square miles) embraces, entire, the basins of the Colorado (270,000 square miles), Interior (208,600 square miles), Coast (100,900 square miles), and Sacramento (64,300 square miles) ; also, that part of the Columbia (215,700 square miles) south of the forty-ninth par- allel, and portions of the basins of the Missouri (338,200 square miles), Rio Grande (123,000 square miles), Arkansas (75,500 square miles), Brazos (34,800 square miles), and the Red River of the North (3,360 square miles). Of the above approximation 993,360 square miles is of a mountainous structure, the many ranges surrounding interior plateaux and valleys, while the remainder (450,000 square miles) is composed of the "mauvaise terre" of the northern," plains" of the interior, and the "staked plains" of the southern, latitudes. The approximate average elevation above sea of the total area west of the one hundredth meridian is approximately 4,225 feet, the volume of the mass above this level being 1,155,201 cubic miles, while the approximate average altitude of the area of 359,065 square miles covered by the survey is approximately 5,000 feet, or corresponding to a volume of 340,024 cubic miles. The Colorado, Columbia, Missouri, Rio Grande, Arkansas, Sacramento, Brazos, Pecos, and Red Rivers are the principal lines of drainage of the fol- 9 10 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. lowing approximate total lengths and parts thereof comprised within the above area: Name of river. Total length. Length west of l«0th meridian. Name of river. Total length. Length west of 100th meridian. Milet. 1,678 1,350 2,824 1,800 1,539 Miles. 1,678 1,350 1,600 1, 5:'0 500 Miles. 270 770 1,200 600 Miles. 270 150 175 600 The Great Interior Basin that, on account oi its present state of desic- cation, is without outlet to the sea, has its own system of drainage and reservoirs, marked by a number of minor streams, such as the Humboldt, Sevier, Bear, Carson, Walker, Truckee, and Owens Rivers. The following determined volumes have been noted for the streams oiven herewith : No. Name of river. Total length, ap proximated. Lower or main Mississippi Yazoo Saint Francis lied Arkansas Upper Mississippi Missouri Columbia Sacramento Colorado of the "West . . . Rio Grande Miles. 1, 2KU 500 380 1,200 1, 514 1,330 2, 008 1,350 270 1,078 1,800 Total drain- age area, approximated. Square inib'S 1,256.050 13, 850 10, 500 97,000 189,000 109, 000 518, 000 215,700 04, 300 279, 000 (West of 100th meridian.) 123, 000 Length in area west of 100th meridian. Miles. o 175 500 1,600 1,350 270 1,678 Navigable west of 100th meridian. To what point. All oast of 100th meridian Not navigable do Not navigahle west of 100th me* ridian. .... do All oast of 100th meridian To Fort Benton , To the Cascades Ttha ma Rapids Mouth of Grand Canon Not navigable west of 100th me- ridian. Miles, approx. 1,225 130 233 400 No. Volumes of discharge. By- Locality. Date. Velocity in feet per second. Discharge per sec- ond. Hem ark s. Humphreys & Abbot. ...do ...do ...do .do. .do. .do- Cxibicfeet. 675, 000 43, 000 31, 000 57, 000 63, 000 105, 000 120, 000 Physics and Hydranlics of Missis- sippi River, pages 92 and 93. Physics and Hydraulics of Missis- sippi River, page 93. Physics and Hydraulics of Missis- sippi River, page 92. 3,300 square miles in area west of 100th meridian; Physics and Hydraulics of Mississippi River, page 92. 75,500 square miles In area west of 100th meridian; Physics and Hydraulics of Mississippi River, page 92. 2,824 miles to mouth of Three Forks; Physics and Hydraulics of Mississippi River, page 92. INTRODUCTION. 11 Volumes of discharge. No. By- Locality. Date. Velocity in feet per second. Discharge per sec- ond. Remarks. 8 9 10 Estimate of Board of Engineers. W. H. Dall, State en- gineer of California. Lieutenant Bergland . Do Cubic feet. 300, 000 (Average.) 30, 000 18, 413. 38 11, 623. 43 7, 658. 74 16, 232. 00 6, 249. 00 856. 40 640. 75 4, 685. 50 (Mean). Sen. Ex. Doc. No. 13, Highest known. Ordinary high flood. Stone's Ferry Camp Mohave — Fort Yuma . Near Camp Mo- have. Mouth Gila River Polonas, N. Mex . . > Discharge. 5 Ang. 11, 1875 Sept. 3,1875 Mar. 15, 1S76 Sept. 15, 1871 Dec. — , 1854 Sept. 19, 1878 205,000cu.ft. 165, 000 cu.ft. 3,217 1,250 2,80!) 3,006 3,000 2,560 2, 222 5,300 47th Cong., 2d seas., page 3. Snag-boat has reached Red Bluff, 248 miles. United States Geographical Sur- Do ... veys west of the 100th meridian. Lieutenant Michler. .. L Xell Mexican Boundary Survey. Lowest water; United States Do Lieutenant Bergland . FortSelden, N. M. Del Norte, Colo... Oct. 3, 1878 June 22, 1877 Geographical Surveys west of the luOlh meridian. High water. do. Note— The following measured discharges have been found for minor streams, a part or nil of which lie west nf the 100th meridian ■ (I) Kansas River, between Wamego and Saint Mary's, 2,500 cub;, feel per second, in September, 1878, liken at sta^e of about 4 feet above low waters (2) 1'ellowstone, at Fort Keogh, near mouth of Tongue River September, i'h;s 14 46' rubie b-et -at Mine point i" October, 1870, 6,505 cubic feet per sec. .ml; Willamette, at oueioutth mile below the northern boundai j of Portland, in fall of 1S76, at stage of 3J to 4 feet above or low water, 13,108 cubic teet per second, averaee velocity 3 <>8 feet per second, and later at 9 feet (approximated) above low water, 51,590 cubic feet per second; (4) confluents of Great Salt Lake (Bear, Weber, and Jordan Rivers and miscellaneous), March and April, 1878, 4,386 cubic feet per second (during rising water and prior to commencement of irrigation); (5) Gunnison, below iumivhi Creek, *«■ "'"For au^niiv'^tue^:!-, 1 ''^'^ a! R. C. of E. 1879, App. O, p. 1092 J D. McKowr, .under Major Suter; (2) A R. C of E 1880 App. R, p. 1470, Lieut. Magnire ; (3) A. R. C. of E., Ib77. App. JJ, p. 1009 R. A. Habersham, under Mnjor Wilson ; (4) A. R Geographical Surveys, 1879, App. D, p. 229, Lient. Young; (5) A. R. Geographical Surveys, 1878, App. A, p. 105, Lieut. Bergland. The backbone of the continent within the boundaries of the United States, or the water-shed between the Interior and Pacific (approximately 1,850 miles in length;, consists of a number of distinct ranges separated by noticeable passes easily approached from the eastward or westward, and to which the appellation "Rocky Mountains " has been given. This name fades away as the true condition of its topography be- comes known from actual surveys, and each of the several ranges claims a title. The mother mass of this water-shed consists of the Saguache and Snowy Ranges in Colorado (about 425 miles in length) that, begin- ning at the head of the broad San Luis Valley, extend northwardly with a single break or marked depression at the head of the Arkansas, and be- come lost in the lower levels only as the ridges leading from Long's Peak reach the plains in this direction. To this group of serrated ridges the name of "Sierra Madre" has been given, and no other mountain mass within our borders so well deserves the title, except perhaps the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, that within 12 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OP 100TH MERIDIAN. United States territory are more local in their position, neither do they so truly form part of the great main line of continental uplift extending from the Isthmus of Darien to the Arctic Sea. To describe the physical characteristics of the multitude of ranges as to their more important topographic relations alone, would fill volumes, and, indeed, even that could not be done for parts of the area that have not yet undergone instrumental survey. Among the most important are the two just named, the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Wahsatch, Uintah, Salmon River, Humboldt, Wind River, and many others. The Coast Ranges of California and Oregon, and the large number of subordinate chains of the Great Basin, and other portions of the elevated plateau aggregate not less than 161 distinct ridges or mountain chains, with serrated axial profile of not less than 20 miles each in length, disposed ac- cording to political divisions as follows: Nevada, 49; Arizona, 15, New Mexico, 27; Utah, 25; California, 24; Colorado, 11; Wyoming, 4; Mon- tana, 1; Idaho, 4; Oregon, 1 (part of Cascade Range only); Wyoming, 0; Texas, 0; Nebraska, 0; Dakota, 0; Kansas, 0; and Indian Territoiy, 0. Total, 161. Of the above 143 distinct and separately named mountain ranges, dis- tributed as follows: Nevada, 46; Arizona, 12; New Mexico, 25; Utah, 25; California, 20; Colorado, 11; Idaho, 3; and Oregon, 1; total, 143; independent of numbers of isolated groups of mountains as well as plateaux and mesas, have fallen within the area under survey. Of the groups of named mountains, having no regular trend, there are found 103 within the surveyed area, and 93 exterior; and of the 41 prin- cipal plateaux, already named, lying west of the one hundredth meridian, 36 fall within the surveyed limits and 5 without The aggregate number of ranges, mountain groups andplateaux(not in- cluding a number of minor subdivisions, that make up the Great Colorado Plateau) is three hundred and ninety-eight (398). The ranges, mountains, and plateaux (37, 72, and 5 in numbers, re- spectively) lying outside the region surveyed, are taken from the names INTRODUCTION. 13 given upon the latest edition of the "Western Territory map of the En- gineer Department, which number will doubtless be augmented when a detailed instrumental topographic survey of this territory is made. The great mountain forms, which consist for the most part of up- turned and corrugated strata, have been divided into ranges and mountains, the former confined to persistent ridges with distinct axial trend of not less than 20 miles in length each, the latter referring to the groups of mountain masses thrown above the general level with distinctive orographic features. The plateaux are tabular shaped formations, usually of sedimentary character, although often volcanic capped, standing apart and above the general level, being of irregular form and height, showing usually bold es- carpments along at least one well-marked portion of their perimeter. An attempt has been made to confine where possible the adjective use of the word "Mount" to a single isolated structure, as " Mount Taylor," and attaching names to the summit of the peaks, the latter being a topo- graphical feature, appreciable in extent, susceptible of exact geographical location, and more easily described with a definite individuality. The passes from east to west are more limited in numbers, and yet the practicable ones for routes by rail or common roads are found to increase upon diligent search, while ranges considered impassable a decade since are now climbed by the narrow-gauge tracks in their search for mining and other markets found in the local objective points of these rugged regions. The extended plateaux of the Colorado Basin and other localities west of the Continental Divide, and between it and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, exceed in dimensions the plateaux and mesa system of Old Mexico, and the dry interior climate at elevations irom 3,000 to 7,000 feet and above, south of the 40th parallel, is doubtless as lovely as any of the typical Mexican climes of the high interior valleys, and, when clearly understood as civilization advances, will furnish numerous spots noted for their climatic efficacy. The Colorado Plateau, first named by the writer in 1868, covers, in its various mountain plateau and mesa forms, at least 100,000 square miles in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. 14 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. The sub-plateaux, denned by the varying uplifts and subsequent de- nudations, are severally named. Erosion, through the sediraentaries that are the basis of its structure (and of the primitive rocks in some instances), has given rise to the Grand Canon of the Colorado, a gorge without par- allel, so far as known, for its high and nearly perpendicular walls, tortuous windings, and great length. Other canons of extraordinary magnitude are the Glenn and Uinta of the Colorado River, the "Grand" of the Arkansas, the Canon of the Yellowstone, while the Colorado, for the greater part of its length, is essentially a canon river, and the Snake River flows through deep rocky gorges for much of its distance, and minor canons of varied dimensions are to be found in or along the flanks of every prominent, mountain range. The principal falls are those in and around Yosemite Valley, more noted for their vertical dimensions than those of the Yellowstone, the Great and Little American on Snake River, and certain minor instances along the Columbia and Colorado Rivers. The Yosemite Gorge has become justly famed as one of the most picturesque, and is especially unique at the season of high water. The Yellowstone Park (so called) is one of the later wonders, on ac- count of its geysers, mud and thermal springs, waterfalls, and beautiful lakes. But few of these Western valleys are of erosion, and these compara- tively narrow and occupying but a small area. The great detrital, plain-like valleys occupy the interior spaces between the positive ranges and plateaux, while the character of the extended plains, uniform as to elevation, the wrinkles of which are mostly from erosion, extending from the 100th me- ridian to the base of the mountains, is well known from descriptions of travelers and explorers of all grades. The deserts (so called) are portions of the Lower Colorado Valley (now crossed by a railroad), the Mohave, Death Valley, Amargosa, Ralston, Humboldt, Quinn's River, and the Snake, thus reaching in patches from the Mexican border to the Columbia, between the meridinal limits of the Wahsatch and Sierra Nevada. INTBODUCTION. 15 Sand dunes are noted particularly in the Colorado, Death, Amargosa, Termination, and San Luis Valleys. Numbers of natural parks or extended glades have been discovered in the mountainous portions of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, and especially by the writer in the area embraced by the heads of Little Colo- rado, Gila, San Francisco, and Salt Rivers. The name has been erroneously applied in Colorado to those extended systems of detrital valleys inclosed by high encircling ridges called North, Middle, and South Parks, that are not particularly different from similar encompassed valleys, debouching abruptly in the direction of the flow of the waters, but wanting in that apparently artificial distribution of nature's bounties to be found in the glade-like parks above mentioned, and indeed others along the southeastern portion of the Great Colorado Plateau. The number of peaks between 10,000 feet and 15,000 feet within the entire area, so far as now known, and measured and computed by this office, is (560) five hundred and sixty, Mount Whitney, or Fisherman's Peak, in the Southern Sierras, enjoying an elevation of 14,470 feet (barometric), be- ing the highest that has been carefully measured barometrically. The num- ber both measured and computed by the Survey within the limits between 5,000 feet and 10,000 feet can only be given quite approximately as (882) eight hundred and eighty-two.* Areas of depression below the level of the sea are found in the Colorado Valley north and west from Fort Yuma, covering a space of approximately 1,600 square miles, and portions of Death Valley, in Eastern California. The lakes of the Great Interior Basin, acting as reservoirs, are largely saline and alkaline, while the number in other localities is large, especially those little lakes near the crests of important mountain ranges. The most remarkable one, examined and called Crater or Mystic Lake, northwest of Fort Klamath, on the summit of the Cascades, evidently occupies an old eruptive vent, the surface of the water being not less than 900 feet from the lowest point of the rim of a number of lava beds of various colors and separate flows, that constitute the incasing walls of an oval of approximately "These represent only a part of all existing peaks, as also but a portion of those determined in altitude. (See Appendix A and special volume Geographic Positions, &c, royal 8°.) 16 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. 7 by 9 miles. The greatest height of the almost perpendicular wall is about 2, "200 feet. A small conical extinct crater of basalt rises out of the western end of the water, which is pure and cool. Although no visible outlet is known, yet one is possible, and the relative elevations permit that streams emerging from beneath the lava beds at both the eastern and western slopes of the Cascades should have their actual sources in this unique reservoir. The sedimentary strata and crystalline rocks are broken through in many localities by basalts and older lavas, the vent points being marked in some instances by the residual typical cone, great fields of which are noted near San Francisco Mountain in Arizona, while the lines of eruption of the many overlying and intercalated masses of the more ancient lavas is naturally veiled from view. The areas embraced by these lavas, except the basalts and trachytes, prove in most instances as indexes to deposits of the precious metals where search has been made, and will gradually become the alphabet of the more careful and intelligent prospecting of the future as mining advances into this extensive region. The high mountain areas, that are perpetually covered with snow, are comparatively slight, and confined to the ravines sheltered from the sun's direct rays. This is due largely to the relatively small amount of rain and snow fall existing at the present stage of desiccation of this portion of the continent, the elevation of many ranges being amply sufficient with proper humid conditions to justify the presence of extensive active glaciers. The permanent source of supply from glacial masses, so efficacious in rendering certain the plans for irrigation in India and Italy that have the im- mense snow and ice storehouses of the Himalaya and the Alps, respectively, is wanting in the West; the winter snows melt rapidly and their moisture is soon transmitted below the lower levels, that most require irrigation, hence all plans looking to a successful recuperation of parched lands by the use of water must depend upon a larger than the usual modulus, upon the minimum of the running waters for the season, assuming a safe percentage of the additional volume that may be obtained by storage reservoirs. Artesian wells may be made to increase the practicably arable areas by appreciable amounts at minor spots, but on no considerable scale. INTRODUCTION. J 7 Observations for the classification of the lands for map delineation into (1) Arable or agricultural, (2) timber, (3) pasturage or grazing, ^4) arid or barren, having been conducted over an area exceeding 175,000 square miles in California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado. New Mexico, and Arizona, there appears as a result the following approximate percent- ages: (1) Arable, 4.77 percent; (2) grazing, 4!J 37 per cent.; (3) timber, 26.1)4 per cent; (4) arid, 16.95 per cent.; water and marsh, 1.01 per cent; and chaparral, 0.96 per cent. The locations of hundreds of points at which the precious and economic minerals occur but substantiate the belief gradually gaining ground of the almost unlimited prospective supply ; the development of which is constantly being rendered more economic and certain. The highest percentage reached for any single sheet by the "arid and barren" is 53.32, while the "arable," although relatively of meager amount (23.83 per cent, being the highest noted), will be increased somewhat by the artificial process of irrigation systematically conducted. Evidences of extinct glacial action are numerous; and have been noted by observers for periods of years. The detrital tli >< >rs of many of the valleys are the result of this action, and the detailed shapes of several prominent mountain ranges, especially in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Califor- nia, have been governed by the grand carving of glacial beds. A possible connection between the lacustrine beach of the ancient Lake Bonneville, that once covered the present Salt Lake and Sevier Lake Basins entire, and the deep-fluted carvings along the eastern flanks of the Suake Range in Eastern Nevada was observed in 1872, indicating that glaciers existed during the period that portions of the Great Interior Basin were covered by extensive lakes draining toward the Pacific. Mineral and thermal springs in considerable numbers have been noted in this region, and, up to 1875 not less than 120 had been located and reported upon. (See vol. 3, p. 150) The lower levels of the detrital plain-like valleys, more especially of the Great Interior Basin, are marked by alkaline and saline flats, or mud lakes, of many square miles in extent, impassable in seasons of rain and snowfall, and the plague of these desert-like areas in times of drought. 2 WH — VOL I 18 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. The various sedimentary systems have been made in many localities to give forth their treasures of invertebrates and vertebrates, thus adding new forms and marking a wider distribution of others. To the paleontologist the vision of still rich fields in which are en- tombed the remains of the faunal and floral life of the fossil-bearing forma- tions is as attractive as the belief in the hoped-for bonanza to the miner, and somewhat alike ; the surface alone has been but skimmed in either regard. Great additions have been made by the Government and other explor- ing parties during the past twenty years in the identification and distribution of the living fauna and flora, still there is a vast field for intelligent re- search into the details of distribution and variations of the multitudinous forms of animal and plant life. While the geologist has ample room to reduce to a system the rock exposures as well as their origin and history, and the mineralogist to inves- tigate and determine as to their constituents in this area of, approximately, 1,500,000 square miles, possessed of altitudes varying from 200 feet below to nearly 15,000 feet above sea-level, the student of antiquity of the ancient races and their ruins and the present aboriginals has a horizon the value of which is but just dawning upon the popular mind, and from the many monuments marking the habitations of prehistoric peoples must come much to aid in making clear the nature of the pre-aboriginals and their modes and circumstances of life. The approximate number of Indians (pueblos and nomads) within the area of survey was found to be 60,000, belonging to not less than thirty- three distinct tribes. The white population therein, approximately, according to the census of 1880, was 631,067, that on account of the rapid influx of miners and an associate population stimulated by constant discoveries of gold and silver, and ever increasing railroad facilities, will doubtless be at least doubled in the enumeration of 1890. Of the different industries, mining takes the lead, except in the States of California and Oregon, where agriculture has reached a distinctive status. INTRODUCTION. 19 The commercial relations are principally of mining necessities toward the interior, agricultural products toward the coast, and transcontinental traffic by the Pacific railways. The future principal loci of the fixed industries of the entire country, no matter to what point the center of population may drift, are, for •agri- culture, the empire of the broad drainage of the Mississippi Valley entire; for commerce, at or near the principal harbors of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, the great lakes, together with a number of entrepot points on the main navigable streams; for manufactures, mainly in the valleys leading to the Atlantic and Pacific, north of latitude 40 degrees; while mining for the precious metals belongs more particularly to the mountainous area of nearly 1,000,000 square miles of the western, or Pacific coast slope, with exceptional localities in the Apalachian region. The great Mississippi Valley may be made the home of not less than 200,000,000. Millions more can find a reward for industry in the area from the eastern base of the Continental Divide to the Pacific, while the comparatively narrow belt called the "Atlantic Districts" (see sketch map accompanying appendix E), being the strip along that coast, limited toward the interior by the water-shed of the Atlantic streams, already numbers its many millions. The reports of the "Geographical Survey West of the One Hundredth Meridian" relate to 359,065 square miles, situate in fourteen of the fifteen political divisions lying west of that longitudinal line. The actual area of survey from 1869 to 1879 (359,065 square miles) is distributed in the following proportions in the basins of drainage herewith: 1. Colorado. 130,200 square miles; 2. Interior, 106,500 square miles; 3. Rio Grande, 50,400 square miles; 4. Arkansas, 23,100 square miles; 5. Sacramento, 22,900 square miles; 6. Coast, 11,900 square miles; 7. Co- lumbia, 11,300 square miles; 8. Missouri, 2,765 square miles. At the commencement (1869) the only transcontinental railroad through this area was that of the Union and Central Pacific and their eastern connec- tions ; while to-day (January, 1887), the Southern Pacific meets the Atchi- son and Topeka, the latter branching to the Mexican coast at Guaymas, making a through route, with connections to San Francisco and San Diego 20 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF I00TH MERIDIAN. The Atlantic and Pacific has been constructed westward along the Colorado plateau beyond San Francisco Mountain to join a branch of the Southern Pacific at or near the Needles on the Colorado River, thus establishing- within a brief period three distinct lines to the Pacific, independent of the Guay- mas connection: while the more northerly line (outside of the survey area), the Northern Pacific, has been completed, and the Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge has penetrated westward to Utah and southward toward old Mexico. North and south lines have been opened, notably from the Cen- tral Pacific Railroad at Ogden,Utah, Palisades, Battle Mountain, and Carson, New, and local roads reach to the centers of production in many directions; and thus gradually this land of mountain and desert, forest and waste, with arable stretches at irregular intervals, is being reached by rapid transit from thickly settled regions, and the products of the ranch and mine may now, from a constantly increasing number of points, be carried with ease to an ever-increasing circle of consumers. The Atchison and Topeka Railroad also has connection at El Paso with the Mexican Central, already built to the city of Mexico, and other routes are projected to enter Mexico from Texas, and other rail communi- cation with our southern neighbor has been successfully inaugurated. AREAS OCCUPIED. 2l CHAPTER I. AREAS OCCUPIED. The several expeditions, from 1869 to 1879, inclusive, were enabled to extend the observations required, upon which to base a detailed topographic map, to embrace an area of 359,065 square miles, distributed as follows, viz: New Mexico, 80,052 square miles (or 66 per cent, of its total area) ; Cali- fornia, 64,906 square miles (or 41 per cent, of its total area) ; Nevada, fi2,181 square miles (or 60 per cent, of its total area); Arizona, 61,876 square miles (or 54 per cent, of its total area) ; Utah, 38,969 square miles (or 46 per cent, of its total area); Colorado, 33,041 square miles (or 32 per cent, of its total area); Idaho, 8,877 square miles (or 10 per cent, of its total area); Oregon, 8,842 square miles (or 9 per cent, of its total area); Wyoming, 231 square miles; and Texas, 150 square miles. In addition to these detailed topographic surveys, initial astronomic or geodetic points were established in Nebraska, Montana, and Washington Territory. Topographic sheets have already been issued that delineate 326,891 square miles of the above area, while the sum of small areas (mostly re- maining in plotting-sheet form) insufficient to publish as entire atlas sheets reaches 32,174 square miles. A number of geologic maps, the initiative of a projected Geological Atlas, based upon the above topographic sheets, have been issued as material was gathered. The annual reports comprise, besides the simple operations for the year, special descriptive and technical details. 22 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. Tlie main quarto volumes (eight in number), devoted to special sub- jects (as astronomy, geology, &c), are within themselves complete, as to the subjects embraced, at the date of issue, and there but remains the gen- eral Geographical Report from the main body of which all allied and technical material will be excluded. EXPEDITION OF 1869. The expedition of this year traversed an area of (approximately) 24,428 square miles, including '-^.O'J.S square miles in southeastern Nevada and 400 square miles in western Utah. The basins explored and mapped were southern portions of the "Great Interior'' and central parts of the Colorado, north and west of the great southern bend. The principal streams encountered other than the Colorado from south to north, are the "Virgin River" and Muddy Creek, a tributary heading: in Pahranasrat Valley, with a small affluent having; its source at the head of Cedar Valley near the Utah boundary; also portions of the western part of the Sevier Lake Basin, the Humboldt, and a number of southern tributaries, independent of minor streams issuing from the mountain sides and sinking within the confines of the neighboring; troug-hlike valleys, that are generally subordinate interior basins, integral parts of the elevated, mountain-inclosed area, without ocean outlet, known as the "Great Interior Basin.'' Note. — The general route pursued by Lieutemint Wheeler iu the expedition of 1 SCO was as follows: San Francisco, OaL, to Ilalleek Station, Nev., on the Central Pacific Railroad; thence to Camp Halleck, Nev.; thence to Elko, Nev.; thence to Old Fort Ruby, via Huntington Valley ; thence to Hamilton, White Pine District, via Long Valley; thence to Cave Valley via Steptoe Valley; th nee to Preuss Lake, (so-called), CTtah, and return; thence to Panacea and Pioche via Cedar, Eagle, and Rose Valleys; thence to West Point via Grape Vine Cafion and Meadow Valley Wash; theuce to Las Vegas via mouth of Virgin River, and northern bank of Colorado River to El Dorado Caiion; thence to Indian Spriug via Spring Mountain Range; theuce to Pahranagat District via Quartz and Summit Springs; thence to Moute Cristo Mill, White Pine District, via Quinn Canon and Railroad Valley; theuce to Camp Halleck via White Pine and Huntington Valleys; thence via Halleck Station to San Francisco. The departure from the routes above stated, in this as lor all other years, con- sisted principally iu the detours necessary in the ascent of prominent mountain peaks, and in traversing the adjacent ranges, and in visiting important mining camps. EXPEDITION OF 1869. 23 The measured mountain peaks above 10,000 feet approximately, are, Halleck, Humboldt Range, with four others unnamed; Grafton and White's Peaks, Schell Creek Range, and one other; Union, Snake Range, and one other, and Charleston, of the Spring Mountain Range, or eleven in all. The trough-like detrital valleys between the nearly meridional ranges have sensibly the same trend, and with few exceptions are valuable only for grazing, on account of too great an elevation, poor soil, or want of water. The exceptions are Ruby, Steptoe, Duck Lake, and Pahranagat Valleys, with a number of smaller size near the borders of Utah, and where the Mormons had tilled the scanty-sized fields to good purpose. The plateau system, so well marked in the area surrounding the Grand* Canon of the Colorado, and so widely developed in the central portion of the basin of this stream (named the " Colorado Plateau" by the writer in 1871), has but a slight representation in the 1869 area, consisting princi- pally in a number of detrital mesas, adjacent to and on the northwesterly banks of this river, and along the most southerly area of the reconnaissance. The population of the area embraced was sparse and confined to the few cultivated valleys and occupied mining camps, and counted by a few thou- sand except for the temporary influx into the White Pine District, while so far as concerns topographic material, relating even to horizontal dimen- sions, the then existing map of this region was almost a positive blank. The early Government explorers who had previously crossed this area in any direction, and whose reports have come under my notice, were Colonel Steptoe, along the northern portion in 1855; Captain Simpson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, to the southward and in nearly an east and west direction while en route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Carson, Nev., in 1859; Captain Fremont, in 1844, while en route to California, along the lower route across the Great Basin first named by him; while in 1867 Major Sidney Lyon, formerly an Army officer, traversed southeasterly from Austin, Nev., to the Mormon settlements in southwest Utah. So far as can be ascer- tained, no one of these parties determined astronomical latitudes or longitudes, at points within the expeditionary area of 1869, except Captain Simpson. The land surveys had advanced but little into this section, only ap- proximately 3,500 square miles having been subdivided at the date of the expedition, since which time, however, marked advances in settlement are 24 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OP 100TH MERIDIAN. shown by the advance of the surveys and by the mining claims in numer- ous localities that have been entered and subdivided in accordance with the mining law of 1872.* The Indian tribes noted, and of which the total number approximated 2,500 men, women, and children, were the Shoshones, Grosiutes, Snakes, Pah-vants, and Pah-Utes. None of these wer,e on reservations, and roamed at pleasure, eking out a purposeless existence, principally by hunting, fish- ing, and from the store of pinon nuts found at infrequent intervals along the foot-hills and lesser mountain groups. AVhile the greater number of these Indians profess to be peaceful, yet massacres of small parties in isolated canons were still of frequent occur- rence. It was impracticable, on account of the rapid nature of the reconnais- sance, to collect data by which to classify the lands, although it may be said that grazing everywhere predominates, except for the many barren locali- ties, while timber, mostly pine of the larger varieties, is found in the mount- ain ranges at the higher altitudes, the pinon being noticed along most of the rolling foot-hills in greater or less profusion. A number of mining camps were visited, and areas, composed entirely of the earlier grades of volcanic rocks, or of the junction between them and the sedimentaries, indicated fields for careful and intelligent prospecting, much of the former of which has since been done, while for long periods these many ranges will hold hidden their mineral secrets, only to be revealed as time, forced on by American activity, shall come to the rescue, and one series of mining ventures after another follow in rapid succession, until this industry, as applied to the precious metals, shall become more systematic and fixed. The water supply of the greater part of this area is extremely limited, the rainfall of the valley portions seldom exceeding 4 to i") inches per an- num, although that of the mountains, including the winter snows, is con- siderably greater. The Colorado River bounds the southern portion of the area that is along its immediate northern banks, a mountainous and valley * Survej s I'.v General Laud Office bad subdivided 1)2,793,702 acres, or 51,240 square miles, in Nevada up Id June 30, 1886, nut of an estimated area of 112,090 square miles for the wbole State. a to 0-, is d d c Sh 0) CO d GJ C 72 CD o '€ CD d c J- 2 >N CD' r— ( d > -S CD a > ifl d •a u 1 '-0 00 3 a; EXPEDITION OF 1869. 25 desert, interspersed with mesas. The Humboldt, an inconsiderable stream of the Great Interior Basin, skirts the northern portion. A few lakes are noted in the valleys tying east of the Humboldt Range — the reservoir of Sevier River and in Pahranagat Valley. But comparatively little land can be restored bv irrigation so far as could be determined from a cursory view. Artesian wells will doubtless some day prove of local service along the mountain flanks at selected localities. The average mean temperature at the Signal-Service station at Pioche, Nev., toward the southern portion of the reconnaissance area, for the years L878, 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1882, was found to be 49°.8 Fahr. The max- imum monthly average was 74° foi August, 1878, and the minimum 26°.4 for January, 1882. The average precipitation for the same period was 6.71 inches per annum; the annual means varying between 8.36 inches and 4.67 inches. The mean relative humidity for the above five years varies between 32.9 and 43.8. The means of communicating along northerly and southerly lines are amply practicable. Such routes have been availed of for the small number of wagon roads needed in the condition' of settlement of the country ex- isting in 1869. The position of east and west routes is practically determined by the mountain passes that exist in the several longitudinal ranges, and hence are more limited in number. Upon favorable developments in the mineral areas these valleys will be finally traversed by a system of narrow-gauge railways (north and south), with feeders or arms extending laterally, east and west, tnti i the mountain canons. Note. — Plate I is here introduced showing the plan and section of a cave in the mountain limestone partially explored in Cave Valley lying- due south of Steptoe Val- ley, that appears to underlie a number of small buttes westward from the main range, in which the same limestone appears heavily bedded. Its exploration was made by a party of 23 to a right-line distance of 3,000 feet from the orifice, developing walls of 700 to 800 feet in height, with dry chambers for nearly 2,000 feet of the distance tin- balance approaching the sink at the furthest distance from the opening, showing the presence and action of percolating waters, reaching a pit apparently terminal for this level which it was found impracticable to explore for lateral connections, that may, for all that is known, extend in any direction. 26 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. North from Old Camp Ruby a distance of several miles a stream of considerable dimensions was found emerging from the flanks of the Hum- boldt Range, which could be followed for a distance within its limestone walls to an orifice nearly filled by the volume of the discharge. This volume was not less than 2,000 feet per second, hence its cutting power with the velocity of emergence was very great, and doubtless along its course in the interior of the mountain structure passages of no little size have been eroded, to appear at some later day in the drainage of this basin as cave amphitheaters and avenues. Thermal springs were noted at the following points: Near Elko; also in Spring, Rub} 7 , White Pine, and Pahranagat Valleys, at Panacea, in Meadow Valley, and in the wash to the southward. (See vol. 3, p. 150.) The mountain ranges are generally anticlinals, with doubtless the cor- responding synclinal, with a similar strike, below each adjacent detrital valley. Heavy limestone and quartzite beds are a marked feature, over- laid with rhyolitic or other eruptive masses, or as intruded beds, in many cases the sedimentary formations being entirely covered. The rapidity of the march gave no opportunity for either geological examination or collection of specimens. Parts of the area of 1869 were again entered in 1871 and 1872, when geologists and other collectors were added to the personnel. The superficial evidences of vein phenomena were many in the several districts then located, and as a better understanding is had of the relation- ship of the volcanic beds that are mineral bearing and the accompanying country rock, there will be found, it is- believed, much more to tempt the miner. This wilderness of ranges and mountain ridges found in the great interior basin and other portions of the west visited by the parties of the several expeditions impress one fully with the opportunities for persistent mining when the same is converted, as is now rapidly being done, from the position of a sporadic effort to that of a fixed industry. The number of north and south mineral belts so called can scarcely be estimated; on the thirty-ninth parallel it cannot be less than fifteen, according to present dis- coveries, and. the ground is scarcely scratched. EXPEDITION OF 1869. 27 Boundaries of the Great Interior Basin but imperfectly known along the southern and southeastern rim were traced and many sub-basins, the waters of which sink in the detritus or rocky strata of the plain-like valleys, were made known for the first time. The interior plateau climate of this so thoroughly desiccated region at all elevations above 2,000 feet, during the summer months was found superb in the extreme. From August 10 to the evening of October 27 not a rain cloud had been noticed by night or day by the valley parties, and the brill- iancy of the moon often made it possible to read by its light. Partial lake terraces were noted in certain of the more prominent val- leys, and it now seems evident from the lacustrine beaches, discovered in 1871 by the expedition of that year and by Clarence King along the fortieth parallel, that the larger share of the " Great Interior Basin" was not long since the bed of great lakes having outlets northwardly or southwardly to the ocean These bodies of water have drained away, and residuals of a secular des- iccation have dwindled to that condition of semi-desert now so well known, the small reservoirs of Great Salt, Sevier, Humboldt, Winnemucca, Carson, Walker, Owens, and a few minor lakes being the only water surfaces of the former expanse. The artemesia of the plain-like valleys holds sway throughout the area, the bunch-grass clothes the foot-hills and the semi-mesas except for the more desert part of the area on the south and near the banks of the Colorado. Certain of the valleys in the eastern part of Nevada are clothed with well-bedded grasses in the bottoms that afford a natural annual yield of both fair quantity and quality. The mountain streams are stocked with trout. The varieties of fish and animals of all descriptions are extremely few, as also the individual specimens. The area is almost destitute of game except for such smaller varieties as duck, geese, crane, and sage-hens. A few blue-winged grouse are found in the higher elevations, and quail to the southward near the val- leys, and deer have been noted in the Humboldt and other like prominent ranges. In the southern or desert-like portions of the area rattlesnakes 28 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. and reptiles were abundant. No Indian ruins were seen, and, indeed, the student of antiquities will find but little to reward him in the region visited by the expedition of this year It was determined that the hypothetical lake named "Preuss," after Fremont's chief topographer, and hitherto placed on the maps as being crossed by the boundary line between Nevada and Utah, was without doubt the alkaline flat (overflowed from Sevier Lake at seasons of high water) lying to the southward of this lake, and between the Hawawah and Beaver Creek Ranges. It determined also that several Mormon settle- ments, containing about 2,500 inhabitants and several thousand acres of tillable land, heretofore supposed to be in Utah, were actually in Nevada. The minerals noted were mostly gold, silver, copper, lead, antimony, iron, salt, gypsum, alum, and cobalt (silver predominating), the well- known Meadow Valley mining district, with Pioche as a center, having been the largest producer. The towns were few, sparsely settled, and uninteresting ; the many short creeks from the mountain sides usually sink before reaching the cen- tral portions of the valley. The discharge of the Muddy (more a creek than a river) at West Point is not less than 5,000 inches, and of the peculiar springs near Las Vegas, 1,500 inches approximately. The Colorado River (traversed for To miles along its. northern bank), with a drainage of 175,000 square miles, was afterwards gauged at Camp Mohave and Fort Yuma (see years 1875 and 1876), and circumstances of its navigation were ascer- tained during the river trips of 1871. Of the twenty-three valleys traversed there was found not to exceed 250 square miles of arable land, of which 18,000 acres lie in Pahranagat Valley, all of which practically requires irrigation. The mountain peaks vary between elevations of 8,500 to 13,000 feet; the vegetation reaching 11,500 feet where observed on the thirty-ninth par- allel. The other elements regulating the superior altitude of vegetation being (1) grade of slope, (2) mean temperature, (3) relative humidity. The principal timber is of the pine, pinon, cedar, fir, spruce, and Cottonwood varieties, and may be noticed, in sparsely distributed forests, along the Hum- boldt, Schell Creek, Snake, and other ranges; in the mountains south of EXPEDITION OF L869 29 White Pine and east of Railroad Valley: southeast of Clover Valley and along the southern extension of Schell Creek Range at three points before reaching the headwaters of the Muddy. Covering the foot-hills pinon and stunted cedar abound. The bunch grass of the rolling foot-hills, so luxuriant and fine of fibre, is changed within the Colorado River Valley zone into a coarser variety known as "hard tack." Wherever land is cleared of large sage brush and brought under culti- vation by means of irrigation, the underlying vegetable mold, always dark, is found to furnish a most prolific soil. In the portion of Southeast Nevada visited, the maximum temperature of points up to 7,1 '()() feet altitude noted was 100° Fahrenheit; the mini- mum winter temperature reaching, as has been recorded, 15° below zero. Mid-day temperatures in the shade, of 118° and 120°, were noted on the banks of the Colorado, but scarcely so oppressive as those of 95° to 100° Fahrenheit in the more humid climate of the eastern seaboard. A system of strictly scientific observations at selected points in the great in- terior basins and the plateaux of the Far West at elevations from 3,000 to 8,000 feet will develop, it is believed, equable conditions of climate, show- ing small actual and large relative humidities, and promising a salubrity that cannot be found in other portions of the United States, where the rainfall is so much in excess, and equal if not superior to the far-famed mesa sec- tions of old Mexico; for the distinctive mesa and plateau forms only receive their full development upon reaching the latitudinal confines of the United States. The rich, succulent bunch grass has been found most valuable for stock- raising, and the areas suitable have been already largely, if not entirely, utilized for this purpose. In 1869 cattle and sheep were being driven in from distant points, even as far as from Texas, but horses and mules were scarce. The soil is generally good for mountain roads, but they had been poorly made, with scarcely an exception, and were wanting in repairs. The highest point in this area is the summit of the Snake Range (baro- metric height 12,063 feet). This peak had been named Jefferson Davis in 1854-'5n by Colonel Steptoe, after the Secession and Confederate leader of that name. Mr. White, State mineralogist of Nevada, at the date of its as- 30 I 1 ". S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. rent for the first time by himself, myself, and party, suggested a change to that of my own, which idea was abandoned when it was learned that Cap- tain Simpson in 1859-'60 had, from the valley below, passed this locality and suggested the appellation of "Union," which name has been adhered to in the office of Geographical Surveys. Although narrow-gauge railways have not yet (January, 1883) entered any portion of the 1809 area, yet elsewhere, in many sections traversed in the West, they have been intro- duced with economic effect, and the prediction of the writer in 1868 to the effect that for short meridional lines and local mountain routes this means of communication would prevail in the main, has been realized in scores of instances. Special maps of this reconnaissance were made on scales of 1 inch to 6 miles and 1 inch to 12 miles; the material, later on, being incorpor ated into the atlas on scale 1 : 500,880, and where necessary into sheets, scale . C, March 23, 1871. Sir: The Secretary of War, in bis orders of March IS, 1871, a copy of which has been furnished you, has assigned you to the charge of the exploration, under the direction of the Chief of Engineers, of those portions of the United States territory lying south of the Central Pacific Railroad, embracing parts of Eastern Nevada and Arizona. The main object of this exploration will be to obtain correct topographical knowl- edge of the country traversed by your parties, and to prepare accurate maps of that section. In making this the main object, it is at the same time, intended that you ascertain, as far as practicable, everything relating to the physical features of the country, the numbers, habits, and disposition of the Indians who may live in this sec- tion, the selection of such sites as may be of use for future military operations or occupation, and the facilities offered for making rail or common mads, to meet the wants of those who at some future period may occupy or traverse this portion of our territory. In ascertaining the physical features, your attention is particularly called to the mineral resources that may be discovered, and, where the indications would seem to justify it, you should have minute and detailed examinations made of the locality and character of the deposits. The influence of climate, the geological formations, character and kinds of vegeta- tion, its probable value for agricultural and grazing purposes, relative proportions of woodland, water, and other qualities which affect its value lor the settler, should lie carefully observed. 32 U. S. GLOGPAPIIICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. The latitude and longitude of as many as possible of llie important points should be accurately determined, and in order to assist you in this, it is suggested that you make arrangements with the officers in charge of tlie United States Lake Survey and United States Naval Observatory, so as to determine by telegraph the longitude of those points nearest to your tield of labor, with which your field-work can be con- nected. The following places are designated as convenient for depots, viz : Gamp Inde- pendence, California; Camps Mohave, Hualapais, Whipple, and Apache, in Arizona; ami Camps Wingate and Bayard in New Mexico. You will use your own judgment in modifying the plan proposed in the event of any unforeseen circumstances or physical obstacles preventing an adherence to it. To aid you in the discharge of these duties, Lieut. D. W. Lockwood,of the Corps of Engineers, has been ordered to report to you, and you are authorized to employ ten assistants as topographers, geologists, naturalists, &c, at salaries already authorized from this office in letters of previous date ; also, the necessary number of packers, -aides, and laborers to complete your party, the whole number of civilian employes not to exceed thirty in number. You will procure your assistants, employes, equip- ments, supplies, &c, at those points which seem to insure the most economical and effective organization for the party, and are authorized to pay their actual transporta- tion to and from and to subsist them while in the field. You will communicate with this office as often as the means of communication will allow, forwarding the usual reports and returns required by the regulations, and such other reports as will keep this office apprised of your movements, and the progress of the expedition under your charge. # # # * * * * Very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. A. HUMPHREYS, Brigadier- funeral and Chief of Engineers. Lieut. George M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, Washington, D. C. Pursuant to these instructions the operations of the season were carried out with great vigor, and a preliminary report, accompanied by a skeleton map, scale 1 inch to 24 miles, was submitted and published shortly after return from the field. The routes of early explorers traversin»- this area are those of : (1) Padre Escalante, 177C, en route from Santa Fe, N. Mex., to Great Salt Lake, Utah; (2) Fremont, in 1844, also 184f>, in his southern EXPEDITION OF 1871. 33 route along the rim of the Great Basin, also from vicinity of Austin to eastern base of the Sierras, emerging via Owen's Lake; (.'!) Emorv. 1846-47, with the California column along the Gila River; (4; Captain Sitgreaves, in 1852, from the Zufii villages, westward to the Colorado River, and thence along its banks to its mouth; (5) Lieutenant Whipple, 1853, along the 35th parallel route from Sunset Crossing to Los Angeles, Cal. ; (6) Lieutenant Parke, along the 32d parallel, in vicinity of Tucson, to the east; (7) Colonel Steptoe, 1854-55, from Salt Lake City into and along the valley of the Humboldt; (8) Captain Simpson, 1859, from Great Salt Lake, westward to Carson City; (9) Major Lyon ( 1867), from Austin, Nev., to Southwestern Utah. The areas were joined with those occupied in 1869, and so on for the successive seasons the work was developed to cover contiguous sections of territory. When the large latitudinal and longitudinal expanse, the extensive area, the long lines traversed, the broken mountain and desert tracts entered and for the first time made known as a whole, the multiple number of parties, their successful connection and co-operation, over a country where supplies had to be transported to advance depots, is considered, and when taken in connection with the successful ascent of the Colorado, the determination of its practical head of navigation, together with the fact that the regions south of the Colorado River, as well as a part of those to the Note. — Tbe route traversed by the officer in charge in 1871 was generally as follows: Washington, D. O, to Halleck Station. Nev.; Halleck Station to Camp Ilal- leck and return; Halleck Station to Carlin; Carlin to Bull Run district and return; Carlin to Eureka, via Mineral Hill; Eureka to Morey district; Morey to Meadow- Creek, near Belmont, via Tyboe district; thence to Hyko, Pahranagat Valley; thence via Oasis Valley to Camp Independence, Cal.: thence to Cottonwood Springs via Cot- tonwood Canon, Death Valley, and Ash Meadows; thence to Camp Mohave via Ivan pah ; thence to mouth of Diamond Creek via Colorado River and Grand Canon : thence to Truxton Springs; thence via Mineral Park to Hualapais Springs and to Camp Hualapais; thence to Prescott; thence to San Francisco Mountains; thence via Rim of Plateau to Touto Basin and Camp Apache; thence to Old Camp Grant, Ariz., and to Tucson, Ariz.; thence by stage to San Diego, by steamer to Sau Francisco, ( !al., and by rail to Washington, D. C. 3 wn— vol i 34 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. north of it, were infested by hostile Indians, making a perpetual guard a necessity by night and day, all of this, coupled with the unflinching courage, perseverance, and tenacity of the personnel, one and all, make it apparent that the exploration of 1871 was one of the most important and useful of those intrusted to my charge during eleven expeditionary years. Indians to the number of several thousand were noted, belonging to the following tribes : Shoshones, Pah-Utes, Chemehuevis, and Utes of Ne- vada and California; the Seviches of Utah, and the Mohaves, Apache-Mo- haves, Hualapais, Cosninos, the Tontos, Pinals, Coyoteros, Mescaleros, and Arivaipas of the Apaches in Arizona. No census or enumeration claiming accuracy had been made in 1871. The greatest number of the White Mountain Indians (Coyotero Apaches) at Camp Apache that had ever drawn rations at one time did not exceed 1,200 men, women, and children. It had been estimated that the total number of Apache warriors would not exceed 1,500; however this may be, their hardiness, in conjunction with a perfect knowledge of their broken mountainous and mesa region, in which their homes were situated, made them an enemy greatly to be feared. They were then entirely nomadic, true mountain Indians, unaccustomed and hostile to the intrusion of the whites, and restless and unsafe whenever on a reservation. The roaming Indians lead a precarious existence, alternating between valley and plain, foot-hills and mountains north of the Colorado River, subsisting on pine nuts, seeds of all kinds, jack-raid (its, lizards, and a few small birds; while south of the Colorado they live more upon game and fish, cook the mescal and certain cactus plants, cultivate small fields, and have ponies. In the valley of the Colorado small Indian fields of corn, melons, and squashes were seen. From among the Utes and Pah-Utes found north and west of the Colorado River, it was possible to obtain friendly guides, many of whom proved most valuable in pointing out the little hidden springs and streams, especially in the Death Valley country, Southwestern Nevada, and Eastern California sections. Indians were being fed by the military authorities at a number of posts in Arizona, notably at Camps Apache, Grant, Verde, and Whipple. The plan pursued at the former, that I had occasion to suggest while serv- EXPEDITION OF 1S71. 35 ing on staff of commanding general, Department of California, was to issue tickets to each sub-chief or head of a family, at a general gathering, when all would he anxious to show their authority and get the greatest number together, as a basis for furnishing rations, when in case next ration day any members were absent, no rations would be issued to the particular family or band, until the entire number were remustered and absentees accounted for. This, prevented the young bucks from being absent on the war-path, while rations would still be drawn for them at the reservation or agency. It is understood that this plan has since been tried with very good effect, and might well be made general. Some of the worst, if not worst, Indians remaining in the United States were those encountered in the lonely marches, away often from either highways or trails, on this expedition, whereas it is believed that ten years have so far changed the face of matters that an escort is scarcely, if at all, needed in any part of Arizona, unless during an outbreak, one of those periodical occurrences destined to come without warning, while the Indian race (fast giving way before white emigration) retain any of their native spirit. One cannot approach the subject of the Indian without reverting to the Stage massacre (see Prel. Rept, 1871, p. 29) near Wickenburg, Arizona (where three members of the expedition were murdered), long since proven to have been committed by Indians professedly friendly, and being fed at the expense of the Gov- ernment. Maimum, one of the Mohaves of the river trip, who had formed a great fondness for the ill-fated Loring, was largely instrumental in ferret- ing out these red-skinned assassins, and some of their number were finally found and punished during General Crook's first command of the Military Department of Arizona. This is one of the evidences of the mistaken zeal, of the then peace-at-any-cost policy, that was for so long a time applied to the settlement of the Indian problem. Unfortunately, the bones of mur- dered citizens cannot rise to cry out and attest the atrocious murders of the far-spreading and wide-extending border lands of the Great West, and while the fate of the Indian is sealed, the interval during which their exter- mination as a race is to be consummated will doubtless be marked in addition to Indian outbreaks, with still many more murderous ambus- cades and massacres. (1879.) 36 U- 8. GEOGEAPHICAL SUEVEYS WEST OF 100TH MEEIDIAN. The rapidity of movement and plans of the expedition, depending upon read liny supply points at stated times, and long- marches between waters, did not permit of taking careful notes in the topographic record of the various natural divisions, &c., of the soil, nor of its cultivation, as was com- menced in 1872, and developed in later years to an actual economic classi- fication, reduced to percentages and shown graphically by colors on the topographic map. Suffice it to say that much of the country traversed, such as Death Valley, Armargosa Desert, and portions of the Mohave and Colo- rado Deserts, are as unpromising sections as the sun shines upon, even were it the depths of the "Sahara;" while fringed with smaller desert areas, con- taining oases of appreciable extent, the ones above mentioned are almost destitute of vegetation and water. Valleys near the railroad, like the Reese River, are marked by narrow lines of cultivable ground, and much grazing is met with, especially in the foot-hills, and occasional patches of timber in the higher ranges, reaching tracts of considerable size. Much of the region belongs to the "Interior Basin," and to that portion of the "Great Ameri- can Desert" found in Southwestern Nevada and Eastern California. Shortly after crossing the Colorado the scene changes, and the rolling, broken mesas of the Colorado plateau are reached, where in many cases large areas of luxurious grass abound, with timber of the fir and pine species, one almost unbroken forest, except for intervening valley and glade, extending from far to the north and west of San Francisco Mountains to the eastward limit of the trip, the White Mountain Range, east of Camp Apache, a distance of approximately 350 miles, and varying in width from 60 to 100 miles. Within this large area lies the " Black (juniper) Forest" of Ives, and its extent is only limited by the heads of the Gila River, and the ranges extending thence eastward, one by one, to the valley of the Rio Grande. This forest is without doubt the largest, single, connected timber expanse found south of the fortieth parallel and west of the one hundredth meridian. Its elevation is from 7,000 to 11,000 feet, in most localities below 8,000. The little glade-like valleys might, with much success, be turned to pur- poses of agriculture and grazing. In 1871 but little of the arable or graz- EXPEDITION OF 1871. 37 ins- land had come into the market even in Nevada, since which date it is understood that subdividing surveys have covered the greater part of this section ; and when one considers the comparatively few acres out of every hundred (not exceeding ten) that can be utilized by the farmer or stock grower, in connection with the Western tide of emigration, it is not difficult to see that before many decades every useful acre will be appro- priated, in pursuance of the present land laws, when there will still remain in the hands of the General Government sterile wastes, not alone of millions, but tens of millions of acres, which, valueless for agriculture, stock raising, or mining, must for a long time remain unoccupied, even with the most liberal land-settlement laws. The cultivable area may be increased slightly through surface and artesian-well irrigation in the southwest, and by re- precipitation in adding slightly to the normal amounts of rainfall, from the interposition of larger areas of evaporation, and through other causes. The entire cultivable ground in Southern and Eastern Nevada is limited to small isolated spots, or narrow lines, while certain valleys in Arizona re- spond more liberally, notably the Chino, Williamson's, and of the Verde, in the north; along Salt River, in vicinity of Phoenix, and of the Gila, near Florence, and in vicinity of Pueblo Viejo at the south. The Territory of Arizona, so long judged by the lines of transit through it along- the lower Gila and other desert sections toward its southern border, bears a better character for productiveness of soil as its northern, central, and eastern parts become opened up and known. Not less than 10,000 acres were cultivated at Phoenix in 1871. The artemisia, or desert sage, disappears as the higher semi-plateau regions of Arizona are reached, and is replaced by rich bunch and grama grasses and shrubs, although the presence of a strong growth of artemisia is everywhere indicative of a fine undersoil, but usually valueless from absence of water. Except for portions of the Colorado Plateau and certain valleys in Arizona, the average per- centage of arable and grazing land of the 1871 area was less than that for any single year, the arid area being largely in excess, which is not strange when one considers that the worst deserts of the West, i. e., Death Valley, Amargosa, Mohave, and part of the Colorado, utterly destitute of vegeta- tion except in rare spots, contribute to the area. 38 U. S. GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF 100TH MERIDIAN. The mesas and valleys of the plateau systems and of parts of the Great Interior Basin have become the home of thousands upon thousands of cattle, to be limited only by the number of acres actually valuable for this purpose. The areas best adapted for grazing were all the open parts of the Colorado Plateau, of the Tonto Basin, and portions of the Upper Verde and Salt River, in Arizona. There is good grazing also in the Pah- ranagat and Muddy Valleys and portions of the Virgin River, near Saint George, Utah. The valley of the Upper Owhyee is exceedingly valuable for stock-raising, but of little use for agriculture. Stock ranches, generally small, were noticed in many of these valleys, and commencing with the advent of the Central Pacific in 1868 the valleys and adjacent mountain sides of Central Nevada commenced to be appropriated for this purpose. Fine grazing was also noted in the Hualapais and Sacramento Valleys of Northwestern Arizona, but scantily supplied with water. Good grazing also appears in parts of the valley of the Santa Maria and Big Sandy, both tributaries of Bill Williams Fork. To sketch the different kinds of lands would be to prolong- this report far beyond a reasonable length. Alont'' the ed