The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-01


the whole route, and his review Of the line
from the Missouri border to the crest Of
the continent upon which he then stood
will strike every one with its candor
power, and beauty. He says:
awe had now crossed the main dividing ridge
and, with the first fall of snow, pitched our camr
upon the Pacific waters. We had left a com.
paratively open country for one thoroughly noun.
famous, to which the accident of dark and stormy
weather lent peculiarly rugged aspect. To oul
eyes, as we'll as to our minds, the change was
abrupt and impressive Our animals were Door
and our provisions nearly gone, and, in face Of
the rugged country and rugged season, our con-
dition was by no means encouraging Behind
us the country had been cheerful with sunshine
the rare falling weather had been only autumn
rains, and the country-grass covered and en-.
tirely free frsm snow-had matchmaking pleas
ant, and had given our animals the best chances
for food which hostile season could afford
Abundance of game had kept the party in good
health and good spirits. The face of the country
had been remarkably easy of travel, constituting
in its general character, an open plain. broken
up to the crest which we had inst crossed only
by single mountain range of singularly easy
passage, and our road, of nearly Thousand miles
had been generally along the level lands OF
LOOuS6DQ
to be struggled over before we could reach the
western settlements, and winter had suddenly
come down upon the country, driven off the
game, and shut US in with narrow circle OF
falling snow. This afternoon, a meager hour oil
faint sunshine lit up the snowy crests of the
mountains, and showed the multtudinous ridges
which now stretch almost uninterruptedly west
ward to the waves of the Pacific ocean.
"The party had now crossed the summit-level
of the continent, the highest point and most diff
fcult which lie in the way of the railroad line to
the Pacific, and this s therefore, the fttest place
in the journal for such brief summary OF the facts
which had been collected, so far as they 60 to
vindicate the character of the country for rail-
road constructions, and its capacity to support
population.
But, in this description of the country, and
the obstacles on the line over which the party
travelled, it is not by any means proposed to put
it forward as the fit line for railway. 1t was
simply an exploring line-if, under the circum-
stances of adverse season and restricted means,
it can properly be called so-whch, in its gen.
eral direction to the mountain passes, was gov
erned in choice of route by the protection that
wooded streams afford in the occurrence of the
sudden snow storms, which are dangerous on the
open plains.
"The region traversed under these circum-
stances lies mainly between the thirty eighth and
thirty ninth parallels of latitude, and extends
from the mouth of the Kansas to the Cochetope
Pass, twelve degrees in longitude. By the trav-
elled line, the whole distance to this point is
eight hundred and ffty-three miles, of which,
eight hundred was in the valley of the Kansas,
Arkansas, and Del Norte. But three Instructions
are encountered along the entire line the prairie
highlands between the Kansas and Arkansas
rivers, the Wet Mountain range at the head of
the Arkansas, and the Rocky Mountain range at
the heads of the Del Norte and Colorado The
distance travelled in the Kansas valley was about
two hundred and fifty miles, along which the
average ascept is less than three feet two and
to the mile, and the country, for
about two hundred miles, well wooded and beau
tifully fertile. At an elevation of one thousand
three hundred and fifty feet above the sea, the
route LETT the Kansas to cross the praire-uplands
lying between it and the Arkansas, and which
the first distractions. It reached the
Arkansas at an elevation of two thousand six
hundred and seventy feet, the intervening dis
lance being about one hundred and fifty miles
The general rise of the country westward, be-
tween these two points, is about nine feet to the
mile. In its course over these plains, the ronte
for about eighty miles in a westerly direction,
was upon streams tributary to the Arkansas. In
crossing the uplands between these; the incli-
nations were from twenty to forty feet in the
about one in two hundred-the
summit land being generally from one to two
hundred feet above the streams. These are
wooded along their banks, and the
soil good, and their valleys well adapted to set
Element. The high plains, entirely bare Of tim
occupied, in November, by multitudes of buffalo,
which find there abundant pasturage. The buff
falo sometimes winter on these plains.
Cup the Arkansas, to the mouth of the Haer-
fano, the distance travelled was two hundred and
thirty miles, the average fall of river for one
hundred and forty of that distance being less
than seven feet and thence to the mouth of the
Huerfano, less than ten feet to the mile. For
about eighty miles of the lower part of the route
the river was nearly destitute of timber the re-
naming one hundred and fifty miles it was album
dainty wooded for settlements, soil good and
grasses for pasturage abundant. The Huerfano
at its mouth is four thousand three hundred and
feet above the sea, and at its head
waters in the Wet Mountains, about nine thou
sand The course is in broad, open-lying, we'll
wooded, and grass-covered valley, which makes
an admirably unrestricted approach directly into
the mountain passes On either side it is sep
arated from similar streams by the highlands, in
which the mountain spurs terminate From the
mouth of the river to the Utah Pass, at one of its
head springs, and at the immediate foot of the
twenty-four miles, and the average grade thirty
six feet to the mile. From the mouth of the
river, the point of the White Oak Mountains, the
distance along the river valley is seventy eight
miles, and the average fall of the river twenty
two feet to the mile Above this point, the river
lies in an amphitheatre Of mountains, but still
preserves its broad bottoms and open valleys, the
face of the country well grassed, with open,
smooth ridges and flats among wooded SUBMITS
and wooded ravines. This character of country
near to the very SUBMITS of the noun
tains, the grassy slopes reaching directly up to
the rock which makes the immediate crest of the
range. Here the river receives many small trib-
utaries, and there are many sheltered hooks and
coves OF the mountains beautifully adapted for
settlements; the soil fertile, with sunny expo
'ures, sheltered by the mountains from the pre-
vailing winds. Timber, in quality and size suit
able for railroad constructions and farming pur-
poses, is abundant, many of the trees squaring
fully foot; and coal is found in the neighbour
ng mountains. This character of country ex-
tends to over eight thousand feet in altitude
above it, nearly to ten thousand feet, grasses are
abundant and nutritious The nutritious grasses
and good and abundant waters and mild climate
would make that region peculiarly adapted for
dairy farms.
" The mountain climate is altogether more
agreeable and milder than in the open plains
two hundred miles to the eastward. The noun
tain ranges protect the country lying along their
base. On the open plains the snow falls deeper
and lies longer and the winter climate is usually
much more severe. On the 10th of December,
and near the mountain submits, the weather
" as mild and pleasant, and, except in the deep
mountain ravines, the country was entirely free
rom snow.
"On both sides of the valley, bordering ridges
afford every facility for easy development into
the pass, which, at its summit on the narrow
backbone of the ridge, is nine thousand four
hundred feet above the sea. On the western
side the descent Is very abrupt to the Del Norte
waters, at an elevation of eight hundred feet.