The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-07-20
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THE NIAGARA OF THE WEST.
GREAT SXIOSGIONE FALLS.

From the Salt Lake (Unon) Vedette, May 3l.l
Away in the wilds of Idaho, midway be-
tween Salt Lake and Oregon, the air is
laundering and the earth is rent by cata-
ract as imposing as Niagara. Situate on
the soge,bush plains, which calmly sleep
between the Rocky Mountains and the
Cascade Range, and are alike untcnanted by
Ceres or the god of gold, the Great Shoshone
is world wonder which for savage scenery
and power sublime stands unrivalled in
America. AS tourists tell, the cataracts of
Southern Asia and the falls of the fair
Rhine; the Victoria Falls, Of ZambeZi, Africa,
as explored by Livingston, and the Fall OF
lStaubach. SwitzeIhnd, as immortalized in
Byrons Manfred, may each have special
charms which won celebrity for special
points but as a whole, for wildness and for
witchcry, for width aud volume, this Nj.
agara of the West" will stand second to
none of all. These falls of the Snake Or
Lewis Fork of the Columbia. have been
but couple of years discovered, and have
been seen as yet by scarce as many scores
of white men; but before few more years,
with steam communication stretching from
Salt Lake TO tho Columbia, their shrine is
destined to have its thousands Of Worship
ers and sight.seers, every season, from the
travel across the continent, Idaho or the
" Gem of the Mountains" which contains
in one of its counties, (Owyhee,) perhaps,
the richest gold and silver mines in the
Great West, has been described by ready
writers often in the past years, but it would
seem that quartz on the brain prevented
all of them, except Mr.. a. D. Richardson,
from even making mention of the most
magnificent phenomenon to be seen on the
al. AN
Shoshonec Falls This majestic master
piece of Natures engineering lies few
miles off from the Overland Stage route
running northwesterly between Salt Lake
and Boise cities, and half way Tor about
200 miles, from those said capitals of Idaho
and Utah. North of it ant distant fifty
miles, though seeming closely near, the
Salmon River Mountains show their shin
ing peaks, gray with the cares of countless
ages. East and west of it as far as eye can
see, the sage-bush prairie loads the desert
air with its wild perfume. Southerly, the
Great Salt Lake, hundred miles away, is
hidden by the Goose Creek Mountains,
whose water partnership with the earth
and clouds has caused them to believe them.
selves such 1itans that they
swear their caps Of snow
In very presence of the regal sun"
But here we must make note how singu.
lar the fact-to the shame of American ex.
ploration be il added-that neither Lewis
ard Clarke, in their travelings through this
country sixty years since, nor Fremont,
Stevens and certain others of later years,
not to speak of the immigrants TO Oregon
aud California from lS47 to 1868, did not
discover-even accidentally-this Western
queen OF cataracts This honor seems to
lave rested in reserve for parties of the LIST
Oregon cavalry, commanded respectively
by Colonel SIeiuberger, LIST Washington
Territory infantry, Major Truaxe and Cap
tain Drake, LIST Oregon cavalry, while
scouting after Indians in the summer of
1863, through the section Of Idaho, on the
mail road between Salt Lake and Boise Ba-
sin, and at point about "A hundred miles
southwest of old Fort hall.
Descriptions of this magnificent double
cataract of the West, which will in future
rank among the grandest in the worll have
appeared from time to time, in tho Boise
NepS. (l9G3) the San francisco L'echO du
Pdcifque, and latterly in the "A. u. r."
correspondence of the New York Tribune.
The best and truest of them all is being
published Gf not already OUT in the Illus
trated London News, aud was contributed
by that cosmopolitan sketcher, Edward
Golmache, NJ. D., Assistant Surgeon lst
Oregon Infantry, at present stationed at
Camp Reed, near Rock Greek Station, Ton
the Overland Stage route to Boise City)
within hearing Of the Falls. To this gen
Ileman we arc much indebted for aught of
interest this sketch may give onr readers.
Travelling by compass from that station,
northward for ten miles across The bound
less sage-plaius where no living beins
breaks tho desert stiffness, (save here aud
thore Kissing snake, half bid between IA
regiment of horned toads and high range
of aut-hills) and the roar of the cataract,
that could be plainly heard at starting, has
gradually died away. The sage.plaiu re-
mains unbroken to the view, and no appear
ance VI any river. Can it be possible, asks