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Show 642 what was called Hogback in the Potato Valley. A Mormon Party had been up there two or three years before, and it was in Potato Valley that Jacob Hamblin got lost in attempting to supply the party at the mouth of the Dirty Devil. He followed down a river that he thought was the Dirty Devil River that proved to be the Escalante River. It was a river that they knew nothing about, so it was named the Escalante because Escalante crossed the Colorado River a few miles below at the Crossing of the Fathers. They continued on across country and got to the mouth of Dirty Devil River about June, 1872. R. 1547. " BY THE SPECIAL MASTER: " Q. Did you go along then in the neighborhood of where the present town of Escalante is located? " A. Yes, we came right there about where Escalante is located now. " Q. What kind of country is that in there? " A. The country to the right or south is a terrible country, terrible mixture of canyons and cliffs; it is very difficult to traverse; I suppose it is easier now, because trails have been worked out. " On the left is what we call Aquarius Plateau, a high plateau covered with lakes and brooks; a very beautiful country; had plenty of grass and everything for the horses, until we got to the end of that. " When we got to the eastern end of Aquarius Plateau, we had to descend into this canyon region; we had a great deal of difficulty getting across that, because we mis- |
