The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-05-26


And tins .ehalu OF ,ron,' lie aiding to all the
,rnminan, Atlantic cities, would connect
with the contemplated iron highway to
| C .llernia aud Oregon. vla the valley ot the
Platte al Council Bluffs.
From lbe South bend ol Lake Michigan
to Fort Brldger. in Utah Territory, dis
lance oil l.l5O miles, the line Indicated
would not defect more than forty miles
from "a due west course.
To reach the great basin aiUlah l. ike.
| rom Fort BrIdger, the road, as recommend
I'd by Captain S,ansburv, should follow up
,he valley ot Bucil'S fork, thence cross t."
Bear river, and follow that stream up until
| ii approaches the head Of one ofthe branches
oi W eber river, thence cross TO Weber, and
follow The valley OF Weber 10 Camas prairie
,hence cross The prairie to the 'flmpanogos.
and descend The latter river to Utah Lake.
That perfectly practicable route tor
.he line of railroad exists on the trace
me n,ioncd, from For, Bridger to Utah Lake,
without resortiug TO inclined planes, we en-
terrain no doubt, and "wben once the lsveI
,i The basin is attained, the road, either
north or south, appears to be OPEN
We hsve, we trust, succeeded in tracing
a practicable route for an iron highway
from Council Bluffs, to Utah Lake; aud Il
only remaius to Indicate the residue oi the
route to Walkers Pass, in the Sierra Neva-
da, latitude 35 deg. 80 min, longitude le
deg. 80 min. west.
! That no practicable pass for ralroad
exists ia the Sierra Nevada nor,h OF Walk
er's Pass, is, we believe, now generally
conceded; and therefore, in projecting an
available line to the Pacific, euhcr on .
j northern or southern trace. we can only
reach lhe Pacific BY the pass mentioned.
4 The route we adyocaie. should tolto~
,he Wahsa,ch chain, from Utah Lake, south
westward. traversing the Mormon settle
ments to Los Vegas de Santa Clara, and
,hencc still continuing southwest course
until i, reached the line Of Senator Owns
J road. near latitude 35 deg. 30 min, al
which point, it would turn to the west and
continue west course through walkers
; Pass, to the valley of the San Joaquin.
; The point of junction, would be so;ae two
degrees of longitude eas, OF the pass.
Or. if that portion of the great basin ~
I ing between the southwestern extremity O
: Utah Lake and Walkers Pass should, a',e'
a careful reconnaissance be found not who
" sterile, probably it would be preferable
, to cross the basin Il, the head of Uiah Lake
and unite with Senator OWNS road, al
the eastern mouth of Walkers Pass.
The distance from Utah Lake to Walk
, er's Pass, is less than 500 miles. utat
. Lake, is in latitude 40 deg. longitude | II
! deg, and its elevation above the Pacific
1 400 feet.
= or the entire practicabi'ity Of construct
> ing an iron highway and avenue on The
route described, no reasonable doubt neee
be entertained With reference to its NJ IL
4 ,v and necessity, am fully satisfied; ant
that the national legislature will at an early
. day, make the necessary provision to opef
a. least two great thnroughfares of over
land trade aud travel from the valley OF the
! Mississippi, to the Pacific ocean, | have
} not the remo,est doubt. r.