OCR Text |
Show 235 knowledge. In the course of our t r a v e l s , " continued Bean," we crossed seven range* Q of mountains and the same number of valleys." Wilford Woodruff, who was apparently present when the report was made, alleged that Bean "explored the whole Q desert to near Carson Valley." It is doubtful that Bean really believed his westward penetration was near Carson Valley. Woodruff's remark was apparently his own interpretation. Back in Meadow Valley, Dame's men divided up the work necessary to establish the new settlement. Since the main company had not arrived with the bulk of the manpower, much of the heavy work had to wait. Some of the men began to engineer a ditch to bring water to the tillable land a mile and a half away. Others, like Martineau, Rogers, and Lewis, commenced making a complete reconnaissance of the surrounding country to determine the full extent of its resources. Dame ordered these three to the far south end of the valley and to the narrow canyon which continued below. Passing down the valley for sixteen miles, they found large portions of it covered with grass, but the soil was white with alkali. The party entered Meadow Valley Wash, a narrow, rocky canyon, about ten miles south of the site of modern Panaca, Nevada. They wound their way through the wash another fourteen miles, passing by the future site of Caliente, to a spot a few miles north of present-day Elgin. Here they camped, having covered thirty difficult miles. On the morning of May 26, the little exploring party continued to wind down the wash. They soon discovered a small Indian farm among the ash and cotton-wood trees. Near the present-day site of Elgin, they baited their southern advance while Martineau and Rogers climbed a nearby mountain to take observations. No end to the canyon could be seen-just a continuation of the long meandering wash and a "succession of rough and broken mountains." It was decided, therefore, to return to Meadow Valley immediately. |