The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-04-28

L Sfans DUrf, Lfeutena0f beckWtta, C0one
/ Land :, Lieu euant Bryan, and Lieussnab
! Warren; who, as different times, have eI.
ahmed the different sections; and By unitinl
their testimony 4 very correct idea may b,
formed Of the route. The travel uhici
passes through Missouri and lows cosees
! trates on the Platte vsliey, which affords a
easy approach TO the Rocky Mountains fc,
ali kinda OF roads. Speaking of this fu
section, Lieutenant Warren .sJs truly.
| I" The Platte river 10 the most imporssa
tributary Of the Missouri in the region undel
consideration; its broad and grass covereS
valley, leading to the west, furnishes one d
the best wagon roads Of its length in Amer
\ lea. From its mouth TO the Ferks, tk
blufs are from two to 6ve miles from tn
water, making an intermediate bottom val
1 ley Of from four 10 eight miles wide. Fror
the Forks to Fort Laramie, the bluffs ecce
sionaliy come down to the waters edge, am
the road has 20 cross the points Of she ridgcs
From Ash Hollow to Fort Laramie, sbl
/ road 10 sometimes heavy with saud. Fin
cotton wood grows along the hauks. and o.
the is'ands from the mouthto Fort kearney
from here up il is scarce and of small eife
Cedar is found in the rayines of the bluff
and in the neighborhood Of the Forks, nnt
above. The river is about mile wide, an,
flows ever sandy bottom when the hank
are full it is about six feet deep throug hout
having remarkably level bed but it 10 o
no use for navigation, as the bed is ~
broad that the water seldom attains a suf6
cient dep b, and then the rise is of shor
duration. The water is sometimes so low
! rs was the case last season, that it can b,
crossed anywhere without difficulty, the only
care requisite being to avoid quick sands.' n
The settlements are now extended ont
hundred and FIFTY miles up the Platte, anG
follow ng the south fork and Lodge pols
Creek, as proposed by Capt. Stansbury and
Lieut.. Bryan: this testimony relates to 373.
miles, as Lieut.. Warren followed the north
fork when he speaks of the road being
something heavy with sand"
Lieut.. Bryan extended surveys up the
South Platte and Lodge pole Creek to the
mountsin passes. |, is in this eighborhood
(Cherry Greek is ffty miles south, the new
gold discoveries are made, and miners are
gathering by thousands. According to
Lieut.. Bryan, no serious difficulties occur in
this section, except n scarcity Of timber.
lie says. (vol. 2, part ., Ex. Doe. 1878,
page 47s3 a ea a#sas
"From the Laramie crossing to the head
Of Lodge pole Creek, the supply of good
water is constant. The grass Is generally
short, as on the uplands, though there are
spots occasionally met with where a more
liberal supply than usual may be had. From
the head Of Pole Creek, over the west fork
of the Laramie river, to Bridger's Pass,
there is but one route to be followed; and
rs il has already been described, need no,
speak Of it again here"
We suppose he refers to the report of
| Capt. Stansbury. Large groves Of inc
and other timber have been discovered BY
the miners, some thirty or forty miles south
of Lodge pole creek. The details of Lieut..
Bryan's are favorable but too lengthy. We
refer to his detailed report. y
From the head Of Lodge pole creek to
Salt Lake City, We pass the Rocky and
Wasatch ranges Of mountains; We also pass
the valley Of Green river, where, for about
two hundred m,les, at various places, coal
is found in strata from two to ten feet thick.
Capt. Stnnsbury explored this region, and
we refer to his work. from page 2l7 to page
213. On page 226, speaking of Goa, be
says: E
"The outcrop was about eight feet wide,
by four feet thick"
At another point, one hundred miles fur
ther east, he says, page 234:
"Ata point, thirteen miles from the mouth
OF Bitter creek, we found bed Of bitnmin-
Gus coal, cropping out of the north bluff Of
the valley, with every indication OF its being
quite abundant"
On page 236, speaking Of the portion
three hundred and thirty one miles further
east, between summit Of the Rocky Noun
tains and Salt Lake, he says:
"We broke out, from bed twelve feet
thick, some beautiful spec meme of bitumin-
Gus coal, which burned in our camp fires
with clear yellow fame.''
At longitude los deg, latitude Al deg,
be says. page 236:
'sSandstone cliffs bound the valley on the
north side, in which observed a stratum
Of coal, which was exposed for a hundred
yards, and was OF least ten feet in thick
ness"
Having closed his survey of the route, he
says, page l42:
"Wi,h the exception Of the rough ground
near the head Of the Muddy, which offers no
distraction of consequence, perfectly fea
sible, and, indeed, most excellent route,
whether for q wagon or railroad, has thus
been traced, presenting fewer obstacles of
construction Of either, than almost any
tract Of the same length in the country.
The grades will be easy, the bridging CON-
parstively light, and, with the elnsption of
crossing the valley Of the Muddy, where a
long and heavy embankment may be required
the cutting and filing will be entirely within
moderate limits. In no case will an inclined
plane be required. and the route is more
than usually free from the objection Of high
and narrow eanons, likely to be filed mp or
obstrueted By anv snow during tho winter"
Again. {page 26l. )speaking Of this whole
most remote and difficult section:
"a glance at the map, and a little atten-
from Great Salt Lake City, TO the head Of
Lodgc-poie creek, a distance Of four hun
dred and eighty four miles, the difference
Of latitude 10 bat SO min, AZ sec. and that
while the greatest northIng made, by the
proposed line Is but little more than 20 min.
north Of Lodge pole creek, the greatest de.
Walton to the south is but little more than
three miles. so that the entire route through
that long distance varies but triee from .
straight line" A
And sp,aking OF this route, NJ preferable
to going sixty mIes further north, by the
South Pass. he snys, (pase 262l:
"a careful observation OF the ground on
both these routes, has enabled me to forr
general comparison between tbeI-, asd
has led to the unhesitating CONCESSION that,
in point Of diminished di.ss.es, easy grades,
freedom from .erio~, obstacles, and con-
venience and ,.andant supply Of materials
for con.s--crscn, the line OF this reconnois-
sar~e p-csenss trace fo. road tha, 10 not
eafy perfectly feasible, bu, decidedly pre-
ferabls to the other"
Lieutenant Beckwi,h corroborates this
testimony, (sss vol. 2, psg. 81, aExplora-
tons and surveys for railroad route,'
6e..1 when he speaks Of "the Green River
hasin, Ind the coal basin Of Green River
from bei-g 3 abuadau;iy supplied with that
important article. Il Is more than two
hundred miles in extsns. from east to west,
ard has variable width north and sou,h,
from twenty TO a hundred miles" Speaking
OF snow 10 this region, abcu. which most 10