Route across the Rocky Mountains, with a description of Oregon and California: their geographical features, their resources, soil, climate, productions, &c.

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I ' All'E:·wn . DILL OF THE HOUTE. Ivl TLES . \I ~ ~ From 1.:-;-nErENn · 1': cE to Crossingoftlw KaJJz .. ts, OJ ._ l This is. tho gonera1 ~'stimn.tc ~ f the ~-is:~nc?•. to the potnt where omq;rant.s usually c1~s:-s thts river. At tho soason in whtch companto~ fo r ol'('OI.)D or Calirornia gen erally lrn.vc tllB States, 1 tbrt~ is, in this d i. tuner, ov<'fy whor3, un abnn­\ dnnco of wood, wuter, and gnJ.s~; . The Kun zas Muddy Creek, Honoy Creek , A small creek Another, Anoth er, Canon- Ball Creek, A branch, Another, Another, Vermillion, A small c rook, A nothl•r, Big Blue, Battle Creek, A 9lnall creek, A11oth er, Anothe r, Anotho r, Anoth EJr, A nother, Littlo Bl ue, • River i::; ~onerully full in the Spring, hut emi­o ·rants w~'ll pwb<{bly ber<'aftcr bo accomrnoda- "t'o d, by a frenc h man w l1 0 res1.c l es a t .. tl1 e cros-sing place, with a fc~r ry-boa t. Owtng to tlw time rcquirod in crosstng, and th~ c~nsE~q uent nccumu:ntion of great numb.crs of anlli;Jals,_the IQTass in this vicinity, \vill llkoly become, m a !rev.· dn.y!s, in.·ufEcie.nt. . l7 107 From the ern sing, the road leav.cs tho nver g:·adnally ro the left. Here thero lS a~ ab un­IJance of wood n.ncl grass. The creok 1s sm all but dtwp, and the crossing h as forme rly beon dlfi1cult. 201 1 , 127 ln tho intermeLliato distancr. , the road, whi ch still continues to leave the Knnzas River more and more to tho lc3ft, nos;;es, every f(~W miles, small creeks upon vv' hich thore are good cam ps. At Honoy Creek, thero is tho greatest ubu n- 1 dance of wood and grn ss. 9. 13G Upon this, there is much grass- somo wood. 3 139 c!o do 4 1 4 :~ do do . 2 L45 Upon Cnnnon-Dn.ll Crock, there is an abun· dance of grass a nd \Vootl. l l 156 But little wood- grass ab undan t . 5 161 do - do 3 164 do do 2 166 This is a large crook, a111l near i t th ero is wood a nd oTnss in sho QTen.test abundance. "' u 12 178 1 Gruss and wood are abundan t. 5 183 do do 3 186 T his is n. rivor of considerable size, and at this season o f the yea r i t is fre-q uently ·high land difficu~ t to ~ ross ; bu t ~ t s bottom lands are covered w1tll tun ber, wh tch se rves to rnnko rafts, or canoes, and in the vicinity there is a great deal of gTass. 11 197 At Battle Creek, th e g rnss is abundant, nnd the quuntt ty of wood is s utlicient for camps. 9 206 Grass abundant. Wood. 15 221 do do 8 229 do do 14 243 do • do 10 253 do do 7 260 rlo do 5 265 Tho small s trE~ nms intermed iate betw een Battle Creek and the Linle Blue River, in tho J\TJL [ S. 1-'.1 1 ·~-· I .~... .. ' APP.LI\'DJX . 147 T o tho po in t. wh0rn tho 1 ro nd leaves Litt!o Blu 0, - 51 ( Autumn, frcqLwntly conse to flow· butin tl1e ~prin,g thoy goncn:lly n!fo.rcl n suffieient quun­tlty of WuLer, Wu(~(t , ~. nu gras~ , lor enmps. 316 Wl.:~.nc tho trad folluws Little Bltte River 'J'he Gr eat Platte,- Tho Forks, • I rhero is found , all a_lo:Jg, <tn abundance of wooci and grass. T ltus br tll e road pnsses t brou o·h a C?tm_try, mt:wll.tbo largest pollion of whi~h 1~ lt'rttlu; aJJordJng every where, grass suffi­CJent to supply tho anirm:l.s of the laro·o:::.t Emi- . ' I • b . gru~ 1 011 ; nvHtJ~I:-as w1!! be seen by tho forego- Ing notrs-wl!1 wntcr or wood be wn.:1tirw. Thus far, there will be uo diHiculty on uccou~t of the UlHJVCJloss of tlw surface or' the coun­try. but ttlo ruin'> which arc here frequent, du­l'lllg that portion ofthl· yc., n.r in which emicrrants v-:ili be passing througil it, will general!/' occa­::> Jon delay; will sometimes r ender the streams .impas~nb.lo for sovor:ll days, nr;c.l whore ln.rge companies are tr<lVeling together, or sevNal smaller ones 11£' ::1.1' each oth er, the road , in such instances, will of cnurse, !Jecome muddv. 25 341 \Vater is not found in this dis tanee, u"nc! t!Jo trail , after loa'itng Littlo BluG, b<:' n.rsvpry much to the Nor:b UJJtil it strike:s the Plattb-SO!llo-l tin1c'.s called the Nebr:nka. 991 440 F rom the point w}~cro the-road strikes the JW-er to the union of 11Je North and 8outh brnJJchos, :here is, in most pinc:Gs a :snffici r nc:y of grass on the bottom land, throup·h which the trail pa.­ses, seldom le:lviug the stream more thnn two or tbreo miles. \Vood is seldom found hore, though in its absenc e, a substitute can b0 obtained which tl1e rmigrnnt will soon become ncquninted with . There is wood on some of the is!nnds in tlw river. At the Fcrk.s there is a VHry larP'e timbered i~lund , and a f'ew treos n along on tht' muin ~; b o.re . Crossing ofS.outh Fork, 7J 511 'l'he trail, in t}Jis dtst:~vce, follows noar tho To theN orth Fork, South bnnk of the South Fork. 011 th is brtlllch. thHHJ is not so mueh grass as thero i::; on ti:u nwin riY er, bu t wlwt tlwre is, is rich, and ani­JH:. ds net'd nut ::.ufier. Vory li tlo wood. The manner of t:rns :>i o~~·, i 11 en::;u th~> ~tren11 is }Jigh, has been cit~cribLc 1 • 15 52G From the South Fod·, the trail bcn.rs flgain v0ry much to tho North and crnssos the high divitlinrr lan<i between the two brnnc:hes, nnd de~cGnd8 ir,to Ash Hollow, on the opposite side. There is no wood in th is distanc(l, and no wnter, except some .-tandir;g in pools, which is very bad. lu Aslt Holl.o,'~ there is e.·c~Jient wood, o-ra~s, and water. I ho mouth of Ash Hl)llowb is within a few hundred yards of the North Fork, und the tmiJ, from this poiu t, with one OXf:cption, fullows the stream to Fort r:.ant­n1tl' . 'l'bc grvs is not so alnmdant on tlns, u