| OCR Text |
Show 4 2 2 BILL WILLIAMS' RIVER NOTED. as the view disclosed its course came from the east, always along the skirt of a large sierra. 6 Big Sandy wash and Santa Maria river compose Bill Williams' river. The mountains northwest of Prescott, giving rise to sources of the Santa Maria, take the same name which Garces gave to the whole river. I have dwelt upon this case, because it is perhaps the only instance of the survival to the present day of a name which originated with our author. The Yuman name is given by Whipple as Hah- weal- ha- mook; the Piute name, as Hah- cu- cha- pah. • This sierra is the eastward continuation of the Monument range which crosses the Colorado here, and extends up Bill Williams' river and valley. Lest Garces' statement of the little water in so extensive a river be thought strange, I will cite m Ives' Report, p. 58, at date of Feb. 1, 1858: " We had reached the Chemuhuevis valley and the mouth of Bill Williams's Fork, which is the only important tributary to the Colorado between the Virgen and the Gila. Having accompanied, in 1853 [ and ' 54] the expedition of Lieutenant Whipple to explore for a railroad route along the 35th parallel, and having, with that party, descended Bill Williams's Fork to its confluence with the Colorado, I was confident of the locality. The mouth of the stream was at that time, which happened to be in the present month, February [ of 1854], about 30 feet wide, and several feet deep. I now looked in vain for the creek. The outline of the bank, though low, appeared unbroken, and for a while I was quite confounded. My companions were of opinion that I had made a great topographical blunder, but I asked Captain Robinson to head for the left shore, proposing to camp and make an examination. As we approached the bank I perceived, while closely scanning its outline, a small dent, and after landing repaired to the spot, and found a very narrow gulley, through which a feeble stream was trickling, and this was all |
