The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-06-29

which The lino passes arc accumulated groa
wealth Of iron and coal, and extensive forests
OF heavy timber. These forests are the lar
gest am acquainted with in the Rocky Noun
tains being, IN some places twenty miles in
depth OF continuous forest; the general growth
lofty and large frequently over three feet II,
diameter, and sometimes reaching FIVE feet, the
red spruce and yellow pine predomnating. At
the actual southern extremity of the Mormon
settlements consisting OF the two enclosed
towp5 Of Parowan aad Cedar city, near t.
which our line passed, coal mine has been
opened for about eighty yards, and iron works
already established. Ircn hero occurs in ex-
traOfdinsry masses in some parts. accumulated
into mountains, which comb out ia crests of
solid iron thirty feet thick, and hundred yards
long.
In passing through this bed of mountains
about fourteen days had been occupied from
January "a to February 7, the deepest snow
we here encountered being about up TO the
saddle skirts, OF four feet this occurring onl7
IN occasional drifts in the passes on northern
| exposures, aud in the email mountain flats
| hemmed IN by woods and hills. 10 the valley
Il twas sometimes few inches deep and ~ often
none at al. On our arrival at the Mormon
! settlements, February 8th we to@ud il lev
4 lnoseS deep and were .heIe informed that tn
winter had been unusually long con,inu5d and
severe, the thermometer having hecn~as low es
| IL degrees below zero, and more snow bav!rg
fallen than in ali the previous winters together
since the establishment. CT this colDay
AZ this season, their farmers had usually
been occupied with their plougbs, preparing
the land for grain.
! At this point tho limo CT exploration entered
the tdiEd or western section, conDrchondiag
the mountainous plateau between tic Wabs Atch
Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Ga California
| Two routes here suggested themselves TO Mo
Tor examination one directly across the g}a-
tedu between the 37th and 3Sth PARALLELS the
other Keeping to the s,uih Of the mountains
AMI following for about two hundred mites
Gown valley Of the RIO Tirgen, Virgin river
thence direct to the Tejon Pass, at tie head Of
the San Joaquin Valley This route down the
! Virgin river had been examined the year he
fore, with view to settlement this summer. by
| a Mormon exploring party under tie command
! OF Major Steele, of P8rowau, who (and Others
| OF tine party informed me thai Jhoy found fer
lilo valleys inhabited by Indians wEocullivatcd
corn and melons, and the rich ground in many
| places matted over with grape vines. Tho
| IelOn Passes are tWo--cDe Of thea from the
abundance of vines ut its lower end) called
CGIon &c los UraS. They were of long use
and We're examined by I've, and their prac-
! tcautAty GICeitaineo, in my expedition 81
! 1913 49,; and in 1851 | again passed through
them both, bringing three thousand head Of
cattle through one OF then.
knowing tie practicability Ct these passes,
and eonhding IN the report OF Major Steele "a
| to TIE intermediate country | determined u
take tie other, between the 18th and 385h
per"Hels) is recommending itself TO me as being
more direct towards San Francisco, and pref
erablo on that account for road if suitable
groaDd could be found and also az being IN
fta IF.
ors attempts had been made 10 explore IT, and
81 failed for want Of wa.er Although biased
III Favor OF the Virgin river route, determined
To examine this one in the interest OF geugra.
ply, and accordingly set out fer this rnsr,sc
lr,in the settlement, abcrt the 2O,h os Febru-
/ ary, travelling directly westward from Cedar
city, eighteen miles wost Of Parow3n) We
found the country high table land, briatlirg
with mountains, often IN short isolated blocks,
and sometimes accumulated into considerable
ranges, with numerous open and low passes.
We were thus always n d 7alley, and always
surrounded By mountains more q lCas cicSo!-.
which apparently altered IN shape and position
as we advanced. The valleys n,e dry and ma
ked, without water or wood; but the noun
| tains are generally covered with grass ami
well wooded with pines springs arc very rare,
and occasional small streams are sc remote
distances. Not human being wa5 encounter
Cd between the Santa Clara road n az the Nor
mon settlements and Tic SieYlG NeUGdg, over g
distance Of more than three huUd rcd rile-
The solitary character Of This UniuhabiteI re
glon, the naked valleys without ~Gtor courses,
amcng mountains with fertile coil, and grass
and woods abundant, give 1t the appearance Of
an unfinished country.
Commencing az the 385h We struck tie
! Sierra Nevada, on about Tie 37th parallel,
about tie l5sh March
o. cur rUuto across, we had for tie greater
part CT the time pleasant and rather Ua-nl
weather; the valley grounds and low RIDGES
unc YoTcd, bot Snow over tho upper PARTS O.
the higher mountains. Between tie 20th q
February aud 17,h Of March, We had several
snow storms, sometimes accom- panied with hail
and heavy thunder; but the snow remained ON
tic valley grounds only few hours after tta
storm Was over. Ii forms not She least in1et-
linen, at nny time OF the winter. / was pre-
pared to find the 6icria Ee.e broad, ragged,
and blocked Up with snU&. and vas not oIslI-
pointed n ny expectation. The first range
we attempted 10 c.Oss carried Us 10 Gu eieyt-
ton u 600 or 900 GcoS and icto inipassa5ls
snoW which was further ilc. leased On the 18Th
by considerable fail.
There wac no object IN forcing q p.scsse.
and | accordingly turned Ct oncc some si-.ty or
eighty miles to the southwark. making q vide
sweep 10 strike the Point Of tie California
mountain, where the Sierra NLyada sucderlY
breaks of, and declines MO lUacr country.
Information obtained years before f.on tho IN
dams, led me to believe .has che low lnoulteils
were broken into many posses; and, &c ell
events had the certainty VI an easy passage
through either OF Walkers passes
When the Point was reached, / found tho
Indi IN Information fully yer 4 81: ib6 Goun;a.n
suddenly terminated and brCzg down III,
lower grounds. barely ab-ye tas iva Of the
country, and I4akiSS nun SJ1s openings INTO
tIe Ia1ey OF TIC Sau SIuin. l entered into
tho nFS' "hlch 'hsIS5, taking 10 time t.
scArcn, As We were eitirely out of provisions
1hu A'lIs uFon hIIIlses,) which led W by su
HpeL anu @'h Is = vel hollow, thirteen miles
~, " az cII'''. 10 sssoiI enough 70 be called
q M, o'.i mo ,le Salley Cf small aiiluenS
~ '1sIil itSoI 'ne FOLLOW end the vall'y Iaa-
slng togesher q ~ where a wagon wculi uOo
NJ r.. any oos.l sstion for s0rty Eu..es.
So s 81 ~ around the passes, ia which sLe
Ca here terminaie4 decline CON
FL -, 5ow its more northern eevati.n.
aaat,o ~ no snow 20 he seen 20 ell On lts
o ,~s"S y face, and none in the rass; lu1 We
80 ~ - lhe md. Ct opening sgyipg i.1"e's
''I pa..ns in field On both sides O, the seTr@
- "e n tho point Of the moulta'ns and the
neno.,u. tthe valley at the IeJgn, the passes
So 81. are free from snow throughout the
car, anu the descent from them to the ocean
Is o'Siriogtt over long slope Of more than
TWO aunoreo ia les Tac low dry country and
the long slope, in ~outrndis.;netion to the high
country ana snort Sudden descent and heavy
SHOWS OF the passes D hind the bavs of San
Francisco are among the e.ors;dsrat;cns x b;cn
suggest themselves IN favor q ->tla rons h, ~.