The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-03-07
Oregon.
LlNNToN, OREGON TER. 1874.

LlNNToN, OREGON TER. 1874.
Dear Sir-On the 18Th day Of June we
crossed the main dividing ridge between
the waters of Kansas and the Great Plat.
We travelled 25 miles over the finest road
imaginable, and our eyes first beheld the
wide and beautiful valley Of the Great
Platte. Just as the sun was going down
behind the bleak sand hills. We encamp-
ed in the bottom, about two miles from
the river, without fuel. Next morning
we started, without any breakfast, and
Travelled few miles, where we found will
lows for fuel, and where we took hear
ty meal. We struck the river near the
head of Grand Island, which is rs miles
long, covered with timber, and several
miles wide. varying greatly in places as
to width but what was strange, there was
not solitary tree on the sonth side of the
river where we were. The river above
the island as far as the forks, is generally
about 2 miles wide. Perhaps this is one
of the most remarkable rivers in the world.
Like the Nile, it runs hundreds Of miles
through sandy desert. The valley of
this stream is from 5 to 20 miles wide,
smooth level plain. and the river gener.
ally runs in the middle of it, from west
10 east. The course Of this stream is
more uniform than any have ever seen.
1t scarcely ever makes bend. The
Plat: river was very high until after we
had passed Fort Larimer. This river has
low sandy banks, with sandy bottom, and
the water muddy like that Of tho Missou-
ri. The current is rapid, and the river
being very wide, is very shallow, and
easily forded, except in high water. 1t
is full Of most beautiful islands of;al ST.
yes, covered with beautiful trees, contras-
ting finely with the wild prairie plains
and hold sand hills on each side of the
river. The plain on each side OF the riv-
er extends out to the sand hills, which are
about three miles through them, when
you ascend to wide prairie plain of al
most inlerminable extent. Upon this
plain and sometimes in the sand hills, we
found the buffalo, and numbers of white
wolves, in the plains near the river we
generally found the antelope. When the
season is wet, as was the case this sea.
son, the buffalo resort 10 the plain beyond
the sand hills, where they find water in
the ponds. As the summer advances,
and the ponds dry up, they approach the
river and are found in the plain near it,.
You have perhaps, often heard of buffalo
paths. As you 60 from the river out TO
the wide plain, beyond the sand.hlls,
through which you must pass, you will
find vallies among those hills leading on,
towards this plain. These vallies are
covered with grass, and the buffalo have
made numerous paths, not only in these
valleys, but over all the hills, where they
could pass at all, land they can pass al
most anywhere,) leading from this wide
plain 10 the river. where they resort fol
water, in the dry season. These path,
are very narrow, and are sunk in III,
ground six or eight inches deep. In trav
elling up the Platte, almos, every thirty
yards we had 10 cross path, which wa
about all the obstruction we met Will,
travelling UP this gently inclined plain
While hunting there is no danger of be
ing lost, for you can always find buffal