The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-10-27
CENTRAL ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC.
c STREET, Oct. IL, 1853.
L.. GnI.n 4 C.ntnu,

CENTRAL ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC
c STREET, Oct ~, 1853.
MeSus. Gales & Ssdton:
In their le.ters to me, which you have Just
published. Messrs. Beae and Heap regret that
they could not carry out my plan after passing
Las Vegas THE Meadows) of Santa Clara, ion
| account of the exhausted state OF their mules.
| by keeping more on a western course to avoid
following the Spanish trail and cutting off the
| elbow which it made to the southwest. | re-
greet it also. but the loss of their exploration in
that part is pretty well supplied by publlca-
ton in the Christian IdUOcGte, San Francisco
IN AIDE by the Rev J. w. Brier, who, with an
emigrating party, and following the directions
of Mormon "way.bill,' travelled over that
| part of the route, and found il level, with fer
tile valleys and water, thereby avoiding (al-
most wholly the desert through which the
| Spanish trail leads and cutting off the large
elbow which il makes. | send you the account
he gives, with the request that you will pub
lish it. as it furnishes information on the only
part of the Central route which is not now per-
fectly wel-known Col Fremont, when be
| had TO quit the service of the United States said
| there were but two sections on the Central
route remaining to be explored-one of them
| from the head of the Del Norte across the val
lew of the Upper Colorado, the other from Las
Vegas de Santa Clara west to the passes in the
Sierra Nevada; and he felt confident that
there was good way for roads and settlements
in both sections.
/ That he was right with respect to the first
section, is now proved by the examination
which has been made of it by Superintendent
Beale and Mr.. Heap that he was right also
with respect TO the second one, is well vOuched.
The Rev. Mr.. Brier went with an emigrating
party with their wagons and stock, and found
good way through a succession of fertile val
leys, we'll watered and grassy, and no snow
even in the dead of winter. Ovens river and
mountain, and lake which he mentions, we're
surveyed by Fremont in lS45, and laid down
upon his map of California. The long noun
tsin running east and west which he mentions
and on the south Of which are the fine valleys
was seen by Fremont at the same time, and
laid down upon his map with this remark
These mountains are not explored, being only
seen from elevated points on the northern OK
ploring line" The valleys which he was as
sured, from the structure of the country, must
be there are found and the last question an
swered as to the excellence of the Central route
both for roads and settlements from the from
tier of Missouri TO the frontier of California.
The hypothesis put by Mr.. Brier in the con-
GLIDING part Of his publication is answered,
and answered in the affirmative, that the coun-
try east of the Wahsatch is as good for a road
and settlement as that west Of it then the
Central route has preference over all others for
goodness of ground, besides the advantage in
locality and distance that is to say, being cen
trail to the Union, and the shortest as well as
the best. Respectfully &c,
THOMAS H. BENTON
"ln September of lSi9 we left Salt Lake in
Hunts large wagon train for Los Angeles We |
travelled nearly south to a point on the old |
Spanish trail called "the Divide" about seven
ty.f five miles southwest of Little Salt Lake |
Near this point we were ovcrtaken by some
Mormons, who brought with them a way. bill |
of new and better route from the Divide to
the Southern Mines uia Owens Lake, Walk
er's Pass and Tulare Valley This way bill
was given by a hunter named Ward, who had
assumed the habits and intermarried with the
Utahs, and was one of Walkers band The
,ody bill stated that aDe should find succession Of
fertile uatleyS and plenty Of grass and icdter, IN
q direct line TO Opens Lake and Walkers Pass
This wsy-bill and other causes induced that
part of tho company to which | belonged to
take the cutoff Leaving the Spanish trail,
we travelled west twenty five miles through an
opening in the mountains, having an excellent
and almost level road. We then turned south,
through long narrow valley, which brought
us upon some table land near the head-wators
of the Santa Clara. At this point we should
have turned TO the west, and would thereby
have reached the First Muddy by more dl.
rect line and by much better road Bat
bearing off too far south, a few hours bought
us to the Santa Clara in the vicinity of deep
and impossible canons. After three days Of
fruitless explorations in southcrly course most
of the company returned to the Spanish trail
but the company to which was attached, dis.
covering an open country to the west, and be-
lieving we had gone too far south, resolved on
western course. Twenty miles brought us to
the FIRST Muddy.
" In travelling this twenty miles we found no
serious obstacles, excepting a cedar forest
through which we cut road. By bearing to
the south IN this instance, we lost about ten
miles and found rougher road Still we
found nothing dlihcut or serious even by this
route. This region abounds in spruce and CO.
dar. From the First to the Second Muddy is
about fifty miles The country over which We
passed was succession of valleys, separated
by low dividing ridges. About ten miles north
the country seemed continuous plain nearly
the entire distance. This part of the road can
boast of nothing but good solid foundation
for q road, being rather sterile. From the
Second Muddy we took a southwest direction,
through valley sixty miles in length, some
parts of which were very fertile having an ex-
traordinary growth Of bunch grass.
~ ho a,Ia If the vallav thara u "a
high mountain range, nearly one hundred miles
long; in this mountain we discovered creeks
large enough to turn q mill. Leaving this val
ley, We descended by long slope into what
seemed to BIO lower region of country, and en-
tirely different, being more desert, yet better
adapted to road than the former, having a
moro solid foundation. The mountains in this
| region are ~ isolated to admit of passage
through them in almost any direction From
our descent into this part of the route to Owen's
mountain it is about fifty miles and presents
no obstacle in the way of the erection of a road
and needs but little grading
"When within twenty five or thirty miles OF
the pass in Ovens mountain, to which the way.
bill directed us, most Of the company, becoming
alarmed at the prospects and being deceived
by the gestures Of two Indian captives, took q
south course for one hundred miles or near
that, and we're then compelled to leave their
wagons and cross Owens mountain on foot,
and that, too over it's very highest SUBMITS
and where it spreads itself into four distinc,
ranges which, however, terminate little fur.
ther south
"From these heights depression could be
seen to the north, where We should have. cross.
ed. The distance from tho desert, east Of
! Owens maintain IN Oven river | supnose "a
about fifty miles and all that distance, or most
of it, is an open valley from five to ten miles
wide lying between the Sierra Nevada and
Ovens mountain. The ascent from the east
ern side to the summit OF the Sierra, in Walk
ers Pass, is gradual and easy, and the descent