Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-06-05
MORE OF OREGON'S WONDERS.
The Discovery of the Crater Of an Ex-
tlnct Volcano Whence Subterranean
Fire Belched Forth More Than Five
Hundred Years AgO.-A Region of Sui
phur Scent and DesOlatiOn.
New York Sun.


Near Jordan Valley. in Baker county,
there exists an extinct crater, which has
been noble and terrible agent of ma
ture. This crater is situated twenty
miles north of the stage road running
from Boise City, Idaho, to Winnemucca,
New.
Securing the services of Samuel Mar
tin, a fine gentleman and competent
guide, on the 25th Of this month, we
went out to visit and take scientific
notes. At 2:3O o'clock we reached the
rim of the crater, and looked down into
it's dizzy abyss. The length of the era
ter is 5000 feet, and it will safely reach
$500 feet in width. The depth of the
present cavity is estimated at j, 800 feet.
The entire crater is burned out, but the
ashes and cindels have accumulated on
the west side for 200 feet above the
rim, and still remain. On the bottom
huge powders are lying over the lava
crust.
A little vegetation grows on the west
side. The formation of the sides shows
a wall of granite: a stratum Of gravel
under it. The circumference of the
crater at the present is one mile The
elevation Of the base is about 5000 feet
above the sea level. Close estimation
gives the fact Of the former height of
the crater at 900 feet. Seventy yards
north is deep hole, $50 feet long, 60
feet wide, and 80 feet deep. This hole
has been blown clean out. If you get
into it by accident you cannot get out,
unless by ropes, as the walls are per-
pendicular. Thirty yards east of this is
another hole, about the same in pro-
portion and appearance On the north
west side chimney has been built out
of the lava slabs, which is fifteen feet
high and eight feet square at the base
My theory is that it was built for the
purpose of landmark, and perhaps by
some tribe of Indians, now extinct, as a
place of burial. The last eruption
must have taken place at least 500 years
ago.
From good authority I find that only
four men have entered the crater before
us. Mr.. Martin has lived where he does
now for seven years, and is a trust
worthy man. An arm of lava rock ex-
tends back into the hill west, but [ had
no time to examine it. The vast amount
Of gigantic proportions. The field COW
ers an area of twenty-five miles in
length. and ranges from half a mile to
ten miles in width. Its thickness
ranges from eight to one hundred feet.
1t is fretted and curled, sunken and ele-
waited. in the lava about a mile and
half from the crater is another small
crater, and around it on all sides are
slides which appear as though cid Clo-
ven Foot had been using it for the
purpose Of dump the lava. Other
places resemble a race track. Some of
the seams are from six inches to five
feet in width, caused by the lava cool
ing, no doubt. There is no vegetation
on the lava, except here and there lit
tie bush struggling for existence. A
volcanic scent permeates the entire
region; and it is a scene Of desOlatiOn.
There Is no running water nearer
than four miles from the crater, but
there ale several fine lakes in the vicin-
ity. One of them is called Cow Creek
Lake, and is two miles wide by three and
a half in length. In some places it is
thirty feet deep. Some fish abound in
it, and the hills around it are even in
outline. Cow Greek Canon is about SIX
miles long, but very deep and rocky.
In some places it is one quarter of
mile wide, and the walls tower upward
for several hundred feet.
In narrow gorge discovered some
human bones that have turned to fossil,
and are now somewhat decayed. The
skull has disappeared, SO cannot tell
whether they belonged to a white man
wild, full of new curiosities, but an ex-
.cellent stock range. The settlements
are very scattering, and, in fact, but
little is at present known Of it. I am
positive that this crater and this vast
| field Of desolation have never been pre-
sented to the world before.
PROF. GEORGE f. HOLLIS.