The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1854-04-19
For the Cadiz Democratic Sentinel
Oregon Correspondence.
Oreron Civ. Feb. 18Th. 1854

on h1S3d Of Maj, at Council Blud IN Iowa;
ani after travelling about 80 miles, We came
10 Elk Horn River a branch ri Plate River.
ihis is a stream sboGJ gne 4gGGTci wards
vide with low banks. and at high water
pteihoss the bottoms 30 $50 or lHrrG J.I,es
vide. Alter erOEsirs tuis Stream, ~ trl'r.-
ri over high rolling Prairie, ah"UI IS u.!rs
10 Loup River. which IL aHV.hsr OrU.cH OF
Platte River, it is about four hunlroI garis
wide. il is not deep but very swift, SO tat
it cannot De forded, there is u ferry on it;
after travelling up this rirer about for miss,
we left It and crossing some SAID hills W.
came 10 the main Platte RIyer. il Is abndl
one mile wide here. Iun, very swift aal ii|
muddy, the river valley is ahoHt Ave miles
wide, and is covered with good grass; nc
travelled up Platte about four hundred lailss
10 opposite Port L.ramie. the Fort Is on lAe
Bngih sid. OF the mouth OF Laramie Fua.-
There were about thirty I. 5. 'oiGrrs here
to protect the En- graa;s a5 ,ins. tas dep
redations of the Lon Indians, VINO are the
most powerfuiiro on the road. Aler iesy-
ing FO.t Laramie, We commcrHed c,0sSngI
the Laramie Mountains or Black tilI.a. these
are very steep and stony and ard On teams
and Wagons; after crossing LeSe, aboIt two
days travel arogkht ~ 10 what Is called
Poison Lake. Tlis .3 4 SiGtl. Lake abou! one
hundred yards wide, the wa,er Is yeIy POI
sopous and certain death on man or beast
that drink it. We here left Platte Ryer,
and after travelling about 80 miles, we came
- Swift Water River at Independence rock,
this rock stands on the level plain, il is a.
bout five hundred yards lous and about
forty yards wide ani forty high. the sides
and top of this rock is alraost covered with
the names OF persons who have travelled that
way. Sweet water river il clear COLD
stream of excelen: water. Sx miles farther
brought Us to the Devils gate AS is called;
this is q gap in thu rattle snake mountains
through which the river has forced itself,
II is about 50 yards wide and the sides are
almost perpendicular Eve hundred teet in
height. In about 2 miles from this place, We
for the tlrst time see the snow capped Rocky
Mountains, we travelled up sweet water ny-
eF about one hundred aad fifty miles to
within seven miles of the summit OF the
Mountains, and crossed the summit on the
ieth Of July. Qn the 18th We passed q
snow bank six feet deep after crossing The
summit three miles brought Us 10 the Paci- !
ic Springs, this " lie FIRST wafer that the
Emisrant sees that aows into She Pach
Ocean; 50 far we hal good grass and plenty
Of water. bat here the hardest part oi cur
journey commenced.
FROM the Springs 10 Sandy River is about
35 miles with very little grass after crossing
Sandy, ii is 81 miles TO Green river without |
grass or water, this Desert is generally pass.
ed by starting from Sandy in the evening
and driving all night, and next day will
reach Green river in the evening. Green
River is about four hundred yards wide, !
and emptles into the Gulf Of California. AZ. !
ter crossing Green river, We travelled over
very Mountainous couRtry for about one
hundred miles to Bear River valley, this is |
a very pretty valley covered with good grass, |
we travelled down this lver about sixty /
piles ~ the celebrated Soda Springs, there
ls two large white mounds about fifteen feet
in height, which have heen raised from the
mineral Of the water, the water when sweet
ened makes very plesent drink; one mile !
from the Soda Springs is the Steamhoa!
SpriGg. This spring boils up from n hcle in
. rock to the height of four or tive feet.
About seven miles from here, the Cali |
fornia ard Oregon roads seperate, the Cali.
lornls road leaving To the south. west and |
the Oregon road 70 the north. west, in about
one hundred miles travel we reach Fort |
feSf river opposite Fort Hall. post OF the !
British Hudson company, after crossing
Fart Neutf river We travelled about / 5 miles |
En kaF Iam r,F 81,
ehes of the Columbia, we travelled down
this river about four hundred miles over
desert with scarcely anything growing but
wild saye, the road along here was streue!
with dead cattle and horses counted one |
half day to see how many head OF dead :
cattle, and ! counted 43, and there were |
other parts OF this desert where counted
! think one fourth of the cattle that st, rts
on this desert nevergets through The des
ert terminates at Ft. Baise, another Hnd |
son Bay past. From here We had good grass
and water.
After crossing Malheur Burnt and Pow.
der Rivers, we came to Grand Round; this
is valley ig the Blue Mountains sbou!
twenty miles long and twelve wide, covered
with high grass with small river running
through it, it is in possession of the Cayusse
and Nesperces Indians, who own immense
bands of horses. some of the head men own
three thousand head Of the prettiest horses
! ever saw; after crossing the Grand Round,
we commence crossing the Blue Mountains,
these are heavily timbered, which is almost
the hrst timber that saw after leaving the
the States, it is 45 miles over them 10 the
valley of the Umatila River. We tray
eled down this river about 80 miles to the
Indian Agency, ths station Of Mr. r, R.
Thompson, formerly Of CadiS. He has his
Ptock here. l! is one hundr.d and ten miles
from the Agency to the Dalles of the Co.
iumbia river; this is place where the
Mountain has slipped into the river and caus-
Pd the river to runin a very marrow channel,
there is about QUE dozen houses here, there
10 a steamboat runs from here to the Casca
des. The Cascades is place where the
river has a fall of over fifty feet in two
yales, end is full of rocks. from here we took
the steamer Multnomah for Portland. This
is a town Of T. bun3red inhabitants. it is or
the Willamette river, 6 miles from its mouth.
The largest ships come up here. From
here it is twelve miles TO Oregon City. on |
the same river. AtWillanette Fails the river
here has fall of about 40 feet perpendicu.
lay. which makes il the greatest place for
water power almost in the world. There are
two odower mills now ia operation, and epoth.