The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-12-08

some dagger from | acknowledge, | tremol
for the fate ot my country at some future day
"unless we do something
ITo BE CONCLUDED IN OUR NEXT.
CENTRAL ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC
Nessrs Gales g. Ss0'on
GENTLEMEN: | send you letter Just receiv
cd from Fort Massachusetts in the valley OF
San Luis head of the RIO Grdnde del Norte
Sh;ch came to me as Unexpectedly as if 1t he'd
fallen from the clouds and could not have
been more acceptable if it had been from any
other spot on the globe. 1t ia written by O
Virginia emigrant to California--One who had
been there before and now made one of a par
ty of emigrGDts all removing, and taking with
them large herds of sheep and some cattle TOR
the California market They travelled upon
the line which Beale and Heap described, and
confirm all they said by the actual fact of the
easy travelling OF their wagons and the cOndi
! ton Of their sheep and cattle about as fdt as
day in The Philadelphia or Baltimore market :"
aud that after travelling upwards of one thou
sand miles from Illinois, and seven hundred of
il from the Miss uri frontier The country is
rich and beautiful, ard the Valley of San Luts
and the mountain grass all that LerOux and
Fremont described it to be. Only think Of
that grasj---thick az "a me ldOw to the top Of
tho mountains and many acres good for four
moved tOns--and plenty all the winter to sus-
tain stock without food or shelter The letter
is exactly such a one as would wish to get
q plain statement Of what was actually seen
by an emigrating company moving in body,
without any system or theory to establish, and
looking for the be-t way TO get to California
The pass which they mention, through which
Captain Gunnson went, is one of .fve in the
Sierrs Blanca leading from the Arkansas
plains into the Valley of San Luis-three of
which are ezcelleNt. and one Of them higher
up, and from seventy to eighty miles nearer
than the other two, by bong more in the
straight line to the Coo cha.tope in the Rocky
Mountains, or the Cdnero which il near it and
nearly rs good. Instead Of no passes in these
mountains, there are i multiplicity Of them
80 many aud 30 good, that the traveller has
choice in the variety, and is only puzzled to
decide which is best
Fort Massachusetts,, where this letter is da-
ted, is Just at the spot where Fremont was
turned out OF tho udlley by his guide in the
winter of l8iS and S49, and when he found
the pass almost without snow through which
| the Utahs passed from the Del Norfe to tho
Arkansas, and which was so level that he could
only by careful observation detect the point of
the dividing waters.
In brief MesSrs. Editors, now feel emboid-
cncd to repeat what Fremont has often told
me, that in the central part of the Rocky
Mountains, covering the Three Parks the
headwaters OF the South Platte, the Arkansas,
and the Del Norte, and the headwaters Of the
Ia EnrE &C bo ('oIncn 10 ~ . h., ".
exactly in the line from st. Louis TO San Fran
cisco, and about half way between them, there
IL good country enough to make a MOUNTAIN
STATE double the size of all the Swiss cantons
put together and presenting everything grand
and beautiful TO be found in Switzerland, with.
ont the drawback Of glaciers and avalanches,
and consequently without its cold He has
gone to verify his wiater theories in that re-
gion
Respectfully, gentlemen, your obliged iel.
iow-clnaen, THOMAS H. BENTON.
FORT MAssACHUsETTs IN NJ
august %, 1853.
DEAR SIR Knowing that you feel interested
in the middle route for the great Pacific Rail.
road, and believing that any information with
regard to it would be acceptable no matter
how humble the source from which it comes,
have determined to state what know about
1t THIS information is from travelling the
route Just behind Capt. Gunnison. left Vr-
gna the first of April, went to Missouri and
Illinois to purchase sheep for the California
market After purchasing started to take
them by old Salt Lake, the Humboldt River,
NO, feeling assured that would have to win
ter at Salt Lake, had gotten the sheep 10
Tar as st JGseph's, (Mo) Having some bust
ness in St Louis ! met with Capt. Gunnison,
and learned from him that there was better
route by way of Utah Lake, and that he was
going to open it, and that from what he knew
about it it would be much better for me to
take it. After thinking good deal over it,
determined to take It, ~ there was u very large
uumber of stock on the old route, and goot
prospect Of getting to California this season
read your address with great deal Of inter
est and, feeling assured these statement
about the route could be relied on, left Mis-
somi at Westport on the 18th of June, with
large number of sheep and some cows-Mr
Crockett Of Virginia. partner with me. A
| WestpCrt | met with the two Mr.. Ross, G
Iowa, with their families, going the old route
thew also determined to accompany me IN
now route. After travelling n few days fe
in with the two Mr. Burwclls, of Franklin city
Virginia with large number Of cattle, VIII
also were persuaded to join me. We travelle
the Santa Fe road twenty five miles above Fol
Atkinson, keeping on the well heatcn track ,
thirty miles above Bent's Old Fort and eros
cd tho Arkansas river at the mouth Of Opihk
Creek, crossed over to the HWrfano up thi
{ stream about twenty miles, and crossed ii
Sierra Blanca mountains through Capt. Gu
/ nison's pass, about twelve miles south
Leroux's pass, To this fort The distance give
by Capt. Gunnison il 500 miles from Wes
/ port Missouri
r | have travelled over the mountains of vi
{ ginia Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, over Sc
: eral OF the passes OF the Sara Nepoda in Ia
o itornia, and have never seen better or mo-
= easier pass for carriages and wagons than Il
i one fund 10y Capt, Gunnison through Il
$ Sierra Blanca, just opposite Fort Massach
!. sets and distant from il fifteen miles ira
n cllcd tho old route 70 California in ls49, or
q can speak OF the two routes from actual G.
n perience, having gone over both with wagon
: | look upon this route as far superior, and ie
r confident that as coon rs il IN known will ar
Y must be the great thOroughfare from the A
0 lantic 10 the Pacific On this route there il q
abundance If grass and water, 30 much thu
= stock viii travel and keep fat; the large mi
: jority OF our sheep are as lat AZ any mutton
{ the Philadelphia or Baltimore market, and
very large number of Mr. Burwel's cattle a
3 fine beet and have never seen any stock a
a 'er having travelled 30 far lo,k half as we
0 Both OF the MIR. Rose have carriages, aud