The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-02-16

the Great Salt Lake, which unite, afte,
some nifty miles, and bears west " ardly alona
me northern side Of the basin tow ards The
Treat Sierra Navada, which it is destined
never TO reach, much less 10 pass. The
mountains IN which il rises are round and
handsome in their outline, capped will
snow the greater part Of the year, vel
clothed with grass and wood, aud abundant
in water. The stream is q narrow line
without aflluen,s, loosing by absorption and
evaporation As il goes, and terminating in
marshy lake, fringed with bulrushes, and
whifened with saline encrustations. II ha,
moderate current, is from two TO six feet
deep in the dry season, and probably no,
f0rdable anywhere below the junction OF
the forks during the time Of melting SHOWS,
when both lakes and rivers are considera.
oily enlarged The country through which
u passes except its immediate Valley is a
dry sandy plain, without grass, wood, or
arabic soil from about 400 feet lat the
lake, above the level Of The sea, winding
among broken ranges of mountains, and va
rying from few miles TO 90 miles breadth.
Its own immediate valley is a rich alluvion,
beautifully covered with blue. grass, herd
grass, clover and other nutritious grasses
and its course is marked through the plain
by line of willow and cotton wood trees,
serving for fuel. The Indians in the fall sci
lire to the grass and destroy all trees except
in low grounds near the water.
Ibis river possesses qualities which, in
the progress OF events, may give il both
value and fame. 1t lies OH the line Of ira
vel to California and Oregon, and is the
best route now known through the Great
Basin, and the one travelled ly emigrants.
lis direction, nearly cas- and west, is the
right course for that travel. II furnishes a
level, unobstruc,ed way for nearly three
hundred miles, and continuous supply Of
the indispensable articles of water, " God,
and grass. It's head is towards the Great
Salt Lake, and consequently towards the
Mormon settlement, which must bpoome
point IN the line of emigration TO Caliior-
MA aud the lower Columbia. Its termina
ton is within fifty miles of the base of the
Sierra Nevada, and opposite the Salmon
front river pass-a pass only seven thou
sand two hundred feet above the level of
the sea, and less than half that above the
level Of the Basin, and leading into the val.
ley OF the Sacramento, some forty miles
north Nueva 1elvetia. These properties
give to this river prospective value in tu-
ture communications wi,hthe Pacific ocean,
and the profile view 1.-THE north OF the map
shows the elevation Of the present traveling
route, Of which it is a part, from the South
pass, in the Rocky mountains, to the Bay Of
SAT- Francisco.
The other principal rivers of the Great
Basin are found OF its circumference; col.
Letting their waters from the Snowy NOM.
tains which surround il. and are, !. BEAR
nver, on the east, Using in the massive
range of the Timpahoeos mountains and
falling into the Great Salt lake, after q dou.
bling course through fertile aud pictu-
rescue valley, two hundred miles long. =.
The UTAH river and TIMpAsAozu or Tin
pANoGos, discharGing themselves into the
otah lake Oh the east, after gathering their
copious streams in the adjoining parts ofthe
Vah-satch aud Timpanogos mountains. 3.
NicoLLrT river, rising south in the long
range Of the Wah.sateh mountains, and fall
iuto lake Of its own name, after making
an arabic and grassy valley, two hundred
miles in length, through mountainous coun.
try. 4. SALMON TRoUT river, on the west,
running down from the Sierra Nevada aud
falling into Pyramid lake, after a course Of
OF about one hundred miles. From its
source, about onethird of its valley is
through a pine -timbercd country, and ioI
the remainder Of the way through very
rocky, naked ridges. II is remarkable for
the abundance and excellence Of its salmon
trout, and presents some ground for cultva.
ton. 3. CARSON and WALKER rivers, both
handsome clearwater streams, nearly one
hundred miles long, coming, like the precc-
ding. down the eastern flank OF the Sierra
Nevada and forming lakes Of their own
name at its base. They contain salmon
trout, and form some large bottoms Of good
land. 8. Owens RIVER, issuing from the
Sierra Nevada on the south, is large bold
stream about one hundred and twenty miles
long, gathering its waters IN the Sierra Ne
vada, flowing to the southwark aud forming
a lake about fifteen miles long at the base
Of the mountain. At medium stage it is
generally four or five feet deep, in places
fifteen; wooded with willow and cotton.
wood, and makes cotton bottoms of fertile
land, at intervals rendered IN arshy by springs
and small aiilutnis from the mountain
The water ef the lake in which it termin-
ates has an unpleasant smell and bad taste
bnt around its shores are found small streams
of pure water aud good grass. On the map
this is called OWENS river.
Besides these principal rivers issuing from
the mountains on the circumference Of the
Great Basin, there are many others, all a.
round, all obeying the general law Of losing
themselves in sands, or lakes, or belts of al
luvion, and almost all Of them an index 10
some arabic land, with grass and wood.
Interior Of the Great Basm.-Thc in,cri-
or OF the Great Basin, so far as explored, is
found 20 be a succession of sharp mountain
ranges and naked plains, such as have been
described. These ranges are isolated, pre-
senting summit lines broken into many
peaks, of which the highest are betweentcn
and eleven thousand feet above the sea.
They are thinly wooded with some varic.
ties OF pine, (ptaus monophyilm characters.
tic, )cedar, aspen, aud a few other trscs (:
aud afford an excellent quality ofbunch
gsaSs, equal TO any found ia the Rocky
mountains. Black-tailed deer and mnnu,.
ain sheep are frequent in these mountains /;
which, in consideration Of their grass, wa
ter, and wood, and the alluvion at their
base, may be called fertile, in the radical
sense Of the word, as sicniiying capacity
To produce, or bear, aud ia con,radistinrlion
to steriliiy. In this sense these interior
mountains may be called fertile. S,erilty.
on the contrary, is The absolute characters.
tic OF the valleys between the mountains