New-York daily tribune., 1858-10-08
FROM THE REMOTE WESt'
LANpERs wAGoN-RoAD EXPEDITION.

vv..,c,, uorsr,l,s Oregon, Aug. ii, 1913. }
T, n;,a. ma ,,,i.faction TO be able to announce
the ,uccess Of our expedition rom ihoeP'pdence'
No ub;cb ,lsce We left on the lat day OF May,
a., So,th Pass. the old smisrant road and mall
,,n,e AT the South Pass began our labors. There
-. strurk out west little soutberly, and com
p,peed TO build the new military and emigrant
road to Soda Springs, Honey Lake, Oregon and
California, for which an appropriation Of $500, 600
was made last year. At the distance of twelve
miles on the above -namcd course from South Pass
We erected, by order Of Sup. rDtendent Col. /.
W. Lander, a house in deep canon, better
known as the Aspen Hut, being in an aspen
grove, for the purpose of retaining e1-
ira proyisiops and tools for working the road.
From Aspen Hut our course was nearly due west
for the space of twelve miles 10 the h crossing of
of the Sweet Water River, n stream some twenty
Eve feet wide From Sweet Water to Big Sandy,
fifteen miles course, We found the same grass
"A from the South Pass 10 Sweet Water, very good
and plentiful wood in abundance, and water very
handy at all points in the way Of some streamlets
tneandering from the Rocky Mountains. From
Big Sandy to Little Sandy, by the Landers Road,
distance Of eleven miles the road ~ level ana gOod,
grass, wood ard water are plentiful, and oil oi an
excellent quality. From the South Pass 10 this
point no signs of ahall are to be seem III IL 10 Oe
remembered that the old Emigrant Road contains
a great deal of olkal water and grass, winch IS
vriy dangerous To animals aud eIngrants as II has
been known that some emigraDts who drank akhl
water died yeIy soon aiterWarJ, and II is n daily
occurrence for animals to die from that cause.
From Little Sandy River (s0mc twelve feet wlde)
10 the new forks Of Green River, some torty-six
niles for the principal part of the road the cOun
try is rather undulatng, although the hills
ore small and easy of ascent, with wood,
water and grass in abundance. Near the
Sandy is situated the Snake Chiefs camp.
Washakee has 20 lodges Of camp, about 400 war
riors end eco horses At the time we passed bis
lodges he was preparing to travel-that Is TO say,
he WIS about to 90 fight the Crow Indians, who
had stolen some horses from his people. Washa-
kee is certainly the fnest-looking Indian ever
beheld. His features are purely European, and
be has always smile upon his cOuntcnance. He
is q very honest man in his dealings; makes his
men fear him, and his greatest pride is in horse
flesh, snd speaking OF his never having permitted
any of his men to kill a white man. NO-kill- white
nan is his principal medicine. Washakee is about
forty five years of age, five feet nine inches in
hight and stout built. He is said to be the brayest
chief from the settlements of Nebraska 10 the
St0tes Of California and Oregon. He is both feared
aud loved by his men. and feared very much by
the other tribes. The Snakes number about 800
warriors If Snake Indian steal from white
man or any friendly Indian, he is very severely
punished. | heye seen Washakee knock an
Indian of his tribe down for stealing
d trifiing thing from white man. He
prostrated the man with big club and
then hissed at HIM for being a thicf and dog
The JLdhn sneaked out of camp, and, lying flat on
L:s face in the grass, wept ike child. Washakee
is very fond OF Col. Fred. w. Lander, our Super
iutcrccnt and Capt. Charles l.. Moses, one of our
" Astronomers" Washakee desired the little sea-
chief Moses, to take wife from the tribe, and live
l,,t h.ir .h. .4
could not well 60 without him.
Capt. Moses some tlide since rode the distance Of
one hundred miles ~ seven hours, on Wild mule.
7 his war from Independence Rock to Piney Canon
Head. few days after he started tO carry another
express for Col. Lander and became lost in the
fssts OF the Wohsatch Mountains. Alone, as before,
he was out three days without food or bedding, and
the thermometer standing az 81 degrees, which
makes ice here a quarter at an inch thick. de
cane out at the right point, full of fun as usual.
Nosef is an old shlp-master, with many sea yarns
and habits; clever astronomer, and brave beside.
He saws he will never be caught IN shOu water
again: suppose that means away from salt water.
Excuse my deyiating from the main road. From
the iol ks Oi Green River to the main Green River
the road is rather hily, though not difficult. Good
grass is occasionally seen, the water is good, AMI
wood plentiful. Thls last distance is only eleven
miles. The width of the new Forks and Green
River is about sixty YARDS depth varying from three
TO four ard hall feet fordable at almost all times.
The river is not bridged, nor do | think 1t will be,
as il is isunnccessaTy. From Green River t0 Plney
Caion (Which is the entrance to Thomps0n's Pass
the distance is about - miles. The country rolling,
road good, water and grass every i've or SIX miles,
timber scarce until entering the Pney Canon,
although for fuel there plenty of willow aud sage
bushes; game scarce. The canon is some thirty
miles IN length and of various widths, intersccted
every lew miles by caIOns running north aud south.
Iiney Canon runs nearly due east aud west, and IN
the bottom of il courses the Piney Creek,
Which is beautiful water and contains an
abundance Of the finest mountain speckled trout
that ever was looked at and of which, / assure
you, We have had our share. We have caught
some 10 inches long, which, together with strong
Aoca and slap-iacks do not go very bad these
cold mornings. | say Cold mornings, for the
simple iGct that there has scarce been one since
our arrival in the mountains, but We have had ice
in our drinking buckets. Yesterday, Aug. 10,
broke the ice from the sides of our bucket on get
ting water to bathe my face, preparatory to eating
breakfast. During the day the weather is very
warm; generally too much So. The mean hight
OF my present position above the level of the is
S,sOU ieet. Bar. ~ in. The latitude of this
canon. by observations OF Capt. Moses, is ~ deg,
~ min 53 sec. o7.l0tths north whichis nearly the
same as that of Newbupport, Mass. The diiler-
ence of longitude causes vast difference In the
climate, together with our hight above the SEA.
From Pmey Canon Ia Smiths Fork of Bear
River the distance is about 30 miles From tins
point 10 Smiths Fork, the road is across
the main points of the Wahsatch Mountains.
Yet snD there ars but two hills of any note what
ever to cross, and Superintendent Lanner las made
tb,m very easy of ascent b, winding around them.
These are hot very steep, snd nothing To COM
pare with some of the hills on the o'd ro id;
II. al. hax., lal 4