Richland beacon., 1873-09-20
American MAJ vels.

Three Great Rivers and their Sources.
II is stated in the sixth annual report
of the United States geological survey
of the territories, by +. Y. Hayden,
United States geologist, that there is
perhaps no more interesting geological
region in America than the different
branches of the Snake river and the
Madison, the great water divide of the
continent. The maps now IN process OF
construction will almost entirely change
the geography of this wonderful region.
Within radius of ten miles may be-
found the sources of three OF the largest
rivers in America. The general eleva-
tion is from 1000 to 5000 feet above
the sea, while the mountains, whose
eternal SHOWS form the sources of these
great rivers, rise to a height of 10000
to 1900 feet. Flowing northward are
the various branches of the MISSOURI,
Yellowstone and Wind rivers, which all
unite into one mighty stream, the Mis-
souri,. To the south are b anches of
Green river, which mites with the Col
orado and empties into the gulf of Cali
fornia; while south and west flow
branches of Snake river, which, uniting
with the Columbia, pour their vast vol
ume of water into the Pacific.
The exploration of this remarkable
water divide proves that the Madison
fork has its source in a small lake not
hitherto noted on any map, and that
the so-called Madison lake belongs en-
tirely to the Pacific slope. This latter
lake was found to be twelve miles long
and eighteen miles wide. From this
body of water flows a stream of nearly
one hundred feet wide, which, after
distance OF about five miles, empties in
to a second lake, which is four miles
long and one and a half miles wide.
The former of these lakes was named
Shoshone, and the latter lake Lewis, in
honor of the great pioneer explorer of
the northwest. At the upper end of the
lake Shoshone a new geyser basin was
discovered with from seventy-five to one
hundred springs, many of them geysers
of considerable power. The ornamen-
tation about these springs was regarded
as more interesting and elaborate than
those in Five-Hole basin. The divide
between the Yellowstone lake and lake
Lewis was found to be about fifty feet
above the former. This low ridge in the
great water divide of the continent has
doubtless given rise TO- the story of the
Two Ocean river, and such stream has
found its way to most of our principal
maps. From the summit of the noun
tain the scope of vision embraces a ra-
dius of one hundred and fifty miles,
within which four hundred and seventy
peaks worthy of name could
be observed.
The area that could be swept by the
eye from this point could not have been
less than $1,000 square miles, embra-
cling every variety of grand and beauti-
ful scenery of mountain and valley, pro-
badly without a parallel on the conti-
nent Tenlarge lakes and several small
ones we're embraced in the view, and
the entire Yellowstone park was spread
ont under the eye. To the east the
Wind river and Big Horn ranges, with
the snow-clad SUBMITS of Fremont's
union and Cloud peaks bounded the
view. On the north the Yellowstone
range, with Emigrant peak, and many
Of the loftiest mountains of Montana
we're clearly seen. To the west the nu-
ranges comprised in what are
called the Salmon river mountains of
Idaho form the horizon of vision in that
while the mountains near
fort Hall and the Wahsatcb range COM
pleted the mighty amphitheater. This
view embraced q large por-
lion of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and
Utah territories. About forty small
streams which mite and form the up.
per portion of Snake river were care
fully examined.