The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-11-13
CAPTAIN FISK'S EXPEDITION.
Letter from our Own Correspondent.

hi0etihS any serious dfflcultleS with the In
o''hs; and notwithstanding the scarcity of
water and grass between Fort Abercrombie to
roTt benton, our animals are in tolerably
soou condition. In an ordinary season we
"ou'u nave performed the journey in three
months. The distance from St PauI to this
place, according to thsodometer measurement
70 "itecl hundred and ten miles, and by the
ooutherh route from Omaha, am told that it
is fifteen hundred miles.
| Our general course after leaving Fort Ab.r.
| crombie to about sixty miles Nor h of Fort r.,
ion was Northwest, and thence to Fort Ren,or
distance of five hundred miles West Sourh
west; and thence, after crossing the Rocky
Mountains to Deer Lodge Prairie. distance of
one hundred and seventy miles Southwest,
| and thence, after re-crossinc on the east side
SIDE OF the mountain TO this place, a distance
OF one hundred and twenty-five miles, South
east.
am confident that direct route from Fort
Abercrombe to Fort Union and thence to this
place, would shorten the distance to at least
thfee hundred miles; by this route the general
course would be Southwest, but a still shorter
route could be made By way CT Fort Rdolev
10 ort bertnoid, and thence 10 this place; by
either OF these routes the Immigrants would
avoid meeting with numerous tribes of Indians.
shortly alter leaving the Cheyenne River
tnFee OIL our men deserted our camp. taking
with them three OF our best saddle horses and
one mule. Their names are George .Jeire a
canadian, George NOrthrop. son OF Arson Nor
'HfoP' ana Dick Campbell, Red River half
breed The first Indians We saw were sixiv
miles north OF For5 Union; from that point.
instead Oh going TO Fort Union, We lett Tie old
Trail OF last year and come direct to Fort Ben.
eoh. the distance was six hundred miles and
tie course VIC Travelled west southwest. This
new IS better tLal the old route of last wear;
It Is shorter and plenty Of wafer ana grass are
fonnd his route
We discovered at different places immense
beds OF coal; at one place we found coal bed
ten feet thick and one hundred feet Ia length.
it was bitumn0us and burnt well: the seam
| Groups out on the face of the blum. and could
be most readily worked
From Mouse River to Milk River . distance
| o! nearly seven hundred miles we saw im-
mense herds OF Bu0aioes every day. From
Fort Benton We had the first view Of the Rocky
Mountains looming up Ike G! Jud at q distance
OF nearly two hundred miles.
Mr.. ". Il. Uoiyoke, Of New York City. who
accompanied Us. died Of lung disease at The
Preckly pat
am told by the Oldest settlers that the eli.
mate in bo:h The eastern and western slopes of
=
gree, and quite as mild as that Of many Of tie
northern and western States At Fort Benton.
II about iory-seyen or forty-eght degrees of
north latitude, is u trading post Of the AIneri-
can Eur Company; their horses and cattle, of
which they have large numbers are never
housed or fed in winter. but get their own l!v-
ing without difficulty.
IN the Deer Lodge Prairie or River. west of
OF The mountains, a tributary Of the Columbia
River Is 4 settlement Of Guardians and half
breeds. The soil is us fine farming land as can
be found anywhere. The cattle and horses run
AT large in winter, AID are the finest aud latest
that ever saw IN my life. Mr.. Grant while
nltn ana al oh resident Of many years, owns
TWO thousand five hundred head OF cattle and
L
raising was becoming d lucrative business as
the mining population increases and affords
good market.
The grandest sight witnessed in The
course of our journey, was the hot, or boiling
spring in the Deer Lodge Prairie, about thirty
miles southeast Of Dir. Grants farm, on the
road to this place. The spring is on the sum-
roit Of ,,f. IN, Of.
sugar Loaf, ABOUT seventy feet above the level
of the prairie. The water gushes up through
crevice with tremendous force and is intensely
hot. This spring is in the middle of a level
prairie, and all around it arc lofty mountains
with snow on their submits all the wear round.
Game of all kinds are plenty in both the
western and eastern slope Of the mountains
such as elk, deer, grisly and black bear big
horn or mountain sheep, antelope, moose,
beaver sage hen, spotted tiger or mountain
lion, so called from the resemblance in size and
shape to the lion and also fine large trout are
found in all the mountain streams which are
great treat to travellers and settlers.
There have been arrivals of immigrants dur
ing the past summer from all parts of the
to the Boise mines, ON the west side of the
mountains. I AIN told that one immigrant
train was stopped by the Sioux Indians Cretons),
near the head waters of Powder river, on the
east side of the mountains. Immigration to
this section of country can never be safe until
the Sioux Indians are Thoroughly punished or
exterminated. If General Sibley has not sue
ceeded in doing so, our government should at
least station troops all along the northern and
southern route, for the protection of immi-
grants.
Since the month of April last new gold dig
gings have been discovered on the eastern slope
of the mountains. The Sinking Water dig
giugs are attracting crowds of miners from all
parts of the country. These diggings extend
twenty miles on the stream, and the average of
gold in this digging is estimated at half mil
lion dollars per week. There are at present
about four thousand miners working at this
mine, and at this place the diggings extend six
miles on the river, and one thousand men are
working them. The present population of
Idaho Territory is estimated at about twenty
thousand. Two-thirds of this number ara