Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1843-10-28


foot y another lower ridge. taood - ear.
ioeiiassion d. about 800 III ~ 5. 4. sos "a
q { MAI frssihsd ne tlYt MdllI ~ curiosity I
descended, end eNeh a1MHsuuk1e4 In hin turn,
for would senlys allow co - y No. . mount
the unstable ard precarious slah Which it,eem-
Cd breath would huN X into lhSss below.
We n Snsed shc barometer TX lks NOV 81 the
summit and hsing famFod O. n efevice, unfarI-
ed the NAtionaA nse 10 wave j4lon tseeQe Whele
nsys, aNg Es:.d before plytek !:
A stiIiness Nc most profound IN Z tafs n seli.
tWds sortst themselves eCnstsAait 81 ~ Mid
a the great features Or tn pae0IkWe Msmoa HE
sunMt, where the stillnesa wns absolute, IN.
hrckep Nv any sound, and che soiitude comnlete,
|wA Thought o,rse,vcs heyoud Ne region Of ami
nsted lye. but while ~ wese aittiM8S On ne
ock I solitary bee (bssmcs. ~ ksssbls 6sel
amr wipe;ng bis a glt olle shsesstsfa ssllssy,
md Il on the knce 81 ~ mez.
.s.. W; .s,s !; ssss I. ~ s y,
,fwarSi sunshine ard uRSRefx 6A1 ~ plessed
sasselvss with slsc i9pksAxt ~ was the frst a
MS species to erass ~ !sssnta'a barrier, asol.
ion. believe that momentss thought would
savs moAene lot him centiNN% Ma way unhasm.
"A, bat VI stSrsied ont the Nv " thh country.
where all animhts4 Mature A<Nyns a wan and
seising him immedNtely, rat.h'm IA u lesst a
az rlae& the leaves off, large boek ameng the
lowers ~ had collected 81 eur sWNy. The
.,sscmeser atccd q, ls.cess The skteshsd I'M.
1mometeF Il AZ. givsrg Cor the elevation Of
Mis- summit 1880 feet skcse the EWlf &C k1sxi.
co, which may b called ne Akhess IN &rtle
zee. Il Ia certainly the highest knewA 1l1as cf
that insect Froia the desrsiptioa gives "
Mscke, ave Of the mcnn,sips where hs crc.<a
to tn neyth, ana Col LcuRas meNsurcmlnts 70
he south, ,oinea 70 the opinion q the oNiest
traders ct The country, II h mssumed thai THE
i the highest pesk q he Rocky Moursaine, ~
The davwas sliMNy and bright bur alight shin.
ing mist hung over the lower Pans which h.
'esNred with our view cf the surrounding coun.
~. On one eide we Overlooked the innNmera-
ble Mkrs ard streams. the spring Of the Colorado
cfthe Gulf OF rahfcrnits ard On the other was
the Wind River valley, where ~'cre the heads Of
the Yellowstone branch Of the Missourfs Fur 10
S Z. ssta s2s s s. s ~ss 's s. ,'M ~
sources OF the Missouri and Columbia riverts
and at,he southern extrmstv Of The. ridge the
peekswere plainly visible tmcng which were
tome oflh6 s~<ints of the Nebraska cr Platte
river kroNnd as he whole scene md one NAH
sQsk&e feature. witch was thA OF terrible con.
x1nf$& Parallel 10 Us length. She ridge ~ss
y ~ <llasms ard fsshre-; between which
ws I'm lofty walls, icrmihafed with slen-
81 lind columns, which i correctly
tepsc ~ Ae view from he camp on Island
erest nm IN on whfeh w Rood wss three
theasapa i've hundred and .seventv feet above
tAst plSses and two shonsAnd sevea hundred end
eighs tle little lakes It she hossrun. ;ss
mediotp)y at onrafcet. Or. camp st The Two
Hsns Il assroncmsca' -stats0h1 hnrs scuth e'e
eat, which, with barring Nierward obtained
from fixed position, en~i1.A us - locate the
weak. The besrfne % TIE 1sUts 1tfe~s was
acrth so ekwrst. ard The direction Of the cen-
trsl ridge Of vie Wind River mountains south
10 > east. The summit rock was gneiss, sue
succeeded II, our descentto TIE snow line, where
we found a feldspsthic granite. hsd remark.
ed that the noise produced BY the expios on Of
our pistols had the usual degree Of lcudness, but
was not in the least prolonged, expiring almost
instantaneo,isly. Having now made what OBJ.
servatious o,sr me4ns afforded. we proceeded to
descend. We had ACCOMPLISHED an object Of
laudablc ambition, and beyond the strict order Of
our Instructions. ~ bod climbed the lcffssst
peak Of the Rocky afo'ssFains. and looked down
upon the srow athcusand feet below, and stand
ing where never NGfnAN ItOt Hdu stUUu ucboiSj
felt the exu,tation Of first explorers. X was
about Q oselock when re left the summit. and
when we seached the bottom the san had already
sunk hel,ina the wall, and The day was drawing
10 close. II would have been pleasant TO have
fingered here and on the summit longer. but we
hurried sway a. rapidly as the ground would
permit, for II was an Object TO regain our party
AZ soon IS possible, not knowing what eccident
the next aour might bring forth.