, 1856-07-11

FoRr ALDER, RANGERS PRAIRIE; |
SnOgHdLmie, June 81, 1856. !

SnOqualTs, June 81, 1855
Ma EDIToR-I avail myself of the pres
ent opportunity to dispatch you few brief
items relative TO military movements in this
section of Washington Territory. On the
10Th inst. Maj. Van Bokkelin left this
place, with command Of about sixty men,
for the Snoqualmie pass, distance of about
forty-Gve miles from Fort Alder II was
the intention of Major Van Bokkelin when
leaving here, upon reaching the sum nit Of
the mountain pass, to have selected some
feasible location, and have built forti6ca-
tion, and thereby cut off and prevent all
communication from the hostiles, on the
eastern side Of the mountains, with the In
dians on the lower Sound But unfortu-
nately his plans proved abortive, owing to
the insufficiency Of pack animals to keep
him and his command supplied with pro
visions. The Major took detachment Of
Is men out Of companies H and /, and
left the main body under command OF Capt.
Peabody, and took more northerly direc,
ton for the purpose, If it were possible, Of
finding nearer and a more practicable
route for pack animals across the mountains.
Owing to the many obstacles which he had
to encounter, in the way Of logs and density
Of under-brush, his progress was censidera-
bly, impeded, and was much longer In join
ing the main body than be anticipated.
He travelled pretty much an entire day
upon snow. His command were destitute
Of provisions for two days, having, as the
only alternative at this juncture, to subsist
upon the inner surface Of spruce bark,
which they stripped from the trees and
scraped. This article Of diet, would here
remark, is held in great esteem 5y the
Northern Indians, but it is rather too
much on the green PersimR0n order to be
found very pRlatablc to an anglo saxon or
civilized volunteer soldiery. gsr
The Major found, upon reaching Capt.
Peabody's command, after being detached
about six days from them, that many Of
the command were complaining Of being
sick with coughs and fever, which they had
contracted through hunger, exposure, IA
tigue and inclemency Of weather. 1t had
rained pretty much the entire time they
were out, some six days. Finding it i'm
possible to maintain his position at that
point, under the then existing circumstances,
he deemed it expedient to fall back and
wait till bis men and animals were recruit
ed. The Major succeeded in reaching this
place last evening, wet and exhausted,
having Travelled about foriy-fve miles in
heavy rain, and that, too, Oh a rugged
mountain Indian trail, proving to ali con
verSant with the character of our mountain
trails, that the Major is no ordinary pedes-
trian. fass
Since the return Of the Major and Capt.
Smalley, Of company g, from Connells
prairie to this place, the battalion has been
actively engaged in building fort upon
Rangers prairie, and cutting road from
this place to the crossing of Cedar river, =
distance of some go miles !; and during the.
time also, scouting parties have been dis
patched in different directions in this sec
tion Of country, in search Of lurking spies
whose footprints and other signs have fre-
quently been found by our men, lucidly
demonstrating to us that our every move
ment has been watched with IN esgle-eyed
vigilance, so characteristic in our treacher-
Gus red skin fee. s.t
This section Of country, where we are
now lOcateus Is surely Lne most e1cellent,
in an agricultural point Of view, that /
have seen in Washington Territory
Rangers prairie, upon which Fort Alder Is
built, contains, from o rough estimate,
tho we think an approximate estimation)
about ten thousand acres Of very excellent
land /; and it is certain that there is an
hundred Thousand acres of good vine maple
land here, bordering on the river, suseepti-
BILE of agriculture. The natural advanta-
ges are not surpassed, am free to say, in
no other portion of this Territory. Since
my arrival in the Territory in 1858, / have
Travelled over great deal Of the country,
and paid particular attention TO the char
acter of the soil in the choice agricultural
localities, and am fully confirmed in the
opinion that the soil here is much more fer
tile than any other that have seen, not
excepting Whidby's Island, which have
heard pronounced, by men Of agricultural
science, to be the garden and granery Of