Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-10-04
From the Evening Post.
Captain Fremon,s Second Expo
ditiOn.

oil Kansas, on the MISSOURI iIoul'ci,
on the Doth Of May, 1913. His party
consisted principally Of Creole and
Canadian French, and Americans
amounting in all to thirty-hve men !;
among whom were severa! OF those
who had accompanied him on his for
mer tour. Mr.. Thomas Fitzpatrick
was selected as the guide, and Mr..
Charles / .euss was associated with the
expedition in the same capacity as be-
fore. The party were armed general
" with HALLS carbines, and were fur
nished with brass twelve pound how
itzer. The camp equipagc and provl-
sions were transported in twelve carts,
each drawn by two mules, and light
covered wagon, mounted on springs,
conveyed the instruments.
"Tc make the exploration as useful
as possible, determined" says Capt
Fremont, Gin conformity with my gen
cral instructions, to vary the route tothe
Rocky Mountains from that followed
in the year 1912. The route then
was up the valley ofthc grcatPlatte RI
yer to the South Pass in North Latitude
42o; the route now determined on,
was up the valley of the Kansas river,
and to the head of the Arkansas, and
TO some pass in the mountains, II any
could be found, at the sources OF that
river
"By making this deviation from the
former route, the problem Of a new
road to Oregon and California, in a.
climate more genial, might be solved,
and better knowledge obtained oil an
important river and the country it
drained, while the great object OF the
expedition would find its point Of COM
mencemcn. at the termination OF the
former, which was the great gate in
the ridge Of the Rocky Mountains call
ed the South Pass, and on the lofty
peak Of the mountain which overlooks
it, deemed the highest peak in the
ridge, and from the opposite sides of
which four great rivers take their rise,
and flow TO the Pacific or the Missis-
sippi."
Now the route appears to have been
for many days through pleasant and
level prairie country, intcrsccted with
numerous streams, in general well tim
bcred on their margin with ash, elm,
cotton wood, and very large oak. This
agreeable state Of things did not, how
ever, long continue for the narrative
says:
"Shortly after leaving our encamp-
mcnt on the Goth Of June, we found
suddenly that the nature of the coun-
try had entirely changed. Bare sand
hills very where surrounded us in the
undulating ground along which we
were moving, and the plants peculiar
to sandy soil made their appearance
in abundance"
The fourth Of July was spent at St
vrain's fort, in lat. ~ deg. Is min. 55
sec. North, and longitude West lO2
deg. ~ min. % sec.
The party were in the neighborhood
Of Pixies peak on the llth of July.
We are told respecting the country
through which, they were now travel
ling, that
"With occasional exceptions, COM
paratively so very small as not TO requlre
mention, these prairies are every where
covered with a close and vigorous
growth Of great variety Of grasses,
among which the most abundant is the
buffalo grass (sesleria dactyioides.)
Between the Platte and Arkansas riv-
ers that part of this region which forms
the basin drained by the waters of the
Kansas, with which our operations
made US more particularly acquainted,
is based upon formation of calcareous
rocks. The soil Of all this country is
excellent,and admirably adoptedto ag-
ricultural and pastoral population. A
glance at the map accompanying this
report along our several lines of travel,
will show you that this plain is water
ed by many streams. Throughout the
western half of the plain these are shall
low, with sandy beds, becoming deeper
as they reach the richer lands approach
ing the Missouri river: they generally /
have bottom lands, bordercd by bluffs
varying from fifty to five hundred feet
in height. In all this region the tim
Der is entirely confined to the streams.
In the eastern hall, where the soil is
deep, rich, vegetable mould, retentive
OF rain and moisture, IL is of vigorous,