The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-03-24
NUMBER 81

NUMDEh- "
Narrative Of Lieut. ueale's wagon Road Ex-
petition.
The following Outline Narrative of Lieut.. Beale's
Exploration of the Southern Wagon Route. The object
Of the expedition, as specified in the written Instructions
Of the Secretary of War, was to proceed from Phladel-
phia to Indianola, Texas, where the camels had been
landed from the storeship Supply, Lieut.. David Porter,
and from thence to proceed to Fort u. fance, in New
Mexico, near Santa Fe and from that place to COM
mence the survey Of the wagon road through to the
Colorado river, near the supposed mouth OF the MoJave:
Lieut.. E. F.. Beale and his party arrived at San
Antonio, on the 18th of June. From San Antonio,
they proceeded to Camp Verde, on the Verde river,
where the camels had been conveyed, to await his re-
QUESTION and that of Capt. Pope, Of the U 5. Typo
graphical Engineers, who had been deputed by Govern
ment to construct artesian wells upon the Pec"s, IN
Texas. He selected twenty,three out Of the ninety
camels at that place, and three dromedaries. Together
with the animals were two Greeks, a Turk and two
Arabs, who left him at San Antonio, being DESTROYS OF
returning home.
The party left San Antonio on the 25sh of June;
the camels packed with a large portion of the grain tor
camels, of which there were seven, are capable OF carry
ing a load of one thousand pounds. They passed over
the old wagon road, extending some seven hundred
miles between San Antonio aud FL Passo.
The camels performed this journey from San Antonio
to Alberquerque-a distance Of not less than a Thousand
miles, in which there was a considerable space to De
passed devoid Of water or grass-without, in a single
instance, exhibiting any sign of fatigue or Distress nor
showing any signs of thirst. They kept pace easily
With the teams, at an average rate OF four miles -
hour, though, when required, this rate could have been
doubled without their suffering the least Inconvenience:
Albuquerque is a primitive Mexican town, built OF
adobes, and is the depot Of the troops of that quarter.
1t is the center Of the supplies for the U. S. forts IL
that section. Its p pulati"n is about 5000. 1he ex-
petition was cordially and Hospitality received, at every
stopping place. The vicinity is entirely destitute OF
grass.
Leaving some Of the wagons which had become IN
necessary to transport the baggage, the expedition
crossed the Rio Grande, and turned towards the Colo
RADIO. They crossed the dry bed Of the little Puerto,
and preceded on the road lying within sight OF the
river and among the mountain spurs extending through
New Mexico. They passed through the pueblo OF
and New Mexicans. They were now travelling upon
Curonado's route-wbo, in 1880, passed through this
country, the first explorer of New Mexico-they arrived,
on the Gath Of August, at Ell Moro, Or the Inscription
Rock. This remarkable natural formation merits u
particular description. Emerging from the forest which
nent, without any previous indications Of its existence,
and in the midst of an almost exclusively volcanic coun.
try, q smooth wall of white sandstone rises from the
grassy plain which spreads away from its base1t 9 an
altitude of a thousand feet. At its southeastern base
is the spring known as FL Moro. 1t is wedge-shaped,
and its summit is orowued by an ancient aboriginal
fortress, evidently the work of the same artisans, whose
tumuli are visible from Peru to- Wisconsin. SloPiDg
from the southwest is an artificial plateau, leading to
the western entrance of the mountain, which forms q
natural corral, cap,ble Of holding at least i've thousand
head of animals, and entirely impregnable except by q
very narrow passage, easily defended and partially fort'-
In this corral grow the ~loftiest pine trees. whose
heads are far below the crest of the rock which towers
shove them. The expedition from this campaign place,
passed over . comparatively level country, we'll wafered,.
volcanic origin, were visible in all directions, some Of
them capped with snow. The camels from the first
the marches without fatigue or tagging. They
continued their course on the parallel If 80 degrees,
finding excellent water at convenient intervals, and the
most ~luxuriant blue gramma grass.
Tho course now lay through an UNEMPLOYED region,
the wave line, intersected by ranges OF II.
serrated volcanic mountains. They encamped
upon q reservoir of pure water, discovered by the guide,
Sevedra to which Lieut.. Beale gave the name OF Kings
Greek. The trail Of 1858, made by Lieut.. Whipple,
being obhterated by time, and also that OF Aubrey,
Lieut.. Beale selected a road for himself, aLd thus from
the point above mentioned. the travellers, until reaching
the Colorado, were passing over a terra incoyn'fa.
Expeditions from the camping place were dispatched by
Lieut.. Beale, in various directions, to examine the face
Of the country.
In one of these. led by Lieut. Bealc himself, they dis
what was believed to be the celebrated canon
of Aubrey, described by him in his notes An idea
be gathered of the stupend"ns depth Of this great
from the fact that standing on its precipitous
brink, a musket ball discharged, occupied nearly half a
in reaching the bottom at its shallowest point.
was proved by frequent experiments. Its width
was 80 great, that a mnsket ball, discharged horizontal
", fell about a quarter Of the way across. This chasm
appears to be a vast sink in the general level of the
country, the result Of some ancient volcanic CONFUSION.
They descended to the bottom, and explored it to its
In it they discovered the Indian trail to the
Mcja.e village.
Some peculiar characteristics in the features OF this
section Of country are worthy Of remark. The road
extending over the mesas rcsembled more a work of
like the roads constructed by the Koran Generals
and Napoleon, than natural formations. The palSade
on all hands, doomed up like gigantic forti-
a~cations. Singular to say, the volcanic rock was
,arpeted with the most luxuriaut blue gramma grass,
food for ANIMALS. as nutritious as oats. Only
: thin stratum Of soil laid between this and the rock.
Of petrifactions Of the most wonderful de-
ecription presented themselves. And there, on the
western bank of the Rio de Ia Kara, they found a rock
about twenty Eve feet square, in the heart Of which was
. large pcEi6ed tree. This fragment was detached
from the main body, in which the bouebs were distinct
~ visible. They. also found. in the beginning of their
new route, inscriptions on the rocks, evineiDg the pro.
greseion Of the writer's from the Id. ag,alhic to the
Phonetic character. This argues a very high degree Of