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Show [ 248] 44 ro.u rselves and the in t rumcnts rt.r om the . · . J y are attended with cold d 1 ams, wh~eh in this elevn d the Indian at Lara . an uupleasnn t wcathl"r I h d . te conn-fi cter ar~d twenty fee~l~ ~:f:~rt·ab/yS li.u,·ge lol dge, about ~igh~ee~IJe~',''r:e,ldcl~rorn rom Its · 1 ~ M • uc 1 a odo· 1 ... Jam. which arecJ,~~Jcl~~n to~m/ ~~ m.os.~ pcr.(;·cll y sccu~·~' ~~~f~~ properly pitch d., is, wnrnr shclterqin ba~l th~s}le~Jon, and. with a fire in til~ the .VJ?Ieut \VJJJds the breeze to . wc,tt lei. By ral i l)cr the lo centlC IS a dry and pass free! · · ...., wcr part with the extraord'r . yd, It IS convertrd into a plca!Sn t ( so ns to permit one of which I llat llllY a vantaGre of bPincr entirely f~l sfummcr rcsJd nee, d vc never sepn . I o ree rom mosq 't gage very unskilf II . . In nn ndian lodcrc WI ., .... UJ oes, nrnved accon . t~, y In erectiiJO' thi the int . 11 e we were cu- I ' ~ lpameu by t h I d .b ' ' erpretcr M r 13' aw nvnrdncs~, and ofl'=· d e n t~m nntl his wife. Sh ' 1 . ' sonette, afterward obliacd I ~r? her as J tance, of which c auahcd at onr ~;r,t,t~:sgs, t~~O"~i t,~,h~ it ~vf~·~~, ~~ rm!~r~y .be~~::~,~:, ~,,'1~cn, a~~ i ;~d l~ll A;·~~l~ t~~ I :"- '1ere the PI 11 · s P nee we had fi . c 1nracter nbrn tl f- a c I ~ue~ from the ill I H. a llle VJew mediately 'lroup dy IO~ a mountmn stream into 'l .ac c fllls, changing its tl~e di ·tanc~ o/a ;~~v t 1~ val1ey of tlJP. stream \~a:~~~~· o the plains. ImhJils: was the narrow ~~~cs, where .the l'l\' <' 1' lwd cut itcrably. open, and at red rock rose vertical! c e t, ~n one srde of which a loft s W~). tbrnugh the Julr; 22 I I y aLo,e the low hills wh ' h 1 y preclplCe of briaht \ this piace ~ill~~ le ;~on~ing, while brcnkfa~t '~~s ba~ between u~. o r . 1y JilVorJte mnr B· ·1 1 . ellla prepared I · · was 'ootrng for the m l l 1., ~l 'I Ja.Jemw, ~e. Eut~ .· ( ' VJsrtcd ucd our way on roo u e~,.we dJsmounted, and r ina ling ~o far as there had nuderaonc an t.. Lrke the whole countr.J tl..., our anJmals, conrinI lH1ve ev(~l' sec~ cnt,Jre clwnac, flnd was in this' Je scenery of the rivet valley was fr 1. ']he brendth of the trem place the most beautiful ally hl:oken b;n.~ t~~o to three hundred feet ~v~h gcller~~ly ncar that of its the red precipic~:pl s, ~ud tlJe \Vater perfe~tly clca ~wJg Cul:rent, o~casiondrrd feet in heiO"!;'t vc~flcnl, alld. sometimes overha,~·i a n eJther Side rose a few pines. A~ tL CJ~wned With green snmmits gJ n....,:l t.wo and four hunJnas~ ~s fall en from ~boo~t of tile rocks was f he ;lst;n~' J'c~. were scattered occnsJonal bnn ks were tl c. l A J:wna the pinrs that are\ e~ It us, formed of ~e bmuf (sheplterdia arO'lc c lCil y, ~cerasus vi,.~iniauao v .. ere nud on the l.ug, the scenery was of"' eutea.) VJ.ewed in tlre sunshiJ~cct~Jan1ts, and grains from the piclurcs n .a m?~t stnking nnd ronwnti o a p ensant morn- ( 1 colors. I thou(rl·l( c. f'sposJtwn of tire objrcts nJ d clbeauty, which arose ' Canoe tbrouah ~l J \~It l ll11~Ch pJenSilrC Of OUJ' at l. f )C. Vivid COntrast of m.that time Fo O'iv~; J~~tcrcstll~g places; illld, in n:t~~onclnn.g desccJ~t in the might have be~n deo · ·l~~n a filii examination did n t pectn~JOn of bemg ablo r the river, wher I na c npon the gcoloO"ic;tl (I . o. t_Jow well so much as tion of rhc red ~~r~/cy ar~ develop<'d with ~rr·tt ~~m,ttJons along tlJe line of seen Imbedded~ latr~'l consJ, ts of Vl"ry comp~~l ~h ' i ~rnc8~. The upper por-stonr, ~hnnging a TI~tl~cu:)/es. Bei~JW was n st·,.;tum ':~lCh are occn ionally There Js a mall but a )OVP- the nvcr into a vcr J ~~mpact led ~nnd- ~~e left bank of the rf~~~ds01n?e open pruiric imnJt"Ki~t~~d tll;ceous.limcstonc. I here are some 'w uch would be a o·ood I . l.Y c ow tills pine(• on stream which comopc~ groves of cottonwo~l o~ll Hy for a military r'o t bllilding- rock is ab~~n~l nt this plncc is well tin~~~r~de ~)/laue,. 'I'he sm~li lf II is in conteml)l al !11. Wlt 1 pme, unci good T' ern·l ory, a sbow of n .t o.n to 1\ Ct"p opon the co . . .... mllllary force i tl . mmnnJcat,ons with 0. . n us courlf.ry is ·I 1 regon a Jso utc I y n cccs~nry. .. 45 [ 243] .and n. combination of advautagcs renders the nci~hborhood of F'o.rt Laramie tho most suitable place, 011 the \iue uf the Platte, for the establishment of a military post. Jt is conucctcd with the mouth of the Platte and the lJpper Mi ·souri by excellent roml., which arc in freqnent usc, and wonld uot in any way interfere with the r<~ngc of the bu!l'ulo, on which the neighboring Indians main 1 y dupcnd. for support. It would r.cnd.cr any posts on the Lower Platte nnne<;cssary; the ordinary communtcn.uon between it and the Missouri bcin<r suflicient to control the irll.ermediate Indians. It would operate eflect~n\ly to prevent any such coalitions as. arc uow formed. among llw G ros V entres, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other lndwns, aud would keep the Oregon road through the valley of tllC Sweet \Vater and the South Pas of the mountains constantly open. A glance at the 1n~\P which accompanies this report, will show that it lies at .the foot o~ a broken and mountainous region, along which, by the establ!J1ment ot small posts, in Lhc nei (rhborhood. of St. Vrain's fort, on the outh fork of the Plalte,and 13eut'sfo...,rt,on the Arkansa ,a line of communication would l>e formed, by good warron road·, with our southern military po5tS, which would entirely command the mon11tnin pa:. es, hold some of the most trouolesome tribes in check, und protecl aud facilitate our intercourse with the neiahborina Spanish settlemlmts. 'l'he vallies of the rivers on which n ~ . they would be situated arc fertile; the country which supports 1mmcnse herds or buiTalo is admiral> I y adapted to grazing, and herds of cattle might be maintained by the po ·ts, or obtained from the Spanish country, \~htch already supplies a portion of thctr provisions to the trading posts mentiOned above. Ju t as we were leaving the camp this morning our Iudian came up, and -stated his intention o( not proceedina any further until be had seen the. horse which I intended to give him. 0 1 felt strongly tempted to drive him out of Lhc camp, but his presence appeared to give confidence to my men , and the interpreter thon~r~lt it absolutely necessary. I was, therefore, {)bliged to do what he reque ted, and pointed out tho anima~, wit~ which he s~.;emcd sati ·f1ed, and we continued on r journey. I had unagwed that. Mr. Bissonette's long residence had rnadc him acqnained with the conntry7 ~nd, ar.cording to his advice, proceeded directly iorwa.rd without attemptIng to regain the u ual road. He aflerward informed me that he had rare} y ever lost siaht of the fort · bnt the efi'ect of the mistake was to invol vc us for a day ~r two among the hills, where, n.l though we lost no time, we .encountered an exceedin<rl y rotwh road. To tlte south, along ~u r lin~ of march to-day, the main chain of th ~ Black or Laramie Hills rises precipitatous. Time did not permit me to visit them, but, from comparative information, the ridge is composed of the coarse sandstone or conalomerate hercaflcr described. It appears to enter the region of clouds, w~ich are arrested in their course and lie in n1asse~ along the summits. An in vertcd cone of black cloud (cumulus) rested during all the forenoon on the lofty peak of Laramie Mountain, which I e·timatell to be about two thousand feet above the fort, or six thousand five hundrell above the sea. We halted to noon on the J-~'ourclwAmere,so called from being timbered principally with the liard amerc (a species of poplar), with whiclt the valley of the little stream is to!erably well woodeJ, and which, with large expa-nsive summits, grows to the height of sixty or seventy feet. The bed of the creek is sand au<i gravel, the water dispersed over the broad b'J1 m sev~ral ~hallow stream'), vVe fout~d here, on the right bn.uk, |
