The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1849-02-27

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Two years OF great labor on the Upper Mis-
sissippi, assistant 10 the distinguished as,ro
nomer, Mr. Nicollen who, by his great ex
er'ons during The FIVE years tha, lie wa.
engaged there, brought OH pr.strat!on whicl
ended in bis death. MIR. Freemoat solicited
and obtained from Colonei Albert the pryi
llcge Of going TO the South PISS, and he
made his examinations there in way tc
satisfy every inquiry. His description Of i,
was satisfactory TO all minds; and the read.
ing Of that description now will show the
ease with which the mountain eau be passet
at that place: us s,.s'.,
".August 7, i84a.-We left our encampmen
with the rising sun. AS we rose from The hcc
OF the creek, the snow line OF the mountuir
! stictched Rrandlv before us, the white beak,
! glttc ring in the sun. They had b, en- hidden in
the dark weather Of the last few days, and il
had been showing on them whilo il rained on
us. We crossed the ridge. and again struck the
Sweet Wute:-here a beautiful, swift stream
with more open valley, tin,bered with beech
and cotton. wood. 1t now began to lose tseli
in the many small forks which make Its heud
and we continued up the mnin stream until neal
noon, whom we lett II few miles, 10 make oul
noon halt on small creek among the hills, from
which the stream issues bj q email opening
Within was beautiful grassy spot, covered with
! an open grove Of large beech trees, among which
found several plants that had not prev ,usly
seen. The afternoon was cloudy, with squalls
OF rain; but the weather became fine at sun sc t.
when we again oncdmped on the Sweet Water,
within few miles of the SOUTH Pass. The
country over which we have passed to-day con.
slsts principally ofthe compact mica slate. which
crops out on all the ritges, making the uplands
very rocky and saty. In the escarpements
which border !he creeks, it is seen alternating
with light-coored granite, at an inclination Of
40 degrees. About six miles from the encamp.
lnenl brought us TO the summit. The ascent
had been 80 gradual, that with the intimate
knowledge possessed by Carson, who had made
this country his home for seventeen years, we
were obliged TO watch very closely to find the
place at which We had reached the eliminating
point. From the Impressions Oh my mind, q: this
time, (and subsequently on our rrturn.) should
compare the elevation which We surmounted at
me Pass to the ascent from the avenue to the
Capiiol hill 1t Washington. The width Of the
Pass, or tAher the width of the depression In the
mountons which make this gap in it's chain, is
about twenty miles, and in that Width hre many
crossing-places Latitude, (where crossed,) AZ
degrees, "a minutes, 80 seconds; Longitude, lO9
degrees, 26 mlnutes. Elevation above the sea,
7,49O feet. Distance from the mouth OF the Kan
zas, BY the cotinoH travelling route, 962 miles:
distance from the mouth Of the Groat Platte, 882
mles. ..,.. s,.,3. ,.,.g5.7. 81. f.,.,.t .s..
The Ehole distnnce over which Mr.. Free.
mont passed is laid down upon his topogra-
phical map of the road, and profile map Of
The travelling route illustrates this dcscrip-
lion, and shows that the elevation 10 be sur
mounted is distributed over so long dis
,arce that the ascent is in reality felt in no
part.
Having returned from that expedition,
Mr. Fremont was prompted to engage in q
larger one. He sought and obtained psr.
mission 10 60 from the South Pass 10 the
tide water region of the Columbia river, for
the purpose OF surveying the country, and
a,lertaining the prac,icability Of opening a
communication 10 what WAS then our princi-
aal point of possession on the Pacific coast.
/ lie made that examination, and reported il
in bis journals, and in maps, both in profile
and geographically. The whole route has
been laid down by him in both ways, and
were printed by order of the Senate. To
save uselcs inquiries, I will add that these
maps arc no, OH hand for distrlbu,ion-only
a tcw copies for use.
! Returning from that expedition, he went
TO Calif,rnia, seeking new roule by which
to return home, unwilling To lose any time
by going over ground over which he had ever
travelled before. Believing in the practica-
billy efa rdutc further south than the South
Pass, he undertook 10 explore new route,
which threw him Upon California, and for
the first lime made known TO the country,
with any accuracy, the great features of tie
Pacific slope of our continent. ! pass ny
all his great discoveries in California during
that romantic expedition, to come 10 the I'M
mediate object Of my mquiry-naw passes
IN the Rocky Mounlains-and show no less
EiI,an three of them, all south Of the South
Pass-then traversed and described by him.
[ say traversed and described, for they were
known beGore--known to the children OF
The moun,ans--ihe thirty brave and faithful
men who were his companions in all his ex-
pcditions. Approaching the Rocky Noun
iains from the west, as he returned from
that second expedition, and lining through
pass in north latitude 4l' 20', about l.
south of the South pass he says.
"Yesterday and to. day Cune II and II, 1874,
we have had before our eyes the high mountains
which divide the Pacific from the Mississippi
waters; and entering here among the lower
spurs or foot hills OF the range, the face OF the
country began to improve with magical rapidity
Not only the river bottoms, but the hills, were
covered with grass; and, among the usual varied
fora of the mountain region, these were occa-
sionally blue with the snowy bloom Of l,pina'
In he couree of the morning we had the first
glad view of buffulos, and welcomed the appear
ance of two old bulls with as much Joy as il they
had been messengers from home. A band Of elk
broke cut OF neighboring grove; antelopes
were running over the hills; and on the opposite