The emigrants' guide to California : containing every point of information for the emigrant -- including routes, distances, water, grass, timber, crossing of rivers, passes, altitudes, with a large map of routes, and profile of country, &c., with full directions for testing and assaying gold and other ores

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30 A1talysis of Beer spri1lg Water. Carbonate of Lime, - Carbonate of Magnesia, - Silicia, Alumina, Water and Loss, .. - 92-55 0-42 - 5-98 100-00 About four miles from here, the road turning to the right leaves the Bear river valley for ~ort Hall, an~ ~t a distance of twenty miles, crosses a r1dge, wh1ch d1v1des the waters of the great basin from those of the Pacific. FORT HALL, by way of the Port Neuf river, is about forty-five miles distant, or two and a half dZtys journey for wagons. 'fhere is not much of note in this distance. 1,he road in some places is heavy, and the chances for camping, generally, indifferent. Fort Hall is a trading post, situated at the confluence of Port Neuf and Lewis' Fork of the Columbia river, and should be occupit:d by Government troops, to afford protection and relief to passing emigrants. It is distant from West Port, on the frontier, thirteen hundred and twenty-three miles by the usual route. The ford of the Port N euf is about one hundred yards. The PAN ACK RIVER, three miles lower down, is one hundred and twenty yards wide, bottom narrow and soft. After crossing the river, the road continues along the uplands; soil, clay. The immediate valley of the Snake river, (or Lewis' Fork) is a high Plain covered with black rocks and wild sage. The distance from Fort Hall to Raft river, is about sixty miles. This part of the route is particularly difficult-in many places the '\\-rag­ons will have to be forced up the ascent or ravines, by manual force; gras3 is scarce. This part of the r oad is uninviting to the traveller, but yet, can be passed without serious difficulty. 31 THE AMERICAN FALLS are well worthy of the travellers' attention. FALL RIVER derives its name from the numerous falls ;-many of them are old beaver dams, petrified. In · its course from the Raft river, the road takes a south­western direction, and follows the trail across the divi .. ding ridge to the head of Hum bolt or Mary's river, dis­tant one hundred and seventy miles. For two days you travel along the Raft river; camps good. The road over this distance resembles the country west of the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains for the same distance.­There are places in which great care is required and - ' some difficulty may be experienced in consequence of the unevenness of the road in passing over the dividing. ridges of the mourj:ains. On the RATTLESNAI{E RIVER you can find good camps ; there are plenty of good springs also. The prevailing plant is the wild sage, which, in some places, will still continue to be your dependence for fuel, though there is some good timber. We would earnestly advise you to oppose any experi-ments in your party, in leaving the regular route of travel to try roads said to be shorter. You will get to Califor­nia in good season if you keep straight ahead. If not, you may lose a month or so of time, and experience the fate. of the Donner's party. By trying a new road they lost nearly sixty days, and were overtaken by the snow, and spent the winter in the mountains, where nearly forty of them perished. Lose no titne foolishly on the road, that can be spent with profit to yourself and teams. You strike the HUMBOLDT RI,TER at its head, from thence your course is dewn its valley for three hundred miles. It is the principal river of the great basin. It has been appro· /