The Meeker herald., 1888-03-03
"A plREcT ROUTE
From ucrvsr to Salt akc Over
the Most practicShle and
Best Grade kro"n.
~, rauan. 20 Eiast Th .>ash, a.d IA
F.riIie and s'opni"u+ SenntTy
90 "Dras. to-

the head OF civilian al government
expedition which cstathssod prae-
,icab!e wagon road which Possessed no
serious grades from u po'f; known as
Spr!nsyilie, south Of Sal Lake City u
short distance, To the i,pl sulphur
Springs in Middle PAM lie would
have completed the rcad "a nerIhoud
pass and to Denver II ~ s34s had
not too llr- advanced Nrh''. "as
10y Whit. rlysr, ana ne 4 i{sRA,t hesI-
tate in declaring tia, ~. (s,, rsan be
built that way, rendering ~ distance
between Denver aud Sal, Lake CTS hut
little over 800 miles instead ~ CO now,
/ General Hughes, in an interview last
week with a Denver Republican reporter,
expressed himself on the subject as
I follows:
] II obtained from the Tcrritories 70!
I Utah aud Colorado n char,er from each
7 for - wagon road from n point In Utah
to the western boundary line Of Colo
rado and from that point l.; Denver, In
isij. The object OF opening this rad
was chiefly To secure shorter ruutc iur
the mail stages OF III. Overland Mall
company running between sal; Lake
/ City and Denver.
Through survey made by Captain
[ e. l.. Ecrthoud OF Golden City Tor tie
I parties Interested I Ind learned that tie
distance between salt Lake city and
| Denver could IL shortened liy such new
ruai nearly two hundred miles The
plan Tor opening this nsW roah, iin-
portant as such road WAS 10 military
point Of view. was communicated to
the Secretary Of War, who ordered the
/ Department Commander In Utah TO
furnish mo with two companies Ui
I United States infantry u aid III" .n
opening Il; providing, however. ihrt
the parties represented hy me should
pas extra duiy pay la both the soldiers
aud officers accompanying me on avs
expedition.
"rfocrcd.ng TO open the goad, made
an initial point In June isGj, hear
Springyillc. u town In the valley uf
Utah, our fou;. Va, up tic vallt' oI
iiobh!c creek. stream ,'slch runs
through that village from pfi tho Wa
aatci range. On the 81, u July We
completed road rtpunl il.whufry
sias.ss.s .sasss.asHssHaHs - lfs.s .-ssy s.silfss
which lies uron the hnslrraueui OF tho
uininh fivrT. hid hired hundrrl
civilians of Utah rs lahcrtI1 to nii Ia
the grade ui the road oyer Tic W.ulich
range. From Strawberry VALLEY wc
proceeded on TO u po!nt "a Green river
passing down. part of the ,.ly. tbc val
les of the main branch Il the Uiutah
river, until We struck thu valley uf the
uiutah. The road oycf TIDE intervening
mUuntIlus was rough hll rot impuc-
ticablr. ar We left uehinI us YeJy fair
wagnu and s,agc-fond wbidi cnull Or
improved much with YER little expense
from time Ia time. That rough portion
of the country which liz between our
Iirt camp In strawberry valley aud The
point Vt which We struck ,ilr main val.
lcy of the Jlntnh river yr found by
reconnaissance could be- avoided by
railway by building down strawberry
creek 10 its junction with the mIiu
I Diniah river. hut we found u would
cost too much To build wagon road
down the las;-namrl route. hah this
last-naincd route examined before We
lcH c.Mg IN strawberry valley.
I'VE reached Green river On a.. iG.h
oi August. We found the river IsD
feet wide aud of u depth OF nearly ten
feet FOR half the distance nc-oy with .
currcut Of i've miles an hour. On the
18th aud 18th Of August wu built q sub
s,antial icrry-boat. having taken the
I rrccaution to gc; rope for the ferry rs
well MS planks for the construction Of
the boat. After crossing Green river
We proceeded ON mp White river. having
10 make two marches oil from the river
ON mesa laud to avoid cauons on the
stream. But from my experience OF
those chnons from such observation "a
was able to make ! am OF the opinion
that there will bc no great difficulty IN
I i'diiiin" railroad shruugii ttfcm. The
cahons hf" very rochy and have n most
formidable and iorbiddinE appearance.
but the rock is Invariably sand rock Of
the same kind found ut places ON the
! U'ntah river and which | encountered
on my way down that river, and found
no difficulty in blasting my way through
with an ease and rapidity quite surpris-
ing Had then had dynamite TO work
with should not have turned aside for
any obstacles offered IN the White river
canon.
Going up White river with very
little difficulty for our wagons. plss-
ing over the ground where the
town of Meeker Is now situated, we
reached Painted Rock creek. marched
up TO its head, thence over ON to u
stream which flows into Bear or Iampa
river, thence through Battlesnakc pass.
crossing divers streams In n rolling,
hilly country. Offering no serious oh.
staclo TO our wagons. until we reached
the valley of Bear river again, about
opposite TO Elk Head mountains.
Thence we proceeded on, crossing the
Lake Fork OF the Bear and Williams
Fork and the Chimney Fork, marching
through the country known rs the
Fallen Timbcrs on Slryis creek thence
10 the head of that creek, over u low
mountain range into Eseria park, and .
thence by road which is now CON
siantly Travelled acrosa the Muddy and .