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

UMDE ~
Narrative Of Lieut.. Beale's Wagon Road Ex-
petition.
The following Outline Narrative of Lieut.. Beale's
of the Southern Wagon Route. The object
the expedition, as specified in the written instructions
Of the Secretary of War, was to proceed from Ph'iadel-
phia to Indianola, Texas, where the camels had been
landed from the storeship Supply, Lieut.. David Porter,
and from thence to proceed to Fort D dance, 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.. +. Beale and his party arrived at San
Antonio, on the 10Th of June. From San Antonio,
they proceeded to Camp Verde, on the Verde river,
the camels had been conveyed, to await his re-
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 twentythree 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 des'rous OF
home.
The party left San Antonio on the 25,h of June;
the camels packed with a large portion Of the grain for
ten teams of mules. The toulus, or regular PACK
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 and 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 70 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 an
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 III
that section. Its p pulati"n is about 5000 The e-
petition was cordially and Hospitality received, at every,
stopping place. The vicinity is entirely destitute OF
grass.
necessary to transport the baggage, the expedition
crossed the Rio Grande, and turned towards the Colo
RADIO. They crossed the dry bed If the little Puerto,
and proceeded on the road lying within sight OF the
river and among the mountain spurs extending through
New Mexico, They passed through the pueblo OF
Laguna, inhabited BY a mixed population OF Indians
and New Mexicans. They we're now travelling upon
Curonado's route-who, in 1880, passed through this
country, the first explorer of New Mexico-they arrived,
on the oath Of August, at Ell Moro, or the Inscription
Rock. This remarkable natural formation merits q
particular description. Emerging from the forest which
skirts the bases Of the backbone of the Western CONT
nent, without any previous indications of its existence,
and in the midst of an almost exclusively volcanic coun.
try, a smooth wall of white sandstone rises from the
grassy plain which spreads away from its base, to an
altitude of a thousand feet. AT its southeastern base
is the epring known as Ell Moro. 1t is wedge-shaped,
and its summit is crowued by an ancient aboriginal
fortress. evidently the work of the same artisans, whose
tumuli are visible from Peru to- Wisconsin. Sloping
from the southwest is an artificial plateau, leading to
the western entrance of the mountain, which forms q
natural corral, cap IDLE of holding at least FIVE thousand
head Of animals, and entirely impregnable except by q
very narrow passage, easily defended and partially fort'-
fed. In this corral grow the Hottest pine trees. whose
heads are far below the crest of the rock which towers
above them. The expedition from this campaign place,
passed over q comparatively level country, we'll watered,
and Astounding in fine grass. Ranges of mountains, OF
volcanic origin, were visible in all directions, some OF
them capped with snow. The camels from the FIRST
made the marches without fatigue or Tagging. They
their course on the parallel 1T 80 degrees,
finding excellent water at convenient intervals, and the
most luxuriant blue gramma grass.
The course now lay through an unexplored region,
presenting the wave line, intersected BY ranges OF IT,
regular 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.. Wh'pple,
being o~bliterated by time, and also that Of Aubrey,
Lieut.. Beale selected a road for himself, aLl thus from
the point above mentioned, the travellers, until reaching
the Colorado, were passing over a teri" incoynita.
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. Beale himself. they dis
covered what was believed to be the celebrated canon
of Aubrey, described by him in his notes An idea
may be gathered of the stupend"ns depth of this great
chasm, from the fact that standing on its precipi,ous
brink, a muskct ball di charged, occupied nearly half a
minute in reaching the bottom at its shallowest point.
This was proved by frequent experiments. Its width
was so great, that a mnsket ball, discharged horizontal
ly, 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 c"nvulsi"n.
They descended to the bottom, and explored it to its
mouth. 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
art, like the roads constructed by the Koran Generals
and Napoleon, than natural formations. The ~paisade
formations, on all hands, doomed up like gigantic forth
6cations. Singular to say, the volcanic rock was
carpeted with the most luxuriaut blue gramma grass,
a~fording food for animals. as nutritious as oats. Only
a thin stratum Of soil laid between this and the rock.
Specimens of petrifactions Of the most wonderful de-
scription 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
q large pctri6ed 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, evineipg the pro.
greseion Of the writer's from the Id. ag,alhic to the
Phonetic character. This argues a very high degree Of