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Show 285 County in the 1860s. In all probability, the location of the mines would have prompted the settlement of these valleys sooner or later to supply the needs of Pioche, Ely, and other mining centers. Orson B. Adams admitted that the expedition "did not appear to be of any practical value," but he blamed fate rather than any other failure, (italics mine.) In spite of his own vain attempt to establish a settlement in Clover Valley, Adams argued: "Some of the places we found have since been settled. Had the saints not returned to their homes the object of our explorations would have \jpeeiT) realized." Nevertheless, it is not the questionable practical results of the White Mountain Expedition that make it significant. Similar to many of the famous expeditions which preceeded it, the White Mountain Expedition's singular aspects lie in the exploration of a land which had long remained -unknown to the world; and unlike any previous expeditions were the unique circumstances which created it. Most of the credit for exploring this region has gone to others. The Simpson expedition of 1859 and the Wheeler surveys of 1860-72 were both government projects. The names they gave to the physical features of this land in their published reports have stuck to the present day in most cases. The 13,061 foot White Mountain of George W. Bean is today called Wheeler Peak. In some instances Wheeler used names already in local use, but rarely is the White Mountain nomenclature preverved. Only a few examples have survived to the present day. Most of them lie in a path between Cedar City and Meadow Valley, becasue the Mormons who settled this region were somewhat familiar with tbe findings of the White Mountain Expedition. Msadow Valley, Nephi Spring, Cave Spring, and Bennett Pass and Springs are still found on today's maps. And despite Colonel Dame's naming of Badger Valley, Jesse N. Smith, Dame's successor to the mission, used 21 the term "Clover Valley" in his diary, the term that is still used today. The origins of the place names "Snake Creek" and "Snake Range" have long been |
