Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-10

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When Thomas came into camp there wa
rejoicing as we'll as mirth. The descrip
ton OF his nights experience was as gooe
as circus. He said: "Bejabers though
when got on the top of that hill woule
see the Pacific ocean, and when L go'
there there was another hill in me way
and when l got on the top of that there
was still another, and finally it was toe
dark to see at all at ALL" After the first
few hours he stopped to rest, but soon
found he would freeze if he did not keer
moving, and when day broke he was
above the clouds and had no idea which
way to go. After while the mist cleared
away and he got his course and
came into camp. Connington had great
desire to investigate everything along
the road, but his experience at Chimney
Rock and that of last night satisfied that
desire for the remainder of the trip.
Shortly after leaving camp we reached
the summit of the mountain that divides
the waters flowing into the great basin
and those flowing into the Pacific ocean,
through Snake river and the Columbia.
This divide is 30 sharp that if wagon
was placed on it and cut in two, the
front wheels would run towards the Pa
cific and the hind wheels toward the
Great Salt Lake. The road ran along a
depression at first which would be called
a ravine, then from the waters of the
springs and rivulets made by the melt
ing snow it becomes "branch," and
then not long after it becomes quite a
creek. We had to cross and recross this
great many times. We called it Ross's
creek. The crossing of the stream in
many places was very bad, but the road
over the points and high bottoms was
good, and being down grade we made
good time for ten miles, when we struck
bottom of very heavy sand for some six
miles. Then we came back to the
stream again where we had fine grav-
ely road for a few miles and coming to
good grass, we encamped, travelling
twenty miles.
Saturday, June 30th. we were at Camp
56. We got an early start and soon came
to sloughs that we're carrying the over
flowing water from Snake river-which
lay to our right--into the stream we had
been travelling down-which lay to our
left. Some of the first ws crossed with
out much trouble, but they soon became
wider and deeper, until the entire bot
tom was overhowed, and the land being
covered with willows made it somewhat
difficult to follow what road there was.
Pretty soon we came to the main slough,
which presented very formidable ap-
pearance. By prospecting we found that
| by elevating the wagon-beds eighteen
inches, we could prevent the water from
running into them, and we could cross
by the mules swimming. The next
thing was to get willows large enough to
make props to hold up the wagon-beds
To do that we had to take to the water.
from one to three feet deep, and the
mosquitoes were perfectly terrible,
We had to cover our faces
with our bandana handkerchief
in order that we might be able
to work. After a hard time
we got over, and had no more bad
places until we reached Fort Hall. Pass
ing the fort short distance we found
good grass, and encamped, travelling
eight miles. We returned to the fort
and spent the remainder of the day. Fort
Hall is situated on the Snake or Lewis
fork of the Columbia. This post wal
owned by the Hudson Bay Fur Com
pany. A man by the name of Grant haG
| charge, but there were lot of Mormons
here who appeared to have charge of the
cattle, of which tkere was herd of some
300 head, as fine fat animals as one ever
saw in the best stock farms in the West
ern States. They made plenty of good
milk, butter and cheese. We bad feast
of white biscuits with no sand in them
good milk and fresh butter. We laid in
lot of cheese, at twenty-five cents per
pound, and milk at thirteen cents q
| quart. We thought it was best not to
spoil ourselves by taking any butter, as
we had got accustomed to eating
"bacon sop" We found fine
supply of buckskin and mountain
sheepskin clothing, and moccasins, etc
much cheaper than at Peg Leg Smiths
We traded small, white mule, belong
longing to York, Carpenter and O'Con'
| nor, and our white.nosed and white.
breasted Jimmy Burns that had suffered
SO much from the effects of mosquito
bites, and got two fresh mules by giving
the accustomed $40 to boot, and 1 got q
very nice iron gray pony for $3.50. 1t
| was quite picnic to saunter around the
fort for few hours. This was one oi
| the most noted places in possession oi
the Great American Fur Company. II
controls the trade of vast territory, and
SO far the emigrants to Oregon and Cali.
fornia had come this way. Men of cul
ture had charge of the finances of this
great commercial company, rough in ex-
terror as the hardy mountaineer. Trappers
and hunters, Indians with war paint un.
washed from the skin coming with skins
or furs to barter for more ammu.
milton that they might add other
scalps to their belts; the Nor
mon stockman, who had just come
from rounding up his cattle, and doubt.
less congratulated himeelf that the mum
ber had been increased by some passing
emigrant train-all met around the trad
ing post on level.
There were few Mormon women and
children who seemed to be happy and
contented. They were evidently making
money, for they had quite large mum
Der Of cows to milk, and between making
butter and cheese and preparing meals
for the emigrants, they had enough te
do.
1t was quite a surprise to us to fine
so important a place and especially sucf
q band of fine cattle so far from all othel
habitations.
Although the surroundings were rough
and anything but desirable as place Of
abode, still it was quite change from
the monotony of our every day tramp
over the mountain and valley, and we
rather regretted when the setting sur
admonished us that We had better be
away to our camp.
Sunday, July LIST, we were out on the
road at 6 q, NJ, crossed Ross'B creek