Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1854-02-09
The Pacific Railroad.


has published the following in regard 10 the
Northern Route which he surveyed:
The geographical Importance Of the region
OF country between the basin of St. Law
renee, the head waters of the Mississippi
and Puget Sound, its adoption TO settlement |
its railroad routes, its emigrant roads and
the pomadc tribes within its borders will
be the subject of the following articles
Resting on the two great rivers Of the cas-
tern and western coasts of the Missouri and
Columbia, il connects BY navigable stream
with Hudson's Boy and the Arctic Ocean.
Between the upper tributaries of these two
rivers, the Rocky Mountains are broken in
10 spurs, filled with beautiful and fertile val
legs, furnishing several good passes much
lower than the southern passes, and one be-
ing by barometric measurement more than
800 feet below the South Pass. The head
Of navigation of Missouri is only about TOO
miles from the western waters Of Puget
Sound, inexhaustible in il its lumber, its
coal andits fisheries, and in this distance
there is one long reach of the Columbia nav
igable for steamers.
From the head Of navigation in 200 miles
and in ten days, the emigrant reaches that
beautiful valley in Washington Territory, at
the base Of the mountains which even the
honest and simple Fiathead Indians have fill
ed with cattle, and raised wheat and potatoes
for their own use. Throughout this valley
all the Indians from the Cascades to the
Rocky Mountains, pass on their way 10 the
vast Buffalo plains between the Missouri and
Yellowstone, where with the crows and
Backfeet, they lay in their stores of meat
and robes, the scene of so many sanguina
ry conflicts. The best natural wagon roads
connect the head of navigation of the Mis-
souri, with the fertile valleys along all the
streams issuing from the Rocky Mountains
to the head of the Yellowstone valleys SO
mild cattle need not shelter in winter, rich
in buffalo grass, Astounding in wood, and the
water of the purest qualify, and game, buffa-
10, elk, deer, big-horn antelope, black-bear
| in abundance.
The passes are yearly traversed by the
Flathead Indians between Christmas and
New Years on horseback, and March is the
favor1te month for the breaking up Of the
buffalo hunt by the Washington Territory In
dams, and their return across the mountains
to their homes on the plains and in the val
leys Of the Columbia river and its tributa-
ries. From the head OF navigation of the
Mississippi to the head of navigation OF the
Missouri through the territory of Minneso-
ia and the region occupied by the Assene-
BONES, the Grosven.res. and the Blackfeet
the emigrant will find grass over every mile
Of the route, and water never at greater dis
tances than fifteen and scarcely ever 1T great.
err distances than ten miles. Myriads ofbuf-
falo occupy this vast region, and their num-
bers have not sersibly diminished, though
2.GG Red River hunters, each on his fast
buffalo horse, four months each year, pour
death into their ranks, and they are almost
the only subsistence of some $4,000 In
dams.
Four routes within the Territory Of Wash
iDgton are pursued by the Indians in passing
from the valley at the western base Of the
Rocky Mountains TO the plains and valleys
between the CGur d Eleine and Cascade
Mountains. The Ceur d Eleine Mountains
an extension of the Blue Mountains to Clarl's
Fork Of the Columbia. north Of which the
range is known as Kouteny Mountains, &C.
cupy the whole width of the Territory for
distance of from 100, TO 120 miles, is COW
cred with heavy timber and numerous well
erased though narrow tmbers. The Nez
Pereez. The Spokaes, the Peude d'Olvilles,
the Ceur d'Eleines, and other tribes, in
crossing these mountains, have from three
to four horses for each man, woman and
child, and even children Of a. year and half
old will be seen guiding their horses, one
hand only on the rein, entirely unconscious
thew were excitinp the wonder and odmira
tion ofthe passer-by.
The Cascade Mountains have two good
passes, and on Puget Saund is found a eli
mate Of extraordinary salubrity, milder than
that of Virginia, and the same average tenn
perature, though more equabe than that OF
San Francisco, and soil which yields rich
returns to the husbandman. The strawber-
ry is often in blossom in December and Feb
ruary, and ice has 10 be imported from the
colder regions of the north.
The country between the Cascades and
f the Ceur d'Eleine Mountains is generally
well adapted to grazing or tillage, and much
Of it is exceedingly well watered. Many Of
the Indian tribes are known to be rich ir
| horses, and they have made considerable ad
. vance in the cultivation of the soil.
Such is the general character Of the eoun
try connecting Puget Sound; the great road
stead of the Northern Pacific, with The grea
basin of the St. Lawrence. Tapping the
. magnificent valley of the Upper Mississippi
having within its borders the Missouri anc
Columbia !he tributaries of its wagon road
and its railroads, and themselves great chan
: nels of communication, the Rocky Mountain,
h. sal la