The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-09-24
From Greeley's 0re'ldHd Letters.
The Humboldt.

The Humboldt.
am not going to describe the route
down this river, as it is the old emigrant
trail, repeatedly written about already.
only wish to record my opinion, that the
Humboldt, all things considered, is the
meanest river of its length on earth. Ris-
ing in the Humboldt Mountains, hardly
$50 miles west from Salt Lake, it is al
first pure stream-or rather streams, e.
there are two main brauches-but is soon
corrupted by its alkaline surroundings,
and its water, for at least the lower half
of its course, is about the most detestable
l ever tasted. l chose to suffer thirst rath-
er than drink it. Though $50 miles in
length, it is never more than decent
mill-stream | presume it is the only
river of equal length that never had even
canoe launched upon its bosom. lis
narrow bottom or intervale produces grass,
but so coarse in structure and so alkaline
by ifnpregnation that no sensible man
would let his stock eat it if there were any
alternative. Here, however, there is none.
Cattle must eat this or die-many of them
eat it and die. One of the most intelli-
gent emigrants l conversed with on its
banks informed me that he had all the
grass for his stock moved, as he had
found by experience that his cattle. if
grazed upon it, pulled up much of their
grass by the roots, and these roots were
far more alkaline than the stalks. I be-
lieve no tree of any size grows on this
forlorn river from its forks to its mouth
1 am sure 1 saw none while traversing the
lower half of its course. Half a dozen
specimens of large, worthless shrub,
known as Buffalo bush or Bullberry, with
a prevalent fringe of Willows about the
proper size for school lmarm's use, COM
prise the entire timber of this delectable
stream, whose CAD flies, musketoes, gnats,
&C., are so countless and so bloodthirsty as
to allow cattle SO unhappy as to be sta
toned on or driven along this river no
chance to eat or sleep. Many have died
this season of the bad water, that would
have survived the water but for these ex-
ecrable insects, by which the atmosphere,
at times, is darkened. 1t certainly is not
pleasure to ride night and day along
such stream, with the heat intense, the
dust constant cl1ud, and the roads all
quilted and ground into chuck holes but
then, who would stay in such a region
one moment longer than he must !?
thought l had seen barrenness before,
on the upper course Of the Republican /;
on the North Platte, Green River, &c /;
but l was green, if the regions washed
by those streams were not. Here, on the
Humboldt, Famine sits enthroned, and
waves his scepter over dominion ex-
pressly made for him. On the above
named rivers, regarded Cottonwood with
contempt; here, belt, even the narrow
est fringe, of Cottonwood would make q
comparative Eden. The Sagebush and
Greasewood which cover the high, parch-
| ed plain on either side of the rivers bot
torn seems thinly set, with broad spaces
of naked, shining, slaring, binding clay
between them !; the hills beyond, which
bound the prospect, seem even more ma
ked. Not a tree, and hardly shrub, any
where relieves their sterility nota brook,
save one small one, runs down between
them to swell the, scanty waters of the
river. As the only considerable stream
in the Great Basin that pursues general
east and west direction, the Humbolt may
continue for years to be travelled; but
am sure no one ever left it without a
sense of relief and thankfulness. There
can never be any considerable settlement
here.
After a course, at first west by south
then north by west, afterward south
west, and for the last fifty miles due south
the river falls into Lake Humboldt, fine
sheet of clean water, perhaps Is miles ii
length and 40 in circumference. / tried
to obtain an approximation to its depth
but could not; those who have staid be-
side it longest assuring me that no boa
had ever foated upon its waters-a state
ment which the destitution of wood in al
this region renders credible. l am salts
fed. however. that this Lake is beiDI
slowly filled up from the gradual washing
down and washing in of the hills whicl
htpioach it on the east and south, ant
that time will make great changes in it
configuration and the volume Of its wa
tiers.
A stream, not so copious as the river
, runs from the Lake on the south, an
J fiows viii, d gentle, sluggish current int
, large tule or reed marsh, which has q
outlet, and is said to be but moderated,
salt. The Lake water is accounted sweet
er than that of the river. Here the Hum
; boldt is said to sink, like the Carsor
Truckee and Walker, which issue fror
, the Sierra Nevada and run eastwardly in
, to the adjacent desert; but suspect the
r are all drank up by evaporation and b
, the thirsty sands which surround then
| The Mississippi, if it ran across the Gre'
I Basin and kept clear Of mountains, woul
> be threatened by similar fate.