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Show 28 THE SHORTEST ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA. northwestwardly across the mountains lying south of the Humboldt, to Lassen's Meadows, on the Hum-boldt River. Thence his course was westwardly, through the valley of the Mud Lakes, to the Madelin Pass of the east range of the Sierra Nevada, where he left the Great Basin.* It will be noticed that, up to that time, this was the most direct exploration which had been made across the Great Basin from Great Salt Lake City; but yet it was too far north and too tortuous to be of great value as affording a direct wagon route to PlacerviUe, Sacramento, and San Francisco. Besides, as a wagon route to Lassen's Meadow, we believe it has never been used. The next report we have of an attempt being made to cross the Great Basin directly from Great Salt Lake City, toward Walker's Lake, for the purpose of avoiding the great detour by tlie Humboldt River and getting the shortest route to San Francisco, is to be found in the report of Captain Rufus Ingalls to the Quartermaster- General, dated August 25, 1855; giv-ing an account of the movements of Colonel Steptoe's command to, and from, Great Salt Lake City in 1854 and ' 55. His language on this point is as follows: " The wagon routes across the continent are so very rough in mountainous regions, and always quite circuitous, particularly from Great Salt Lake City to the Bay of San Francisco, that Colonel Steptoe took measures to have the country lying directly west ex-plored for a more nearly air- line road. Two Mor-mons were engaged as principal explorers, and di- * Pacific R. R. Report, vol. ii. |