, 1858-07-30
OLYMPIA WASHINGTON TERRITORY FRIDAY JULY 80 1853

/ route; and we ind from the reliable ex
! plorationS made by Mr. Gray, in IS53-54
! that on what was called desert there is &
most delightful grazing during portion o.
, the year. Those who have read the admir-
able memoir of Lieutenant Mowry, thC
: Delegate from Arizonia-a gentleman
, have known long, aud known to be entirely
, reliable-are astonished to ascertain the
condition Of that country in past genera
! tion. One hundred or one hundred and
fifty years ogo, when their was something
of force and vigor left in the Government
| of Mexico, when their hero priests went
. northward, carrying civilization in their
J train, we find that the country was occupied
by farming population, and especially by
a mining population. They had their sill.
yer mines by the dozen, and their religious
I establishments for the improvement of the
people in considerable numbers. To be
sure they had in part to resort to irrigation
but still there is evidence that a very con-
siderable population occupied that country,
and that there was considerable land in the
hands of the husbandman. l have seen a
mort reliable report recently, from Colonel
Bonneville l have known Colonel Bonne.
vile on the fields of Mexico and on the wa
ters of the Oregon, aud have crossed his
track in the exploration of the continent
He has the fit conditions of IN observer.
He is man Of clear observation, man
who has a spirit which seeks to grasp any
field that is brought under his observation
In this report he describes the northern
tributaries of the Gila and their agricultur-
al capacities; and be states that each of
these tributaries will support an agricul.
tural population of twenty thousand souls
Thus much in regard to the southern
portion of the interior, for the purpose of
redeeming it from the reproach Of being q
barren, sandy waste, unfit for the purposes
of civilized man. do not propose to dwell
particularly upon the railroad route Of the
thirty-seeond parallel, or upon that of the
thirty-Grth parallel surveyed by Lieutenant
Whipple. The merits Of the route Of the
thirty-fifth parallel, and of the country bor-
dering it, have been thoroughly developed
in the reports of the explorations. There
is no more reliable officer than Lieutenant
Whippls Since Whipple has passed over
that route, we have learned more of it by
subsequent explorations. The recent trip
Of Lieutenant Beale, in mid winter, with
his camels, redeems that route from the
charges of being obstructed, aud made i'm
passable by deep snow.
will now pass to the northward, to the
South Pass route have met many emf
grants in Oregon and Washington, who
have passed over that route, and who have
told me Of the suferings they experienced,
how long distances in many instances they
went without water, and how many animals
they lost by being poisoned by the alkali
Of the water, and from the dearth Of grass
Yet as more is learned of the country, it is
found, by side routes and cut-offs, that
routes can be followed where there is grass
and water all the way, and that the aka
line water can be avoided We have had
recent explorations on this route within the
last year refer to the exploration of
Mr.. Lander, who has found, a little north
ward Of the usual emigrant trail from the
South Pass to Snake river, routes with wa
ter at short intervals and grass oil the way
These explorations have developed large
extent of arabic and grazing land on the
upper tributaries Of the Colorado and
Snake rivers, and in the midst of the noun
tains. We have had another exploration
within the last year. l refer to that Of
Lieutenant Warren. He examined count
ry from Fort Laramie one handred and Sc
twenty-five miles northward, and thence
eastward to the Missouri; and found among
the Black Hills a tract of six Thousand
square miles of pine timber A large por-
ton Of the country embraced in this ex-
ploraton is beautiful grazing and farm
ing country, abounding in streams of pure
water, having a rich soil and furnishing
good homes for our people.
now come to the northern route. /
speak Of this route from the reports. OF
course, here in my position, refer to the
reports Of that route as to those to the 9th
er routes. stand here in my representa-
tive capacity. The reports of that route
show that the Rocky Mountain region, in
stead Of being closed up with ice aud snow
eight months in the year, is o delightful
pastoral and agricultural country, where
cattle can Craze the year round; where
neither the Indians nor the whites have to
furnish fodder for the winter; where heifers
bring forth young at eighteen months;
where the cattle grow large And this is
the character of that Rocky Mountain re-
gion route, between the forty seventh and
forty eight parallel. We find on that
route no desert; we find on that route no
tremendous SHOWS; we fnd the country
there nearly all arabic, and adapted to
grazing; the arable tracts always at short
distances apart, and many large bodies Of
arabic land distributed all along the route
On the whole route from the Mississippi to
Puget Sound and the Columbia valley,
there is not ten miles Of sage.
When we look at the changing aspect Of
the interior in the light Of exploration aud
discovery, we are reminded Of the prophet
thousands Of years ago The prophet Eze-
kisl, in the valley of dry bones, breatbed
upon that valley, and the dry bones came
4 tOrathar hona fo hona and h. hroothad