Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1827-04-12

I The following intere sting account OF
the practicability of the route over the
Rocky Mountains, is copied from a
Evansville paper:
The recent expedition Of Gen. Ashley
10 the country west of the Rocky doun-
tains, has been productive Of informa
ton on subjects Of no small Interest to
the people OF the union. 1t has proved
that the overland expeditions, in large
bodies, may be made to that remote
region, without the necessity of trans
porting provisions fpr man or beast
Gen. Ashley left st. Louis in March
last and returned in September. His
return caravan consisted of upwards Of
one hundred horses and mules, and
more than half that number of men,
He went to the station of the party
lie left beyond the mountains, when he
came in = year ago, and descended a
river believed to be the Buenaventu
ra, about one hundred and fifty miles to
the Great Lake.
His return narcotic St. Louis occu-
pied about 20 days, each mule and
horse carrying nearly two hundred
pounds Of beaver fur, the animals Ike ep :
ing their strength and flesh on the grass
which they found, and without losing
any time on this long tourney. The
men also found an abundance Gf food;
they say there wasno dayia whichthey
could not have subsisted thousand men
and often ten thousand. Buffalo fur
nished the principal fcod-water Of the
best quality was met with every day.
The whole route lays through level
and open country better for carriages
than any turnpike road ia the United
States. Wagons and carriages could go
with ease as far as Gan. Ashley went
crossing the Rocky Mountains at the
source Of the north fork of the Plate,
descending the valley ofthe Buenayen'
tura towards the Pacific ocean.
The lake which terminated the expe-
dition westward, is a most remarkable
body OF water, and heretofore unknown,
unless from vague accounts. Ii is es-
| timated TO be one hundred miles long
and sixty or eighty wide. {t.was coast
ed last spring by q party of Sen. Ash
ley's men in canoes, who were occupi-
ed four and twenty days in making its
circuit. They did not exactly ascertain
its outlet but passed q place where they
supposed it mnst have been The water
of this lake is much salteg than that Of
the sea. Some ofthe salt obtained from
this water by boiling, has been brought
in by Gen. AshIey--he he's also brought
some specimens Of rock salt found in
strata several feet thick at the surface
of the ground, with streams of water
running through it in numerous little
channels. The people in the mountains
plentifuIly supply themselves with salt
at this spot, ard carry it home in bags.
In the whole expedition Gen. Ashley
did not lose e nlaheror had any one OF
those died whom he had left behind last
year, and are too Happy IN the freedom
of those wild regions 20 think ofreturl
ling to the comparative thraldom of CT
vilized life. 1t woulc>seem that no at
tempt had been rnade 80 ascertain the
precise latitude Of the point at whic h
Gen. Ashley crossed the mountains, II
is to be hoped that this twill not be
NEGLECTED OF the next expedition. -
From allthet we can learn, the eleya-
walton is exceedingly small where the
passage OF the mountain was effected
SO small as hardly 10 effect the rate ol
Igoing of the caravan, and forming at the
most, an angie of'three degrees, being
two degrees less than the steepest as
cent Of the Cumberland road.