Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-07-11
SOURCE OF THE RED RIVER.

OOohSG VI LIE nEO III En-.
The gigantic escarpments of sand
stone, rising to the giddy height of eight
hundred feet upon each side, gradually
closed in until they were only few
yards apart, and finally united overhead,
leavinga long narrow corridor beneath,
at the base of which the head spring of
the principal or main branch Of Red Ri
yer takes its rise. This spring bursts out
from its cavernous reservoir, and, Ieaping
down over the huge masses of rock below,
here commences its long journey TO unite
with other tributaries in making the Mis-
sissippi the noblest river in the universe.
Directly at the spring we found three
small cottonwood trees, one of which was
blazed, and the fact of our having visited
the place, with the date marked upon it.
"On beholding this minute riyulet as it
wends its tortuous course down the steep
descent of the canon, it is difficult to re-
alize that it forms the germ of one of the
largest and most important rivers in
America; floating steamers upon its bo-
som for nearly two thousand miles and
depositing an alluvion along its borders
which renders its valley unsurpassed for
fertility.
'We took many copious draughts of
the cool and refreshing water in the
spring, and thereby considered ourselves
with the pleasure we received from the
beautiful and majestic scenery around us,
amply remunerated for all our fatigue and
privations. The magnifcence of the
views that presented themselves TO our
eyes as we approached the head of the
river exceeded anything I had ever be-
held. 1t is impossible for me to describe
the sensations that came over me, and the
exquisite pleasure I experienced, as
gazed upon these grand and novel pic
lures.
"The stupendous escarpments of solid
rock, rising precipitously from the bed oi
the river to such a height as, for great
portion of the day, to exclude the rays OF
the sun, were worn away, by the lapse
of time and the action of the water and
the weather, into the most fantastic forms
that required but little effort of the i'm.
agination to convert into works of art
and oil llriiad in form iror fna of the errara
dest and most picturesque scenes that car
be imagined. We all, with one accord
stopped and gazed with wonder and ad
miration upon panorama which wa!
now for the first time exhibited TO the
eyes of civilized man. Occasionally
might be seen a good representation o
the towering walls of castle of the feu
dal ages, with its giddy battlement:
pierced with loopholes, and its projecting
watch-towers standing out in bold relic
upon the azure ground of the pure ant
transparent sky above. In other place:
our fancy would metamorphose the es
carpment into bastion front, as perfect,
: modelled and constructed as if il had beel
a production of the genius of Vaubar
, with redoubts and salient angels all ar
ranged in due order. Then, again, w
; would see colossal specimen of sculp
ture representing the human figure, wit
all the features of the face. which, stand
ing upon its lofty pedestal, overlooks th
valley, and seems to have been designe
and executed by the Almighty artist a
the presiding genius of these dismal sol
tudes."